"You sure you don't want to tell Gibbs?"
"I'm positive, Tony. Nothing happened. I'll be okay, no sense in Gibbs hunting him down. Don't think he'll be looking twice at me."
"I don't know, Abby, I think Gibbs would want to know. Remember what happened last time? You didn't tell anyone about Mikel and then he almost-"
"I know, but this time I told you… So please Tony, it's my business. Not yours or anyone elses."
Tony sighed. "Alright, but if he gives you anymore trouble… I'm putting the entire team on him, no question."
"Deal." Abby watched as Tony headed out for the night. She was done, but she didn't feel like leaving the security of her lab just yet. She moved around the darkened lab, switching off her machines one by one.
"Who hurt you?"
Abby startled at the voice coming from the shadows of her lab. "Gibbs!" Abby spun around to see him standing in the dark corner of her lab. "What are you… how long have you…"
"What happened," he growled as he came closer.
"It's nothing, really…"
"If it's nothing, you wouldn't be hiding it from me."
Abby dropped into the chair at her desk. "We met at the club, started to dance and had a good time. I don't make a habit of going home with people I don't know, but I've seen him around the neighborhood, so I figured it'd be okay to share a cab ride home. Before I got in, I made it clear we were just sharing a cab, nothing else. Then he had the cabbie drop us off at the park instead. I said I wasn't interested, but he just pushed me out and shoved some cash at the cabbie. Once the cab pulled away, he started to attack me."
"Goddamnit Abby!"
Abby tensed as he shouted at her. "What?! I filed a police report. They know his name and address. I got away okay, he probably knows the cops are after him. I did everything by the book."
"No you didn't, you didn't call me."
"I can't call you for every little thing that goes wrong, Gibbs."
"Why not?"
"Because, I've got to grow up. I'm not a little girl, you're not my security blanket Gibbs. I can take care of myself."
Gibbs took a deep breath and clenched and unclenched his fists. Then, without a word, he turned and left.
Despite the fact that her building was secure, Abby's hands shook as she hurried through the parking lot, keyed in the building code and then rushed up one flight of stairs to the second floor. As soon as she was in her apartment, she locked the door and flipped the deadbolt. "See?" She muttered to herself. "That wasn't so bad."
Pocket knife in hand, she checked every room the way she knew Gibbs would and then settled on the couch. What left her feeling the most unsettled was the way Gibbs had walked out of her lab. It was rare that he was upset with her, but when he was, it made her feel ill.
It took an hour for her to gather the courage to call.
"Yeah, Gibbs…" he sounded tired.
"Gibbs, I'm sorry," Abby whispered quietly.
"You okay?" Knowing Abby, the seriousness of the situation was likely just settling in.
"Yeah, I think so. I'm just mad, you know? Mad that I didn't pick up on the fact that he was such a creep before hand. Mad that I let myself get into a situation that could have ended much worse," she took a deep breath to keep her voice from wavering.
"It's not your fault," Gibbs soothed over the phone, knowing she would blame herself.
"I know, but… but…" her chin quivered.
"Open the door, Abbs," Gibbs said quietly.
At the same time, there was a gentle knock on her door. Abby kept the phone tucked between her shoulder and ear as she opened the deadbolt and then the door. Ending the call, she dropped her phone on the small table beside the door and then threw her arms around Gibbs' neck. "You always know…"
"Always know what?" Gibbs slipped his phone into his pocket and wrapped his arms around her and walked her back into her apartment, shutting the door behind them.
"When I need you. I should have called you when it happened, or at least told you about it. But I hate that I always bring all my problems to you. I don't want you to get tired of me and all my problems."
"Tired of you?" Gibbs stepped away and sat on the couch. "Why would you think that?" He never tired of her – not even when he didn't understand a single word of her babbling in the lab.
"I don't know," Abby sat beside him, curling one of her legs under her. "You're always protecting me, helping me… it's never the other way around. I don't want you to feel used."
"Hey," Gibbs reached out for her and tugged her into his arms. "You ever think that I like helping you, protecting you? Makes me feel useful."
Abby leaned into him and closed her eyes. "I'm not a kid," she murmured, already half asleep in the comfort of his arms.
"I know," Gibbs stroked her hair gently. "I know. And I certainly don't see you as a kid." Gibbs would have taken himself out back with a gun if he thought of her as a kid with the way his thoughts were. Knowing she was half asleep, Gibbs urged her to her feet and walked her down the hall to her bedroom. "Get some sleep, Abbs. I'll be here, so you don't have to worry."
"Stay with me?" She murmured as she buried her face against the pillow.
"I'll be in the living room, not tired yet," he lied. He wanted nothing more than to curl up with her, but he couldn't allow himself to do that. "Sleep tight."
