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Time moved slowly for Gibbs as he sat at his desk. He'd been reading the same line over and over again as he tried to make it through the case file, only to find himself distracted by the idea of Fornell picking Abby up from work on a daily basis. It would be a constant reminder that, although he thought of Abby as his, she was really just another employee at NCIS. A quick glance at his watch told him he had just enough time to make a run for an afternoon Caf-Pow! and a trip to visit his favorite lab tech. His.

Gibbs muttered "coffee" as he stood; his agents knew that by "coffee" he really meant "coffee and a Caf-Pow! for Abby", so they kept focused on the paperwork in front of them and didn't bother to answer. It wasn't until the elevator closed that Tony looked up at Ziva. "He's pissed."

"I think you may be right. He does not like Abby working for the FBI."

"At least she'll be here every day," McGee added. "Unlike the last time she helped them out. Remember when she worked over at their lab?"

The barista knew Gibbs well - his standard orders of a large black coffee and a Caf-Pow! two to three times a day made him hard to forget. Chelsea could tell by the number of times he came for coffee how his day was going, and by the looks of it, it wasn't a good day. "Abby needs another hit?" she asked. She was amused at the amount of Caf-Pow! Abby could drink. She'd only met Abby a few times - it was Gibbs who did most the purchasing of drinks - but she was surprised that anyone was able to drink so much of the sugary drink and not completely freak out.

Gibbs offered a weak smile. "Doesn't she always?"

Chelsea moved to the Caf-Pow! dispenser to start Abby's drink. "You know, I swear she must main-line the stuff." Chelsea knew that Gibbs tended to relax around the subject of his lab tech but was surprised when his shoulders remained tense at the mention of Abby. "I mean, have you tried the stuff? I won't drink it unless I've had like, no sleep whatsoever, and even then I might only have half a cup. She must be hardcore."

Gibbs nodded. He didn't feel like talking, not that he ever really did feel like talking, but Fornell's impending arrival meant he had other things on his mind. Gibbs handed her a ten dollar bill and turned toward the door. "Keep the change."

Sipping his coffee, Gibbs tried to relax on the elevator ride to Abby's lab. In reality, nothing would change. She'd still be in at work each day and he would still bring her Caf-Pow! in exchange for speedy results and the smile that she almost always put on his face. He stepped out of the elevator and headed into her lab. The only difference, he told himself, is that she's going home somewhere else. It wouldn't have an effect on him at all. He probably wouldn't see Fornell and he could just pretend…

Fornell was leaning back against the evidence table as Abby moved around the lab switching off machines, whispering goodnight as she went along. Abby was the first to notice Gibbs as he stood awkwardly in the threshold of her lab, a giant Caf-Pow! in one hand, his coffee in the other. "Gibbs!" Abby rushed towards him, coming to a halt inches away from where he stood. "Is that for me?" Abby licked her lips at the sight of her favorite drink and then looked up at Gibbs with a smile on her face.

"It certainly isn't for him." Gibbs nodded towards Fornell and pressed the drink into her hands.

"Thanks Gibbs, you always know what I need!" The irony wasn't lost on Gibbs; he knew what she needed. What she needed was for him to keep her safe, not for her to run off and play house with Fornell.

Fornell gave a slight nod toward her office. "Get your things Abby, it's been a long day and I'd like to get home, but we need to swing by your place first."

"Alright." Abby set her drink down on her desk and moved into her lab to gather her belongings.

Gibbs waited until she was out of earshot before turning to glare at his friend. He opened his mouth to speak, but Fornell beat him to it. "Before you get started again, I will take care of her. She won't be in any danger, I promise."

"You promise? Like that will keep a psycho from taking a shot at her while she's with you. Call it off, Fornell. Don't make her do this."

"I'm not making her do anything, but what do you even care?"

"I told you, she's mine. She isn't at the FBI's disposal like you seem to think. She belongs here at NCIS. With us." He stopped himself from saying with me, though he almost let it slip.

"Care to elaborate Jethro, or are you just going to lift your leg and mark her like a dog pissing on its property?"

Gibbs was about to retort, but he heard Abby just before she stepped back into the lab. Her white lab coat was hung by the door and she gathered a few things from her desk before picking up the Caf-Pow! and looking at Fornell. "Ready when you are."

Fornell let Abby lead the way toward the elevator and gave Gibbs a steely glance before following. Abby didn't turn around until she was in the elevator but she expected to see Gibbs standing with them. "Where's Gibbs?"

