Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS, its characters, or its scripts.
Spoilers: Driven
A/N: Thanks a million to kristenb15 for the line! It's in there!
Haha, something odd I thought of today: My story's rated T, but I'm not even that old. The irony.
Yay! 100,000 word mark!
Sorry this took so long, but it took a while to write, it's on the long side; It tops the rest with over 5,000 words!
Enjoy!
---X---
"Yeah, Gibbs," he answers his cell-phone in the squadroom.
[I have to talk to you, Gibbs.] Abby says.
"Be right there." He hung up and stood.
"Problem?" Ziva asks, laying down the knife Abby had given her.
"Nope," was all he said before going into the elevator to Abby's lab.
***
"Abbs?" He calls, stepping into her lab.
"In here," she responds from her office.
He walks through the doors with a swoosh and stands next to her chair.
"Whatcha' need, Abby?"
She turns her chair to face him. "Okay. So, with my apartment…This month's rent is coming up, and I…" Abby searched for the right words. "I kinda' don't want to go back, and neither does Anna. Can we stay with you?…Like, for good?"
Gibbs was sure things that he wanted only happened in his dreams, but when she said 'for good', it lifted a weight off of him. He loved her too much for his own good, and if he could have her - in his house - without ruining their friendship, he would take that offer.
He grinned. "Of course, Abbs. I'd-" he was cut off by an Abby hug that was quite possibly the strongest, and fiercest one he had ever received. "-be happy to have you both," he finishes, chuckling, as he hugs her back.
"Thank you so, so, so much, Gibbs! Wait 'till I tell Anna! She'll be so excited!" She planted kisses all around his face before completely pulling away.
"Do I have lipstick all over my face, now?" He couldn't help but smile at the mental image of his face at the moment.
"Umm…No?"
"Right."
"And before you go, there's something else I want you to know." She chewed on her lip a bit.
"What's that?"
"You know how I want to throw a Thanksgiving party?" He nodded. "And how I want everyone to come over?" He nodded once more. "Well, when I say 'everyone', I sort of mean…everyone."
"Define how much 'everyone' is."
"Like, not just the team and Ducky, but Jenny, Palmer, Gertie, maybe Fornell and Emmy if they don't already have plans, and…"
"And?"
"Well…This might be a stretch, but…Your dad?"
He stared at her, not a glare, more like an analyzing gaze.
Becoming slightly nervous that she crossed a line, Abby begins to babble. "I know you don't get along with Jack too well, and I thought that maybe you should try to patch things up. It's Thanksgiving, no one should be alone on Thanksgiving. And I did a search so I know he doesn't live too far. Stillwater isn't-"
Her speed-talk was cut short by Gibbs moving forward without hesitation and kissing her.
After a few seconds, he pulled away, pleased by her shocked expression.
"I'll keep that in mind," he says.
"Keep what in mind?"
"That the only way to get you to quiet down is if I kiss you."
She grinned. "So, does that mean it's okay? Your dad can come?"
"Everyone else can come. It's just that I haven't spoken to Jack in so long…"
"It's never too late, Gibbs. Some people have to learn that the hard way…Don't be one of those people."
He smiled at the comment.
"Now go. You have a phone-call to make, before he runs out of time to get here."
"Thanks, Abbs." He kisses her cheek before leaving for the elevator.
Abby sighs contentedly. "I love my job."
---X---
Gibbs pressed the button for the elevator, and when the doors opened, he was greeted by the Director.
"Director," he nods.
She tries to keep a straight face, but quickly cracks up. "I presume you did something that pleased Abby?"
Gibbs raised an eyebrow.
Jenny pointed at her own face. "The lipstick. It's everywhere."
He stifled a smirk. "Oh."
Gibbs enters the elevator as she exits and only when the doors close does he laugh.
---X---
"Abby," Jenny says as she enters to her forensic scientist typing away at her keyboard.
She quickly turns. "Before you say anything; Was Gibbs carrying a coffee cup?"
The Director looks at her suspiciously. "No…Why?"
She shrugs nervously. "No reason." 'Damn.' "So what can I help you with?"
