AN: Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! And as always, thanks to the wonderful Kyrie! I posting a deslashed version of Jimmy and Abby's story as Ignoring the Evidence today, so if you know somebody who might like that and won't read T2 stories, please let them know about it!
Chapter 9
Abby didn't answer, just pulled his head down to kiss him again. They dropped to the bed, rolling over until she was stretched over him. Jimmy couldn't believe this was happening, but at the same time it seemed like the next natural step of their relationship since she fell asleep snuggled on his lap at Bethesda. The sensation when she rubbed her body along his brought him back to the present, and he lost the ability to think.
It wasn't until later, as she cuddled against him half-asleep, that he thought back to the first time they had snuggled.
Gibbs had gone to look in on Tim by the time he, Abby, and Ziva returned from their caffeine run. They handed out drinks to Vance and the McGees, who were huddled with Ducky and Brad, talking in low tones. Sarah was staring out the window, and Ziva moved to speak to her. Jimmy was at loose ends as to what to do with himself, until he saw Abby sitting on the floor cupping her tea in both hands. He walked over and slid down the wall next to her.
"So what's with the tea?" he asked, not commenting on the way her hands trembled around the paper cup.
She took a sip and leaned against him, so he wrapped his free arm around her shoulders. The rest of her body trembled like her hands. "They didn't have Caf-Pow, and if I drink coffee, I'll get too wired," she said. "I know I can't go see Timmy again until tomorrow, and I really should try to sleep. Gibbs knows he'd better wake me up if something happens, because otherwise I'll kill-" Her voice broke. "Kill him if he doesn't, but I can't seem to stop shaking."
Jimmy set his coffee on a nearby table and wrapped both arms around her. "Tim's going to be OK, Abs. He's not going to be out in the field for a while, but Dr. Mallard and Brad both said he's going to be OK. You helped too, giving blood." He rubbed one hand in long strokes down her back, hoping it would soothe her just the way it had him when his aunt had done it during those long, unbearable days right after his dad died. He could still feel her trembling. "Abby, let it go. I've got you."
She shook her head and buried it against his chest, mumbling.
"Abby?" He pulled back a bit so he could see her face. Tonight was one of the few times he'd seen her with no makeup. She'd washed it off after crying in the blood donation room and had never bothered putting it back on.
"Gibbs said I couldn't," she whispered.
Jimmy looked up to see that the team leader had returned and was sitting with Tim's parents and the other "adults" as he thought of them. He bent down close to her ear. "Gibbs said you couldn't what?"
"Cry," she said, her breath hitching. "When I was giving blood. He said I needed to pull it together for Tony's sake."
Jimmy exhaled. "Abby, that's because Tony was barely holding on himself, hoping Tim would be OK. But he's in with Tim now, and nobody here is going to mind if you cry." He pulled her into his lap so they could more easily hold onto one another. "Come on, let it out. You'll feel better." When she shook her head, he said, "If you want, I can ask Dr. Mallard over here to tell you a story about a time he once..." That got a weak giggle out of her. Then her giggles developed into hiccups, which turned into gentle sobs. He pulled her closer and felt her arms tighten around him the way they did when she squeezed Bert. Finally came the big, heaving sobs, and her body shook with each one. Jimmy caught movement in the corner of his eye and looked up to see Gibbs getting up. But when he shook his head, the team leader nodded and settled back where he was.
Though Jimmy remained aware of the older man's watchful gaze, he was determined to be there for his friend. Abby might never return his affection, but he was resolved that he would show both she and her honorary father he could be more than just Ducky's sidekick and the family's comic relief.
That night, Abby had finally fallen asleep in his lap. Having her wrapped around him had led to thoughts that had been completely inappropriate. And, OK, he was always thinking stuff that was way more inappropriate upon reflection than it seemed to him when it first popped in his mind, but even he didn't have to examine the situation to realize that getting turned on by his friend who was snuggled against him for comfort after her best friend almost died was wrong. The kind of wrong that would have Dr. Mallard chastising him and Gibbs dishing out one of his head slaps.
Tonight, though, she was snuggled into him after they'd had mind-blowing sex. Those kind of thoughts were completely appropriate. He grinned as he ran his hands gently down her back, not thinking of comforting her this time. After a couple of minutes, she lifted her head, her voice heavy with sleep. "Jimmy, I should go home, but if you keep doing that, I'm not going to want to."
"Stay," Jimmy said. Then he was struck by a moment of panic — he never asked women to stay over, but he wanted Abby to stay curled close to him all night. "I'll set my alarm for early so you can go home and change before work."
"Mmmm." She scooted up his body to kiss him. "I like the way you think."
"And maybe..." He hesitated.
"Speak, Jimmy," she said, fully awake now. She looked up at him, and in the glow of the streetlights through the window, he could see her wide green eyes just inches from his.
"I could drive over with you and give you a ride into work, since I'm giving you a ride to Tim and Tony's," he rushed on. "That way you wouldn't have to take your car out in the cold to work, and it would be easier after work and-"
She silenced him with a kiss. "On one condition."
"Anything."
"Bring a bag," she said. "That way you can just stay at my place tomorrow after we leave the guys' house." She grinned. "I think you'll really appreciate the coffin."
He laughed. "An autopsy table, the ME's van... I think a coffin fits right in."
She laughed hard, dropping her face into his chest. "Just so you know, Ducky is NEVER finding my underwear in Autopsy."
