Chapter 4

Abby awoke to the sound of the shower running and the space beside her empty. She sat up in bed, realising for the first time that she was still fully dressed. She jumped off the bed and headed for the bathroom to find Gibbs emerging from the shower, a towel wrapped around his waist, beads of water trickling down his chest, to disappear into the towel hanging low on his hips.

"What are you doing?" she demanded her eyes staring at him in disbelief.

"Getting ready for work" Gibbs replied, grapping another towel and rubbing his hair vigorously "And so should you unless you want to be late" he warned her as he emerged from the towel, to find Abby still staring at him in shock. He smiled gently as he stared at her in the mirror, turning to get his razor down from the cabinet.

"I'm fine Abs" he told her softly, his eyes meeting hers. Abby just continued to stare at him in disbelief, he had been at deaths door last night and this morning he was going to work as if nothing had happened.

Stupid you. Well you no. she signed at him angrily in ASL, words failing her.

Gibbs watched her in the mirror, the shaving foam not masking his smile. He turned and pulled her gently into his arms.

"I have been called stupid before, and no doubt will again but I feel fine Abby and am going into work" he said as he brushed a foamy kiss on her lips, before turning and pointing her at the shower.

"Now I suggest you get showered, and changed so that we can get to work" he told her firmly, turning back to the mirror and shaving his face.

"You are so not well, and you are so stupid" Abby muttered as she began to undress, her movements rapid and filled with anger, knowing that Gibbs wouldn't back down and take time off. "And I so can't wait till Ducky has a piece of your butt for coming in today" she told him firmly, her clothes getting tossed in a heap on the floor before she stepped into the shower. Not noticing the way Gibbs's eyes followed her actions.

As she turned the shower on full she heard Gibbs laugh

"Now I'm terrified" he teased at the idea of Ducky chewing his butt out. Abby grabbed the bar of soap and threw it out of the shower at him, satisfied at the sound of it hitting his skin. Before slamming the shower door shut again before he could return the favour.

Gibbs stared at the shower door, a grin on his lips as he finished shaving. Perhaps she needed a demonstration that he was fine he thought with a wicked glint in his eyes, as he headed for the shower stall and Abby.

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Gibbs sat at his desk and hated the fact that he still felt so weak, he read the report that Liz had given him on the progress she had made so far on the Walker case. He had decided to let her and Tony run with it on their own. Ostensibly the reason was that he wanted to see how they were working together now and just how good an investigator Liz was when not under his supervision. But the real reason was that he really didn't feel well, but under no circumstances was he going to admit that to anyone. Gibbs nearly groaned as he caught sight of Abby approaching. She had found more excuses to come up and see him than he thought existed. On the one hand he loved the fact that she cared enough to worry, but on the other hand it wasn't something Gibbs was used to or even enjoyed. He was someone who could count on one hand the amount of times he had been ill, if you didn't include gun shots or injuries in the line of duty. And he hated being a patient…of any kind.

"Abby" Gibbs greeted coolly, hoping she would get the message from his tone of voice and leave him alone, but Abby just smiled at him and walked past him to perch on McGee's desk. Gibbs couldn't stop himself from turning his chair and watching her, unsure why he suddenly felt this overwhelming desire to smash McGee's head to a pulp. Hadn't he just been wishing Abby would leave him alone? He wondered angrily to himself, his blue eyes glaring at the world. Gibbs stood and grabbed his coat and gun and stormed out.

"Going for coffee" floating over his shoulder as he headed for the stairs instead of the elevator.

Abby watched Gibbs leave and smiled at McGee, before bouncing off his desk to sit in the chair Gibbs had vacated.

"He will kill you one of these days" Tim warned his former girlfriend and now one of his closest friends. "You really are playing with fire, when you do this to him" he told her sternly, knowing that she had only come to him so that she could check up on Gibbs without having to talk to him, Abby having confided in the rest of the team that Gibbs was ill, but swearing them all to secrecy; on pain of her setting them up on a blind date with one of her many unusual friends.

Abby grinned at him, her eyes staring at the space Gibbs had just vacated.

