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Chapter 2

Pushing the door open, Gibbs stepped inside and held his hand out for Abby. She unsteadily stepped onto the wooden crate and took his hand, letting his strength pull her up. His arms went around her waist to support her and she gripped onto him, feeling the muscles of his biceps underneath her fingers.

"I got you." His voice was low and Abby held onto him a bit tighter, thinking she might collapse if he let her go.

Neither of them moved, their eyes not wavering from each other until Gibbs pushed a strand of loose hair behind her ear. The look he'd given her in the car earlier returned and for a fleeting moment Abby thought he was going to lean in and kiss her but instead he took a step back and broke the contact between them. She exhaled shakily, trying to be quiet so he wouldn't notice how he was affecting her.

Gibbs turned away from her, running his hand through his hair and moving around to inspect the cabin. She couldn't be sure what she'd seen in his eyes, but something unexplainable had flickered in them. Something that at first had kept him staring back at her and kept his hands on her until he'd pushed it away. His eyes really were the window to his soul, and while others were usually only on the receiving end of a glare, Abby had seen so much more in them. From seeing them light up with mischief to brimming with tenderness while he looked after her when she was sick. Very few people were privileged enough to get a glimpse of the man she knew and loved.

The room they stood in was a combined living room and bedroom. With a bed situated against the wall to the right, there was a couch and coffee table next to where Abby stood in the centre of the room and a fireplace built into the wall on the left. She wandered through the kitchen and bathroom that ran adjacent to the main room but her mind didn't stray from the fact that there was only one bed. She knew Gibbs would take the couch but it didn't stop her from thinking about the possibilities.

"I'll go and bring everything in," Gibbs said.

"Let me just freshen up a bit and I'll come help you."

"Abby, you're still not well, I've got it," he cautioned her softly.

She watched him disappear back out to the truck and sighed. He was being as attentive as always in trying to look after her but there was something going on with him that she didn't quite understand. The way he was looking at her and then avoiding her gaze, he was obviously trying to hide something. Abby knew he had a lot on his mind with work and it was entirely likely there was something going on in his personal life that she didn't know about, but she couldn't help feel like some of it was directed at her in some way. Gibbs had said he was glad she was here with him but it still didn't stop her apprehension. If he was just looking after her because he felt he had to it was going to be a long awkward weekend. The best she could do for now was try and give him some space. Once he was working outside with his hands his mind would clear like it always did and she might be able to talk to him about what was going on.

After Gibbs had brought all the bags and supplies inside he made some fresh coffee and Abby sat next to him at the table outside looking out at the sea.

"You okay?" Gibbs asked her.

"A bit sleepy again, but that's probably just from getting up early."

Gibbs nodded."If you wanna get some sleep, I'll try keep the noise down out here."

"How did you end up being talked into fixing this anyway?" He hadn't told her much about his friend that owned the cabin, but Abby figured for Gibbs to make a special trip and take time off work they must be close.

"Ray and I served together in the Marine Corps. He's got some injuries so I offered to come fix it up for him. He comes here a lot...to think and unwind."

"Like you with your boat?" Abby asked.

It had always been a given that if Gibbs needed to think he'd be down in his basement. Whether it was in the middle of the day or the early hours of the morning it was the place he went to look for answers. His basement was also a place that Abby felt comfortable. She was unsure whether it was because so much of Gibbs had been embedded into the fabric of the walls over the years, but it was almost like a part of his soul lived there and she felt safe.

"Yeah," he smiled at her and took a mouthful of his coffee.

"It's good of you to fix it up then."

"Nah, got a roof over my head, nice view and I get to spend time with you...think I got the better end of the deal."

Abby blushed and leaned into his side, resting her head on his shoulder. Perhaps she was overreacting to his behavior towards her and seeing things that didn't exist. She had gone through a lot in the last two weeks, from a raging fever through to coming back to work before her body and mind was ready. She had at once stage yelled at Tony and accused him of stealing Bert and trying to move everything around in her lab, even though they'd all been out on a case. After reviewing the security camera footage it revealed that it had actually been Abby herself who had moved the items, she just had no recollection of it. That had been the final straw in both Ducky and Gibbs ordering her to take time off.

She was still horrified by her outburst and even though Tony had forgiven her, Abby was yet to forgive herself for the way she'd treated him. When they got back home she would make it up to him by taking him out for dinner and sitting through one of his all night movie marathons.

In the distance Abby could hear waves lapping up to the shore, the sound helping to calm and centre her. She pushed away every thought accept that she was here with Gibbs and there was nowhere else she'd rather be. Feeling so at ease, tiredness soon started to get the better of her and she inwardly cursed herself; she didn't want to move away from him.

