Abby couldn't get the image of Gibbs' hand on Hollis' back out of her mind. This is ridiculous, she thought. She knew Gibbs would never cheat on her, but he wasn't exactly brushing off her attempts for attention either. And the hand on the back, she figured, was just making her hurry into the elevator. Right?
The team was gone for nearly three hours, and during that time Abby made rounds; Ducky and Palmer in autopsy, Harry the janitor, Wanda in the mail room and Mark, who worked security by the front door. Her next stop was her lab. Conner had gone back down and was meticulously wiping down her desk when she peeked in.
Nothing seemed out of place, but it was too quiet for her liking, and Bert wasn't in his usual spot, so she turned on her heel and left before he had noticed.
Her last stop was the director's office. They weren't exactly close, she wouldn't really call him a friend, but his wife had been in to keep Abby company while the team gathered outside her hospital room to talk specifics on the case, so she felt the need to extend a thank you… to the both of them. She knocked softly since the secretary wasn't at her desk and waited as she heard shuffling footsteps close in on the door from the other side.
"Abby? Come on in." Vance held the door for her and eyed her cautiously as she stepped in and pulled a chair up to the front of his desk. "What can I do for you?"
"Well, first… If you could just pass on my thanks to Jackie? It was really nice of her to spend some time with me in the hospital. I know I wasn't great company, but I was glad that she was there."
"She was happy to stop in, but I will be sure to pass on your thank you. What else did you need?"
"Could you… could you keep an eye on my lab for me?"
"You're lab?" Vance raised an eye brow.
"Yeah, this new guy, I don't trust him to care for my babies properly."
"I have been assured that he is top notch…"
"I know," Abby sighed. "But still. I mean, if something were to happen, they cost a pretty penny to replace."
Vance thought it over. His worst nightmare was the strict budgets that had been set for NCIS. "I can peek in now and again. You don't like Mr. McFayle? What's bothering you? Why aren't you asking Gibbs?"
"He's got his own… his own… Mann to deal with."
Vance raised an eyebrow and fought the smile that threatened to appear. "Hollis Mann giving you trouble?" He felt as though the Army CID was stepping on NCIS toes, it had been bad enough to ask the FBI for help, but then bringing in Hollis and her team… Vance wasn't thrilled.
"You'll check on my lab for me?"
"You'll keep me informed on how the case is going?"
"You'll have to talk to Mann about that."
Vance nodded. It seemed as though they had come to a mutual agreement that the faster the case was solved, the faster NCIS could be on its own again, and both Vance and Abby would be satisfied.
Abby stood and extended her hand. It wasn't a hug, so they weren't friends yet… she wasn't sure they'd ever be after the stunt he pulled in splitting up the team, but if he was willing to help her, then there might be room for a little respect. Maybe.
Abby was just stepping out of the director's office when the entire group stumbled out of the elevator. No one looked particularly happy. Gibbs strode over to his desk, putting his gun and badge away before slamming the drawer shut and dropping into his chair.
"We'll get him Jethro, it was a minor set-back. We'll find him." Hollis moved around his desk and put her hand on his shoulders, squeezing gently. "You need to relax, you're so tense. You won't do anyone any good if you don't relax."
McGee, Tony and Ziva all watched, horrified as Hollis worked the muscles of his shoulders. Gibbs ignored her touch and turned on his computer. Nasser might have been able to stay one step ahead of them today, but Gibbs wasn't about to give up. Tony felt ready to vomit at the sight of Hollis touching his boss that way. He was just grateful that Abby wasn't around to… shit, shit, shit, Tony was ready to kick himself for not thinking up some quick way to get Gibbs away. Abby stood up at the railing looking down as Hollis rambled on about the tension in his shoulders, and how if he didn't take care of himself, he'd be no use to her team.
Her team?
Tony wasn't sure if he should go to Abby, or throw Hollis out.
When he glanced back up to the railing, Abby wasn't there. He held his breath when he saw her move down the stairs. He caught Ziva's eye and nodded towards Abby. Both expected her to march up to Hollis and level her to the floor, but instead she moved silently past the side of both Tony and Ziva's desks, avoiding eye contact with the both of them, and stepping into the elevator once the doors slid open.
---
Abby felt a little better as she stepped out of the director's office; At least there would be an extra set of eyes watching over her lab. She headed towards the stairs when she heard Tony grumbling about 'stupid dead terrorist brothers', so instead she headed towards the railing to take a look.
She wasn't surprised to see Gibbs looking so unhappy as he moved towards his desk – she could hear the desk drawer slam all the way up stairs. But when Hollis moved behind him to massage his shoulders, Abby was ready to kill.
She watched a few moments longer, hoping Gibbs would push her away, or move away from her, but he seemed to ignore her. She guessed it was better than if he had shown outward signs of enjoying it, but… Abby knew that to keep her cool she needed to get out of the building. She had her bag with her, having not wanted to leave it laying around while she went in search of people to talk too. Taking a deep breath, Abby walked down the steps, unaware of the small smirk that crosses Hollis' lips when she noticed Abby, past Tony and then Ziva and into the elevator. She headed for the front. She could catch a cab home. Once home, she could figure out what to do.
Tony debated saying something to Gibbs, but figured it wouldn't do any good. Instead he picked up his phone and dialed the number that was written on a small post-it and stuck to his computer. "Hello, Jack? Um, about that visit…"
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TBC…