Tony’s first birthday with NCIS passed unnoticed, a fact Abby realised when he walked into her lab with a dozen black roses (which he’d been assured she would love).

“Hey, Tony, when’s your birthday?” she asked idly, placing the roses in a vase of water. Tony couldn’t help noticing the three other vases already strategically placed around the lab. “It must be coming up soon • I mean you’ve been here nearly a year and we haven’t celebrated it yet.”

“I don’t celebrate my birthday, Abbs.” Tony said, his voice and body language telling Abby that this was not a topic he wanted to discuss.

“How can you not celebrate your birthday? Birthdays are amazing! You get lots of presents, and everyone has to be nice to you and…” Abby’s voice trailed off as she realised Tony had become even more tense than before, his expression stony. But it was the look in his eyes that almost brought tears to hers, a look that managed to be bleak, weary and defeated all at the same time. She was a highly empathetic person by nature anyway, but something had clicked between her and Tony from the first time they met, and the look in her friend’s eyes tore at her heart. “Tony?” she whispered, reaching towards him, forgetting that he didn’t like to be touched • something she’d discovered the first ten or so times she’d tried to hug him.

Tony put a hand up to ward her off and backed away. “I … I gotta go, Abbs. Gibbs’ll be wondering where I am. I’m sorry … I’m sorry my present wasn’t more original…” With that he fled from the lab leaving her shocked and even closer to tears than before. When Gibbs strode in five minutes later, jumbo Caf-Pow in hand, she couldn’t stop those tears from falling.

“Abby? What’s wrong • Dinozzo said you needed to see me right away.” Gibbs put the Caf-Pow on the desk and took Abby in his arms, trying to comfort her.

“Tony, he… Gibbs, I didn’t know… Tony…” she sobbed. Gibbs’ arms tightened around her.

“Dinozzo did this to you?” he asked, his voice tight.

“No!” Abby pulled herself out of Gibbs’ arms, hoping to calm the ex-marine down before he stormed off to no doubt commit mayhem against the man he thought had hurt Abby. “Well, yes, but he didn’t mean it. And I hurt him first. I don’t know how I did, but I did. And I don’t know how to fix it, and you’ve got to help me fix it, Gibbs.”

Gibbs smiled slightly, relaxing a bit at Abby’s rambling. “Abby, slow down • let’s take it from the top. What happened?”

Abby took a deep breath. “Tony brought me roses for my birthday. Oh, Gibbs, now he thinks I don’t like them, and I don’t want him to think that, ‘cause I do and I know that everyone always gets me black roses for my birthday but this is different…”

“Abbs!” Gibbs gripped her arms to try and get her back on track.

“Oh, right. Anyway, I asked him when his birthday was and he said he didn’t celebrate his birthday and I asked him how he could not celebrate his birthday and, oh, Gibbs, the look in his eyes • it was so sad…” her voice trailed off as she remembered the look. “Gibbs, what should I do?”

Gibbs sighed. He knew that Tony’s reaction had something to do with his childhood • a childhood Tony never discussed, and that Gibbs knew very little about. Even the extensive background check he had conducted when Tony joined NCIS failed to turn up much beyond the bare facts, and Tony had made it clear more than once that the topic was out of bounds. “Give him some room, Abbs. If I know Dinozzo, tomorrow it’ll be like nothing happened.”

“But…”

“Abby, he made it clear he doesn’t want to talk about it. You have to respect that if you want to be his friend. All you can do is be there for him if he ever does want to talk about it.”

Abby frowned mutinously, but the next day, when Tony came down to the lab smiling and joking, she bit her tongue and didn’t say a word about what had happened the day before. When she saw the look of relief in his eyes, she knew Gibbs had been right.

Tony’s second birthday with NCIS passed mostly unnoticed and completely unheralded. After her own birthday, Abby had hacked into Tony’s personnel file and found his birthdate. She was determined that, even though he didn’t want to celebrate it, her birthday gift to Tony would be the knowledge that she cared about him and was there for him. With that in mind, she headed up to the bullpen to see how his day was going and invite him out to supper after work.

“Hey Gibbs, where's Tony?” she asked, as it was obvious that the younger agent hadn't come in yet.

