Chapter 18

Around mid-morning after Gibbs had caught up on everything that had happened while he and Abby had been away, he ventured out to get himself a coffee and a caf-pow for Abby. Standing alone in the elevator as it descended towards her lab with both drinks in his hands, Gibbs stared at the closed doors, his mind racing with a mixture of thoughts, both good and bad.

His feelings for Abby were so intense and every moment he spent with her they continued to grow. The way she responded to him and how she didn't seem to be able to get enough of him spurred on emotions deep inside Gibbs that he thought he'd never experience again. He'd forgotten how to really love someone, how to be in love, and Abby was slowly reawakening a side of him that he wanted to hold onto with everything he was. Not since Shannon had he allowed his feelings to overcome him so completely, almost to the point where everything else became irrelevant.

As much as Abby brought all this up inside of him again and he knew their bond was real on every level he couldn't ignore that up until now they'd led very different lives outside of work. And what Gibbs didn't want, was for her to start feeling restless because life with him was less exciting than what she was used to.

When the elevator doors opened Gibbs took a step forward, stopping at the sound of Abby's music blaring from within her lab. The last time he stood here he'd believed decisively that Abby was so far out of his reach that they could never end up together. He'd had to force his emotions deep down, to keep them out of sight; he'd had to hide himself from her. Not anymore. It was such an incredible relief that he could be who he truly was around her now; he felt so much happier than he had four days ago and it was all because of her.

The grin that came to his lips was effortless and as he moved forward everything else but Abby faded into the background. She turned before Gibbs could reach her, as if sensing his presence, her wide smile lighting up her face. At the sight of her Gibbs found himself wondering how he'd waited so long, he couldn't imagine going on without her any longer. Again he found himself amazed by the sacrifices she had taken for them, he didn't think he'd ever be able to show her how much her trust and selflessness meant to him, but he was determined to try.

Gibbs lifted the caf-pow and shook it in front of her, the sound of the ice rattling lost in the noise of her music. Abby took the drink from his hand and turned the music down but made sure it remained loud enough to hide their voices. He stared unashamedly as her lips parted and surrounded the straw, sliding down then up as she took a long gulp. How many times had he watched her mouth engulf the tubular piece of plastic? It had always made him ponder the possibilities of what those lips were capable of and now that he knew exactly what they felt like on his skin, there was only one direction his thoughts were headed. Was there anything she did that wouldn't force him to rein in a tight control on his hormones?

"Wondered how long it was going to take for you to come and see me," Abby said once the straw had slipped from her mouth.

A tiny drop of the red liquid moistened her bottom lip and if they'd had assurance of being alone Gibbs would have used his tongue to remove it; taking his time to taste the combined sweetness of her and the drink. While he'd never particularly liked the flavor of caf-pow, he could imagine it would be a hell of a lot more appetizing if he had to lick it from Abby's lips. Before he could further contemplate whether to risk it, Abby's tongue curled over her lip then disappeared again taking his opportunity for a taste with it.

Gibbs forced his gaze away from her mouth and up to her eyes to find her staring back, her eyebrow cocked in amusement.

"Didn't wanna make it too obvious I was rushing down here after spending the last few days with you."

He inwardly groaned at the roughness of his voice; clamping down his arousal around her was going to be much more difficult than he'd thought. The first time the rest of the team saw them in the same room it would be all over. The realization hit him square in the chest; he was never going to be able to hide his feelings for her, the most minor hints of change in his demeanor and they would know. He had always been affectionate with Abby, but even Gibbs knew he was changing, and his reactions to her were an impulse, something he had no control over.

Abby nodded knowingly. "Tony was down here earlier...said I was looking a lot better, that whatever I'd been doing at the cabin must've been good for me." She bit her lip but was still unable to hide her coy grin. "I wanted to tell him it was you, that you're good for me."

She was standing so close that Gibbs was finding it increasingly difficult to not pull her into his arms, but it was better for them this way. They had to at least try to maintain the illusion at work of still being just friends, even if he could see it was a lost cause. He also knew they were in full view of the cameras and while he would still give her a quick hug or kiss, there could be nothing more.

He turned away from her so they were standing side by side facing her computer. "We'll tell 'em all...want it to be you and me for a little while."

"I know, me too." Abby typed on her keyboard and Gibbs watched as a list of random phone records displayed on the screen, though his attention was still focused on her as she spoke. "Tony wanted to go out for drinks after work to hear all about our trip but I told him I was still a bit tired. Want to spend the night with you."

