Distance Nightmare 14/37
Chapter 14 - Annoying Interruptions
And just then Gibbs' cell started to ring…
They were so lost in each other that it took a few moments before the sound of the phone registered. Reluctantly pulling back from the kiss, Gibbs leaned his forehead against Abby's, trying to calm down and cursing inwardly at the interruption.
Abby too fought to catch her breath, groaning. "I just don't believe it. I swear to God it's a conspiracy."
Gibbs had to agree with her, rolling his eyes as he flipped open the phone, running his hand through his hair in frustration and snapping as he answered, "Yeah, Gibbs." He brushed his fingers along her jawline and his face relaxed as he registered the voice on the other end. "Hey, Duck."
He smiled at her and she pecked him on the cheek as she left the room. He watched her move away and continued. "Yeah, we're on our way in now."
Abby headed for the bathroom to finish packing a few things and to give him privacy to talk to Ducky. It took her a few minutes to find everything she wanted and when she came back, wondering if they were going to pick up where they left off, she was conscious that his face now looked more… guarded was the only way she could describe it.
He didn't say anything more but picked up her case and a couple of bags. Abby sighed and hefted the remaining bags, following him down to the car where they loaded everything inside. She decided to leave her hearse at her apartment, she could always collect it next week.
Abby turned to him as he opened her door, uncertainty creeping into her voice. "Are you okay, Gibbs?"
He reached up to cup her face with his hand. "Yeah, Abbs, just a bit frustrated from earlier. Ducky's call was bad timing."
She gave him a soft smile. "Me too. Just as long as it's nothing else?" She looked down, unable to meet his gaze in case she saw something there she didn't want to see. "You're not regretting anything, are you… about what we said… or what we did just now?"
Before she could continue, he'd crowded her against the side of the car and bent his head to give her a lingering, teasing kiss which made her pulse rate hike.
When Gibbs drew back, he gave her a lazy smile, "That answer your question, Abbs?"
She couldn't help a slow answering smile spreading across her face. "I think so."
"Only thing I regret is being interrupted." He hoped that would allay her concerns for the moment.
"What was Ducky calling about?" she asked, searching his eyes.
Kicking himself for drawing her attention to the call, he held her gaze, knowing he was about to lie, "Just checking we were comin' in. He's eager to see you. They all are."
There was more to it than that, Abby was sure of it but she knew that pushing him for an answer wouldn't work. Whatever they'd talked about, the call from Ducky had changed his mood. So she dropped it… for now. "Then let's go. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can go home again."
Feeling warmed that she would so readily refer to his house as home, he ushered her into the car and they set off for the Navy Yard.
Abby glanced across at him as he drove, still wondering what was bothering him. Despite the implicit promise behind that last kiss and his reassuring words, Abby knew that Gibbs found it difficult articulating his feelings. She was scared that he felt she'd somehow forced him into opening up… in the heat of the moment.
He was too quiet. Well, he was always quiet but quieter than normal. It looked like he'd retreated behind his usual mask, when even she found it difficult to read him.
Gibbs could sense her glances and saw how she fidgeted in her seat, a sure sign she was nervous or worried. She was bound to have picked up on his change of mood.
She knew him too well.
After the electric few minutes in her apartment where he tried to convey in actions what he found so hard to express in words, his only thought had been how far was it to the bedroom or whether the couch was nearer.
The call from Ducky had sobered him up… fast.
The ME was calling with the news that Callen had sent over the footage from the video feed covering the hours before Abby regained consciousness. Eric had examined the rest of the video from the Phantom's computer, isolating the relevant sections.
Gibbs was grateful that Callen had acted with discretion, as always, and had called Ducky direct. He knew Callen would try to protect Abby within the limits of what he could do with the evidence, doing his best to limit who saw the video, both in LA and DC. Before anybody else saw it, Ducky was going to take a look. One comforting thing Callen had told Ducky was that it wasn't rape, thank god… but neither was it pleasant.
The thought of what that bastard might have done to his Abby had acted like a bucket of cold water thrown over him.
So he dealt with the surge of strong emotion in the way he usually did… by retreating and pushing them down behind a barrier. It was the way he always coped. He just hoped that Abby wasn't now worried that he was somehow withdrawing from her after what they'd shared in her apartment.
He felt as frustrated as she did that they'd been interrupted just at that moment. Gibbs wanted to get them both into bed as much as Abby did. She wasn't the only one to find the last couple of days frustrating, to say the least. He'd found it difficult to hold back, struggling with his self control, trying to keep his hands mostly to himself.
He wanted nothing more than to take her to his bed and make love to her, worship her, explore every inch of that gorgeous body… and move this new and precious relationship forward.
