A/N: *Sorry for the late update, but I hope you enjoy this somewhat "longer" chapter.
I'm still here and still working on this FF, but I just went back to some of my stories and other FF I loved, some are left unfinished, and made a mental note that I will finish this for you and myself. We need the Gabby ending we deserved. Anyway, thanks for the reviews btw! It keeps me going.* - TGE
Origins
Tony stood in the dimly lit room scanning over moments captured in time that revealed his friend's relationship they kept hidden for over two decades. He smiled as he picked up a photo. It looked like it was selfie that was printed. It showed Abby smiling up at the camera as she took the photo. She was sitting on the ground while Gibbs was lying down with his head rested on her lap. He was trying to read a book but Abby had his eyes covered with her free hand.
The shock of their relationship was still hitting him in waves. Each photo he saw made him realize that he had missed so much of the tell-tale signs. Their interactions were so normal that no one ever questioned it, in twenty years, no one connected the dots that seemed so apparent now. He chuckled as he put the photo back.
"What's so funny?" Gibbs asked as he came up behind Tony.
Smiling Tony turned around to face him. "It's just... I realized I'm a really bad investigator. Now, I see that I probably missed so much and didn't even know it. Like those times she spent nights with you and we never questioned it or times you actually took a day off during the same time Abby had her days off."
Gibbs smiled and looked at the photo Tony had placed back. "That was taken in Stillwater, during one of the times we actually had a day off."
Tony's eyes widen. "Did your dad know?"
Gibbs chuckled. "He- uh... he caught us that night he first met Abby." He admitted to his friend.
"What?!" Tony smiled. "Do I want to know what you two were doing when he caught you?"
Gibbs smiled and was about to answer when a quiet sleepy voice interrupted them.
"Daddy..." Lukas said and tugged on his father's shirt.
Tony watched as Gibbs knelt down to get to his level.
"Yeah?" Gibbs said quietly.
Lukas placed his tiny hands together and opened then closed his hands to his father.
Smiling Gibbs looked up at Tony. "Can you hand me that?" He asked and pointed at a dinosaur book that sat on one of the bookshelves behind Tony.
Picking it up he handed it to Lukas's father. Quietly he watched Gibbs ask his son a question.
"What is it called?"
Lukas nervously looked up at Tony and then at his father. Shyly he wrapped his tiny arms around his father's neck.
"Lukas, what do you call this?" Gibbs asked again.
Pulling away from his father the shy little boy tapped his dad's mouth. Gibbs smiled against his tiny hands.
"B... boo..." Gibbs said quietly to his son.
Smiling Lukas copied his father. "B, boo... book." He eventually said.
L.J. smiled and handed the book over to his son. Lukas smiled at Tony and darted toward Abby who was waiting for him near the stairs that lead to the loft.
Gibbs and Abby locked eyes for a moment and simply smiled before she left with their son, to get ready for bed.
"So..." Tony trailed off until Gibbs looked at him. "How long did he have trouble with his hearing?
"We think since he was born. He was quiet and didn't cry much. After a few months, we started to notice things." He replied to Tony, who continued to listen. "He might get better but there's a high chance he might not."
"I guess it's a good thing his mom & dad already knew sign language, huh?" Tony smiled.
Gibbs chuckled. "That's what we said too."
"Sounds like you spent time with them since they were born." Tony thought out loud.
"They're my kids, Tony... tried to be with them as much as I could," Gibbs admitted.
DiNozzo looked at his friend silently feeling a bit envious that he got to spend time with his kids when they were little. While he found out about Tali after a couple of years, the thought of Gibbs having children with Abby outweighed his slight hint of envy as he focused on his friend's relationship again.
"I have to admit, I still can't wrap my head around this... all this. Gibbs, that's your son. Abby's son, and Ziva is upstairs with your daughter." He laughed.
"I still can't believe that too." Gibbs smiled at Tony before walking over to the fireplace.
Quietly, Tony followed him and took a seat on a chair near the fireplace as he watched his friend place another piece of wood on the fading embers.
"I take it, you both didn't plan for them?"
Gibbs smiled and shook his head. "Nope."
"Can't believe that a scientist and a guy who lived his life by rules would not prepare or expect that kids are a possibility when you do certain things." Tony teased.
