Disclaimer: My best friend is a lawyer and says I need to tell you that Tony, Gibbs, Kate, Abby and McGee are not mine, although if McGee comes up for bid, then maybe I can do something about that (so I like my men to be smart computer geeks with babyfaces – what's wrong with that?). I am making no profit on this (see the sad state of my students loans and you'll believe me) and certainly no copyright infringement is intended.
Author's Note: Okay, closer to fine here, folks. Please forgive any typos – I'm an editor but I don't have a beta of my own, one of life's little ironies. To my lovely reviewers, I'm glad you like my little fic here. Hang on, there's at least one more chapter after this one.
Siouxsie and the Banshees were turned up so loudly, the glass doors to Abby's lab thrummed with the sound. Abby slurped loudly at her nearly empty cup and pushed herself of from one computer station to the other. Her roller chair glided across the tile floor in sync to the metal music.
She had gotten four samples from the bottles and cups Tony and Kate brought back from the scene. The computers were running analyzes on the samples while she attempted to correlate the information McGee had sent down to her.
McGee. Abby's eyebrows went up reflexively as she thought of him. Cute, geeky McGee. Abby tugged at her hair, seeing the magenta from the corner of her eye. Well, ripping the bandage off was always easier in the long run, she thought. And it's not like he didn't see this coming. He was fun, and sincere, but still, she knew something was missing from their liaison, even if he didn't seem to get it.
"Abby!"
She jumped and spun her chair around. The object of her musing was nearly standing behind her. He had to shout to get her attention.
Abby rolled the chair across the room and turned down the music. "McGee," she said with a smile. "What's up?"
"Gibbs wants to know if you have those results yet," McGee said, crossing the distance between them. "Since I haven't seen you all day, I offered to come down and find out."
"Oh, right." The edge of her new hairline brushed against Abby's cheek.
McGee smiled. "And – I heard a rumor of a new hair cut."
"Oh." Abby bounced from her chair and did a pirouette from him. "So, do you like it?"
McGee watched her turn, noting the fishnet sweater and black skirt. Abby's eyes were lined with kohl and her lips were blood red. The dark red hair color was a little stark against her pale skin. He nodded.
"Do you like it?" he asked her, tilting his head slightly.
Abby watched him, thinking about the bandage metaphor again. "I thought it was time for a change. The model in the magazine had this shade and I thought it looked good."
"Then I like it," McGee told her, taking her hand. "It becomes you." He laid a quick peck on her cheek. "Now, how about those results before Gibbs comes down to find out what's keeping me?"
"Right." Abby pulled away and dropped back in her chair. It raced across the tile and stopped in front her chemical workstation. With a few clicks, the results printed out. "Like Ducky suspected," she told him, handing over the page, "it's potassium chloride. In his sports bottle even. All it took was one slurp."
McGee read the pages. One of his suspects, a woman, had access to the needed ingredients. "This is great, Abs." He looked up. "So, are we on for dinner tonight?"
"Uhm, about that?" Abby said, wheeling further away. "I can't make it."
"But we've had this planned for a week," McGee said. He was trying hard not to whine.
"I know, but – uhm – well –" Abby considered it might be time for that bandage.
They both turned to the sharp sound of Gibbs clearing his throat. McGee did not see the look of relief on Abby's face.
"McGee," Gibbs said, "I'm waiting for that report."
"It's not his fault, Gibbs," Abby said. "I just got the results on the samples."
Gibbs nodded, walking into the lab. He took a place between McGee and Abby. McGee handed him the pages. Gibbs held the sheets up, moved them a little further away, then up closer, squinting to read the small type better.
"Didn't you say the girlfriend's father was a pharmacist?" Gibbs asked McGee when he was done reading. "Would she have had access to this?"
"No," McGee said. "Pharmacies don't stock potassium chloride. Too great a chance of it being stolen. However, it is something veterinarians would have in stock to euthanize dying or badly injured animals."
"Then we're back to the roommate," Gibbs said. "The vet tech for the naval station animal hospital."
"Yes, Boss," McGee agreed. "He has access and opportunity."
"But does he have motive?" Abby eagerly asked. "Why would he want his roommate dead?" Her eyes sparkled as she waved her pen for emphasis.
"That's what McGee is going to find out," Gibbs told her. He turned to the other man. "Take Kate with you. Don't come back here until you have a motive."
"On it," McGee said, taking the report back. He headed to the door with a backward glance toward Abby. She was leaning back against the counter, about to say something to Gibbs. Her eyes continued to sparkle.
Something didn't feel right, as far as McGee was concerned. It had nothing to do with the case, either.
Gibbs entered the bullpen, leading as always with his morning cup of coffee. McGee was still at his desk, head down and asleep, from the all-nighter. Kate was also already there, offering a "'Morning, Gibbs" as he passed by her while she read her email. Tony had yet to arrive.
He sat at his desk, scanned his messages and picked up the report finished by McGee sometime in the night. The roommate was sleeping with the midshipman's girlfriend, no big surprise, and had dosed his sports bottle before they went to join the rest of the quad for basketball. The report was thorough and well-done, Gibbs noted. McGee had stayed to finish it after the arrest rather than wait until morning.
Damn, Gibbs thought. Abby had explained that she and McGee were definitely off-again last night during dinner. Not that he regretted his actions, but he wasn't interested in making things difficult for McGee. DiNozzo did that well enough on his own.
Abby had promised this morning to let McGee down gently. Gibbs made a note to continue pairing him with Kate for the rest of the week.
Tony came in the bullpen, grinning from ear-to-ear. He tossed his bookbag behind his desk and flicked the TV on. He scribbled something on a notepad, crumpled the page and tossed it at Kate.
"Ow!" she said as it hit her head. "Tony!"
Tony continued to grin and pointed at the paper. Kate scowled and opened the page, carefully smoothing it on her desk. At first her forehead furrowed and then her eyes widened and her mouth opened in an "O." She looked up at Tony, who seemed to do a little dance.
"Care to share with the class, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked, watching the strange hula.
Tony sat down and opened a file on his computer. "Uhm, nothing major, Boss. Just Kate has a run in her stockings."
"I do not!" Kate said. Tony shot her a look. "Oh, look at that, I do." She fumbled in her desk for a bottle of nail polish. "I'll be right back."
With that, Kate left her desk and headed toward the ladies' room. Tony made to follow her.
"And where are you going?" Gibbs demanded.
"To help Kate with that run in stockings," Tony said over his shoulder, darting away before Gibbs could stop him.
Gibbs rubbed at his eyes. It had been a late night. And an early morning. He looked across the way to the sleeping McGee. It was just past nine, time to start the day.
"McGee!" Gibbs snapped. The junior agent's head snapped up and he looked at his boss in surprise. McGee wiped at his face and ran a hand through his hair. In a more conversational tone, he said, "Go get some coffee, McGee."
McGee stood up, tugging at his shirt sleeves. "Right, Boss," he replied. He took a small dop bag from his desk drawer and headed to the men's locker room.
Twenty-minutes later, hair still wet from his shower and carrying a tall cup of coffee from the NCIS cafeteria, McGee waited for the elevator doors to open. When they did, Tony and Kate were waiting inside.
"Hi, guys," he said, a bit worried to see them both.
Kate grabbed one shoulder and Tony took the other, pulling him roughly into the car. Tony pushed the button to the garage level.
"Uhm, guys?" he asked.
"We need to talk, probie," Tony told him, his voice sounding concerned. Kate hit the emergency stop.
