Two inches to the Right
Topic: NCIS
Pairing: Kate/Abby
Rating: M (later)
Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or I would be writing episodes not fanfics…
Summary: What if there had been wind that day and Ari's shot had only skimmed Kate's head? How would the fear of losing Kate effect Abby and their relationship?
Chapter 6 – How to make McGee nervous
Kate had been clicking away on the computer for almost forty minutes when she finally jumped up and did a little dance that reminded Abby of the cute little shuffle Crash Bandicoot did when he reached the end of a level. Obviously the beautiful agent had enjoyed more success than Abby on their video surveillance hunt.
"Sorry" Kate blushed at her own actions and sat back down again.
"You found something Special Agent Todd?" Abby purred seductively.
"Oh yes" the brunette agent responded silkily, sliding her chair along slightly to make space for Abby.
The forensic scientist felt a bit more free to flirt now McGee was running an errand for Gibbs upstairs. Plus Ducky had removed Kate's bandage now the bleeding had stopped and replaced it with a far less conspicuous looking plaster. Somehow it made her look far less damaged and more like the understated but sexy Kate she had been crushing over for months. Not that she had stopped crushing on her with the bandage on to be fair.
Abby rose to her feet and joined Kate by her computer screen. She didn't step into the space Kate had left her but instead rested her chin on Kate's shoulder and placed her hands on the desk so her arms where on either side of Kate.
"What you got?" She asked cheerfully, buoyed on by the fact Kate didn't seem uncomfortable with her proximity. The NCIS Agent actually seemed to lean into the contact slightly. Kate pressed play on the footage she had on the screen and Abby watched nervously as she realised what and where it was.
"I came across this by pure chance" Kate admitted as the video rolled on. Abby wasn't sure what she was meant to be looking for at first because nothing seemed to be happening but then she saw what Kate had got so excited at.
"Now that is a very nice find my very Special Agent" Abby virtually purred again drawing a smirk from Kate. The smirking agent had no time to respond though because an awkward cough slash clearing of someone's throat occurred from behind them. Abby pulled back and turned to find McGee awkwardly shifting from foot to foot.
"McGee!" Abby screeched excitedly. "Didn't Tony match the tire tracks to a Chevy Suburban?"
"Uh, yeah. Bridgestone Duellers. Factory issue. Uh, what are you doing?" McGee looked from her to Kate nervously. She couldn't decide if he was being curious, pervy or jealous either way it was none of his business.
"Cuddling" she replied cheerfully causing Kate who had turned to face them to chuckle, "and as an extra bonus we caught a break!"
"N-O-R orbited a new Keyhole. They're doing calibration tests using the seventh hole of the Norfolk Naval golf course." Kate explained before swinging back round to face the computer screen.
"Why the seventh hole?" McGee asked curiously as he approached the two of them and stood to the side of Kate in the space she had originally vacated for Abby.
"See? That's why I dig you, McGee. You think specific. Whatever the reason, we are grateful because that orbit took the Keyhole over Newport News! Just let me put it on the big screen…"
Abby leant over Kate again and typed in the correct sequence to re-root the satellite's video causing McGee to blush and turn away so he wasn't watching them. When he was looking the other way Kate glanced at her briefly and grinned. It wasn't the grin that caught Abby's attention though it was the agent's eyes which seemed to momentarily eat her up.
"That's the rooftop!" McGee suddenly spoke up excitedly dragging her attention back to the screen and the matters at hand. "That's me… Tony, Gibbs, Kate."
"That's the building where Ari's sniper nest was right?" Kate checked. It suddenly occurred to Abby that Kate must have worked that out for herself because she had been in hospital still when they had traced the bullet's path. Abby shuddered involuntarily and stood upright hoping Kate wouldn't notice.
"It is" Tim replied, "but Ari's not there."
"What do you want? A video of him shooting me?"
Kate commented at the disappointment in his voice. Abby knew Kate was only messing with him but in reality that would have been a bit uncomfortable to watch but ideal evidence.
"Well, yes and no..." McGee replied awkwardly before moving on quickly. "Okay, then why are you so excited?"
The question was directed at Abby not Kate as the brunette agent had been very laid back about her discovery since her initial little dance.
"About the video or…?" Abby quipped causing McGee to blush again. She would have taken it further but the important moment on the video footage was just about to roll.
"Oh, look! Could it be? A black Chevy Suburban driving down the alleyway."
McGee's eyes nearly popped out his head when the car appeared on the video and he walked towards the large computer screen.
