A/N: Sorry I am that extremely slow with updating, but I am already working on a few ideas. And many thanks to my beta Molly :)

Meet in here a character from season four. No spoilers -- I think -- just my wishful thinking ;)

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An Assistant for Abby

Up in the squad-room Gibbs´s phone started ringing.

"Gibbs?" Gibbs answered it. "Who? ... . Miss Sciuto? Yes, she's is up here. ... . Yes, that's right. ... . Someone will be there in a minute..."

Gibbs hung up the phone.

"Someone looking for me?" Abby wanted to know.

Gibbs looked up at Abby who was sitting on his desk right in front of him. It was a quarter past eight on a Monday morning and Abby had only just collected her early morning ration of caffeine-taste from Gibbs after bringing him an extra large cup of coffee and dragging him to the elevator as soon as he had finished it.

Well, 'dragging' was no longer the right word as Gibbs all too willingly and eagerly followed her there. Abby had started that ritual many weeks ago, because she was not allowed any caffeine during her pregnancy. And today Gibbs had asked her to accompany him back to the squad-room. He had intended to tell her about that visitor who now was waiting down in the entrance hall, but he still had not managed to do so.

"A ... visitor. Down at the entrance," Gibbs stammered, feeling a little uneasy.

"Who is it?" Abby asked.

The look on Gibbs's face told her she would not initially like what was about to come. Gibbs's gaze wandered past her and he made eye contact with McGee, who nodded and left to pick that mysterious visitor up. In fact McGee was significantly responsible for who was waiting down at the entrance. Gibbs, however, was undeniably nervous.

"Abby," Gibbs started, inhaling deeply as he prepared himself for this upcoming task.

"Abs," he started anew, struggling to find the right words.

"Gibbs, why don't you just tell me what's going on? I won't kill you."

Gibbs stared at her blankly.

"The baby would hold it against me if I did, so just tell me what this is about." Despite the uneasy feeling Abby managed to smile at him.

"Yeah," Gibbs sighed and decided to simply be straight. He had no choice, Abby would find out anyway in a minute or two.

He had feared this moment for weeks and now it finally had come. Jenny had repeatedly reminded him that Abby needed an assistant who also needed to replace her for some time when she would go on maternity leave. But it hadn't been before Jenny had walked into the squad-room last week -- planting herself right in front of Gibbs's desk and setting an ultimatum --, that McGee, who had followed their conversation, had suggested someone Gibbs also seemed to remember. He then had thrown McGee a piercing look and all that was needed was McGee swallowing hard to confirm Gibbs's suspicion.

But as Gibbs himself had changed the rules, there had been no way he could have refused and said 'No'.

"It's time for you to have an assistant, Abs." It finally was said.

Abby's mouth fell open. "Gibbs, you are kidding. I can still work for another..."

"Abs, I don't question ...," Gibbs interrupted her, but in return was interrupted by her as well.

"But Gi-ibbs...," Abby moved to stand up, but was prevented by Gibbs from doing so.

"Abby!" Gibbs finally glared at her and instantly hated himself for his reacting like this. He hadn't intended to upset her and therefore had avoided to tell her about the assistant earlier. But it was an inevitable necessity and he hoped Abby wasn't making it too hard for all of them.

Gibbs took a deep breath.

"Abs," his voice sounded much softer now. "You may work as long as you wish to -- or are able to -- and there of course is a lot of time, but you do need an assistant. Some things are already too dangerous for you to do, Abs. And the sooner we start to find someone ... . This one is only on a trial basis. Abs. Please."

Abby pouted slightly, but gave him a silent nod of understanding. She knew Gibbs was right. She was four months pregnant now and indeed, she herself had started to realize that she was not able to master all the workload on her own.

"It has not been decided yet?" Abby asked cautiously.

"No," Gibbs promised.

"Umm... but please, not some Chip again." With a shudder Abby remembered what her last encounter with an assistant had turned out like.

"No, not some Chip again. I promise," Gibbs laughed in reconciliation.

