"You show me yours, I'll show you mine."

That had been the deal. A deal Kate hadn't expected either of them would follow through on, and she certainly hadn't expected it would lead them here... but here they were.

Abby was asleep. Her black dyed hair lose and covering the pillow, and Kate's arm where her head rested. It was hard to picture the normally bouncy lab tech as being so still... so innocent in sleep.

Kate could still feel the sweat drying on her skin, and felt the smile on her face as she dropped a gentle kiss on Abby's head.

Abby murmured in her sleep but didn't seem inclined to wake up, instead just snuggling in closer to Kate's side, causing her to wince a little as Abby's arm rested over her hip.

It was still tender, the memory of an afternoon the week before spent in the tattoo parlour all too clear, but the smile on Abby's face when Kate had finally uncovered the small tattoo, a tasteful rose design, wound around the letter A... nothing large or overt... but Abby's face had lit up like the fourth of July.

Kate felt the small amount of pain well worth the look, and what came after.


The deal to 'show' had been made in the early days, when Kate had been at NCIS barely long enough to warm the seat of her chair, had mostly been a joke, but too many hours and too little sleep, and a few glasses of wine too many when Abby had shown up on her door step one night... had led to much more than the showing of tattoos, tattoos that Kate didn't even have anymore...

Abby had been her usual and bouncy self, even given the fact that it was well after midnight and they both had a 7am start in the morning. Why she'd come over Kate couldn't even remember now... it wasn't that important anyway, but when Abby reissued her challenge, Kate had admitted that she'd had her tattoo removed.

Abby's pout was so damn... pouty... and provocative, and Kate had been tired, and a little tipsy, and it had been a damn long time since she'd been with a woman, but when she quite unexpectedly found herself lying on her bed Abby under her, the black fair fanning on her comforter, and her body naked, and shining with sweat... well it was like riding a bike, and Kate remembered how, just how to touch, and taste, and search out all those little places that made a woman moan... and moan Abby did... and screamed... and Kate was very glad her apartment building had sound proofing, because she was sure if it hadn't they'd have heard her all over the building.

It was hard to believe... but even though the next morning should have been awkward, and full of 'it was just a one night stand' kind of comments, she'd woken up to the feeling of soft lips against the swell of her breast, and awkward never came.


Gibbs had nearly gone into cardiac arrest when he found out, Kate had expected him to start quoting her rules about relationship with co-workers, but instead he'd dragged her aside and warned her in no uncertain terms that if she ever hurt Abby, they wouldn't find the body.

Tony she had expected would probably be his usual... piggish... self, making off-beat comments along the suggestive lines of 'can I watch', but instead he'd shown an entirely unprecedented level of maturity, and made it understood he'd help Gibbs if Abby ever got hurt.

Ducky had just shaken his head and smiled.

That had been a year ago. Far longer than any relationship had with a woman before that, and longer than most of her relationships with men as well... as a young girl Kate had pictured her prince charming and a mess of kids, and that image hadn't changed much as she'd gotten older, but now Kate knew there would be no prince charming, no dozen kids hanging around her apron strings... and that was just fine, because she had Abby.

Abby who she'd spent two hours under a tattooists needle for. Abby who woke her up most mornings in every exceedingly inventive ways that assured they were late for work at least two days a week... days that Gibbs had stopped yelling at them for, because discussing it would mean asking why they were late, and after one occasion why Abby had told him just why in Technicolor, he was afraid to ask. Abby who slept like an angel in her arms.

"I love you Abs." Kate whispered more to herself than Abby, but surprising Kate with the fact she was even awake Abby returned the sentiment, as she placed a soft kiss against Kate's skin, and snuggled back into sleep like she'd never woken up at all.

Kate felt the tingle where Abby's fingers still rested on the tattoo she'd gotten for their anniversary, and the soft smile stayed on her face all night as she fell asleep to the soothing feeling of Abby resting against her.

Fini