“Asked for today and tomorrow off. Said he had things to take care of.” Gibbs said. The tone of his voice was quiet and calm but his face, which neither Kate nor McGee could see, had a grave expression on it. An expression that told Abby there was more to the request, but that she shouldn't pursue it. She suddenly remembered that Tony had taken the same days off last year as well. She started signing in ASL to Gibbs.

Is Tony okay?

He's fine, Abbs. Let him be. Gibbs signed back. He'll be back on Thursday.

This has something to do with his birthday, doesn't it? I just want to be there for him.

By this time both McGee and Kate were staring at the two of them, obviously wondering what was going on. Gibbs' signing became choppier, expressing with his hands what he couldn't • or wouldn't - express in words. Leave it be, Abby. He doesn't want company today.

Abby's hands were equally expressive as she got the last word in. But maybe he needs it. With that she stormed back to her lab and wouldn't speak to Gibbs for the rest of the day, even when he brought her a jumbo Caf-Pow as an inducement.

That night found Abby lugging a bag of Chinese food and a six-pack of Tony’s favourite beer up the stairs to his apartment, as the only elevator was tied up by someone moving in. She and Tony had exchanged keys to each other’s homes months before when Abby had needed someone to watch over her after she had to have her wisdom teeth pulled, so when Tony didn’t answer her knock she had no qualms about letting herself in. She figured if Tony had company she’d just leave the food and back out quietly. She wasn’t prepared for what she found, though. Tony was passed out on his couch, an empty bottle of vodka overturned on the coffee table in front of him and another bottle, this one only half-empty, clutched to his chest. A grainy black-and-white movie flickered on the high-def TV. At first Abby thought Tony had been watching one of his beloved classic movies, but after watching for a few moments herself she realised that what she was seeing was a home movie • a home movie of Tony when he was a young child, at what was obviously his birthday party. “Oh, Tony,” she whispered, putting the food and beer on the coffee table and moving over to the couch. As she sat down beside Tony he stirred and looked at her blearily.

“‘Chu doin’ here, Abbs?” he asked, his words slurred from drink. “Shouldn’t be here. ‘M supposed to be alone. ‘M always alone today. Ever since she left me…” His voice trailed off as he lapsed back into a drunken sleep.

“Not this year, Tony,” she whispered, pulling the half-empty bottle from Tony’s hand and recapping it. As she went to put it on the coffee table she saw some faded newspaper clippings beside the already-empty bottle. Picking them up and reading them, she was shocked to find they were obituaries and news reports about Tony’s mother. According to the clippings Elizabeth Dinozzo had died on Tony’s 10th birthday, mowed down by a drunk driver as her son watched. “Oh, Tony,” she whispered again, tears streaming down her face. She shifted the sleeping man so that his head was in her lap and carded her fingers through his hair, stroking his head gently as she watched Tony’s early childhood play out silently on the television.

When Tony woke up the next morning he was aware of two things • first, his head hurt like hell and second, he wasn’t alone. Squinting in the bright morning light he saw Abby looming above him, fast asleep as his head lay in her lap. She had one arm across his shoulders, lightly holding him in place, and the other was cradling his head. He could tell she’d been crying. “Abbs,” he said hoarsely. When she didn’t respond he tried again. “Abby!” he said louder, wincing at the pain in his head as she jolted awake, stiffening beneath him.

“Hey, Tony,” she said quietly, realising that his head was probably killing him. “Do you want me to make you some coffee or something?”

“Naw,” he said, getting up slowly. “I’m gonna make up some of the Dinozzo Surefire Hangover Cure • been in the family for six…” He froze as he saw the clippings on the table and the home movies still playing on the television. “Aw, crap,” he said softly, not looking at Abby.

Abby jumped up. “Tony, I’m sorry, I wasn’t prying. I just wanted you to know that I cared about you on your birthday so I got you Chinese and beer, and when I got here you didn’t answer, so I figured I’d at least leave you the food and stuff and then when I came in you were passed out and I saw the television and you said you were all alone and I saw the clippings and…”

“Abbs, it’s okay,” Tony interrupted, his head aching even more at the stream of babble coming from Abby. “Take a breath, sunshine.” He went to the kitchen and started mixing up his hangover remedy. Abby followed him, frowning.

”So you’re not angry with me?” she said softly, mindful once again of his headache.

