**Chapter Ten -- Bloodbath Part One**
**June 1, 2009 -- NCIS Headquarters**
"DiNozzo." Gibbs barked, jarring his Senior Agent out of his daze. "Take these files down to Abby."
"I'm really busy, Boss. Can't McGee take 'em?" Tony argued. It had been just over a week since the argument with Abby in her lab about replacing Ziva. He knew it was childish of him to be avoiding her, but he couldn't help but be angry about the whole situation. She was just easiest to avoid.
"Did that sound like a suggestion, DiNozzo?"
Tony dropped his eyes, standing up from his desk and taking the files from Gibbs roughly. "On it, Boss." He said curtly, turning and heading to the elevator. He had made it a point to stay out of the lab as much as possible, but that didn't stop Abby from trying to talk to him. She had left several messages on his answering machine, each one slightly more desperate than the last. He would know this if he had listened to them. Instead he chose to just delete them as soon as he saw who they were from.
He stepped onto the elevator and hesitated slightly before pressing the button to her lab. Tony knew her well enough to know that she would be upset with him for avoiding her. Closing his eyes, he wished he could go back just a few days and apologize to her. It wasn't her fault that Gibbs hired a new girl, and it certainly wasn't her fault that Ziva left. But he had been letting himself take his anger out on her, simply because she wasn't someone he necessarily had to see every day. And it was considerably safer than possibly punching Gibbs out of spite.
The elevator doors slid open and Tony stepped out, noticing immediately the lack of music in Abby's usually unbearably loud lab. It made him hang his head in shame, knowing that there were only a few times he could remember there being no music, and all of them related directly to Abby being depressed.
"Abby?" He whispered hesitantly, stepping into the lab slowly as to not frighten her.
"Done avoiding me, I see." She bit out, her back to him as she processed a background check at her computer.
Tony resigned himself to standing quietly, shifting from foot to foot as he waited for her to finish what she was doing.
Abby scoffed, turning to face him. "Great. I love being ignored by the way, so just go ahead and keep it up!" He noticed when she stepped closer that she wasn't wearing any makeup, and her pigtails were messy at best, obviously there out of necessity rather than her usual style choice. She snatched the files out of his hand and chuckled bitterly. "Were you aware that you were being sent down here for a recon mission?"
"Huh?" He asked, snapping out of his appraisal of the Goth's state of mind when she flopped the files open on the stainless steel workbench.
"Recon. Short for reconnaissance. Basically spying." She spat, pointing to the blank white papers that were inside the files. She sighed and turned away from him, returning to her background check. "Gibbs used you."
He sighed as he walked around the workbench and stood next to her. She wasn't typing anything, just staring at the empty screen, her usually bright green eyes looking abnormally dark.
"Abs..." He started, pushing off the desk and walking over toward the plasma screen, running a hand through his hair. "I know you're angry at me..."
She snorted and shook her head, breaking the staring contest she was having with the computer screen to look over at him. "Angry? I'm not angry. Disappointed? Sure. Confused? Hell yeah. But I'm not angry, Tony. You're angry."
"Cut me some slack, huh?!" Tony shouted, turning back to face her. He took two long strides and next thing he knew they were only inches apart with Abby backed up against her workbench, his voice barely a whisper when he spoke. "She's gone. And I'm not dealing like I should. I..." He stopped himself short of saying the only words he knew would diffuse the situation as he backed away, walking back toward the windows.
"Go." Abby whispered, still backed against the cold steel of the table. He turned to face her, a confused look on his face as he searched for the words he needed to dig himself out of his hole. She didn't give him the opportunity. "Go!" She shouted, pointing toward the door. "Get the fuck out!"
Tony's jaw dropped for a moment before he set it firmly and stormed out of the lab, leaving Abby alone. She slumped to the floor slowly, burying her head in her hands as she sobbed quietly.
**3 Years Earlier -- April 25, 2006 -- NCIS Headquarters**
"Oh hoho! What have we here?" Tony exclaimed, a large grin crossing his face as he walked into the lab.
"Don't start with me, DiNozzo!" Abby cried, pointing at him accusingly.
He tutted at her, taking her by the shoulders and spinning her around. "Love the Career Girl Barbie outfit, babe."
Abby rolled her eyes as she pouted, pushing Tony away half-heartedly when he stopped twirling her around. "Haha, happy now? You officially have blackmail material on me for the next year."
"Who said anything about blackmail?" He asked innocently, grabbing her waist and pulling her into a hug. "I like your court outfit. Especially the heels."
She hugged him back and smiled. "Of course you do. You better get back upstairs. I have to process that cocaine you guys found at the crime scene."
