Title: I Know You Can Feel This Too - posted in parts due to length.

Written for: v_angelique on Dreamwidth

Prompt: Fornell starts hitting on Abby, preferably in subtle ways, and Gibbs gets onto it and doesn't like what he sees. Could be Gibbs/Abby established relationship, or could be that Gibbs' jealousy cues him into his interest in Abby.

Archive: okay to archive

Genre: het

Pairings: Abby/Gibbs

Rating: NC-17

Disclaimer: Disclaimer: No copyright infringement is intended. NCIS and its characters are the property of DPB and CBS. If I had a silver-haired, blue-eyed Marine to play with, do you think I’d have time for writing?

Word Count: 20,327

Summary: Gibbs becomes jealous when he suspects Fornell is hitting on Abby. Will this push Gibbs to make a move, or are things not quite what they seem? Set during the latter half of Season 7 after Jack Knife.

A/N: Big hugs to Zivacentric and Bamacrush for being my betas and for their flurry of ideas on this story, and their continued support and encouragement for all my writing. Can’t tell you what it means, munchkins (a year’s supply of Greek yoghurt and bananas on their way!).

LJ is only allowing way UNDER its professed total posting length at the moment. Can barely get it to accept 3,000 words at a time at the moment! So this story is going to be posted in probably nearer 10 parts.

Chapter 4 – Developing Relationships

Inside the diner, Abby continued her lunch, giggling at a story Emily was telling her father. She watched the pair of them affectionately. Toby doted on Emily and tried very hard to make the most of the limited time he could spend with her.

Over the past few years, she’d grown very fond of Toby and had gone out to dinner with him a few times, in addition to their annual ‘poaching’ dinner. She’d also attended school concerts and plays with him and knew he did his best as a divorced father. She was equally fond of Emily and enjoyed her company.

“Hey, Abby, will you come to my school concert next week?” asked Emily, stirring her ice cream and banana sundae and pouring enough chocolate sauce over it to swamp it, much to the amusement of her father.

“That would be awesome, Em. You playing the piano again?” Abby reached over to sneak a spoonful of ice cream.

“Hey, that’s mine. You’ve got yours.” Emily giggled, swatting at Abby’s hand. “Yeah, I’m playin’, it’s totally exciting.” Emily adored her ‘aunt’ Abby. She’d even begun to pick up some of Abby’s speech patterns and mannerisms, much to Fornell’s amusement and her mother’s horror.

Despite her unconventional appearance, Fornell knew Abby was a good role model for his daughter. He chuckled inwardly as he imagined the look on Diane’s face when Emily demanded her first tat.

“Got any decent rock guitars and wicked drummers playin’ in the band yet?” teased Abby.

Emily rolled her eyes, and Fornell snorted at another unconscious copying of an Abby mannerism before replying. “It’s supposed to be a classical concert, Abbs. I think Mrs Johnson, the music teacher, might be a bit startled if they suddenly broke out into rock music... although it might liven things up a bit.”

“Dad!” Emily started to protest until she saw the grin her father was trying to suppress.

Abby shook her head, smiling. “You disappoint me, Emily. I taught you better than that... I told you last year, you gotta get your whole class addicted to Android Lust and then you can convert the teachers one by one.”

Fornell watched as the two of them laughed and chattered away, enjoying the relaxed atmosphere. Abby could always be guaranteed to cheer anyone up and he loved to see how much Emily blossomed in her company.

He also enjoyed any opportunity to take Abby out, whether for a lunch like this or out for dinner. What man wouldn’t enjoy the company of such a beautiful woman? He couldn’t help preening a little even now as he saw the envious glances thrown his way from the other men in the diner.

He was drawn out of his musing by Abby’s next words. “I had a good time the other night, Toby.”

Abby had surprised herself by how much she’d enjoyed her evening at the Ritz Carlton with Toby. They’d had dinner together in previous years, but it had always been in more informal settings. There was something about the more formal surroundings of the swanky hotel that had almost made it seem like a date.

Not that Toby had made a move on her or treated it like a date.

He’d been the perfect gentleman, very attentive and kind and Abby had found herself relaxing and enjoying the evening far more than she thought she would. She felt slightly guilty though. She hoped that she hadn’t sent out any wrong signals and that Toby hadn’t thought it was more than just a dinner between friends.

She enjoyed his company, but that was all. She wasn’t attracted to Toby. He didn’t set her blood humming in the same way Gibbs did.

But it was nice for a change to have someone pay her some attention, to want to spend time with her without immediately trying to get into her pants. Abby felt flattered but a bit bewildered at the sudden interest and attention Toby was paying her, so she pushed down the slightly uncomfortable feeling that she should have set him straight from the beginning.