"Well, of course not," Jimmy said. "Ballistics has a lot fewer people in and out." He grinned and pulled her up so they were nose to nose. "But if we're sleeping together at night, I think we can make it through the day without jumping each other at the Navy Yard."
"Mmm... I like the sound of that." Abby shifted, brushing against him. "Especially when it's very clear you're interested in more than sleeping." She reached down with one hand and distracted him with a kiss at the same time, so he didn't have a chance to reply.
The next morning, Jimmy groaned as he reached for his alarm. He felt like he was wading through muck, but Abby bounced right out of bed.
"I'll go make coffee while you shower," she said, grabbing one of his T-shirts and sliding it on as she walked out of his bedroom. The sight was enough to snap Jimmy to wakefulness. By the time he had showered and was buttoning his shirt as he walked into the kitchen, she was redressed in last night's clothes and pouring two cups of coffee.
"Glad to see you're awake now," she said, grinning. She headed for the living room, but he wrapped an arm around her waist to stop her for a kiss. "Definitely awake," she said, when she finally managed to pull away.
He watched her walk into the living room, while sipping his coffee. When she walked back into the kitchen with a small plastic compact, he raised one eyebrow. She popped a pill out and chased it with coffee. "No baby lab bats yet," she said, grinning.
Jimmy thought about their discussion from the day before. "Yet," he added, grinning in return. "I can hear Tony now, grumbling about how crossing lab bats and autopsy gremlins is a sign of the coming apocalypse."
Abby rolled her eyes. "Like he can talk." She looked up at him over the rim of her mug. "So, we're going to totally blow everybody's minds when they find out we went from being just friends to discussing baby lab bats in what, 12 hours?"
"Technically, we talked about the babies first," Jimmy said. "That's how I know this is a 'yet.'" He pulled her close. "And we should probably keep that bit to ourselves. I don't want Gibbs to come after me with a shotgun."
"Oh, he wouldn't use a shotgun," Abby said. "He'd use his sniper rifle." She stood on her toes so they were at eye level. "Except that I would tell him it was my idea and that I thought he wanted to be Grandpa Gibbs."
Jimmy snorted. "No, Tony, Tim, and I decided that he should be Grumpa Gibbs. But only if you tell him — he'd kill anyone else who suggested it."
Abby giggled. "You guys were talking about what Gibbs will be called by the Baby Gibblets? They're totally planning on having kids!" She put her coffee cup down. "Come on, let's go, or we'll be late and totally busted."
-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-
Ducky had just tucked into the mountain of dreaded requisition forms when Mr. Palmer walked into Autopsy with a rather goofy smile on his face. While the younger man hung up his coat and suit jacket, Ducky stifled the smile that threatened to overcome his own countenance. Perhaps Jimmy and Abigail had finally realized what had been apparent to most of the rest of the team these past couple of weeks.
"Good morning, Dr. Mallard," Jimmy said as he approached the table piled high with papers. "Requisition forms?"
"No time like the present," Ducky said. "We have no guests with us, and we can hope that will stay true for a day or two." He handed a stack to Jimmy, whose smile never wavered even as he started sorting through the many papers.
"I went to physical therapy with Timothy last night," Ducky said. "He appears to be doing quite well, given the extent of his injuries."
Jimmy looked up. "Oh, good," he said. "I know he's been frustrated waiting to see what will happen."
"I expect he will be back on desk duty within a few weeks," Ducky said. "Not as quickly as he would like, perhaps, but at the early end of the range I had estimated when he first was injured."
"He'll be glad to get back, and I think Tony will, too," Jimmy said. "Not that Abby and I mind going over to check on Tim at lunchtime."
"But you two wouldn't mind a chance to enjoy lunch alone perhaps?"
"Yeah, that would be nice-" Jimmy's head jerked up. "Wait, how did you know? We didn't even know until last night."
Ducky smiled at the confirmation of his suspicions. "Ahh, Mr. Palmer, when you have been around as long as I have and worked with people as closely as I work with you and Abigail, it takes very little to deduce these sorts of developments." He held up a hand to pre-emptively halt the explanation or excuses sure to come out of Mr. Palmer's mouth next. "I have no need of details, Mr. Palmer. Indeed, once Anthony learns of this development, I daresay you will prefer nobody have details to be able to share. He is quite persuasive once he gets going." He paused. "I just have one question for you."
"Yes, Dr. Mallard?"
"Are you and Abigail happy?"
At the big smile on his face, Jimmy's answer was evident even before he said, "Oh, yes! We're very happy. In fact, we're-" He broke off, flushing. "Never mind. That's one of those details I'd rather Tony not know."
"Understood." Ducky turned back to the forms. "And now, to conquer this bloody paperwork."
It wasn't only the paperwork that had the M.E. looking for an excuse to visit Abigail's lab later that morning. Not that he didn't trust her, but he wanted to be certain that she and Jimmy were on the same page in regard to this change in their relationship.
When he walked into the lab, she had her usual music on loud enough to rattle the windows.
"Hey, Ducky!" She turned down the volume as soon as she saw him. "I know you don't have evidence for me because the team's just investigating a robbery today, and not even a difficult one, so what brings you to my lab?" As she bounced between the various machines in her lab, he could almost see the happiness radiating from her.
"I'm just glad to find that Mr. Palmer isn't the only one in such a wonderful mood today," he said, unable to resist smiling. Abby's emotions were so strong, they were infectious on a normal day. He rather suspected that today even Gibbs would smile after being exposed to the forensics expert's joyful spirit.
