Chapter Six – Getting to Know You
Gibbs topped the stairs and turned toward Jen's office. Approaching Cynthia's desk, he contained the smile he felt coming on when he saw the door was standing open. He closed it behind him and moved to stand in front of Jen's desk.
"See? If you call first, I can have the door open and you won't have to barge in, Jethro." Jen Shepard said.
"But I like barging in, Director. It catches you by surprise," Gibbs admitted.
Jen smiled, "You said we have a situation. What kind of situation?"
"The kind that attracts terrorist interest and money. Abby brought in some old friends of hers; they both worked for DAX Pharmaceuticals."
"Worked?" Jen asked, latching onto the past tense of the word.
"The older sister stumbled onto a formula for an oral biochemical drug. She had a feeling someone was going to come after her and they both ran."
"What damage could this drug do?"
"I had Abby make a model simulation of the effects of the drug. According to those, if enough people were to take the pill and they weren't embalmed quickly enough, a city the size of Washington DC could be wiped out in weeks from the fall-out."
Jen's face paled. "Is the formula viable?"
"According to the older sister it is."
Jen nodded. "Do we have an antidote?"
"Not yet."
Standing, Jen looked Gibbs in the eye. "You know I have to alert the DEA and Homeland Security about this?"
Gibbs nodded. "Just make sure we protect these two while they run their investigation. They may be our only link to stopping this, if the drug has already been made."
"Consider it done."
Gibbs nodded sharply once more, and then left.
---
Abby led the girls out of the building and Jenna asked, "Abby, could we get your address? We need to stop at the store and get a few things before settling in for the evening."
Abby unlocked her door, and looked at the sisters with a hint of suspicion. Remembering that she HAD invited them to stay and deciding they were harmless, she gave them the address and waited until they drove off in their truck before heading home herself. She was excited about the dinner tonight. It was the first time the team had been to dinner at her place in a while, and she wanted to surprise them with the food she'd prepared.
As she parked in front of her building, she wasn't surprised to see McGee sitting in his car. Nor was she surprised to find him getting out with a bottle of wine and a very scrumptious looking coffee cake. Grinning, she threw an arm around him.
"Come on in, McGee. You can help me put the finishing touches on the decorations."
From down the street, Steph watched Abby Sciuto enter her apartment building with a man. From the looks of things, they knew each other well and were comfortable with one another. She pulled out the file that she'd compiled on Abby Sciuto before leaving Louisiana. Finding the proper page, she murmured, "Special Agent McGee."
---
Brenna and Jenna arrived at Abby's apartment to find McGee and Gibbs already there, helping Abby with the food. Brenna carried a bottle of wine and a cheesecake, while Jenna brought in a bag of fresh ground coffee. Abby saw them with the items in hand and propped her hands on her hips. "I told you that you didn't have to bring anything."
Jenna smiled, "Our momma taught us never to go to a dinner party empty-handed."
"And since everyone was bringing a dish, we wanted to contribute," Brenna finished the explanation.
McGee took the bottle of wine from Brenna and was jolted when his fingers brushed hers. Her smile lit up her face as she looked at him. "Thank you." She saw another cake sitting on the side table and she smiled.
"Abby, do you have a coffee pot?" Jenna asked, holding up the bag in her hands.
"With Gibbs coming over? I would have had to get one if I didn't," Abby smiled at Gibbs and he grinned, shaking his head.
Jenna sighed, "Thank goodness. I got the coffee and took for granted you'd have the rest of the necessities."
Gibbs saw the label on the bag and was surprised. Holding out his hand, Jenna handed the bag over. She watched as he broke the seal and smelled the grounds.
"This is good coffee," he commented.
Jenna grinned and admitted, "I know. I just wish I could drink it straight. I love the smell of it but I have to add a bit of creamer and sugar before I drink it."
"That's not coffee," Gibbs said.
Laughing, Jenna nodded. "That is exactly what Damien tells me."
"Oh, and I don't tell you the same thing every day?" Brenna asked, teasing her sister.
"Okay, Brenna and Damien," Jenna amended. She turned back to her sister, "Satisfied?"
The bell rang, and Abby practically bounced to the door. "Tony! Ziva! You made it!"
Tony walked in, grinning. He held out his offering to Abby. "What is that smell, Abs? It's wonderful!"
"Chicken Jambalaya. Don't worry, Ziva, it's kosher. I intentionally used extra chicken and left out the shrimp and sausage," Abby reported, happily.
Ziva held up her dish and replied, "So is this." She handed Abby a bowl of mixed green salad. "You said to bring side dishes, so…"
"It's perfect," Abby said, taking it off her hands and placing it on the counter.
---
Steph was getting bored. She'd been tinkering with the equipment left for her at the airport. She'd have to tell Sterling that his connection hadn't come through this time, because all she was getting from the listening device was static. Making one final adjustment, the static was gone, replaced by several voices in the corner apartment. Smiling, she picked up her binoculars and resumed watching the end of the dinner party.
---
Tony leaned back in his chair and grinned. "Man, that was great. Abby, you can cook for me any day."
"Tony, don't let the sexist pig in you out now when we've been having such a good time," Ziva said, causing laughter to sound from around the table.
Tony found himself watching first one girl, and then the other. Those two had gotten the best end of the genes in their family, he could only assume. He noticed that McGee was also having trouble not staring at the girls, as they chatted and laughed, fitting right in with the rest of the team.
Gibbs watched the interplay between the girls and rest of the team with interest. Abby was supposed to know them, but seemed the most bothered by their presence. He smiled to himself when the realized the reason for Abby's running hot and cold: she wasn't the center of attention at her own dinner party. He noticed how both McGee and Tony could hardly take their eyes of her guests. He made a point to bring Abby an extra Caf-Pow! the next day. Maybe it was time for them to go, and let the girls resolve their own issues.
Gibbs looked at his watch and stood. "Thank you for dinner, Abby. It was wonderful." He looked at each of his agents pointedly and they stood. "I expect everyone to be on time in the morning."
Amid mumblings of "Of course" and "Yes, Boss", everyone began making preparations to leave.
McGee helped gather up the trash and noticed the bag was full. "Abby, I'm going to take the trash out for you. I'll be back to get my jacket."
"Oh, no you don't, McGee!" Abby interjected. "I'm perfectly capable of taking care of my own trash. I'll take it out." Abby laughed, "You can stack the dishes while I do this."
McGee smiled and nodded. "All right, Abs."
Gibbs watched as Abby headed toward the back door. Although he had no reason to suspect so, his gut was telling him something wasn't right. He would give her exactly three minutes – no more – and then he was going after her.
---
Steph's interest was piqued. She couldn't see the trash area, but she could see that Abby was getting the bag out of the can. Deciding quickly, she made her move. Running across the street and down the sidewalk, she moved with the shadows. She came around the corner as she heard the door opening to the apartment building.
Looking behind the woman to ensure she was alone, Steph darted out and, with a kick, swept the other woman's legs out from under her. She went down with an "oomph" and Steph was right there on top of her.
"You're coming with me. My employer wants to know if you ever met Mike Lancaster."
"Abby?" a male voice came from the doorway and Steph looked up into the blue eyes of the team leader. Jumping up and running, she didn't stop until she was far enough away and was sure they weren't following. Taking the long way around, she got into her car and listened long enough to hear everyone was back in the apartment, concerned for Abby's safety.