(no subject)
I ummed and ahhed about the end of this story for a while, but found that I'd done all I could.
Abby and Gibbs fight over what should be done with Kelly the boat.
“Are you sure about this?”
Gibbs looked up from tyre of the car to Abby, who stood shivering beside the rear-view mirror. She was rugged up in a long black coat that fell to her knees, its large, sixties-like circular shaped collars tucked up against her neck to keep out the cold. Large red buttons as big as his palm dotted the middle, matching the red wooly scarf that wound around and around her neck before tumbling down her front to her knees. As soon as he’d said the word beach, she’d shucked off her boots and, to his surprise, pulled out a sensible pair of shoes that he hadn’t known she held in her possession. The only thing that screamed ‘Abby’ were the fishnet stockings that poked out from below the coat, although they were closely woven, offering protection against the wind that screamed and bit.
“It’s really cold, Gibbs.”
She jumped up and down on the spot a bit, rubbing her hands together before grabbing onto the ends of her scarf and wrapping them around her fingers.
Deciding that the tyre was in tact, Gibbs looked at Lila in the backseat. Abby had gone overboard, and the little girl, who was currently asleep in her car-seat looked remarkably like a starfish, her head, arms and legs all rugged up in a fluffy dark blue jacket. She couldn’t quite bend any of her limbs to their full extent, but she looked comfy nonetheless. Abby had been calling her Maggie Simpson all morning and Gibbs had the feeling it was another television reference he just didn’t get.
“You can stay here with Lil. Probably best not to take her out in this weather anyway.”
She shook her head in disagreement, but her eyes looked longingly at the car. With a clap and a flash in the distance, thick fat droplets started to pelt down from the sky, large rounded heavy grey clouds rolling around above them. Exasperatedly, she lifted an eye to the sky, her head tilted to the side and her teeth chattering.
“Get in the car. I’ll only be ten minutes.” Tiny shiny pebbles that gave way to the sand closer to the water crunched under his feet as he made his way towards her. Hands on her arms, he rubbed up and down, helping the circulation and creating warmth from friction. Her fringe was already starting to flatten against her forehead, so he pushed it to the side. Leaning forward, he pressed his nose against her cheek.
“Your nose is cold.”
Gibbs raised an eyebrow. “Your cheek is cold.” Slipping a hand behind her, he reached for the door handle and opened it, pushing her gently inside.
Shutting the door, he knocked on the window once to say goodbye before making his way down to the water. To the right of the car, the land rose up; creating a cliff face that fell to the sand. Just as he was about to start descending the rickety rotten wooden stairs the crept down the side, he heard a tapping noise. Turning, he was able to make out Abby signing at him.
“Don’t trip. Don’t go in the water. It’s dusk and that’s when sharks feed.”
He laughed, but signed back.
. . . .
Abby had the bed covers pulled over her head when Gibbs knelt onto the mattress. Tugging them from her reluctant grip, he slid underneath them. When her head still didn’t appear, he shuffled down slightly, and feeling utterly ridiculous pulled the covers over his head too.
“Hey,” was whispered against his cheek. “I’m so cold. Why don’t you ever get cold?”
He tugged her against him, the flannel of her black pyjamas with beakers and test-tubes over them smooth in his hands. “All the coffee.”
She laughed softly, her teeth chattering as she stuck her hands into the pockets of his sweats. “You’re so nice and warm.” She wriggled, reveling in the warmth
He paused for a second, before shifting his legs slightly. She was too tired for sex, and if he didn’t get control of himself early in the game, he might not altogether.
Abby shuffled closer, chasing his body heat and he really wished she wouldn’t. “Gibbs.”
Something about her nervous tone put him on edge.
“What was today about?”
He’d been true to his word, and only taken ten minutes to scout the beach out before returning, putting another blanket over Lila and driving home. He hadn’t offered any explanations and Abby hadn’t asked, because she wasn’t sure where the conversation would take them and what decibel it would unfold in, and Lila was still asleep in the back.
“I’ve been thinking it’s time to get rid of the boat.”
He felt the flutter of Abby’s eyelashes against his jaw.
“I usually burn them at the beach. I was checking out the tide.”
A hand withdrew from his pockets to finger the lettering on his sweater nervously. “You know, I’ve been thinking...why don’t you keep this one?” The image of the word ‘Kelly’ painted on the side of a lovely wooden boat was vivid in her mind.