Tossing in another piece of wood, Gibbs smiled. "Four years ago, I never thought about being a dad. Now, there's nothing else I'd rather be."
"Four years ago..." Tony said to himself, which cause Gibbs to look at him. "Wait, Paraguay – I'm going to assume that the Giblets were made after you came home from Paraguay." He smiled.
The Marine only chuckled as he turned his attention back to the fire.
"I remember McGee mentioning that you seem like you were happier even after all the torture you went through," Tony said carefully, hoping that his words wouldn't bring back memories that maybe the gunny would rather much forget.
Taking a deep breath, Gibbs stirred the fire. "When you survive being tortured and thinking you're going to die every day for two months straight can make you happy to be alive. You savor your life and everything... everyone, in it."
"Who better to be alive with than Abby, right?" Tony smiled.
Gibbs smiled as his thoughts drifted to the night he came home.
~ Ellie had left him standing in the squad room after welcoming him back. The thoughts of what they did to him during the past two months were still on his mind, but beyond the moments he could remember like fighting to breathe and past the pain, he still felt on his body from the numerous times he was beaten... there she was. Lingering just outside of all the chaos of his mind, as always. He remained at the Navy Yard for a while until he was sure that she would be home.
The drive was slow and quiet.
There was no need to rush to her this time as he had always done in the past. He knew she would be there and she would be happy to see him, no matter what time it was. He didn't feel the need to press on the gas pedal any harder or randomly snap insults at the slow drivers on the highway tonight. He took in the cold air that rushed over his arm as he drove with the windows down. Smiled at the sparkling lights of the city as he left it behind in his review mirror.
He knew this drive so well that he took the time to look out at everything he had ignored before. He watched as random people wandered around in the night looking for their next fix or the random jogger who ran with earbuds in and ignored the rest of the world as he made his way down the sidewalk. He looked above the trees to see the dim glimmer of stars overhead. Taking in a deep breath he made a mental note that he would take her to see the stars again soon. Where the city lights couldn't interfere. Smiling he thought of their favorite spot on the beach or that field just outside of Stillwater where years ago, he had given her his mother ring. Smiling he pushed those thoughts aside as he quietly pulled up to her apartment.
He shut off the engine and listened to the sound of his breathing. His eyes burned with happiness and soon relief trickled down his face. His breath shuddered as he looked up at her window. Sixty days and sixty nights he dreamt of her when he was living a nightmare. Said goodbye to her and all the memories they shared numerous times. Told her that he loved her a dozen times when he felt like dying. His last words or thoughts were going to be of her and they almost were. He had accepted that he would never come home, not to D.C. or NCIS, but to her. No matter where they were as long as he was with her, he was home. His heart raced because he knew the moment, he was in her arms he truly would be home.
The walk up to her apartment was also slow and thoughtful. So much so that he counted each step he took. Two hundred and forty-seven steps it took from his car to her apartment door. He smiled at that number. Coincidence? he thought. Smiling he reminded himself that he didn't believe in those. 2:47pm, two hundred and forty-seven steps, and how often she was on his heart and mind - 24/7, lined up like stars in his heart. Something about that made him feel as if he was exactly where he needed to be right now.
Silently, he wondered if he should knock or not. Happily, he looked down at his car keys in his hand. Just next to his house key were hers. He had used it many times before but tonight he thought that maybe he should knock. Knock and see what she does. Smiling he wondered a bit more but eventually, he knew he couldn't wait to stand at the door any longer than he had to. Carefully, he unlocked the door, and just like all those times before, he let himself in.
Locking the door behind him he heard the soft ambient music coming from the bathroom. He smiled knowing that was her routine before bed. A hot shower, music, and the occasional bubble bath after a long day at work. He carefully put his keys on the hook next to hers. He smiled at the two hooks. One was for her and the other was for him. It had always been that way since she moved here, and no one ever seemed to notice. Amused he made his way down the hallway to her bedroom. He cautiously entered her room, half hoping she wouldn't notice him and half trying not to scare her. A gentle smile on his lips, he entered her bedroom that she used when she wasn't his mistress of the dark that slept in the coffin. He walked next to the bed and waited as he looked on into the steamy room ahead of him.