She turned to him. "Really? You can tell Jimmy's happy? I mean, really happy? Like happy the same way I'm happy?" Her grin stretched even wider.
"Yes, really happy," Ducky confirmed. "I don't think even Jethro could squelch him today, though with no need of our services on the current case, I don't imagine he'll get a chance to try."
"Thanks, Ducky," she said. "I'm glad it's not just me."
"That is one thing you need not concern yourself with, my dear."
After leaving the lab, Ducky headed upstairs to the bullpen. He had spoken with Anthony last night after returning Timothy from physical therapy, but he was sure Jethro would have questions for both of them on the younger man's condition. By fortuitous circumstance, he arrived at a time when neither Ziva nor Agent Wilson were in the bullpen, so they would not need to adjourn to another room.
"What's on your mind, Duck? No dead bodies on this one."
"Yes, Jethro, I am aware of that. I merely thought you might appreciate a progress report on Timothy, as well as the chance to ask questions. Anthony, you as well, of course. Since you are both Timothy's medical proxies, I can tell you anything you think Timothy would feel comfortable with you knowing."
Tony walked over to join the other men. "He is going to be able to return to the field, right, Ducky?"
"As you know, Anthony, Timothy has many weeks of rehabilitation ahead of him before we will know for certain. Setbacks are always possible." As the younger man's face fell and he opened his mouth, no doubt to protest, Ducky held up a finger. "That necessary medical disclaimer out of the way, as well as a reminder that I am not omniscient, I do believe Timothy will easily return to field duty. He is already able to move his arm under his own power, and when they moved his arm through its available range of motion, it was greater than typically expected following surgery. Since the required procedure was quite extensive because of the damage from the gunshot wound, that also is a good sign."
"So when will he be back, Duck?"
"Patience, Jethro. Timothy will not be the only one to require that virtue during the coming weeks." He looked pointedly at the two men standing before him.
"We know, Ducky," Tony said. "But it's the uncertainty that's been the problem. Well, at least for me and Tim. Not trying to speak for you, Boss."
"Yes, well, I'd wager that Timothy will be back on desk duty in about three weeks, give or take a few days," Ducky said.
Tony nodded. "That's not bad, actually." He looked around Gibbs to the calendar on his wall. "The Supreme Court ruling is supposed to come down in about two, so we can do the wedding that first weekend in March and then there's another week before he comes back."
"You had your honeymoon, DiNozzo," Gibbs said, but Ducky could tell from his slight smile that he wasn't really angry.
"Not that, Boss. But this way if the waiting period pushes the wedding to that Sunday, he doesn't have to turn around and head into work the next day."
"Actually, Anthony, I'd prefer if Timothy came in the Friday before he is scheduled to start," Ducky said. "Mondays Mr. Palmer has class all morning, so if we have a case, I will be rather overloaded. If he comes in on a Friday, Mr. Palmer can handle any case-related duties whilst I perform the exam. Unfortunately, he will not be able to handle those until he formally graduates, even though he is quite qualified at this point."
"Shouldn't be a problem, Ducky," Tony said. "He can just ride in with me, and then if we catch a case and I can't take him home, he can either hang out here, or Sarah or Abby or Jimmy can drive him home."
Ducky smiled. "I have enjoyed watching you children all pull together to help each other out through this. While the team has always been close, the last two weeks have rather taken that to a new level." He knew it was not his place to say anything about the new development in Jimmy and Abigail's relationship, so he didn't mention it, but it was one of the changes he approved of in recent weeks.
"Any idea how long he'll be out of the field?" Gibbs raised a single eyebrow.
"That, my dear Jethro, is difficult to determine at this point." Ducky thought back over the information he had and what he had seen last night. "While it is always possible Timothy could need either more or less time than I predict, I would not date his return much before the end of May, and it could easily be mid-July before he is able to re-qualify. Even once he is cleared medically, taking that much time off means he will have to rebuild his stamina to pass the fitness exams, not to mention his firearms proficiency test."
Tony nodded. "He said something last night about using a recumbent bike before or after PT when we go over to Bethesda so he can keep in shape."
"An excellent idea." Ducky nodded enthusiastically. "He will find it difficult to get the level of workout he had been used to with his daily runs, but since he is limited to activities that will not jar his shoulder, it is the best of the available options." As Jethro opened his mouth, Ducky went on. "Yes, Jethro, Timothy and I did have this discussion last night, in conjunction with his physical therapist."
"Thanks, Duck." Gibbs looked at him. "Anything else I need to know?"
"Not at the moment." As he headed for the elevator, Ducky assured himself that he was correct. Jethro did not need to know that Jimmy and Abigail were seeing each other, though he didn't imagine it would be a secret for long, as happy as they both looked.
As he walked into Autopsy, his assistant was just finishing up the stack of requisition forms.
"I'm sorry, Jimmy," Ducky said, abashed. "I didn't mean to leave you with all of those dratted forms."
He shook his head, the grin from the morning still on his face. "It's no problem, doctor. I've got them done, and now we don't need to worry about them for another quarter."
His irrepressible good humor confirmed the impression Ducky had gotten both earlier and after his visit to the forensics lab. "I must say, Mr. Palmer, after seeing you and Abigail this morning, I do believe your decision to begin seeing each other is long-overdue."