"Uh… can you read the license plate?" he asked as he squinted at the screen.
"That depends more on angle than resolution" Abby admitted as she moved away from Kate and back to her other computer. She started to zoom in on the licence plate but it really was an awkward angle. McGee turned his head and ducked left to right trying to make out the plate which amused her no end especially as Kate was sat at the desk still behind him watching him quizzically.
"It's not a dress, McGee. You can't look up it to see what you want" Abby joked as he ducked lower to try and change the angle he was viewing it at. Finally there was a frame where the plate became clearer and McGee stood bolt upright and swung around to smile at them both.
"I've got to put a BOLO out on the plate" he said excitedly, hugging Abby on the way past.
"We did good, huh?" Abby grinned at his burst of excitement.
"We?" Kate protested from the side as McGee released Abby. The forensic scientist kind of hoped she was feeling a bit jealous by her and Tim's hug but Kate had never seemed like the jealous type.
"Well Kate did good…" Abby admitted, receiving a sexy smile in reward from the beautiful agent.
"You both did great" McGee said hurriedly before scooting out of the lab. Abby watched him disappear out the door wondering if he was rushing away just because of the BOLO or if they were making him nervous. Kate had always flirted a little with Abby in private but rarely publicly and never as much as she had been since Ari had targeted them both. Abby knew she shouldn't get her hopes up but perhaps they had turned a corner. Maybe the good catholic girl was ready to live a little.
"That was diplomatic," Kate spoke up from behind her. "Think McGee is scared of women with guns?"
"Mmmm but unlike you I haven't got a gun" Abby pointed out as she turned to face the NCIS agent again.
"No but you don't need a gun to shoot someone down" Kate drawled back. The agent leant back in her chair and actually checked Abby out. As in she literally looked her up and down. Abby's heart raced and her mouth went dry and she was sure she was going to jump Kate right then and there but then….
"Crap" Abby grumbled as her phone rang and vibrated violently across the lab bench. She recognised the ring tone instantly as Gibbs so she had to get it.
"Gibbs…" she started to speak but he cut her off.
"Abbs I have Ducky, he's safe" Gibbs stated evenly, "let the others know."
"Gibbs is back and he looks pissed" Kate heard McGee exclaim as he entered the lab. She opened her eyes and gazed up at the rather shocked looking probationary agent.
After Gibbs had rung Abby had set up her temporary bed on the floor of the lab and insisted she get some rest. She had been reluctant to sleep at first but she was tired and the strong painkillers she had received at the hospital were wearing off. She was starting to have a blinding headache. She had been awake for a few minutes before McGee had entered because Abby was typing away furiously. She hadn't bothered to open her eyes up until this point though in case her headache returned.
"Oh god did I wake you" McGee instantly apologised. Kate waved away his apology with her hand and sat up. Abby was gazing down at her rather affectionately from her seat by the lab bench which briefly made Kate's heart skip a beat before she forced her focus back on McGee.
"You said Gibbs is pissed off?" she enquired, "not happy with all this terrorist BS then?"
"No" McGee replied, offering her his hand to help her up which she gladly accepted. "He's just demanded to speak to Ari's handler, you know, the one Tony is following around with his tongue hanging out."
Kate dusted herself off and smirked. That sounded like too much fun to pass up even if she was under orders to stay in the lab and avoid field work.
"This I have to see" she admitted as she began to walk off.
"Tony panting like a dog?" Abby enquired from behind her.
"Nothing new there" Kate called out as she carried on walking, "It's Gibbs versus Mossad I want front row seats for."
She was lucky that the lift hadn't left the floor yet and she strode in and pressed for the correct floor. It was a short ride but it gave her a couple of seconds to muse over what was happening between her and Abby. The two of them had been close for a while and had spent plenty of time together outside work. They had been to a spa together, had movie nights and sleepovers at hers. She had always felt an attraction to the forensic scientist, literally since she had starting working with NCIS, but she had fought it down and tried to ignore it. For a start it didn't quite fit in with her belief system but then love was love wasn't it? Secondly she didn't really know if Abby felt the same, only suspected she might. And lastly there was Gibbs and his goddamn rules he was so obsessive over.
The elevator came to a stop and the doors opened so she tried to shake away thoughts of the beautiful goth for now and focus on the matter at hand. She strode across the pit and up the steps, coming to a halt outside the Conference Room. The door opened just as she reached it and Tony and an elder lady with red hair stepped out. She knew it must be the new director as she certainly didn't look like a Mossad agent.
