ilike [dot] com [slash] artist [slash] Cassandra+Wilson [slash] track [slash] Time+After+Time

Ok, so I love this song, and I could totally see some romantic lovin' between Gibbs and Abby… just the tone, pace… everything about this song. I was going to put it in Stood Up, but completely forgot about it, so decided to make it a stand-alone songfic. Copy, paste & change the slashes/dot to the real thing to hear the version of the song that inspired me.

-------

Lying in my bed I hear, the clock tick
And I think of you
Caught up in circles
Confusion is nothing new
Flashback warm nights
Almost left behind
Suitcases of memories
Time after….

I can't believe I just pressed a finger to her lips and kissed her cheek. I had too. He knew it would've taken two simple words from her, don't go, and he would've changed his mind in a heartbeat.

Sometimes you picture me
And I'm walking too far ahead
You're calling to me, and I can't hear
What you've said
Then you say go slow
I fall behind
The second hand unwinds

I broke her heart when I left for Mexico. I broke my number one rule, I broke her heart. He had often thought he had seen her in the distance: playing in the surf on the beach, having a drink on the opposite side of the bar, reading the back of the label of something in the grocery store.

He knew it wasn't her though, he had broken her heart and he would burn in hell for it. He was sure.

If you're lost you can look, you will find me
Time after time
If you fall I will catch you I'll be waiting
Time after

I had no right to ask for her forgiveness. I had no right to ask her to be a permanent part of my life. Abby had shown up and wordlessly started to help him unpack his belongings. He watched as she blew the fine layer of sawdust that had gathered, from being stacked in his basement, from atop the box. She was careful as she placed the framed photo of Shannon and Kelly on the bookshelf. She understood why he left.

My picture fades and darkness has
Turned to gray
Watching through windows
You're wondering
If I'm OK
Secrets stolen from deep inside
The drum beats out of time

Gibbs rested his arms on the railing and looked out over his team. Tony and Ziva were bickering over some American idiom that she had, no-doubt, butchered. McGee was trying to settle the situation, dodging the 'McInsults' that Tony tossed his way while at the same time ignoring the threats of what Ziva could do with paper clips if he didn't mind his own business.

Abby was perched on his desk, enjoying the show. It had been a slow afternoon and Abby had gotten bored down in the lab. She turned her head to look up at him.

Later, when he was wrapped around her in his bed, she would claim it was their supernatural connection that made her look up.

Her hands rested on her lap, but her fingers loosely formed the sign for 'I love you'.

His head dropped slightly as he flashed an impish grin. Satisfied that he had caught her meaning, Abby turned back to the war against Tony. McGee and Ziva had joined forces, leaving Tony out numbered.

If you're lost you can look, you will find me
Time after time
If you fall I will catch you I'll be waiting
Time after time

She fit perfectly against him – the curve of her back, the dip of her waist. He felt as though her body was made for his arm to wrap around her and hold her close.

"Abby?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you…"

Time after time

---------

Just a little something short and sweet, hope you enjoyed.

Review.