Lost in her own thoughts she dropped the robe from her naked body and reached for one of his shirts that he left here before leaving for Paraguay. His blue eyes took in every inch of her. Her long damp dark hair clung to the side of her neck and back as she faced away from him. He watched the sensual movement of her body as she pulled his shirt over her head. The way her body twist and turned as his black USMC shirt fell over her to conceal the cross on her back that he had kissed thousands of times made him take in a quiet breath. His shirt hung past her waist, enough to cover her but short enough to reveal the muscular tone of her thighs. He watched her calve muscles ripple as she reached for a hair clip on the shelf next to her. He bit back a groan as he thought about the last time, he found himself wrapped in her strong legs. His mind filled with flashes of sweat on the skin, the taste of salty passionate kisses, her nails digging into his back, and the sound of his name on her lips. Quickly, he pushed those thoughts aside as he drew on every last bit of strength to remain where he stood.
Slowly she pulled up her hair and just as she pinned her hair up is when she looked in the mirror and caught a glimpse of him in her bedroom. A smile instantly pulled on her soft pink lips as she turned around. She held back her excitement as best as she could but when it came to him, she had little to no restraint – especially when they were alone. In an instant, she closed the gap between them. He still was weak from the months of torture, so as soon as her arms wrapped around him, he staggered back and sat on the edge of the bed. Straddling him she held him in a tight hug, while his arms wrapped around her waist and held onto her.
His eyes shut as he breathed her in and listened to the sound of her racing heart. He felt her shudder as she quietly cried as she held him. In silence, they both shed tears. No words were needed. None had yet been invented for what they felt anyway. As the city slept, they hung onto the only thing that ever mattered to them. The nightmare was over for him and their dream was starting again. Picking up from where they left off weeks ago. Though it wouldn't be perfect, it would be the sweetest dream they both deserved. ~
"Can I ask you a question?" Tony said, which brought Gibbs out of his thoughts as he went to go sit on the floor in front of the fireplace.
"You've been asking them all evening, DiNozzo." Gibbs replied as he laid on the floor while he placed his arm behind his head and looked up at the ceiling.
"Right" Tony chuckled. "What was so complicated that you kept your relationship a secret all this time?"
Gibbs was quiet for a while and Tony half expected that he wouldn't reply, as usual.
"Sorry, you don't have to ans-"
"Mike." Gibbs interrupted. "Mike said I was... distracted." He quietly admitted.
Tony narrowed his eyes. "So, Franks knew about you two?"
"Yeah, he was one of – if not the first to know." Gibbs smiled. "We were working a case... my head wasn't in it and Franks noticed. He pulled me into the elevator and said I needed to end it with her or..."
"Leave NCIS?" Tony finished.
Gibbs took a deep breath. "Something like that..."
NCIS - 24 years earlier
Once the elevator doors shut, Mike reached for the emergency switch that made the room go dark. Quickly he stood in front of his probie and stared him down.
"What the hell was that?" Mike spat.
"Look, I thought-"
"Oh, you think?! I didn't know you were capable of thought probie." Mike said as he gave Gibbs a quick head slap.
Clinching his jaw tight he stepped up to Mike. "Do that again or-"
"Or what? Kick my ass?" Mike smirked. "Listen kid, I can take you down quick, you want to know why?"
Gibbs didn't say anything.
"Because today you fucked up. You got jumpy and our suspect got spooked. He high-tailed it and now we're back to square one because your head isn't here." Mike pointed at Gibbs's head. "It's on her. Hell, it's been on her for the past two months since you met her. You're losing it, gunny. All because of a sweet little thing like her. I can take you down quickly because your head isn't here. That's how agents get killed or how you screw up and lose a suspect."
"Mike, I've been off my game – that's all," Gibbs admitted.
"No shit!" Mike snapped. "You've been off your game for the past two months."
"It's not her," Gibbs protested.
Mike chuckled. "Then tell me what else happened two months ago that got you fumbling like a recruit, gunny?" Gibbs didn't respond. "Oh, I'll wait all day sweetheart..." Mike added.
"What do you want me to do?"
Franks took in an audible breath. "It's not what I want, it's what you want. What do you want to do, Jethro? Do you want to get back on active duty? Wait for the next deployment to God knows where? Or do you want to be an agent?" Mike chuckled. "You're good at it, I see it. I know that you can do much more and hell, you're going to be better than me one day."
Gibbs took a deep slow breath.