"Maybe I should go for a quick nap," Abby grumbled, stifling a yawn.

"I'll make the bed up for you," Gibbs responded. As well as food, he'd packed sheets, blankets, towels and everything else they'd need for their stay. He moved to stand up, the action forcing Abby to lift her head from his shoulder, but she placed her hand on his arm.

"I'll do it later, I can use the couch for now."

Standing up Abby let him help her back through the front door of the cabin. She picked up the pillow she'd used in the car and dug one of her forensic science journals out of her bag before walking over to the couch. Once she was quiet and settled she could hear Gibbs getting tools out of the truck and clearing pieces of debris away from the cabin. She was a bit disappointed that she was so tired but she knew it was her body's way of coping with the reduction in stress and at the same time trying to recharge her energy levels after being sick. Barely managing to read a paragraph on the first page of her magazine Abby's eyes flickered closed and within minutes she was asleep.

Slowly waking up later in the afternoon Abby placed the open magazine that lay on her stomach on the coffee table. Stretching out on the couch she looked at the clock on her phone, it was three o'clock. Realizing she needed to get up and do something or she might not sleep tonight she decided it would be nice to go for a walk and get some air. Not hearing Gibbs making any noise she got to her feet and walked over to the open door.

Gibbs was standing out on the decking just a few feet from her. He'd changed from his black hoodie and khaki pants and now wore a pair of cargo shorts and a long sleeved grey shirt under a dark blue t-shirt. He hadn't seen her appear at the door and before Abby could register what was going on he was stripping off both t-shirts. His long bare back glistened with a fine sheen of sweat and Abby swallowed, her gaze taking in the sight of his naked skin. All coherent thought flew from her mind and her breath caught as she stared at him hungrily. Wide shoulders tapered down over the carved formation of his shoulder blades and spine to the hollow at the base of his back where her eyes lingered. She could see the slight curve of the top of his ass, his shorts hanging low enough to give her just a glimpse. He was like a work of art and she couldn't have created a finer sculpture even if she'd done it with her own hands.

Too soon he was covering himself up again, this time just with the faded dark blue t-shirt. Abby's eyes widened when Gibbs turned around, his startled expression similar to hers though he appeared to recover much quicker.

"Abbs, you okay?"

"Fine...I was just..." she took a deep breath trying to focus and regain the ability to speak. "I thought I might go for a walk."

Gibbs threw his discarded shirt onto the table and walked over to her. "You sure you feel up to it?"

"I feel much better now and I won't go far. Besides, Ducky said I need lots of fresh air." What she really needed was time to try and get back some of her self-control.

"Want me to come with you?"

Abby shook her head. "No...I'll be alright."

After tidying her hair and getting a drink of water she found her black parasol and headed off towards the shoreline. She could hear Gibbs behind her, the sound of him sawing and hammering bouncing around her as it echoed within the bay.

Finding a large rock to sit on at the edge of the trees she let the day's events filter into her mind. Gibbs had her head spinning. The sight of him half naked only increased her desire for him but the flickering moments of indecision and sorrow he seemed to be having confused her. She wanted to ask him what was going on, but at the same time didn't want to add any more pressure on him. He rarely took time off work so Abby didn't want him to spend his time away worrying about her and dwelling on something he didn't want to talk about.

All the strong and overbearing feelings Abby now found herself having trouble suppressing were ones she thought she'd dealt with. Time and time again, she had told herself that Gibbs could never be hers, not as anything more than a friend. On countless occasions she'd thought about talking to Tony, Ducky or Ziva just so she'd have someone who understood Gibbs that she could lean on. They were all aware that she was Gibbs' favourite but Abby didn't know how they would take the information that she was in love with him. So she kept it to herself, trying not to let them see her true feelings. The more she thought about Gibbs the more the weight pressing down on her heart got heavier; there really was nothing like the misery of wanting someone you couldn't have.

Walking back to the cabin a short while later she found Gibbs had made a temporary set of steps for her that led up to the door. "You've been busy," she smiled, determined to push all of her longings for him to the back of her mind.

"Can't have you going home in worse condition than when you got here," he grinned.

It was then that Abby noticed the deep red gash across his index finger, a trail of blood dripping from it onto the ground. "Gibbs! What happened?"

"It's just a scratch." He shook his hand and tried to hide it out of her view.

"That's more than a scratch. Did you bring a first aid kit?"

"There's one in the truck..." she could hear the impatience in his voice but she didn't care. "It's fine, Abby."

