Most of this was written between 3 AM and 5 AM, so hopefully few typos. :) Thanks again for the reviews!

Now that Gibbs and Abby were on good terms, Abby felt much more at ease, and able to enjoy the turn of events with her love life. During lunch, she shot off a flirty text message to Matt and sought out Tony to first tell him off for spying on behalf of Gibbs, and then to forgive him for doing so. By the time her lunch break had ended, she had already scheduled another date with Matt for that evening to make up for their semi-date the night before.

The rest of the day sped by, the results for her scans returning an hour before her normal quitting time, with Gibbs appearing in his magically psychic manner.

"What have ya got for me, Abbs?"

"No hits on the fingerprints, Gibbs, and the DNA matches the Gunny's husband, which follows with his story. The tires are consistent with luxury makes, specifically like the Cadillac DTS."

Gibbs absorbed the information. "The car that belongs to her co-worker." He handed over a Caf-Pow!

"You already gave me one today." Abby nodded at the drink.

He shrugged. "The first wasn't work-related."

Abby smiled and took it from his hand, sipping it happily. "Thanks, Gibbs."

Gibbs took in her good mood, "Things going well with Matt?"

She nodded enthusiastically, "We're going out again tonight."

The familiar heaviness returned to Gibbs. "I'm glad." His lie was harder than most he'd told, the heaviness flooding his heart and the pit of his stomach.

Abby studied Gibbs, grateful that at the very least she had found someone she cared for, as it was obvious that Gibbs lacked feelings for her. "I am too. He's genuinely a nice guy."

Gibbs nodded briefly, "Well, have fun." With a quick turn he was out of her lab and off to catch his suspect.

Despite her feelings for Matt, Abby's stomach fluttered with disappointment as he left, her final hope that he secretly loved her, leaving with him.

~*~*~*~NCIS~*~*~*~

That night's date was a more romantic dinner at an upscale restaurant with a national reputation.

"How did you get reservations on such short notice? This place is impossible to get into!" Abby glanced around at the other tables, with the well-dressed patrons. Matt had been kind enough to let her know to dress more formally for the night, so she'd taken the time to slip in to a fitted, short black dress.

"I'm friends with the owner. He owed me a favor after I did an emergency fix on a chipped tooth right before a magazine shoot." Matt shrugged nonchalantly as their server arrived at the table. He turned his attention to the man in front of them and ordered a bottle of Merlot. Once the server was gone, he looked back at Abby. "I hope you like red wine. The Merlot is to die for."

Abby smiled widely, "I love red wine. Actually, I love any wine, really. And beer…and liquor. Come to think of it, there's not much alcohol I dislike." Her raspy voice let out a round, deep giggle.

"My kind of woman." Matt grinned back at her.

~*~*~*~NCIS~*~*~*~

The dinner lingered on through three courses before they ordered dessert with the last of the bottle of wine. It had been some time since Abby had felt such at ease with a man other than Gibbs or one of the team.

As they finished their desserts, Matt glanced at his watch. "The night's still young, Abby. We could walk a bit downtown or take a drive?"

"I'd like that." Abby was excited at the prospect that for a change, a relationship was going smoothly.

The pair strolled past street performers who were attempting one last haul before shutting down for the night. Clubs that were still fairly busy for a weeknight blared out rap and metal on each corner of the sidewalk, men and women occasionally pouring from the doorways into the open air to head towards another bar or club. Abby and Matt held hands as they walked, as if it was something they did every day.

As they paused to cross the street, a couple of men eyed Abby up and down , taking notice of the short dress she wore. Matt glared at them, sending them off in the other direction as he pulled Abby into him.

"I've never liked it when men look at women like that. Especially when she's with another man. Downright rude." He shook his head.

Abby smiled up at him, her heart soaring at the thought that a man other than Gibbs would be so protective of her. "That's sweet."

Matt rubbed her shoulder gently, "It's not right for other men to be staring at my woman. That's my job." He wagged his eyebrows at Abby, pulling her closer into him for a half-hug.

With a contented sigh, Abby followed suit as the light changed, and Matt started for the crosswalk.

*~*~*~NCIS~*~*~*~

Gibbs was in Abby's lab early the next day to clarify some evidence for overdue paperwork. He heard her laugh aloud from her office as he rounded the corner from the elevator. Abby was in her desk chair, typing rapidly into her phone.

"What's so funny?" Gibbs raised an eyebrow as he swept into her office.

She jumped a bit and spun towards him in her chair, "You are far too quiet, Gibbs!"

"Hazards of the job."

Abby scoffed mockingly and put her phone on the desk, "I was just texting Matt. He was making a joke about a patient."

Gibbs swallowed a retort about what he thought of a man who made fun of his own clients. "I just needed to make sure this gun was included in the evidence from the Rutner case." He handed Abby a sheet with a gun model and number.

She scanned over it before bringing up some folders on her computer. "Let's see… the Glock 22…number starting with 2056…Yup, that's it." Abby passed the paper back to Gibbs.

Gibbs accepted the sheet, folding it down the center with a quick pull of pinched fingers to make a clean line. "How was your date?"

With a flash of a shocked expression, Abby recalled her date with Matt. "It was great. We went to that popular restaurant downtown, the one called Truffle. And then we walked around downtown for a bit. I think you'd like him Gibbs; he's very protective of me."

A quick nauseated feeling shot through Gibbs, causing him to swallow before he could respond. "That's great, Abbs." He paused, and waved the paper in the air, "Gotta get this upstairs." With that, he walked back through the lab and stepped into the elevator, shoving images of Matt and Abby happy and cuddling from his mind.