The older woman seemed to think for a moment. "I will need you to run some tests for me in a few days…I need your word that you won't tell anyone."
Abby was confused, but quickly nodded at her good friend. "Of course, Jen."
She smiled. "Thank you." Then, she turned to leave.
"Jen," Abby says. The Director turns back. "Gibbs, Anna, and I are having a Thanksgiving party-" she sees Jenny's face fall the smallest bit. Maybe she didn't even see it… "-and we wanted to know if you would come. So if you don't already have plans…"
"Of course." She smiled sadly. "You can expect me to be there."
"Thanks, Jenny." She hugs her. "I was going to ask Gibbs if Franks could come, but I figured that was a long shot…"
"Franks? I'll take care of that. He'll be there."
Abby was very surprised, but happy. "I didn't think it would be that easy."
Jenny almost said that she would be having him come to DC for something anyway, but quickly caught herself. "Thank you, Abby, about the tests. I'm glad I can trust you. Franks and I will be there." And with one last nod, she left.
Abby turned back to her computer, in thought of what just went on. "Is it just me, or was that…hinky?"
---X---
Gibbs in the elevator…
Gibbs flipped the emergency break switch, and out his cell phone, his mind set on calling his father. It had been so long…The last time he'd seen him was at Shannon and Kelly's funeral.
It had been much too long.
And Abby had been more than right; he should reconcile with his father, while he still had the chance.
He dialed Jack's number and listened to it ring, once, twice.
[Hello?]
"Jack."
[Son…] He could hear the shock in his father's voice. [It's been too long.]
"It has."
Jack just hoped that the reason he was calling wasn't for anything relating to bail money. He didn't know what to say. [Leroy…Where have you been...] It wasn't a question.
Gibbs answered anyway. "I'm still in DC, nothing much has changed, Jack."
[Do you need something?] Gibbs had never been one for 'just because' communications.
"I was wondering if you would come down to DC for Thanksgiving."
His father was shocked. He hadn't heard from his son in such a long time, only to be invited down for a holiday fifteen years later. [Yes, Leroy. I'd like that.] It wasn't like his son to do this, so he wondered… [Is…Is there anyone new in the picture?]
Gibbs' mind quickly flashed to the night before; pinning Abby to his boat, and kissing her senseless. He tried to think of a different way to answer the question. "You're wondering who got me to do this."
His father let out a laugh. [Yeah.]
"My forensic scientist, Abby, decided to have a 'Thanksgiving party' at my house." He stressed the sentence in a way so that it expressed that he was more amused than annoyed with her spontaneity.
Gibbs - senior - thought about his son and how it wasn't like him to do exactly what a woman says and go along with it, so he concluded that she was special.
But he noted that he hadn't answered his earlier question.
Jack figured that if it was a touchy subject, he would ask him in person, at the party where he couldn't be hung up on.
[I'm glad she did. I'd like to meet her, son.]
"You'd like her…" Gibbs leaned on the back of the elevator, looking up at the lights.
[Thank you for calling, Leroy. If it's alright, I'd like to come by early.]
"I can make up the guest room." It worked well because not only would his father get his own room, but Gibbs could have both his girls in the same room as himself.
[I can be there at three tomorrow. Or, 1500 hours.] Jack smiled. [Is that alright?]
"Yes, sir." Gibbs smiled as well.
[Thank you for calling me, Leroy. Bye, son.] Only with this goodbye, he knew he'd be seeing his son again.
"Bye, Dad." He hung up.
He looked around in the elevator and thought of the time, only days ago, when Hollis had confronted him about his feelings for Abby. Then, it became clear…
Hollis' only usefulness to him was to make him realize how much he loves Abby.
He sighed. Gibbs was about to flip the switch, but stopped when he remembered he still had Abby's lipstick all over himself.
---X---
Abby sat down in her lab, working on something for a case. After typing away, and assuring herself that the test was running, she'd called Gibbs on his desk phone and asked him to send down Tony, McGee and Ziva so she could personally invite them to the party. He'd told her that they were on their way down.
