Fic: Smoke and Mirrors [6/23]
Title: Smoke and Mirrors
Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)
Rating: FR-15
Category: Drama, Case-file, Romance, Angst, Action, Friendship
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs
Spoilers: Bloodbath, Hiatus 1&2, Murder 2.0, Broken Bird, Faith, Rule 51, Cracked
Summary: Someone from the past has a score to settle with the team.
Big thanks, as always, to Lisa for proofreading.
~*~
Part Six
~*~
In the end, they reached a compromise. Director Vance got his wish and the team were moved temporarily into a safe house, Gibbs got his way and they were all allowed to continue working the case on the condition that they used a buddy system - no one went anywhere without someone else with them, with the only exception being if they were safe inside the walls of NCIS Headquarters.
Mike Franks had been drafted in to act as added security for the team since three of the four agents on it were still recovering in some way from the previous attempts on their lives. Ziva insisted she was fine and returned to work while McGee was allowed back on reduced hours. Tony, on the other hand, was confined to the safe house under the watchful eye of Franks.
The group met every evening and debriefed the housebound agent on the progress they made each day though there was frustratingly little to tell him about.
"Abby hasn't been able to pinpoint one person to all three crimes," McGee informed Tony around a mouthful of Chinese takeaway. "And there's been no luck so far with the fibres she found on your clothes."
"Everyone we have spoken to who was in the area when you were attacked claims they saw nothing," Ziva added, deftly using her chopsticks to pick some noodles out of the carton in her hand. "It appears they were careful in choosing a location that was well concealed from those in the vicinity."
Remembering the dark corner he'd been dragged around and the alley with only one streetlight in working order, Tony shuddered. "So we're looking for at least one guy with brains."
"We are looking for someone who knows us well," Ziva agreed. "Someone who has had the opportunity to study us."
Gibbs chose that moment to drop a large stack of files on the table, making them all jump, before sitting in an empty chair and grabbing a carton of rice. "We're looking for someone with a grudge."
Tony set his own carton aside and eyed the files warily. "And I'm guessing we have to try and find him somewhere in there...?"
"Names of everyone we've sent down, separated by year, who's been released in the last twelve months." Gibbs confirmed. "Everyone grab a file."
The team groaned but did as he asked. Mike smirked at them and leaned back in his chair. The smile slipped from his face as he noticed Abby pacing back and forth in the living room and he got up to go and investigate.
~*~
"Abby, you have to listen to me, please..."
"No! No, I don't have to do anything you tell me to do!" Abby hissed into the receiver, the hand that wasn't gripping the phone rubbing her temples. "Stop calling me, stop thinking about me, forget I exist at all like I'm trying to do with you!"
"Abby, baby, please... You don't know..."
She hung up with a growl of frustration, shutting the phone with a resounding slap.
"Problems, darlin'?" Mike's voice startled her and she spun around to face him, a hand pressed against her racing heart. "Sorry, Abby, didn't mean to startle you." He moved towards her when her already pale face grew paler, steadying her with an arm around her waist when her knees began to buckle. "You comin' down with something?"
"I'm just tired," Abby murmured, leaning against him as he led her to the couch. She looked up towards the doorway, relief he didn't miss passing over her features when she realised no one else was there and no one else had witnessed her momentary show of weakness. "It's not easy to sleep knowing all of this is going on."
"I'll bet." Mike eased his arm from around her, a frown appearing on his face as he studied her. Her face was damp with perspiration, her brow furrowed as if in pain. The bags under her eyes suggested a couple of weeks without a good night's sleep, not just the four days he knew it had been. He tried to remember if he'd seen her eat since the group had moved into the safe house and came up blank, recalling instead the way she always seemed to find something else to do when they were deciding what to have for dinner. "Maybe we should get the doc to take a look at you..."
Abby shook her head gingerly, a hand still pressed to her chest. Her heart raced beneath her fingertips, making her feel dizzy, making her feel sick. "He's got enough on his mind, Mike. They all do. I'm probably just coming down with a cold... Considering everything the others have been through, it doesn't seem like a big deal."
Understanding her reluctance to worry anyone, Mike nodded but still couldn't resist reaching out to touch her forehead. She felt cool to the touch, much to his relief, but he couldn't keep himself from worrying about her regardless. "If it gets worse, you let me know, darlin'. I know you don't want to worry Probie and the others but you can come to me. Anytime."
"Thanks, Mike." Her smile was weak, her green eyes dull. "Appreciate it."
He sat beside her in silence for a few moments, watching her close her eyes. After enough time had passed for her shoulders to slump, suggesting she was a little more relaxed, Mike cleared his throat softly. "So you wanna tell me about the phone calls...?"
Her eyes flew open, guilt and horror flashing in their depths. She looked over at the doorway once more before turning her attention back to him, a pleading look on her face. "You can't tell them, Mike. They don't need to know. I... I've got it under control, okay? Really."
"Got what under control, Abby?" Dropping his voice out of respect for her, Mike watched her intently. "Sounded to me like you've got trouble on your hands."
