Unfinished Business

Rated: T

Pairing: Gibbs/Abby

Written for the prompt 'weekend' on the Gabby forum

Disclaimer: NCIS, its characters etc are not mine, I just like to play around with them for fun.

Gibbs heard the heavy footsteps above him as he worked down in his basement, the rough noise of him sanding the wooden backs of one his dad's chairs doing little to dull the clomping of boots as his visitor made their way through the house. Gibbs knew who it was before she stalled at the doorway, and even though he didn't look up he could feel her eyes watching him.

It was Saturday night and she was meant to be miles away from here. Not that he was ever anything but happy to see her, but because she wasn't out blowing off steam or relaxing somewhere he was a little concerned. When after a few moments she still hadn't moved or spoken he turned to look up, worried that something was seriously wrong.

For Abby to walk in without her usual vibrancy and radiance, Gibbs didn't need his gut to tell him that something wasn't right, her slumped shoulders and the absence of a smile on her face said it all. She lingered at the top of the stairs, shifting her weight on her feet and gripping tightly onto the railing. Gibbs had always done his best to make her feel welcome and Abby knew she could come to him with any problems she had, so he couldn't help but wonder what had her so apprehensive.

"Thought you were going away for the weekend." He raised an eyebrow at her, the recollection of how Abby had barely been able to contain her excitement all week about her road trip with Carol still fresh in his mind.

Gibbs noticed her attempt to hide her awkwardness as she briefly looked away from him, a flash of something else she was trying to rein in gone by the time she returned her gaze to him.

"Postponed it...there was something else I needed to do that was more important."

Gibbs frowned at her. "We closed the case, Abbs, no reason for you not to take a break, you earned it."

Abby looked at him nervously as she slowly walked down the stairs. "Didn't mean the case."

"Everything alright?"

Gibbs threw the piece of sandpaper in his hand down onto the table in the middle of the room and walked over to his work bench to pour some bourbon in the cup he'd been using. He picked it up and offered it to Abby, taking in the rest of her appearance; the black cargo pants she wore sat low on her hips, and her baggy dark purple zip up hoodie looked several sizes too big for her.

Abby noticed there was more of the amber liquid in the bottle than in the cup he held up for her and gently took that instead. "Think I might need a little more than a mouthful."

Gibbs leaned back against the bench, his eyes narrowing on her as she began to pace, the bottle of bourbon held tightly within her fingers. "Abbs, everything alright?" he repeated.

"Not really."

She stopped pacing and looked at him, her mouth opening as if she was going to say something. Gibbs waited for her to go on but Abby clamped her jaw shut and continued to walk back and forth.

The fact that she wasn't actually talking was worrying him. Abby always talked, saying things out loud was her way of dealing with what was happening, regardless of whether it was good or bad. And although at work he tended to hurry her up to make her get to the point, when it came to personal things he would never rush her.

Gibbs knew the reason she was there was to get something off her chest but it was obvious she was having trouble verbalizing whatever it was that was upsetting her.

"Wanna talk about it?" he urged softly, trying to give her reassurance that she could bring up anything with him.

"I do, but..." she trailed off, looking at him worriedly.

"What's his name, Abby?" Gibbs reached for his phone on the corner of the bench, ready to call in the rest of the team on their weekend off if he needed to. If it put an end to whatever, or whoever, was upsetting her, it would be worth it.

It also wouldn't be the first time she'd gotten into a situation with an ex-boyfriend. Gibbs figured because of the last time she'd let things get out of hand with Mikel Mawher, and his reaction to instantly want to break every bone in the guy's body, that may explain her reluctance to talk.

"What?" Abby said, momentarily confused. "No, it's not about a guy...well it is but..."

Gibbs stayed quiet, hoping she would elaborate further. He swallowed his bourbon in one gulp and watched on as Abby followed his action, taking a long swig from the bottle in her hand. She gasped as she dropped the bottle away from her mouth, the liquid burning a trail down her throat.

"It's nothing to do with your family is it?" Gibbs asked, trying to narrow the options down considering how she wasn't saying a lot.

Abby shook her head. "No, they're all fine."

Gibbs reached out and took a hold of her arm when she walked in front of him, his fingers lightly wrapping around her forearm before sliding down to entwine with hers. "Abbs, while I appreciate your faith in my investigative skills, you're not giving me much to work with."

She stopped pacing, their linked fingers preventing her from moving away from him unless she wanted to break their connection. Which she didn't. Abby was certain it was the contact between them that was going to help her to be able to actually form her next words.

"Decided I wanted to spend the weekend with you," Abby whispered. "I couldn't go away Gibbs...not when I can't stop thinking about what happened between us."