Knowing how she felt about him and spending the past two nights in bed with her… especially last night in his own bed… had been both wonderful and complete torture. He'd loved having her sleep so trustingly in his arms and was thankful he'd been there when she'd been woken by her nightmares.
Keeping himself under a tight rein when she was so soft and warm and pliant in his arms had been… hell. His body had been shouting its protest at him… wanting much, much more than just holding Abby, especially as she smelled so damn good last night straight from the bath.
But he was not a man to put pressure on any woman when they were recovering from an ordeal. Nor was he someone who'd want sex if she was still feeling ill. He wanted Abby to be feeling physically better before they made love. Despite feeling like a randy teenager at the moment, he hoped he had more self control than that… he'd wait for whenever Abby was ready.
She seemed to be feeling better this morning and he was hatching a plan.
Once they'd got back to his house, he'd try and persuade her to rest again… suspecting she might fight him on that. But he reckoned that she would be feeling more tired than she'd anticipate after the visit to the Navy Yard and an understandably emotional reunion with the team. Then he was planning dinner and if she still felt okay, he'd follow that up with the massage he'd promised her.
And finally he was going to take her to bed and keep them there until neither of them could move.
He wanted this woman with an intense hunger he couldn't remember for a very long time, and it wasn't just the frustration of the situation. He was sure of that. He loved her, he'd nearly lost her and it was time to show her how he felt… both physically and mentally.
There was also a possessive streak in him that wanted to erase the memory of any other man's touch… and in particular, obliterate the thought of the Phantom's hands on her body… if he could.
He just had to keep repeating Ducky's words that it wasn't rape… it was the only way he could stay calm. But he knew there was a whole array of horrors that might make up what happened before that. Whatever the Phantom had done, his semen was on Abby's clothes and when he thought about how that was likely to have happened, he felt an almost blinding rage.
He knew he had to see the footage for himself, however difficult that would be.
Whether Ducky thought it would be okay for Abby to see it was another matter. He couldn't say anything in her apartment for fear she'd overhear him but when he saw the ME, he had to discuss it with him.
Gibbs' instinct was to not let her anywhere near it but he recognized that was his protective side coming out… his urge to shield her from everything. He needed Ducky. Not only would his friend know what was best for Abby but Gibbs knew that she would be more likely to listen to Ducky's opinion. She'd made it plain that she wanted to know what the Phantom had done to her while she was unconscious… how important it was to her. But was what she wanted wise for her?
Knowing what the Phantom had done and actually seeing it were two different things.
He tried to pull himself out of his grim thoughts as he navigated the morning traffic. Gibbs was concerned how quiet Abby was during the journey. She was staring out of the car window, lost in thought. "You okay, Abbs?"
Her next words startled him. "This was a day he never meant me to see."
He glanced over to see how miserable she looked. He cursed himself for being too lost in his own thoughts and not paying enough attention to her to pick up her change in mood. Hurriedly looking for a place to pull over, he pulled into a side street and turned to her, grasping her hand. "Abbs?"
She turned to face him, eyes suspiciously bright. "I was just thinking, Gibbs, how close I came to never seeing this place again, never seeing you again… or seeing everyone again, never seeing my lab again." She gripped his hand tightly and he saw a tear slip free. "That struck me last night when we arrived at your house but then I felt so bad, the thought slipped away. It crossed my mind just now… as we were driving along, looking at these familiar streets, thinking about where we're going. These were all things the Phantom never meant me to see again. That's a scary thought, Gibbs."
He tugged her towards him and tried to hold her as best he could from this awkward angle, his heart aching for her. "Oh, Abbs. You'll torture yourself if you start thinking like that. You survived and he's dead. Try and focus on that."
"I know and I am… really I am." She looked up at him, green eyes shimmering and he felt another surge of rage at the man who'd done this to her. "It's just that it suddenly hit me just how much I nearly lost."
Swallowing past the sudden lump in his own throat, "I know, Abbs."
"Sorry, I know I shouldn't get maudlin, Gibbs. I should be celebrating, shouldn't I?"
"And you will, we both will." He brushed his lips against her temple and buried his nose in her hair, trying to reassure her with his presence alone… it was all he had to offer.
"There's such a lot to celebrate," Abby leaned against him, "not least that we're together and I couldn't be happier about that, Gibbs, you know that, right?"
"Yeah, Abbs. I feel the same. But you've been through a lot the last few days. You can't expect to shrug it off just like that, it's gonna take time." He wasn't sure how much extra time it was going to take after dealing with this video footage, but it was hardly going to speed up her healing.
She sounded resigned, "I know."
"Are you sure you're up for this, Abbs? We could go home and you can see everyone another day." He wanted nothing more than to turn the car round, go home and lock them both away.
She gave him a soft smile. "No, it's okay. I really want to go in, I want to see everyone. I'm sure I'll feel okay when I get there. Come on, let's go and say hello and then we can go home."