Gibbs rolled back slightly, tension in his muscles. “This is the way it works. I make them and I burn them.”
She traced the N of NIS with her index finger. “I know, but maybe this one you can keep.”
“This isn’t a debate.” There was something dark in his voice.
With a dash, she flicked the line of the I. “I know…I just thought…” she trailed off, following the curves of the S. “I just thought you might regret burning this one.”
He rolled away roughly, pulling the covers down over both his head and hers, ignoring her shivers.
“You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”
. . . .
Abby woke up to the feel of warm breath against her throat and fingers skirting the elastic of her pants. Eyes blinking open, she eventually focused and looked straight up into blue ones staring down at her from above.
He lowered himself down, but still didn’t touch her body, his lips hovering over hers hesitantly. Gibbs was never hesitant about anything, especially kissing her, but she’d learnt that when he waited for her permission to do something, it meant he was asking for forgiveness. His fingers moved along respectable, decent areas of her belly, waiting to see if they were allowed to trace lower.
Casting an arm out behind him, he reached for the blanket and pulled them over his head, recreating the way she’d had them before he’d tugged them down in his anger.
She smiled, looking him in the eyes with a peaceful glance and he smiled back, his unspoken thank you. Adjusting the angle of his knees, he lowered himself down to her, pushing her into the mattress.
Some time later, he lay on his side next to her. She had her hands out in front of her, propping the covers up in a tent-like fashion above them. “Now I’m warm,” her arms dropped down and the covers settled around them, “and lazy.”
Her bonelessness sent a boyish pride swirling around him.
In the dark, he reached for her and tugged her to him, her back pressed to his chest. Her skin was warm and damp. “You’re right about the boat. I do want to keep this one.”
“It’s your boat, Gibbs. You do what you want with it. What does your gut tell you?”
“To trust you.”
He couldn’t see it in the dark, but he knew she was smiling.
. . . .
“I’d trust Tony with a gun to my temple. I’m just not sure I trust him to watch out for small fingers and power sockets.”
Again, Gibbs looked up from the tyre, but Abby was at the back of the car this time beside the boat in the trailer. It sat wrapped in a couple of old sheets, winched in between some old wooden blocks, but its shape was recognizable nonetheless.
“Ducky’ll be there in the afternoon, Abs. Lila will be in safe hands.”
Abby looked skeptical, but nodded. The weather was remarkably warmer than their adventure the week before, so she only had a red tank top and black pants on. Stooping, she rolled them up to below her knees, old red high-tops digging into the pebbles and gravel.
“Ok, let’s do this.” She looked at him and he nodded. Bunching material in his grip, he tugged. The sheets slipped off the boat, fluttering in the wind off the water.
“We’re going to have to line it up a bit more.” She rounded the car and hopped into the driver’s seat. He heard the gears change and the wheels crunch in the gravel. Slowly, she began reversing, her head out the window as she looked behind her as he directed her. Years of riding four on the floor with Bubba riding shotgun had obviously paid off, because with little effort and excellent clutch control the trailer was lined up.
Hopping out again, she climbed onto the back of the trailer, just small enough to fit between the edges and the boat. She waited for him to line the ramp up from the trailer to the ground. “I’m going to release the chains at the back, ok?”
“Yeah, ok.”
Scurrying around, she loosened the restraints on the boat before coming around to join him. Tying her hair up into a simple pony-tail, she wiped her hands on her pants and smiled at him.
“You’re tough as nails, Abs.”
She swung up onto the back of the trailer, reaching to let down the barrier at the back. “Should have joined the Marines, eh?” Unhooking the locks, she opened the barrier. Jumping down again, they began to pull the boat; made easy by the wheeled brace they’d sat it on, aligning it with the tracks on the ramp. Gently guiding it down the ramp until it splashed into the water, they stood back to watch it as it settled.
Abby laughed, an infectious noise that made his stomach constrict happily. “Oh my god, Gibbs! It floats.”
Gibbs raised an eyebrow at her. “Did you think it wouldn’t? Or do I need to explain the concept of a boat to you?”
She cleared her throat. “Excuse me? If anybody understands fluid dynamics here, it’s me. I’m the scientist, remember? I had to keep pausing and explaining Numb3rs to you last week.”
Laughing, she waded out into the water, rubbing the paint of the name gently before peering into the boat. “No flooding either. Fluid dynamics; me, carpentry; you. Together, we can rule the world!”
