Fathers' Day
A/N: More chocolate and ice cream to the awesome Bamacrush for her help with this chapter, and who is my 'go to' girl for everything boat related! She rocks! Thanks once again to Peanut84 for her helpful local knowledge of DC.
Chapter 21 – Setting Sail
After driving to the Belle Haven marina, they picked up the picnic hamper Gibbs had ordered from the tiny mom and pop deli. Collecting the picnic blanket and cooler containing their beer, they managed to divide everything up so they could carry it all in one go.
As Gibbs made his way down the dock towards one of the boats, a sleek Coaster sailboat called The Kimberley, with Abby following behind, a deep voice rang out.
"Well, here comes a Marine who needs to get a haircut, coz that shaggy mop can't belong to the Gunny I remember... not unless he's getting soft in his old age."
An attractive, stocky, well built man, a few years younger than Gibbs, with close cropped dark hair, wearing jeans and a USMC T-shirt, appeared from the cabin of the Coaster.
"At least I've still got most of my hair..." Gibbs shot back, dumping the hamper and cooler on the dock.
"Yeah, well, that's what comes of having you as a Gunny... you start to go bald after a while from the stress, and I've never recovered." The guy clambered onto the dock and Abby watched with a smile as the two men hugged.
Gibbs had told her about his buddy, Jake, on the drive over. He'd been in the same unit and was also wounded in Desert Storm at the same time as Gibbs. But unlike Gibbs, Jake had gone back into active duty after recovering from his injuries, before finally leaving the Corps and going into the boat business a few years later. He'd been managing the Belle Haven marina for the past ten years.
A shared love of boats helped trigger a friendship in the Corps, Gibbs told her, and had kept them friends ever since. Although if Jake had known Gibbs during the time Shannon and Kelly had been alive and had seen what he'd gone through when he lost them, Abby suspected there was probably a lot more to their continued friendship than just boats.
Jake looked past Gibbs' shoulder and his eyes widened, a grin breaking out as he took in the sight of Abby walking towards them. "Hubba hubba... incoming."
Jake slipped round Gibbs and approached Abby as she set down her own bag, dumping the picnic blanket on top.
"You gonna introduce me, Gibbs," Jake threw the comment over his shoulder, not taking his eyes off Abby, "although if I'm not mistaken, this gorgeous creature must be Abby?"
Gibbs rolled his eyes at his buddy's not unexpected reaction to Abby's beauty. Jake had always been a great one for the ladies, his ready charm and good looks ensuring he was equally popular with them.
"Abby, this is Jake. He's mostly harmless."
Abby laughed and resisted the urge to roll her own eyes as Jake kissed her hand with a flourish. She found herself smiling back in response to a cheeky grin and took in a pair of laughing brown eyes, which she had to admit were doing a sterling job of keeping focused on her face, with barely a brief flick down to the legend on her T-shirt.
"Gibbs has told me a lot about you, Abby, so I'm glad he's not hiding you away any more?" Abby glanced at Gibbs in surprise, wondering what he'd told Jake, given she'd never heard him speak of his friend before.
Gibbs looked round. "No Max tonight?"
"Nope, he's still recovering from his tendon operation and is not supposed to be overdoing it, so he's at the apartment... probably sulking." Jake turned to Abby to offer an explanation. "Max is..."
"Your German Shepherd," finished Abby.
"Yeah." Jake looked startled for a moment, then smiled. "I almost forgot for a minute that I was talking to a forensic scientist."
"The best," interjected Gibbs and Abby sent him a pleased smile, blushing slightly.
"You're gonna tell me you recognized the dog hairs on my T-shirt, aren't you?" Jake put in, looking down at his front.
"Well, I could tell you that and leave you in awe of my mad skills... and it may not be too far from the truth as a friend has a German Shepherd... by the name of Jethro, incidentally," Abby clarified, with a bright, teasing smile aimed at Gibbs.
Jake snorted, glancing at Gibbs before focusing his attention back on Abby, who Gibbs could see was warming up to one of her usual long explanations. "So I probably would have hazarded a guess that the hairs on your T-shirt were from a German Shepherd as they look pretty typical of the breed. However," she paused, her grin widening, "it's a bit simpler than that... Jethro, this Jethro, told me."
Jake burst out laughing. "I nearly walked into that one, didn't I? Maybe next time you can meet Max when Gibbs brings you back, or come and visit yourself, Abby. You'd love him. He's real friendly and charming... all the ladies love him... just like his owner." Now Abby couldn't resist an eyeroll, even as she giggled and Jake gave her an unrepentant grin. "Sorry, a bit cheesy?"
"A little but you're forgiven if this is your boat?" Abby gestured to the moored vessel, feeling herself warming to Jake more and more.
The fact that Gibbs wasn't growling and doling out headslaps but was merely watching with an amused, almost indulgent half smile, showed how much Gibbs trusted Jake as the younger man unashamedly flirted with her – his girl – and Abby didn't think the thrill that phrase gave her would ever diminish.
