I Know You Can Feel This Too

A/N: You lot are impatient... I'm having too much fun spinning this out, so calm down! Oh... and finally, Gibbs arrives...

Chapter 14 – Speechless

After promising dances to Tony, Tim and Jimmy, and hugging Ziva, Abby made her way back across the floor, pausing to greet and talk to more agents she knew from all the alphabet soup. Fornell stood as she approached his table. As he held a chair out, Fornell smiled down at her.

Abby really did look stunning tonight. He could sense eyes being drawn to her from all around and felt unreasonably pleased that she was on his arm tonight.

Fornell still felt guilty that he hadn't been there in time yesterday to deflect Gibbs. He'd seen the brewing anger from the Marine all week and knew it had to erupt at some point. He'd just hoped that his timing could have been better so he could have taken the majority of the flak from Gibbs, instead of leaving Abby in the firing line.

Abby looked round at the milling people and rapidly filling tables, feeling herself relaxing and the tensions from earlier draining away. Whatever the unresolved issues between her and Gibbs, Abby was determined to enjoy this evening if she could. And it was only fair that she paid some attention to her companion.

What she dreaded, that Gibbs might turn up with M. Allison Hart on his arm... well, she would deal with that if it happened.

And she was sure Toby would look after her.

He'd been so kind and caring and attentive all week. He may not set her senses aflame like Gibbs, but she enjoyed his company and felt sure that he would be at her side to act as a buffer if necessary this evening.

But if Gibbs arrived on his own, Abby wanted to find some way of talking to him, of finishing the conversation they'd started earlier.

Now she recognised the irony... that her dread of seeing the lawyer on Gibbs' arm may have been matched by Gibbs' reaction to seeing her on Toby's arm. But even after their discussion this morning, Abby still wasn't sure how Gibbs felt... in typical fashion, he'd not revealed enough for her to be certain that what she felt for him was reciprocated.

But whatever Gibbs' feelings, Abby had resolved that she was going to talk to Toby anyway this evening. She didn't know whether Toby was reading more into their friendship than she'd intended, and anyway it wasn't fair for him to hold out hope.

She had to let Toby know that she wasn't interested in anything other than a friendship with him.

Abby chatted amiably with the other occupants of their table, glancing round occasionally to greet familiar faces from both NCIS and the FBI. Ducky was already twirling a laughing Ziva round the dance floor, Tony was nowhere to be seen and Tim and Jimmy were still at the bar.

Abby worked her way through the food served at intervals, and accepted the wine Tobias offered her, relaxing as they chatted.

"You look more at ease tonight, Abby, and very beautiful, if I may say so," commented Fornell.

"Thank you Toby. I do feel better. Gibbs... " she paused, smiling at him as he looked at her, concerned. "It's alright. We talked this morning and resolved a few things. He apologized."

"Apologized? Wow... he must have been feeling guilty," he replied, smiling gently at her.

Fornell sensed her reluctance to elaborate on whatever had passed between her and Gibbs, and didn't push her further, instead changing the subject onto safe, neutral topics.

After a while, Abby felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end and looked up to meet an intense blue gaze across the room.

So... her Gibbs radar was still functioning then.

And, oh boy, could he fill out a tuxedo.

The dark of the tux and the crisp whiteness of the shirt set off his silver hair and seemed to intensify the blueness of his eyes, not that they needed much help. His broad shoulders filled out the jacket and he cut an imposing figure as he strode with his usual powerful grace straight towards their table, drawing every female eye in the vicinity and more than a few of the men.

As he reached them, Gibbs nodded a greeting to Fornell but immediately turned his gaze back to Abby. She couldn't help the tingle of desire which rippled through her at the sight of him, as his eyes raked over from head to foot.

"No Ms. Hart, Gibbs?" Fornell asked.

Keeping his eyes intently on Abby, he replied. "No."

Abby saw his eyes drop to the choker around her neck and a small smile lift the corners of his mouth.

His expression was hard to read.

Maybe because it was something she'd never seen on his face before when he looked at her, but if she were pushed to put a name to it, possessive heat would come to mind.

Before Gibbs could speak, Fornell stood up and offered his hand to Abby, "Care to dance, Abbs?"

Abby saw a flicker of something cross Gibbs' face as she hesitated.

When he said and did nothing but glare at the FBI agent, Abby stood and accepted Fornell's outstretched hand. The look Gibbs gave Fornell would have frozen lesser men in their tracks, but Fornell merely ignored it and smiled at Abby before leading her out onto the dance floor.

Every step she took towards the dance floor, Abby expected to feel Gibbs behind her, catching them up and stepping in, pulling her away from Fornell. She felt more than a flicker of disappointment when he didn't appear.

As Fornell turned to pull Abby into his arms, he saw Gibbs still at the table they'd left, seemingly rooted to the spot, and couldn't prevent a smirk breaking out.

Abby willed herself to relax as she allowed Tobias to spin her round the dance floor. She only caught sight of Gibbs occasionally and saw him make his way over to the bar where she could see him talking to Ducky.

Focusing back on her dance partner, Abby smiled at Tobias and felt him pick up the pace. Laughing softly, she hung onto him as he twirled her around the floor. They passed Tony dancing with a beautiful blonde she vaguely recognised as an FBI agent, and he gave her a wink and a wide cheeky smile as they spun past them.

Fornell was conscious Abby's mind was elsewhere... specifically about 50 feet away at the bar.

Fornell could see Gibbs out of the corner of his eye as he spun Abby round the dance floor. After a while, she relaxed in his arms but Fornell wasn't oblivious to the strain he could see on her face. Dipping her towards the floor, Fornell was pleased to see a genuine laugh erupt, enjoying the throaty chuckle that broke out from Abby.

TBC