Gibbs was just about to doze off on the couch when the creaking of a floorboard made his head snap up. "It's only me," Abby smiled shyly.
"Bad dream?" Gibbs straightened up, ready to get up and walk her back to bed.
"No. Are you sure you don't think of me as a kid?"
Gibbs' cocked his head to one side. "I'm sure, why?"
"Then why do you try so hard to protect me?"
Gibbs swallowed hard. "Because I… care."
Abby nodded. She wasn't surprised that he couldn't use the 'L' word. She didn't want to pressure him or make him feel like he needed to say it in return if he wasn't ready. "Then I'm offering to share my bed, because I care too." Without another word, she turned back to her bedroom.
Gibbs was stunned as he watched her walk away. Admitting how much he cared was hard, but it seemed that Abby picked up on what he was trying to say and was offering a way for him to do something about it without making things awkward. As much as he wasn't sure if he could take that next step, the idea was alluring. More than once, he'd imagined taking her home with him. They already did dinner together frequently. Mostly at his place, but he never missed the fact that they worked so well together in the kitchen. Both of them night-owls, she often stayed late, helping in the basement or just watching him work. More often than not, she crashed in the guest room and Gibbs would imagine joining her or finding her waiting in his room. As curiosity got the best of him, Gibbs got up and moved slowly down the hall until he was standing in the doorway of her bedroom. The overhead light was off, but the bedside lamp on the near side of the bed was on and the covers were pulled down in an open invitation. Abby was on the far side, tucked in. Her eyes were open and she watched him as he took in the scene.
Gibbs cleared his throat and then spoke. "If I join you tonight, I'm going to want to join you again tomorrow. And the next night…" Abby reached out and pulled the covers back further for him. It was then that he saw a flash of more skin and then recognized that her pj's were in a pile on the floor. Swallowing hard, Gibbs moved forward and pulled his shirt overhead and then worked on his belt before stripping down to his boxers and sliding between the sheets. "Where do we go from here?"
Before he could finish, Abby was curled into his side.
"You're naked, aren't you?"
Abby laughed and nodded as his arm came around her. "I don't like sleeping with clothes on, but I left my underwear on so you wouldn't feel too much pressure."
"We're gonna have sex."
"I hope so," Abby pressed her lips to his chest. "But… God, I can't believe I'm saying this, can we wait until tomorrow morning?" Abby felt like her jaw about about to dislocate as she yawned.
"Yeah," Gibbs turned on his side and gathered her into his arms, sighing happily at the feel of her warm skin against his. "And Abby?"
"Hmm…?"
"No more hiding things from me, okay?"
"Mmmhmm."
Gibbs woke first and smiled when he realized that the warm weight sprawled across him wasn't some redhead from the bar, but instead was Abby. He was content to lie there and relax, but soon he realized that he needed to hit the bathroom. It took him a few minutes to work himself free, but he managed to slip out of bed without waking her.
When he returned, Abby and moved around and the blankets had lowered to her waist. She was on her stomach, and his eyes caught on the large, intricate cross that covered her back. As he approached, Abby shifted and his eyes rested on a faint bruise on her upper arm. Immediately, his gut tightened and he climbed back into bed. Lying beside her again, Gibbs couldn't make himself relax, not knowing the full details of what had happened in the club and seeing the bruise.
"Mmm, my pillow came back…" Abby mumbled and snuggled in close again. She was quiet for a moment before her eyes opened. Pulling the sheet up to cover her chest, Abby sat up. "Something's wrong."
Gibbs stared at her a moment and then lifted his hand to her shoulder. "I want to know exactly what happened."
"What… oh," she looked down and saw the bruises from when the guy had grabbed her. "I told you, he grabbed me, but I fought back. He's in custody, I filed a report. Nothing happened, he didn't get far. I don't think he realized how strong I am. Really, I'd like to put it behind me."
"Abby-"
"No," Abby let go of the sheet and moved to straddle Gibbs, pressing his wrists up on the pillow. "I'm sorry I didn't call you, but I did the right thing by calling the police. I gave a statement and I'm prepared to go to court if he tries to get out of trouble by playing innocent. But I don't want to keep talking about what happened or what could have happened. We're half naked in bed, Gibbs. Don't ruin that." By the time she finished her mini rant, she realized Gibbs was no longer paying attention, instead his focus on her breasts. "You didn't hear half of what I said, did you?"
"I heard you," Gibbs worked his hands free and sat up, holding Abby to him so she sat straddling his lap. "Just choosing to focus on other… more important things," he met her gaze with a grin.
"Good, so can we move past what happened..?"
Gibbs nodded. "For now. I'll be right next to you in court if it goes that far."
"Good. And should you feel the need to bring it up again, under no circumstances will it be in bed. Understood?"
"Mmhmm…" Gibbs leaned forward and pressed his lips to her collarbone.
