Fic: Scarlet Pleasures [5/10]
Title: Scarlet Pleasures
Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)
Rating: FR-15 overall, one FR-18 scene that will be labelled later on.
Category: Drama, Case-file, Abby/Tony Friendship, Ziva/Abby Friendship
Pairing: Gibbs/Abby
Spoilers: 'Forced Entry', 'Guilty Pleasure', up to and including the season seven finale.
Summary: Holly Snow makes a request for help that puts Gibbs and Abby at odds.
****
Part Five
****
Abby's laugh filled the van even as the door opened and Tony slipped in. Gibbs glanced at him, an eyebrow lifting at the feminine scent that accompanied his senior agent.
"Didn't have time for a shower." Tony replied to the silent question with a shrug. "One of our guys with her now?"
"Agent Green," Holly answered when Gibbs remained silent. She smiled when another laugh could be heard over the speakers. "He appears to be amusing her."
"They are playing poker," Ziva informed the group, shrugging when her teammates looked at her in surprise. "It came up in conversation that Abby was good at bluffing. Lewis believes he could beat her and took a pack of cards with him for his appointment."
At her words, some of the tension seemed to ease from the room, notably from Gibbs' shoulders. He looked to his senior agent again. "You get anything from being inside?"
"Only that Abby's a lot more nervous than we thought she was, but I guess you guys probably heard that, too." Tony unfastened the mic from behind the button of his shirt. "They run a tight ship. The security isn't in your face but you don't forget it's there. Surveillance cameras along every hallway and in the elevator, too."
"You notice anything suspicious in Abby's room?"
"Nope. If there are cameras there, they're very well concealed." Tony shrugged off his jacket and hung it over the back of one of the chairs. "I think there might a weak link in their armour, though. The receptionist, Tina, looked like she wanted to be anywhere but there. Maybe she's just having an off night but I think she's the one Abby should try talking to first. If nothing else, she could confirm if Lieutenant Davenport had an appointment the night he was attacked and maybe let Abby know who it was he saw."
"Abby has a way of getting people to talk," McGee agreed quietly from his place next to the equipment in the van. He was working on the equipment he'd be taking with him to see Abby in a few hours, equipment that would help detect any surveillance devices in Abby's rooms. "She's good at listening."
A low murmur and a masculine chuckle came through the speakers. Gibbs, Tony noticed, squared his shoulders and clenched his jaw in response.
"Have we got a rota sorted for the next couple of nights?" Tony asked after a moment's silence. "If Ziva could show Abby a copy of it tomorrow, it might make her feel a little more settled knowing there's always gonna be someone she knows on the other side of the door."
"Take care of it," Gibbs ordered with a small nod. "Ziva has a list of NCIS personnel enlisted for the duration of the investigation."
Catching Ziva's gaze, Tony shot her a questioning look in reply to the frown marring her brow and moved to sit beside her, glancing down at the list of names she'd compiled and the times and dates hastily scribbled next to them in pencil.
One name was notably missing, Tony realised. One name that would have stood out from the rest.
****
Tony would be a regular, Abby noted as she looked at the list Ziva brought down to her lab, and he'd start spending full nights with her. So would Lewis, which she saw as a good thing since she had a score to settle with the legal agent who'd managed to beat her three games to two during their impromptu poker tournament. McGee would visit her once over the weekend, no doubt to do another check and make sure her room was still free of surveillance equipment and even Jimmy Palmer had somehow made it onto the list, which explained why he'd gone bright red when she'd said hello to him in the elevator that morning.
Several other familiar names jumped out at her as being agents she knew but the one she'd been both dreading and hoping to see was absent.
"He will be busy leading the investigation into Lieutenant Davenport's attack," Ziva said by way of explanation when Abby glanced up. "And following up any leads you uncover regarding the disappearance of Ms. Snow's associate."
"Of course he will." Abby set the timetable down on the desk beside her keyboard and stifled a yawn. "It's been a long night," she murmured when Ziva looked at her in concern. "Maybe I should've taken the Director up on his offer of having the morning off."