"Hey, Abbs," Tony greets her first. "The Boss said you needed us?"
She stands and grins. "I would like to invite you all to the Thanksgiving party Gibbs, Anna, and I are throwing. Do you guys have plans?"
They all shook their heads no.
Tony wasn't very close with his family and was an only child.
Tim was an only child as well and usually spent holidays writing out the cases in his newest novel.
And Ziva not only was an only child since Ari was killed, but had no reason to celebrate Thanksgiving, as she was Israeli.
"Nah, no plans. I'd love to spend Thanksgiving with you guys anyway," Tony grins.
"I have yet to celebrate Thanksgiving, and this would be a great way to learn about American customs. It is family bonding, is it not?" Ziva says. Abby grins and nods in response.
"Woah, woah, wait," Tim interrupts. "How did you get Gibbs to agree to throw a party?"
Tony and Ziva share a glance. Tony starts to snicker. "I know how." He waggles his brow.
"Yes," Ziva goes along. "I saw that he missed a bit of lipstick. Riiiight here," she tilts her head back and points to spot on her jaw.
"Gitana, Deep Wine." Everyone looks at Tony after he recalls the lipstick's name and brand.
"I'm not going to ask how you knew that, Tony."
"Abby," Tony begins. "Let me see your lipstick."
"No."
"Please?"
"No."
"Pretty please?"
"No."
"Pretty, pretty, pret-"
She sighed. "Here, take it." Abby handed him the lipstick right out of her purse; Tony would have gone on and on with the pretty please's.
"Thank you, My Dark Angel."
He looks at the sticker on the bottom, then, with a smug look on his face, he shows it to Ziva.
The Israeli lets out a laugh. "What do you know; Gitana, Deep Wine."
McGee had an odd look on his face. "That is seriously creepy, DiNozzo."
He shrugged. "You're just jealous."
Tim turned to Abby. "Could…Could I bring a date?"
Tony burst out in hysterical laughter. "Like you could get a date!"
"I could. And I will. And I already do have one."
"Timmy," Abby says, trying not to laugh at McGee's defensiveness. "You can bring a date." She was starting to wonder if the dining table was big enough.
"Thanks, Abby."
She looks at the clock. "Ugh," she groans. "The sexual harassment seminar."
"Oh, that's today?" Tony asks.
Ziva elbows him slightly. "Don't be such a liar. A sexual harassment meeting is not something you would forget, Tony."
He looked away, embarrassed, she was right.
"Well, let's go," Abby sighs. "We wouldn't want to miss this year's video," she grumbles as she exits the room with the team.
---X---
The video is just white noise in the background as Abby imagines herself in many red-light situations with Gibbs. She wondered what they'd have to be doing to achieve a color light that matches the shade of her lipstick.
Deep Wine.
Maybe she'd let her mind wander down that route a little longer, that is, if she can hold her empty gaze at the video that reminded her of the ones she'd been forced to watch in middle school.
Abby looks over at Gibbs, thinking about what might be running through his mind. She grins mischievously and decides to have some fun.
She purposely scuffs her boot on the floor a bit, making a small noise that only a trained Marine would care about. He looks over at her.
*What's your idea of a red-light situation, Gibbs?* She signs.
He smirks. *You. Me. Handcuffs.*
*Coffin or boat?*
*Coffin and boat.*
Abby blushed.
Gibbs grinned.
*What's yours?*
She thought for a moment. *Give me a second, Gibbs. It's not like I've been thinking about it the whole time.* Only she had. Her skin darkened, embarrassed once more.
Gibbs could only stifle a laugh.
Jenny saw the secret signing out of the corner of her eye and wondered what they were saying to each other.
Then, she saw Abby's cheeks flush and decided that it was probably best if she didn't know.
"Hit the lights, please," the instructor says. The lights go back on, and the signing ends. "From the video presentation it's clear that sexual harassment can take many forms in the workplace. A coworker with elevator-eyes, looking you up and down."
Gibbs and Abby secretly demonstrate that one as they both look each other up and down, trying not to laugh.