"Gunny, she's one smart girl I'll tell you that. What she's done here for the past two months is purely brilliant. She's good at her job, so are you. But you're slipping, sooner or later the same is going to start happening with her. You both can help a lot of people. Families who lost their loved ones will need closure and you both can give that to them. But none of that is going to get done if both of you can't separate what happens in the bedroom and what happens out here." Mike seethed.
"It's more than that." Gibbs pointed out to Mike.
Mike laughed. "Oh, no, no, no – don't tell me Tinman went and got himself a heart now?"
"I care about her," Gibbs said quietly.
"Then let her do her job, without any distraction. I need to get you focused again, and I'm sorry but I don't know how else to do that besides telling you this: Let her go, Gibbs." Mike replied.
Gibbs took in a deep shaky breath, as he felt his eyes burn. "You can't be serious." He replied quietly.
"You don't believe me that you're distracted. You don't see it, but I'll prove it to you. I'll show you that your emotions will be your undoing in this job, probie." Mike stepped up to Gibbs. "You think you're the only one she's fucking in the agency?" He whispered next to his ear.
Gibbs glared at him in the dark. His eyes pierced the darkness, that would have burned holes through Mike if they could. His remark took him by surprise that it started to stir raw emotions inside him.
"Her short skirts, those tight shirts... you see how guys around here look at her. They all look at her the same way you do." Mike smiled as he noticed his agent clench his jaw and take in a slow deep breath. "You think you're the only one hitting that? She's not trying to cover up anything and you think if she's loyal to you, she still would be showing off the merchandise? Trust me, gunny, I doubt even a Marine can keep every breathing man that looks at her away. Hell, I'm sure they all undress her with their eyes. So don't think you're the only one who knows what's under that lab coa-"
"STOP!" Gibbs yelled.
Mike smiled, knowing he was getting the reaction that he was trying to stir up in his probie. "So last week when I had you undercover... who do you think was under the covers with her?"
In an instant, Gibbs clenched his fist and swung a wild punch at Mike. He hit nothing but air as Mike had already expected it and simply leaned back. Thrown off balance Gibbs stumbled forward, which Mike used the opportunity to grab his probie and shove him against the wall of the elevator. He had his arm pinned behind his back and was now face to face with the wall he had been slammed into by his boss.
His chest rising and falling, he seethed at his senior agent. "Fuck you, Mike!"
Mike let out a laugh that only pissed off Gibbs even more.
"She's not like that! And fuck you for thinking that!" Gibbs struggled against his boss. "Let me go, you asshole!"
Still laughing, Mike leaned in. "I thought you were a Marine, Gibbs. This should be easy for you to get out of... hell you should be able to control your emotions. I thought they drilled this shit out of you at boot camp." Mike chuckled. "Thought you earned that pretty little uniform because you were put through hell, gunny." He let Gibbs go.
Silently, Gibbs tried to control his breathing. Leaning against the wall he drew in a deep breath and let it back out again. His eyes burned as the tears he tried to hold back built up. Pressing his forehead against the cold wall he tried to calm down.
"You're a sniper?" Mike chuckled again. "Hell, I thought not even God all mighty couldn't break the focus of a US Marine Sniper... but I got one here shaking in his boots all because of a girl."
Taking a deep breath, Gibbs turned around and leaned against the wall. Eyes full of tears he looked at Mike. Knowing there was truth in his words. He had endured the chaos of surviving on a battlefield. He kept his calm when his instructors screamed inches from his ear and he still remained calm and clear-headed. He rarely missed his target because he was trained by the best and had become one of the best. Even as bombs went off, the sound of bullets zipping above his head he took out targets without being distracted. Then she happened... now his mind seemed to be filled with her. All her. Nothing, but her.
"There are people that are married here, Mike. People that are in relationships." He quietly pointed out.
Mike drew in a breath. "True... but they're not my team. I don't care if they can separate their personal lives or not, but with me..." He stepped closer to his younger agent. "...I want the guy that has my six to be focused. I don't want to be taken out because my agent had his mind all on a girl when he should be watching my six."
"I just can't quit her..." Gibbs trailed off as he leaned his head back on the wall.
Mike groaned. "I know I'm hard on you kid, but if you could have shown me that this thing between you and her wasn't going to be a problem, I wouldn't have brought it up. But today, you lost a suspect. Two weeks ago, a suspect made us but we got him. What about the next case, what's going to happen then?"