"Maybe you should." Ziva arched an eyebrow. "Perhaps you could sleep in your office for a few hours? There is little else to do for the time being."
Little else to do until she had to get herself ready for her next shift, Abby thought with a sigh she only just managed to swallow. Her first night at Scarlet Secret hadn't been too bad; the men who'd taken it in turn to visit her had put her at ease, distracting her from her surroundings during their time in her room. Still, the weight of where she was and the act she was performing made her feel slightly nauseous and Abby found herself wishing the nightmare assignment was already over.
"Get some sleep, Abby." She set her hand companionably on Abby's shoulder for a moment. "I will tell the others so you are not disturbed."
"Thank you, Ziva." Managing a tired smile, Abby watched the dark haired woman go. She picked up the timetable again, glancing down at the list of names as she wandered into her office and pulled out her futon from its hiding place under her desk. Grabbing Bert the hippo with her other hand, Abby curled up on the soft surface and closed her eyes, promising herself she'd just lie down for a little bit, not holding out much hope that she'd actually be able to sleep.
Less than ten minutes later, her breathing grew deep and even, her featured relaxing in slumber. The stuffed hippo was held against her chest while the hand holding the list dangled off the edge of the futon, the paper crumpled in her grasp.
****
Three nights into the assignment and Abby had not only settled into a routine but had managed to befriend the woman the team suspected was the organisations 'weak link'.
Tina Landry, receptionist on the graveyard shift, was a quiet woman, efficient at her job even if she sometimes looked as though she'd rather be anywhere else. She was as pretty as any of the girls Abby had seen working from rooms of their own but there were shadows in her eyes that made Abby wonder if that had always been the case.
On her third night, Abby purposely asked for an hour to be kept empty of appointments. Despite it being close to three am in the morning when she left her room, the Scarlet Secret empire was still thriving with business. She was surprised that she had to pass a confident man strolling to the room across the hall from hers on her way downstairs to the lobby and found she had to force a friendly smile for both his benefit and that of the security cameras when he decided to stop and blatantly check her out.
The elevator couldn't arrive at her floor quick enough and, when it did, it was with a sigh of relief that she stepped into the empty metal box and pushed the button for the ground floor.
Tina was busy giving a client directions to one of the other rooms when Abby arrived so she busied herself by fixing a strong coffee for herself from the complimentary area on offer in one corner of the lobby and a sweet tea for Tina.
"Milk and two sugars," Abby told her once the client was gone, handing over one of the two mugs. "I noticed how you made it when I came in," she added with a shrug at Tina's surprised look "Don't ask me how I remember things like that; it's just something I do."
"Thanks." Tina took the offered mug with a tired smile. "I guess that's why you're popular with your regulars, because you remember the little details."
Forcing another smile, Abby shrugged and sipped her coffee, hoping it would dispel the sudden nausea she felt at the deception. "Probably helps," she said weakly.
The two women lapsed into silence for a few moments, both savouring their drinks and the temporary peace and quiet. Abby tried not to think about what was happening in other parts of the building, what sights and sounds were being hidden behind sound-proofed walls.
"How did you get into this?" Abby asked after a while, more to distract herself from the images in her mind than to dig for information. "Working here, I mean. It's not your usual nine-to-five."
"An ex got me into it," Tina answered after a short pause. She sipped her tea and gave Abby a contemplative look. "Andre. You probably met him at your interview."
"Andre's your ex?" Abby's surprise was genuine. "You and he...?"
Tina gave her a small, humourless smile at her reaction. "He wasn't always such a creep. At least, I didn't think he was," she corrected herself quietly, glancing over her shoulder at the security camera watching their every move. "He was a really nice guy. Sweet, considerate. We have a son together, Luke. Andre might've got me into this but it's for Luke that I'm still here."
Leaning on the counter, Abby studied her seriously. "You don't like it here," she stated softly.
"Is it that obvious?" Tina shrugged and stared into her tea. "It's good money, though. Better than I could get anywhere else. And working the late shift means I can spend time with Luke during the day when he's awake and work at night while he's sleeping at my sister's."
