Disclaimer: Not mine and all that.
And now the continuing adventures of LJ Tibbs...
Meanwhile in MTAC...
"Gibbs, Grissom. Have a seat" The director looked at the large screen in front of her, "They found a body on the SS Jackson."
"We're on-line Director." Said a voice in the dark as an image of Cassie Yates popped up of the screen.
"Director, Gibbs." Said Cassie, "It's good to talk to you. I wish it wasn't under these circumstances."
"Likewise." Jenny smiled at the other woman. "Fill in Agent Gibbs on the situation."
"A few members of the electrical maintenance crew stumbled across a dead body, if you could even call it that"
"Stumbled across?" Gibbs interrupted.
"Someone welded the body into the hull of the ship." Cassie knew she had their attention now, "No idea how long it's been there."
"Someone welded a body into the side of an aircraft carrier?" asked Grissom, joining the conversation. "What was the condition of the body when you found it?"
"I was going to tell you that next. The body is decomposed for beyond. Recognition."
"I assumed you didn't know who it was." Gibbs said.
"By beyond recognition I meant that it's hard to tell that its a body. If we hadn't found the bones floating in the stuff, I never would have guessed it was a person."
"Stuff?" Grissom asked dryly, raising her eyebrows.
"It's difficult to describe." Cassie said, "It's sort of like... It's almost like."
"Porridge." Gibbs said.
"Yeah. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
"Send us the body. You can handle the primary investigation." The director said with an air of finality that meant the conversation was over."
"Thank you director." The image cut out and Jenny turned to the two men. "Get it done." They left together.
"How does one get a body off an aircraft carrier located in... Where is it located?"
"They don't like to volunteer that information."
"I've noticed."
Las Vegas, Nevada
Detective Brass's Office
Brass smiled when the caller ID showed that Sara Sidle was calling him. He hadn't heard from her since she called to tell him that they landed safely and that the house they were living in was gigantic.
"Hey stranger." He answered.
"Hi." Sara said sheepishly. She had been meaning to call him.
"What can I do for you, cookie?"
"I've got a case." Sara said bracing herself for his response.
"I thought you were teaching?" Brass asked, smiling to himself.
"I am." Sara paused, "But I'm just working on a few cases... Two cases. That's it though." Sara finished determinedly.
"You got a BOLO?" Brass asked, pulling out his note pad and a pen.
"Yup," She gave him the details before adding, "Thanks Brass."
"Anything for you. Tell Gil I said hi."
"Will do."
With that done, Sara turned to the large pile of papers she needed to grade before her class tomorrow.
Gibb's Basement
Washington DC
"Glad to see you're not sleeping in your lab again." Gibbs said as he watched Abby's platforms descended the stairs into his basement.
"The director told me I had to leave. Something about too many consecutive hours. I brought beer."
"I think that she meant you should go home and sleep"
"Gibbs are you worried about me?"
"Always." He answered without elaborating.
"I couldn't sleep. When I close my eyes all I see is code. I have to get it out of my system before I can sleep. I thought you might let me sand something. I promise not to touch anything that might hurt the boat." She gave him her best smile.
"Sanding only." he smiled and handed her a block of wood and a piece of sandpaper.
"Beer first." Abby said, opening a bottle for each of them. She began sanding the side of the boat while simultaneously drinking her beer.
"You're getting covered in saw dust."
"I am. I have a change of clothes in my car." She looked down at her black mini skirt and shirt, already covered in a fine dusting of the saw dusk that lingered everywhere.
"I'll get you a shirt." he smiled at her before heading upstairs to grab a shirt for Abby. When he returned she had poured them each a drink from the half empty bottle of whiskey that was never far from his reach.
"I brought my own cup." She held up her skull and crossbones mug. She handed him his drink with a smile and grabbed the shirt from his hands. "He smiled at her wisdom in bringing her own glass. They toasted before they each took a long swallow of whiskey. Gibbs turned away so Abby could change.
"Always the gentlemen." Abby smiled at the back of his head as she took of her bracelets, and dog collar. She watched him drink as she unbuttoned her shirt. She put on the shirt and took in his smell. She debated about removing her skirt. In the end she took it off when she realized that the skirt was actually shorter than her shirt. "You can turn around now"
"That shirt is at least two inches longer than the skirt you wore today."
"It is not."
"Well it's the same length."
"Maybe." Abby smiled at him and began taking her hair down. Gibbs watched her, as always fascinated by her movements. "Do you think we might be able to go back to Vegas?"
"Are you asking me to go on vacation with you?"
"For the case. And maybe a walk through the Tropicana."
"Tony and Ziva maybe."
"Come on Gibbs." Abby said, "I never get to go anywhere."
"It wouldn't be a vacation Abbs, it's work. Beside,s I like you to be where I can keep you safe." Gibbs said firmly, picking up a wooden block and sandpaper.
"You really are, always a gentlemen." She looked at him fondly. She stood beside him and together they began to make the side of the boat smooth. After an hour and a glass of whiskey, Abby began to yawn and her eyelids began to droop.
"Bedtime." Gibbs said.
"Yes." She nodded. He took her hand and led her too his bedroom. "This is your bed. I'm not taking your bed Gibbs."
"Shh." He brought his fingers to her lips and kissed her cheek, "I'm a gentlemen remember. Besides I can sleep anywhere." He kissed her forehead, "Goodnight Abbs."