“Would it make a difference if I was? It’s not like you can unsee what you saw,” Tony said as he gulped down his concoction, along with three extra-strength headache tablets. Actually, he was a bit surprised that he wasn’t furious with Abby. Normally he hated anyone finding out anything about his past, except for the parts he carefully let out.

“Tony…” Abby started hesitantly. She had so many questions, but she didn’t know whether she should ask them or just leave it alone.

Tony sighed, almost reading Abby’s thoughts. “Yes, I do this every year. Take the day off, get bombed and pass out watching a time when my birthday was a cause for celebration. Recover the next day. Aw, hell, Abbs, please don’t cry. I hate it when you cry,” he said as Abby started to sniffle. “It’s okay. I’m okay.”

“It’s not okay, Tony!” Abby said angrily, hitting Tony on the shoulder. “You shouldn’t have to be alone on your birthday • you don’t have to be alone. You’ve got people who love you now. You know that I love you, right? That I’ll always be here for you?”

Tony froze for a moment and then gathered Abby in his arms • the first time he had ever initiated a hug with her. Abby returned the hug and was startled to realise that Tony was weeping silently on her shoulder. “Oh baby, don’t cry, it’s okay,” she said, stroking his hair and trying not to cry herself. Her words set Tony off even more, and it was several minutes before he got his emotions back under control.

“I’m sorry, Abbs,” he said finally, trying to pull away from her. Abby was having none of it, however, and refused to relinquish her grip on him. He sighed and relaxed, giving in to the comfort of being held by his friend, his embarrassment fading away. “My mom used to call me that,” Tony said softly. She’d hold me and tell me ‘it’s okay, baby, don’t cry’ whenever I had a nightmare.” He hesitated, unable to believe what he was about to say. “I kinda liked it when you did that. You sort of remind me of her, you know.”

Abby pulled back slightly and shot him a sceptical look. She’d heard some of the things his mother had done when Tony was a child • dressing him in sailor suits and drinking his sea monkeys by accident being two of the more memorable ones. Tony laughed lightly and steered her over to the kitchen table, seating the two of them facing each other. He took her hands in his, and looked into her eyes so she’d know he was telling her the truth. “I know a lot of the stuff you’ve heard about my mom was pretty bad, but there were some good times too. Like when I couldn’t sleep and we’d sneak down to the movie room and watch movies and eat ice cream. And she never forgot my birthday • every year we had our ritual. We’d go into the city and have lunch at the 21 Club, just the two of us.” His smile faltered and his eyes became unfocussed. “That last year, we’d just finished lunch and left the restaurant. We were crossing the street when this car jumped the curb. Mom pushed me out of the way, but she slipped and she couldn’t get out of the way herself. I can still remember the sound the car made when it hit her…” Tony’s voice trailed off, his hands tightening convulsively on Abby’s.

Abby gave a low moan of distress, which pulled Tony out of his memories. Loosening his grip on her hands, he continued. “Anyway, after that I didn’t really feel like celebrating and Father, well, he missed Mom an awful lot and I guess I reminded him of that.” Abby started to say something but the buzzing of her phone interrupted her. Pulling it out, she glanced at the text message and paled slightly.

“Shoot, I’m late for work! Timmy says Gibbs is on the warpath looking for me.” Abby bit her lip and looked at Tony.

“It’s okay, Abbs, really. Go to work, I’m fine. I’m just going to hang out and watch movies • no drinking, I promise,” Tony said kissing her on the forehead and steering her back out toward the livingroom.

Abby stared at Tony for a moment and then nodded. “Maybe I could come back tonight after work?” She asked hesitantly. “After all, we didn’t get our Chinese last night…”

Tony smiled. “I’d like that, Abby. I’ll see you tonight.”

Tony’s third birthday with NCIS passed unnoticed, unheralded and, for Tony, almost forgotten. He was too busy sitting beside Abby’s hospital bed, holding her hand and praying to a god he wasn’t even sure he believed in anymore for her to wake up, to remember what day it was.

