If you need a disclaimer, even now, there is one a couple of pages before this one. Ok?
Tony had been busy annotating a file, which he expertly shoved into his draw when Gibbs walked past. The other work on his desk looked like a bomb had hit a paper factory. There were even an odd bit of burning to the edge of one piece of paper he was suppose to be rewriting.
"Having fun DiNozzo? Or do you need a bit more time to sort your desk out so you can go home and explain to daddy why you got fired, again?"
"Erm, no I think I'll fine with doing paperwork." Tony started to sort through the debris and shrapnel from the blast of the paperwork bomb. Ziva snickered as she finished tidying her own desk.
"Where's McGee?" His paperwork was done and his desk tidy.
"Abby's lab, I think. She phoned rabbiting on about something or other; you know what she's like, so I gave the phone to the Scuito fan club next door. Then he left, saying something about too many Caff-Pow's."
"Figures." Gibbs turned to leave, but found his way blocked by McGee. He looked at McGee, who looked back at him. Gibbs raised his eyebrows expectantly.
"Erm, boss? You I'm only a messenger don't you?" Gibbs nodded. "Well I think you'd better go down to Abby's lab before the director or anyone does." This raised suspicions.
And McGee added something quietly so only Gibbs could hear what was said: "I think she might have been at Ducky's port. Or at least spilt it down herself." Gibbs brushed past the younger agent and practically flew out of sight down the stairs.
"Do I want to know what was about?" McGee simply shook his head at Tony.
The first give away was that there was no music playing, the second was the lights where out, the third; Abby was laid on the floor, with a newspaper over her head.
"And what is that supposed to do for a totally inebriated young lady such as your self?" He said it just loud enough to make her flinch visibly, but not loud enough to really hurt her head.
She slurred every other word together, and even managed to make some sort of sense; "I didn't know that it was alcoholic?" It was the worst excuse for an unasked question ever.
"Umm hmm, and what exactly did you think you were drinking?"
"Err, JD?"
"So that isn't alcoholic?"
"Err, yeah it is. But who said anything about it not being?" Gibbs just laughed softly, his blue, blue eyes twinkling, even in the gloom. "Gibbs?"
"Umm?"
"You know that I love your hair don't you?" She'd removed the paper. He nodded. "And your eyes?" Again a nod from her sliver haired, blue-eyed fox. "And you in general?" This time however he didn't nod, he sat down and stared straight into her green eyes. She'd let her hair down, so it had settled around her head. He brushed a stray lock off of her face.
"Yeah I know. But do you know that I love you and all of your quirks?" She was about to nod, when she was overcome with a feeling of nausea, and was promptly sick, all down her self and on Gibbs' trousers.
Back in the bullpen Ziva decided to ask McGee about what she'd heard. Tony had gone to find paperclips and sticky labels.
"What about these rules of his? Like what's rule 12?"
"Ironic or what? Rule 12 is the one I would advise you avoid braking, at all costs. 'Never date a co-worker.' You stick to that and Gibbs won't kill you. That and the little un-stated one of 'Do not mess with Abby.' That one just ends in you being shipped off to Ducky." He glanced at her and a question of his own smashed into his brain; "Why? Where'd you hear of it?"
"The Director asked Gibbs if he'd given up on it when they were talking."
"Talking about what?"
"Her."
"Never! You must have misheard them. Those two would never get together! I mean Gibbs' type are red heads, who are quite happy to clean him out of money and god only knows what typical type Abby goes for. I mean she went out with me for a time, me!"
"There is definitely something going on between them. And I bet Tony knows how it is." She left a very confused McGee in the lab and ran up the stairs to find Tony. By the time the pair of conspirers got back they were talking through all the evidence they had collected between them. It was now overwhelmingly obvious that there was something going on. It was just getting them to admit to it. And Tony had plan.
Autopsy was cool and quiet, and there was an interesting pattern on the ceiling; she was taking her time to name all the little dots after the stars she had grown up with. The doors opened and Tony, Ziva and McGee wandered in, making a B-line straight for her.
"Hey Abbs, do you know something that we don't?" Tony knew it was a perfect way to get her to confess. "Something big?"
And she fell straight into the trap; "Yep, it's so big it would blow your head clean off." She smiled at him. "I'll tell you if you want."
"Yeah, that'd be nice."
"I have an IQ the size of England and yet I still fall in love with my boss. How amazingly crazy is that? It's not as though he's my age either, though that doesn't say anything about me. Or about him 'cause he usual goes for freaking redheadeds. But, shh, it's a secret." Even Ducky looked up in wonder. She had just admitted the biggest, juiciest worm of gossip in the whole history of America.
"Whoa, did she just say what I thought she said?" Even Tony wasn't expecting the reply they had gotten out of her.
"Yep, she just admitted that she and Gibbs are practically together." Ziva had picked up on the whole thing very quickly.
"Wrong, actually you're all about a day behind, well it would be more like two months, two weeks and a day behind." Ducky scared them all sneaking up on them, but it was the sight of Gibbs stood in the doorway that scared them the most.
"Well done boss! I have to say she's much better than a redhead." Then a thought struck him; "Ohh, McGee. Ohh, I am so sorry, I bet you're heart's broken!" Tony was taking it to town, and further.
"No, actually I think it's rather fitting of them. The best man won the lady's heart." Gibbs took McGee's offered hand and smiled gratefully. Tony however was trying to find anything that he could say to get McGee to say 'what he really felt'.
"DiNozzo. Paperwork. Now. Your job depends on it being done today." Tony was gone before Gibbs even had time to breathe. Ziva just laughed at him, until she was sent off with McGee to get dinner.
"So what have you been doing to end up down here?"
"Umm, I dunno? 'Did I ever tell you that Mrs. McCave had twenty-three sons and named them all Dave?'" Gibbs laughed and shook his head. "'Well she did. And that wasn't a smart thing to do.'" Before she could spout anymore Gibbs put his hand over her mouth.
"You know that you're going to have the queen of all hangovers tomorrow?" a muffled 'mm-hmm' came from Abby.
"Good cause I wouldn't want you to say that I didn't warn you." With that he left.