Chapter 14
Gibbs drove at his usual speed, his eyes shooting to Abby every so often, she had been really quiet since leaving the morgue but Gibbs couldn't figure out what had changed between then and now
"You ok?" he said to his passenger, about the only thing that was like her was that she had her feet up on his dashboard
"Yeah, hunky dory" she muttered, looking out the window as she watched her neighbourhood shooting past at speeds that would frighten most white knuckle riders
"I don't need anything from my place" Abby suddenly said, "So we can go straight to yours if you want" she turned around to look at him, hoping she was beaming her best lets go party smile
"Uh huh" Gibbs said, nodding, then suddenly pulling the car to the side of the road, causing Abby to wince in pain as her damaged ribs protested
"Hey Gibbs, watch it I'm injured here" She berated him
Gibbs turned the engine off and turned in his seat
"Spill" was all he said, his eyes boring into hers
"Spill? Spill what, I don't have a drink, actually do you think we could go and get a caf pow?" Abby asked eagerly, trying to divert him
"No Abby, we can't go and get a caf pow" keeps told her with a sardonic patience"but we can sit here until you tell me why you don't want to go to your place" He told her, pausing for a moment
"Or shall I guess?" he added on, his face telling her that he had guessed already.
"Yeah we could play twenty questions, you ask me one, then I get to ask you one?" she said a desperate cheerfulness to her voice
"Nope" Gibbs said "My car, my rules" he told her "And the only answer I want is why don't you want to go home" Gibbs said, knowing the answer but also knowing from experience that the only way Abby could deal with her fear was to face it head on.
Abby watched Gibbs carefully,and angrily
"I now know what its like to be interrogated by the great god Gibbs" she said bitterly, hiding her pain behind anger
"No you don't Abby, this is nothing like being interrogated, just ask my second ex wife" he said gently, "This is the great god Gibbs trying to be nice Abby" he said gently, reaching over andstroking her cheek gently"if you want though I can take you back, lock you in interrogation and then interrogate you" he teased, trying to get her to smile, not realising before just how much he liked it when she smiled.
She turned back a spark in her eyes
"Always thought there was something kinky about you, just didn't think it …" she started to tease him. Gibbs shook his head ruefully
"Abby" he warned shaking his head agian"Abs just what am I going to do with you?" he said
"Take me home to your house?" she said softly, a tear glimmering in the corner of her eye
"I cant do that Abby, not till you face the demon at your apartment" he lifted her chin "Your not alone Abby" he added quietly, his eyes boring into hers, as if his strength could pass to her though eye contact alone.
Abby stared at him, her eyes searching for something, and then she broke away and nodded very slightly
"You win" she whispered looking out the window, not able to let Gibbs see how weak she was, not wanting Gibbs to hate her. Gibbs paused and then started the car, one step at a time he thought.
Gibbs pulled up outside Abby's apartment building and slowly pulled the car to a stop, at some point he remembered Kate had said she had moved Abby's car to its designated parking spot, and Gibbs was relieved that the reminder was not there, this was going to be hard enough for Abby anyway.
Gibbs got out of the car and walked around to the passenger door; he lent down and opened it, his hand reaching in to Abby's. He was shocked to feel the tremors running through her hand and body, and at the coldness of her. He grasped her hand tightly and bent down to her eye level.
"He's not here, he's locked away forever, but I'm here and I have you" he said gently, raising her chin up so that she could see the truth in his eyes "you can do this Abby. My Abby, my lab rat, my strong little Gothic puppy" he said gently, pleased to see a slight trembling smile at his last words
"And I promise that if you do this I will buy you a super sized caf pow" he said smiling gently
"You do anyway" she whispered holding his hand tightly and stepping out of the car
"I'm scared" she said as she stepped close to him, "and I hate it" she added "I want to be strong and brave, like you, and Kate and Tony and…" she said brokenly, the tears falling freely from her eyes, her knees giving way in her anguish. Gibbs pulled her close to him, his arms tightly around her, supporting and comforting her
"Abby don't you know that you are? Don't you know that we are all terrified most of the time? dont you know what strength and courage it took to fight him, to fight for your life?" he asked into her hair hating to see her in so much pain like this, wishing he had shot the bastard when he had had the chance.
"Your not ever scared, you're strong" she argued into his chest "your Gibbs" she said as if that gave him super human strength, Gibbs laughed sardonically
"Yeah Abby I'm Gibbs, and I get scared; I get scared when my lab rat phones me hurting, I get scared when I walk up to a car which is splattered in blood and DiNozzo not moving in it. I get scared when someone holds a gun in my face, and I get scared when someone I care about is hurting and I can't stop it for them" he told her gently, "but I pull that fear in and keep going, knowing that the fear will pass and I will be stronger for it" He added as he pulled her slowly away from him so that he could see her face, and she his
"And that Abby is what you're going to do" he told her gently but sternly, his eyes looking deep into hers, finding what he wanted, he turned her away from him and gently pushed her towards the path.
Abby stood frozen, her eyes darting around, her heart beating fast; she could feel the arm around her neck again, the fists raining down on her, the pain, and the fear. And then suddenly it was gone and she could feel Gibbs's hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. She took a deep breath and stepped forward; breaking the contact but carrying the feel of his hand with her, knowing it would never leave her.
And slowly step by painful step Abby walked to her apartment building finally reaching her destination after a long journey.
The end?
Authors note:
I can leave the ending here, a perfect place in my opinion, Bad guy is caught, Abby is on the way to healing...or I can continue and see what happens with Abby and Gibbs...or I can end this one here for those not into GAbby and start a sequal that continues into the Abby Gibbs arena...let me know what you think