"It's not related to this case," she told him quietly, easily reading the concern in his face. "It's... An ex-boyfriend keeps calling me but I know he's not involved in this. It'd be pretty hard; Mikel's still in prison. I checked."
"Mikel," Mike repeated the name, his eyes narrowed. "He the guy who stalked you? Planned on staging your suicide if you didn't take him back?"
Abby stared at him, stunned. "How do you know...?"
"Probie talked in Mexico," Mike shrugged. "Tequila and beer is a bad combination but has a way of loosening tongues. He talked about all of you but mostly you."
She stared at him, obviously torn, wanting to believe him but the ache in her heart wouldn't let her. "So he told you about Mikel, which means you know he's still behind bars and won't be up for parole for at least another year. I'll worry about him getting out then but for now..."
"For now you'll let him harass you over the phone and won't let the people who care about you most know what's wrong." Disapproval coloured his tone. "They could help, you know. Reporting it could revoke his phone privileges... or Probie and I could pay him a little visit..."
She shook her head vehemently. "No, Mike, that's exactly what I don't want. Gibbs would go crazy and Mikel... Mikel would think getting a visit from either of you would mean I still think about him, which I don't. It's giving him what he wants. Please, Mike, don't tell them... Don't tell Gibbs. I... I'll do it myself once they've caught the guys trying to kill us all. I promise. Please, Mike. Please?"
His gut told him he was making a mistake but Mike had never been able to turn down a woman who looked at him with big, pleading eyes. As he'd had a soft spot for Abby since the day he'd met her, the unusual young woman worming her way into his affections without him really being aware of it, she was all the harder to resist.
With a sigh, he nodded reluctantly, dropping his gaze. "You tell him the moment this is over," he told her quietly. "Or I will."
"You won't have to." She gave him a bright smile that didn't reach her tired eyes and pushed herself up, leaning in to kiss his cheek before getting to her feet. She swayed a little at first but managed to hold it together long enough to walk across the room towards the stairs. "Night, Mike."
"Night, Abby. Sleep well."
She made it up to her room without seeing anyone else, her legs giving way beneath her the moment the door was shut behind her and she no longer had to maintain the facade.
"You need to tell someone, Abby." The voice was desperate, pleading. It was also entirely in her head. Abby tilted her head back and stared at Kate as the dead agent knelt on the floor beside her, reaching out to her. Her hand never reached Abby's own. "Please, Abby. You know this isn't right. You know you need help."
"I'm fine," Abby murmured, closing her eyes against the vision in front of her, curling into a ball on the floor. "I'm fine."
~*~
Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)
Rating: FR-15
Category: Drama, Case-file, Romance, Angst, Action, Friendship
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs
Spoilers: Bloodbath, Hiatus 1&2, Murder 2.0, Broken Bird, Faith, Rule 51, Cracked
Summary: Someone from the past has a score to settle with the team.
Big thanks, as always, to Lisa for proofreading.
~*~
Part Six
~*~
In the end, they reached a compromise. Director Vance got his wish and the team were moved temporarily into a safe house, Gibbs got his way and they were all allowed to continue working the case on the condition that they used a buddy system - no one went anywhere without someone else with them, with the only exception being if they were safe inside the walls of NCIS Headquarters.
Mike Franks had been drafted in to act as added security for the team since three of the four agents on it were still recovering in some way from the previous attempts on their lives. Ziva insisted she was fine and returned to work while McGee was allowed back on reduced hours. Tony, on the other hand, was confined to the safe house under the watchful eye of Franks.
The group met every evening and debriefed the housebound agent on the progress they made each day though there was frustratingly little to tell him about.
"Abby hasn't been able to pinpoint one person to all three crimes," McGee informed Tony around a mouthful of Chinese takeaway. "And there's been no luck so far with the fibres she found on your clothes."
"Everyone we have spoken to who was in the area when you were attacked claims they saw nothing," Ziva added, deftly using her chopsticks to pick some noodles out of the carton in her hand. "It appears they were careful in choosing a location that was well concealed from those in the vicinity."
Remembering the dark corner he'd been dragged around and the alley with only one streetlight in working order, Tony shuddered. "So we're looking for at least one guy with brains."
"We are looking for someone who knows us well," Ziva agreed. "Someone who has had the opportunity to study us."
Gibbs chose that moment to drop a large stack of files on the table, making them all jump, before sitting in an empty chair and grabbing a carton of rice. "We're looking for someone with a grudge."
Tony set his own carton aside and eyed the files warily. "And I'm guessing we have to try and find him somewhere in there...?"
"Names of everyone we've sent down, separated by year, who's been released in the last twelve months." Gibbs confirmed. "Everyone grab a file."
The team groaned but did as he asked. Mike smirked at them and leaned back in his chair. The smile slipped from his face as he noticed Abby pacing back and forth in the living room and he got up to go and investigate.
~*~
"Abby, you have to listen to me, please..."
"No! No, I don't have to do anything you tell me to do!" Abby hissed into the receiver, the hand that wasn't gripping the phone rubbing her temples. "Stop calling me, stop thinking about me, forget I exist at all like I'm trying to do with you!"
