DISCLAIMER: NCIS and its characters are the property of CBS, no infringement intended.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
SPOILERS: "Twilight"
Get on Up and Testify
By Geonn
Petty Officer Jeremy Stokes had brutally killed his girlfriend with a screwdriver. Abby would never forgive him for it.
She stared at herself in the mirror and sighed with disgust, running a hand through her hair. It hung limply to her shoulders, as if disappointed to be in such a crummy style. "Don't blame me," she said to her reflection, shutting off the bathroom light and leaving the bathroom.
The doorbell rang as she was getting her blazer. "It's unlocked!"
The door opened and Kate stepped inside. "That's not really safe, you know. It could've... been... wow."
Abby turned. "What?"
Kate shook her head, motioning at Abby's outfit.
"It's hideous. I know."
She was wearing a knee-length brown skirt, a white blouse and a blazer. There were patches on the elbows of the jacket, making it look like the tweed sport coat of a stuffy English professor. Abby's legs were encased in simple, white leggings and she was standing in a pair of very ordinary, very plain loafers. Her hair was parted in the middle, as usual, but not a single ponytail or braid or bun was in sight. It hung straight down, obscuring the tattoo on the side of her neck.
Most surprising of all was her make-up. Subtle was the word of the day; pink lipstick, muted eye shadow, a hint of blush on her cheeks. She had gone from Abby Sciuto, forensic wunderkind to Abigail Sciuto, attorney-at-law.
Uncomfortable by the perusal, Abby picked up her coat and put it on. "I hate this, you know."
"I know, Abs. But hey, it's part of the job, right?"
"I guess," Abby sighed and pulled out a pair of eyeglasses, slipping them on.
"You wear glasses?"
Abby glared at her. "I usually wear contacts. But I like the way the glasses make me look in court. Respectable." The way she said the last word, she might as well have said she looked like a cannibal.
Kate grinned and walked over, checking her watch. "You know what? We have fifteen minutes... Come here."
The lawyer stood, one hand going to button his jacket. "The prosecution calls Abigail Sciuto to the stand."
Abby stood and walked confidently from the audience up into the witness box. She placed one hand on the Bible and took the oath, smoothing her skirt against her thighs as she took the seat. The prosecution began asking her questions regarding the knife, the blood evidence, where she'd found the fingerprints, if anyone else had access to the weapon, and so on.
Abby answered each inquiry with a concise, exact answer. She showed no hesitation, no discomfort whatsoever.
Gibbs lifted an eyebrow and leaned towards Kate. "Did you say something to her when you picked her up this morning?"
Kate shrugged, smiling casually. Her arms were lazily cross over her chest, her left hand tucked under her right arm. No one saw the small black box she'd withdrawn from her purse. Abby cleared her throat and Kate pressed the button again, seeing a small shudder in Abby's shoulders as the signal reached its destination. Abby casually uncrossed her legs and pressed her knees together.
Kate lifted her finger from the button, nipping at her bottom lip with her teeth.
"She does look comfortable, doesn't she?" DiNozzo whispered to Gibbs.
"Ahh," Abby said on the stand, jerking forward slightly.
The attorney paused. "Are you all right, Ms. Sciuto?"
"Yes, I just... thought I felt a sneeze coming on."
"Would you like a glass of water?"
"No, that's quite all right." Her eyes cut to Kate and she poked her tongue into the corner of her mouth before turning back to the attorney. "Would you mind repeating the question?"
"Not at all..."
They walked out of the courtroom, Kate and DiNozzo both moving to congratulate Abby at the same time. They slammed into each other, Kate glaring at Tony until he stepped back and allowed her to go first. Gibbs shook her hand and said, "Good job, Abby." Once DiNozzo had complimented her on how at-ease she looked, he hurried to catch up with Gibbs.
Once they were alone, Abby pulled the glasses off, tucking them into her purse and coming back with a handful of rubber bands. She started to put her hair up and glanced over her shoulder, making sure Gibbs and DiNozzo were out of earshot. "Where did you get vibrating panties?"
"I'll never tell," Kate grinned, slipping her arm around Abby's. "Come on. Gibbs wants to take us out for lunch in celebration of the impending guilty verdict."
"He's not in jail yet..."
"Yeah, but you should've seen the defense attorney after your testimony. Sweating bullets."
Abby grinned. "But after lunch, can I use the remote?"
"After lunch, we won't be needing the remote," Kate promised. "But you can play with it on the ride home if you want." She stuck her hand into her purse and rooted around for a minute, pausing and pulling the lip of the purse open. "What... where the hell is it?"
Abby gasped and grabbed Kate's arm. "Um... K-Kate...? You might want to stop that now..."
"Stop what?" Kate asked, turning around and looking at Abby's flushed complexion. "Abby?"
Tony slapped the remote and jammed his finger onto the button in rapid succession. "Come on. This damn thing..."
"DiNozzo," Gibbs warned.
"I'm trying, boss," Tony said, laughing nervously. "I just... it doesn't seem to want to unlock the car." He frowned at the buttons, realizing that they looked different than usual. "Hey, boss, I don't think this is for my car alarm."
Gibbs held out his hand and Tony handed it over. He examined it, remembering seeing one just like it once. What had it controlled...?
He looked back at the courthouse, remembering how relaxed Abby had seemed. He chuckled, shaking his head as he slipped the remote into his pocket.
"What's it a remote for?" Tony asked.
"Believe me, Tony," Gibbs said. "You don't want to know."
The End