Abby and Carly sat at a booth at Sal's. He had been glad to give them a table separated from other diners and brought their meals out quickly. When they were alone again, Abby asked, "What is so unbelievable that you would order more than you can eat in two meals?"
Carly looked down at her plate to see that Abby was right. She always ordered more food when she was nervous. And today she was definitely nervous. Pushing aside her plate, she pursed her lips and tried to calm her racing pulse.
"You remember the jewelry box I put in storage?"
Abby nodded, her pigtails shaking with the movement of her head.
"It belonged to my great-grandmother. My mom's grandmother." Carly said and paused, watching Abby remember.
"You mean the one that ... ?" Abby questioned and Carly nodded.
"That's the one. Some say she had a gift, others that didn't understand thought she was either mentally ill or possessed by something. No one other than my great-grandfather really had anything to do with her. The last time I saw her, I was 18."
"That was nine years ago." Abby calculated. "Was that when you had a headache like this one?"
"Yep." she confirmed. "I had been having what I thought were waking nightmares. I kept seeing her dead. The headache came on when I tried to block them. I went to see her and without telling her anything she told me what I saw was true. She thought her gift would die with her and she was so happy that it wouldn't."
"So you're saying you have some sort psychic ability?" Abby asked, narrowed her eyes as her smile started to grow.
"Quit smiling! I knew you would like this!" Carly grinned. She couldn't help it; Abby's love for the paranormal and unusual would make anyone smile.
"I can't help it! It fascinates me."
"I only have one problem."
"What's that?"
"Jet."
Abby's eyes widened and she felt her friend’s inner turmoil. Shocked, she looked at Carly who sat there smiling slightly at her. "What?"
"I've suspected you were too."
"I was what?" Abby asked.
"Psychic in some way. Of course, a lot of people shy away from that word 'psychic'. They say it makes others think they are crazy. But you Abby, I think you are something of an empath."
"No I'm not." Abby said in denial and then stopped. "Well, maybe."
"Yes, maybe. You have a heightened sense of what the people around you are feeling. And sometimes, you can feel it too." Carly thought for a moment. "And then there are those times when your intuition goes into overdrive and you just know things. You might be something more but I know almost definitely you have some empath abilities."
Looking around and then back to Carly, Abby asked, "When are you going to tell Gibbs?"
Carly pulled her plate back to her. "Not until I have to."
The two women tucked into their food, each one thinking of the other's situation. The finished their meal and paid, walking out the door. Outside on the sidewalk, they paused to breathe in the night air.
"Come on, Abs, I'll drive you back to HQ so you can get your car. Goodness knows you always make it in before Tony does."
Laughing together they walked past a man in sweats and a baseball cap. Neither one noticed that he turned around and stared after them in concentration nor the smile that spread across his face when he 'heard' what he wanted to hear.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Carly has a secret - how will it affect the team?