“So did I, Abby. It was certainly more fun than some of the rubber chicken dinners the agency sends us to,” answered Fornell. “It’s a pity we can’t afford to go to the Carlton more often.”

“Well, you could try and persuade your Director to stump up for a fancy meal every year. Perhaps hint I nearly cracked under the temptation this year,” suggested Abby, a mischievous smile on her face.

“I’ll do my best.” Fornell chuckled. “I’m not sure he buys my excuses why you won’t be tempted away from NCIS any more though, especially now his master plan of persuading you over a fancy meal didn’t work. I keep telling him that unless he can increase his offer, it’s not likely you’ll be tempted away anyway. Although I can’t understand why you want to stay working at NCIS for a cranky b… “ He glanced at Emily, sensing Abby smiling at his near slip, “guy on a lower budget anyway.”

“You mean I should come and work for another cranky guy at the FBI but just on a bigger budget?” teased Abby.

“Got it in one, Abbs,” he confirmed, chuckling as he sipped his coffee.

She huffed a laugh at his good natured ribbing. “You certainly surprised me, twinkle toes.” Fornell choked on his coffee and Emily giggled. “I had no idea you could dance.”

“Don’t get much practice, sadly,” he told her, wryly, “but I used to go dancing regularly with Diane when Em was a baby.”

Not that Abby hadn’t wished that it wasn’t a certain silver-haired Marine that was twirling her round the dance floor instead of Toby.

As if she could read her thoughts, Emily piped up. “I saw Uncle Jethro the other day. I thought he was with you at first, Abby, until I saw that the lady he was with didn’t have pigtails.”

Fornell watched Abby tense at Emily’s words and could guess why. He watched concerned as a look of hurt passed across Abby’s face.

“No, it wouldn’t have been me, Em. It was... it was someone else,” Abby replied, sadly, looking down at her plate, toying with her spoon.

Emily chattered on, seemingly oblivious to Abby’s change of mood. “But she looked a lot like you, the same long dark hair... except for the clothes. They were totally not your cool clothes, Abby. Oh, and she was a bit shorter I think.”

“That lawyer again, huh?” asked Fornell, frowning.

“Yeah, Toby. I think so,” confirmed Abby, glancing up at his concerned face.

Since Ms. M. Allison Hart had waltzed into the Navy Yard, Abby had been forced to watch first hand how she’d flirted with Gibbs. The feisty lawyer had seemed to piss him off at first, but it soon became obvious how intrigued he was and then it had been beyond hurtful to watch him flirt right back and his interest grow.

“Thought Jethro had a rule about lawyers?” Fornell observed, not unkindly.

“He does... although it seems that Allison Hart may be the exception to it.” Abby shrugged, trying to summon up a smile for Toby but failing.

“Abby...” Fornell hated to see Abby upset. Even Emily had picked up on it now and had fallen silent, biting her lip, worried that she’d somehow been the cause of upsetting her favourite aunt.

Abby shrugged, and smiled at Emily. “It’s okay, Toby, really.”

Who was she kidding?

It was very far from okay.

Abby had been attracted to Gibbs ever since they’d met and been in love with him for almost as long. She’d spent years sleeping her way round poor substitutes, or taking the edge off with willing warm, hard bodies and empty heads that she picked up at clubs for meaningless sex, or indulging in affairs that didn’t last very long.

No one ever came close to Gibbs.

Sometimes she thought she saw the same attraction she felt reflected right back at her. Surely Gibbs couldn’t be oblivious to the chemistry between them? Sometimes she caught a look of heat on his face that left her breathless. But in almost ten years, he hadn’t made a move although earlier in the year, Abby did think she might have cause to hope when they seemed to be drifting closer.

But then he’d suddenly pulled away, and she had no idea why.

They didn’t even seem to have the same close friendship they once had, that she’d taken almost for granted. Now she and Gibbs hardly spent any time together outside of work any more.

So she’d finally given up hope.... especially now.

All these years she’d thought that maybe Gibbs hadn’t made a move because she wasn’t a redhead. But she didn’t have that luxury any more. Since Allison Hart had marched into their lives, she’d disproved the theory that you had to be a redhead to even register on Gibbs’ radar.

If anything, as Emily said, Allison looked like Abby... the same black hair, green eyes.

So when Allison Hart swept away Gibbs with seemingly effortless ease, it had broken Abby’s heart. She knew now it must be something about her that he wasn’t attracted to... it wasn’t just that Abby had the wrong hair colour.

“How long has he been seeing her?” Fornell asked gently.

