A/N: This has absolutely nothing to do with the story, but I thought it was funny so I'm just going to throw it out there. You know you're addicted to NCIS when...the lock on your door breaks and you immediately think that it might've been someone trying to break in and wonder where Abby is with the fingerprint kit. Not even joking, happened to me this morning. Lol. Enjoy guys!
"Hey Abs," Tony smiled, walking into the lab later that night, "I got your text, what's up?"
"I heard about what you did to McGee's desk this morning," she grinned and held her hand up for a high five. "Nice. Can you get me some of those stickers? I want to put them on the wall in my office."
Tony brought a hand out from behind his back and handed her a ziploc bag full of them. "I thought you'd like that." He hesitated. "So...you got something? I didn't think you'd text just for stickers."
Abby twirled around a couple times. "I've got something to tell you, but it's not case related. It's kind of a secret."
Tony groaned. "Don't tell me I'm your replacement for girl-talk with Kate, Abby!" It had taken years, but they'd finally gotten to a place where they could laugh when they remembered Kate, instead of cry. Tony still a hard time hearing her name, Abby missed the sound of her voice and Gibbs went to the cemetery every year on her birthday with a bouquet of flowers. McGee didn't say much but it could safely be assumed that he was carefully remembering Kate in his heart. They had been good friends.
Abby's laughter was not comforting. "Oh, I don't know Tony...since when were you afraid of a little girl-talk? Aren't you the one that wants to know everybody's secrets?"
He leaned back against the stainless steel table and crossed his arms. "As long as I don't have to braid your hair," he said dryly. Tony had interrupted Kate helping Abby with her pigtails one day. Girly stuff scared him. He didn't know what he'd ever do if he had a daughter. Actually, it was the wife to get the daughter part that scared him. But Tony snapped himself back to present. "What's the big secret Abby? Gibbs is going to whack me so hard I'll be seeing stars if I don't have a good excuse for being gone this long."
"Tell him...I locked you in the lab and wouldn't let you leave until I cleared my conscience."
Tony rolled his eyes. "Nice Abby. Next you're going to suggest that I tell him I love him too."
She smirked. "It works for me."
"Well not all of us can be the favourite Abs." He stood up. "Now are you going to tell me this secret or do I have to ask Bert?"
He had to laugh at Abby's horrified expression. "Bite your tongue Tony! Bert would never give up any of my secrets. Not even under torture."
Tony pulled out his phone. "I have Ziva's number here. Cave Abby, before I have to get drastic."
Abby backed off, hands held out in front of her. "Okay, okay. Sheesh, you'd think it's illegal for a girl to have any fun around here."
"Any other time that doesn't involve an active case, a missing man, and a disgruntled boss," Tony elaborated. "Please Abby!" he begged. "I have to get back upstairs."
"Some big brother you are," she grumbled, crossing her arms and making a face at him, "you just don't have any time for me." Tony started forward to give her a hug and reassure her that it was just the opposite, but froze when he heard her next words. "If you did, maybe you'd notice that I was dating someone."
Tony glared at her. She'd pulled the little sister card. No fair. He raised an eyebrow. "Anyone I know?"
Her smile returned and her cheeks actually got a little rosy against the unnaturally white skin of her face. "Yes."
He folded his arms across his chest. "Are you going to make me guess?"
"You're only going to need one," she replied in a sing-song voice.
Tony groaned. "Abby, you didn't! Tell me you didn't agree to date the Probie again?"
She clapped her hands and jumped up and down. "I did. And I'm surprised. It's been almost a week and the only speculation I heard about came from McGee." She shook her finger at him. "You should've asked."
The agent shook his head. "Ooh, Probie is going to get it now. Wait until Gibbs finds out!" He laughed smugly. "I can just imagine the conversation."
"Sorry to rain on your parade Tony," Abby informed him, "but you missed it. Gibbs found out on Tuesday and both Tim and I already got a talking to from Papa Bear." She pouted. "I don't suppose a congratulatory hug from my big brother might be coming next?"
Tony couldn't resist the look on her face and wrapped his arms around her slight frame. Abby and Probie dating...he was going to make McGee's life miserable.
"Be nice," she whispered in his ear. "I want to keep him this time Tony."
He pulled back to see if she was serious. "Are you sure?" Her eyes told the truth. "Wow. That serious, huh?" Tony tweaked one of her ponytails. "Okay Abs. But if he breaks your heart...I'm going to let Ziva at him!"
Abby grinned. "Now that's the Tony I know and love." She hugged him again. "Thanks Tony."
"Do I get to catch the garter at your wedding?" His smile was expectant.
Abby punched him in the shoulder. "Get out of my lab Tony." He wisely rushed for the elevator and Abby couldn't help but smile after him. That was their DiNozzo - love him one minute, hate him the next. Like she'd told Tim earlier, Tony was never going to change and she for one was glad. She needed a little Tony in her life. She just hoped McGee survived the hazing that was going to come next.
