A/N: Here is a new chapter. Finally. Sorry, writing has been so slow-going. Work is pretty busy since I transferred to another department and now am involved with flu-matters.

Beta: doomprincess

Jethro

"Okay, as you can see on this screen, we tracked down every single fingerprint, hair and skin particle in this car -- whether it was full, partial or at first glance didn't even look like the tiniest part of a fingerprint, hair or skin particle -- and compared it to your suspect's fingerprints..."

"... hair and ... skin particles?" Gibbs warningly cut in as Ruby paused to draw breath. After two weeks only, he couldn't help the feeling that Ruby's working together with Abby was already showing its effects. He wasn't sure if working with yet another babbling forensic scientist would make him feel comfortable, but on the other hand, knowing they had found a proper temporary replacement for Abby, set his mind at ease.

On the big plasma screen in the forensic's lab a couple dozen tiny windows were popping up, each one showing the results of different fingerprint alignments. They all had a red bar flashing in synchrony across them, saying 'No match'.

Shaking his head, Gibbs disbelievingly stared at the screen as he listened to Ruby's further explanations. He couldn't believe the lieutenant upstairs in interrogation should be innocent. He couldn't believe Abby had ordered him down to the lab to tell him they still had nothing. Should his gut really have betrayed him on this one?

"Actually, we don't have the results of his hair and..." Ruby's voice trailed off as Gibbs turned his head to throw her another warning look.

"Great." Gibbs sighed. This certainly wasn't going to improve his mood. The guy who was sitting in interrogation had already taxed his patience by ignoring all of his questions and accusations and even some outburst of fury.

"Good work, you two," Gibbs resignedly sighed again. Nodding his appreciation to Ruby he turned to Abby, who was standing at the counter in the middle of the lab. She was smiling warmly at him, which made him smile as well.

He stepped up to her and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. "Good work, Abs."

Grinning from ear to ear, Abby watched after him as Gibbs left the lab. He almost ran into Tony and Ziva as the two of them were leaving the elevator.

"Hey boss, any news?" Tony immediately backed off as he looked at Gibbs's growling face. Abby's voice probably saved him from worse.

"Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs!" Abby excitedly called.

Throwing one last warning look at Tony, Gibbs turned and peeked back into the lab.

"There's more," she announced with a big smile. Then she patiently waited for Gibbs, Tony and Ziva to enter the lab again.

"You didn't really start to mistrust your gut, huh?" Abby asked. On pressing a key on her keyboard, one single ultra large fingerprint alignment appeared on the plasma screen, showing a match. Abby motioned to Ruby to continue.

"Okay, Agent..." Ruby's courage fell as she felt the team's expectant looks on her. She suddenly felt a little awkward and got very nervous. Blushing, she shyly explained, "as you can see here, we do have a match nevertheless. That guy may not be the killer you are looking for in your current case. But his fingerprints turned up in a cold case file of a murder with robbery from seven years ago."

Gibbs smirked contentedly. "Good work, Ruby," he told her, nodding his appreciation and Ruby finally dared to breathe again.

"And you, Abs," Gibbs turned to Abby, "no skipping lunch break today, okay? And remember, your working day ends at 1600. Local time!" He wasn't always able to, but he tried to take care that Abby didn't work too many long hours when she actually wasn't allowed any.

"Aye, aye sir," Abby saluted, grinning broadly.

Aside from an impish smirk, Gibbs refrained from any further comment about Abby's teasing.

The two forensics watched as the team walked towards the elevator and when the doors of the cubicle had slid shut, Ruby couldn't help but voice what had been going through her mind for quite a while.

"You still call him 'Gibbs'?" she asked.

"Huh?" Abby still had that dreamy look and that sweet smile on her face, and she hadn't really listened to what Ruby had said. She had only heard Gibbs's name.

"You still call him 'Gibbs'," Ruby repeated. This time, however, it was a general statement rather than a question.

"Sure." Abby hesitated. "Why not? What should I call him instead? It is his name."

Ruby sighed. "He is ... You two are living together. You are having a baby with him, Abby. Shouldn't you call him by his first name?"