"Andre doesn't look after him?" Abby took the expression on Tina's face as a 'no'. "So when he and Lucy started this up, they asked you to be receptionist?"
Tina looked away, a dark look passing over her features. "I wasn't always the receptionist," she admitted quietly. "Andre convinced me I'd make more money if I... Well, if I did what you do. I mean, I'm okay with other people doing it if it's what they want, don't get me wrong," she added quickly with a slightly apologetic glance. "If you're happy doing... what you do, then why shouldn't you? It just was never something I really wanted..."
"But the father of your child made you do it anyway?" Abby finished with a frown. "Were you still together...?"
"We were together until I asked to stop, until Lucy gave me this position and she and Andre..." Tina shrugged. "I think they'd been seeing each other for a while but when I refused to do what he wanted and make him money, he had the excuse he needed to leave. I guess I'm lucky he didn't fire me, too. I don't know where Luke and I would've been..." She let her voice trail off and shook her head. "Enough about me. I'm sure you didn't want to know my life story."
"I'm the one who asked," Abby pointed out. She looked down into her coffee cup, conscious of the time ticking away. It didn't help knowing that the next person to walk through the door and ask to see her would be someone she knew. "I was thinking of getting out of this kind of thing. Can't say I really enjoy it but, like you say, the money's good."
Tina gave her a surprised glance. "I thought you enjoyed it. You're certainly popular..."
"It's a bit like acting, though, isn't it? Putting on a front, giving the customer what they want?" Abby gave her a one-shouldered shrug. "It's not what I dreamt of doing. As soon as I find something else to do, I'll be happily leaving this behind me."
Instead of the support Abby had been expecting, Tina looked horrified at the thought. She dated another look at the security cameras and dropped her voice to a hushed whisper even though they weren't designed to pick up sound. "They won't let you leave, Abby, you're too popular with your clients."
"My contract says I can give a fortnight's notice," Abby replied quietly. "They can't object to that."
"They can't object," Tina whispered, "but they can make you regret it." She bit her lip anxiously but said no more.
The door opened and Tony walked in, signalling the end of Abby's break and the end of the conversation.
****
Author: Jo. R (driftingatdusk)
Rating: FR-15 overall, one FR-18 scene that will be labelled later on.
Category: Drama, Case-file, Abby/Tony Friendship, Ziva/Abby Friendship
Pairing: Gibbs/Abby
Spoilers: 'Forced Entry', 'Guilty Pleasure', up to and including the season seven finale.
Summary: Holly Snow makes a request for help that puts Gibbs and Abby at odds.
****
Part Five
****
Abby's laugh filled the van even as the door opened and Tony slipped in. Gibbs glanced at him, an eyebrow lifting at the feminine scent that accompanied his senior agent.
"Didn't have time for a shower." Tony replied to the silent question with a shrug. "One of our guys with her now?"
"Agent Green," Holly answered when Gibbs remained silent. She smiled when another laugh could be heard over the speakers. "He appears to be amusing her."
"They are playing poker," Ziva informed the group, shrugging when her teammates looked at her in surprise. "It came up in conversation that Abby was good at bluffing. Lewis believes he could beat her and took a pack of cards with him for his appointment."
At her words, some of the tension seemed to ease from the room, notably from Gibbs' shoulders. He looked to his senior agent again. "You get anything from being inside?"
"Only that Abby's a lot more nervous than we thought she was, but I guess you guys probably heard that, too." Tony unfastened the mic from behind the button of his shirt. "They run a tight ship. The security isn't in your face but you don't forget it's there. Surveillance cameras along every hallway and in the elevator, too."
"You notice anything suspicious in Abby's room?"
"Nope. If there are cameras there, they're very well concealed." Tony shrugged off his jacket and hung it over the back of one of the chairs. "I think there might a weak link in their armour, though. The receptionist, Tina, looked like she wanted to be anywhere but there. Maybe she's just having an off night but I think she's the one Abby should try talking to first. If nothing else, she could confirm if Lieutenant Davenport had an appointment the night he was attacked and maybe let Abby know who it was he saw."