"Yeah but what a great way to go" she said nodding sagely "Death by Gibbs" she laughed "Sweet" she said, laughing out loud again at the look of dismay on McGee's face.

"There was to much visual effect in that statement Abby" McGee groaned "That's Gibbs you're drooling about" he said with a shudder. Abby laughed as she stood and began to walk away

"I did more than drool with Gibbs this morning" she tossed over her shoulder, smiling at Tony and winking at Liz as she passed them, laughing harder at the groans from Tony and McGee at her comment.

Sometimes she thought it was just so much fun to work here.

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Gibbs made his way to the coffee house slowly, the momentum that had carried him down the stairs had left him and he suddenly felt very old and tired. His mind mulled over his reaction to Abby and McGee and he felt his anger boil over, not directed at them but at himself. He had never felt like this over anyone before and he decided he was too old to be feeling it now. But if he was honest with himself he knew that there was little he could do to stop it. He knew he loved Abby and that frightened him. He wasn't sure if it was the fact that he was in love or the fact that he was in love with Abby that terrified him more, but he knew that it scared him more than staring down the barrel of a gun.

Gibbs reached his favourite coffee shop, or coffee dealer as Kate had once referred to it. He entered and after ordering his drink he looked around him to try and find a table, not feeling up to the walk back straight away. It wasn't often Gibbs drank his coffee here, hating the way if felt all cosy and domestic. But today he needed to sit down for a little while, andtypically there were no empty tables. Resigning himself to having to stand at the central pillar designed specifically for that purpose, he noticed Rose Stellar waving him over and pointing to a space at her tiny table and an empty chair a few tables over. Gibbs debated pretending not having seen her but knew that he needed to sit down for a few minutes, so he crossed over to her table and smiled down at her.

"Hello Ms Stellar" he greeted politely "May I join you?" he queried, wishing it was anyone but her.

"Of course Agent Gibbs, put your drink down and grab that chair over there" she told him, motioning to the one empty chair in the room, parked at a table with two young mothers andthree screaming kids. Gibbs smiled at Rose as he deposited his cup of coffee at the table before crossing over to get the chair.

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Abby made her way down to the morgue and Ducky. She entered to find him and Jimmy Palmer his assistant, bent over a body about to conduct an autopsy.

"Hey Duck" she called our crossing over to the pair, "Hi Jimmy" she said as she neared the young man, her heart feeling for him as she watched the blush creep up his cheeks. She had known for ages that he had a crush on her, and whilst she thought he was a really sweet guy she felt nothing for him but friendship. Her heart truly belonged to Gibbs.

"Hi u Abby, um how are you?" Jimmy stammered at her causing Ducky to look up at his assistant and frown.

"When you are quite finished fawning over young Abigail, might I suggest you pass me the cutters?" he demanded of the young man, shooting Abby a wink as Jimmy hurried to do as he was told.

Ducky smiled at Abby as she pulled herself onto the autopsy table next to the one he was working on, her legs swinging like a school girls. Ducky looked at Abby for a moment and then turned to his assistant.

"Perhaps you would like to take your lunch now?" Ducky suggested to the young man staring dreamily at Abby.

"Um well I thought I was helping you Dr Mallard" Jimmy stammered out, his face confused. Ducky peered at Jimmy over his protective glasses, his glare telling Jimmy to act now.

"Um yes certainly Dr Mallard" Jimmy said as he hastily backed away from the table, heading for his jacket hanging in the corner.

"Goodbye Dr Mallard, Abby" Jimmy called out forlornly

"Bye Jimmy" Abby called back as she jumped down from the table to pace nervously. Ducky watched her for a moment, before pulling off his glasses.

"So my dear what can I do for you?" he asked softly

"Well my darling" Abby teased back "You can make Gibbs go home" she said a grin on her face at the impossible thing she had asked him to do.

"And you believe that I can work miracles, why?" he queried with a laugh.

"Because you're the man from duck" Abby grinned back wishing she knew why she had come down to see Ducky, just knowing that something didn't feel right at the moment, but unable to put her finger on it, just feeling as if something was terribly wrong.

Abby crossed over to Ducky and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before leaving the room, leaving a very bemused and slightly troubled Ducky standing watching her retreating figure.