Rule 12

Abby's lab

And we have chapter six! I do appreciate feedback if anyone wants to leave me a comment and I'll try to update sooner rather than later. I still don't own the characters, I'm just borrowing them.

Abby’s lab

Ziva’s POV

What is wrong with me? was the only thought jogging through my head as I made my way down to see Abby. I never usually let disapproval affect me in this way and I could not even be sure that the disapproval was aimed at me, although it did seem that way.

Shaking my head slightly I decided that I did not need to keep thinking over it and that I should focus all of my attention on the case. The note that I had found looked very much like it was a key piece of evidence and if Abby could find some fingerprints on it I knew that the case would be over nice and quickly, hopefully without any complications.  Entering Abby’s lab I could hear the familiar sound of loud music and for some reason that calmed me. I could also see a lot of objects on the floor which could only mean she was testing something out again. Being careful not to disturb anything I cautiously made my way into the lab.

“Abby?” I called, hoping she would hear me and guide me a safe route past everything. Appearing only in the way Abby could she swung round the corner with a pole in her hand, uncovering her eyes as she moved.

“Ziva!” she said as she hugged me, “I was just trying to see how people walk round things when they’re blind. Don’t you think it’s really cool how they manage to move past all of the different things in their way? I do...” she started to say.

Patiently I waited for her to finish, I did not want to go back up to see Gibbs any sooner than I had to, especially if he was still annoyed with me.

“Anyway. Do you have something for me? Is it goo?” I could not help but let out a little chuckle at that.

“No Abby it is not. Gibbs would like you to see if there is any fingerprints on this note.”

“Sure. I’ll start that right away,” she said as she took the note off of me and read it to herself, “Sounds a lot like an ultimatum to me,” she said.

“We think that the killer may have written it.”

“Could’ve done. It looks like there is a partial print on this corner here and two prints at the top. Though they could be the victims.”

“Thanks Abby, do we know her name yet?” having come straight here from the car I still had no idea who our victim was.

“Yup, she is Petty Officer Mary Seaford,” came the distinct voice of my partner from the other side of the objects on the floor.  Great I thought just what I need right now. Tony here to ask me more questions. I could still hear his muttering as he made his way past everything- swearing every now and again when he knocked something over. It appeared he still had not learnt how to move around without destroying something.

“Hey Abs. What are you doing exactly?” he asked her, looking a little annoyed about the route he had had to take in order to make it to us.

“Hey Tony! I’m trying to see if I can get from one end of the lab to the other round all of this stuff without touching it. But I’m doing it blindfolded. Don’t you think it’s really cool how they can move with just a stick to guide them?”

She was starting again. Before she got too into what she was saying to forget about the case Tony prompted her back in the right direction.

“I’ve never really thought about it Abby. But yeah, I guess it is,” he said before turning to me, “you coming back Zee-Vah or were you planning on staying down here all day?”

“Of course I am coming Tony. I was just finishing my conversation with Abby.” He really knew how to annoy me sometimes.

“Have you given her the note?” he asked me next, as if for some reason I wouldn’t have done so.

Abby answered for me, “of course she has Tony. It sounds like the killer doesn’t care about not being found and I’m going to see if I can run any prints off of it now OK?”

“No problem Abby, I presume you’ll tell us the moment you’ve found something.” I snorted at this. Of course she would, or Gibbs’ gut would tell him and we’d end up down here anyway.

“Don’t I always Tony?”

At this point I turned to leave. Tony and Abby could carry on with their conversation all day if they wanted to but I had work to do. McGee probably wanted help with researching our victim and Gibbs would want something when he asked for it after all. Making my way past the objects scattered around the lab was harder this time as Tony had disturbed them all which meant that it took me longer to make it to the door. By the time I was there Tony himself had caught up with me as he no longer cared about making a mess and just pushed them aside. He also sounded slightly out of breath, indicating he was moving faster than I had.

“You could’ve waited,” was the only thing that he said to me as we boarded the elevator together. We stood slightly apart and I fixed my gaze on the doors, fully intent on not engaging in any unnecessary conversation. I could feel Tony’s eyes on me as we waited to get back to the bullpen but I was strong and managed to avoid looking at him. 1 point to Ziva I thought.

We maintained the silence for the whole elevator ride and it was only as I sat back down at my desk that I risked a glance at Tony. It was then that I knew I shouldn’t have as he was looking at me with a peculiar look in his eyes and, being the person I am, I really wanted to know what that look meant- meaning I had to break my silence.

“Have I got something wrong with me Tony?” I asked him.

“No. What do you mean something wrong with you?” The confused look that was displayed on his face showed he had no idea what I was talking about.

“You are looking at me like there is something wrong. Have I food on my face, or is there something on my clothes?” I was persistent.

“There is nothing wrong with you. Your hair is perfect, there is nothing on your face and I don’t see anything wrong with your clothes apart from... umm… I thought I saw something… it looks like I was wrong though,” he corrected himself and trailed off. I was very confused at this moment in time and I was about to question his further when Gibbs walked in and asked for some information on Mary Seaford and her associates. As I turned to my computer screen there was still one question making its way round my head that I really wanted the answer to.

What on earth was he going to say?