Gibbs realized this was the best opportunity he was probably going to get to tell her she didn't need to feel tied to him if she wanted to go out. He would be perfectly happy to spend every night at home with Abby, but for as long as he'd known her she'd been going out clubbing and spending time with her friends. He didn't want her to have to change and give up everything she loved doing because they were together.

He rested the hand holding his coffee down on her computer desk, hoping he was doing the right thing by bringing it up. "I don't mind if you want to go out, Abbs."

"I know, but I can catch up with Tony another night...you and I have unfinished business from this morning." Placing her drink down next to her keyboard, Abby stretched her pinkie finger out so it touched the back of his hand. Gently she moved it over his skin, their contact hidden from both the doorway and the cameras by their bodies.

Gibbs looked down at their hands, barely touching. It was the simplest of gestures and yet he found he couldn't look away. Her body was reaching out to him just as every part of him reached out for her; their instinct to be near one another, to touch, was now impossible to fight. "Just don't want you to feel like you have to spend all your free time stuck at home with me...I know you like going out."

"You're not having second thoughts are you?" Abby asked, her voice suddenly raised with a slight waver of panic.

Gibbs covered her hand completely with his larger one, his voice barely audible. "Never gonna have second thoughts about you, Abby." He quickly glanced towards the door before continuing. "Don't want to keep you from having fun, or for you to get bored."

"Not gonna get bored, Gibbs," she said confidently. "We've waited so long to be able to spend time together; this is what I want...you're what I want. When I went out in the past, sometimes it was to take my mind off you and I don't need to do that anymore."

Abby turned her hand over so their fingers laced together, Gibbs' still resting on top of hers and his thumb gently rubbing over her soft skin.

"I'll still go out," she continued, "but all I need is right here. Bored is the last thing that comes to mind when I think of you...don't intend on giving you much chance to get bored either."

Gibbs felt the steady pulse of lust through his body increase; he would have his hands full with her, in more ways than one. "Okay...but I wanted you to know even though I wanna spend as much time as I can with you, I won't be upset or angry if you do decide to go out...if you feel like you need to do something a little more exciting."

"I know you pretty well Gibbs, but the things I don't know I want to learn...what we shared last night, all of it, I want that more than anything. Eating dinner with you on the couch, talking about the things that are important to us..." she paused briefly to lean her head closer to his and lowered her voice before continuing. "Making love in your bed, or anywhere for that matter...so not gonna get bored, Gibbs. You're more than enough excitement for me."

"I'll do my best to keep you entertained then," he smirked.

The way things were already going, they would be lucky to make it through the front door tonight before they started clawing at each other's clothes. Gibbs had to admit he wanted to repeat what they done last night, tonight. He didn't think the conversations they'd have every day after work would always be as deep, but he was content to just sit with her. Being able to talk about normal things, eat dinner and take her to bed and show her how much he loved her were things he'd never take for granted, and if she was happy then so was he.

Satisfied that his worries had been laid to rest, Gibbs changed the subject to something he knew would brighten her day. "I set up dinner for Friday night with Ray and Margie, thought it'd be best if they come over to the house rather than us going out. That okay?"

Abby's eyes lit up. "That's perfect, maybe I can make some chicken gumbo?"

"Well I was just thinking of throwing some steaks on over the fireplace but gumbo will do I guess," he teased as Abby's eyes widened.

Abby nudged him with her hips. "I'll have you know that recipe has been in the family for generations, Gibbs."

"I'd love for you to make it, Abby...be nice to see my kitchen getting used the way it was meant to, it's been a while."

It wasn't merely that he knew how great her gumbo was that delighted him, or the fact that it was better than anything he could cook up for their guests, it was also that she'd be cooking it in his kitchen. Similar to his bedroom, the kitchen held special meaning for Gibbs, not just for his recollections of Shannon in there, but also for the memories he treasured of his mom cooking when he was a boy. There were certain smells and tastes that instantly triggered something in his mind, transporting him back in time to either Stillwater or when Shannon was alive. Gibbs was certain Abby's gumbo and their evening with Ray and Margie would have a similar effect. Everywhere she went and everything she did was starting to leave impressions within the fabric of his life and he found that he didn't want it other way.

He was also looking forward to not having to eat on his own all the time anymore. It was the reason Gibbs never cooked; he couldn't see the point in all the time it took and all the mess it made just for him. If he wasn't eating something out of a can or take-out then a steak or bowl of cereal was usually what he was left with. With Abby around he knew that would change, not only because he wanted to make sure she ate properly but because he wanted to start looking after himself better, for her. In the past when he had no-one around him every day he never really placed much importance on looking after himself, so long as he got by he was okay with that. Now that he had Abby, he had something else to live for and if eating better meant they'd have longer together then he wasn't going to complain. Having her there to cook in his kitchen was just another sign that their life together was becoming permanent and he couldn't stop himself from thinking about taking the next step already.

