A/N: Okay, so i should've posted either last night or this morning. And I was going to; I really was! But, see, my cousin (who shall, for the time being, remain nameless- not that she'd ever be caught dead on a site like this...) is headed down the road of destruction- like really badly. So I was on a long distance phone call to Ireland until 11:45 EST (Eastern Standard Time, dudders). And I couldn't sleep at ALL last night (so I started a new fic- it's GAbby... Won't be posted for awhile, as I haven't even started to type it!) so I've been sleeping through my classes. Or, well, not literally, because I had to at least LOOK awake... but I don't have any of the notes or anything. So that's why I'm only just now posting. And because I delayed, you'll probably get the next chapter when I get home from Callaway Gardens on either Saturday or Sunday... Okay- I'm being a distraction again... R&R!!!!
"Kate? Have you seen Gibbs?" asked Abby when she finally reached their 'desk area'. Kate was glaring furiously at Tony, and Abby turned hurriedly to find Gibbs on her own.
Kate turned at the sound of her voice. "Abby? What are you doing up here?" asked a rather shocked Kate. Abby almost never left her lab during the work day- not unless Jennifer and Pendergast decided to drag her on a crime scene to see her 'forensic abilities' in action, as he had put it.
"I need to find Gibbs- where'd he go?" she asked breathlessly.
Tony gave her a look that told her exactly what he was thinking... She held her tongue, so tempted to tell him what she thought of his looks... That and what was written all over his face about Kate. Then she remembered the reason she was here.
"Don't you know?" she asked, exasperated.
"Well, he said that he had to go to a meeting with the big guy up there," Kate told her, looking at the ceiling.
Abby bit her lip, sure that he had run because of her. But how could he have known? She looked at her feet. Of course- her Doc Martin Army boots... And to think, she had almost snuck up the stairs without them. Gibbs couldn't be far, could he? She crept down the hall, trying her best to walk quietly.
Gibbs heard Abby's telltale boots approach him cautiously; he knew she was peering in every door to find him. He tiptoed to the light switch and turned it off, then crouched under a table in the corner. Abby's face soon appeared in the window.
She peered in and looked around briefly. Do I go in and see, just in case? Or do I just leave? She opened the door a crack, and then stepped inside. She reached to turn on the light. Her hand froze, and there was an incredible sensation that she was being watched. The back of her neck prickled uncomfortably and she turned to leave.
Gibbs let out a loud breath that he hadn't even realized he was holding. If Abby had turned on the light or looked carefully, then he would certainly have been found. He waited several minutes longer, then got up and turned on the light. He poured himself the coffee he had come here for just over an hour ago. He wandered back to his desk, where Tony and Kate had apparently made up. They were sat at Tony's desk, no doubt attacking each other on one of Tony's games. He smiled at them, suppressing a snide comment.
"Hey boss! There's a case file on your desk," Tony said, eyes still focused on the screen. "YES!" he shouted triumphantly.
"Damn it Tony!" cried Kate in frustration. Her face reddened when she looked up to see Gibbs glaring down at them. "Uh... I can explain?" she offered timidly.
"It's not her fault," spoke up Tony defensively, surprising all three of them. "See, she was telling me how stupid computer games are and-"
Gibbs cut him off. "Did I ask?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.
"No, but..." Tony replied uncomfortably.
"Turn it off and I won't make you delete it. We have a case to solve," Gibbs said, feeling apprehensive, but no longer mad.
Tony and Kate exchanged a look. This was the first time Gibbs had actually let Tony keep a game on his computer. "Are you okay boss?" asked Tony, obediently turning off the game.
"Yes... Are you implying something by that, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked harshly, even as a smile was dancing on his lips.
Kate slid her chair back to her desk, and waited while Gibbs read the case file. She hadn't realized how much fun computer games could be. Not that she'd ever tell Tony that... That was the last thing she needed, Tony teasing her about a computer game. Of course, she had lost, so he would rub that in her face for the next six months.
Tony leaned back in his desk chair, confident that Kate had enjoyed his game. Maybe she would play with him everyday and then they could... Well, maybe that was pushing it a bit, but only a bit. But perhaps she'd beat him one day? Nah thought Tony with a smile. He owned the games, and could easily beat her at any of them.
Gibbs finished reading the case file and frowned. How was he supposed to give Abby her distance now? Not only was she a part of the team, but they'd be working not too far from her lab. He tossed the case file onto Kate's desk with a frown.
Tony slid his chair over to Kate's desk, and they read the case file together. Kate finished first. She might not be very good with computer games, but at least she could read...
"Here?!? But- but... How?!?" spluttered Kate once she was finished. It was absurd... What about the security cameras? What about all the people? Surely someone had seen something. It was impossible that such a crowded government building could miss someone being shot in the middle of a hallway, no matter how few people worked on or near it.
Tony sat there, curious. "What time was this?" he asked Kate.
She consulted the case file. "Around 8:30 or so... Why?" she asked curiously.
"Because... that's when I was playing my game. What if whoever it was-?"
Kate sighed at his ignorance- he had literally just finished reading the case file. "Special Agent Carol Davis," she informed him without bothering to look at the papers.
"Yeah, her. Anyways, what if she was shot while I was playing my game?" continued Tony, acting as if he had just solved the case on his own.
"Yeah... so what?" asked Gibbs and Kate simultaneously.
"So- maybe it wasn't my game that scared the hell out of Kate," he told them excitedly.
"Meaning..." asked Gibbs.
"Well... I think she owes me an apology..." he explained with a cocky smile and a nod of his head.
"Actually, no... See, either way, you had intended to trick me," Kate reminded him. "So I owe you nothing... just be glad you apologized in time," she teased.
"Whatever- you wouldn't have really killed me..." he responded confidently.
"That's all you know," she retorted savagely.
"Tony! Kate! That's quite enough... Now, let's call Ducky and go to that crime scene," interrupted Gibbs impatiently.