Rolling his eyes, he wrapped his arms around her waist and hoisted her up. She shrieked, but quickly crawled over the edge. Right behind her, he pushed up and hooked his legs over the side, getting into the boat quickly and easily in one fluid movement. Years in the Marine Corps meant he knew how to get into a boat.
Her expression caught his eye; it was one of complete awe. She was running her hands over the wood of the bench she was sitting on, opposite his. Reaching out slowly, she touched the side of the boat, her fingers sliding over the smooth coated wood. He'd put in a floor a few feet from the top of the boat, and two benches spanned the width of it. A hatch led down into a compartment underneath.
“It’s so beautiful.”
He shrugged. “Hard work.” He turned to catch the ignition on the engine he’d installed a few days before, starting it up with a rumble and a growl. It started off slowly, grumbling slightly as it fought against the water, but quickly leveled out, picking up speed. As they rounded out of the bay, Abby fished a big clip out of her pocket and pinned the longer strands of her fringe back.
Once they were a good way out, he slowed the engine, letting them drift quietly. Abby was a little unsteady at first, the sways of the boat feeling worse than they were. Once she’d learnt to trust how far the boat could tip from side to side, she knelt by the edge, staring into the water.
Her expression reminded him of Lila, her eyes wide as she took absolutely everything in. She was exceptionally observant. Hesitantly, she reached out and dipped her fingers into the water. The grin on her face could have powered the boat to Australia.
Eventually, she sat back, rubbing her hands on her pants. “I can’t believe you built this.”
He shrugged again. “Well, you build computers.”
She laughed. “Not since Lila was born. That’s not like this though.”
“I’m just glad I didn’t burn it.” A silent thank you.
She smiled warmly. A silent you’re welcome. “I can’t wait till we can take Lila out! I want her to be able to swim.”
She scurried over to sit beside him on his bench. He slung his arm around her shoulders, tucking her close.
I went to the International Air Show out in Avalon, and I have found my calling; to travel the world and see airshows. My aim at the moment is to see the Royal International Air Tattoo in England, RAF Fairford. I have pictures if anybody is interested in planes. There were F-16s, F/A-18s, F-111s, C-17s, Caribous, Hercules. The only thing is that I got BURNT yesterday and now my face resembles in both colour and texture a crustacean.
Abby and Gibbs fight over what should be done with Kelly the boat.
“Are you sure about this?”
Gibbs looked up from tyre of the car to Abby, who stood shivering beside the rear-view mirror. She was rugged up in a long black coat that fell to her knees, its large, sixties-like circular shaped collars tucked up against her neck to keep out the cold. Large red buttons as big as his palm dotted the middle, matching the red wooly scarf that wound around and around her neck before tumbling down her front to her knees. As soon as he’d said the word beach, she’d shucked off her boots and, to his surprise, pulled out a sensible pair of shoes that he hadn’t known she held in her possession. The only thing that screamed ‘Abby’ were the fishnet stockings that poked out from below the coat, although they were closely woven, offering protection against the wind that screamed and bit.
“It’s really cold, Gibbs.”
She jumped up and down on the spot a bit, rubbing her hands together before grabbing onto the ends of her scarf and wrapping them around her fingers.
Deciding that the tyre was in tact, Gibbs looked at Lila in the backseat. Abby had gone overboard, and the little girl, who was currently asleep in her car-seat looked remarkably like a starfish, her head, arms and legs all rugged up in a fluffy dark blue jacket. She couldn’t quite bend any of her limbs to their full extent, but she looked comfy nonetheless. Abby had been calling her Maggie Simpson all morning and Gibbs had the feeling it was another television reference he just didn’t get.
“You can stay here with Lil. Probably best not to take her out in this weather anyway.”
She shook her head in disagreement, but her eyes looked longingly at the car. With a clap and a flash in the distance, thick fat droplets started to pelt down from the sky, large rounded heavy grey clouds rolling around above them. Exasperatedly, she lifted an eye to the sky, her head tilted to the side and her teeth chattering.
“Get in the car. I’ll only be ten minutes.” Tiny shiny pebbles that gave way to the sand closer to the water crunched under his feet as he made his way towards her. Hands on her arms, he rubbed up and down, helping the circulation and creating warmth from friction. Her fringe was already starting to flatten against her forehead, so he pushed it to the side. Leaning forward, he pressed his nose against her cheek.
“Your nose is cold.”
