That's Gotta Hurt

Rating: T
Pairing: Abby/Gibbs
Category: Friendship/Romance
Spoilers: Red Cell
Summary: Written for the Gabby Shipper Forum Hiatus Creative Drive and the prompt 'Bruise' and sort of a post-episode tag for Red Cell, from Abby's POV.

Abby looked up as Gibbs entered her lab with not quite his usual confident stride. As he got nearer, she felt her eyes widening. "Wow, that's gotta hurt, Gibbs."

He gave her a look that said 'ya think' as clearly as if he'd articulated it. His face was showing the effects of his fight with Gunnery Sergeant Leeka and although he'd overpowered him in the end, the angry bruises now purpling his skin, the cuts on his cheek and eyebrow showed that it hadn't been easy.

And those were just the bruises she could see...

She noticed the careful way in which he moved, holding himself more stiffly as if his upper body was hurting too. He'd had to have taken some body blows which were no doubt now blossoming into some spectacular contusions, not that he'd admit it.

Tony knew how easily she panicked when Gibbs was hurt, so he'd rung her earlier to give her the heads up that his boss had been injured while taking down a suspect but that his injuries weren't serious and that he was 'okay.' So she'd refrained from rushing upstairs when they were back, knowing Gibbs hated being fussed over just as much as she did.

Before she could stop herself, Abby moved closer, grasping his jaw in one hand and tilted his head for a better look, ignoring the death glare that usually had his agents backing off.

"And of course you haven't been to see Ducky to have him look at those cuts, have you?" she asked him, unable to stop the concern colouring her voice.

His annoyance seemed to drain away when he looked at her, presumably able to see her worry which she was sure must be written all over her face. His voice was soft as he answered. "Ducky's already been nagging me but there's no need, Abbs. I'm..."

"Fine, yeah, I know." She finished for him, rolling her eyes at the expected answer. "At least one of those cuts might need stitches." She couldn't see too clearly through the dried blood but didn't like the look of the one over his eyebrow.

He shrugged. "Naah. It can wait till I get home. I washed off most of the blood."

She could still see traces of blood on his hairline, his cheek was puffy and he had a fat lip. She resisted the urge to run her thumb over the swelling, beyond tempted to press a kiss to it.

Shaking her head at his stubbornness, she told him. "Well, you didn't do a very good job, Gibbs. Look, if you won't let Ducky do it, at least let me take care of it."

Take care of you, being her usual unspoken subtext, wondering if for once he'd give in.

She watched as his eyes searched hers before his expression suddenly relaxed and he gave a brief nod. He moved into her office and sat down on a stool, arching an expectant eyebrow at her, a slight smile curving his lips while she just stood here, taken by surprise, gaping at him.

Before he could change his mind, Abby shook herself out of her daze and followed him into her office. Conscious of his eyes on her as she moved about, grabbing her first aid kit, running a bowl of hot water and finding a wash cloth. She was clumsy in her haste and chastised herself, trying to calm down.

Yeah, right, Scuito, who are you kidding? That's six foot of gorgeous Marine sat there… very 'calming' on the nerves.

When she was ready she moved in front of him, wash cloth in hand. "Okay, let me look, Gibbs. You really oughta have seen Ducky, you know, some of these might need stitches, that one over the eyebrow in particular and you never know what dirt has got into the cuts by now, and hell, these are gonna be some really, really spectacular bruises... even now that's quite a rainbow of colours you've got there coming out already."

Hearing herself launch into a full scale babble, Abby bit down on her lip to try and stop, glancing up at him to see the amused glint in his eye, laced with something else that made her hormones sit up and say hello.

Taking a deep breath to try and settle her nerves, she tilted his chin up, wiping the cloth gently over his forehead and cheeks, concentrating on cleaning off the excess blood so she could see the cuts more clearly. She moved the cloth carefully across the worst of the bruises, not wanting to hurt him any further.

There was blood in his hair where his bangs had rested against his brow. "You've got some blood still in your hair, let me…" Her voice trailed off and she swallowed as her fingers brushed through the surprisingly soft silvery strands, before following with the wet cloth to remove the worst of it. She really wanted to thread her fingers through his hair and massage his scalp… one of many fantasies she had about Gibbs.

Good timing, girl. This is NOT the time to start thinking about all those fantasies that help you get off on lonely nights, you're supposed to be calming down.

She'd stepped unconsciously closer, moving to stand between his legs before she realised what she was doing.

Abby was rarely this close to his face for any length of time and she felt her pulse quickening as she took in the tanned skin, square line of his jaw, prominent nose and strong neck, trying to resist the urge to bury her face against him.

God, he was hot... even bruised and battered, he was just so incredibly sexy.

Abby found her gaze caught by his intense cobalt eyes. The expression she saw there caused her insides to flip over, and she could see his hands clenching and unclenching where they rested on his legs as if trying not to move them.

Perhaps she wasn't the only one being affected by this?

