Closer Reality

Chapter 36 – Understanding

Carol walked between the Gibbs and Fornell as they entered the school and she paused just inside the entrance. "I'll wait here for Abby and Jack if you like. You gonna get us some seats?"

Fornell nodded. "Yup... well, Jethro can do that while I find Mr Johnson."

"Who's Mr Johnson?" asked Gibbs as he began scanning the crowd milling around in the entrance.

"Em's maths teacher. I wanna check something Diane told me is right or whether she's exaggerating... again." Fornell glanced down at Carol, bending to kiss her cheek. "Thanks, Carol. Come find us?"

Carol smiled. "Of course."

Gibbs winked at Carol as he turned to follow Fornell into the main body of the hall and they moved down the side, walking partway down the rows of seats.

"Here okay?" suggested Gibbs, stopping about halfway to the stage.

Fornell nodded, looking around. "Yup... pillar at our back so we can't be snuck up on with a seven iron, good line of sight over the rest of it." He turned to Gibbs with a slight smirk. "Unless you're tempted to retreat to the corner and make a sniper's nest?"

"Thought had occurred to me."

"Shame you're in the wrong suit, you shoulda worn camouflage." They exchanged grins before Fornell sobered. "You seen her yet?"

"Oh yeah." Gibbs tilted his head slightly. "At your five o'clock."

"Thought I could feel the death stare scorching the back of my neck and a target being lasered onto my back." Fornell started to turn away before pausing, a grin breaking out. "You gonna be okay for a minute? Not feeling a panic attack coming on, are ya?"

Gibbs smirked. "I'll send up a distress flare if I do."

"I'll send Carol to rescue you..." Fornell paused, his grin widening. "Ain't she somethin' else?"

Gibbs chuckled at his friend's pleased surprise. "She is that."

After they'd parked the truck, Abby and Jackson made their way to the school entrance and spotted Carol waiting off to the side.

Carol waved when she saw them. "Hey, you two. I said I'd wait out here for you. Gibbs and Tobias have gone to find us some seats and Tobias wants to catch one of Emily's teachers."

They walked together into the school and into the main hall where it was already filling up rapidly. Abby spotted Gibbs easily enough, not only from the way he instantly dominated any space he was in, but the contrast of his silver hair with the long black coat he was wearing over his suit meant that he was hard to miss.

"You two go ahead. I gotta hit the head if I'm gonna last through the concert. My plumbing's not what it used to be," Jackson grinned.

Abby laughed. "I think it's back that way, Jack."

"Yeah... I spotted it as we came in. Won't be long, girls. Save me a space between you, remember?" Jackson headed off.

Abby turned to Carol "Everyone still in one piece?"

Carol nodded, smiling reassuringly. "Uh-huh... had to separate the boys a bit but there wasn't too much blood spilt. They'll be fine. I'm not gonna let her spoil this evening if I can help it. Although I gotta admit, I never thought I'd feel like the other woman, with a guy who isn't even married to her anymore."

"Good point. I guess we both are, coz she still seems to loom over both of them so much... especially your Tobias. I wonder which is of us qualifies as the other other woman?" added Abby.

Carol snorted. "I'll toss you for it... You okay after the third degree with Jack?"

"Yeah... just about. I feel for him, I really do. He's so out of touch with his son's life and past but he just... I dunno, he just goes about it the wrong way." Abby touched her friend's shoulder. "And how are you doing?"

Carol considered for a moment. "Feeling in need of a stiff drink... never seen two tough guys act as if they're going to their own executions."

"And how's my man?"

"He's gone a bit broody hen... but I think he's okay." Carol gestured with her head as Abby's gaze shifted back to Gibbs. "Go on, go to the big guy... I'll wait here for Jack."

Abby smiled down at Carol, squeezing her shoulder. "Thanks, Caz."

Abby set off through the gradually filling hall and headed to where Gibbs was standing, casually scanning the crowd of people. She could see by the way he was holding himself that he had some serious shoulder tension going on and longed to reach out and massage it away, or just wrap him in a hug.

She stepped up behind him, pausing before leaning in to whisper in his ear. "Hey there, Marine."

He didn't jump, so obviously his radar was still functioning. One of these days she was going to sneak up on him successfully and make him jump the way he could her.

Gibbs turned round, his expression softening as he met her eyes. "Hey."

Her perfume had given her away as Abby stood behind him. He'd know that fragrance anywhere. That, and the way the hairs on the back of his neck reacted to her nearness and the way her breath washed across his skin.

Abby tilted her head on one side, eyes sparkling. "Not seen you around here before, but I noticed you from way over there as I came in... and I gotta say you're the hottest thing on two legs in this entire building. You meeting anyone or can I take you out to dinner later?"

Gibbs smirked, his blue eyes twinkling with amusement and she could see his stance altering slightly as his shoulders relaxed minutely as he replied, his voice a low rumble. "Normally I'd love to but I'm waiting for my gorgeous mental wife."

Abby smiled. "She's a very lucky lady then."

Gibbs reached out to take her hand. "I'm the lucky guy."

Abby stepped close, gazing at him seriously. "You okay... really?"

"Yeah." Gibbs nodded.

"Good. Not feeling the urge to cut and run yet?" she teased.

"Tobias suggested a barricade in the corner with a sniper's nest."

Abby giggled. "We'll cover you. Caz can be your spotter." Gibbs grinned in response, squeezing her hand as Abby went on, gesturing with her other hand. "Don't want anything to spoil this evening. It's Emily's evening and it's our evening... the four of us I mean... well, the five of us, with Jack. So there's no room for a sixth person at the table."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow. "Good theory. You okay?"