His assistant's eyebrows shot up. "You approve, Dr. Mallard?"
Ducky nodded. "I do, Mr. Palmer. And I will tell that to anybody who asks me, should it be required." He was rewarded by an even-wider smile.
-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-
Eileen McGee was just pulling a meatloaf out of the oven for dinner when Jimmy and Abby arrived. Though Tim had insisted he could heat up some of the food Ziva had made Sunday, Eileen wouldn't hear of it and had insisted on cooking.
Tim started to get up, but Tony motioned him to sit back. "I've got it, McEager," he said. "Just sit there and look cute — Oh wait, that's my job. See you in a couple of hours."
Tim just rolled his eyes, but part of him was glad to see Tony returning to his usual antics. "Don't tie yourself into a knot we can't get you out of."
Jimmy walked into the living room carrying a backpack just as Tim heard Tony close the front door behind him.
"No sling?" Jimmy dropped his bag on the floor by the sofa.
Tim grinned as he shook his head. "Nope. I can't go all day without it, but the physical therapist wants me to spend some time not wearing it so the muscles get used to holding up the weight of my arm." He grimaced. "I still have to wear it when I sleep, though."
"Give it time," Jimmy said. "And I'll bet you're sick of people saying that, aren't you?"
"He bit my head off when I said it this morning." Eileen stood in the kitchen doorway drying her hands on a towel. "Jimmy, Tim, I've got dinner waiting for you."
"Thanks, Mom," Tim said. "We really would have been fine." He got up and walked over, giving her a one-armed hug and cheek kiss. "Go on, Dad's going to be wondering where you are. It'll be almost 1900 by the time you get home."
"We'll cut that time in half in another two weeks." At the confused expression on Jimmy's face, Eileen clarified. "We're moving a week from Saturday."
"They're buying the house next door to Gibbs," Tim said. "Tony and I are already planning to move down to that area when our lease is up here, so everybody will be on the same side of the city."
Jimmy nodded. "That makes sense," he said. "Then Abby will be the only one more than a half hour away, and we might-" He broke off as the tips of his ears turned pink.
"Wait, 'we'? You mean as in you and Abby? Why didn't Tony tell me?" Tim frowned. "I miss all the news stuck here at home."
"No!" Jimmy said. "I mean, you didn't miss anything. Ducky's the only one who knows about us. We decided we weren't going to broadcast it, because it's too new. There weren't any dead bodies today, so nobody came down to Autopsy, and Abby was just ─" A goofy grin slid across his face. "Well, more Abby-like."
Eileen gave him a fond smile. "Sarah mentioned she saw you two, Ziva, and another friend of yours last night at the coffee shop, but she didn't mention you two were dating." She turned to the sink and started washing pans. "If it was a double-date, you boys make sure Ziva knows her young man is invited next time we all get together."
"Wait, Ziva's dating somebody?" Tim dropped into a chair at the kitchen table with a thump. "When did this happen?" He was beginning to think he needed to get back on desk duty just to keep up with the developments in his friends' lives. And how did Tony become Mr. Tardy-to-the-Party when it came to office gossip?
"No, Ziva's not dating anybody," Jimmy said as he joined Tim at the table. "Damon's back in town, and she wanted company when she met him for coffee last night so it wouldn't seem like a date. She originally asked Abby to go along. I agreed to meet them, and Abby joined us after her yoga class. Sarah and Josh just stopped by to say hi after Sarah's shift was over."
Tim had so many questions, he didn't know where to start. "You met Josh? What's he like? Do I need to remind him Sarah's got two big brothers? Well, three counting you, Jimmy. And how is having you and Abby coming along make it less date-like? Seems like a double-date to me."
Jimmy just gaped like a fish.
"Ignore him, Jimmy," Eileen said as she rinsed mixing bowls. "Honestly, Tim, you're more protective of Sarah than your father. She's an adult who can make her own decisions."
"Mom, I just want to make sure some jerk doesn't hurt her." He protested, even though he knew if Sarah was here, she'd rip into him for saying that.
"Dear, any man who messes with your sister doesn't know her very well. I'd pit her against anybody." Eileen set the last pan in the dish rack and dried off her hands, turning back to face them. "Not to mention once she tells them her father is a Navy commander, her older brothers and sister are federal agents, and her other brother and sister are a medical examiner and a forensic scientist respectively, I'm pretty sure they're going to know not to mess with her."
"Um, yeah, she only really knows about Tim," Jimmy said.
Tim grinned at his mother's look of confusion. "Mom, we don't advertise that we're federal agents," he explained. "Not everyone reacts well to it. Josh only knows I'm a federal agent because Sarah had to explain why I had been shot, but he doesn't know about the rest of the team." He turned to Jimmy. "Or does he, now?"
Jimmy shook his head. "No, we just said we were a scientist and a medical student. Oh, and Tony is a former athlete. Damon played along even though he didn't understand at the time, and we explained to him why after Sarah and Josh left the coffeehouse."
"Does Tony know Damon's back?" Tim said. He was pretty sure that was another tidbit Tony had missed, because otherwise Tony would have been grumbling about it as soon as he got home.
"No, I don't think so. We were talking about all having lunch tomorrow if the dirtbags allow us to," Jimmy said. "Abby and I figured one of us could pick you up so you could get out of the house for a while."
Tim thought about it. "Better make it you," he said. "I should wear jeans and something more presentable than a T-shirt if I'm going out to lunch with you guys, and I'm pretty sure we'd all rather you helped me get dressed instead of Abby."
