A/N: I'm sorry, even though I enjoy ending chapters with tiny cliffhangers, I'm not able to draw things out a lot. So unfortunately, this already is the last chapter. The story ends way differently (a little more dramatic) than I originally planned it. Even though I considered it at some point, I'm sorry the aroma massage didn't make it into it. But since I like the idea of it, there'll be an aroma-massage one-shot somewhere down the road. Of the unfinished stories, "On the Run" will be the one I'll finish next and I'm already working on a new Gabby ("Reflections") that once again concentrates on the question: How did Gibbs and Abby meet?

Chapter 13

No, he didn't, but could he tell her that? It had been exciting and so different from everything he had ever dared to imagine. But at the same time, he in fact did regret it. It had put their friendship at more risk than anything would ever have been able to do. It never would be what it used to be. He never would be able to kiss her cheek...

Seeing the pain filled look in Gibbs's eyes, felt like a stabbing pain to her heart.

"Yes, you do regret it," Abby misinterpreted his silence.

Pinching her lips, she slowly turned away from him and walked towards the entrance. Tears were welling in her eyes. She opened the door and without turning round she said, "I don't" and pulled the door shut.

Leaning back against the door, Abby started crying. She was angry and disappointed; about him, about herself and she wished it was nothing but a bad dream.

Gibbs stared after her, paralyzed. What did she just say?

Her words sank in slowly, and it took several minutes until the numbness started to abate.

"Abby." Whispering her name, Gibbs eventually rose from the couch to follow her. He stopped when he reached the front door. One hand on the handle, the other lying flat against the door leaf, he could hear Abby sobbing outside.

"Abby!" He heard himself whispering her name, but as much as he wanted to, he simply couldn't open the door.

Minutes passed.

Outside, the door of a car was flung shut. The car drove off and then, there was silence. The silence was even more paralyzing than Abby's words had been. Again, it took several minutes until Gibbs was able to react.

When he eventually opened the front door, the rather cold air of an early spring night hit him. Taking a deep breath, he stepped outside and watched into the direction where Abby's car presumably had disappeared.

She wasn't sorry. She didn't want to turn back the clock. Why hadn't he seen it? Why had they never been able to talk about it? Abby had eventually found the courage to tell him, and he still couldn't? Why?

He had to be honest as well.

Eventually, Gibbs grabbed his keys to follow her. Follow her to where he hoped he would find her. Her apartment.

Her car was parked in front and since he had the keys to her apartment, he let himself in, hesitating briefly to listen for any sound or noise.

-x-

With tears still welling in her eyes, Abby had rushed off. When she had reached her apartment, she had flung herself onto her bed, burying her face into the pillows, sobbing. Exhausted, she had soon fallen asleep, so she didn't hear when half an hour later, the door to her apartment was opened.

-x-

The smell of fresh paint was lingering in the air. He didn't hear anything and when his eyes adjusted to the almost darkness, he was able to feel his way across the apartment. He was careful not to trip on any of the boxes that were standing everywhere. Seeing them, Gibbs felt as if he had let her down. He knew it was rubbish; he had come down with the flu. And then things had gone strange.

The curtains were drawn back, the moonlight making it easier for him to see as he went over to the bed that was now standing in the middle of the room.

She was fully dressed, and she even had her boots on. Since Abby was lying on the blanket, he couldn't cover her properly with it, so he grabbed the woolen blanket from the couch. He took off her shoes, afraid for a second that it might wake her, but it didn't. She instead curled up, sighing.

Gibbs carefully sat down on the edge of Abby's bed, watching her sleep.

-x-

In the weak light of dawn, Abby slowly came awake. Before she opened her eyes, she felt his presence.

"Gibbs?" she mumbled.

"Yeah."

Abby blinked and subsequently squeezed her eyes shut.

"Headache?" He reached out for her, his hand lightly brushed her hair, but then he went for re-adjusting the blanket instead.

"Mm-hm." Abby nodded weakly. She still felt so very exhausted and she didn't understand why Gibbs had followed her after she had freaked out. But then it seemed that he wasn't mad at her.

He suddenly found himself running his fingers through her hair, stroking the strands back and out of her face. He then started to softly massage her temple with his thumb.

Abby sighed lowly; grateful for the relief of pain it brought.

"I'm ... sorry...," she mumbled.

"Shhh." Gibbs shook his head. He brought his fingers to his lips, applied a kiss on the tip of his forefinger and transferred it to hers.

Lifting her heavy head a little, she looked and stared at him through swollen eyes.

Gibbs gently smiled at her. Then he leaned down, kissed her temple, lingering there for a little bit. Then he gently kissed her lips.

Abby's eyes grew wide. She wondered if she was dreaming; he didn't do what he had just done, did he?

"I am sorry," he explained, before he placed another kiss right beside her earlobe. "For not being honest, when I should have."

"Scoot over," he whispered.

She wasn't dreaming, was she?

Abby let him slide in beside her in bed. He wrapped an arm around her and gently pulled her close.

"Go back to sleep, Abs," he said softly.

Abby threw him a sceptical and somewhat anxious look.

"I won't be leaving," he promised, smiling at her and planting another kiss on her forehead.

Hesitantly, Abby let her aching head sink down onto his chest, her hand coming to rest there as well. She still felt exhausted, but listening to his strong heartbeat was comforting and exciting at the same time. So she suddenly didn't exactly feel like sleeping.

Gibbs chuckled when she slipped her hand under his shirt. Her fingers leisurely wriggled through his grey chest hair.

"Ummm... What about your headache?" he wondered; his voice quivering.

"I heard, this is said to help."

"You heard?"

Abby looked up at him. "Never had the chance to find out."

[...]

When later she was lying wrapped up in his arms, and he was breathing kisses onto her neck, she answered his question "Your head feeling better?" with a smile; nodding and snuggling closer against him.

THE END