Abby briefly pondered this thought. Then she shook her head no. No, that was weird. She had always called him 'Gibbs'. Anything else would sound strange.

-xxx-

But it wasn't only Ruby who was wondering about this. At the same time a similar conversation took place in the elevator. When the doors had slid shut, there was an awkward silence settling in. Ziva and Tony started to fiercely gesticulate behind Gibbs's back.

And Gibbs sure as hell felt the draft. He reached out for the emergency switch and brought the elevator to a halt.

"What?" he eventually growled.

"Eh..." Tony stammered.

"Spill it, DiNozzo!"

"Ah ... Abby ... eh ... Abby still ... calls you 'Gibbs'?" Tony eventually voiced what everyone else had been wondering about for a while.

"Yeah. And?"

"I... I just was thinking that it is pretty weird to ... ummm ... ." Seeing Gibbs watching him with narrowed eyes, Tony chose to not finish this argument and Gibbs released the emergency stop.

-xxx-

Right after lunch, Abby brought Gibbs a fresh hot coffee, intending to watch him drink and get a delicious caffeinated kiss in the elevator afterwards.

"Oh." She had approached his desk with a big smile on her face, but then this smile gave way to some plain astonishment. A brimming container of coffee was already sitting on his desk.

Gibbs looked up from his paperwork. It was one of the rare moments that he had put on his glasses -- although everyone around could and would notice -- and Abby knew it was a sign, indicating that something was bothering him. And anyone who would dare to make a comment about the reading glasses (concentration glasses, as Abby called them) would be acknowledged with his evil eye. Abby, however, thought that he looked extremely sexy. But the redundant coffee -- that wasn't steaming anymore -- was too irritating.

"Abs, what's wrong?" Gibbs sounded tense.

"You already have one." Holding up the coffee she had brought with one hand, she pointed to the one sitting on the desk with her other. "Or should I say, 'you still have one'?" she added with confusion.

"Oh," he tried to sound astonished. "I forgot that one."

"Forgot?" She couldn't believe it. Gibbs never forgot his coffee.

Taking off his glasses, Gibbs heaved a sigh. The way he then looked at Abby made her heart sink. Something was wrong. She had the worst feeling ever. When he got up from his seat and rounded his desk, Abby's heart rate took up. And when he took the coffee out of her hands to place it on the desk -- pinching his lips as he did so -- Abby felt like crying.

"Gibbs...," she breathed, her voice full of fear.

Gibbs gently took her hand in his.

"We need to talk," he told her in a quiet, dead serious voice. Without further explanation he lead her to the elevator.

They enter and when the lift started to move, Gibbs pulled the emergency stop. He was still holding Abby's hand, although he knew that she felt like drawing it back out of his. She was afraid and he felt awful for what he was about to do. When he turned to fully face her, he brought up his free hand, cupping her cheek gently, attempting to reassure her.

"Gibbs..." Abby's voice broke as she once again breathed his name.

Bracing himself for the upcoming unpleasant subject matter, Gibbs inhaled deeply.

"They are right, Abs," he said in a low voice.

"Who? What with?" The words almost got stuck in Abby's throat.

"Tony was the only one to voice it, but I'm sure they all are..." Gibbs let his voice trail off with a sigh and while he kept looking at her face, which was filled with fear, his hand gently travelled from her cheek to her waist. His fingers caressed her slightly showing belly.

But right now, the feeling of happiness didn't reach his lips. How could he tell her without hurting her?

He probably couldn't.

"You should stop calling me 'Gibbs'."

Ouch! In his mind Gibbs gave himself the hardest headslap he had ever dished out. This had probably been the stupidest way to tell her.

Eyes wide, Abby stared at him for a few seconds. Her lips were quivering at first, then she swallowed hard and with pinched lips she slid her hand out of his, reached for the emergency stop switch and got the elevator moving again.

As soon as the doors slid open, she left the the elevator without any further good-bye.

Gibbs decided to not follow her. He felt extremely awful. Had it been only about him, he never would have minded her calling him 'Gibbs' for the rest of his life.

He did't return to the squadroom immediately, but stopped by the washroom and decided to pay a visit to the morgue. Did Ducky, too, think Abby should call him by his first name?