"Ummm..., did you already talk to that ... 'assistant'?" Being reassured a little, Abby wanted to know more about her future co-worker.

"Yes, I did," Gibbs nodded.

"And?"

"And what?"

"What is he like?"

"Who?" Gibbs enjoyed teasing her a little.

"The assistant, Gibbs!" Abby, however, wasn't enjoying this at all.

"Eh ... . He?"

"Oh Giiiiibbs!!" Abby warningly exclaimed, giving Gibbs a pat on the back of his hand.

"Ahhhh," Gibbs drawled and considered his next words thoroughly. "Well, I was a bit sceptical at first, but she is a smart girl. Gave a convincing demonstration."

Abby thought she had misheard. Shocked a little, she asked for confirmation. "She? ... Convinced you?"

Convincing Gibbs was a very difficult task. But aside from that, learning that the assistant was a she, brought up a feeling of jealousy. Abby couldn't help that sudden emotion and she tried to get off the table in a hurry. She knew she was doing Gibbs wrong, but for a brief moment she just hadn't been able to stop herself from feeling that way.

Gibbs sighed. Putting his hands on both her knees he made her stay seated. Then he waited until she eventually looked at him.

"Abs. Love." Smiling at her warmly he took her hand in his and lifted it to his lips, placing a soft kiss on her palm.

"Sorry, Gibbs," Abby said quietly when she had calmed down again.

"Abs, McGee thought...," Gibbs started to explain.

Abby was confused. "McGee? What does McGee have to do with this?"

"Well, it actually was his idea. He thought, you might probably feel comfortable with her."

Gibbs was watching the expression on Abby's face, who was trying to figure out who that person could be. Had she missed her name in that conversation? No, definitely not, Gibbs had not mentioned it. And if McGee knew her as well... . She could not think of anyone, yet she apparently had to know that woman, because everyone knew she would not immediately feel comfortable with a complete stranger.

Abby was too deep in thoughts and missed the ding of the arriving elevator. She didn't notice who was leaving it at McGee's side until the visitor and him both came to stand in front of Gibbs's desk.

"Boss," McGee announced their arrival.

"Good morning Agent Gibbs," the young woman at his side greeted.

Gibbs smiled to greet the young woman, then his "Good morning," was swallowed by Abby's astonished, "Ruby!?"

"Hi Abby," Ruby shyly waved her hand and for a couple of seconds pinched her lips before she stammered, "I ... Tim told me you needed an assistant ... ummm ... because you ... are ... , well, you and your boss ... your ... ehm... he ... the ...," Ruby waved about her arms helplessly for neither wanting to call Gibbs Abby's lover nor her boyfriend and she eventually choose, "Agent Gibbs," then swallowed a little embarrassed and continued, "he agreed to..."

"Since you and Miss Rae have already kind of worked together a few years back, I didn´t have any objection to McGee's suggestion," Gibbs impatiently finished Ruby's stammered explanation.

Abby's scrutinizing look wandered from Ruby to McGee and she narrowed her eyes and slowly tilted her head as she realized that back then, Ruby obviously had not only impressed Gibbs. McGee obviously had been impressed by her as well, yet in a completely different way. And Ruby had called him 'Tim'.

"'Tim', huh?" Abby threw McGee a questioning look.

Ruby blushed and McGee looked embarrassed as well. He earned a look from Abby that said, "How could you not have told me," but inwardly Abby was thinking How could I only have missed this? referring to both, not knowing that Gibbs had been looking for an assistant and that McGee and Ruby had stayed in contact over the years and obviously were more than just friends.

Abby decided to pay Gibbs and McGee back that they had managed to keep things a secret from her. She got off Gibbs's desk, rounded it and went over to Ruby.

"Okay, Ruby," she said, "let's get work started." And with that she took Ruby with her down to her lab, ignoring both men, not even dropping a 'Bye'.

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A/N: I think they should bring Ruby´s character back in again, shouldn´t they?

A/N: So Abby has an assistant now. In the next chapter Abby and Gibbs will have to talk about "Names" again.