Chapter Eleven
It was late at night when McGee entered Abby's lab and the rain was still splashing on the windows. McGee walked silently walked through the glass door that separated Abby's lab from her ‘office' and walked over to her desk. He took his arm from behind his back and deposited his present on the desk. She would find it in the morning. He looked down at it and smiled. It summed up Abby to the tee. Elegant and beautiful to a point where he was totally astounded. Prickly on the outside and had a cut like a razor blade but if you knew how to handle her, she could be the most wonderful gift to your life. Life was better just because she was near you, you could smell her sweet scent warming you and giving you hope that there was goodness in the world. Both the item and Abby were some of the rarest treasures in the world, invaluable to a point where currency was obsolete. And of course, both had in common the colour black. The biggest similarity was the most special. Both Abby and this item shared the fact that both of them even in their darkness; had the ability to light up an entire room just by looking at them.
"If only you knew" said McGee sadly
"Knew what" came a voice from the shadows. McGee spun round to see Abby step forwards into the light. His jaw dropped and his cheeks reddened.
"Its not polite to spy on people"
"Well its not polite to leave people presents without saying who they were from. So it was you all this time, leaving one on my desk every night?" All McGee could do was nod, he'd been caught red handed. How could he have been so stupid, he always checked to see of Abby's car was outside before sneaking into her lab. Today he hadn't done that because in all the commotion of Carrie leaving he'd completely forgotten.
"I'll leave now if you want"
"No!" said Abby a little too quick, her face cracked into a wide smile and she beamed from ear to ear. Her eyes quickly filled with tears, "I love them" she blubbed. McGee's hopes rose and he walked over to Abby. They were now standing very close. He took Abby's hands and held them together between them. Now the only thing between his and her body's were their tightly clasped hands. McGee looked into Abby's eyes and gave her a look that said ‘What I'm about to say, I mean with all of my heart'
"Abby I left you those presents because I was too cowardly to tell you my real feelings. Abby, I love you" Abby let a tear roll down her cheek "I love you now, and I have always loved you. Right from the first moment I saw you. I love you with all my heart and my soul and I am refusing to spend one more second of my life without letting you know that"
"McGee…" Abby croaked, the tears were falling thick and heavy now and Abby's whole body began to shudder. McGee folded his arms around her and pulled her in kissing her on the top of the head. Abby felt safe and comfortable in McGee's arms and he held her until she had stopped shaking. Abby nestled into McGee's neck and hugged him tightly. "Oh God I'm making a mess of this aren't I?" came the muffled voice of Abby from somewhere within McGee's neck region.
"No you're not" he said calming her. She pulled away slightly, but only enough so that she could look up and see into McGee's eyes.
"I love you too" she said clearly "I mean it", McGee pulled her close to him again and she rested her head on her shoulder
"I know you do Abs, I don't know why we didn't do this earlier" he said
"Because we're both idiots?" she said in reply and they both started laughing and for a long time they couldn't stop. They held each other and stayed like that, eternally comfortable in each other's arms. From where they stood Abby could see her desk where McGee's perfect gift lay on top and she smiled. It was a single black rose.
***
Author's Chapter Notes:
McGee comes to Abby's lab