Convinced he must be able to hear her pounding heartbeat, she tore her eyes away from his and brushed trembling fingers across his cheek, feeling the heat from his skin under her hand and hearing his slight intake of breath at her touch.

Breathe, girl, steady now... in... out... in... out. Okay, probably not the best advice as that conjured up other images.

She pushed his hair back so she could see more clearly the worst cut over his eye. "Okay, I don't think the one on your cheek needs stitches but this one could do with being pulled together at least, if you're not going to let Ducky stitch it, and they all need antiseptic on them, just in case."

She felt his eyes on her face almost like a caress as she spread antiseptic cream over the cut above his eyebrow. He couldn't disguise a wince as she fixed a butterfly strip to it.

"Sorry, Gibbs," she whispered.

"It's okay, Abbs." His voice sounded rougher than usual, sending an involuntary shiver down her spine.

"And I bet you haven't taken any pain meds, have you, or are you planning to use the ones inside a bourbon bottle later, hmm?" She saw by his smirk and quick duck of the head that she'd hit that nail on the head too.

Spreading more cream over the cut on his cheek, she unconsciously cupped his other cheek in her hand. When she'd finished, her heart nearly stopped when Gibbs suddenly nuzzled his cheek gently against her hand before turning to press a kiss into the palm.

It felt like every nerve ending in her body just sat up and went whoa.

She felt her breathing coming fast and shallow, pleasure tingling through her. Shaken that such a simple gesture could have such an effect on her, she dropped her hand and tried to gather the shreds of her rapidly disintegrating control around her.

"I think we might have left it too late for ice to have much effect on that lip, Gibbs. Might be worth a try when you get home though. Not sure what else to suggest other than kissing it better." She bit her lip as soon as the words were out of her mouth.

Way to go, Scuito, just as you're trying to get a grip, and not on him, you go and say something like that.

But he didn't look annoyed at her comment. He looked... she wasn't sure how to read his expression... intrigued would be the nearest she could come to describe it. Before she could shrug it off, she heard his low reply, a hint of challenge in his voice.

"Works for me."

What? Was she hearing things? Did he really just tell her she could kiss him?

Yes, they flirted and bantered with each other and there was a sizzling spark of attraction that neither had so far acknowledged or acted on. Not that she didn't want to. But she wasn't his type. Was she? Wrong hair colour for a start.

But when she locked gazes with him again, she saw an amused hunger there that took her breath away.

Okay, kid, there's only one way to find out if he'll really let her kiss him.

She could always make a joke of it and claim he'd almost told her to do it. Before her courage failed her, Abby bent and placed a soft kiss on the swollen part of his bottom lip. She felt a zing go through her at the gentle contact and heard his slight moan. Flushing as she pulled back, she saw his mouth curve in that boyish grin she loved so much.

They stared at one another, both conscious they'd leapt way over the invisible line now.

She could see the desire in his eyes but also overlaid with uncertainty, something she was sure was reflected in her eyes too. Wanting to explore what she saw but also wanting to finish taking care of him, she turned her attention to his neck. Tilting his head, she saw the mottling of a bruise, the marks of fingers appearing in angry purple patches.

Suddenly it slammed into her what they meant, how similar that was to the cause of death for the two Marines, and heard Tony's voice in her head relating Gibbs' demonstration in autopsy with Tony as the guinea pig, '66lbs of torque and suddenly your eyes are on the back of your head.' The Gunnery Sergeant must have been attempting to do the same to Gibbs.

She swallowed hard, trying to force down tears at the thought of nearly losing him once again rolled over her. She knew his job was dangerous and had come close to seeing him killed before, but it didn't make it any easier to accept or cope with every time it happened.

As usual, Gibbs didn't miss anything and before she could move away and hide her reaction, he caught her hand and turned her back. "Hey, Abbs. I'm okay."

"I know but you nearly weren't." She chided herself as she heard the quiver in her voice.

He shrugged. "Can't live on what ifs, Abbs. I'll survive."

Lifting her eyes, she met his gaze as he tried to reassure her. "Where else did he hurt you?" She'd seen him rolling his shoulders, trying to ease them and knew he was hiding more than he was letting on.

"Just more bruises, Abbs, it's nothing." He pulled her back to stand in front of him, this time the one to cup her cheek, stroking his thumb gently over the skin.

Sighing as he eventually dropped his hand, she told him. "You know what you should do when you get home? Run a hot bath and pour some Epsom salts in it... I've got some somewhere here I think... " She looked around her lab as if they'd suddenly appear in front of her, "and that'll ease the aches a bit. Trust me, I've used it loads of times. Or you could get someone to rub some arnica into the worst of them." That mysterious redhead in the porche for example. She trailed off as she felt…

Oh god, his hands.

They came to rest gently on her hips, curling round her and tugging her gently nearer. She felt a shiver go through her at his next words.

"Or we could go home and you could do both?"

A/N: It has been pointed out to me that there is a potential for chapter 2 here, from his POV as they do go home and do precisely that... like I need another thing to write like a hole in the head *heads desk*