Class of '85 by Ardin

Disclaimer: Despite all the cool stuff I got for Christmas, NCIS wasn't one of them. I'm beginning to think that I might be on Santa's naughty list :(

A/N: I admit that the idea for this probably came from watching Grosse Pointe Blank and an NCIS episode back-to-back, but it was one of those ideas that I couldn't just shrug off - as much as I tried. So when one of the paragraphs (not this chapter) started writing itself in my head, I decided to type it out. This is what it became (is becoming). The chapters will probably be short for the first few so that I don't end up with breaks at weird places, but I'm thinking they'll be longer as I get into the heart of the story. Anyways, let me know what you think.

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Gibbs sighed lightly as he checked his watch for what felt like the hundredth time that hour. The team had had almost nothing to do over the last few days; mindless paperwork slowly driving a group so used to leg-work insane. Cases had been quick or non-existent, and both Kate and Tony had already requested to take Friday off as personal days. He didn't blame them. Since McGee had had a vacation request in for months, Gibbs was seriously consider spending the day working on his boat.

The ding of the elevator doors opening brought him out of his thoughts and he stepped out onto Abby's floor. He had only taken a few steps toward the lab when an upset voice stopped him in his tracks. As much as he normally would not have let anything stop him from going anywhere in NCIS headquarters, the day's slow pace and Kate's almost venomous tone brought him to a halt. If his marriages had taught him nothing else, they had taught him that interrupting an upset woman while she's venting to a friend is not a smart move. Besides, he reasoned, his mission down to the lab was hardly urgent; though, given the Caf-pow in his hand, Abby might disagree with that statement.

He took a few steps closer to the doorway as the volume and anger in Kate's voice began to die away. He wasn't eavesdropping, he told himself, it was merely self-preservation. He couldn't go back upstairs without having given Abs the drink and he WASN'T going in there until things had calmed down. So he stood outside the door, waiting for a safe entry point, as Kate continued her rant in a slightly more calm manner.

"I just wish that he had waited a few more days to become such an asshole. Tomorrow night's my reunion, and I'm supposed to be showing up 'with guest'. This sucks." She sighed heavily and he could hear the table absorb her weight as she hopped up to sit on it. "I can't believe that I agreed to go to this thing anyway. I hated high school. And now I have to face all the people I disliked the first time around, and I have to do it alone." He smirked at the audible pout present in her words. Abby's next words just caused the grin to grow.

"You could always ask Tony to go with you." Her tone suggested that she knew Kate would reject the idea, but felt obligated to toss it out there.

"No, I couldn't. He would hold it over me for the rest of my life. Plus he doesn't have the attention span to pretend to be dating me. All it would take to blow that plan is the first twenty-something cocktail waitress. Not a chance." Another sigh, though this one tinged with laughter and Gibbs could tell that the bad mood of just moments previous was beginning to wear off. "I thought about asking McGee, but he already has plans for the weekend. Oh, well. It won't be too bad I guess. Twenty minutes of explaining to people why I, yet again, don't have a boyfriend followed by an hour of heavy drinking before I can take off." Gibbs heard her heels hit the ground as she hopped down and straightened himself to go in, but Abby's next words stopped him in his tracks.

"You could ask Gibbs."

"Yeah, I can just imagine that conversation. 'Hey, boss, would you mind pretending to be my boyfriend at my high school reunion?'" For reasons he didn't want to think about her obvious distain for the idea hurt. For the last two years he'd pushed any semblance of feelings for his beautiful agent to the back of his mind, but it hurt to think that she didn't feel comfortable coming to him with that sort of request. Her continued speech diminished his hurt.

"Personally I think he'd be great in the role, but I couldn't ask him. He's Gibbs and asking for help with something like this would just make me seem weak." Another light sigh. "Anyways, I better get back to 'work'. Thanks for the talk." Her words pulled him out of the plan that was already forming in his head and back to reality.

Striding confidently into the lab, he gave a short, curt nod to Kate as she walked out and handed Abby her Caf-pow. When he was sure Kate was gone, he smiled conspiratorially at the Goth. Her answering grin suggested that she had known he had overheard and was thinking exactly what he was thinking.

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A/N: Next chapter within a day or two hopefully. Reviews make me feel guilty for not posting faster, so...