AN: Ok so I'm back and I'm steaming with ideas so bear with I think quicker than I type.
Yours faithfully
Hellywelly369
Disclaimer: Ditto the last.
Half an hour later they arrived back in the bullpen, soaking wet, but neither cared, not any more. As he sat at his desk Gibbs started thinking, he didn't feel guilty, but he couldn't help think how Shannon would feel. He'd never thought about it before, she'd have thought the others were unworthy of her time, but Abby, now there was a different matter completely. She would probably spend some time looking at her and then decide that she was worthy of her place beside him. It was time he got some one like that again, after everything he'd gone through, losing them, the ex-years, his job, life in general. Yes it was his turn to be happy, and he hoped he'd have her blessings.
Unbeknown to Gibbs Abby was having similar thoughts, at least until Tony caught staring absent minded at Gibbs. The message of 'You day dreaming about anyone in particular or what?' earned him a smack round the face, leaving a smarting red mark from the impact.
"What exactly do you think you are doing?"
Also unbeknown to the group was that the director had decided to have a walk around the building.
"I was defending my self against a torrent of verbal crap, that this little piece of rubbish was spouting." No-one had quite seen this side of the normally bubbly Abby, not even Gibbs who was just as gob smacked as the rest of the office.
"And did you deserve this, slap?" The look on Abby's face was murderous, worst than Gibbs' without coffee.
"Yep, I deserved that and probably more as well. Sorry Abby."
"That's ok. Just don't do it again, or I'll be forced to use the photo from '89. You know, the one you thought you had got rid of from every place imaginable, except your roommate's sister. Pity I know her, ah Tony?" Yep he wouldn't be doing that one for a while.
"Now we have that sorted, may I borrow you for a moment or two Gibbs?" The two walked away and the office quickly returned to working, except Kate who was eyeing her friend.
"What exactly was that about? I mean what could Tony have done to piss you off that much?"
"He was making a indirect referral to your early conversation. Either that or he has a death wish." It was at that point McGee returned and wished he hadn't the atmosphere was like a brick, and he didn't have a clue why. Abby simply get out of his car and went and sat on Gibbs'.
The ride home was dreadful, full of silence, even the radio remained off. Once home Abby headed straight for the basement. Gibbs however headed upstairs to get changed into an old pair of trousers and a jumper. Then he went downstairs, got another cup and continued down to the basement. She was sat mostly in shadows, his mug in her hands already, the JD open on the side. After pouring himself a bit he joined her.
"Want to talk?" Her head rested on his shoulder, her left hand finding his.
"He wound me up and I snapped. And now I feel awful for it. He was only being himself, and I practical tore his head off for it."
"Well he must have been saying something to irritate you like that." He turned his head so he could see her better, she'd stated crying, so he put his arm around her and pulled her into a tight hug, not bothering about his clothes, they were old and it was for this reason he had put them on.
"It's nothing, really. I just feel sorry for him, that's all. He usually avoids me you know. But I was just there going no place else, who can blame him?"
They sat in silence for a while until an answer came to Gibbs.
"Why don't we move down to your lab? Get out of every-ones way?" Abby didn't answer, she'd fallen fast asleep, her breathing slow and steady. Smile he carried her up to bed and sat with her a while.
The next day Gibbs re-offered moving and Abby thought it was brilliant idea. McGee Looked shocked to see Gibbs and Abby walk straight past him, Gibbs grabbing the paperwork off his desk and continued towards the lab.
"Um, hey boss! Tony says he's going to be late today, something about yesterday afternoon."
"I figured that McGee." They left the younger agent looking more confused than a brainless snail working for NASA.
Abby was glad to be in her lab, with the machines humming and her music, even though not deafening, making itself present throughout the space occupied by her lab, office and the ballistics lab. The first thing she did was check if anything needed to run through the now fully awake machines. Only a couple of half hour jobs and an fingerprint match to be emailed to half a dozen people she'd never knew needed her help, the FBI being one and the CIA being another. Once these were done she decided to see what Gibbs was up to.
He was trying to get Kate to let go of Tony, who'd threaten that he'd done something to her car. It wasn't going well. In the end he told them both to come down to the lab, so he could knock both their heads together. They didn't bother, but Tony was limping for the rest of the day.
AN: So what did Gibbs tell her? You'll have to keep reading.