A couple of anon. reviews I wish I could reply to. For one of them… usually I write Gibbs/Abby, but this one will stay the three of them together. Sorry it's not your cup of tea. Working on a Gibbs/Abby one, but not sure when it'll be ready.
Tony stood at the top of the basement stairs and watched as Abby painted small intricate details on the wooden toys Jack had made during his stay. He could tell that the focus she was putting into the painting had helped her to relax. But sitting alone, hunched over her work, he could also see the toll that the past few months had taken. She didn't have her usual healthy glow, and her cheeks were a little sunken. He hoped a long weekend of rest and a few decent meals would put her back on track. He was halfway down when she looked up, a questioning look on her face to match the look of uncertainty on his. "I fucked him."
"Wait, what?" Abby set her paint brush aside and stood up. "What happened?"
"I… I don't know. We were arguing about trust and suddenly he pulled me upstairs, handed me the lube and asked me to fuck him. I… I wasn't going to, but he said it was the only thing left that he hadn't trusted me with and the look on his face… I couldn't… I couldn't not…"
"Hey, it's okay…" Abby reached out for Tony and pulled him over to the work bench. She hopped up and pulled him in for a hug so that he was standing between her legs. "It's alright Tony."
"He's hurting so bad, Abbs, but the only one hurting him is himself."
"I know. We just need to wait him out." Abby said firmly, she refused to leave until everything was sorted out. She refused to leave and give Gibbs the chance to talk himself into believe they were better off without him.
"We already have, he's so broken, just sitting up there and I don't…"
"Tony, whatever it is that you did up there, he asked you to do it, so don't go down that road."
"No, I know. I won't. He just… he needs you. He needs to know he hasn't ruined things between you."
"Then we'll go to him, together. We'll make him see that we're alright. That we will be alright."
"I already told him I was leaving. Just for tonight," he corrected at the look of panic that flashed across her face.
"Tony, don't go," she begged. She needed him to be her rock if Gibbs tried to push her away again.
"I need to. Just for tonight."
"But-"
"I can't, Abbs. I need time to sort through this in my head. I'm not… I promise I'm not walking away from you or him. Remember how way back when Gibbs asked for time alone with his boat, and I didn't think it would be a good idea, but you said that he asked for it instead of pushing us away, and how that was a good thing?"
Abby nodded.
"I'm asking. I'll be back in the morning, hell, I'll bring breakfast. I just need some time to let things settle in my mind, okay?"
"Okay." She let out a deep breath and felt her shoulders relax a bit.
"I love you, Abby. Trust me?"
Abby smiled and leaned forward into his arms. "Of course I do. I love you too."
Tony squeezed her tight and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "Okay. Go to Gibbs, he needs you right now. I'll be okay."
"You're sure?"
"Positive."
"Text me when you're home safe, okay?"
"I will. But it might take a little longer, I'm going to stop for Chinese food and beer."
"Save me a fortune cookie?"
"Don't I always?" Tony leaned in and kissed her and then headed up the stairs and out the door.
Abby turned to put the supplies away and carried the paint brushes up to the kitchen to soak in water. She checked that the door was locked and then headed cautiously up the stairs, not sure what condition she would find Gibbs' in or if he even wanted to see her at this point. She had pushed him further than she had ever seen him pushed before and she was scared that she had ruined what they had.
He was in bed and the overhead light was off, but the bedside lamp was on. She leaned against the door and watched him. She walked over to his side of the bed, stepping over the two squeaky floorboards. His eyes didn't open when she sat on the edge of the bed, so she pulled the blankets further up his chest to tuck him in. She startled when his eyes snapped open and he grabbed her arm, but she stayed quiet.
"Don't leave me." He whispered quietly.
Abby shook free of his grasp and then cupped his cheeks in her hands. "Let's get one thing straight. I have never, nor will I ever leave you. Understood?"
"Tony and I…"
"I know. He told me."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't apologize to me, not for something that you two need to work out."
"I'm sorry for everything. For Hernandez, for letting you go to Mexico, for pushing you away, for-"
"Gibbs, as hard as it is for me to wrap my head around the fact that you killed someone like that, I get it. I mean, I haven't lost a wife and daughter, but if that Hernandez guy was still alive and I had found out about him, you don't think that if given the chance I would have done it for you? I'm not mad about that, deep down I think I knew you had killed him, what I'm mad about is the fact that when shit gets hard, you push me away to keep me from getting hurt. But all that does is hurt me more."