"You want me to end it just like that?" Gibbs took a breath and looked at Mike. "She matters to me, Mike. She means more to me than... than I probably know."
Closing the gap between them, Mike looked at his emotional agent. "Then transfer to another team, to keep her. You and I both know, she's your weakness Gibbs. I mean look at you." Mike smiled. "If she was just another red-head I would understand, but she's not, is she?"
Gibbs silently shook his head.
"Look, gunny... I see your potential as an agent. One day you're going to have your own team and you'll understand. But if you can't get your mind back on the job while you're with her, you have to rethink what you're going to do about this thing you have with Abby." Mike replied as he walked over to the control panel. "Sorry I said all that about her earlier, but I wanted you to know and see that your emotions are stronger than your skills as an agent, right now. She's a nice girl. She's really good at what she does. You're good at what you do, but if you're on my team – if you can't get back in the game, consider a transfer."
Drawing in a deep shaky breath, Gibbs pushed off the wall and stood next to his boss. "I'm not going to transfer..." He trailed off as he thought about everything Mike had just brought to light. "I'll handle it," Gibbs whispered, as he pushed aside the last bit of emotion that he swore would never again be so easy for anyone else to see.
He would bury it, deep inside where no one could see it. Made a silent unwritten rule inside his quiet tattered heart, that no one would ever see that his heart was made happy by her. No eyes would ever look upon him and notice that she was his weakness like this ever again. Made a promise that he would never distract her from her job or let her impair his. From this moment on, their relationship would remain just that... theirs. No one's business but theirs. He would be an agent and she would be a forensic scientist first, but beyond their titles & throughout the many cases she would always be his and he would remain entirely hers.
Drawing on his training as a Marine, he pushed aside the final signs of emotion that Mike had stirred. Stoic he stared straight ahead preparing himself for the long days and nights of training he would have his heart endure. His weary heart would have to learn to love her behind closed doors and out of sight, while his emotions would need to be trained to be set on a switch that could be turned on or off at will. And so, the silence began.
Mike slowly nodded at his now quiet probie and flipped the switch.
Alaska
"So, you broke up, because of Mike?" Tony asked.
Gibbs smiled as he looked up at the ceiling. "Not really."
Confused, Tony shook his head. "So, what did you do?"
Looking a Tony, Gibbs continued to smile. "I learned how to handle it."
A slow smile emerged on Tony's face. "Ohh - when you told Franks you'll handle it, you didn't mean leaving her, did you? You meant handling the distraction."
Gibbs only smiled as he turned his attention back to the ceiling.
Tony chuckled as he rose to his feet and picked up the bottle of bourbon on the table. Picking up two glasses he stopped and looked up the stairs to see his wife holding Abby's daughter. "Eventually, things happened between you two, right?" He said quietly as he returned to the living room.
"What do you mean?" Gibbs asked as he sat up.
Pouring bourbon into a glass, Tony replied. "I mean, clearly when I showed up you were getting a divorce. So, you got married to someone else after meeting Abby. There were those infamous red-heads for a while. So, something happened between you two." Tony handed a glass of bourbon to his friend. "You guys broke up, ended your relationship or what?"
Gibbs let out a sigh as he took the drink from Tony. He quietly watched the bourbon swirl in his glass as he rocked it in his hand.
"I'm going to go out on a limb here and say... you fucked up," Tony said before taking a drink.
Gibbs chuckled and turned his attention to Tony. "You think I would do that to her?"
Tony raised his hand in defense. "Hey, I'm just grabbing at straws here. Sorry if I got it wrong, but I'm just curious about what happened those times you weren't with her."
Gibbs took a slow steady long drink of the bourbon. He grimaced as the slow burn settled in his stomach.
"You haven't drunk in a while, have you?" Tony smiled.
Gibbs shook his head. "Tonight, at dinner was the first I had a drink again." He admitted as he downed the rest of the bourbon from his glass.
"This part is hard for you to talk about, huh?" Tony said he watched Gibbs finish his entire drink before he did.