"Stay." She said suddenly, instantly regretting it when she saw his face.
"Abbs."
"We are adult's Gibbs. We can sleep in the same bed without anything happening."
"Maybe you can." he said lowly, still standing only inches away from her. "Always teasing." She reached out impulsively and touched face, stroking his cheek gently, "Sawdust."
"You never need an excuse Abbs." He kissed her on the lips, softly, quickly, his mouth lingering near hers. Her hand traveled to the back of his head and she relished the feeling of his hair in her fingers. Their next kiss lasted a shade longer than what would normally be considered a friendly kiss. "Night Abbs."
"Night Gibbs." She watched him leave before she climbed into his bed, settling for pillows and sheet that smelled like him. She wondered, not for the first time what it would be like to snuggle up next to him at night. She was sure he had a nook that she could fit right into. She smiled sleepily to herself and got into bed, falling asleep the moment her head hit the pillow.
NCIS
Gibb's Office/ The Bullpen
The following afternoon
"Campfire." announced Tony, the second Gibbs left to go into MTAC with Grissom.
"What do we know?" Sara said hovering between sarcastic and serious.
"Did you talk to Detective Brass?" Tony asked
"They are going through Casino tapes."
"How long?" Tony asked
"Every inch of every casino is recorded twenty-four hours a day. If he's there, we'll find him. But it's going to take a while. The crime labs stretched thinner than NCIS. It's not a murder, it's not on their turf..."
"Get them to send us some of the footage." Tony said, "The more eyes on the security video the better."
"I may be able to help." Abby strutted into the room, pigtail perched high on top of her head. It's amazing what a good night of sleep can do." She smiled brightly, "I cracked the code and got the serial numbers used for the twenty dollar bills."
"Way to go Abby." Tony said.
"I don't have the serial numbers for the tens yet." Abby said.
"No this is great Abby." McGee said, going to his computer. "When he starts dumping the money we can trace it."
"Not every casino tracks the serial numbers of their cash every night." said Sara leaning back in her chair, thoughtfully.
"The big ones do." Said Tony, "If you had twenty million cash where would you stay?"
"The question is whether or not he's smart enough to stay out of the big casinos and fly under the radar."McGee said.
"How about an answer that involves catching this guy." Tony snapped at McGee, "Twenty-Five year old sailor?" Tony said, "What do you think he's going to do? You see the DVD's at his place? Scarface, The Godfather trilogy, Casino, Oceans Eleven. This is not a guy who is going to lay low. He wants to be a bad ass."
"I'll call Brass, see if they can focus on upscale upscale casinos." Sara got up and began gathering her things.
"Campfires not over yet." Said Tony when he noticed she and Abby were getting ready to leave.
"Can't stay, Tony." Abby said as she jumped up, "We've got class."
"What is this high school?" Asked Tony
"I don't even work here." Sara said.
"You get a paycheck, you carry a gun and you have NCIS identification. You work here." Tony shot back.
"It's temporary."
"I'm required by NCIS to stay current on all forensic techniques. Continuing education is mandatory for all forensic specialist." Said Abby. Together they stared Tony down until he looked away.
"Fine, go."
"I don't think they were waiting for your permission, DiNozzo." Gibbs stood behind Tony. Something that never failed to shake him up ever so slightly, no matter how many years Gibbs had been doing it, "One for the Road." Gibbs handed Abby a Caf!Pow.
"I'm telling you Gibbs, we are connected. I was just thinking about how much I wanted a Caf-Pow."
"You always want a Caf-Pow, Abby." McGee starred at her drink longingly. Gibbs smacked him on the back of the head.
"I find it charming." Tony smiled at Abby.
"I'm off like a prom dress." Abby waved and walked to the elevator, "Professor Sidle, you have a class to teach." Sara stood, still combing through the file.
"Hmm? Yeah." She handed the file to DiNozzo, "See you later." Sara and Abby walked into the elevators, they waved brightly as the doors closed, happy to not be stuck with an annoyed Gibbs.
Georgetown
Sara's Class.
Sara could feel the students watching her as she paced around the room monitoring the lab. The class was half over and the students had stopped doing active experimentation and were now writing it up. She stopped often at Abby's desk to check the status of the search Abby was running on her laptop. Lines of code ran over the screen and Sara wished she understood what even half of it meant. Finally one enterprising student raised her hand.
"Professor Sidle."
"Sara." She corrected.
"Sara," The student smiled slightly, "Do you think... Could you tell us about..."
"She wants the hear about the case." Said the guy behind her, slouching in his chair.
"An NCIS special agent shows up to pull you out of class to help on a case. Of course we're curious." said another girl.
"What happened?"
"I can't talk about an ongoing investigation." Said Sara. The room groaned. "But I can tell you about another one. If you agree to finish the lab on your own time." They nodded in agreement and Sara thought back over the cases to figure out which one would be the best to tell. Finally she smiled, "if one child gives the effect another turn of the screw, what do you say to two children."
"Henry James." Said a young man in the front row who was looking at Sara longingly.
"Very good." Sara said, "But it this case it was a couple of teenagers. And strictly speaking they weren't screws, they were eccentric shafts. This is the story of what you get when you mix teenagers, eccentric shafts, roller coasters, jealousy and revenge gone too far."
A/N: Gabby or no Gabby? That is the question. Do we want a Gibbs/Abby pairing? Let me know. As always thank you for reading and especially thank you to those who review.