"That's my cue to leave," Eileen said. She walked over, and Tim reached up with his good arm to hug her.
"Thanks for coming, Mom," he said. "Tell Dad I said hi."
"Nice to see you again, Mrs. McGee," Jimmy said. "Thanks for dinner. It's delicious."
"Good to see you too, Jimmy, and tell Abby I said hello also." Eileen straightened up. "Tim, don't push that arm too much, too quickly, and save some of that meatloaf for Tony."
Tim huffed. "Tony had a sandwich before he left."
"Because he said he wouldn't make it through the whole class if he didn't eat something," she countered.
"Yes, Mom." Tim rolled his eyes.
"I'll keep an eye on him," Jimmy said, grinning at Tim.
Tim waited until his mom had left before sticking his tongue out at Jimmy. "I'll save some dinner for Tony, but I've gotten more than enough lectures between the physical therapist, Tony, and Ducky. I have not turned into Tony — I'm not going to do anything crazy like come back to work early after recovering from the plague."
He was rewarded by a snicker from Jimmy.
"Now that my mom's gone — because my parents do not need details about anybody sleeping in the coffin — are you really thinking about moving in with Abby already after just hooking up with her last night?" Tim stared at Jimmy, using his best impression of a Gibbs glare. It wasn't all that great — he was out of practice after more than two weeks on medical leave — but Jimmy wasn't exactly a tough case.
"Yes. I mean, no. I mean-"
Tim couldn't keep a straight face and broke down laughing. "OK, Jimmy. Just spit it out."
"Abby and I are, well, seeing each other." Jimmy shrugged his shoulders. "Have you ever seen a fuse of dynamite? You know, it fizzles along for a while and then it goes ka-boom?"
Tim nodded, realization dawning. "And you two finally went ka-boom?"
Jimmy nodded. "While she was getting dressed to leave, we-" He stopped and flushed.
"Oh, you really went ka-boom, didn't you?" Tim smirked. "So what time did she finally get home last night?"
"No, that was this morning before work. We-" Jimmy stopped again.
"She spent the night?" Tim rearranged some thoughts and looked at Jimmy. "Abby doesn't spend the night at a guy's house," he said slowly. "She'll let somebody stay over in the coffin, but she has this thing about not spending the night at his place." He paused. "The only time she makes an exception is if it's a friends-with-benefits situation. I don't understand why, but then, I don't understand half of Abby's mind."
"Really?" As a grin spread over Jimmy's face, Tim realized things might be more serious than he expected.
He hated to throw cold water on his friend, but this was Abby, and even though he had warned her about being careless with Jimmy, he had to ask. "You're sure this isn't a friends-with-benefits situation?"
Jimmy nodded. "I'm sure. And if it makes you feel better, Ducky went up to talk to her after he figured out what was going on and when he came back, he told me he was very happy for both of us."
Tim was relieved. "It's not that I don't trust you, or Abby. I just..."
"You know Abby's track record, and this is happening really fast." Jimmy nodded. "I know. And we know we have some things to talk about. But we talked some yesterday afternoon — on a different, but related, topic — and this morning we had just enough time to bring it back up. And we have more to talk about, but we're both serious about this." He frowned. "Of course, I might need some tips from you about what it's like to have Gibbs as a father-in-law. Because I really, really don't want to have him coming after me with a shot-" He broke off when Tim dropped his fork onto his plate.
"Wait, you're that serious? Abby, who runs from commitment like it's sunlight and she really is part vampire, is considering..." He trailed off, his mind officially boggled.
"Don't ask any questions you're not prepared to answer yourself." Jimmy smirked. "Abby is dying to know if you two are planning on kids, but I told her to back off. It isn't any of our business."
Tim considered several answers to that, but discarded all of them. "OK, let's just drop this for now." He focused on the other bit of news. "So Damon's back in town? For good?"
Jimmy nodded. "Seems like it. I hadn't met him before, but he seems like a nice guy."
Tim rolled his good shoulder, the one Damon had dislocated. "Yeah, he is. Though the first time we met him... Well, I think Tony's finally forgiven him for the broken nose, but I don't think he's forgotten the experience."
"If Ziva's thinking about dating him, this could get ugly." Jimmy made a face.
"Wait, I thought you and Abby went along so it would be clear it wasn't a date?" Tim rubbed his forehead with one hand. "When did Silver Spring turn into Siberia? I'm completely out of the loop."
Jimmy frowned. "We did. But..." He sighed. "Look, I don't know details, and I don't think Abby does either. All Abby told me was that Ziva wasn't ready to date yet after what happened in Somalia, and she needed, well, a buffer because she and Damon have always been attracted to each other." He put his fork down. "You were there, at least at the end. Do you and Tony know what happened?"
Tim frowned, his gut tightening. "No, but you know what that sounds like, don't you?"
Jimmy nodded. "Would Saleem and his men...?"
"They weren't the type of men who think women have much value," Tim said. He swallowed. "We've all seen the scars on Ziva's back, and I know she hasn't worn a skirt or shorts around any of us since she's been back, at least not that I've seen, so I suspect she has more on her legs. But I don't think even Ducky ever got much out of her about what actually happened in Somalia."
"Maybe we should ask Abby when they get back," Jimmy said. "If she's going to talk to anybody, it's Abby."