"Abbs…"
Abby shook her head. "I would do anything for you, Gibbs. Anything." She debated confessing to what she had done with the report, but the less he knew, the better.
"I only want to keep you safe. And sometimes that means keeping you safe from me."
"Hit me."
Gibbs did a double take, his features tensing as he struggled to sit up. "What?"
"I said, hit me. Come on, you're angry. Get it out."
"Abby I would never… I would never touch you like that." He frowned. If she thought he would get physical with her in that way…
"You could never hurt me?"
"No-" It dawned on Gibbs what she was getting at. "It's not the same."
"I'm not a child, Gibbs. I can take care of myself. Sometimes I think that you guys forget that. I'm not some doll to keep on the shelf, I… "
He didn't have a response to that, so instead he traced an invisible design over the inside of her arm as he thought over everything the past few months – every time she'd silently gone along with whatever he'd said, helping him fight his demons, both alive and dead - all without expecting anything in return. "I owe you so much."
"You owe me nothing but love. That's all I've ever wanted from you…" she sniffled and then tried to lighten the mood. "That and an occasional caf-pow!"
"I do love you. You have know that."
"Why do you think I fight so hard to save you from yourself?"
Gibbs nodded and let his hand drop to her thigh, curve around her hip and tried to pull her closer, "Abbs…"
"No." Abby pushed his hands away. "You're stressed and exhausted. You need to sleep."
"I don't want to be alone."
"That's funny, because earlier you were trying to kick Tony and I out." He opened his mouth to speak, but Abby shook her head and pressed a finger to his lips. "I'm not going anywhere. Just to brush my teeth and I'll be right back."
Gibbs nodded and settled back against his pillow.
She was quick in the bathroom, and headed back to Gibbs. Rather than borrow a shirt (she and Tony had moved their stuff out before Jack moved in) Abby stripped down to her underwear, leaving her clothes in a heap on the floor. Gibbs gave her a questioning look, but Abby just shook her head again. "We're still not having sex, I just thought you could use a little skin-on-skin contact." She climbed between the sheets and let Gibbs pull her in close.
"Will you kiss me?"
"Of course," she said softly. "I will kiss you all night if that's what you want, though I can't see you being awake much longer. Have you slept at all the past few months?"
Gibbs didn't answer; he just lowered his head to hers for a gentle kiss. He had only just kissed her when seemingly all the emotions of the past four months seemed to bubble up inside her at once. She pushed away and rolled over, choking back a sob.
"Abby…" Gibbs was hesitant to reach out to her, unsure if she'd welcome his touch. Her whole body was shaking as she cried. He touched her arm gently and was surprised that rather than pull away, she pulled his arm tighter around her. "Abby, I'm so sorry," he moved closer and wrapped himself around her and pushed a leg over hers, as he got as close as possible. "So sorry."
When Abby woke the next morning she was surprised to find Gibbs still sleeping even though the sun was shining brightly through the curtains. He was still wrapped around her, but it didn't take her long to work herself free so she could visit the bathroom. She stared at herself in the mirror before heading back to bed. Her eyes were still puffy and a little red. She wasn't sure how long she had cried before falling asleep. All she remembered was Gibbs holding her, murmuring reassurances as she cried. He was still asleep when she crawled back between the sheets to settle beside him.
She didn't have to wait long for him to wake, startling from her thoughts when he reached out and his arm tightened around her waist and he snuggled closer, pressing his nose to her ear as he kissed her cheek.
"Morning, beautiful."
Abby smiled at his usual morning greeting, having missed it the past several months.
"Are you okay?"
Abby nodded. "I'm okay. How're you feeling?"
"Like an ass," he answered honestly.
"Gibbs, don't. I don't know what you and Tony still have to work out, but you and I are okay. We are okay?"
"No, we're not. Not yet."
"Gibbs?"
"I… I need to make it up to you, regain your trust. Even when I've pushed you away, I've never stopped loving you."
Abby nodded. "Just… stop pushing us away."
"I'll try."
"You've spent twenty years pushing people away, I know it won't be easy to stop, but unlike everyone else the past twenty years, we're going to fight back."
