New NCIS Fic: Returning Not to Each Other
Title: Returning Not to Each Other
Fandom: NCIS
Characters: Gibbs, Abby
Spoilers: Escape
Prompt: #94 Independence
Word Count: 591
Rating: T
Summary: “No. That part of our relationship is over.”
Author's Notes: This is an AU, inspired in part by wiccagirl24’s wonderful Kelly!verse. In this ‘verse Emily Fornell is actually Emily Gibbs. I’m not sure about the voices in this one, they might be a little OOC.
Abby stood in the doorway to Emily’s room watching as Gibbs held his sleeping daughter. Their relationship was still extremely fractured, but he was back and he was back because he came home to protect her. They had made their first steps towards healing and becoming a family again.
He sensed her presence and looked up smiling. Carefully, he disentangled himself from Emily, climbing out of the bed. Slipping the door closed, he met her in the hall, “Hey.”
“You really are back, aren’t you?”
When he nodded she wrapped her arms around his neck in a fierce hug. He returned the hug, but when she felt his hands sliding towards her ass and his lips nearing her neck, she pulled back, “No. That part of our relationship is over.”
Gibbs looked confused, “What?”
She knew that he would follow her as she moved away from Emily’s door and through the house. They finally stopped in the basement where so many of their important conversations had happened. Sitting on his workbench, she finally spoke, “When you left we were friend, colleagues and lovers. And I was happy, so very happy. Then you left and my world got knocked out from under me. In the first two months you were gone, the only time I smiled was when I was with that little girl upstairs. Gradually, for the last two months, I’m started finding myself again and I’ve learned to smile again. So, because I love my job and I love Em, we can go back to be colleagues and friends, but I can’t be your lover, Gibbs. I can’t lose myself like that again.”
“Abby,” he moved cautiously towards her, “I love you. I’ve always loved you. Part of the reason I left was because I loved you like I loved… like…”
“Shannon. It’s okay to say her name, Gibbs. And I love you, too. I just can’t do this.”
“Why?”
She reached out and ran her fingers through his hair, “Because I lost myself in you. I can’t do that. I need my independence; I need to know who I am and be me. When I’m with you… It’s like you fill up my soul and no part of me is left.”
“That’s because you’re in me. Your soul, your very being is in me. Abby, please, think about this. You wanted me to come back,” his hands went to her waist.
She reached down and removed his hands from her body, but held onto them tightly, “Because I needed my friend. Gibbs, I’ll always love you, but I can’t lose myself like that again. I don’t think I could find myself again, the next time you left.”
“Abs, there isn’t going to be a next time, I promise.”
She shook her head, “You can’t promise that. What if one of those bullets out there does have your name on it? You’re older than me and statistically women live longer than men. One way or another, you will leave again.”
“Abby, I tried this. I tried living without you cause I was afraid of losing you. I couldn’t do it,” he freed a hand from her grasp to cup her face.
For a moment she closed her eyes and leaned into his touch. Slowly, she opened her eyes and peered at him, “But this is different. We won’t be living without each other, we’ll still be friends. Best friends. Please, Gibbs, tell me we’ll be friends.”
“Always,” he whispered his voice growing husky.
She wrapped her arms around him, “Always.”
Fandom: NCIS
Characters: Gibbs, Abby
Spoilers: Escape
Prompt: #94 Independence
Word Count: 591
Rating: T
Summary: “No. That part of our relationship is over.”
Author's Notes: This is an AU, inspired in part by wiccagirl24’s wonderful Kelly!verse. In this ‘verse Emily Fornell is actually Emily Gibbs. I’m not sure about the voices in this one, they might be a little OOC.
Abby stood in the doorway to Emily’s room watching as Gibbs held his sleeping daughter. Their relationship was still extremely fractured, but he was back and he was back because he came home to protect her. They had made their first steps towards healing and becoming a family again.
He sensed her presence and looked up smiling. Carefully, he disentangled himself from Emily, climbing out of the bed. Slipping the door closed, he met her in the hall, “Hey.”
“You really are back, aren’t you?”
When he nodded she wrapped her arms around his neck in a fierce hug. He returned the hug, but when she felt his hands sliding towards her ass and his lips nearing her neck, she pulled back, “No. That part of our relationship is over.”
Gibbs looked confused, “What?”
She knew that he would follow her as she moved away from Emily’s door and through the house. They finally stopped in the basement where so many of their important conversations had happened. Sitting on his workbench, she finally spoke, “When you left we were friend, colleagues and lovers. And I was happy, so very happy. Then you left and my world got knocked out from under me. In the first two months you were gone, the only time I smiled was when I was with that little girl upstairs. Gradually, for the last two months, I’m started finding myself again and I’ve learned to smile again. So, because I love my job and I love Em, we can go back to be colleagues and friends, but I can’t be your lover, Gibbs. I can’t lose myself like that again.”
“Abby,” he moved cautiously towards her, “I love you. I’ve always loved you. Part of the reason I left was because I loved you like I loved… like…”
“Shannon. It’s okay to say her name, Gibbs. And I love you, too. I just can’t do this.”
“Why?”
She reached out and ran her fingers through his hair, “Because I lost myself in you. I can’t do that. I need my independence; I need to know who I am and be me. When I’m with you… It’s like you fill up my soul and no part of me is left.”
“That’s because you’re in me. Your soul, your very being is in me. Abby, please, think about this. You wanted me to come back,” his hands went to her waist.
She reached down and removed his hands from her body, but held onto them tightly, “Because I needed my friend. Gibbs, I’ll always love you, but I can’t lose myself like that again. I don’t think I could find myself again, the next time you left.”
“Abs, there isn’t going to be a next time, I promise.”
She shook her head, “You can’t promise that. What if one of those bullets out there does have your name on it? You’re older than me and statistically women live longer than men. One way or another, you will leave again.”
“Abby, I tried this. I tried living without you cause I was afraid of losing you. I couldn’t do it,” he freed a hand from her grasp to cup her face.
For a moment she closed her eyes and leaned into his touch. Slowly, she opened her eyes and peered at him, “But this is different. We won’t be living without each other, we’ll still be friends. Best friends. Please, Gibbs, tell me we’ll be friends.”
“Always,” he whispered his voice growing husky.
She wrapped her arms around him, “Always.”