He didn’t like to see her hurt, although Fornell suspected that things weren’t as they appeared with Allison Hart. Gibbs had even hinted as such. But whether Gibbs had told Abby what was going on was another matter. Sometimes the Marine could play things too close to his chest, and Fornell doubted whether Gibbs understood just how upset Abby was over the situation.

Abby sighed. “I’m not sure. I don’t think it’s that long but it just seems every time I turn round, she’s there.”

Fornell shook his head, his annoyance showing in his voice. “He must be mad to be attracted to her. I’d rather French kiss a viper.”

Abby gave a brief but genuine smile at the image he invoked. “It’s okay, Toby. You don’t have to try and cheer me up. I’ve seen how men react to Ms. Hart. When she walks through the building, she stops traffic. She’s stunning, elegant, intelligent, feisty... “ She glanced at Emily before lowering her voice “I mean, it’s a guaranteed male fantasy on legs.” It was no wonder Gibbs had fallen for her.

Fornell’s hand covered her own. “You’re all of those things too, Abby, and more, and you’re far more beautiful than she is.”

Abby was touched by Fornell’s compliment, but not convinced. Abby wasn’t blind to her own looks but felt inadequate and awkward compared to the beautiful lawyer.

“What’s French kissing, daddy?”

Abby unsuccessfully tried to stifle a laugh as Emily’s innocent question interrupted them. At the pleading look on Fornell’s face, she shook her head as if to say you’re on your own on this one, Toby.

Chapter 5 – Building Tension

During the following week, every time Gibbs turned round, he seemed to bump into Fornell. For a guy who was an FBI agent, he seemed almost to live in the Navy Yard.

Gibbs had to grudgingly acknowledge that at least Fornell had a legitimate reason for being at NCIS. Balboa was conducting a joint fraud investigation with the FBI, which partly explained why Fornell seemed to be continually under his feet. Not that that made Gibbs any less cranky.

Whatever his excuse for being there, it seemed that every day Fornell would arrive either to deliver a picnic lunch to Abby in her lab, or take her out to lunch. He’d even taken to bringing her Caf!Pow and Gibbs felt positively juvenile when his anger rose out of all proportion to the simple gesture.

Hell, he even heard Fornell calling her ‘Abbs’ which was their… his… nickname for her.

Gibbs didn’t know if Abby was also going out with Fornell, as in dating going out. He tried to tell himself that it was none of his business anyway, but with little success. One day she came in full of excitement at going to Emily’s concert the previous evening and how much fun she’d had. He’d tried to show an interest for Emily’s sake. But all he succeeded in doing was becoming irritated, which was just plain silly to be jealous of a ten year old… or a ten year old’s father, his subconscious supplied.

He knew one thing for sure. He was fed up of hearing ‘Toby this’ and ‘Toby that.’

Gibbs kept replaying in his mind the events of the past couple of weeks: how comfortable Abby had looked on Fornell’s arm as they left the bullpen for dinner; the way they’d stood close together in Abby’s lab looking over the photos; the laughter they shared over lunch with Emily, the way Fornell had looked at her.

Gibbs was pissed off and he didn’t like it. He was too old to be jealous, wasn’t he?

In typical fashion, Gibbs was taking out his anxiety on the one person he knew didn’t deserve it... Abby. And that just made him feel even more annoyed and guilty.

And it didn’t take Abby long to pick up on his irritation.

_________________________

In contrast to her usual anticipation when she knew a visit from Gibbs was imminent, Abby paced her lab, feeling nervous.

He’d been snappy with her for several days now and she wasn’t sure what she’d done to deserve such treatment. She tried to think back over everything she’d said and done lately, to try to figure out why Gibbs was mad at her. She hated it when he was angry and she didn’t know why.

Every time he’d visited her lab this week, Gibbs had been more impatient and brusque than normal. The cheek kisses had stopped, he hardly smiled at her anymore, he didn’t stay to talk and their usual flirty banter was non-existent.

It was such a contrast to their usual closeness.

Even if Abby had given up on there ever being a romantic relationship between them, she still considered Gibbs to be one of her closest friends. But this week he’d been barely civil to her.

The team were also suffering the fall-out from his temper. He’d been a bear with everyone all week and all the team had come down to her lab at various times to escape from him, and to see if she was okay. They could all see how she was affected by Gibbs’ behaviour.

When she went out to lunch with Toby in the week, he soon picked up that something was wrong. She didn’t want to talk about what was happening with Gibbs and shrugged it off as being generally tired and stressed. She was relieved when Toby didn’t press her further. But she enjoyed the chance to relax outside the building and get away from what felt like a building tension.