For the remainder of the weekend, Gibbs and Abby lived quietly together, mostly in silence, but always companionable silence, and comfortably settling into a routine of coffee-making and switching off cooking the meals. Gibbs was cautious about making any sexual advances towards her, keeping any touches light and going only as far as a light kiss here and there.
He was uneasy at Abby's unusual silence, but decided to let her alone, figuring it was a step in her healing process. Though he'd always known her to confide in him with her typical babbling, he'd never been sure of what she did following her brief, but long-winded ranting. Maybe this was step two.
It wasn't until Monday afternoon that Gibbs knew something was seriously wrong with his girl.
~*~*~NCIS~*~*~NCIS~*~*~
The day had started off as it had for the last couple of days – both had crawled out of Gibbs' bed, where they had been sleeping side by side for the last two nights, Abby waking every so often from vivid nightmares. In silence they made coffee and breakfast, and ate, sitting across from one another at the kitchen table.
This morning, however, they ate quickly, already dressed to go in to NCIS, despite Vance's strict suggestions that they remain at home for the week. The two drove in to NCIS together, already knowing that Abby would continue to remain at Gibbs' house for the time. As they parted ways inside the building, Abby glanced up at Gibbs, resisting the urge to hug him tightly or kiss him goodbye. Instead she smiled gently at him as if to reassure him that she was okay, and then vanished into the elevator.
~*~*~NCIS~*~*~NCIS~*~*~
The day dragged by slowly, Abby working on very few tests that required actual thought or concentration. At lunch, she ordered her favorite dish from a local Greek restaurant, but ended up taking two bites before shoving the rest in the fridge for the next day's lunch. Instead Abby slurped her Caf-Pow! barely tasting the sweet, caffeinated beverage as it slid down her throat.
By the time the clock reached one that afternoon, she was convinced that it was really one AM and not PM, and that she'd been there for over twelve hours and not, in fact, for less than half that time. Each time Abby closed her eyes, she found herself lying on that same bed, with a terrifying man hovering over her. In spite of the exhaustion that was beginning to envelope her, Abby trudged around the lab, running the equipment without thought.
Just as a DNA test beeped on her computer Gibbs walked into her lab, followed closely by Tony.
"What have ya' got for me, Abbs?" The sight of the Caf-Pow! in his hands made her vaguely nauseated.
Abby glanced over at the computer, "The DNA results are of Sandra Morgan, age 28, wife of Lieutenant James Morgan."
Gibbs and Tony were both silent, Tony with a confused expression. Gibbs' expression was much more stoic, one eyebrow raised slightly.
"What?" Abby shifted her eyes from one to the other.
"The victim for our case is male."
Abby glanced back over at the computer. "Oh… I must've mixed up the sample." Her voice was quiet, her mind reeling at the fact that she'd made a mistake. She saw Tony and Gibbs glance at each other out of the corner of her eye. "I'll just redo it. Won't take…but a minute." She let out a sigh.
Gibbs shot a look over at Tony who disappeared from the lab in almost an instant.
"Abbs."
She looked up at Gibbs from where she had been typing furiously.
"Wanna tell me what's up?"
Abby's mind flashed to the dreams that had plagued her, the visions her mind had created of Gibbs in that room with her, laughing along with her rapist. She blinked the pictures from her mind.
"Just tired, I guess."
He cocked his head slightly and handed her the Caf-Pow! The tired look on her face kept him from prodding further, knowing they needed more time to talk than either of them had at that moment. "Call me when you have the results." He flashed her a quick expression of worry before turning towards the elevator.
~*~*~NCIS~*~*~NCIS~*~*~
It wasn't much later before Abby had the correct results, which she checked over twice before taking up to Gibbs to save him the trip.
The team was at their respective desks, each absorbed in various paperwork or information displayed on the computer screens.
Abby handed Gibbs a slip of paper with the information of the victim.
Gibbs accepted it silently, nodding in thanks. With a forced smile, Abby moved to return to her lab, anxious to get away from the obvious stares the team was giving her. She made it as far as the elevator doors before Ziva appeared at her side.
"Hey, Ziva."
"Abby." Ziva waited quietly next to Abby, waiting for the doors to slide open in front of them.
Abby stepped in to the lift, unsurprised when Ziva followed her and hit the button that would take them downward into the lab.
The slight jerk made them aware that they were moving as Ziva spoke again. "I want you to know that I am here to listen."
There was silence for the remainder of the ride. As the doors slid open, Abby turned to her friend, the expression on her face eerily similar to Gibbs's trademark countenance. "I'm fine, thank you." She jabbed the button that would take Ziva back to the correct floor before she strode from the cabin.
As Ziva rode back up to her desk, she thought over what had seemed so off about Abby. The doors dinged open as it dawned on her. It was the first time she'd seen Abby lie using Gibbs's stoicism. And it had been terrifyingly well done, as if it were the truth, and Abby were truly lacking any emotion.
Down in the lab, Abby put another test through the system, jotting down some notes in a computer document. She sipped at the Caf-Pow! nonchalantly. The expression she'd seen on Ziva's face should have worried her, but strangely she lacked the ability to care. Instead, she tried to focus on the tasks at hand, now a bit easier that she felt next to nothing at the constant images that streamed through her mind. Now the pictures were a mere slide show, a wallpaper that was never interrupted by a screensaver. It was all just background noise as Abby stared ahead, unaware that her stereo had malfunctioned and the lab was now silent.