"She certainly is, ma'am. I'll show you around but first, let me take that lot and get it on board for you. Jake's rule number one is that a beautiful woman never carries anything heavy in my marina."
Abby chuckled, watching as Jake and Gibbs began efficiently transferring everything to The Kimberley. "That must keep you pretty busy."
"Oh, it does," Jake's ready smile broke out again, "but the rewards far outweigh the bad back I've ended up with trying to fulfil that rule."
"Oh, you have rules too," asked Abby, curiously, glancing at Gibbs.
"Hell, yeah," replied Jake, conscious of Gibbs smirking beside him and hooked a thumb in his direction. "Yet another bad habit I caught from him..."
Abby laughed, smiling at Gibbs. "Oh, we've all caught that habit. I've got a few of my own after all these years."
Jake went on. "Or perhaps I should say, I got that habit from Shannon."
The rules came from Shannon. That was a new one.
Startled, Abby glanced at Gibbs to see his reaction and saw him nod in acknowledgement of Jake's words, his expression surprisingly unguarded. A soft smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, his gaze level and warm and for once, showing no sign of discomfort at the mention of his beloved first wife. "Not all of 'em but she started me off."
"Well, someone had to train him first before he was safe to be let out into the big wide world, and it wasn't just the Marine Corps that did it," said Jake, with a teasing grin at Gibbs. He held out a hand to Abby where she stood on the dock. "Ma'am... if you'd care to step this way."
Abby returned his smile, taking Jake's hand to steady herself while Gibbs reached out to grasp the side of the dock, pulling the boat in closer so Abby could step on board more easily.
A boat had just gone past and as Abby made contact with the deck, the swell hit The Kimberley, rocking her gently on her mooring. The two men braced themselves easily but the unexpected movement caught Abby off balance and she staggered.
Jake reached out to grab her but Gibbs' was nearer and snagged an arm round Abby's waist, pulling her against him as he steadied her on her feet, thankful he was close enough to catch her. Having Abby knock herself out before they'd even left the marina might put a damper on his plans for the evening, he thought wryly.
But the sudden full body contact with her curves as she almost slid down his front to find her footing again had every nerve ending firing.
God, she felt so good...
The sooner they could get underway, the sooner they could get to the quiet bay he had in mind for their picnic... and the sooner he could get her alone, all to himself.
Abby clutched at his arms, laughing up into his face. "Whoa... nice catch there. I obviously still need to find my sea legs."
Gibbs quirked a half smile, gazing down at her. "It's only a river, Abbs... not the open sea."
The sheer joy and happiness on her face as Abby looked at him was still so new that it still had the power to take his breath away and rob him of speech. It had been a very long time since another human being had looked at him like that.
"That may be so, Jethro, but you two have clearly had more practice at this than me. By and large, the floor of my lab tends not to rock and sway all over the place... well, it may wobble a bit after a very long day." Her grin turned teasing and Gibbs was hard put not to kiss it off her face at her next words. "Perhaps I should have practised a bit on a water bed?"
Jake smothered a grin as he watched the two of them. When Abby stepped back, Gibbs slowly removed his arm from her waist, not taking his eyes off the dark haired woman.
The two of them jumped as Jake cleared his throat, both clearly having forgotten he was even there.
When Abby turned towards him, Jake held out his arm for her to take. "Come and let me show you round a real boat, Abby... one made with power tools." He threw the last remark over his shoulder as he led Abby towards the cabin.
Abby giggled. "And Jethro sets foot on it? It's a wonder he doesn't go into anaphylactic shock."
"Why d'ya think I've gone grey," commented Gibbs, picking up some of their stuff to stow in the cabin.
"Silver," amended Abby, quietly, smiling to herself as she met a mild glare from Gibbs, the tips of his ears going slightly pink as Jake chuckled.
Jake gave her a tour of the boat and Abby admired its sleek fine lines, while Gibbs watched Jake fuss over Abby.
Abby enjoyed listening to Jake. His pride in his boat and love of all things marine, in the other sense, was obvious. And predictably, Jake was showing her all the things on a boat that guys are most proud of, the console, navigation instrumentation – in other words, the toys.
And with more than a twinkle in his eye, Jake pointed out how the settee could convert into a bed, and this time, Abby felt a blush taking over her own face... not helped by the cocky grin she intercepted from Gibbs as he passed them, carrying the cooler.
Jake saved his biggest flourish for the engine and was slightly startled and pleased when Abby's comments showed she probably knew as much, if not more, about engines than he did.
"Now, I know I didn't forget who I was talking to this time, but I had no idea being a forensic scientist meant you knew about engines... didn't think lab work extended that far."
"Oh yeah, Jake. You'll so have to come see my lab one day and I can give you the grand tour," Abby offered, eagerly.
Jake grinned. "Love to."
"You see, depending on the case, I regularly strip down complete car engines and rebuild them again," Abby told him. "And I was always repairing my Uncle Larry's truck back in Louisiana. And I'm a hot rod girl, so engines speak my language."