As Tony continued to sit there, Gibbs walked in. He looked like he’d aged 10 years overnight. He, Kate and McGee had spent the previous night and most of the day processing Abby’s crime scene and talking to witnesses. The Director had tried to assign the case to another team, but none of the other team leaders were willing to go up against Gibbs on this one. As a potential witness, and given the fact he was an emotional wreck, Tony had not been allowed to work the crime scene. Gibbs had told him to go home and get some rest, since he would be questioning Tony as soon as the team had finished processing the scene. He had nodded and then ignored Gibbs and headed to Bethesda to be with his best friend.

“Thought I told you to go home,” Gibbs said, coming up behind Tony. The younger man didn't appear to notice him, so caught up was he in an unending litany of please Abby wake up please don't leave me you promised oh god don't take her from me too please please please. “Hey!” Gibbs said sharply, slapping his senior agent on the back of the head to get his attention. When Tony started and turned towards him, Gibbs was shocked at the sight of his senior agent. Tony's eyes were red-rimmed and the purple shadows underneath them attested to the fact he'd gotten no sleep since being dismissed.

“She won't wake up, Boss,” he said, his voice thin and thready. “I keep telling her to wake up and she won't. You tell her, Boss, she'll listen to you.”

Gibbs swallowed heavily. “Ah, hell, Tony...” he began, then he steeled himself, knowing that his job had to come before comforting the man he had come to regard almost as a son. “DiNozzo, report. I need to know what happened.”

Gibbs' stern voice seemed to snap Tony out of his shock. As he straightened up and started to recount the events of the previous night, his mind flashed back and he could see everything as clearly as if it were happening at that moment.


***FLASHBACK***

It was late, after 10 p.m., and Tony had finally finished the paperwork on the team’s latest case and was packing up to go home. They had managed to close the case just that afternoon, which was a good thing as tomorrow was Tony’s birthday and he had the next two days off. He’d been worried that they wouldn’t close the case and he’d have to cancel his days off. He knew that if that happened Abby would be checking up on him every two minutes and the others would find out what day it was. He didn’t mind Abby and Gibbs knowing about his birthday (because he just knew Gibbs knew, even though his boss had never said anything to him) but he didn’t want anyone else to know. That would cause too many questions, questions that he didn’t really want to answer.

As Tony was putting the paperwork on Gibbs’ desk the night security guard came by on his rounds.
“Late night again tonight, eh Tony?” the guard said, smiling at the agent. He was used to seeing Tony there, as he worked late more nights than not, so the question was purely rhetorical at this point.

Tony laughed. “Well, you know what they say, Tom, no rest for the wicked. Besides I like it here when there’s no one else around • I can get a lot more work done when it’s nice and quiet.”

“Yeah, Ms. Scuito just said the same thing. Although how she can say it’s quiet when she has that music going at full blast…”

Tony frowned. “Abby’s still here? Guess I’d better go down and persuade her it’s time to go. I don’t want her walking to her car alone.” Grabbing his pack, Tony headed downstairs to Abby’s lab. As Tom had said, her music was blaring at full blast when he walked in, and she was furiously typing away on her keyboard. She looked up with a start when he turned the music down.

“Hey, Abbs,” he said. “It’s getting late. You almost finished?”

“Hey, Tony. Yeah, I was just finishing a couple of reports up. You?” In reality, Abby had been waiting for Tony to finish up so she could talk to him with no one around. She knew what tomorrow was, and was worried about her friend.

“Just finished mine and put it on Gibbs’ desk. C’mon, I’ll walk you to your car and make sure you get home safely.” Tony said, offering her his hand. As she got up, her stomach growled rather loudly and Tony glared at her in fond exasperation. “Let me guess, you skipped dinner?” Just then his stomach growled too, almost as loudly as Abby’s had. Before she could say anything he grinned and threw up his hands. “I know, I know • pot meet kettle. C’mon, we’ll grab a bite at Roxie’s on the way home,” he said, naming an all-night diner near both their places that they often went to.

“Sounds good, Tony,” she said, delighted at the way things were falling into place. This way she’d have a chance to work on Tony while they ate. She didn't think she'd be able to get him to agree to her spending the day with him, but it couldn't hurt to try.

They drove to the diner in separate cars, parking in a public lot just down the street. As they made their way to the diner, they were so involved in their conversation that they didn't notice what was going on inside. Tony, ever the gentleman, held the door for Abby and allowed her to enter the restaurant first, setting off the event that would be etched in Tony's mind for as long as he lived.