"A coworker who shows you cartoons, or photos of a sexual nature."
*I think I've got some of those, Gibbs.*
"A coworker's hand 'accidentally' brushes up against your body."
*If only you were sitting near me, Abby.*
"As said in the video, physical contact can be divided into three categories." A picture, showing the red-light, green-light chart appears on the screen.
"Green-light includes normal behavior. Yellow-light includes borderline behavior, such as hugging someone or-"
Abby shoots up out of her chair, her hand raised like a child's in a classroom.
"Yup?" The woman calls on her.
"What's wrong with hugging people? I hug people all the time."
"You may see it as friendly, but your coworkers may find it offensive."
Abby turns to everyone else. "Do you guys get offended when I hug you?"
A chorus of "No, no, no" comes afterward from her favorite team members.
She smiles and closes her eyes. "Then I'm hugging you all in my mind, right now."
Jenny and Gibbs exchange amused glances.
"DOD policy is very clear about this point, Miss. You must first ask permission before making physical contact."
"Like, every time?" Abby asks, incredulous.
The woman nods curtly. "Yes."
"Somebody needs a hug," Abby grumbles as she slides back into her chair.
"And finally, there's red-light behavior such as deliberate, unwelcome touching."
*Haven't we been to that stage?* Abby signs.
*Not really, because it wasn't exactly unwelcome touching.*
Ziva quickly moves forward from her seat and licks Tony's neck.
"GLEH!" Tony yelps, jumping from his chair.
The instructor gives him a look. "Another question?"
"Uh, yeah. Is it harassment if you slap someone on the back of the head like this?" He headslaps McGee, who returns with a swift hit to Tony's groin. "Would that be considered inappropriate behavior?" He squeaks, holding his middle.
"Absolutely. Are you saying that this has actually happened?"
Tony looks over at Gibbs, who slowly turns his head and gives him a menacing stare.
"No, I was just wondering. That's all."
Palmer raises his hand as Gibbs receives a call on his cell.
"Yes," The woman calls on him.
"What if part of your job includes touching naked people, and-"
"Oh, that's inappropriate at any time!" She responds quickly.
"Even if they're dead?"
Her face turns very serious. "Why are you touching dead, naked people?"
Palmer realizes his mistake. "See, I work in autopsy-"
"Can we please just try to keep this discussion focused on the topic-"
"Gear up," Gibbs says, causing his team to stand. He tells the Director about the dead Marine, then turns for the door.
Lucky, Abby mouths to him.
He just winks and signs *Tell me if anything good happens.*
She smiles and nods as he walks out the door with Tony, Ziva, and McGee.
---X---
Later…
"Seabrooke's got a bunch of MP3 files on here," McGee says, down in the garage with Abby, as she works on the OTTO and he sorts through the computer. "All created within the last twenty-four hours."
"You think she was illegally downloading?" Abby asks, walking over.
"Nah, they were recorded with the laptop's microphone…I think she was making verbal observations while running her tests."
Abby returns to the car.
"I'm gonna' line up the timestamps; she might have made a recording while she was dying." He puts on heavy headphones.
Abby gets into OTTO. "So she was in the passenger seat," She says, closing the door. "Probably buckled her seatbelt." She does her own seatbelt. "Now if she was tied to something, what would she be tied to?" She asks, thinking Tim is able to hear her.
He can't.
"Hmm…" She presses the button to undo her seatbelt. Only to find that instead of being let out of the strap, she is tugged backward, into the seat, trapping her.
The car starts.
"McGee! McGee!" She shouts, pounding on the windshield. "McGee!"
His concentration is mainly focused on the case and the task at hand, and with the headphones and the sound, he cannot hear anything outside of his work.
The air-conditioning vents in the car reverse, and begin filling the inside of the car with exhaust.
"McGee! McGee! McGee, help me!" She tries to reach for the button that will shut off the car, and end all of the chaos, but the strap will not give, and she can't reach.
The car continues to fill with gas.
---X---
Gibbs got onto the elevator with his coffee and pushed the button for the garage that Abby and McGee were in. A visit to Abby always let him get over anything that was bothering him. With her bright smile and flirtatious attitude.
