Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock. Too late with Jethro, yes. Maybe there was still a prince out there for her, though. She’d better find him soon though. Time was a-passing.
“Director?”
Shepherd snapped out of her reverie and came back to the present. “Sorry,” she murmured. “I picked a bad week to give up caffeine.” She straightened her shoulders. “You still have evening clothes?” she asked.
Gibbs' glance revealed nothing. “Yup. Same tux as I wore to my last wedding. Why?”
“You, DiNozzo and Ziva are going to the commandant’s ball on Saturday night,” she said. “You’ll be on observation and protection detail, but you need to look like you’re there as military officers rather than law enforcement.”
“Do I get to bring a date?” he asked lightly. “I assume Ziva and Tony will act a couple. They do that quite well, though I’m surprised Jeanne doesn’t throw a tantrum.”
“Is there someone you want to bring? Someone who will know not to break your cover?”
“Yup,” Gibbs was being as closed as ever she’d seen him. “Mind telling me who we’re protecting?”
“The Admiral of the fleet, the Sec Nav, Condi, me…” she said, “and you’ll be giving support to the Secret Service too.”
“You have a date for this, Director?” Was that a shadow of a real smile in his eyes?
“Yes, actually, Ducky is escorting me to this event.” His smile grew.
“Got a dossier for me? I’ll brief the team, and tell them to get out their best bibb and tucker,” he said. “Although I’d better not use that phrase—can you imagine what Ziva would mangle that into?” They shared a grin, and then Gibbs was striding away, down the steps two at a time and through the bullpen to the elevator.
****************
Abby whirled away from her mass spectrometer and collided with Gibbs, who was about to put a Caf-Pow down on her desk. “Gibbs!” she squealed in delight, flinging her arms around him to keep them both upright. He caught her, steadying her but not before he was treated to the pleasure of feeling the warmth of her body against his. She laughed up into his face, delight in his presence evident all over her face, and this time, he couldn’t help himself. He cupped her face between his two hands and covered her lips with his own.
Finally.
All the flirting, all the hugs and gentle kisses to her cheek or forehead, all the tension between them was frozen as Gibbs claimed Abby’s mouth. The exultation of finally being able to kiss her was shadowed by the part of him that was waiting for her to pull away from him and ask him whatthefuck did he think he was doing. But that didn’t happen. He stole a quick look at her face, and her eyes were closed, and her arms were tightening around his back, and her tongue was jousting with his. He closed his eyes, and let his mind relax into enjoying her sweetness for a little time.
Too short a time before he lifted his lips regretfully from Abby’s, and brushed her cheek gently with his hand. Their eyes met, questioningly, and Abby smiled, a wide smile that warmed Gibbs from his still tingling lips right down to his rapidly stiffening cock.
“Wow, Gibbs-man,” she said breathily, “If I’d known you could kiss like that I’d have collided with you years ago.” And with that she stepped away from him, picked up her caf-pow and took a big slurpy drink through the straw, flashing him another smile.
Gibbs wasn’t sure what to do next. Normally so confident in every action, he found himself suddenly hesitant. “Um, Abs?” he said quietly.
“Yes, my silver-haired fox?”
“I’ve got this thing I need to do on Saturday night, and it would be great if you could help me.”
Abby was leaning back against her desk, watching him, her face still wreathed in a smile. Then she got semi-serious, and said, “Unless it involves dressing up like a nun and infiltrating an old folks home, I’m in!”
In spite of his hesitation, he chuckled, and the sound warmed Abby. “Well, you’re close, sort of. Let me explain.” And he did.
And she kissed his cheek and told him nothing would make her happier. Well, maybe a few things would like a Within Temptation concert or a whole lot of Godiva chocolate or being able to spend a week totally alone on a tropical island with a stack of books…
When Gibbs left the lab, he wore his usual composed, even stoic, expression. But on the inside, he was smiling and looking forward to Saturday night as he hadn’t looked forward to anything for a long time. Even the thought of putting on his tuxedo and semi-hobnobbing with the brass couldn’t dampen the frisson of excitement he felt at the thoughts of getting to spend an evening with his favourite person.
And maybe, just maybe…he could taste those inviting lips of hers again….
*****************
“Tony, stop staring at my boobs!” Ziva hissed as she adjusted the holster for her backup firearm just above her knee. She dropped the heavy material of her deep wine satin skirt back down to cover her lovely legs, smoothing it over her thighs as she did.
“I wasn’t looking, Ziva, honest!” Tony looked hurt and innocent for a second, then flashed his best disarming smile. “Pushup bra, right?”
Ziva smacked him upside the head, then patted his hair back into place. “You are encouragable,” she told him.
“I think you mean incorrigible,” McGee said as he checked the radio headsets and their earwigs one more time. He handed the earwigs to his colleagues, including the one for Gibbs, and grinned at them. “Have fun tonight…I’ll be watching from MTAC, though, so don’t try to slip Ziva off into a quiet alcove for some—” he winced as both Tony and Ziva Gibbs-slapped him simultaneously in the back of his head.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Wanna dance?