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The next day Abby entered her lab and began her morning routine and found a surprise. It wasn’t the most extravagant gift he had left for her, nor the silliest, but it was the most heartfelt and made her feel like she was walking on sunshine. And as she looked at the little chocolate kiss sitting on the T key on her keyboard she smiled.
She had taken a nice long soak in the tub last night letting the exotic scent of the bath oil Tony had given her soak into her pores. And she thought long and hard about how she felt about Tony being her secret admirer. He was a flirt, but then again so was she. He liked to goof off but worked hard, so did she. He was smart and funny and had been her friend for such a long time. Other than Gibbs there was no one she could count on more. She shivered thinking about the day that Kate died. That had just been so hard. Tony had been there for her, let her rant and rave then just hugged her for all he was worth. And when Ari had shot into her lab and Tony protected her with his own body she had felt things that she probably shouldn’t have. But things changed with his little gift giving campaign. He was being so sweet and so romantic and as she let a little more hot water into the tub she realized that he was being everything she wanted.
Gibbs slipped into her lab with coffees in hand and caught her smiling at her desk. She looked up and squinted playfully at him, “You knew it was Tony.”
“Yep. Since he left that thing for you.” He gestured towards the odd teddy bear on her shelf with six interchangeable heads arranged around it as he headed out the door.
“Gibbs!” She said in exasperation, but he was already gone.
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The bullpen was quiet, abnormally so. Tony had tried to engage McGee in conversation but Tim adamantly avoided it. He just couldn’t stop thinking about the way Abby looked at Tony in the parking lot. Deep down he did want to be happy for them, they were both his friends but it just stung too badly right now. Maybe in time he could be, but just not right now.
Tony meanwhile was trying to figure out what was bugging McGee. But after baiting him so many times to try and drag him into a conversation he just gave up, deciding that McGee would talk to him when he was good and ready.
Meanwhile Tony was stumped. He had no idea where to take Abby on a “first date”. The two of them had been friends for years and had gone to movies and dinner and other things but he wanted this time to be special. But he was coming up empty. And it made him want to beat his head on the desk.
He was sorting through his email when something from one of his buddies caught his eye and it made him exclaim out loud, “Perfect!”
McGee looked over at his pronouncement with a raised eyebrow and Tony said sheepishly, “Just an email from a buddy talking about…basketball.”
Tony did a quick internet search and a few moments later had purchased tickets for what promised to be a great night.
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Gibbs swept into the bullpen and could almost feel the tension rolling off McGee. He sighed, thinking to himself that that was exactly why rule twelve existed. He didn’t need his team distracted. Tony on the other hand was almost intolerably chipper. Gibbs almost didn’t know which was worse to deal with.
They snagged the case of a murdered Marine and his young son and no one went home for three days. By the time they cracked it, the whole team was on edge. Gibbs had taken the case hard, as did McGee. But oddly it was Tony that it seemed to be affecting most of all. Initially when they had gotten the call the only victim they had been told about was the Marine. It had been Tony that had found the lifeless, broken body of the Marine’s son stuffed in a closet. He just couldn’t get the image out of his head.
Gibbs could tell by Tony’s demeanor that he wasn’t as okay as he kept claiming to be. And he didn’t hassle Tony when he slipped away from his desk to go see Abby. Even before Tony had become Abby’s secret admirer, Abby had been one of the few people Tony would accept comfort and mothering from. And Gibbs knew that Tony needed a little of both right now.
The music in the lab was soft and sorrowful when Tony got down there and he walked in quietly, and saw Abby working at her bench. He wanted to smile but it just wouldn’t come. She turned and took one look at his face and just threw herself at him and held him tightly. His arms went around her and he squeezed back just as tight.
Abby knew that Tony had found the child and she couldn’t begin to imagine what that felt like, from her world it was bad enough to have to look at the evidence photos in cases like this. She also knew that Tony had been down to autopsy a couple of times to see the little boy. There really wasn’t anything that she or anyone else could say to make him feel better. So she stroked his head and murmured soft comforting words and just let him cling to her.
He wasn’t embarrassed when pulled back from each other and she saw the unshed tears in his eyes, he knew she wouldn’t think any less of him. He sniffed and reached up to stroke her cheek fondly and she smiled for him. He gave her hand a final squeeze and headed for the elevator, not saying a word. One of the things he loved best about Abby was that they didn’t always have to say anything. He didn’t have to put his emotions and thoughts in words. He probably didn’t deserve her, but he thanked whatever lucky star he was under that she was in his life.
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Tbc… feedback always appreciated!!
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