Gibbs felt his heart start to pound in his chest, everything about her behavior falling into place. Right up until this point he'd been trying to disregard that Abby's presence here could be solely about him, even though a small part of him hoped it was true. They'd been dancing around what was happening between them for weeks, the flirting and harmless touches had moved beyond simple affection, neither of them willing to stop or having the courage to go further.

But that had all changed...ever since a friendly embrace at the end of Abby's pre-birthday dinner earlier that week had gone from a soft peck on the cheek and a hug, to them being pressed up against the door to her apartment, their mouths locked and hands searching each other's body.

Gibbs had been surprised by the speed with which he'd lost control. His feelings for Abby had gradually been building over time, more so in the last several months, but never once had he entertained the idea that she might have similar feelings for him. There were too many reasons for her to feel the exact opposite, at least that's what he'd told himself. So when her soft lips had brushed insistently against his, Gibbs had been powerless to stop himself kissing her.

It would have been so easy for him to let go that night, to give both of them what they wanted but Gibbs wasn't willing to sacrifice their friendship for just one night with her, however much he wanted it. So he'd pulled back from her, scared that once they'd gone too far down that road there would be no going back.

The bottle of bourbon wobbled unsteadily on the workbench behind Gibbs as Abby put it down. Taking both of his hands in hers she stepped closer, standing between his feet as he remained leaning back against the bench. He could feel her hands trembling and squeezed them lightly, wanting her to go on but unsure that he could stop himself again if things ended up going the way they had the other night.

"What we have is more than friendship, Gibbs...I feel it, and I know you do too," Abby said, breaking into his internal struggle. "It could never be just for one night."

Since neither of them had brought anything up in the days that had followed, they had both tried to pretend that nothing had changed. They'd denied their feelings in the belief that the other wanted to forget about what had happened. Gibbs had tried to push all thoughts of her from his mind, but it had been useless, all he could think of was the taste of her kisses and the feel of her soft curves under his hands.

He berated himself for giving up the opportunity to find out what it felt like to get closer to her, to be completely buried inside her. Then guilt would overcome him for considering to put his desire for her ahead of what was best for her in the long run. His own internal thoughts had always been his greatest source of torment, and his conflicting emotions where Abby was concerned had been no different. She made him question everything.

"It's not that easy, Abby...if I screw this up...I could lose you."

"Not gonna happen, Gibbs," she said resolutely. "You forget what we've already been through together. I seriously doubt there's anything you could do that would push me away."

"Things will change..."

He knew his reasoning sounded weak. More than anything he wanted to give in to her, to find out what it would be like for them to be together, not just for a night, for a very long time, but he also needed for Abby to be sure. If they decided this was something they wanted, it would alter the course of their lives forever. The chance that it could work out filled Gibbs with a longing unlike anything he'd felt in years. But any possibility that things might go wrong...that he'd somehow hurt Abby, and their friendship, was enough to give him some doubt and make him believe that he should end this right now.

Abby, however, was having none of it. She closed the distance between them, letting go of his hands to frame his face. Completely mesmerized by her closeness, Gibbs watched her face draw nearer as her lips descended on his. His intended groan of protest came out more as a moan of desire and Gibbs cursed his traitorous body, how would he ever be able to refuse her if a mere kiss was all it took to break down his defences?

The repeated brushes of their lips were slow and tentative, their gentleness a contrast to the urgent and heated kisses they shared earlier that week. Gibbs settled his hands on her hips, his fingers digging in slightly as he moved his feet apart further so he could pull her closer. Something at the back of his mind told him to stop, but his body overruled everything else, his mouth giving in to the temptation before him as Abby parted her lips and slowly teased his apart with her tongue.

Deepening the kiss when Gibbs started to respond, Abby tasted bourbon when her tongue slipped between his lips. He growled into her mouth and satisfaction surged through her. She had been worried he would refuse what going on between them, and although at first he had tried his acceptance was now obvious in the way he was nibbling on her bottom lip.

Abby's body fell forward, melding into his when the kiss came to a slow but natural end. Gibbs' hands moved to her lower back, her hips supported by his as he accepted the weight of her against him.

"Things better change," she teased, pressing another quick kiss to his lips. "I want more of that and less kisses on the cheek."

He lifted a hand to brush the back of his fingers gently across her cheek. "Think that can be arranged."

Gibbs watched as her eyes drifted closed, the tension and worry that had been so visible when she arrived slowly dissipating. Abby leaned into his touch, sighing as her hand rested on his chest. She nuzzled her face into his neck, her hold around him tightening as Gibbs kissed her forehead and enfolded her within his arms.

"There's something else, Abbs." It was more of a statement than a question, and Gibbs could sense from the way she didn't want to let go of him that she was trying to draw strength from him.

Abby lifted her head and Gibbs held his breath at the honesty and vulnerability he saw in her emerald eyes. Shannon was the last person to look at him like that...there were no walls and no hidden agendas with Abby...all he saw was trust, loyalty and love.