Ding!
The elevator door opened.
"Help!" Gibbs heard Abby's voice from the inside of the car, and saw her banging on the glass.
Gibbs drops his coffee cup on the floor and sprints toward the vehicle.
Before his mind even registers that he has finally admitted after all the years of excuses that he loves Abby, his coffee falls to the ground and his feet are moving as fast as physically possible to the forensics lobby of NCIS.
He tries to open the door, desperate to get her out of there.
"It won't open," she says. "The kill switch," she points to the button on the opposite side of her seat.
He quickly runs to the emergency alarm button and presses it, gaining access to the fire extinguisher.
Gibbs grabs it and runs back to the side opposite of the car.
"Cover your face!" He shouts.
Abby does as told.
The fire extinguisher breaks through the glass with a shrill shatter, and Abby yells, Gibbs flips the kill switch and races to Abby's door.
Gibbs opens it and gathers Abby into his arms, bringing her to safety.
"Permission to hug?" She asks, still coughing, but managing to crack a small joke at the same time.
"You never have to ask, Abby."
"What happened?" Tim asks urgently, the alarm going off earlier having gained his attention.
"Get the chair," Gibbs orders, still carrying Abby.
"Do you still like to carry me, Gibbs?" She whispers, a small smile making its way to her lips.
"These aren't exactly the circumstances I'd hoped for, Abbs." He kisses her hair before gently putting her in the chair the McGee supplied.
"I almost bought the farm, McGee," Abby wheezes, answering Tim's earlier question. "I saw the old lady telling me to run to the light." She tries to relax, the task made a bit easier by the feeling of Gibbs' hand brushing the hair out of her face.
"Boss, my back was only turned for a few seconds."
"A few more seconds, McGee, she'd be dead." Gibbs couldn't handle the thought. "You okay?" He asks Abby.
"Yeah, but I'm really lightheaded."
"Boss?" Tony calls, walking out of the elevator with Ziva and two other agent. "The emergency alarm went off and-"
"It was me, DiNozzo."
"You attacked the car?" Ziva questions, while she and the other agents holster their weapons.
"The car tried to kill Abby," Gibbs answers.
Ziva looks over at Abby, very concerned. She was like family. She was family.
"I think there was a short," Abby tells them as Gibbs rubs her shoulder. "When I tried to unbuckle my seatbelt, it pinned me back, and the windows shut, and the engine started. It triggered all the doors in the car to lock, and then the whole cabin filled up with exhaust…A few seconds more, and I'd be singing with the angels right now."
"Abby, I'd have noticed before then," Tim says.
"Then I would have hugged you, McGee." Abby knows it isn't exactly his fault, but he's not her favorite person at the moment, either.
"So lieutenant Seabrooke was killed by a malfunction?" Tony asks.
"Too many variables," McGee dismisses the thought.
"It was deliberate," Gibbs concludes.
"The lieutenant was set up to look like suicide," Ziva says.
"I think it's time you've had a heart-to-heart with Jones, Boss," Tony announces.
"How'd he do it?" Gibbs questions Tim. There's no answer. "It's not a damn quiz, McGee, find out!"
"On it," McGee says, emotionless, and scurries off to find out.
"What'd Jones say?" Gibbs asks Tony.
"Nothing, he's been asking about lieutenant Seabrooke, acting like she's still alive."
Gibbs nods.
"Come on," Gibbs tells Abby, helping her up from the chair, and supporting her with an arm around her waist. "Ducky's checking you out."
"I'm fine, I just have to-"
"It's not a request, Abby."
'Ducky's seen me a few too many times this year,' Abby thought as she, Gibbs, Tony, and Ziva entered the elevator.
---X---
That night…
"Are you sure you're okay, Abbs?" Gibbs asks, as he and Abby who's carrying Anna, walk through the door.
"Yes, Gibbs. Positive!" She whispers, as Anna sleeps. She wasn't so sure if Gibbs meant if she was okay physically or mentally, but nevertheless, she said she was fine.