"I thought he was behind me."

"Oh." Abby peered out into the hallway, stepping back inside the elevator just as the doors closed.

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Inside her apartment, Abby left Fornell sitting on the couch while she packed up a large suitcase with clothes, books, a few DVDs, her laptop and various other things she thought she might need. When she was finished, Fornell carried her suitcase down the flight of steps to the ground floor and then rolled it out to his car. The ride back to Fornell's house was quiet. It had been years since Abby had lived with anyone full time, and as loud as she liked her music, she needed quiet space away from the world as well. Abby smiled as they turned onto Fornell's street. Never in her life did she imagine that she would be living on such a well-manicured street. The fronts of the houses were painted in complementing colors, and the front yards had all been professionally landscaped and were obviously well-kept.

Fornell pulled up in front of his town home, but before he turned off the engine he nodded to the house across the street. "There will be at least two agents in that house at all times with eyes on the front of the house. Keep that in mind if for some reason you need help and no one is around."

Abby noted the house number and nodded. It was nice to know, but she had Gibbs on speed dial. If no one was around and she needed help, there was no way she was going to depend on two agents she didn't know. Abby followed Fornell up the front step and inside. She was surprised to see three men sitting around in the living room, but Fornell didn't seem surprised, so Abby relaxed.

"Abby, this is my team, and one of them will be in the house at all times. They are on rotating eight-hour shifts, to keep the house secure. Even if we aren't here we will be sure that no one else is getting in. This is Agent Cunningham, Agent Moore and Agent Terry."

"Hi, I'm Abby." Abby reached out and shook hands with the blond agent first. He reminded her immediately of Tony with the way his suit was neatly pressed and his hair gelled a certain way. He smiled widely at her, and it put her at ease.

"I'm Donny Cunningham, and my shift is 0600 to 1400, so I'll be around for breakfast before you get to work." He leaned in with an even wider grin. "How do you like your eggs in the morning?"

Abby tried not to giggle, but she couldn't help it. As much as he reminded her of Tony, even Tony would've had a better pickup line than that.

Before she could answer, Agent Moore stepped forward. "My name is Jack Moore and I will be here from 2200 to 0600." He smiled politely, and Abby shook his hand, but he seemed a bit serious for her taste, maybe even a male version of Ziva if she dared to think too much on the subject. He was well groomed, but much like Gibbs, it wasn't so much about quality as it was about comfort. She was certain he had bought his shirt at the last Sears sale. Maybe he had run into Gibbs.

"I'm Russ Terry and I'll be here from 1400 to 2200, so I'll be around when you get home from work." Although Abby considered herself to be tall, but Russ was taller. His wavy dark hair was combed back, and Abby couldn't help but smile at the round glasses he wore. Very Harry Potter meets Jimmy Palmer, she decided.

"Ah, cool." Abby shook his hand as well. He seemed nice and she figured it would be good to have someone around to talk to since she wasn't sure how much she and Fornell had in common. With Russ Terry on duty, Fornell let the others go and then directed Abby upstairs to what would be her room until she moved back out.

The room wasn't big, and it was a bit too pink for Abby's taste, but she knew Emily loved the color, and she adored Emily, so she decided she could handle the pink. Fornell had hastily cleared off a few shelves and half of the closet so that she wouldn't have to live out of her suitcase. The blinds were pulled shut since her window was facing the street, and she was asked to keep them that way as a precautionary measure.

Abby was left alone to unpack the things she brought. First things first, Abby set up a photo of the team on the bedside table. She knew she'd see them daily, but being somewhere new, she needed all the comfort she could get. Next she moved to unpack the clothes she had brought with her. She was certain Tony would laugh at her toned down Goth attire. She still had mostly black and white items of clothing, but she'd left her short skirts behind in favor of pain black pants. She had brought her clunky boots along, but had also grabbed a few other types of shoes. She knew the flats would knock a few inches of her height, but she was in no danger of being called short, so she wasn't too upset at the idea of wearing them. The classic black heels she had brought along were for special occasions only. She knew she was playing the part of Fornell's girlfriend, and she figured they would likely be out and about playing the role the best they knew how.

With the majority of her stuff put away, Abby headed downstairs to find Fornell and Agent Terry looking over some papers. They looked up at the sound of her footsteps and Russ pointed toward the kitchen. "We got pizza for dinner tonight. Help yourself."

"Thanks." Abby grabbed a plate and piece of pizza before pouring herself a glass of water and joining the guys at the dining table. "What are those?"

