Chapter 9
Gibbs POV
Gibbs told Cynthia he was taking Natalie home as the director was busy. He walked her to the car and she gave him her address on the way. That was 15 minutes ago. They had been sitting in silence through rush hour traffic. And strangely Gibbs wasn't feeling as agitated over being stuck in traffic as he usually would.
"I haven't set up a time yet" Gibbs said out of the blue.
"Sorry?" Natalie asked him, looking bewildered that he was even talking to her.
"Your interviews. Cynthia keeps bugging me but I'm not good with talking" he told her. He wanted to talk to her. To spend time with her. But the whole subject matter is what made him feel uncomfortable.
Natalie nodded her head and then looked back out the window. Gibbs thought she was going to be silent for a while again and was thinking of what to say when she said, "Doesn't have to be at work. I offered to Abby to do it anywhere she felt comfortable. We can do it anywhere." She was blushing again. She looked beautiful when she blushed and Gibbs thought he knew why.
"Doing it anywhere huh?" he teased. He was pleased to see her blush deepen and his thought confirmed.
"I didn't mean-" she started, "-what I mean is- not that you're not- its just I meant- well…." She was so flustered and Gibbs took pity on her.
"I know what you meant Miss Kane," he said as they inched forward about a foot before stopping again. "So you can't drive?" he asked changing the subject.
"No, living in NYC when turned 16 meant I didn't need to learn. I have been thinking about getting my learners permit I just don't want to ask my grandpa to teach me because his driving scares me." Gibbs was reminded of the one and only time he drove with Morrow and understood what she meant. At first you wouldn't notice but he was actually a really distracted driver.
"I could teach you" popped out of his mouth before he knew what he was saying.
"Really?" she asked. She looked happy that someone would offer and Gibbs couldn't bring himself to taking it back.
"Sure, why not."
She smiled in thanks. And they sat in silence for another 15 minutes and another 45 feet.
"Where do you feel most at peace Agent Gibbs?" she asked him looking over at him. They hadn't moved the car in almost 5 minutes so he looked back at her. She looked genuinely interested. He glanced down and noticed the bruise he thought he saw earlier on her calf. Looked pretty nasty and he frowned with worry.
"My basement," he said before shaking his head and rubbing his hand over his face.
"Do you have a hobby there?" she asked looking out the window as yet another car honked.
"Wood" he said. I should have stopped for a coffee first he thought to himself.
Natalie nodded her head. "I like the smell of wood" she told him. "My mom used to paint folk art, it's the things made of wood and painted like something out of country living. Only hers would never be put in a country living magazine."
Gibbs raised his eyebrow at her "Oh? Why's that?" they were inching their way up to their exit and Gibbs was starting to regret that they would be back at a normal pace soon meaning his ride would be over soon.
"Mom had a dirty sense of humor. Her stuff had bad language, sexual themes and violence. She used to say they should be rated 'R' for Risque" she laughed.
Gibbs turned off the highway and started making his way downtown where traffic was faster but still congested. "I'm scared to ask" he told her, "I just make boats."
"Sail?" she asked him and he nodded. "I've always loved going to the harbor and watching the boats coming in and out while I studied. It was my quiet place." She paused before adding, "Well not that it was actually quiet, just made me feel at peace."
Gibbs looked over at her when they stopped for a light. Her hair looked on fire where the sun touched it and Gibbs marveled at how soft it looked. Everything about her looked soft yet he knew from talking with Ducky that she was very strong. But he couldn't help wondering about the bruises he'd seen.
Soon enough they pulled up to her apartment building and it was time for her to get out. "Thanks for the ride, and offering to teach me" she said gathering her things.
"Wait," he said when she went to grab the door latch, "I'll give you my card and we can figure something out." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a card for her. He added his home number for her and started to hand it over, "but I have to ask," he said to her, "what's with the bruises, if someone is hurting you… you can tell us."
She smiled and grabbed his card from him, "I'm learning Krav Maga Gibbs, I tend to look worse." She got out of the car and leaned back in "But thank you for the concern, Night." And with that she was walking away to her doors. Gibbs shook his head at this conundrum that was Natalie Kane and drove back to NCIS to finish paperwork and to make sure Abby went home tonight.