Gibbs hung his head as the rest of the bourbon left a slow familiar burn down his throat. In silence, they sat for a moment as the alcohol slowly kicked in while they sat by the fire. Gibbs slowly opened his eyes as he looked at the fire in front of him. Embers sparked in and out from the wood that was slowly being consumed by the fire. Quietly he associated the slow burn to the relationship he had with Abby. There was no stopping the fire they created since the first spark they felt between them that Thursday, Gibbs thought. There was no stopping them, even when at times it seemed as if all that remained of them were embers smoldering, ready to be put out.
"I - uh... sometimes," Gibbs cleared his throat. "There were times I felt like she deserved more. Sometimes she felt like she wasn't enough or she was holding me back. Keeping each other a secret got hard sometimes... made us feel like it was better if we just stayed apart."
Tony quietly watched as Gibbs slowly opened up to him about the secret relationship he had with Abby. He remained silent because he knew when Leroy Jethro Gibbs opened up about something it was so rare that he wouldn't dare interrupt him; afraid that he will shut down and hide everything away just like he had always done.
"I don't know how many times we broke up. We made sure it didn't interfere with our jobs. Pretend like it didn't hurt. For the most part, we handled things okay. But those times when we weren't together, I ended up getting married just so I could move on from her. Realized getting married wasn't enough to keep me away or get over her. It was easy to get with other women, I didn't have to try. Then there were times I did care about them but no matter how close I got with them, it was never enough. Like with Hollis... she wanted a life with me. I tried to want it, tried to consider having a life with her, but it felt like she was begging to have that life with me." Gibbs reached for the bottle of bourbon and took a shot straight from the bottle. For a moment he shut his eyes as it burned through the feelings he tried not to feel right now. Slowly he opened his eyes and continued.
"Then there was Abby, she didn't have to beg or ask. We just lived. She was always on my mind. Always lingering there. I said 'I love you' a couple of times to a few women but how could I love them, when I still thought about Abby? The way it felt holding her or how she would kiss me good morning." Taking a deep breath, he looked at Tony. "I would be thinking of her when I was lying next to someone else. I tried to love the women that came into my life, but I couldn't because... I was already in love with someone else." Gibbs let out a groan as he laid back on the floor and looked up at the ceiling above him. "I hate talking about this shit, Tony" He breathed. "I hate the way it makes me feel."
Tony finished his drink as he looked at the Marine who seemed like he didn't know what to do with his emotions. "Abby was right, woodchuck can be a chatterbox." He smiled as he tried to lighten the mood.
Gibbs chuckled, then let out a long audible sigh. "...things would get serious and I would get scared or she would. Go back to work the next day, pretend that everything was fine so no one would question us. Then when we would end up back together, it was even harder to stay away from her when that happened."
Tony looked down at Gibbs. "You would break things off, then what? Fall for each other all over again?"
Gibbs smiled. "I need Abby like I need coffee."
Tony laughed as he finished off his drink. "I bet it was hard to be limited to kissing her on the cheek when you were at work." He smiled.
L.J. laughed as he poured more bourbon into his glass. "You have no idea."
Smiling Tony looked at Gibbs who seemed a bit more relaxed now that the bourbon was kicking in, so he had to ask a question again that Gibbs nearly answered earlier. "So... your dad, what exactly did he catch you and Abby doing?"
Smiling Gibbs looked at the fire. Taking a sip of his bourbon he smiled at the thought. "That night Abby first met my dad, McGee & Ziva were putting things away to head back to the hotel and Abby & I went outsi-"
"I think I was eating or at the hotel that night, I remember that!" Tony exclaimed.
"Remember what?" Ziva said as she came into the living room and took a seat next to Tony.
"He was telling me about the time Abby met Papa Gibbs and how he caught-"
"Oh my god! The time he caught me kissing you!" Abby said happily as she joined the rest of them next to the fire.
Gibbs smiled brightly up at her as she took a seat next to him on the floor. "Yeah," he breathed.
Smiling, Abby looked at the bourbon. "Abby shots?" She asked.
Chuckling Gibbs picked up the bottle and handed it to her. "Knock yourself out."
"Abby shots? What are Abby shots?" Ziva asked while she took a sip from Tony's glass.
Holding up a finger at Ziva, Abby took a long drink of the bourbon that caused the three to raise their eyebrows at her.
Pressing her lips together she smiled at her gunny, who only smiled at her. She reached out and grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him to her. He didn't protest as she forcefully pressed her lips against his.