Gibbs raised an eyebrow. “Your cheek is cold.” Slipping a hand behind her, he reached for the door handle and opened it, pushing her gently inside.
Shutting the door, he knocked on the window once to say goodbye before making his way down to the water. To the right of the car, the land rose up; creating a cliff face that fell to the sand. Just as he was about to start descending the rickety rotten wooden stairs the crept down the side, he heard a tapping noise. Turning, he was able to make out Abby signing at him.
“Don’t trip. Don’t go in the water. It’s dusk and that’s when sharks feed.”
He laughed, but signed back.
. . . .
Abby had the bed covers pulled over her head when Gibbs knelt onto the mattress. Tugging them from her reluctant grip, he slid underneath them. When her head still didn’t appear, he shuffled down slightly, and feeling utterly ridiculous pulled the covers over his head too.
“Hey,” was whispered against his cheek. “I’m so cold. Why don’t you ever get cold?”
He tugged her against him, the flannel of her black pyjamas with beakers and test-tubes over them smooth in his hands. “All the coffee.”
She laughed softly, her teeth chattering as she stuck her hands into the pockets of his sweats. “You’re so nice and warm.” She wriggled, reveling in the warmth
He paused for a second, before shifting his legs slightly. She was too tired for sex, and if he didn’t get control of himself early in the game, he might not altogether.
Abby shuffled closer, chasing his body heat and he really wished she wouldn’t. “Gibbs.”
Something about her nervous tone put him on edge.
“What was today about?”
He’d been true to his word, and only taken ten minutes to scout the beach out before returning, putting another blanket over Lila and driving home. He hadn’t offered any explanations and Abby hadn’t asked, because she wasn’t sure where the conversation would take them and what decibel it would unfold in, and Lila was still asleep in the back.
“I’ve been thinking it’s time to get rid of the boat.”
He felt the flutter of Abby’s eyelashes against his jaw.
“I usually burn them at the beach. I was checking out the tide.”
A hand withdrew from his pockets to finger the lettering on his sweater nervously. “You know, I’ve been thinking...why don’t you keep this one?” The image of the word ‘Kelly’ painted on the side of a lovely wooden boat was vivid in her mind.
Gibbs rolled back slightly, tension in his muscles. “This is the way it works. I make them and I burn them.”
She traced the N of NIS with her index finger. “I know, but maybe this one you can keep.”
“This isn’t a debate.” There was something dark in his voice.
With a dash, she flicked the line of the I. “I know…I just thought…” she trailed off, following the curves of the S. “I just thought you might regret burning this one.”
He rolled away roughly, pulling the covers down over both his head and hers, ignoring her shivers.
“You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.”
. . . .
Abby woke up to the feel of warm breath against her throat and fingers skirting the elastic of her pants. Eyes blinking open, she eventually focused and looked straight up into blue ones staring down at her from above.
He lowered himself down, but still didn’t touch her body, his lips hovering over hers hesitantly. Gibbs was never hesitant about anything, especially kissing her, but she’d learnt that when he waited for her permission to do something, it meant he was asking for forgiveness. His fingers moved along respectable, decent areas of her belly, waiting to see if they were allowed to trace lower.
Casting an arm out behind him, he reached for the blanket and pulled them over his head, recreating the way she’d had them before he’d tugged them down in his anger.
She smiled, looking him in the eyes with a peaceful glance and he smiled back, his unspoken thank you. Adjusting the angle of his knees, he lowered himself down to her, pushing her into the mattress.
Some time later, he lay on his side next to her. She had her hands out in front of her, propping the covers up in a tent-like fashion above them. “Now I’m warm,” her arms dropped down and the covers settled around them, “and lazy.”
Her bonelessness sent a boyish pride swirling around him.
In the dark, he reached for her and tugged her to him, her back pressed to his chest. Her skin was warm and damp. “You’re right about the boat. I do want to keep this one.”
“It’s your boat, Gibbs. You do what you want with it. What does your gut tell you?”
“To trust you.”
He couldn’t see it in the dark, but he knew she was smiling.
. . . .
“I’d trust Tony with a gun to my temple. I’m just not sure I trust him to watch out for small fingers and power sockets.”
Again, Gibbs looked up from the tyre, but Abby was at the back of the car this time beside the boat in the trailer. It sat wrapped in a couple of old sheets, winched in between some old wooden blocks, but its shape was recognizable nonetheless.
“Ducky’ll be there in the afternoon, Abs. Lila will be in safe hands.”