Tim thought for a minute. "Actually, I think she and Sarah are getting to be good friends. They were talking pretty seriously about something on Sunday when they were over here. Abby... She feels too much. If we're right, just hearing about what Ziva went through would hurt Abby, and for something this intense, Ziva won't be able to get through talking about it if the person she's talking to is falling apart."
"Ducky?" Jimmy frowned. "Or does it have to be a woman?"
Tim shook his head, lost. "I don't know. When we interview victims of sexual assault, it's usually Ziva or me because she's a woman and I'm not all that intimidating to most people. But Ziva's not exactly typical." He frowned. "Maybe mention it to Ducky, see what he thinks."
Jimmy nodded. "Will she be mad that we're talking about this, or that I'm talking to Ducky about it?"
Tim let out a big sigh. "I don't know, Jimmy. I really don't. But unless we know she's talked to somebody, I think it's worth the risk."
"Wait. Wouldn't she have to have talked to somebody to be cleared for the field? Especially since she had to apply to be an agent, not just get a regular field clearance."
Tim snorted. "If you don't think Ziva could fake her way through the psych battery, you don't know her very well. Tony's done it dozens of times." He frowned, wondering how much he should say. "Most of the time, they're just checking to make sure an assignment hasn't broken you. If you come into this job with masks and coping mechanisms for things in your past, they're generally not going to pick up on that if you've hidden yourself well." He sighed. "Without going into details, let's just say that if they could pick up past traumas that scarred you for life, Tony wouldn't ever have made it onto Gibbs' team."
Jimmy frowned. "You aren't... He isn't..." He took a deep breath. "Just tell me Tony finally got some help."
Tim nodded. "I don't know that Ducky would consider either me or Gibbs a qualified psychologist, but we understand Tony, and he trusted us enough to let us help. He still has his moments — we all do when a case hits too close to home for whatever reason — but he's in a much better place, and he's found better ways of handling things."
Jimmy nodded soberly. "Ziva got a lot of practice hiding her emotions when she was Mossad."
Tim fought down the anger that always threatened when he thought about Eli David. "Her father made sure of that." He shook his head. "I'm not sure we can do or say anything, except be there if she decided she wants to talk. Ziva... She doesn't like people asking her questions about things she doesn't want to talk about."
Jimmy just nodded. "Sorry, I didn't mean for this to turn into a really heavy discussion."
"No, it's OK." Tim smiled. "We can go from the Three Stooges to serious angst and back faster than most people." He pushed away from the table. "Come on, let's clean up. Do you need to study?"
Jimmy wrinkled his nose. "Need to? No. Should I? Probably. But I don't really want to." He paused. "But if you're tired or something, I can amuse myself."
"No, I'm good," Tim said. "I probably should put the darn sling back on, though." He wrinkled his nose. "At least all the bandages are off, and I can wear more than the T-shirts that I used to wear when I weighed 50 pounds more."
"Yeah, I'll bet that's nice. How bad is the scar?"
Tim reached up and slid the neck of his T-shirt over to show Jimmy. "I've got a matching one on the back from the exit wound," he said. "It's not as bad as some of Tony's scars, but I'm hoping it fades over time." He lightly traced the reddened, raised tissue. "Tony's don't stand out nearly as much, but as he points out, he actually has color to his skin."
"Yeah, yeah," Jimmy said. "It's OK, some of us have to be pasty to make guys like Tony look good."
Tim dropped his head to his chest, laughing. "We're not mentioning that to him," he said. "He'll never let us forget it." He stood. "Come on, let's just hang out." He looked at the clock. "They should be back fairly soon anyway."
Jimmy picked up both plates. "You go relax; I'll clean up," he said.
"You don't have to," Tim replied. "You're helping us out."
"Tim, go," Jimmy said. "Relax before Abby gets here and gives you all the hugs she's been saving up for when your stitches were out."
Tim couldn't argue with that, so he didn't. Back in the living room, he sank into the chair. It had been Tony's, but since they'd moved into together, Tim used it most of the time, even before napping in the chair became more restful than sleeping in bed. He let the chair support his arm and settled back. He was still trying to wrestle with the idea of Jimmy and Abby, not to mention Abby actually talking about kids. Or so he figured from what Jimmy had said — and hadn't said. But then he thought back to the fall when Abby had been oblivious to the change in his relationship with Tony, and some of the things she'd said then, and maybe it wasn't so unexpected after all. Tony had never wanted kids either until fairly recently. He smiled. At the rate things were going, Gibbs was going to have more grandchildren than he could handle. Although if Jimmy and Abby were already talking about it, they probably would be the parents of the first Baby Gibblet. He and Tony hadn't thought much about what to do to have kids beyond wanting them, and Jimmy and Abby probably had that part down. He winced at the thought. No picturing naked co-workers, he ordered his subconscious, even if he did have detailed knowledge of what one of them looked like. And he knew Abby — marriage wasn't her style. She'd be perfectly happy to skip the wedding and go right to the kids. He snorted. No wonder Jimmy was worried about a shotgun.
Jimmy joined him a few minutes later, sinking into the couch. "Hey, Tim?"
"Yeah?"
"Is it weird for you, I mean, me and Abby?"
Tim thought about it, then shook his head. "No. Well, not you and Abby."
"Huh?"
