"He's watching you again, you know." Kate said gently to her friend as Abby took the pizza out of the oven where it had been keeping warm. They were the only two in the room and could hear the boys loudly taunting each other at the table beyond.
Abby gave Kate a half smile and turned to the cupboard where she kept the paper plates for these occasions. No washing up in the morning. Kate moved to wrap her arms around Abby's shoulders from behind in a hug, restricting her movements. "I'm not just seeing what I, or you, would want me to see. Abby, that man adores you and if you gave him any sort of opening he would take it without a second thought."
"No Kate, it's just not like that. Yeah, Gibbs adores me; he lets me get away with stuff like riding his chair through the bull pen at work. He brings me Caf-Pows and pecks me on the cheek like a little girl, but it's not the same."
"I've seen a change. In the last few months he holding himself back around you for the most part but he also watches you when you're not looking and he's been more physically affectionate to you than ever before according to Tony, and he is noticeably uncomfortable at any hint of you and McGee."
"Tony! You talked to Tony about this?"
"No, he just mentioned it. He knows something is up as well, he is an investigator."
"Look Kate, can we please not go through this again," said Abby, looking away from where her friend stood. "He doesn't feel the same, he was never going to. It's not in a man like Gibbs to fall for someone like me."
Kate could see how badly this renewed argument was affecting Abby. They had had this conversation a number of times. Kate was sure Gibbs felt something in return for Abby's long held longing for the man, but Abby was too unsure of herself to see it. She wished Gibbs would hurry up and make his move before she decided he didn't deserve Abby for leaving her in this frame of mind. Unrequited love was one thing, and it was painful, but unresolved mutual feelings were something Kate could not stand by and watch. They were perfect for each other; they adored each other, why couldn't they just work it out? Both were made miserable by the current situation and the longing looks exchanged when one turned away were starting to pull at Kate's heart.
The girls returned from the kitchen and while the food was devoured, the next round of cards was dealt.
"*Last night I stayed up late playing poker with my Tarot cards. I got a full house and four people died.*" Abby eyes twinkled above her cards as she smirked.
Kate smacked her on the arm, although she was glad the weight of their previous conversation hadn't brought her down too much. "Abby, that's sick," she chided, as she and the others laughed at the Goth-Girls quotation.
Tony, whose turn it was to deal, gave Abby a wink, turned to her and said; "*Trust everyone…but always cut the cards.*" She saluted him in a Touché motion and cut the deck with a grin.
Play resumed, with more good natured ribbing thrown in. Ducky's purposefully miss-applied quotation ("*The guy who invented Poker was bright, but the guy who invented the chip was a genius*" as he popped a potato chip into his mouth) earned him a good natured hail of peanuts from the rest of the table.
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