TBC…
And just then Gibbs' cell started to ring…
They were so lost in each other that it took a few moments before the sound of the phone registered. Reluctantly pulling back from the kiss, Gibbs leaned his forehead against Abby's, trying to calm down and cursing inwardly at the interruption.
Abby too fought to catch her breath, groaning. "I just don't believe it. I swear to God it's a conspiracy."
Gibbs had to agree with her, rolling his eyes as he flipped open the phone, running his hand through his hair in frustration and snapping as he answered, "Yeah, Gibbs." He brushed his fingers along her jawline and his face relaxed as he registered the voice on the other end. "Hey, Duck."
He smiled at her and she pecked him on the cheek as she left the room. He watched her move away and continued. "Yeah, we're on our way in now."
Abby headed for the bathroom to finish packing a few things and to give him privacy to talk to Ducky. It took her a few minutes to find everything she wanted and when she came back, wondering if they were going to pick up where they left off, she was conscious that his face now looked more… guarded was the only way she could describe it.
He didn't say anything more but picked up her case and a couple of bags. Abby sighed and hefted the remaining bags, following him down to the car where they loaded everything inside. She decided to leave her hearse at her apartment, she could always collect it next week.
Abby turned to him as he opened her door, uncertainty creeping into her voice. "Are you okay, Gibbs?"
He reached up to cup her face with his hand. "Yeah, Abbs, just a bit frustrated from earlier. Ducky's call was bad timing."
She gave him a soft smile. "Me too. Just as long as it's nothing else?" She looked down, unable to meet his gaze in case she saw something there she didn't want to see. "You're not regretting anything, are you… about what we said… or what we did just now?"
Before she could continue, he'd crowded her against the side of the car and bent his head to give her a lingering, teasing kiss which made her pulse rate hike.
When Gibbs drew back, he gave her a lazy smile, "That answer your question, Abbs?"
She couldn't help a slow answering smile spreading across her face. "I think so."
"Only thing I regret is being interrupted." He hoped that would allay her concerns for the moment.
"What was Ducky calling about?" she asked, searching his eyes.
Kicking himself for drawing her attention to the call, he held her gaze, knowing he was about to lie, "Just checking we were comin' in. He's eager to see you. They all are."
There was more to it than that, Abby was sure of it but she knew that pushing him for an answer wouldn't work. Whatever they'd talked about, the call from Ducky had changed his mood. So she dropped it… for now. "Then let's go. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can go home again."
Feeling warmed that she would so readily refer to his house as home, he ushered her into the car and they set off for the Navy Yard.
Abby glanced across at him as he drove, still wondering what was bothering him. Despite the implicit promise behind that last kiss and his reassuring words, Abby knew that Gibbs found it difficult articulating his feelings. She was scared that he felt she'd somehow forced him into opening up… in the heat of the moment.
He was too quiet. Well, he was always quiet but quieter than normal. It looked like he'd retreated behind his usual mask, when even she found it difficult to read him.
Gibbs could sense her glances and saw how she fidgeted in her seat, a sure sign she was nervous or worried. She was bound to have picked up on his change of mood.
She knew him too well.
After the electric few minutes in her apartment where he tried to convey in actions what he found so hard to express in words, his only thought had been how far was it to the bedroom or whether the couch was nearer.
The call from Ducky had sobered him up… fast.
The ME was calling with the news that Callen had sent over the footage from the video feed covering the hours before Abby regained consciousness. Eric had examined the rest of the video from the Phantom's computer, isolating the relevant sections.
Gibbs was grateful that Callen had acted with discretion, as always, and had called Ducky direct. He knew Callen would try to protect Abby within the limits of what he could do with the evidence, doing his best to limit who saw the video, both in LA and DC. Before anybody else saw it, Ducky was going to take a look. One comforting thing Callen had told Ducky was that it wasn't rape, thank god… but neither was it pleasant.
The thought of what that bastard might have done to his Abby had acted like a bucket of cold water thrown over him.
So he dealt with the surge of strong emotion in the way he usually did… by retreating and pushing them down behind a barrier. It was the way he always coped. He just hoped that Abby wasn't now worried that he was somehow withdrawing from her after what they'd shared in her apartment.
He felt as frustrated as she did that they'd been interrupted just at that moment. Gibbs wanted to get them both into bed as much as Abby did. She wasn't the only one to find the last couple of days frustrating, to say the least. He'd found it difficult to hold back, struggling with his self control, trying to keep his hands mostly to himself.
He wanted nothing more than to take her to his bed and make love to her, worship her, explore every inch of that gorgeous body… and move this new and precious relationship forward.
Knowing how she felt about him and spending the past two nights in bed with her… especially last night in his own bed… had been both wonderful and complete torture. He'd loved having her sleep so trustingly in his arms and was thankful he'd been there when she'd been woken by her nightmares.