"I think you and Abby fit together." He sighed, trying to figure out how to phrase this. "I know what Abby liked about me and what didn't work well between us. The things that didn't work with her are the reasons Tony and I fit together as well as we do. You have a lot of the same traits that Abby liked in me, and I think the places where we differ are the ones where Abby and I didn't click." He hoped Jimmy wouldn't ask for specifics. "If I didn't think you guys had potential, I wouldn't have encouraged either of you, and I would have stopped Tony from encouraging you."
"Wait, you talked to Abby about me?"
"It came up the other day. I warned her not to be careless with your feelings; that if she didn't share them, not to let you think she did." He smiled ruefully. "One time, she told me she loved me, then added 'like I love puppies.' I could have done without the comparison, but when I protested, she just said, 'But I love puppies!' Abby's great, and she has a heart big enough to soften even Gibbs, but she uses the word 'love' for all of us, in different ways." He sighed. "Abby's special, and if she loves you the way I love Tony, you couldn't do any better. Maybe she's ready for that now; she wasn't five years ago. And I wasn't the right person for her, anyway."
Jimmy nodded. "I get it, I think." He smiled. "I don't know that I would have believed it, except that I made her blush-"
"Wait, you made Abby blush? What did you-? Never mind. I do not want to know what could make the woman who once asked Gibbs if he had any fetishes actually be visibly embarrassed."
Jimmy shook his head. "No, it wasn't like that. At the coffee shop last night, I looked over and smiled, and she was just looking at me. Then she looked away, and her cheeks turned pink." He smiled. "It was kind of cute, actually."
Tim just stared at Jimmy. "All you did was smile?"
He nodded.
"I stand corrected. She might really have fallen this time." He smiled. "Congratulations."
Now it was Jimmy's turn to flush. But before Tim could say something, he heard the back door open. Tony and Abby walked into the living room in sock feet a minute later. Well, Tony walked. Abby bounced.
"Timmy!" She said. "Now I can hug you!" She reached down and wrapped her arms around him, being careful not to jar his shoulder.
"Thanks, Abs," he said. He decided not to say anything about her and Jimmy and see what happened.
She got up, leaving room for Tony to rest a hip on the arm of the chair.
"You all uncrunched?" Tim asked, looking up at his partner.
"I-" Tony stopped as Abby landed on the couch next to Jimmy, snuggled next to him, and reached up to kiss him. "What the-"
Tim couldn't hold back his laughter and doubled over in the chair, while Abby and Jimmy just looked at Tony.
"When did this-?" Tony put a hand on Tim's shoulder. "You knew! Wait, how did you know? Why didn't I know? Does Gibbs know?"
"If you two are trying to keep all of us from knowing about this, kissing in front of Tony is the wrong way to go," Tim said, still snickering.
"Oops." Abby grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, Jimmy. I wasn't thinking."
"It's OK. I goofed and said something earlier so Tim and his mom guessed."
"Wait, Mom knows about this before me?" Tony made a face.
Tim reached up and patted him on the back. "It's OK, Tony. Nobody stays champion of the office information network forever." He grinned, knowing Abby and Jimmy would kill him. "Besides, they apparently just started seeing each other last night, and Jimmy's already worried about Gibbs coming after him with his sniper rifle."
He'd expected Jimmy to turn red, but wasn't prepared for Abby to be the one doing the lobster impersonation. He filed that away to think about later as Tony stood up.
"Jimmy, if you've done anything to Abby to make Gibbs come after you, he's going to have to wait in line." Tony glared.
"Ignore him, Jimmy," Tim said. "His gun's locked up, so you're safe."
Tony turned his glare on him. "How can you be so calm about this?"
"Because I was able to keep my mouth shut for two minutes so he could explain." Tim grinned at him. He didn't often get to stir up the kind of trouble Tony managed on a regular basis, but he was starting to see the attraction of it. Jimmy and Abby were just sitting on the couch. Jimmy had turned white, while Abby was trying not to laugh.
"Timmy, you've spent too much time around Tony," she said. "Besides, how long did you two keep your romance secret from everybody?"
Tony sank back onto the arm of the chair. "Ouch. OK, OK." He crossed his arms. "But Jimmy, just so you know, you hurt her and Gibbs will be the least of your worries. And Abby, same goes for you. Hurt him, and you will not like the consequences."
Tim snorted. "So now you're turning into Gibbs?" He shook his head. "OK, definitely time for you to go to bed."
"You just want to get me into bed." Tony waggled his eyebrows. "Not that I'm complaining."
"I think that's our cue to leave," Jimmy said. "Besides, I need a good night's sleep if Tony's going to tell the entire Navy Yard about us tomorrow."
"Why stop at the Navy Yard?" Tony said.
Tim used his good arm to push himself into a standing position. "OK, that's enough. Night, guys." He walked over to hug Abby goodbye and whispered into her ear. "No asking about baby plans, Abs, or I'll let it slip to Tony that you and Jimmy really are thinking of beating us to the punch."
She squeezed him tight. "My lips are sealed, Timmy." She kissed his cheek, leaving a lip print.
Within a few minutes, Jimmy and Abby had gathered their stuff and left.
-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-
When they walked into Abby's apartment, Jimmy explored while she headed back to shower and change into pajamas. It was surprisingly normal compared to what he'd expected. OK, so the colors were dramatic, but there was color — it wasn't all black. And the weighty furniture fit in well, even if it was more traditional than he would have expected. After looking around, he brought his bag into the bedroom and changed into flannel pajama pants and a T-shirt, then took his kit into the bathroom, where the mirrors had steamed up from the hot water.