"Just the schedules for the agents." Fornell pushed them aside. "Abby, we need to talk about a few things."

"Sure, like what?" Abby took a bite of her pizza.

"First of all, you can't go anywhere alone."

"Who are you, my father? I'm not sixteen anymore, Fornell. Let's not forget that." This was going to be a long few weeks if she couldn't see her friends. She didn't see herself having all that much fun with Fornell in the evenings or on weekends.

"The others that have been attacked were alone when it happened. There will always be an agent at the house, but if you need to go somewhere, I need to go with you, or else we need to call in another agent. When you are at work, you aren't to leave the NCIS building unless you are with someone. I made a promise to Gibbs that nothing would happen to you. He'll rip my head off if I return you with even the smallest scratch."

"Probably. But what if I want to do something with a friend? I know I said I wouldn't go clubbing, but what if I just want to watch a movie or something?"

"They can come here, I have no problem with that, just let me know so I can inform the agents across the street so they will expect someone."

"Can I go over and visit Gibbs, or Tony, or… anyone from the team?"

"I don't think that's a good idea. If we're trying to convince this guy that we're a couple, I think it would be a little odd for you to be visiting another man." Fornell noticed her little pout and then kept talking. "We don't know how much this guy is watching, but he knew when Agent Burton would be headed to the gym, so that suggests he was watching closely enough to know their schedule. But maybe we can set something up with Ziva. It would be signing a death warrant to mess with you while she is around."

"Alright. Anything else I should know? I've promised a friend to read over her research article on electrophysiology. See, she's taken measurements of voltage change on a wide variety of…" Abby trailed off when Fornell and Agent Terry exchanged a quick glance. They aren't interested in science, Abby. She decided she could call Gibbs later to tell him. She knew he wasn't all that interested in science either, but he'd listen to her ramble for a few minutes, giving her the feeling that she had been able to explain something new. He'd let her feel important.

It was shortly past mid-night when Abby finished up the article. It was still a rough draft but Abby was very impressed with the piece of work her friend presented. She noted a few changes and sent them back via e-mail before powering down her lap-top, changing into her pajamas and crawling into bed. She tried to sleep. It was past mid-night, so she was sure Gibbs was past caring about some article written by her friend. She set the alarm on the clock by her bed for 0530, pulled the blanket up around her shoulders and closed her eyes. Abby lay quietly for forty minutes, until 0100, before snaking an arm out to grab her phone, pulling the fluffy comforter over her head and pressing number one on her speed dial.

"Hello…?" His voice was heavy with the remnants of sleep.

"Gibbs." Abby's voice was a low whisper.

"Abby? Are you ok?" He was out of bed in a flash. "Where are you? Are you ok? Give me an address and I'll pick you up."

Abby could hear the rustle of clothes. "Relax, Gibbs. I don't need you to pick me up. I'm ok, I'm at Fornell's, remember? I just can't sleep and I wanted to talk to you. Sorry I woke you up."

Gibbs sighed and pulled the sweatshirt back off. "It's alright, Abbs. You can call me anytime. What's up?"

"I understand why Diane divorced Fornell."

Gibbs laughed.

"I mean, why anyone would divorce you is beyond me, but Fornell. He's miserable."

Gibbs pulled the blanket back over himself and settled against the mattress. "Where are you?"

"I'm staying in Emily's room, it's not like I'm going to cuddle up to him at night. I draw the line there."

"Yeah."

"He isn't my type…"

"Too old?"

"That's not it. It's three little letters, Gibbs. F.B.I. And the self-righteous attitude that comes with it. " Abby smiled when she heard the faint chuckle over the phone and then a yawn. "Sorry Gibbs, go back to sleep. I didn't mean to wake you. I figured you'd be working on your boat."

"Call me, Abbs. Anytime you need to chat. It doesn't matter what time it is, I've got time for you."

"Thanks, Gibbs. I will. Good night."

"Night, Abbs."

Abby pushed her cell phone back onto the nightstand, buried her face against the pillow and slept.

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"Call me, Abbs. Anytime you need to chat. It doesn't matter what time it is, I've got time for you."

"Thanks, Gibbs. I will. Good night."

"Night, Abbs."

Gibbs hung up and looked at the photo of Abby on the small screen. She had insisted on attaching everyone's photo to their number so their face popped up every time one of the team called.

"Night, Abbs." He repeated once more as he put his phone back on the bedside table. He fell asleep with a faint smile on his lips.

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TBC…