Keeping himself under a tight rein when she was so soft and warm and pliant in his arms had been… hell. His body had been shouting its protest at him… wanting much, much more than just holding Abby, especially as she smelled so damn good last night straight from the bath.
But he was not a man to put pressure on any woman when they were recovering from an ordeal. Nor was he someone who'd want sex if she was still feeling ill. He wanted Abby to be feeling physically better before they made love. Despite feeling like a randy teenager at the moment, he hoped he had more self control than that… he'd wait for whenever Abby was ready.
She seemed to be feeling better this morning and he was hatching a plan.
Once they'd got back to his house, he'd try and persuade her to rest again… suspecting she might fight him on that. But he reckoned that she would be feeling more tired than she'd anticipate after the visit to the Navy Yard and an understandably emotional reunion with the team. Then he was planning dinner and if she still felt okay, he'd follow that up with the massage he'd promised her.
And finally he was going to take her to bed and keep them there until neither of them could move.
He wanted this woman with an intense hunger he couldn't remember for a very long time, and it wasn't just the frustration of the situation. He was sure of that. He loved her, he'd nearly lost her and it was time to show her how he felt… both physically and mentally.
There was also a possessive streak in him that wanted to erase the memory of any other man's touch… and in particular, obliterate the thought of the Phantom's hands on her body… if he could.
He just had to keep repeating Ducky's words that it wasn't rape… it was the only way he could stay calm. But he knew there was a whole array of horrors that might make up what happened before that. Whatever the Phantom had done, his semen was on Abby's clothes and when he thought about how that was likely to have happened, he felt an almost blinding rage.
He knew he had to see the footage for himself, however difficult that would be.
Whether Ducky thought it would be okay for Abby to see it was another matter. He couldn't say anything in her apartment for fear she'd overhear him but when he saw the ME, he had to discuss it with him.
Gibbs' instinct was to not let her anywhere near it but he recognized that was his protective side coming out… his urge to shield her from everything. He needed Ducky. Not only would his friend know what was best for Abby but Gibbs knew that she would be more likely to listen to Ducky's opinion. She'd made it plain that she wanted to know what the Phantom had done to her while she was unconscious… how important it was to her. But was what she wanted wise for her?
Knowing what the Phantom had done and actually seeing it were two different things.
He tried to pull himself out of his grim thoughts as he navigated the morning traffic. Gibbs was concerned how quiet Abby was during the journey. She was staring out of the car window, lost in thought. "You okay, Abbs?"
Her next words startled him. "This was a day he never meant me to see."
He glanced over to see how miserable she looked. He cursed himself for being too lost in his own thoughts and not paying enough attention to her to pick up her change in mood. Hurriedly looking for a place to pull over, he pulled into a side street and turned to her, grasping her hand. "Abbs?"
She turned to face him, eyes suspiciously bright. "I was just thinking, Gibbs, how close I came to never seeing this place again, never seeing you again… or seeing everyone again, never seeing my lab again." She gripped his hand tightly and he saw a tear slip free. "That struck me last night when we arrived at your house but then I felt so bad, the thought slipped away. It crossed my mind just now… as we were driving along, looking at these familiar streets, thinking about where we're going. These were all things the Phantom never meant me to see again. That's a scary thought, Gibbs."
He tugged her towards him and tried to hold her as best he could from this awkward angle, his heart aching for her. "Oh, Abbs. You'll torture yourself if you start thinking like that. You survived and he's dead. Try and focus on that."
"I know and I am… really I am." She looked up at him, green eyes shimmering and he felt another surge of rage at the man who'd done this to her. "It's just that it suddenly hit me just how much I nearly lost."
Swallowing past the sudden lump in his own throat, "I know, Abbs."
"Sorry, I know I shouldn't get maudlin, Gibbs. I should be celebrating, shouldn't I?"
"And you will, we both will." He brushed his lips against her temple and buried his nose in her hair, trying to reassure her with his presence alone… it was all he had to offer.
"There's such a lot to celebrate," Abby leaned against him, "not least that we're together and I couldn't be happier about that, Gibbs, you know that, right?"
"Yeah, Abbs. I feel the same. But you've been through a lot the last few days. You can't expect to shrug it off just like that, it's gonna take time." He wasn't sure how much extra time it was going to take after dealing with this video footage, but it was hardly going to speed up her healing.
She sounded resigned, "I know."
"Are you sure you're up for this, Abbs? We could go home and you can see everyone another day." He wanted nothing more than to turn the car round, go home and lock them both away.
She gave him a soft smile. "No, it's okay. I really want to go in, I want to see everyone. I'm sure I'll feel okay when I get there. Come on, let's go and say hello and then we can go home."
TBC…