Tony smiled as watched Gibbs grimaced as Abby clearly shared her shot with him.
Pulling away Abby laughed as she watched Gibbs shut his eyes as he finished the shot. "That's the only shot I'm taking tonight. I have to watch my babies." Abby said, which caused both Tony and Ziva to smile at her words.
"What shot? You gave me all of that..." Gibbs trailed off as felt the burn in his stomach.
Abby giggled as she handed the bottle over to Tony.
Tony only smiled as he took the bottle. Knowing that this was something she and Gibbs had come up with during their time together. Times when they obviously drank together. Times when he thought Gibbs was alone and Abby was too in love with her job that she had no time for relationships. He was wrong. So very wrong. His friends had each other and this was just a simple reminder that there was so much they didn't know about Gibbs & Abby.
"Can I tell it?" Abby asked her gunny that was barely opening his eyes.
"Go ahead, I'll prob-probably slur it anyway." He replied.
Abby laughed at him and turned to their friends.
"So, we went outside to put stuff in the car and you were still inside with Jackson." Abby smiled brightly at Ziva. "Or so I thought."
"What did you do? Jump Gibbs?" Tony chuckled.
"Sorta..." Abby laughed. "I wanted to kiss him. He was staying away from me while he put stuff in the trunk of the car, but eventually, I trapped him between me and the car. He was nervous... I love it when I make him nervous." She smiled at Gibbs who was feeling the bourbon take effect.
Closing his eyes, he rested his head on her shoulder. "You're scary... I like it."
Tony and Ziva smiled at him, while Abby continued with her story of how Jackson had caught them that night.
Stillwater – 2008
"Abbs..." Gibbs whispered as she gently pushed him against the car.
"Please, just one?" She smiled up at him.
Taking a deep breath, he knew he would give in eventually. He always did. Quickly he scanned the area around them. The street was dark and quiet. No one was close enough to see them and McGee & Ziva were still inside and out of sight. Licking his lips, he leaned down toward her.
Smiling Abby gripped his jacket and pulled him down to her level. She smiled against his lips, knowing that she always got what she wanted from him. He could protest and evade as much as he wanted but when it came to her and her caffeine-laced kisses – it was only a matter of time when he would give into her.
Seconds into their kiss, the moment before she could deepen their kiss someone spoke that scared both of them.
"I knew he couldn't get work done surrounded by beautiful women." Gibbs father said from the side of the building.
Quickly, Abby stepped back and away from his son who was wiping her lipstick from his lips. She smiled brightly at Jackson and couldn't help but blush at the fact that she had just met him minutes ago and now he had discovered something about them that they were experts at keeping to themselves. Well, at least until this moment.
"Dad?" Gibbs finally managed to say.
Jackson happily walked over to them. He quietly winked at Abby who tried her hardest to not smile but failed miserably.
"So, when were you going to tell me about this, son?" Jackson asked as he stood in front of L.J.
"Wasn't," Gibbs replied quickly.
Jackson raised his eyebrows. "Why? If I had a girl like Abby, I make sure the damn world knew about it." He smiled.
Gibbs didn't reply.
"Son, does your team know?" Jackson asked, but again his son didn't respond. "Abby?" He said quietly to the blushing woman trying to look anywhere but at him.
"Um..." She tried to find her words as she bit her bottom lip. "No-" She managed to say.
"What's wrong? Don't you want them to know?" Jackson asked again.
"No, so don't say anything dad," Gibbs warned as he finally was able to look at his father again.
Jackson chuckled. "I won't. I won't." He replied amused.
Still nervous, Abby cleared her throat she rocked on her heels. "Um, well I got to go..." She trailed off as she attempted to leave back inside the store.
Gibbs quickly grabbed her jacket and pulled her back to stand next to him. "You're not leaving me alone to deal with my dad." He said as he tried to bite back the nerves he felt since being caught by his father.
Abby smiled up at him and turned her attention to his father who was still very much amused by the fact that he had accidentally uncovered the truth about Gibbs & Abby in mere minutes, while most of their friends were clueless to the true depths of their relationship for the past ten years.
"Am I going to be grandfather, preferably soon?" Jackson smiled at Abby.
Gibbs groaned and turned away from his father. "Jeez, dad." He said annoyed.