"Abby, baby, please... You don't know..."
She hung up with a growl of frustration, shutting the phone with a resounding slap.
"Problems, darlin'?" Mike's voice startled her and she spun around to face him, a hand pressed against her racing heart. "Sorry, Abby, didn't mean to startle you." He moved towards her when her already pale face grew paler, steadying her with an arm around her waist when her knees began to buckle. "You comin' down with something?"
"I'm just tired," Abby murmured, leaning against him as he led her to the couch. She looked up towards the doorway, relief he didn't miss passing over her features when she realised no one else was there and no one else had witnessed her momentary show of weakness. "It's not easy to sleep knowing all of this is going on."
"I'll bet." Mike eased his arm from around her, a frown appearing on his face as he studied her. Her face was damp with perspiration, her brow furrowed as if in pain. The bags under her eyes suggested a couple of weeks without a good night's sleep, not just the four days he knew it had been. He tried to remember if he'd seen her eat since the group had moved into the safe house and came up blank, recalling instead the way she always seemed to find something else to do when they were deciding what to have for dinner. "Maybe we should get the doc to take a look at you..."
Abby shook her head gingerly, a hand still pressed to her chest. Her heart raced beneath her fingertips, making her feel dizzy, making her feel sick. "He's got enough on his mind, Mike. They all do. I'm probably just coming down with a cold... Considering everything the others have been through, it doesn't seem like a big deal."
Understanding her reluctance to worry anyone, Mike nodded but still couldn't resist reaching out to touch her forehead. She felt cool to the touch, much to his relief, but he couldn't keep himself from worrying about her regardless. "If it gets worse, you let me know, darlin'. I know you don't want to worry Probie and the others but you can come to me. Anytime."
"Thanks, Mike." Her smile was weak, her green eyes dull. "Appreciate it."
He sat beside her in silence for a few moments, watching her close her eyes. After enough time had passed for her shoulders to slump, suggesting she was a little more relaxed, Mike cleared his throat softly. "So you wanna tell me about the phone calls...?"
Her eyes flew open, guilt and horror flashing in their depths. She looked over at the doorway once more before turning her attention back to him, a pleading look on her face. "You can't tell them, Mike. They don't need to know. I... I've got it under control, okay? Really."
"Got what under control, Abby?" Dropping his voice out of respect for her, Mike watched her intently. "Sounded to me like you've got trouble on your hands."
"It's not related to this case," she told him quietly, easily reading the concern in his face. "It's... An ex-boyfriend keeps calling me but I know he's not involved in this. It'd be pretty hard; Mikel's still in prison. I checked."
"Mikel," Mike repeated the name, his eyes narrowed. "He the guy who stalked you? Planned on staging your suicide if you didn't take him back?"
Abby stared at him, stunned. "How do you know...?"
"Probie talked in Mexico," Mike shrugged. "Tequila and beer is a bad combination but has a way of loosening tongues. He talked about all of you but mostly you."
She stared at him, obviously torn, wanting to believe him but the ache in her heart wouldn't let her. "So he told you about Mikel, which means you know he's still behind bars and won't be up for parole for at least another year. I'll worry about him getting out then but for now..."
"For now you'll let him harass you over the phone and won't let the people who care about you most know what's wrong." Disapproval coloured his tone. "They could help, you know. Reporting it could revoke his phone privileges... or Probie and I could pay him a little visit..."
She shook her head vehemently. "No, Mike, that's exactly what I don't want. Gibbs would go crazy and Mikel... Mikel would think getting a visit from either of you would mean I still think about him, which I don't. It's giving him what he wants. Please, Mike, don't tell them... Don't tell Gibbs. I... I'll do it myself once they've caught the guys trying to kill us all. I promise. Please, Mike. Please?"
His gut told him he was making a mistake but Mike had never been able to turn down a woman who looked at him with big, pleading eyes. As he'd had a soft spot for Abby since the day he'd met her, the unusual young woman worming her way into his affections without him really being aware of it, she was all the harder to resist.
With a sigh, he nodded reluctantly, dropping his gaze. "You tell him the moment this is over," he told her quietly. "Or I will."
"You won't have to." She gave him a bright smile that didn't reach her tired eyes and pushed herself up, leaning in to kiss his cheek before getting to her feet. She swayed a little at first but managed to hold it together long enough to walk across the room towards the stairs. "Night, Mike."
"Night, Abby. Sleep well."
She made it up to her room without seeing anyone else, her legs giving way beneath her the moment the door was shut behind her and she no longer had to maintain the facade.
"You need to tell someone, Abby." The voice was desperate, pleading. It was also entirely in her head. Abby tilted her head back and stared at Kate as the dead agent knelt on the floor beside her, reaching out to her. Her hand never reached Abby's own. "Please, Abby. You know this isn't right. You know you need help."
"I'm fine," Abby murmured, closing her eyes against the vision in front of her, curling into a ball on the floor. "I'm fine."
~*~