A/N: You're all very perceptive... Especially Charmed-angel4... Yes, Kate and Tony are flirting. And yes- poor Abby. I feel all guilty- but I swear, she's my favourite character. Let's just I say I do these things because I like to develope her character. Oh- I warn you now. I will have to do some McGee/Abby scenes. But I promise that that's NOT my final pairing. ::shudders:: Does anyone want to venture a guess as to who's going to do what to Abby? And Abby, Kate... etc. (all of the people who have been informed of my plot/twis)- no cheating!

Kate walked in to find Tony's desk empty and Gibbs staring morbidly at his computer screen.

"Gibbs?" began Kate hesitantly. He looked up at her expectantly. "Gibbs, what did you do to Abby? She's got it in her head that she's done something wrong and now you're mad at her," she finished quickly, hoping he wouldn't yell at her.

"Where'd she get that?" asked an extremely puzzled Gibbs.

This was the part she had been dreading. "Well, you are avoiding her..." pointed out Kate awkwardly as she sat in her chair. She was meddling in affairs that were way over her head, and she knew it. Of course, she also knew that Gibbs' place was in Abby's lab; it was just a matter of him figuring that out. Being the self-appointed matchmaker at NCIS wasn't as easy as it sounded.

"I am not!" he retorted quickly, even though he knew she would see right through his lie. It wasn't like Abby was going to want him around her lab anymore; he had screwed that up royally.

"Gibbs, I'm not Tony. I heard Abby come up the stairs earlier, just like you. I know you stopped and looked in on her and McGee on the way down the hall to Carol's body. I heard how tense you were when Ducky and Tony tried to get you to bring her with us," she alerted him, not realizing that she had pinpointed his feelings of jealousy better than he ever would or could.

"Did they teach you to be that interpretive and observant in the Secret Service?" wondered Gibbs.

"No, I picked it up from Abby," she told him seriously. "Just go and talk to her, if only to set her mind at ease," Kate pleaded convincingly. "Oh and while you're at it, would you please explain to me what you and her are keeping from me and the rest of the world?" added Kate thoughtfully.

Gibbs froze momentarily. What had Abby said or done that had made Kate suspicious? Or had Abby told her and now Kate wanted to hear it from him? He gave himself a mental shake and smiled. "Sorry Kate, I have to go and beg Abby's forgiveness. Use you analytical brain and figure it out on your own," Gibbs advised slyly as he got up.

Kate watched him go and smiled. "Well, that's one mission accomplished," she muttered, leaning back in her chair.

"First sign of madness you know," Kate heard Tony say. He had suddenly reappeared at his desk and was sitting in his chair. She vaguely wondered how long he had been there.

"What?" she asked him without thinking.

"Talking to yourself, it's the first sign of madness," he clarified.

She sighed and rolled her eyes. "I'll make a note of it..." she assured him sarcastically.