"New" by Ami Ven
Title: New
Author: Ami Ven
Rating: G
Word Count: 573
Character(s): team, focusing on Abby
Summary: The team try to figure out what's wrong with Abby when the lab is silent for a day. Sometimes, new things can be scary.
When McGee walked into Abby’s lab, carrying the first batch of evidence from their newest case, the room was silent. He almost thought it was empty, as well, until he saw the forensic scientist sitting at her desk.
“Abby?” he asked, hesitantly.
She looked up. “Hey, McGee. Is that new evidence?”
“What?” He remembered the plastic bags he carried and passed them to her. “Oh, right. Abby… are you okay?”
“Sure,” she said, moving around the table and beginning to sort through the evidence. She caught him still looking at her and frowned. “I’m fine, McGee. Really.”
“All right,” he said. McGee decided not to push it; when Abby was ready, she’d talk to someone- but that didn’t mean he couldn’t keep an eye on her. “I’m supposed to be checking the petty officer’s phone records. Can I use your computer?”
Ten minutes later, Tony and Ziva arrived, with more evidence. “Hey, Probie,” Tony began, “have you seen… Abs?”
Abby hopped down from her stool and began processing the things he had brought. “Hey, Tony,” she said.
“Where is your music, Abby?” Ziva asked. Even she sounded a little worried. “Are you feeling well?”
“I’m fine, really,” the Goth assured her. “Just don’t feel like music today.”
Tony glanced over her shoulder at McGee, who gave him a shrug in return. “Sure, Abs,” he said. “Gibbs wants this all processed ASAP.”
Abby’s smile was almost as bright as usual. “And that’s what I’ll do.”
He glanced sideways at her and opened his mouth to say something, but Ziva elbowed him sharply in the side. “We will leave you to it, Abby,” she said.
They left, and the lab fell silent again. McGee, still checking through their victim’s files, kept shooting glances at Abby, but she did not look up.
“What’cha got, Abs?” asked a voice from the doorway. Gibbs appeared in the lab, Tony and Ziva right behind him.
Abby stopped short, warily eyeing the brightly-colored plastic cup in Gibbs’s hand.
He stared at her. “What’s the matter, Abs?”
She hesitated. “It’s… it’s… you really do need glasses, Gibbs.”
Gibbs continued to stare, and she went on.
“It’s the caf-pow!, Gibbs!” Abby took the cup from him, holding it far enough away that he could read the multi-colored label. “New formula,” Abby said, repeating the two new words found above the ‘caf-pow!’ name. “New formula, Gibbs! It’s not right, it’s not normal. Caf-pow! should taste like… like caf-pow! And I know, it’ll have the same caffeine, and most of the same stuff, but it’s not the same!”
“That’s what this is about?” Tony burst out, only to be treated to one of Gibbs’s famous glares. “Shutting up, boss.”
“Did you taste it?” Gibbs asked, turning back to Abby.
She had the grace to look sheepish. “No…”
He took the cup back and held it out, the straw tipped toward her. “Don’t knock it ‘til you try it, Abs.”
Still looking unconvinced, Abby leaned forward and took a long sip through the straw. Her eyes widened, and she practically beamed at Gibbs. “It tastes the same!” she cried happily, taking the plastic cup from him with an icy jingle. “Well, maybe not exactly the same, but good enough. And the label says they’ve added more caffeine, too…”
“So the new caf-pow! is okay?” asked McGee.
Abby smiled. “I was being silly, wasn’t I?”
Gibbs leaned over to kiss her cheek. “What else is new?”
THE END
Author: Ami Ven
Rating: G
Word Count: 573
Character(s): team, focusing on Abby
Summary: The team try to figure out what's wrong with Abby when the lab is silent for a day. Sometimes, new things can be scary.
When McGee walked into Abby’s lab, carrying the first batch of evidence from their newest case, the room was silent. He almost thought it was empty, as well, until he saw the forensic scientist sitting at her desk.
“Abby?” he asked, hesitantly.
She looked up. “Hey, McGee. Is that new evidence?”
“What?” He remembered the plastic bags he carried and passed them to her. “Oh, right. Abby… are you okay?”
“Sure,” she said, moving around the table and beginning to sort through the evidence. She caught him still looking at her and frowned. “I’m fine, McGee. Really.”
“All right,” he said. McGee decided not to push it; when Abby was ready, she’d talk to someone- but that didn’t mean he couldn’t keep an eye on her. “I’m supposed to be checking the petty officer’s phone records. Can I use your computer?”
Ten minutes later, Tony and Ziva arrived, with more evidence. “Hey, Probie,” Tony began, “have you seen… Abs?”
Abby hopped down from her stool and began processing the things he had brought. “Hey, Tony,” she said.
“Where is your music, Abby?” Ziva asked. Even she sounded a little worried. “Are you feeling well?”
“I’m fine, really,” the Goth assured her. “Just don’t feel like music today.”
Tony glanced over her shoulder at McGee, who gave him a shrug in return. “Sure, Abs,” he said. “Gibbs wants this all processed ASAP.”
Abby’s smile was almost as bright as usual. “And that’s what I’ll do.”
He glanced sideways at her and opened his mouth to say something, but Ziva elbowed him sharply in the side. “We will leave you to it, Abby,” she said.
They left, and the lab fell silent again. McGee, still checking through their victim’s files, kept shooting glances at Abby, but she did not look up.
“What’cha got, Abs?” asked a voice from the doorway. Gibbs appeared in the lab, Tony and Ziva right behind him.
Abby stopped short, warily eyeing the brightly-colored plastic cup in Gibbs’s hand.
He stared at her. “What’s the matter, Abs?”
She hesitated. “It’s… it’s… you really do need glasses, Gibbs.”
Gibbs continued to stare, and she went on.
“It’s the caf-pow!, Gibbs!” Abby took the cup from him, holding it far enough away that he could read the multi-colored label. “New formula,” Abby said, repeating the two new words found above the ‘caf-pow!’ name. “New formula, Gibbs! It’s not right, it’s not normal. Caf-pow! should taste like… like caf-pow! And I know, it’ll have the same caffeine, and most of the same stuff, but it’s not the same!”
“That’s what this is about?” Tony burst out, only to be treated to one of Gibbs’s famous glares. “Shutting up, boss.”
“Did you taste it?” Gibbs asked, turning back to Abby.
She had the grace to look sheepish. “No…”
He took the cup back and held it out, the straw tipped toward her. “Don’t knock it ‘til you try it, Abs.”
Still looking unconvinced, Abby leaned forward and took a long sip through the straw. Her eyes widened, and she practically beamed at Gibbs. “It tastes the same!” she cried happily, taking the plastic cup from him with an icy jingle. “Well, maybe not exactly the same, but good enough. And the label says they’ve added more caffeine, too…”
“So the new caf-pow! is okay?” asked McGee.
Abby smiled. “I was being silly, wasn’t I?”
Gibbs leaned over to kiss her cheek. “What else is new?”
THE END