Fic: Smoke and Mirrors [7/23]
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.
Again, huge thanks to Lisa for proofing. And to Hanne and Amy, just because.
~*~
Part Seven
~*~
She felt hot one moment, cold the next. The muscles in her arms and legs kept cramping, twitching of their own accord. Her hands shook, her heart raced and she was finding it increasingly difficult to catch her breath.
Still, Abby forced herself to work through it. She blamed it on another sleepless night and reached for the Caf-Pow on her desk, taking a deep drink of it to try and settle herself.
It didn't work.
The computer screen swam in front of her, the boxes on display showing the progress of the search blurring into one another. Her hand clenched, then relaxed and for a moment she thought she was going to be sick.
"Keep it together, Abby," she told herself quietly, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. "You're close to something. Definitely close to something."
"Abby."
The voice went ignored, as did the spectre of the woman it belonged to. "Keep working," she told herself, her voice echoing in the otherwise quiet lab. Her head ached too much for music, the ringing in her ears more than enough noise for her to have to deal with. "Just... get it done."
"Abby, stop. Please."
"You're not real. You're not here." Trying to ignore her, Abby put down the Caf-Pow and put her hands over her ears. "You're not here, I can't hear you."
"Please, Abby, you're sick. You need help."
Kate's pleading went ignored, as did the cell phone that began to ring, the usually happy tune grating on Abby's nerves.
Picking up her drink, she fled the lab, shutting herself behind the glass door in her office. All but crumpling onto the floor beside her desk, she screwed her eyes shut and tried to block out the ringing of the phone and the ringing in her ears.
"Abby..." Desperation dripped from Kate's voice. "You've got to listen to me, honey. Even if I'm not real, I'm something you've created. I'm part of you, and that part of you knows you need help."
Abby shook her head wordlessly and immediately regretted the action as a wave of nausea passed over. Lying down, pressing her warm face against the cool floor, tears slipped down her cheeks as her stomach cramped, pain slicing through her.
The ringing in her ears increased in pitch and volume until her body couldn't take anymore and gave into the sweet relief of oblivion.
In the lab, both her cell phone and desk phone rang in vain.
~*~
"There is no answer from Abby's lab," Ziva reported, her features arranged in an expression of concern as she met Gibbs' gaze. "I could go down and check..."
"I'll go." Gibbs was already heading towards the elevators, the sense of unease he'd woken up with increasing as the day went by. He didn't have to look over his shoulder to know both Ziva and McGee were following, didn't need to see the worry on their faces to know they felt it, too.
Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong.
Abby hadn't been acting like herself for days and, although they were all on edge, there was something about the way she was behaving that caused alarm bells to ring in his head. He knew Mike was concerned about her - Tony, too - and had noticed how she seemed to be avoiding being in a room with him ever since their argument the day of Ziva's accident.
It was more than just hurt feelings and a case of being angry with him; she was hiding something from him and he hit himself mentally for not realising it sooner.
Deciding the elevator wasn't quick enough, he changed direction and went for the stairs instead, taking them two at a time in his haste to get to her.
The lab was eerily quiet when he arrived, though the ringing of her cell phone shattered it even as he walked further into the room.
It took a further minute before he saw her, and when he did, he thought his heart might stop.
She lay on the floor, in a pool of what he guessed was Caf-Pow from the tipped over container beside her. It didn't look like she was breathing.
"Someone shut that damn phone off. And call Ducky," he ordered over his shoulder, knowing one or both of the agents behind him would already be on the case. Striding towards the doors, he felt momentary relief that they opened to admit him, having been gripped by fear for a split-second that she'd locked herself inside.
Dropping to his knees beside her, ignoring the liquid that seeped through the material of his pants and soaked his skin, Gibbs reached out a hand he couldn't quite keep steady to feel for a pulse.
At first, he couldn't detect one.
After several heart-stopping moments, he felt a fluttering sensation beneath his fingertips, too fast and too faint to be normal.
"Abby..." He moved his hand and pushed her hair from her face, the pallor startling him. "Abby, can you hear me?"
She didn't stir.
The sound of hurried footsteps alerted him to Ducky's arrival but Gibbs didn't turn around, too enraptured by the woman on the floor in front of him to acknowledge the medical examiner.
Doing his best to keep close to her while Ducky looked her over, Gibbs found himself wrapping his fingers around one of Abby's limp hands, willing her to wake up, pleading with her mentally to open her eyes.
"Call an ambulance, now," Ducky instructed, not caring which of the three people standing behind them did it as long as the order broke through the stupor at least one of them was in. "This isn't good, Jethro. This isn't good at all."
"What... What's wrong with her?" It took two attempts at getting his voice to work and even then it sounded far more shaken than he would have liked. Gibbs couldn't bring himself to look away from her, missing the fleeting expression that passed over Ducky's features. "Duck?"
"I don't know, Jethro." Ducky shook his head, his hand lingering at Abby's neck, constantly monitoring her unsteady pulse. "Without proper testing, it would be difficult to say for certain but..."
Patience, especially in matters relating to Abby unless it involved dealings with the woman herself, had never been his strong suit. "But what, Ducky?"
"But I'd have to say, from the dilation of her pupils, the rapid and weak pulse, the lack of any outward injuries... I'd say it looks like she's been poisoned."
"Poisoned...?" At the doctor's diagnosis, Gibbs tore his gaze away from the unconscious woman, horror dawning in his eyes. "She's their next target?"
"I'd say that's a reasonable assumption," Ducky answered, worry shining in the depths of his blue eyes. "We have to get her to a hospital soon, Jethro. Unless we can find out what they've done to her and counteract it soon..."
"She could die," Gibbs finished for him, a sense of grief he'd only just managed to put behind him returning swiftly. "You're telling me Abby could die."