As she entered the diner Abby gasped in shock. A thin, dishevelled man was holding a gun on the terrified cashier. When he heard Abby's gasp he spun around to face her and as he did the gun went off. Tony screamed “No!!!” as the bullet hit Abby and she fell back against him. The cashier screamed in terror and the thief dropped the gun and ran out the back door.

The next few minutes were a blur as Tony pressed his hands to the wound in Abby's shoulder while yelling at the cashier to call an ambulance. She nodded, white-faced and did as he asked, telling the 911 operator that the victim was an NCIS employee. The next thing Tony knew the paramedics were trying to pry him away from Abby, who was unconcious at that point. They weren't having much success until Gibbs showed up, took his arm and pulled him away gently saying “Tony, let them do their work.”

Tony allowed himself to be led away, his eyes never leaving Abby as the paramedics worked frantically to stabilise her. “I'm sorry boss, it's all my fault. I should have been watching better, I should have walked in ahead of her, I should have...” his voice trailed off as he watched the paramedics load Abby onto a strtcher and rush her into the waiting ambulance. He was about to say something else when he felt a slap to the back of his head.

“Enough, Tony. None of this is your fault, so stop it. You want to blame someone, blame the perp.” Gibbs said, forcing himself to focus on the scene, where Kate and Tim were already working in a shell-shocked silence. His gut was churning, and he couldn't afford to worry about Tony as well as Abby right now. He hated what he was about to do, but he couldn't let Tony remain at the scene • he was a witness, and he was in no emotional shape to be there. Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind, he thought. “DiNozzo, you're no good to me right now. You're too close to this. Go home, get some rest. We'll be around to question you once we're done here.”

It was a testament to how upset Tony was and how anxious he was to get to the hospital that Gibbs' words didn't even faze him. He just nodded and headed out of the diner, grabbing a taxi as somewhere in the back of his mind he knew he was in no shape to drive himself to the hospital.


***END FLASHBACK***

Tony sighed as he finished his account. He couldn’t believe it, but somehow relating what had happened to Gibbs had made him feel a bit better. “I think the perp was a hopped-up junkie desperate to get fix money, Gibbs,” he said, running a hand across his face. “Send a sketch artist down and I'll give them a description. Hell, contact Metro PD and get their mug books • dollars to doughnuts our guy's in one of them.”

“Tony, you need to go home and get some sleep, and then you can look at books and talk to the sketch artist.” Gibbs knew it was a forlorn hope that he could get Tony to leave, but he was going to try anyway.

“I'm not leaving her, Gibbs.” Flat, no emotion. Tony turned away from Gibbs and took Abby's hand again. Gibbs put his hand on Tony's shoulder only to have it shaken off. “I. Am. Not. Leaving.” he said again, dong a very creditable Gibbs imitation.

Gibbs studied Tony and came to a decision. Tony seemed calmer than before, and more alert, and Gibbs knew he had little or no chance of prying him away from Abby’s bedside. He also knew that there were times you had to choose the battles you wanted to fight. “Fine, Tony, you stay with her. Just try to get some rest, okay? I’ve gotta get back to the office so we can catch this guy.” Gibbs’ tone promised retribution against the punk who had hurt Abby. “I’ll get in touch with Metro and the sketch artist and have them come here.” Tony just nodded, and Gibbs sent one more worried glare his way before leaving.

“Hey, Abbs, come on and wake up for me,” Tony said softly, stroking her forehead. When she didn’t respond, he sighed. “Hey, I know I told you last year that you reminded me of my mother, but don’t remind me of her this way too. Abby, I can’t lose you, especially not today, not on my birthday. You promised, Abby • I don’t think I could take it if…” Tony’s voice broke as the tears he’d been holding back finally started to fall.

Suddenly he felt Abby’s hand tighten around his and her voice came to him, soft and weak. “Don’t cry, baby, it’s going to be okay,” she said, her grip strong and sure. And as Tony looked into Abby’s eyes, and saw the strength and love there, he knew she was right.

Tony’s fourth birthday with NCIS passed in a far different fashion than any of his previous birthdays had, thanks to one Abigail Scuito.