"I wanna be there for you," she said adamantly, "the way you're always there for me, to make you happy...and I know you don't like being fussed over but I want to take care of you sometimes."

"You are there for me, Abby. And I'm pretty sure you're the only one who can make me smile." He grinned and kissed her nose. "Might have to work on the whole makin' a fuss thing though...but I'll try."

Gibbs wasn't used to people worrying over him. He knew the rest of his team cared about him, but they showed it in the same way he did, through actions and looking after them in the field. Abby wasn't like the rest of them though, her need to give and receive affection had always been strong. So if letting her look after him once in a while would make her happy, he was going to do his best to make that happen.

"I can't stop thinking about you, about us...together...and I'm not just talking about in the naked sense...though I have had some pretty amazing images in my head of that over the last week." Abby laid her head on his shoulder, though not before Gibbs caught the reddening in her cheeks at what she'd said.

"Sounds like I've got some high expectations to live up to," he grinned, burying his nose in her hair and inhaling her scent. "Been thinking a lot about you, and us, as well."

"You feel it too," she sighed quietly and Gibbs could hear the relief in her voice.

"For a while," he admitted.

"So...you want more than one night together?" Abby asked expectantly.

Gibbs looked down at her as she nervously traced an imaginary pattern in the fabric of his t-shirt, swallowing audibly when her index finger started to rub over the contours of his chest. "Yeah...guess it just depends if you think you can put up with a grumpy, old, Marine on a more permanent basis."

Abby lifted her head up slightly, nudging his chin gently with her nose before closing the remaining distance to rest her forehead against his. "Don't know about grumpy and old, but you're my Marine...and I love you just as you are."

Gibbs angled his face away from her so his mouth was next to her ear, kissing the soft fleshy tip he made his way around the curve and took the lobe in his mouth, sucking on it and hearing Abby gasp as her arms moved around his back.

"Guess that makes two of us then," he whispered, the huskiness of his voice and the warmth of his breath over her skin making her shiver. "Been a while, Abbs...you're the first in a long time, reckon you'll be the last."

The truth was he hadn't loved anyone since Shannon, not really. He'd cared about all three of his ex-wives at some point but he'd never loved them with the depth he had his first wife, and not as much as he found himself in love with Abby now. If he did turn away from what they had, Gibbs knew he would regret it for the rest of his life, and he already carried enough regrets to last him several lifetimes. He wanted and needed Abby with a yearning and passion that he couldn't fight anymore. He was done struggling with his feelings for her and he was over trying to hide from her.

Abby sighed and rubbed her cheek against his, the gentle caress sending tiny pulses of electricity sparking through both of them. "You're the only one, Gibbs," she said softly, her breath catching as she tried to remain composed enough to keep going. "Never felt like this before."

She'd had her share of relationships with other men, all of whom she'd cared about, and at the time thought a couple of them might have been love. But none of them compared to the strong feelings she had for Gibbs. Abby had no doubt that she was in love with him, and had been for some time. The heated kisses they'd shared after her birthday dinner had been her first real glimmer of hope that Gibbs felt the same. While her heart and mind had been thrown into chaos over the last several days, it had given her the courage to make the next move.

Placing his fingers under her chin, Gibbs lifted her face, their eyes locking and holding as both of them began to absorb the new status of their relationship. For several moments they remained quiet, until Gibbs broke the silence.

"Feel like I ruined your birthday and your weekend by runnin' out on ya...never meant for things to turn out the way they did."

Gibbs' rushed goodnight and quick retreat from her apartment after they'd kissed had been spurred on by panic. There were very few things that scared him, but the prospect of damaging what he had with Abby was one of those things. The look of hurt in her eyes when he'd left her standing alone in the doorway was something he'd never forget. He hadn't slept that night, and had been functioning on only a couple of hours a night since.

"Didn't ruin anything, Gibbs, this..." Abby paused mid-sentence to kiss him slowly, teasingly, before continuing "is the best birthday present ever, and Carol understands, we'll go on our trip later. But if you feel the need to make it up to me, I'm sure I can come up with a way to make us both feel better."

The corner of Gibbs' lips curled up into a half grin, his eyes sparkling with promise. "What did you have in mind?"

"Guess you'll just have to come with me to find out..." Abby trailed off, moving out of his arms and taking a hold of his hand.

Gibbs went willingly. Letting Abby lead him up the stairs of the basement they moved through the house and towards his bedroom. This time, when he found himself pinned to the solid surface of the wall in his room, he didn't turn away from her nor did he hold back. And when they collapsed onto his bed, in a tangle of limbs, Gibbs finally let go...physically, mentally and emotionally yielding to his desires and giving Abby all of himself. As their souls finally entwined in the same way their bodies were joined all the heartache and uncertainty was forgotten, replaced with love, hope and the promise of a long future together.

The End.