What Mrs. Mallard Said -- 10
Author: GataChica
Rating: M/FR18
Warnings: sexual situations
Spoilers: Untouchable
Disclaimer: My writing is not-for-profit and I don't own the characters or anything else besides my ideas.
On the third day after Abby's accident, she and Ducky both returned to work. It was only natural that they would travel together, and on the way to their respective labs they headed to the bullpen to tell everyone hello.
Abby stole a kiss as soon as the elevator doors closed, resulting in matching smiles on their faces when they stepped out at the second floor. Ducky didn't even realize he had one arm around her waist, it had become such a natural thing to do.
However, everyone else noticed it. McGee saw them as soon as they left the elevator and stopped in mid-sentence of a conversation with Tony. Ziva and Tony followed McGee's line of sight and both nodded.
"You knew about this?" McGee whispered to Tony.
"Yeah, Ziva told me."
"And you managed to keep a secret for once? Why did it have to be this one?"
Gibbs had glanced at the pair but quickly buried his gaze in the file he was examining.
"Abby, you look great," said Tony, standing to give her a hug.
"I am happy you are back now," Ziva said, her expression questioning.
"Yes, thank you," Abby whispered in her ear.
McGee approached them as well, although he was more hesitant. "Abby… we were worried about you."
"Oh, thank you, Tim, but as you can see I was in very good hands," she replied, taking Ducky's hand.
Gibbs raised his head sharply at that remark. "Good to see you Abby, Duck." He could not bring himself to look directly at them. "We definitely missed your skills. The replacement M.E. and forensic scientist were nowhere near as good as you two."
"Thank you, Jethro," Ducky said quietly.
Abby gave Gibbs a quick hug – quick because she could feel the tiniest bit of resistance when she embraced him. She tried not to show her disappointment; instead she walked back to Ducky and resumed holding his hand. "Bye, everyone," she called as they returned to the elevator.
Once they were inside and alone once more, Abby said, "Gibbs is not dealing with this well."
"No, he isn't; that much was apparent."
"What should we do?" Abby asked, worried.
"I'm not sure there is anything we can do that will make him feel better," Ducky sighed. "All we can do is be honest with him; he has to do the rest himself."
The doors opened to Abby's lab but she did not step out. Instead, she stood still, looking thoughtful. Finally she said, "My feelings have changed."
"Oh," said Ducky with obvious disappointment, thinking she meant her feelings towards him. "You know you are free –" he began, letting go of her hand.
"No," she interrupted, taking back his hand, "not my feelings for you. I mean my feelings for Gibbs." She sighed. "I'm not in love with him anymore, Ducky. I don't want anyone else but you."
Ducky's heart leapt at her statement, but at the same time he could see the potential difficulty with his old friend. "You must tell him, Abby."
"I know," she replied, morosely. "I hate to hurt him, but I can't string him along, either." She pushed the button that would take Ducky to autopsy. "I'm going to tell him before I start work," she said resolutely.
He kissed her forehead. "Let me know how it goes, my love," he said simply, before stepping off the elevator and turning the corner, out of her sight.
For a few seconds she debated with herself as to whether or not this was really a good idea. Finally her sense of fairness won out and she directed the elevator back to the second floor.
Gibbs had gone back to the file he was holding but he could not focus. He cursed himself internally for letting the situation bother him. 'Damn, why did this have to happen? It's your fault, you bastard. You behaved like an ass, so what should you expect?' He felt sure she had fallen in love with Ducky – although he still held out one tiny bit of hope that maybe her feelings for Ducky were not as strong as her feelings for him.
What should he do now? Should he talk to Abby or Ducky or both of them, try to change the situation? He decided he would, and stood up just as Abby returned. She lingered beside the elevator looking directly at him, biting her lower lip. His gut was in turmoil as he walked towards her. "Abby," he said evenly.
"Can we talk, Gibbs?" she asked, gesturing towards the elevator. He nodded and they both entered. He hit the emergency stop as soon as it began to move, then turned to face her.
"What is it, Abbs?" He was not going to make this any easier for her by voicing his own thoughts.
"It's about Ducky," she began, and he rolled his eyes. As if he didn't already know that! But she continued, "I'm in love with him, Gibbs."
"I know," he replied quietly.
"You do? How – it doesn't matter how. But I have to be honest with you, because everything has changed since we talked about this in your basement."
"How else has it changed?"
She looked away, then forced herself to meet his gaze. "I'm not in love with you anymore. I still care about you. But I want to be with Ducky. I'm sorry, Gibbs. I didn't know this would happen."
He didn't answer, merely flipped the switch to get the elevator moving towards her lab again.
"Aren't you going to say anything?" she asked, distressed.
"Nothing to say. There's evidence waiting for you in your lab. You should get started." The doors opened again, and she left the elevator this time, knowing that she would get nothing else out of him. Just as the doors closed on him she glanced back; the hurt expression on his face was unmistakable.
Abby sighed. She felt guilty for hurting him even though she knew it was unavoidable. He deserved to know the truth, but she truly regretted his hurt feelings.
As she entered the lab and dialed Ducky's number, she couldn't help the tears that were forming in her eyes.