Abby quickly went and looked in the glove compartment. Finding the first aid kit she returned to Gibbs, took hold of his uninjured hand and pulled him alongside her and into the cabin. "It's not fine," she said, trying to keep her voice firm.

She could feel him watching her as she held his injured finger under the running water coming from the tap in the kitchen.

"I'm supposed to be looking after you," Gibbs said quietly.

Abby looked up into his eyes nervously. She hadn't had time to notice the sweat over his brow or the wet marks on his t-shirt earlier, but as she took in the sight of the tiny drops of moisture running down his neck, her hormones shifted into overdrive. Unconscious of what she was doing she let their hands drop out from underneath the stream of water, imagining that she could drown in the gorgeous blue orbs that stared back at her. "You are...you always do," she said softly.

Every cell in Abby's body screamed at her to kiss him. It went against everything she'd just been telling herself down on the beach but he was so close that she could smell him. Not the subtle scent that had emanated from the pillow and blanket earlier, but the real, masculine and heady scent that made her skin tingle. His intense stare didn't falter, her body instinctively leaning towards him. Her breaths came in short shallow gasps when she saw the tip of Gibbs' tongue quickly dart out to moisten his lips. Abby realized he wasn't pulling away from her, and she was going to kiss him. No matter what the consequences were, she was going to kiss him. And then his phone rang.

Jumping, Abby suddenly remembered what she was doing. Heat burned through her body and she wouldn't be able to blame a temperature brought on by her illness this time. She quickly turned away from Gibbs and put his finger back under the water and tried to ignore the thudding in her chest. Gibbs took the phone out of his pocket, looked at the caller ID and terminated the call, then returned it to his pocket.

"Who was it?" She asked not looking at him.

"Doesn't matter."

Abby turned off the water and started to dry the skin around the cut with one of the clean cloths sitting on the kitchen counter. She temporarily used it as a compress to try and stop the flow of blood, her hand wrapping it around his finger. When she was satisfied the bleeding was slowing she used the clean end of the cloth to wipe gently over the wound again and remove any remaining moisture. His hand rested with the palm facing upwards on top of hers as she soothed the area around the cut with tender touches for much longer than she needed for it to be dry. "Gibbs..."

When Abby's phone started to ring and vibrate on the coffee table Gibbs looked over at it and sighed.

"It must be important." Her voice trembled as she walked over to retrieve her phone, handing it to him and going back to tending to his finger.

"What is it DiNozzo?" Gibbs snapped into the phone.

Abby only heard part of the conversation, her attention instead focused on his finger and what had just happened...or nearly happened. Gibbs had almost let her kiss him, she was sure of it. His reluctance to talk to Tony and break the moment couldn't purely be because he didn't want to talk about work. With everything she was she wanted to believe that there was more to his feelings for her than he was letting on.

Shifting nervously on her feet Abby began to worry about what she was going to say when he finished the call. Her courage had fled, leaving her with only the regret of not having turned her phone off. Abby dreaded the awkward silence that would come. Twice today they had almost kissed, and even though it was possible everything she thought was happening was all in her head she didn't want to believe it. The problem was that she didn't know why Gibbs was trying to get closer to her and then pulling away. She wished she could work up the nerve again to kiss him, to ignore everything else and see how he responded, but she didn't want to lose him if he didn't feel the same way. So for now she would have to keep her desires to herself and wait for him to take the first step, if that was what he wanted.

"Everything okay?" She asked when Gibbs handed back her phone.

"It won't be for DiNozzo when we get back."

Abby couldn't help but feel for Tony. Last night before going home she'd gone up to the bullpen and Gibbs was glaring DiNozzo into submission about not calling them for anything while they were away. The only words she'd overheard Gibbs saying was, "you better be dying." Tony would've only called if it was absolutely necessary but she would hate to be in his shoes first thing Tuesday morning.

"You going to tell me how you cut your finger?" Abby asked returning to the present and looking through the first aid kit for something to close and protect his wound.

"Was distracted."

Finding some butterfly bandages she peeled the back off one and placed it along the underside of his finger, then did the same with a second one just above it. "You don't get distracted, Gibbs."

He grinned at her. "Not often...but sometimes."

She wasn't sure how long the strips would stay on his finger or how comfortable they would be so she took out the roll of gauze and wrapped it around a few times just to keep the cut protected and clean.

"All done," she said moving away from him and cleaning up the mess.

The soft pressure of his lips on her cheek startled her. "Thanks, Abbs." The touch was brief and then he was gone, retreating outside and leaving her wanting him even more.

TBC...