Jake looked at Abby, his eyes twinkling. "Wow, I think I'm in love. What say you dump the grizzly bear here and we blow this joint and sail off into the sunset."
"Sorry, Jake... you're too late," replied Abby, laughing. "I'm taken." She glanced over at Gibbs tenderly before turning back to Jake, gesturing around her. "She's a real beauty, Jake."
"Oh, she is that, Abby... just like the woman she was named after. Gorgeous lines, pretty fast, although she can be a bit noisy when you rev her up, but she's very responsive under my hands." Abby laughed at the suggestive grin he gave her. "Although she can be unpredictable... she's just one hell of a handful."
"Are you talking about the boat or Kimberley herself now? Girlfriend?" she teased, smiling.
Jake shook his head. "Uh-huh. An ex-wife... she left me for another man but god, what a woman. She could make both your toes and your hair curl... or fall out, in my case." He brushed his hand over his thinning cropped hair before saying more loudly so Gibbs could hear. "And unlike some people, I sail my boats when wives leave me, not burn them."
"You mean you built her?" asked Abby, looking round at the interior with fresh appreciation. She'd seen how much work had gone into the almost completed cabin area of The Kelly over the years and didn't underestimate the dedication and time that both men had put into their craft.
"I sure did... and not in my basement either." Jake glanced at Gibbs, grinning. "Far more sensibly than some people, I build my boats here."
"Here, doesn't have a bourbon supply," commented Gibbs, dryly.
"And, of course, the other advantage of my Coaster over his Amigo is this one's bigger." Jake waggled his eyebrows at Abby and she bit back a giggle.
Gibbs snorted before retorting, "By all of three feet, Jake."
"Oh boys, boys, didn't your mama ever tell you it's not the size that matters," Abby husky voice broke in, patting Gibbs' cheek as she moved passed him. "It's what you do with it."
Jake laughed. "Knew I'd been going wrong all these years."
"It's not the only thing you've been doing wrong," commented Gibbs, slinging an arm round Abby's shoulders and tucking her into his side, feeling her arm slide round his own waist. "This thing's built of plywood. A good sneeze'd blow her out of the water."
"Hey... this engine's bigger than yours," countered Jake, patting the console affectionately. "Don't listen to him, Kimmie, he's just jealous."
"And The Kelly's faster and more manoeuvrable," Gibbs pointed out. "She's built for sailing the open seas not slowly cruising around calm rivers and inshore waters with the help of an engine."
"Yeah, that's coz yours isn't as sleek and snazzy like mine... just heavy and solid," Jake shot back, tongue firmly in cheek.
Abby looked from one to the other as if watching a tennis match, sensing this was a familiar and enjoyable banter for both men.
"And The Kelly's mast is longer and thicker," said Gibbs after a moment's thought.
Jake snorted. "Oh yeah, I'll give you that but by how much?"
At that, Abby couldn't help it. She burst out laughing and the two men looked at her. "I'm sorry, but mast measuring? Seriously? Is that what they're calling it these days?" She giggled, shaking her head. "I can hear the boasting now... a fine mast, built to last. All I can think of is how men are such a poor judge of size."
Jake laughed and looked at Gibbs, holding up his hands. "She's got a point. Okay, truce."
"Hang on," interrupted Abby before Gibbs could reply. "That's a good point though. Is the mast the one thing you didn't build, Jethro?"
"Yup... the damn thing's 27 feet tall." Gibbs grinned down at her. "Wouldn't fit in the basement."
"Hmm, yes, I see what you mean..." mused Abby, smiling. "It would have come up through the ceiling into the hallway... like a giant totem pole. Well, I suppose you could've used it as a coat rack in the meantime." She tilted her head to one side as if picturing Gibbs' hallway and Gibbs rolled his eyes.
Jake chuckled before turning to Gibbs. "You nearly finished with the cabin of The Kelly yet?"
Gibbs nodded and steered Abby back out on deck again. "Yup... another few weeks, give or take."
"Well, the hull's waiting, whenever you're ready," Jake told him.
"The Kelly's hull's here?" Abby looked around as if expecting to see the familiar shape she'd seen come to life.
"Yup... over there in dry storage." Jake nodded towards the main marina. "We're gonna put her together for him, including doing the mast and the rigging."
Abby looped her arm through Jake's, smiling at Gibbs. "In which case, Jake, you may just have become my new best friend. You can tell me how this sneaky sniper gets those boats out of that basement."
Jake grinned. "Ply me with liquor, Abby, and I'm all yours."
Gibbs snorted. "Ready to go?" He was anxious to get underway and to the spot he had in mind before it got dark.
Gibbs worked with Jake to untie The Kimberley from her moorings, conscious of his friend itching to say something.
Jake looked at Abby as she stood at the deck railing, absorbed in the view of the marina, and then over at his friend. He'd seen Gibbs with all of his ex-wives over the years and many of the other women in his life. He'd only seen Gibbs look at one other woman the way he was now looking at Abby.
"This one a keeper, Gunny?"
Gibbs glanced at Abby, his expression unguarded. "Hope so, Jake."
TBC