He had, once again, requested and been granted his birthday and the day after off well in advance, using the “things to get done” excuse, even though he suspected that Gibbs knew exactly what was going on. Gibbs hadn't hesitated in approving the request, only telling Tony he hoped his days off would be good and he'd get everything done he needed to do.

The day before Tony’s birthday, as he was packing up to leave, Abby asked him to come down to the lab, told him it was urgent. He knew it had nothing to do with a case • in the first place, they had no cases at the moment and the cold cases they were working on had nothing to do with Abby's lab and, in the second place, if it was case-related she would have called Gibbs instead of or as well as Tony. No, Tony knew that whatever Abby wanted had something to do with his birthday, and it was with some trepidation that he braved her dominion. She sat waiting for him, her music turned down to a reasonable level as if she knew that he would use it as an excuse to say that he'd been there but hadn't been able to get her attention.

“Hey Abbs, what's up?” he asked, smiling at his friend.

Abby came over to stand in front of him, her hand set mutinously on her hips. “I booked tomorrow off too. I want to come over. If you want to get piss drunk, that's fine, I'll get piss drunk with you, but I'm taking you out for lunch first. It's time you...”

“Okay,” Tony said softly. Abby stopped, shocked at how quickly he had agreed. Tony looked a bit shocked himself, but smiled gamely at her.

“Okay? Uhm, okay, then. I guess I'll pick you up at noon tomorrow,” she said, stumbling for a moment before regrouping. “Oh, and wear something nice • you know that green Armani suit you have, the one that makes your eyes pop? That'll do. Oh, and the gold Hugo Boss shirt.”

“Abby...” Tony said helplessly.

“Tony, trust me, please?”

“Always,” Tony returned, pulling the Goth girl into a tight hug. He was surprised to find he really did trust Abby with his birthday and found himself, for the first time in as long as he could remember, looking forward to the next day. “See you tomorrow, sunshine.”

When he got back to the bullpen, McGee and Kate had already left, but Gibbs was waiting for him. “Everything okay with Abby, DiNozzo? “ he asked. Unasked was Do I need to reign her in?

Tony knew that if he gave the word, Gibbs would come up with some reason Abby couldn't have tomorrow off. He was surprised to find he didn't feel the need to give the word. “Yeah, Boss, everything's fine. She's gonna help me with some stuff tomorrow and wanted to coordinate.”

“And you're okay with Abby's help?” Gibbs asked, wanting to make sure she wasn't forcing Tony into something he didn't want.

“Y'know what, Gibbs, I am. Never thought I'd be comfortable with someone else helping me out, but for some reason I am with Abby.” He wasn't sure why he carrying on the charade, but Gibbs looked satisfied with the answer, which made it worth it.

“Good to hear, Tony. Maybe you'll let someone else help you out sometime too, eh?” It was as close as Gibbs would get to telling Tony he was there for him, but Tony could see he really meant it.

“You never know, Gibbs. Maybe.”

The next day dawned bright and sunny. Tony actually managed to sleep in for a bit, awakening around 9 a.m. Normally on his birthday he would start drinking almost as soon as he got up but he had all but promised Abby he would remain sober until after lunch, so instead he filled his morning by cleaning up his apartment and taking a long run, trying to keep his mind off of the day and what Abby might have in store for him. Remembering her instructions, he dressed in his olive-green suit and gold shirt, adding a gold, green and grey Fendi silk tie to complete the ensemble. Even taking his time with his grooming, he was still ready almost half an hour before Abby was due to show up. He flipped the television on, and managed to lose himself in the last half of a Magnum PI episode until a knock came on the door. Turning the television off, he took a deep breath to centre himself and went and opened the door.

Tony’s jaw dropped at the sight before him. Abby stood there, dressed in a stylish black suit whose high collar covered most of her spiderweb tattoo and black stiletto heels. Her hair was sleek and shiny, done up in a sophisticated hairstyle, and she carried a small black purse that complemented the outfit perfectly. The only concession to her normal goth appearance was the relatively heavy makeup she wore which, surprisingly enough, didn’t seem out of place with her clothing.

“Wow, Abby, you look amazing,” he said, looking her up and down. He’d thought she’d looked hot in the Marilyn Monroe outfit she’d worn for Hallowe’en one year, but that was nothing compared to this. His eyes narrowed as he studied her. “Wait a second, I know that outfit, the hairstyle, don't I?”

