Hello, again! I'm back with another chapter. ;)

Again, planning on getting to my other stories soon ... but this is so fun!

Thanks for the reviews, Gibbs4Eva, Troubled-Angel-26, Guest, Luvreading67, Suzy Q1068, KrisShannon, Sarai, DS2010, quintawrites, and Loads of Randomness. :) Also thanks to quintawrites for pre-reading this chapter. :D

Now, enjoy!

...

PINCH

With the arrival of more computer evidence on the case, there was need for Tim and Abby to keep working together. Tim had come down to the lab when the computers arrived and pulled up a stool to do his job. He and Abby exchanged friendly if not-yet-fully-caffeinated "good mornings" and then settled down in front of the screens. As the countdown to the time when Gibbs would arrive looking for answers, the rivalry lit up once again. They bumped elbows. Then Tim knocked over one of Abby's figurines which disturbed the "balance of energy on the shelf". Then Abby stepped on his toes and left a scuff on his shoe. Then there was a grand fight for the keypad as they argued over who got to do the input.

"Let me do it," Abby said.

"No. It's my idea and I'm going to put it in," Tim argued without any animosity.

"It's my lab," Abby countered, trying to teasingly push Tim aside.

"NCIS' lab, and I work for NCIS," Tim replied, lightly kicking at Abby's shoes to get her to lose her balance and move aside.

"But this is my domain!" Abby said, lightly kicked back at Tim's heels.

"I'm the computer one. You're the lab one. So go fiddle with your machines..."

"Fiddle?!"

"Yeah, go fiddle. I've got this."

"No, you don't! I'm doing at least half of the work," Abby protested.

"Just ... move over," Tim argued.

"Nope, nope, nopeity nope nope!" Abby giggled, bumping against Tim who frowned and retaliated. "Oww! You pinched me!" Abby squeaked.

"You were in my way and not moving," Tim replied. "Hey! Ow...ouch!"

"I got you back, I got you back," Abby chanted, dancing away from any retribution.

"That's not fair! I pinched you just a tiny bit to get you to move. You pinched me really hard," Tim protested.

"Just a tiny bit? You pinched me really hard too!" Abby protested, tossing an old Caf-Pow! straw at Tim's forehead.

"Hey!" Tim yelped.

"I thought I said yesterday for you both to get back to working and getting along," said a stern voice from the doorway. Miraculously, the pinching stopped immediately.

Abby ran over and hugged Gibbs, but nibbled her lower lip when he gently set her back enough to be able to look her in the eyes.

"Throwing straws, Abs?"

She got the underlying message - throwing things around the lab could potentially contaminate evidence.

"I knew there wasn't any evidence out. I wasn't going to risk contaminating anything," she said with indignant protest. "You know I'm good at my job, Gibbs!"

"Clearly - but pinching isn't included in your paycheck," Gibbs said, looking at her seriously before transferring the look to Tim, who began to stammer.

"We ... it ... nothing got hurt, Boss."

"Both of you will if you don't cut it out," he said cryptically before pointing to the elevator. "Upstairs. Work at your desk, McGee. Abs, have you run those samples yet?"

The separated siblings reluctantly headed in opposite directions, but it was not going to be the end of the argument as the faces they made at each other behind Gibbs' back were anything to go by. But the twinkle in their eyes and suppressed laughter showed that it was all in good fun.

For the moment.