Abby grasped his hand in both of hers, nodding. "I'm fine. Managed to head Jack off... a bit I hope. Sort of explained without explaining, if that makes any sense. But he's only curious, Jethro... and understandably so, you know that."

Gibbs sighed. "Yeah... yeah, I know, Abbs. Dropped the ball on this one."

"We dropped the ball," Abby insisted. "I completely forgot... but no harm done. I, erm, asked Jack not to tell Diane anything about us. I told him she'd only found out about is being together recently and I didn't want him discussing anything with her... it's private."

"Was gonna ask him the same thing... probably with less tact."

Abby placed her other hand on his chest, playing with the lapel of his coat. "Thanks for not... y'know, hauling me out of the truck and taking my place. Thank you for trusting me to talk to Jack. Means a lot."

Gibbs reached up to brush a familiar sign across her cheek with his thumb. "No one I trust more."

Before she could reply, Jackson and Carol arrived and they chatted for a few minutes as they waited for Fornell to arrive. As they were about to take their seats, Abby heard someone call Gibbs' name.

Gibbs turned, a smile breaking out as he greeted the couple behind them, shaking hands with the man, who was a similar age and build to Gibbs, and hugging the woman, who was slightly younger, with blonde hair and a warm smile.

Gibbs turned to the three of them and there were handshakes and hellos all round as he made introductions, and Abby's heart soared and she felt like bouncing on her toes as Gibbs referred to her as his partner.

"Tom and Margaret... we were in the Corps together," Gibbs offered by way of explanation.

"That's Tom, not me," put in Margaret, smiling.

Gibbs snorted. "You'd have done a better job."

"Ah, you'd not have stood a chance, Mags, with a slavedriver Gunny like this guy, protested Tom, smiling. "Pleased to meet you, folks."

"What ya doing here?" asked Gibbs. "Your Michael still in the school downtown?"

Tom nodded. "He is that. We're just here to provide some moral support to a friend."

"And as you're here, I'd like you to meet that friend, Jethro," said Margaret. "Someone you'd remember, Eddie's wife."

"She here?" Gibbs asked, surprised.

Margaret nodded. "She is... her daughter goes to this school. They moved to DC after Eddie died." She turned to Abby, smiling. "So, can I borrow him Abby?"

Abby smiled back. "Of course... just bring him back in one piece."

Margaret grinned. "Spoilsport." She grabbed Gibbs' arm and he rolled his eyes at Abby as Margaret dragged him off and Abby grinned, waving as he moved away.

The three of them left took their seats. As promised Jackson sat between Abby and Carol, leaving space for Gibbs on Abby's other side and when he arrived a short time later, Tobias slid in next to Carol, dropping a kiss on her cheek and taking her hand.

While Carol was occupied talking to Tobias, Jackson leaned in to Abby. "You know what I'm going to ask, don't you?"

Abby eyed him sideways. "I've a fair idea, Jack."

Jackson took her hand and looped it under his arm. "He's my son, Abby... and I know next to nothing about a third of his life."

Abby laid her head on his shoulder. "I know, Jack... I'm sorry. I don't mean to be grumpy. Go on, ask away."

Jackson patted her hand where it rested in the crook of his elbow. "Where is she? Just wanna see what she looks like." Abby sighed but nodded before looking round the hall.

Diane's striking figure wasn't hard to spot.

She was standing on the other side of the hall, talking to someone Abby recognized as one of the teachers. "Diane's over by the other side near the stage. She's the tall woman in the smart grey suit, the one standing next to the blonde in green"

Jackson looked where Abby was indicating, staring for a moment before querying, "The redhead?"

"Yeah, Jack, the redhead," Abby answered softly, knowing what he was getting at.

After a long moment of staring at Diane, Jackson turned to Abby. "Were..." he trailed off, gesturing vaguely.

Abby nodded before confirming quietly, squeezing his arm. "Yeah, Jack... all his ex-wives were redheads."

Jackson gazed at her for a moment longer before turning back to look over at Diane, watching her for a while as she talked to the people around her, laughing at something one of them said.

Diane was easily the centre of attention of the group gathered around her.

She couldn't help watching Diane too and as the other woman glanced across the hall, Abby wondered at the sudden shift in her expression, which she couldn't immediately read from a distance but figured Diane was looking at Victor.

But when Abby turned to follow the direction of Diane's gaze, she saw Gibbs standing with Margaret and talking to another woman she assumed was Eddie's wife. Gibbs looked relaxed and was in the middle of one of his rare laughing grins which always made his face light up, and Abby's toes curl.

Startled, Abby swung back to look at Diane but whatever that expression had been had vanished behind a smooth polite mask as Diane turned to talk to her companion.

Jackson was still watching Diane and Abby took the opportunity to observe him, noting the myriad of emotions chasing across his face and in those blue eyes so like his son's.

"Oh, son," Jackson eventually said softly and Abby could see the pain on Jackson's face and the sadness in his voice. "Shannon was so much more than a hair colour."

Abby squeezed his arm, not sure what to say to comfort him.

"I had no idea..." Jackson eventually murmured, almost to himself, shaking his head before turning to look at Abby.

For once, Jackson seemed at a loss for words and she felt the same. So it was totally inadequate but all she could was lean her head on his shoulder as she replied softly. "I know, Jack... I know."

TBC...