Abby grinned, ruining the sultry effect of the outfit and hairstyle. “Yup. It's Rachel from Bladerunner. I love that movie!! I’ve had the outfit for ages, but never really had an occasion I wanted to wear it for. Now I do.”

Tony stood aside so she could enter his apartment and then turned to face her. “Not that I don’t appreciate • and I mean really, really, really appreciate • this,” Tony said, gesturing at the outfit and hair, “but where exactly are you taking me for lunch?”

Abby bit her lip and looked nervous. “I, well I thought… I wanted… I…” As Tony looked at her with fond exasperation she took a deep breath and turned away from him so she wouldn’t see his reaction. “I want to take you to the Occidental Grill. I’ve already made the reservations.” The Occidental Grill was one of Washington’s landmark restaurants. Over 100 years old, it was posh, luxurious and expensive. Behind her, she heard Tony’s swiftly indrawn breath and turned back to face him. “You told me that I reminded you of your mom, and that she would always take you to the 21 Club for your birthday and I figured the Occidental Grill is as close to the 21 Club as you can get in D.C. and I hope you’re not mad, Tony, ‘cause I really wanted to do something special…”

Abby's words were cut off as Tony swept her up in a crushing embrace. “Abby, I'm not mad. It sounds perfect, but I don't want you wasting your money on me. “

Abby pulled back and hit Tony on the arm. “Don't you dare say that, Tony. It's not a waste and you darned well better stop thinking it is. You got me, mister?”

“Yes ma'am!” Tony pulled away from Abby and saluted her, his eyes sparkling. “Y'know,” he said, grinning widely as he offered her his arm, “I'd love to see McGee's face if he ever saw you in that outfit. I think his eyes would pop out of their sockets.” Abby just smiled as she took his arm and they headed out.

Lunch was wonderful. The maitre d’ took one look at Tony and Abby in their finery and whisked them to a very visible table in the heart of the restaurant. Looking around them at the other restaurant patrons, Tony recognised two senators, a congressman and a pair of venerable character actors who had acted in several movies Tony loved. Abby was sparkling, chatting with the sommelier and waiters in a relaxed and friendly way, and Tony found himself watching their interactions with pleasure and not a little bit of surprise. He realised that he was seeing a side of Abby that few people got to see • most only saw the loud, frenetic goth who was always on a caffeine high from too many Caf Pow!s • and he was humbled by the gift she was giving him. The meal itself was amazing, and Tony and Abby took their time enjoying it, chatting about a wide variety of subjects • movies they’d seen or wanted to see, books they’d read, current events, and anything and everything in between. Tony was surprised to realise, as they were sipping coffee and sharing a sinfully delicious dessert, that over two hours had passed. When the waiter brought the bill he tried to reach for it, but Abby slapped his hand away.

“I told it you was my treat, Tony,” she said, pulling out her credit card. “So what do you want to do now? Head back to your place?”

Tony realised with a shock that he really didn’t want to go back to his place. For the first time since that awful day his mother had died he was enjoying his birthday and he didn’t want it to end. “Naw,” he said shyly, glancing sideways at Abby, “y’know what I’d really like? Can we play tourist for the afternoon? Go around and see the monuments, maybe hit one of the Smithsonian museums? Would that be okay?”

Abby’s smile, which had been bright before, became almost incandescent and she let out a little squeal of pleasure. “I’d like that, Tony.”

That evening, pleasantly tired after an afternoon of walking and gawking and with Abby curled up at his side as they watched one of his favourite movies, Tony couldn’t remember when he’d had a better birthday. He looked down at his best friend, swimming in the sweats that he had lent her, and hugged her close, kissing her on the top of her head.

“What was that for?” she asked, smiling up at him.

“For not letting me wallow another year, for making my birthday special again, for just being you. Take your pick,” Tony said. He was almost embarrassed to find his eyes welling up with tears of happiness, and hoped that Abby wouldn’t notice. She said nothing, shifting their positions so he was now the one curled up against her. After a few minutes of silence Tony suddenly smiled as a thought occurred to him. “Hey, do you think that Gibbs would be willing to play hooky and go sightseeing with us after lunch next year?”

This time it was Abby with the tears in her eyes.