"Abby has a way of getting people to talk," McGee agreed quietly from his place next to the equipment in the van. He was working on the equipment he'd be taking with him to see Abby in a few hours, equipment that would help detect any surveillance devices in Abby's rooms. "She's good at listening."
A low murmur and a masculine chuckle came through the speakers. Gibbs, Tony noticed, squared his shoulders and clenched his jaw in response.
"Have we got a rota sorted for the next couple of nights?" Tony asked after a moment's silence. "If Ziva could show Abby a copy of it tomorrow, it might make her feel a little more settled knowing there's always gonna be someone she knows on the other side of the door."
"Take care of it," Gibbs ordered with a small nod. "Ziva has a list of NCIS personnel enlisted for the duration of the investigation."
Catching Ziva's gaze, Tony shot her a questioning look in reply to the frown marring her brow and moved to sit beside her, glancing down at the list of names she'd compiled and the times and dates hastily scribbled next to them in pencil.
One name was notably missing, Tony realised. One name that would have stood out from the rest.
****
Tony would be a regular, Abby noted as she looked at the list Ziva brought down to her lab, and he'd start spending full nights with her. So would Lewis, which she saw as a good thing since she had a score to settle with the legal agent who'd managed to beat her three games to two during their impromptu poker tournament. McGee would visit her once over the weekend, no doubt to do another check and make sure her room was still free of surveillance equipment and even Jimmy Palmer had somehow made it onto the list, which explained why he'd gone bright red when she'd said hello to him in the elevator that morning.
Several other familiar names jumped out at her as being agents she knew but the one she'd been both dreading and hoping to see was absent.
"He will be busy leading the investigation into Lieutenant Davenport's attack," Ziva said by way of explanation when Abby glanced up. "And following up any leads you uncover regarding the disappearance of Ms. Snow's associate."
"Of course he will." Abby set the timetable down on the desk beside her keyboard and stifled a yawn. "It's been a long night," she murmured when Ziva looked at her in concern. "Maybe I should've taken the Director up on his offer of having the morning off."
"Maybe you should." Ziva arched an eyebrow. "Perhaps you could sleep in your office for a few hours? There is little else to do for the time being."
Little else to do until she had to get herself ready for her next shift, Abby thought with a sigh she only just managed to swallow. Her first night at Scarlet Secret hadn't been too bad; the men who'd taken it in turn to visit her had put her at ease, distracting her from her surroundings during their time in her room. Still, the weight of where she was and the act she was performing made her feel slightly nauseous and Abby found herself wishing the nightmare assignment was already over.
"Get some sleep, Abby." She set her hand companionably on Abby's shoulder for a moment. "I will tell the others so you are not disturbed."
"Thank you, Ziva." Managing a tired smile, Abby watched the dark haired woman go. She picked up the timetable again, glancing down at the list of names as she wandered into her office and pulled out her futon from its hiding place under her desk. Grabbing Bert the hippo with her other hand, Abby curled up on the soft surface and closed her eyes, promising herself she'd just lie down for a little bit, not holding out much hope that she'd actually be able to sleep.
Less than ten minutes later, her breathing grew deep and even, her featured relaxing in slumber. The stuffed hippo was held against her chest while the hand holding the list dangled off the edge of the futon, the paper crumpled in her grasp.
****
Three nights into the assignment and Abby had not only settled into a routine but had managed to befriend the woman the team suspected was the organisations 'weak link'.
Tina Landry, receptionist on the graveyard shift, was a quiet woman, efficient at her job even if she sometimes looked as though she'd rather be anywhere else. She was as pretty as any of the girls Abby had seen working from rooms of their own but there were shadows in her eyes that made Abby wonder if that had always been the case.
On her third night, Abby purposely asked for an hour to be kept empty of appointments. Despite it being close to three am in the morning when she left her room, the Scarlet Secret empire was still thriving with business. She was surprised that she had to pass a confident man strolling to the room across the hall from hers on her way downstairs to the lobby and found she had to force a friendly smile for both his benefit and that of the security cameras when he decided to stop and blatantly check her out.