~*~
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.
Again, huge thanks to Lisa for proofing. And to Hanne and Amy, just because.
~*~
Part Seven
~*~
She felt hot one moment, cold the next. The muscles in her arms and legs kept cramping, twitching of their own accord. Her hands shook, her heart raced and she was finding it increasingly difficult to catch her breath.
Still, Abby forced herself to work through it. She blamed it on another sleepless night and reached for the Caf-Pow on her desk, taking a deep drink of it to try and settle herself.
It didn't work.
The computer screen swam in front of her, the boxes on display showing the progress of the search blurring into one another. Her hand clenched, then relaxed and for a moment she thought she was going to be sick.
"Keep it together, Abby," she told herself quietly, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. "You're close to something. Definitely close to something."
"Abby."
The voice went ignored, as did the spectre of the woman it belonged to. "Keep working," she told herself, her voice echoing in the otherwise quiet lab. Her head ached too much for music, the ringing in her ears more than enough noise for her to have to deal with. "Just... get it done."
"Abby, stop. Please."
"You're not real. You're not here." Trying to ignore her, Abby put down the Caf-Pow and put her hands over her ears. "You're not here, I can't hear you."
"Please, Abby, you're sick. You need help."
Kate's pleading went ignored, as did the cell phone that began to ring, the usually happy tune grating on Abby's nerves.
Picking up her drink, she fled the lab, shutting herself behind the glass door in her office. All but crumpling onto the floor beside her desk, she screwed her eyes shut and tried to block out the ringing of the phone and the ringing in her ears.
"Abby..." Desperation dripped from Kate's voice. "You've got to listen to me, honey. Even if I'm not real, I'm something you've created. I'm part of you, and that part of you knows you need help."
Abby shook her head wordlessly and immediately regretted the action as a wave of nausea passed over. Lying down, pressing her warm face against the cool floor, tears slipped down her cheeks as her stomach cramped, pain slicing through her.
The ringing in her ears increased in pitch and volume until her body couldn't take anymore and gave into the sweet relief of oblivion.
In the lab, both her cell phone and desk phone rang in vain.
~*~
"There is no answer from Abby's lab," Ziva reported, her features arranged in an expression of concern as she met Gibbs' gaze. "I could go down and check..."
"I'll go." Gibbs was already heading towards the elevators, the sense of unease he'd woken up with increasing as the day went by. He didn't have to look over his shoulder to know both Ziva and McGee were following, didn't need to see the worry on their faces to know they felt it, too.
Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong.
Abby hadn't been acting like herself for days and, although they were all on edge, there was something about the way she was behaving that caused alarm bells to ring in his head. He knew Mike was concerned about her - Tony, too - and had noticed how she seemed to be avoiding being in a room with him ever since their argument the day of Ziva's accident.
It was more than just hurt feelings and a case of being angry with him; she was hiding something from him and he hit himself mentally for not realising it sooner.
Deciding the elevator wasn't quick enough, he changed direction and went for the stairs instead, taking them two at a time in his haste to get to her.
The lab was eerily quiet when he arrived, though the ringing of her cell phone shattered it even as he walked further into the room.
It took a further minute before he saw her, and when he did, he thought his heart might stop.
She lay on the floor, in a pool of what he guessed was Caf-Pow from the tipped over container beside her. It didn't look like she was breathing.
"Someone shut that damn phone off. And call Ducky," he ordered over his shoulder, knowing one or both of the agents behind him would already be on the case. Striding towards the doors, he felt momentary relief that they opened to admit him, having been gripped by fear for a split-second that she'd locked herself inside.
Dropping to his knees beside her, ignoring the liquid that seeped through the material of his pants and soaked his skin, Gibbs reached out a hand he couldn't quite keep steady to feel for a pulse.
At first, he couldn't detect one.
After several heart-stopping moments, he felt a fluttering sensation beneath his fingertips, too fast and too faint to be normal.
"Abby..." He moved his hand and pushed her hair from her face, the pallor startling him. "Abby, can you hear me?"
She didn't stir.
The sound of hurried footsteps alerted him to Ducky's arrival but Gibbs didn't turn around, too enraptured by the woman on the floor in front of him to acknowledge the medical examiner.
Doing his best to keep close to her while Ducky looked her over, Gibbs found himself wrapping his fingers around one of Abby's limp hands, willing her to wake up, pleading with her mentally to open her eyes.
"Call an ambulance, now," Ducky instructed, not caring which of the three people standing behind them did it as long as the order broke through the stupor at least one of them was in. "This isn't good, Jethro. This isn't good at all."
"What... What's wrong with her?" It took two attempts at getting his voice to work and even then it sounded far more shaken than he would have liked. Gibbs couldn't bring himself to look away from her, missing the fleeting expression that passed over Ducky's features. "Duck?"
"I don't know, Jethro." Ducky shook his head, his hand lingering at Abby's neck, constantly monitoring her unsteady pulse. "Without proper testing, it would be difficult to say for certain but..."
Patience, especially in matters relating to Abby unless it involved dealings with the woman herself, had never been his strong suit. "But what, Ducky?"
"But I'd have to say, from the dilation of her pupils, the rapid and weak pulse, the lack of any outward injuries... I'd say it looks like she's been poisoned."
"Poisoned...?" At the doctor's diagnosis, Gibbs tore his gaze away from the unconscious woman, horror dawning in his eyes. "She's their next target?"
"I'd say that's a reasonable assumption," Ducky answered, worry shining in the depths of his blue eyes. "We have to get her to a hospital soon, Jethro. Unless we can find out what they've done to her and counteract it soon..."
"She could die," Gibbs finished for him, a sense of grief he'd only just managed to put behind him returning swiftly. "You're telling me Abby could die."
~*~