"No one has ever fought for me."
Abby was amazed at these small glimpses into the person that he was deep down. His rough exterior was so firmly set, that everyone assumed it was just the way he was. "Well now you've got two people fighting for you."
"Thank you." He pressed another kiss to her cheek and pulled back the covers. "Bathroom. Don't go anywhere."
Abby laughed. "Yeah, I really look like I'm ready to rush out of here, don't I?"
Gibbs sent her a smirk over his shoulder before disappearing into the bathroom. Abby rolled onto her stomach and folded her arms around his pillow and inhaled the familiar scent of Gibbs. It had been over four months since she had spent the night. She just hoped that now, for once, things would get back to normal.
She felt the bed dip and then smiled when she felt Gibbs' lips on the back of her shoulder. "Mmm. I missed you."
"Not as much as I missed you." He left a trail of kisses from her shoulder to the back of her neck. "Wasn't easy staying here when I knew you and Tony were at your place." He pulled the sheet down and stared down at the intricate cross on her back, reaching out to trace over it with his fingers.
His light touch made her squirm and squeeze her thighs together. When he leaned forward to kiss all the way down her spine, she groaned and twisted to look up at him. Instead of the angry and broken Gibbs she had seen the night before, this time he was looking at her with a smile on his face. His eyes were warm and bright, and intense as always. When he moved to straddle her hips and leaned down to kiss her she wrapped her arms around him and held on tightly, opening up to his kiss instantly.
Tony balanced a stack of takeout boxes in one arm as he unlocked Gibbs' front door and let himself in, making sure to lock up again. He stood and listened, but hearing nothing, he set the boxes on the counter and went in search of his lovers. He hoped that everything had gone okay after he left the night before, though he knew Abby would've called if anything had gone horribly wrong – at least he hoped so. The night alone had been good for him, he could only hope it had been the same for the other two. Having seen Abby's car still out front, he hoped it was a good sign. He was halfway up the stairs when he heard what sounded like moaning. Definitely promising, he thought.
He nudged the bedroom door open with his foot and leaned against the door frame. It looked like they had been at it for a while. Gibbs was cradling Abby close, rocking into her at a slow and steady pace. Both were sweaty and there were red marks across Gibbs' back from where Abby's fingers had dug in time and time again. Neither had noticed him, so he quietly unbuckled his pants and pushed his underwear out of the way, grasping his half-hard dick and twisting just so.
Gibbs whispered something in Abby's ear that Tony couldn't hear, but the way she moaned was enough for Tony as he pulled a little harder, twisting his wrist a little more forcefully. He watched with hooded eyes as Abby cried out and Gibbs bent his head to suck at the pulse point of her neck. The moment Abby came undone, Tony lost his own control and he cried out as he came all over his hand. Gibbs bucked into her three more times before he was finally able to lose control, collapsing over her when she wouldn't let him fall to the side.
Tony stumbled to the bathroom to clean up and pull his pants back up from his ankles and then went and flopped down on the bed beside them.
"Enjoy the show?" Gibbs lifted his head from Abby's neck and looked at Tony.
"Fuck you, you knew I was there." Tony laughed and reached out to brush the hair from Abby's face. "That was the hottest thing ever."
"I am pretty hot," Abby murmured, an easy smile on her face.
"Tony-" Gibbs hesitated.
Tony shook his head. "We're okay."
"You sure?"
"Positive. I even brought breakfast from that diner you two like so much." The food was decent, but the fifties décor was cheesy and Tony didn't understand what his lovers liked about it so much.
"Coffee?" Gibbs leaned forward to press a quick kiss to Tony's lips, then to the tip of Abby's nose before rolling off of her and getting up. He grabbed a clean pair of underwear and sweat pants and went to the bathroom to clean up before heading downstairs.
"Jeez, Tony, way to ruin the moment. You mention coffee and he runs like a kid on Christmas." Abby moved closer to Tony, snuggling into his arms.
"I said nothing about coffee, I said breakfast."
"Same thing."
"Uh huh. So I take it everything is okay between you two then? He didn't explode, run or push you away last night?"
"We talked. Okay, I talked. We're okay. And you and I?"
"Golden, why wouldn't we be?"
"Just checking." Abby pulled him down for a gentle kiss.
TBC