The elevator couldn't arrive at her floor quick enough and, when it did, it was with a sigh of relief that she stepped into the empty metal box and pushed the button for the ground floor.
Tina was busy giving a client directions to one of the other rooms when Abby arrived so she busied herself by fixing a strong coffee for herself from the complimentary area on offer in one corner of the lobby and a sweet tea for Tina.
"Milk and two sugars," Abby told her once the client was gone, handing over one of the two mugs. "I noticed how you made it when I came in," she added with a shrug at Tina's surprised look "Don't ask me how I remember things like that; it's just something I do."
"Thanks." Tina took the offered mug with a tired smile. "I guess that's why you're popular with your regulars, because you remember the little details."
Forcing another smile, Abby shrugged and sipped her coffee, hoping it would dispel the sudden nausea she felt at the deception. "Probably helps," she said weakly.
The two women lapsed into silence for a few moments, both savouring their drinks and the temporary peace and quiet. Abby tried not to think about what was happening in other parts of the building, what sights and sounds were being hidden behind sound-proofed walls.
"How did you get into this?" Abby asked after a while, more to distract herself from the images in her mind than to dig for information. "Working here, I mean. It's not your usual nine-to-five."
"An ex got me into it," Tina answered after a short pause. She sipped her tea and gave Abby a contemplative look. "Andre. You probably met him at your interview."
"Andre's your ex?" Abby's surprise was genuine. "You and he...?"
Tina gave her a small, humourless smile at her reaction. "He wasn't always such a creep. At least, I didn't think he was," she corrected herself quietly, glancing over her shoulder at the security camera watching their every move. "He was a really nice guy. Sweet, considerate. We have a son together, Luke. Andre might've got me into this but it's for Luke that I'm still here."
Leaning on the counter, Abby studied her seriously. "You don't like it here," she stated softly.
"Is it that obvious?" Tina shrugged and stared into her tea. "It's good money, though. Better than I could get anywhere else. And working the late shift means I can spend time with Luke during the day when he's awake and work at night while he's sleeping at my sister's."
"Andre doesn't look after him?" Abby took the expression on Tina's face as a 'no'. "So when he and Lucy started this up, they asked you to be receptionist?"
Tina looked away, a dark look passing over her features. "I wasn't always the receptionist," she admitted quietly. "Andre convinced me I'd make more money if I... Well, if I did what you do. I mean, I'm okay with other people doing it if it's what they want, don't get me wrong," she added quickly with a slightly apologetic glance. "If you're happy doing... what you do, then why shouldn't you? It just was never something I really wanted..."
"But the father of your child made you do it anyway?" Abby finished with a frown. "Were you still together...?"
"We were together until I asked to stop, until Lucy gave me this position and she and Andre..." Tina shrugged. "I think they'd been seeing each other for a while but when I refused to do what he wanted and make him money, he had the excuse he needed to leave. I guess I'm lucky he didn't fire me, too. I don't know where Luke and I would've been..." She let her voice trail off and shook her head. "Enough about me. I'm sure you didn't want to know my life story."
"I'm the one who asked," Abby pointed out. She looked down into her coffee cup, conscious of the time ticking away. It didn't help knowing that the next person to walk through the door and ask to see her would be someone she knew. "I was thinking of getting out of this kind of thing. Can't say I really enjoy it but, like you say, the money's good."
Tina gave her a surprised glance. "I thought you enjoyed it. You're certainly popular..."
"It's a bit like acting, though, isn't it? Putting on a front, giving the customer what they want?" Abby gave her a one-shouldered shrug. "It's not what I dreamt of doing. As soon as I find something else to do, I'll be happily leaving this behind me."
Instead of the support Abby had been expecting, Tina looked horrified at the thought. She dated another look at the security cameras and dropped her voice to a hushed whisper even though they weren't designed to pick up sound. "They won't let you leave, Abby, you're too popular with your clients."
"My contract says I can give a fortnight's notice," Abby replied quietly. "They can't object to that."
"They can't object," Tina whispered, "but they can make you regret it." She bit her lip anxiously but said no more.
The door opened and Tony walked in, signalling the end of Abby's break and the end of the conversation.
****