Thanks for your reviews, story alerts and favourites. Means a lot to me and keeps me going! Keep telling me hat you think. I still don't know if theres going to be a happy end, but I swear I don't hate them, so if you guys want it I'll try for a happy sappy maybe hot ending *g*

She went home to change and went through her normal routine on autopilot, her mind blank. Abby knew if she started to think about Gibbs leaving her like that she would surely start to cry again, and she wouldn't be able to stop for a long time. She always feared that someday he would figure her out and that he would just go and never look at her again.

Over the years she had grown more confident that she could hide her feelings from him, under her bubbly mask. But now that it slipped just once for a few seconds her whole world was once again falling apart. And she knew that he must have seen it, because why else wouldn't he even look at her?

Abby had had many men in her life, mostly short term relationships. Some just for fun, with others she had tried at something more. But never once had she met a man that she needed in her life as much as she needed Gibbs. She needed him to keep her safe and sane.

With hanging shoulders she made her way to work, a long day ahead of her.

She went to her lab without her usual detour through the bullpen, to say hi to everyone. Shrugging into her lab coat she put on her headphones and let her mind focus on the evidence in front of her.

As Gibbs strode into the lab an hour later he found her hammering on her keyboard, hips swaying to the beat of the music coming from her earplugs. He couldn't help but admire her curves moving delicately to the sounds of the noise she called music.

Earlier he came to the conclusion that he would ignore the whole situation, or at least try to. The revelation to himself, that he was in love with his forensic scientist, had hit him hard. But he wouldn't let it affect his work or his friendship with her, he had sworn to himself. Abby would probably be a little mad that he had left her so abruptly but he didn't think that a Caff-Pof and a kiss on the cheek wouldn't mend that.

But now that he stood there, looking at her, he found it hard to concentrate. Damn her short skirts and tight shirts, he thought, as he tried to calm himself and get his body's reaction to her under control.

When she turned around to get something from the freezer her heart almost stopped. Gibbs was standing in her doorway, Caff-Pow in hand. Removing her headphones, she was just about to tell him that he shouldn't sneak up on her like that, when she realized that he had his eyes closed mumbling under his breath. Is he counting, she wondered, a grin forming slowly on her lips.

Abby just couldn't resist sneaking up to him. As she came to a halt just a foot in front of him his eyes opened and he positively jumped.

"Geez. Abby!"

"Well that's a first" she laughed jubilant at for once being the one to give him half a heart attack.

"You tired or something? If I didn't know it better I would think you were counting sheep."

And there it was, a slight quiver in his lips that indicated he was just inches away from smiling at her. But as fast as it was there it was gone again, replaced by a neutral and guarded look.

Sighing Abby turned back to her computer. The Caff-Pow appeared next to her and she took a sip, as much to hide her face as to caffeinate again. He was standing to her right, a few feet away, she noticed.

"You need something Gibbs?" she asked after a few awkward minutes of utter silence.

"Just came to… Never mind" he shrugged turning around to leave.

"Gibbs?"

"Mmmm?"

For the second time this day he refused to look at her and this time she became frustrated.

"What's the matter with you? Why won't you look at me?" she asked raising her voice, hurt by his actions.

"I.."

"If I did something to deserve this I am sorry. But please Gibbs look at me?" she trailed of, her voice cracking with emotion.

And for the second time that day, he fled missing yet again the tears leaving her eyes.