He got to his desk to see Tony puzzling over a piece of paper, "Shouldn't you be home DiNozzo" he barked at him.
"I'm on my way boss, just picked up some files from Abby and can't figure this thing out. Any ideas?" he asked as he handed it over.
Gibbs could read it perfectly but loved to mess with them so he held it far away to read, "Looks like a bunch of names."
"Well yeah I got that, what's the other stuff, what's the numbers?" Tony continued and was peering over Gibbs' shoulder, "like there, why am I a maybe, and you're a yes/no."
"Why don't you ask Abby" he told him while handing the page back. Tony told him he could keep it, it's a copy, Tony has another. "DiNozzo, go home." Gibbs was getting irritated at him. After he left Gibbs took a better look at the paper.
Looks like a code of some sort. Question is why were only some of NCIS personnel on it. Gibbs put it out of his head while he started looking over his teams final paperwork from their latest case.
"Gibbs. Gibbs. Gibbs" Abby came running up to him, "Where's DiNozzo?"
"Home."
"Damn, he took files from my desk and there was something there he wa-" Abby stopped seeing the paper in question on Gibbs' desk, "Gibbs why do you have that?" Abby asked him accusingly while pointing at the paper.
"DiNozzo. You should know he's made a copy for himself" Gibbs told her barely giving the paper a glance.
"Oh no, she's gonna kill me!" Abby wailed, "And we were just getting to be friends. I have to fix this. Gibbs you have to help me!"
Finally he looked up at the frantic lab tech, "Help with what Abby? I don't even know what's going on." He gave her his patented Gibbs Look. But she didn't budge.
"I can't tell you Gibbs, if you know, then it's the same as Tony knowing and no one can know but its like a puzzle and Tony won't give it up now that he's seen it." Abby was pacing back in forth in front of Gibbs's desk so he got up and took her in his arms.
"It's going to be okay Abby, just talk to me."
She sighed, "Natalie and I were talking today and we sorta played a game to make me feel more comfortable around her and that paper has very revealing things on it that no one besides her and I should know." She paused grabbing the page and thrusting a finger at his chest, "Not even you Gibbs."
"DiNozzo will figure it out." Gibbs was sure he figured it out. The girls had rated the only people they both knew, the question was, why no females and why not the director? Unless its an attraction thing. They wouldn't rate his attractiveness.
"You have to stop him somehow!" Abby pleaded.
"He's gonna know you rated him sooner or later and he'll figure out it was Natalie that was with you Abby." Gibbs figured it was better to just let the cat out of the bag.
"You know?!" Abby's eyes bugged out.
Gibbs brought her in for another hug, "Yeah Abbs, I am a trained investigator." She chuckled into his chest. "Tony's a little slower though."
"Gibbs please don't tell Nat you know, she'd kill me. That stuff is like super personal." Abby shoved the paper into her pocket but Gibbs could only see his line in his head. L had N-8, A-7; B had N-9, A-8; F was N-6, A-10; SA was N-10, A-1 with D? yes/no which meant N was the yes and A the no. N was obviously Natalie and A was Abby. Numbers from 1-10 a basic scale. The only things Gibbs wasn't sure on was the L, B, F, SA and D.
"Abby, it's going to be okay. I won't jeopardize your new friendship. Besides I think she needs a good friend and she could totally kick you butt." Gibbs was leading her to the elevators now.
"What you don't think I could take her Gibbs? I'm hurt" said Abby as they walked into the elevator.
"She's learning Krav Maga, Abbs, Israeli Mossad learn that" he told her as they travelled down to her lab.
Abby looked shocked, "Wow!"
"How's the tests going?" Gibbs asked.
"Already running the algorithym" she told him. "And I'm downloading whatever I can get off the hard drives, so I can work on them in the morning." She walked over to change out her lab coat with her black leather one.
"It's a Saturday Abby, you don't have to work."
"I know." She smiled at him. "So Tony?" Abby asked worriedly before she left.
"I'll take care of it Abby."