"Are they bringing the hammock?" Abby asked, bringing him out of his reverie.

Gibbs turned to see her smirk and felt his cheeks heat. "Ray didn't mention it...but I'm sure the prospect of humiliating me will be incentive enough for him to drive all the way there and back so he can bring it."

Abby barely contained her snort of amusement as she started to teasingly run her middle finger up and down the side of his. The friction of their skin was so electric it sent an undeniable jolt of yearning right through him. Continuing to risk discovery like this was dangerous, so too was his lack of control over where his blood supply was headed. Abby's next words were almost his undoing.

"From where I was sitting...and laying, you don't have anything to be embarrassed about."

Gibbs' mind immediately flashed back to images of her straddling him on the hammock, her body slowly undulating over and around him. He swallowed loudly at the recollection of her under his mouth as he explored her, reliving the way she had screamed out his name, her legs over his shoulders as he'd tasted her for the first time.

He wanted nothing more than to stay down in her lab with her but Gibbs knew if didn't leave now he wouldn't be able to stop the sudden increasing tightness in his pants or what he did to relieve it. Removing his hand from hers, he grabbed his coffee and pressed a quick kiss to her cheek.

"I'll see you tonight," he whispered next to her ear, making a hasty retreat towards the elevator before she could tempt him to stay.

Once Gibbs had gone Abby couldn't stop the bout of giddiness that overcame her; it meant a lot to her that he'd invited Ray and Margie over for dinner but what meant even more was that this would be their first time hosting a dinner as a couple. It was another big step in their relationship so early on and one that Gibbs had seemingly taken without any doubts. Her heart swelled at the thought that he saw this as just a natural progression for them.

Ray and Margie were the only ones who knew about their relationship and even though they would share their news with everyone else eventually she was as content as Gibbs was to keep their secret for a while longer. Over the course of the day that Abby had spent with Gibbs' friends at the cabin she had felt a natural affection for them, and although that was in part due to what was happening between her and Gibbs it was also because she genuinely liked and felt comfortable around them. She felt a special connection with Margie especially, and was grateful that Gibbs had such special people in his life that he would share with her.

The feeling of completeness Abby had after staying with him last night had long been a desire she'd never dared to consider could ever come true. Being with him in his bed had been nothing short of amazing and Gibbs' admission about why he couldn't stay there on his own had broken her heart. She could tell as he'd spoken how difficult it had been to say the words out loud, but he had worked through it, trying to help her understand, which she did. If she ever found herself in the same situation, Abby could imagine she'd sleep on the couch too. It was these kinds of things that up until now Gibbs had been forced to shoulder the burden of alone, she wanted to be the one to make him understand that he no longer needed to do that.

The opportunity to see the sensitive and emotional side of Gibbs was rare and although he shared more with Abby than anyone else, he was slowly opening up a much more personal side of himself. If Gibbs had been even slightly worried about how she would react, he had no need, to her it was a closer glimpse of the man she'd come to love and she wanted to know every little detail. Because he didn't usually willingly share parts of himself it further cemented to her that he was remaining true to the promises he'd made to her. Since his admission of his feelings only days ago, Gibbs had continued to bring her into every aspect of his life and Abby never wanted to forget what it felt like for him to be the center of her world.

She had meant what she'd said to him about wanting to spend her nights with him. When they'd stopped off at her apartment on the way home from the cabin, Abby had avoided asking Gibbs how much she should pack, not wanting to chance that a time frame would be placed on how long she stayed with him. Already she had gotten used to spending every waking hour with him and the thought that at some stage she might have to go back to an empty apartment was not appealing. She would have to face that moment sooner or later, but until she either ran out of clothes or felt like Gibbs needed a break then she would stay with him.

When Abby had stayed with Gibbs while she was sick, leaving him to return to her apartment had made her feel like she'd lost him, even if he hadn't been hers to lose. But at the time she thought Gibbs had better things to do than look after her and so while her mental and emotional battle continued on, the persistence of physical symptoms were her body's way of showing her pain. Slowly, as everything she wanted was becoming a reality, her body was finally beginning to heal properly.

Now that she felt comfortable in knowing Gibbs had opened up his home, his life, and his bed to her, Abby was going to cherish him and the things he had given her. Whatever else happened she knew Gibbs would be her constant; the one person she could count on through anything to be there. Every part of her had become his and no matter how their relationship evolved she refused to walk away from him like many others had done. Gibbs had become her life; the one man she would never give up on, or stop fighting for.

TBC...