Confrontation
Abby turned back to their meal, trying to put all thoughts of Gibbs out of her mind - which was difficult because this was the last place she would have expected to run into him and her mind was busy trying to parse what he would be doing here and who the woman he was with could be. She had no claim on him, he was her boss, and what he did in his personal time was no business of hers even if she would like the situation to be otherwise.
Fornell had been taking Abby to dinner for a number of years, partly in the vain hope that she might leave NCIS to come and work for him but also partly because he enjoyed a meal in her company and an added bonus was that he could justify the occasional expensive meal with her on expenses. It had become a routine that they shared a dessert, aimless flirting notched up a ratchet or two as they shared a spoon and even fed each other a mouthful or two.
Gibbs' attention kept being drawn to Tobias and his date. There was something familiar about her, but the loose hair and evening dress conspired to confuse him, leaving a niggling familiarity that he couldn't quite place. He wasn't aware that Tobias had a girlfriend currently and was intrigued at the apparent intimacy as the FBI Agent shared a strawberry sundae with the woman opposite him - they had to know each other well to behave like that in public. Sadly while Gibbs' brain grasped for what he hadn't quite taken in about the situation across the restaurant from his table, he wasn't really paying adequate attention to his own companion.
It was only when Abby excused herself to go to the powder room once she and Fornell had finished their dessert, that Gibbs suddenly realised what had been niggling at him, why the woman had seemed more and more familiar. A shaft of what he refused to acknowledge as jealousy stabbed through him and he excused himself from his own table to follow Abby.
Abby left the bathroom with her attention on the purse she clutched, snapping it shut, so she didn't immediately spot Gibbs lurking in the darkened hallway, not until he grabbed her wrist far too tightly and pulled her round to face him. "What the hell are you doing here with Fornell?" he growled.
His expression was as menacing as she'd ever seen on him, though she wasn't accustomed to it being levelled at her. Years of reading the man came into play and she could sense a possessiveness to his anger. 'Well screw you mister, I might want it otherwise but you have no claim on me,' passed through her mind and before she could stop herself she'd slapped him across the face. He dropped her wrist and took a small step backward in response. She idly noted that he didn't put his hand up to where she had slapped him.
"Not that it's any of your business, but I get a free meal from the FBI every now and then in an effort to recruit me. You know all about it and you don't generally care, but if you are going to behave like this then perhaps I should consider the offer. Fornell is always a perfect gentleman, unlike you." With that Abby brushed past him to return to the table. Pausing to catch her breath after the angry outburst Gibbs had provoked - she didn't want Fornell to know about it and start asking questions.
Gibbs watched her return to her table, eyes narrowed thoughtfully. Only once she had gone did he allow himself to ruefully rub his jaw. 'O.K. Marine, that was a stellar performance.'
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