"Agent Todd" the lady greeted.
"Kate you looking for Gibbs?" Tony didn't wait for an answer before continuing; "because if you are I don't think he wants to be disturbed."
The door hadn't fully closed yet so she stepped around Tony and held it open, totally ignoring what he said. She knew Gibbs may be pissed with her if she just barged in on him but she had something to say and she was going to say it.
She entered and closed the door quietly behind her. If either Gibbs or the pretty Israeli noticed her at that point they showed no sign of it.
"If he wanted you to know he is the sniper, why didn't he use your rifle? An M-Forty?"
The Mossad agent didn't seem quite as unreasonable as Kate had expected and seemed to be willing to talk it through with Gibbs.
"The Bravo Fifty-one he fired is called a 'Kate!'" Gibbs explained calmly. The Israeli paused and ran one of her hands through her hair. Kate could see what McGee had been talking about because the Mossad agent was attractive, female and breathing so she was right up Tony's street.
"I still don't believe Ari is the sniper but what you have said should be investigated" the Israeli conceded. Kate wondered what this woman's link to Ari was because she seemed more than just his handler. Kate couldn't quite put her finger on it as she didn't quite see the two as lovers.
"Well, when the media gets wind of this, it's going to create a furor" Gibbs pointed out pleasantly enough but it was a veiled threat really.
"Are you threatening to go to the media?" the Israeli asked irritably. Gibbs really did know how to push people's buttons; it was amazing somebody hadn't successfully shot him yet.
"No, not me" Gibbs replied calmly, "this could stay between Mossad and NCIS."
"In exchange for what? Setting up Ari for you to kill?"
This Mossad agent still didn't have the measure of Gibbs Kate mused. She saw him as a bit of a rogue agent; which was probably true to some extent as Gibbs liked to push boundaries, but he was not quite that much of a rogue. Gibbs liked to catch the bad guys; he liked to win the game. Just shooting Ari in cold blood would be an empty victory.
"No. Setting me up for Ari" Gibbs corrected her. "If I'm wrong about this, he won't show up."
That's exactly what Kate expected Gibbs to do. In fact she was so sure that's the kind of trick he'd pull when McGee said he was pissed she had headed straight upstairs to take her part in such a scenario,
"And if you're right?" The Israeli asked cautiously.
"Then I'm counting on you to back me up" Gibbs stated matter of factly.
Kate's stomach lurched slightly at his words. She hadn't expected that. She thought he would set such a scenario up with his team backing him up, not rely on a stranger to save his ass if Ari took the bait. Gibbs was a pretty sound judge of character though so if that was the road he was going down then Kate would go down it with him.
"You need a decoy to make it less obvious" Kate spoke up from the side of them. She was still stood by the door and she now felt a bit like as eavesdropping child.
"Agent Todd!" the Israeli was surprised to see her there.
"I take it you're volunteering?" Gibbs asked. Kate nodded and began to approach the two of them. The Mossad agent seemed a bit uncomfortable in her presence which made Kate even more certain the woman's link to Ari was strong.
"Agent Todd this is Ziva David" Gibbs introduced them. Ziva reached her hand out and shook Kate's but her eyes seemed to linger on the plaster on Kate's head.
"I was thinking Tony could drive me to the hospital for a check-up because of headaches" Kate explained. "We can make it look covert by having Tony drive me in a civilian car. You know, sneak us out the back door."
Gibbs tilted his head and looked at her whilst Ziva David ran her fingers through her hair again. The Israeli seemed stressed by the situation but willing to go along with it but Kate knew Gibbs was nervous of putting her at risk.
"DiNozzo isn't to know what's going on" Gibbs instructed. "So I hope you can put on a suitably pained face."
She was surprised Gibbs even felt the need to tell her to keep her mouth shut. Maybe he thought the knock to her head may have shuck all the training out.
"That shouldn't be hard to act with Agent DiNozzo for company" the Israeli agent quipped.
"I'd like to say he got less annoying the more you got to know him…." Kate chuckled. She may be a little weary of trusting this Ziva David but at least she had a decent sense of humour. It wouldn't stop Kate shooting her if anything happened to Gibbs though.
"Then we are agreed" Gibbs paused and looked at Ziva. "Make the call, if he asks about me tell him I have gone somewhere to think. He's done his research, he'll find me."
"Your basement…" Ziva stated, before taking her phone out her pocket and walking out the room without another word or a second glance.
"Apparently she's done her homework too" Kate remarked dryly.
