NCIS. Abby/Kate. 047. Heart. *

NOTE: This is Fic #70 out of the 100. It also completes one whole row of the table. In addition, and most impressively, with this fic, I have crossed the threshold. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I have written 100,070 words of Kate/Abby. *takes a bow* Thank you, thank you, hold your applause for the story, please! ;-D



Title: The Non-Holiday Card
Fandom: NCIS
Characters: Abigail Sciuto, Caitlin Todd, Tony DiNozzo, Jethro Gibbs, Donald "Ducky" Mallard.
Prompt: 047 Heart
Word Count: 1,704
Rating: PG
Summary: Tony warns Kate of a no-go zone with her new coworkers.
Author's Notes: I was going to post this closer to Valentine's Day, but I figured I'd do it early since a) my muse is cooperating now and b) I'm surprised I can write anything after the rejection today. Usually my ego needs at least a twelve hour turnaround. ;-D
Little Damn Table

Riding up in the elevator, Kate adjusted the cards she was holding and opened the top one. It was the one she'd bought for Ducky; a cartoon train zipping through the countryside. On the front, it said, "See the train and hear it chug!" The inside continued, "Get ready for a Valentine's hug!" She'd seen several animated duck cards, but she knew Ducky preferred the train reference more than the water foul.

She snickered at the cartoon and tucked the card back into the envelope. She was such a dork about Valentine's Day, even in the Secret Service. She was the only person - besides Laura, of course - who'd gotten the President a card last year. She was even dressed for the occasion, in a bright red blouse and red-painted fingernails. She couldn't help it; ever since she was a kid she'd gotten giddy for the little cartoon cards and paper hearts shoved across her desk by nervous boys.

The elevator dinged and she walked out of the elevator, heading for the squad room. Gibbs wasn't in yet, but DiNozzo was bent over a report on his desk. She smiled brightly and dug through her pile, finding the envelope marked Tony. She dropped it on front of him and said, "Happy Val--"

It was as far as she got. DiNozzo stood, leaning across his desk and slapping his hand across her mouth. Her eyes widened and she protested against his palm, reaching up to pull it away. Tony shuffled around his desk, not releasing her, and dragged her out of the squad room and around the corner. He snatched up the card with his free hand, shoving it under his belt. Only when they were in the shadow of the stairs did he release her.

"Take off your shirt," he said.

"Tony! What the hell is on your hand?" She finally registered what he said and blinked in surprise. "What did you just say?!"

"Nothing like that," he assured her. "Not... this time. Just... take it off. And there's nothing on my--" He sniffed his hand and recoiled. "Huh. Never mind. Just wear something different."

"I don't have anything different. What's wrong with this?"

"What are you wearing underneath it?"

"A tank top."

"White?"

"If you must know."

He glanced down, picturing it. "Ooh..."

She socked him in the arm. "Tony..."

"Okay, okay," he said, leaning to one side and peering at their desks. "You're still the new girl, so... I'll go easy on you. What day is it?"

"It's Valen--"

"Ah, ah, ah," Tony said, putting a hand up. She cringed from his fingers, remembering the smell. "It's Friday."

"February 14th," she said.

"Yes, the date is fine. Saying it, writing it, all of that is okay. But do not, under any circumstances, mention the V-word."

She looked over her shoulder. Gibbs had walked into the squad room, moving directly to his desk. Apparently, he hadn't seen them. "Okay. So why not?"

Tony moved behind her and lowered his voice. "Wife number two thought it would be romantic to get married on Valentine's Day. And, apparently, she saw something poetic in choosing their anniversary as the day she ran off with Fornell and the contents of Gibbs' bank account."

Kate hissed. "Ooh, not good..."

"Yeah. Best to just avoid the topic all together. Don't poke the bear."

"Okay, fine. I'll change. Can I give Ducky his card before I--?"

"No!" Tony said. "He's even worse than Gibbs! Unless you have a deep-seated desire to know the medieval history of Valentinius and what mating birds have to do with the holiday. You know how he usually is? He's worse on Valentine's Day."

"Why?"

"No other holiday has both Ancient Rome and gangsters."

Kate sighed. "Okay. I'm down to Abby."

"You didn't see her torching the Cupid effigy last year," he said, shaking his head. "It was bad. They had to call the fire department. I'd avoid at all costs."

Kate shrugged, tossing her hands up. "So I just wasted my time on all these cards?"

"No, I'm sure the cards are lovely," he said, frowning at the card she'd gotten him. "Why puppies?"

She sighed and sagged against the wall. "I don't know. It was either that or some half-naked chippy wearing a... yeah, I made the wrong choice."

Tony folded the card and stuck it into his pocket. "Well, the important thing is you avoided a terrible mistake. I'll cover for you if you want to go home and change." He patted her on the shoulder as he returned to his desk. Kate sulked.