Gibbs sighs. They both begin to walk up the stairs.
"She still asleep?" He asks to break the silence.
"Yeah, I got her ready for bed at Gertie's, so we can just tuck her in and say goodnight."
Gibbs nods and opens the bedroom door for his girls.
"Thanks," she says, and steps in.
Abby moves over to the crib and gently lays Anna in her crib.
"Here ya' go, Annie." She leans down and lays a kiss on her daughter's head like she did every night.
When she stands straight, she is met with the hands of Gibbs massaging her shoulders.
He just wanted to believe that she was still there.
He pecked her neck.
"Ready for bed, Abbs?"
She nods, like a child.
He returns the nod from behind and moves in front of Anna's crib. "Sweet dreams, Anne."
Abby tried not to laugh, but Gibbs heard her and turned around to face her.
"What?" He faked a glare on the outside, but on the inside, he was just glad to see a smile on her face.
"She's gonna' yell at you."
Gibbs raised an eyebrow.
"If you call her 'Anne' when she gets older, she's gonna' yell at you."
Gibbs chuckled. "I don't doubt that she would, Abby."
She sighed contentedly. "Night, Anna banana, love you."
Abby smiled when he said, "Love you, too, Annie."
He loved both of his girls.
They both wordlessly went into his bedroom, and got ready for bed like they always did, and when they finished, they both lay under the crisp sheets together. And Gibbs was just about to go to sleep, with Abby hugged to his chest like most nights, when he heard her sniffle.
"Abbs?"
"…I almost died."
"Oh, Abby."
He knew it would come, a near death experience is a wakeup-call, and he'd been through more than a few of those.
"What would I have done, Gibbs? What would have happened?" She asks as she buries her face in the crook of his neck. "Anna…My baby girl, I would have never seen her again. I would have never seen you again…"
"It's okay, Abby…" He soothes as he runs a supportive hand up and down her back. "I would never let anything happen to you, I love you too much…I'll keep you safe, Abby, I promise."
She looks up at him. "You dropped your coffee for me, you love coffee…"
He smiles. "I love you more than coffee, Abby."
She puts her head back down. "Good, then I love you more than Caf-Pow!."
His breath escapes in a laugh. "That's nice to hear."
"Did you call Jackson?"
"Yeah. He'll be here, he wants to meet you."
"I'm a hugger."
"I'm sure he won't mind."
She laughs.
"Gibbs, Jenny said she could come, so did Tony, Ziva, McGee, Ducky, and Palmer. McGee's bringing a date, I think he's getting serious with someone."
"Who?"
"Didn't say...And, Jen said that Franks is coming."
"Mike?"
"Yup."
"Do you know Mike?"
"E-mail."
"I didn't know you knew him at all, Abby." Then a thought occurs to him. "He doesn't have Internet."
"Camila."
"Ah."
"Tobias and Emily?"
"Didn't ask yet."
"Diane wasn't much of a Thanksgiving person, I'm sure they'll be free." In fact, he didn't remember celebrating Thanksgiving with her at all, he had just gone to Ducky's that year. "Jack's coming early, three tomorrow."
"Awesome...Franks probably will be, too. Jenny was so assertive..." She didn't mention what she'd said about the tests, if her friend wanted to keep something on the down-low, then Abby wouldn't budge. But Gibbs would be able to pry it out of her, if he ever found out.
"I'm sure she was." Gibbs' mind flashed back to Mexico; the heat of the sun pounding on his back, while the hammer in his hand pounded along with it. And Franks, with the way Mike told him he should go back to DC, for 'that lab-rat of his', because she had been pregnant at the time.
"Oh, and she gave everybody the day off tomorrow, because Thanksgiving is in two days."
She smirks. "I'll be there. Bring your spirit, Marine!"
"Yes, Ma'am!"
She giggled. "Night, Gibbs."
He grinned. "Goodnight, Abby."
xXxXx
A/N: Whew! this one took a while, but it has to be one of my favorites!
Yay! Abby is living with Gibbs for good!
Review to get a cookie! ;)