Abby looked skeptical, but nodded. The weather was remarkably warmer than their adventure the week before, so she only had a red tank top and black pants on. Stooping, she rolled them up to below her knees, old red high-tops digging into the pebbles and gravel.
“Ok, let’s do this.” She looked at him and he nodded. Bunching material in his grip, he tugged. The sheets slipped off the boat, fluttering in the wind off the water.
“We’re going to have to line it up a bit more.” She rounded the car and hopped into the driver’s seat. He heard the gears change and the wheels crunch in the gravel. Slowly, she began reversing, her head out the window as she looked behind her as he directed her. Years of riding four on the floor with Bubba riding shotgun had obviously paid off, because with little effort and excellent clutch control the trailer was lined up.
Hopping out again, she climbed onto the back of the trailer, just small enough to fit between the edges and the boat. She waited for him to line the ramp up from the trailer to the ground. “I’m going to release the chains at the back, ok?”
“Yeah, ok.”
Scurrying around, she loosened the restraints on the boat before coming around to join him. Tying her hair up into a simple pony-tail, she wiped her hands on her pants and smiled at him.
“You’re tough as nails, Abs.”
She swung up onto the back of the trailer, reaching to let down the barrier at the back. “Should have joined the Marines, eh?” Unhooking the locks, she opened the barrier. Jumping down again, they began to pull the boat; made easy by the wheeled brace they’d sat it on, aligning it with the tracks on the ramp. Gently guiding it down the ramp until it splashed into the water, they stood back to watch it as it settled.
Abby laughed, an infectious noise that made his stomach constrict happily. “Oh my god, Gibbs! It floats.”
Gibbs raised an eyebrow at her. “Did you think it wouldn’t? Or do I need to explain the concept of a boat to you?”
She cleared her throat. “Excuse me? If anybody understands fluid dynamics here, it’s me. I’m the scientist, remember? I had to keep pausing and explaining Numb3rs to you last week.”
Laughing, she waded out into the water, rubbing the paint of the name gently before peering into the boat. “No flooding either. Fluid dynamics; me, carpentry; you. Together, we can rule the world!”
Rolling his eyes, he wrapped his arms around her waist and hoisted her up. She shrieked, but quickly crawled over the edge. Right behind her, he pushed up and hooked his legs over the side, getting into the boat quickly and easily in one fluid movement. Years in the Marine Corps meant he knew how to get into a boat.
Her expression caught his eye; it was one of complete awe. She was running her hands over the wood of the bench she was sitting on, opposite his. Reaching out slowly, she touched the side of the boat, her fingers sliding over the smooth coated wood. He'd put in a floor a few feet from the top of the boat, and two benches spanned the width of it. A hatch led down into a compartment underneath.
“It’s so beautiful.”
He shrugged. “Hard work.” He turned to catch the ignition on the engine he’d installed a few days before, starting it up with a rumble and a growl. It started off slowly, grumbling slightly as it fought against the water, but quickly leveled out, picking up speed. As they rounded out of the bay, Abby fished a big clip out of her pocket and pinned the longer strands of her fringe back.
Once they were a good way out, he slowed the engine, letting them drift quietly. Abby was a little unsteady at first, the sways of the boat feeling worse than they were. Once she’d learnt to trust how far the boat could tip from side to side, she knelt by the edge, staring into the water.
Her expression reminded him of Lila, her eyes wide as she took absolutely everything in. She was exceptionally observant. Hesitantly, she reached out and dipped her fingers into the water. The grin on her face could have powered the boat to Australia.
Eventually, she sat back, rubbing her hands on her pants. “I can’t believe you built this.”
He shrugged again. “Well, you build computers.”
She laughed. “Not since Lila was born. That’s not like this though.”
“I’m just glad I didn’t burn it.” A silent thank you.
She smiled warmly. A silent you’re welcome. “I can’t wait till we can take Lila out! I want her to be able to swim.”
She scurried over to sit beside him on his bench. He slung his arm around her shoulders, tucking her close.
I went to the International Air Show out in Avalon, and I have found my calling; to travel the world and see airshows. My aim at the moment is to see the Royal International Air Tattoo in England, RAF Fairford. I have pictures if anybody is interested in planes. There were F-16s, F/A-18s, F-111s, C-17s, Caribous, Hercules. The only thing is that I got BURNT yesterday and now my face resembles in both colour and texture a crustacean.