---

Kate, now wearing a very sedate white blouse under a black vest, looked up as Abby entered the squad room. "Hey, Abby," she said, resting her chin on her hand. "Something wrong?"

"No," Abby said, shifting uncomfortably. She looked over at Gibbs and smiled at Tony. "Just got kind of bored downstairs. Thought I'd see if anything was brewing up here."

"Sorry, Abs," Gibbs said.

"Well, can you spare someone to come downstairs with me? I'm dying down there by myself, Gibbs."

He smirked and Kate stood. "I'll go if you keep the heavy metal to a dull roar."

"I won't need it if you're there to keep me company," Abby grinned.

"You know where to find me, Gibbs," she said.

She followed Abby to the elevators. Once they were alone, she smiled and said, "Thanks for getting me out of there."

"No problem," Abby said. They rode in silence to the lab. When they stepped out, Abby finally asked, "Do you know what day it is... by any chance?"

Kate smelled a trap. "Um... Friday?"

"It's Valentine's Day, Kate," Abby said, leaning against the table and hunching her shoulders.

Kate nodded, expecting a treatise on the commercialization of America, how Valentine's was a non-holiday created by the greeting card and flower companies to... She sighed. "Yeah, I know. I just... DiNozzo sort of warned me about today."

Abby arched an eyebrow. "You listened to Tony?"

"Hey, he made sense," Kate said.

Abby shuddered and came around the edge of her desk. "Okay, well... it's not much. But..." She withdrew a large envelope from the pocket of her lab jacket and held it out with both hands. "Here."

"What is this?" Kate asked, touched at the thought.

"Card," Abby said, moving her right foot to rest on top of her left.

Kate opened the envelope and found a homemade Valentine's Day card within. Drawn on the front was a stick-figure version of Abby, glaring out at whoever happened to be holding the card. Behind her, a sea of big candy hearts proclaimed 'let's kiss,' 'real love' and 'my baby.'

Kate opened the card and read Abby's own hand-written note. "I Hate Valentine's. But I Wouldn't Have Minded Getting One From You."

She smiled, looking up and seeing that Abby was studiously investigating the far wall. "Thank you, Abby. I'm so touched by this. And I got a card for you! But it's... I-I took it home when DiNozzo warned me about..." She gestured at the ceiling and shrugged.

"That's cool," Abby assured her. "So you don't mind this?"

"Not at all, Abby. Thank you so much." She leaned forward and pecked Abby on the cheek. Abby blushed and touched the spot Kate had just kissed, ducking her head in a quick smile.

---

Abby was running a few tests for a case that was going to court in a week, moving back and forth between the sections of her lab. She and Kate occasionally spoke while they were together, about nothing too important, Kate wandering back and forth as she waited for Abby to finish running something.

The stereo was playing quietly in the background and Kate kept an eye on the windows. All the people, walking back and forth past the building, all of them going... somewhere. Kate watched Abby through the glass as she worked, stirred to do something for her. She had, after all, gone to the trouble to make Kate a card for the accursed day.

She smiled as a thought occurred to her. She headed across the lab, withdrawing her pad and pen from her bag.

---

"No, it's more like..." She moved two of Kate's fingers, pressing the nails of the pinky and ring finger into Kate's palm. "There. That's good-bye."

"How long do you think it'll take me to learn sign language?" Kate asked, looking at how her hand was arranged.

"About a year if Gibbs and I both train you," Abby said.

"Yikes," Kate said. She lowered her hand, rubbing the knuckles and looked at the clock. "Well, as much as I'd love to stay down here..."

"You might have paperwork stacking up?"

Kate smiled. "I'll take you someplace tonight," she said. "For Valentine's Day."

"Ooh, I'm looking forward to it," Abby said.

---

Abby didn't find it until she was preparing to go home for the day. She hung her lab jacket up and pulled her leather coat from the hook. The paper fell out of the pocket, landing in a tent over her feet. She bent down, frowning at it as she turned it over. She grinned when she saw the front of the note; it was a very detailed drawing of her bust, looking off into the distance.

She touched the drawing and opened the card. "It's not a Valentine's Day card. It's a Happy Friday Card and a I-Can't-Wait-To-See-You-At-Dinner card. So Happy Friday and I can't wait to see you at Dinner. Your Non-Valentine, K."

Abby carefully refolded the card and slipped it back into her pocket. When she got in the elevator, Ducky was already there, riding up. "Hey, Ducky," she said. "Have a good day?"

"Ah, quite!" he said, smiling. "Although I believe word of my Valentine's Day history lessons have spread. All day, the morgue was as quiet as a... well..."

Abby snickered.

"And how about you, Abigail?" he asked, turning to face her. "Another February 14 out of the way. I hope it wasn't too arduous...?"

Abby slipped her hand into the pocket of her jacket, fingering the note. "Nah. It was actually a pretty good day."