Not knowing whether to really ask, Gibbs kept pacing the room, every now and then stopping near Ducky, who was performing an autopsy. After quite some minutes, when Gibbs wouldn't say anything, Ducky finally got annoyed.

"Jethro, if you don't tell me what's bothering you, then I'm afraid I won't be able to help you."

Sighing heavily, Gibbs wordlessly left autopsy and returned to the squadroom.

"Doesn't Abby feel well?" McGee wanted to know when Gibbs sat down at his desk.

Gibbs threw him a questioning look.

"Ruby called," McGee explained. "Abby went home a couple of minutes ago. Said she didn't feel well. I thought you ... knew?"

No, he didn't know. And it made him worry. He grabbed his keys and on hurrying off, he declared, "You are in charge, DiNozzo."

-xxx-

A couple of minutes later, Gibbs reached his place. Rushing inside his house, he called out Abby's name.

"Abs!"

Her backpack, her shoes and her hairbands were scattered across the floor in the entrance hall. He didn't get an answer, but he could hear some noise coming from the kitchen.

"Abs?" he said gently, as he peered into the kitchen.

Abby was standing at the kitchen counter, cutting up some fruit. She didn't turn around, but a low sob reached his ear.

"Abby." Gibbs slowly approached her.

She had loosened her pigtails and her hair was in a complete mess. He gently stroked her hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. Her cheeks were flushed and wet with tears. Gibbs hated himself for having done this to her.

"Abs, please," he said in a soft, imploring voice. "Look at me, Abs."

Abby laid down the knife, but she shook her head and kept staring down at the kitchen counter.

"Abs," Gibbs said once more, gently guiding her to turn around and look at him. "I'm sorry, Abby. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. I didn't want to make you upset."

"It's not only you, Gibb... ." Abby paused. After sighing heavily, she told him, "This morning, Ruby also wondered why I'm still calling you ... that."

"So, you do understand?" Gibbs cautiously asked.

"No." Abby remained stubborn. "I always called you 'Gibbs'. Why should I suddenly not do anymore?"

Abby started to sob again. She wanted to push him away and leave, but Gibbs held her back. Then he effortlessly lifted her up and made her sit on the counter. He wiped away the freshly welling tears with his thumb.

"If this was just about you and me, Abs, I'd never mind you calling me 'that' for the rest of my life," he honestly told her.

"But this is just about you and me. Why do all the others suddenly care?" Abby moved to get off the counter.

"Nnnmmm." Gibbs shook his head and held her back in place. "Abby," he said resolutely and took a deep breath. "This is not just about you and me."

Eyes downcast, Abby continued pouting. She really didn't understand.

"This is about you. And me. And...," Gibbs let his hand lightly travel over her stomach. A smile crept over his face. Abby could be so stubborn and he caught himself thinking that she looked extremely cute when she was pouting.

"Abby, what did your mom use to call your dad?" he wanted to know.

"Huh?" Abby looked up at him, a big question mark decorating her face.

"Your mom. What did she call your dad? Did she call him 'Scuito'?" Gibbs asked, signing her family name.

"No. Why should she call my dad by his last...?" Her voice trails off, as the coin eventually drops.

Tilting his head, he smiled at her.

"Oh, Gibbs! I..." Abby fell silent as Gibbs cleared his throat in protest. She hadn't realized that she had called him Gibbs again.

"Ohhh, this is going to be so very hard," Abby squirmed.

"Try." Nodding encouragingly he patiently waited for her to speak his name.

Her lips tried to form his name, but she stayed silent; the look on her face getting more and more desperate.

"Try for me, little snowqueen," he whispered tenderly.

Chuckling about the pet-name he had given her some time ago already, Abby finally dared to whisper, "Jeth-ro."

And he loved the way she made it sound...

A/N: It's not exactly what I initially wanted it to be. Must have been in some sort of depressive mood, but I decided to finalize it nevertheless. I'm thinking about writing a second (a brighter) version about this subject.

Also, I started the new sequel. "Melissa". Looking forward to seeing you over there as well :-)