"Do you want coffee, Abs, or something else?" he asked.
She pulled aside the curtain just enough to peek out of the shower. "I've got some hot chocolate mix in the cabinet above the toaster."
He smiled. "Two hot chocolates, coming up."
By the time he had finished stirring the mix and warm milk together, she was padding around the kitchen in an NCIS sweatshirt and purple flannel pants covered in bats. He handed her a mug and got a quick kiss as a thank you.
"Come on, the living room's more comfortable," she said, leading the way.
They settled down, cuddled together, and sipped at their drinks. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail, out of the way. He wrapped his free arm around her so she was snugged up against him.
"So how was your day?," she asked. "We were so rushed getting over to the guys' house I never got to ask."
"Requisition forms." He made a face. "But Ducky gave us his seal of approval, so that was good. He knew as soon as I walked in."
She giggled. "Yeah, Duckman said he could tell as soon as he saw me it was a good thing that we were together. Well, that's not exactly what he said, but he said he could tell we were happy." She smiled.
Jimmy nodded. "Tim is good with us, too. He was worried at first, I think, that I was in over my head. But then I told him how you'd blushed last night, and he decided that was enough of a sign for him to be OK."
"I wondered what you guys had talked about when he told Tony to chill out," she said, laying her head on his shoulder. "He knows we were talking about baby lab bats and baby gremlins."
Jimmy nodded. "I told him not to ask any questions he wasn't prepared to answer, though, so he didn't hear anything other than my shotgun comment." He pulled away slightly so he could look Abby in the face. "And after hearing him and Tony tonight — we're moving in together before we start making baby bat-gremlins so none of them shoot me. Tim and Tony are the reasonable ones; Ziva and Gibbs really scare me."
She grinned at him. "I can live with that," she said. "So, when did you say your lease was coming up?"
Jimmy started laughing and had to set his drink down on the table before he spilled it. "End of April. Yours?"
"Not until December." She made a face. "I didn't realize I'd have any reason to think about moving before then."
"Your apartment's bigger than mine, anyway," Jimmy said.
She kissed him, then settled back against his shoulder. "We'll work it out," she said.
He picked his mug back up and sipped his hot chocolate as they sat there, comfortable together. He was down to the dregs of his drink before it hit him.
"You know, Michelle and I never did this," he said.
Abby looked up at him. "OK, I know since I'm best friends with Timmy and you and Tony are best friends, it's impossible to avoid discussing our exes, but why are you bringing up Michelle?"
"What-! No, I didn't-" He sighed. "Sorry, Abs. I just realized why I'm not freaked out about this. Well, OK, maybe a little, but not a lot considering we're talking about moving in together and baby bat-gremlins and all sorts of things you usually don't talk about in the first two months you're seeing somebody, let alone the first two days."
"Spit it out, Jimmy," she said, laying a hand on his chest.
"You said you didn't want Ducky finding your underwear in Autopsy, and I joked that we'd use ballistics. But I just realized that wasn't right." He sighed, looking for the right words. "Michelle and I only ever had sex. It wasn't anything more, so any time we got together, all we could focus on was getting each other's clothes off. Eventually I called it off because I thought she was just using me, and during the mole hunt, I realized she had hidden so much of herself from me that I never knew her, not really." He stroked his thumb along her arm. "It's not like that with us. You're still my friend, Abby. Someone I've talked to every day for years, the person who keeps me sane when the team's out on cases and Dr. Mallard is rambling even more than normal. So when I see you at work, I don't immediately think 'Hey, let's have sex!' and when we're home, we can enjoy each other like this without thinking we're wasting time that we could be spending in bed. I've never dated a woman I was friends with before, but — maybe it's just me — but the whole idea that we're still friends and co-workers, but we also can share time cuddling and planning a future together and practicing for that future-" He couldn't help smirking at her and was rewarded with a snicker. "I feel like I've fallen in love with one of my best friends, and it's all the wonderful friend stuff with all the great love and sex parts added in and-" He broke off, realizing he'd just said he loved Abby and he hadn't even admitted that to himself before.
She pulled away and looked at him, her smile spreading slowly across her face, green eyes shining. She stretched up and kissed him, a light kiss that was as sweet as she could be. "I've never said those words before," she said. "Not like that. I mean, I say them all the time to you guys. And I mean it, but I mean it like I love my brother or my parents or my friend Carol. I've never been able to say them to a guy before and mean them the way he wanted me to mean them." Her smile faltered for a minute, and Jimmy remembered what Tim had said earlier.
"And hearing that you love them like you love puppies wasn't enough." He smiled as he said it, and she nodded.
"But when I hear you say the words, I want to say them back, and it's scarier than anything I've done before. I wish I'd been able to just ramble them out the way you have, but I didn't. And I know it sounds like I'm saying this because you just said it, but if I could do that I would have done it years ago, and I've always been too scared." She took a deep breath. "Somehow I realized in the last couple of days that what I feel for puppies is nothing like what I feel for you. And if it's love, then I know why I could never say the words before and mean them like the guy wanted me to mean them. Because I've never felt this way before."
She looked down, and Jimmy slid a hand under her chin to tip it up. "So you're saying we're both stupid in love?"
She nodded, and he pulled her close for another light, sweet kiss.
"Come on, little Lab Bat," he said, grinning and leading her back to her bedroom. "Let's figure this out together."