Abby only smiled brighter at Jackson but remained silent.
"Hey, I walk out and see my son kissing this amazingly beautiful smart girl so don't kill me for hoping that I can get some grandkids out of this," Jackson said cheerfully and ignored his son's death glare.
"Kids, as in more than one?" Abby laughed.
"Dad..." Gibbs groaned as he felt uncomfortable that someone knew about he and Abby, let alone being caught kissing her.
Quickly the front door of the store swung open. "Kids? Who's talking about kids?" McGee asked as he walked out with his hand full of his computer gear. While Ziva followed closely behind him.
Jackson quickly noticed how his son stepped away from Abby, putting some distance between him and her. While Abby flashed him a smile.
"Uh... was just telling these two about Laura. Lady that comes in from time to time. She has a couple of kids since I last saw my son." Jackson lied, to cover for his nervous son and the still blushing girl that rocked on her heels in front of him.
"What? Ex-girlfriend boss?" McGee teased.
"Ahh- not his type." Gibbs's father replied as he winked at Abby.
Gibbs silently looked at Abby but as quickly as their eyes met they both turned away and went back to playing the roles they had been playing for the last ten years. A stoic Special Agent and a hyper-focused Forensic Specialist.
Alaska
Smiling, Ziva looked at Abby. "I remember that!" She happily replied.
Smiling Abby looked at Gibbs who still had his head rested on her shoulder. "Ever since then, Jack knew about us. Every time he saw me or us, he always asked if he was going to be a grandfather."
With his eyes still closed, Gibbs replied. "He would have loved them..." He said quietly.
"Yeah, he really would have... " Abby said softly as she reached for his hand.
Taking her hand in his he added. "He always said if we had kids to name them after their grandpa." Opening his eyes he looked at her in the warm glow of the fire. "You have three L.J.'s in your life now." He smiled before kissing her cheek.
"Wait they both are L.J. Gibbs?" Tony happily asked.
"Yeah," Abby smiled at him. "Lily Jackie Gibbs and Lukas Jacques Gibbs."
Tony chuckled. "Jacques? I love it, I'm guessing you insisted on that French flair to it?"
"Yeah..." Abby trailed off as she looked at the fire. "Jackson would have loved them, sometimes I wish he got the chance to see them." She said quietly as her eyes filled with tears.
"Hey..." Gibbs whispered, drawing her attention to him. "Me wuv you." He playfully replied to her which made her smile and wipe away the tears.
Tony smiled at his very non-Gibbs-like response to her. Then again, who was he to think that this was not the Gibbs thing to say? After all, today was filled with all the things he didn't know about his friends. Maybe he talked to her like this over all the years they had spent together. The man he was intimidated by had a soft side, Tony thought. The rough no bullshit persona he had at work was all he knew, yet he had just heard him make a cute reply to Abby. The simple changing of 'love' to the playful 'wuv' was definitely out of character, but for Abby it was normal. For all he knew, maybe this "cute" side of Gibbs was all Abby knew – so that's why she wasn't afraid to stand up to him sometimes. Abby probably knew no matter how intimidating he could be to their friends; that just beyond the head slaps and the Gibbs glare was the Special Agent she made nervous with a single look. The US Marine Sniper that she could turn into a blushing-submissive recruit with one playful hit or well-timed playful remark that could break his stoic exterior to reveal the soft side of him that she knew was there. She had the unmatched ability to simply walk into the squad room and take him by the hand and pull him away from his desk & team to bring him down to her lab. He never put up a fight, Tony realized. Gibbs simply let himself be taken at will by her. Clearly, she had power over him. A power she undoubtedly possessed since the beginning.
Tony quietly watched his friends who sat by the fire. Silently wondering about what things he missed over all these years about them. How close he probably was from discovering their relationship or times he was probably seconds away from walking in on a kiss or a moment that would have revealed the relationship they kept from the prying eyes of investigators. Tony knew he would stay a bit longer in Alaska with his wife, because not only did they miss their friends but after the shock of today he was set on discovering more about Gibbs & Abby's origins.
To be continued...
~*Next Chapter*~
"Going to do this a little different (for the next chapter), drop a review and drop a word or phrase that I should call the next chapter.
I'll pick one and drop the next chapter inspired by what you leave in the comment.
Hope you liked this chapter."
The Gabby Effect