NCIS
It was late. Jenny Gibbs lay in bed in her darkened room, staring at the blue numbers on the alarm clock and willing them to move faster. She couldn't sleep tonight. Not that she was afraid of dreams that might come or worried that she wasn't safe. Her house was just as safe as Jethro's. A gun in each of their bedside tables, a knife under the mattress, and a good sized pink rock that she used as a door stop. She was pretty confident in her ability to make an intruder regret entering her house without permission.
No, tonight her mind was full of thoughts inspired by what Kristyn had said in their session today. Though if she was to be perfectly honest, Jenny would have to admit that she really only paid full attention to the first half. The rest she kind of just glossed over. She wondered if she was crazy to even be considering it. Yes, it had been two weeks. But on the other hand one could argue that it had only been two weeks. She knew her husband wanted to be with her and her body wanted him, even though her mind was still very divided on the matter.
Jenny rolled over again, wishing Jethro was here beside her. She hated sleeping in the bed without him. But if he was here, that might make her decision harder. Or easier, she thought wryly, remembering the dark look in his eyes, the way his hands had felt running over her body in their bath last week, the longing she had felt the first time she kissed him after it happened. Doing the wrong thing could ruin everything. But she was sick of doing nothing! So what if healing had it's own timetable? So what if the shrink told her not to rush anything? It was her life, wasn't it? Yes, it was, and she was going to deal with this her own way, on her own terms.
The stubbornness inside her felt like a burden. Yes and no, right and wrong, what to do? No one understood what it was like inside her skin, what it felt like inside her head. All those images she couldn't shake, the phantom feeling of the man's hands still on her, no matter how many times she washed. Something had to make it better. Maybe this would. But what if it made everything worse? Jenny was thankful that she'd married a loving man. He seemed to be able to take all of her mistakes and turn them into one more way to love her better. The question was, would he have the strength to do it this time, if everything she was thinking about doing with him blew up in their faces?
She heard the sound of the door, and her ears perked up. A glance at the clock showed not many minutes since the last time she'd looked. 2am. She wondered how long he would stay before he just had to go back to work again. Jenny remembered the cases when Gibbs used to sleep at the office, in his chair or on the floor behind his desk during an intense case. She'd found him there once, before they were married, and tried to convince him to go home and sleep for a couple of hours. He'd refused, unless she came with him. Jenny hesitated. They'd been trying to take things slow, trying to wait. Them in the same bed would not encourage waiting.
He'd seen the war in her eyes and closed his, telling her to go home and he'd see her in the morning. It wasn't many more weeks before he proposed. Jenny knew he loved her, but she had to laugh when one of the reasons he gave was that he wanted to sleep in the same bed as her again. Of course there were more valid reasons, but that was a funny one that had stuck out to her. Two days later they were sleeping in the same bed. Except that very little sleeping was getting done. She was pretty sure they'd been sleep deprived for a solid week before they actually started sleeping at night. And even then it wasn't like their fun ended, they just kept it shorter unless they had a weekend together to look forward to.
Jenny heard her husband's footsteps at the top of the stairs. He was being really quiet, trying not to wake her. "Jethro," she whispered.
He looked over at her. "I'm sorry Jen. I was trying to be quiet."
"You were."
"Can't sleep?" he asked.
"A little. And a little waiting for you. How long are you here?"
He smiled but she could see that he was tired. "All night," he answered.
She frowned. "Why?"
"What? Don't want to keep me that long?" He finished changing into his pyjamas and sat down on his side of the bed.
"Stop. Of course I'd rather you stayed. But why?"
Gibbs rubbed his forehead. "We closed the case two hours ago, found the Gunny."
"Where?"
"Caught the killer trying to dump his body back at the crime scene. I wanted to look at it again to see if we missed something. Another five minutes and we might not have caught the guy."
"Who was it?" Jenny asked, rubbing his back slowly.
"Worse news. The Gunny's CO. The same guy who reported him missing to the police and who gave us everything we asked for to help with the investigation." His voice hardened. "I liked the guy Jen, he was everything a commanding officer is supposed to be, except he wasn't."
"I'm sorry Jethro," Jenny whispered sincerely. It wasn't often the Gibbs gut failed, but when it did, he questioned his judgment for days or weeks. "Some of the bad guys are just too good at what they do."
Gibbs leaned back against the pillows. "We should be better."
There was no talking him out of beating himself up for this, Jenny knew. She'd tried before and failed. For awhile she just sat there and watched her husband, hating the hurt in his expression. His eyes were closed and he wasn't looking at her, but he still seemed to know everything.
"You're looking me," he grumbled.
She ran a hand down his hair. "Just trying to figure out what you need."
He opened his eyes and searched her face. "A hug," he said definitively.
Loving him with her eyes before she ever touched him, Jenny made a decision. She was going to sleep with her husband tomorrow. She was going to let him help her erase all the memories and feelings she still had left. And she was going to give her body back to her husband, to let him have the comfort he needed from her as well. It was going to fix everything. She snuggled up close to Jethro, hearing his sigh as he enclosed her in his strong arms. He held her tightly and she put her arms around his neck to hug him back. Every night should be like this, she thought, drawing her own comfort from his embrace as she closed her eyes, finally ready to fall asleep.