Gibbs dropped the phone onto the lab table and looked at the dark-haired girl in front of him. Her concentration was focused on pulling fingerprints from the piles of documents that Kate had unearthed in the desk.

Talk to me, Gibbs. Abby's eyes never left the papers in front of her, but she was not oblivious to the man behind her. Although he sat silently, she knew he was preoccupied with something; she wasn't going to let him off the hook.

Gibbs, however, was an equally slippery fish. Nothing to talk about, Abbs.

She knew the case was bothering him, but this seemed different. Taking a guess at what else it might be, she asked casually, What do you want to know about Kate and Tony? She carefully hung the next sheets of paper in the fuming chamber then turned to gauge his reaction.

Enigmatic blue eyes looked back at her. I think I know too much already. I get the feeling every time I call they're in bed.

Abby laughed as she turned back to her work, carefully beginning to dust the surface of one of the documents she'd previously removed from the chamber. Can't blame em for that.

Gibbs pressed his lips together in a tight line and said nothing.

There was silence for a few moments while the young woman bent over her work. Then she turned and looked at Gibbs levelly. You know it's unhealthy to keep that much stress bottled up.

Gibbs began, warningly.

Fine, you don't have to talk to me. I don't need your stress anyway. She painstakingly moved onto the next page. But you need to purge, Gibbs, before you blow.

Gibbs told Abby to call when she had something, then headed out.