"Gibbs," Abby sighed happily and wrapped her arms around him. They were quiet as they sat together, slowly exploring each other.
Gibbs had trouble keeping his lips off of Abby, tasting her skin all over; along her neck, out over her collar bone and her breasts. His hands rest heavily on her hips where she sat nestled tightly against his groin. His body was quick to react, but Gibbs managed to control himself, keeping this slow and exploratory.
Abby loved the freedom to explore every inch of Gibbs without feeling rushed. She touched and kissed every scar, some much newer than others. Some he let go quietly and others he opened up and explained. Some were reminders of war, others were tales from a foolish childhood and some came from a lifetime of woodworking. Once she had sufficiently explored every inch within reach, Abby wrapped her arms around his neck and hugged herself to him tightly, just holding herself to him. She smiled when he pressed his face to her neck and inhaled deeply. "I want more Gibbs, want you…" she murmured, threading her fingers through his hair.
"You're gonna need to move then," Gibbs pulled back and smiled at her, brushing her hair behind her ear. With Abby straddling his lap, he couldn't go anywhere, nor could he get his boxers off.
"I know, but I don't want to lose contact with you, you're so warm…"
Gibbs chuckled and slapped her hip gently. "Come on, up you go."
Abby was reluctant to move, but as she started to move off his lap, Gibb gave her a nudge, making her fall onto the mattress with a laugh. Gibbs was quick to shed his boxers and within seconds, he was crawling over her, pinning her to the bed.
"Gibbs!" Abby shrieked. She tried to free her hands, but Gibbs held her in place as he leaned in to nibble her neck. "No, wait!"
Gibbs pulled back and looked down at her concerned.
"Sorry, I gotta use the bathroom first."
Gibbs squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head as he moved off of her. "Hurry."
"I will." Abby scrambled off the bed and hurried to the bathroom. She was quick and then decided to brush her teeth in a hurry and run a brush through her hair. "Okay, I think I'm rea-" Abby stopped in the doorway, her jaw dropping. Gibbs was propped up against her pillows and steadily stroking himself, a look of satisfaction on his face. "I don't even know where to begin…"
"Joining me would be a good first step…" Gibbs reached out to her. When Abby hesitated, Gibbs sat up and stopped touching himself, concern flooding his features. "Abby?"
"Oh Gibbs," Abby stripped her underwear down and climbed onto the bed. "Sorry, I wasn't hesitating because of you, I just… this is so overwhelming. I've wanted you for so long and now you're here, in my bed, and… really, really hot. I'm just… in shock, I think."
Gibbs gathered her into his arms and pulled her in close. "I know the feeling," he nuzzled her cheek and then gasped when he felt her hands on him. "I want to take my time with you."
Abby pushed her leg up over his hip, bringing him closer to her core. "You're gonna have to wait for round two, I can't wait." In one quick movement, Abby had him on his back and lowered herself over him, moaning as he filled her.
"God, Abbs," Gibbs gripped her hips and held on tight.
Abby held his gaze as she slowly moved over him. It didn't take much before Gibbs pulled her down against his chest and then flipped them over to take control. Despite Abby's struggles, Gibbs repeatedly brought her near her release before slowing and backing her away from the edge. It wasn't until he wasn't sure how long he could hold back his own release that he finally pushed her over the edge, holding her tightly until he was certain she was satisfied.
When he finally allowed himself release, Gibbs collapsed over her, his body spent. "Too heavy," he murmured moments later as he attempted to move off of her.
"You're fine," Abby soothed, running her hands up and down his back, keeping him draped over her.
Gibbs wrapped his arms around her and eventually moved off of her, gathering her back in his arms. "I love you."
Abby pulled back to look at him. "Do you?"
"More than I'll ever be able to explain. Hope I can show you," he nodded.
Abby leaned in for a kiss, and scooted further up on the pillow to cradle him to her. "You've shown me every day, I just haven't been able to see it. Or maybe I didn't want to because I didn't want to run the risk of being wrong. But I love you too, okay? Nothing will change that, ever."
"Every time you've said it, I've wanted to say it back. Even when it's just been at work, in a playful way." Gibbs admitted.
"I've meant it every time, just thought I could get away with saying it at work without pressuring you to respond."
Gibbs looked visibly relieved, relaxed and content and it warmed Abby in a way she couldn't describe. "You're good for me, Abbs. I just hope I can return the favor."
"You already have."
Rather than respond, Gibb snuggled in close again.
"You know, yesterday I said you weren't my security blanket, but… you are, in a way… I mean-"
"I know, Abbs. You're mine too."
"So," Abby flopped onto her back. "You don't… have anywhere to be today, do you?"
Gibbs stretched and put his hands behind his back. "Think I have a date with your coffee maker before long, but other than that…"
The End