"Yes ma'am." Tony said, kissing her on the cheek. He smiled and pulled away from her, winking as he backed out of the lab and into the elevator, heading up to the third floor squad room.
"What are you so happy about, Tony?" McGee asked as the older man came into the bullpen, grinning from ear to ear.
"Oh, Probie..." He smirked, walking over and draping his arm over the younger agent's shoulders. "You should go to the lab. Right now." He winked at McGee and stepped away, sitting down at his desk.
"What are you talking about?" McGee asked, confused. "Does Abby have something already?"
Tony rolled his eyes. He hated spelling things out for him sometimes. "Just trust me, Probilicious. You can thank me later." He watched as the younger man stood hesitantly, making his way to the elevator.
McGee stepped off the elevator and stood outside the door to the lab, just barely peeking inside when he heard Abby's voice.
"McGee, you're lurking without a permit!" She said playfully, flicking her eyes quickly toward the door before looking back down at her drug test kit.
He stepped fully into the lab, his cheeks pink with embarrassment. "Sorry. I...um, came down to see if...you had something?"
"I told Tony I'd call him when I got something." She said, pausing for a moment before she turned to face him again. She had changed out of her court outfit and back into her regular attire consisting of a plaid skirt and a black t-shirt. "He sent you down here, didn't he?" McGee nodded and Abby chuckled, rolling her eyes. "Guess I shouldn't be too surprised. It is Tony, after all."
"He just told me to come down here, didn't tell me why." His voice was laced with confusion as he glanced around the lab, realization dawning on him when he saw her court suit hanging in her office.
"I was in my..." She stopped mid sentence, the smile falling from her face. "You smell that?"
"Smell what?" McGee asked, concerned my the look on Abby's face.
"Almonds. We have to get out of here!" She grabbed his hand and started for the door, keeping low to the ground.
"What?" McGee asked, following closely behind her, gripping her hand.
"Cyanide gas!" Before she could say anything else, she was on her back, being dragged out of her lab by McGee. Once they were outside, he slammed the door shut while Abby hit the emergency button that was just outside the door, the loud alarm blaring through the hallway.
Releasing the Goth's arm, McGee dropped to his knees beside her as he pulled his phone from his pocket, dialing Gibbs immediately.
"Yeah, Gi--"
"Boss, we need you in the lab. Now."
Gibbs hung up his phone and stood quickly, taking long strides toward the elevator. "Boss?" Tony asked, standing up, a look of worry crossing his face.
"Come on, DiNozzo. Something's happened in the lab."
He jogged after Gibbs, slipping onto the elevator just as the doors closed. They rode down in silence, Tony shifting nervously between his feet as he worried about his friend. When the elevator stopped on the bottom floor of the building, they could hear the alarm that signaled a biological emergency through the heavy metal doors.
The doors slid open and they stepped out, looking over the heads of the contamination clean-up crew trying to find Abby and McGee. Tony spotted them being ushered toward the decontamination showers and attempted to push past the decontamination team when Gibbs grabbed his arm.
"Relax. You know the drill. We'll meet 'em in autopsy. Come on."
Tony followed Gibbs into the elevator grudgingly, looking back over his shoulder as Abby and McGee were led into the decontamination showers. They rode the elevator to autopsy in silence and when they stepped off, Ducky was waiting for them.
"I heard the alarms, what happened to Abigail?" Ducky asked, concerned about their resident Goth.
"Not sure yet, Duck. The decon team was already there when we got down, didn't get a chance to ask questions."
They were interrupted a moment later by Abby and McGee walking through the rear doors of autopsy, wearing blue NCIS jumpsuits.
"Tony!" The raven-haired woman called, her ponytail swinging wildly as she jumped on him in a hug.
"You okay, Abby? What happened?" Tony asked, holding her tightly.
"It was just an accident." She said meekly, pulling away from him and sitting on one of the autopsy tables next to McGee so Ducky could check them out.
"You don't have accidents, Abs." Gibbs stated, leaning against the table opposite her.
"He's got a point, Abby." McGee said as best he could through an oxygen mask. "I shouldn't have distracted you."
"Okay, in my defense, what self-respecting drug dealer laces his cocaine with potassium cyanide?!"
"Obviously one that does not care about repeat business," Ziva said as she stepped into autopsy, file in hand. "However I do not believe this was an accident or a mistake on your part, Abby."
"C'mon. You're saying someone did this on purpose?" Tony snorted. "No way."
"Yeah, who would do something like that on purpose to Abby? It's not like she's Tony." McGee noted, taking off his oxygen mask.
"Watch it, Probie," Tony warned, his arm wrapped around Abby protectively.
"I'm just saying, you've probably got a long list of women who would--"
"Luckily for us, Abby has a short list," Ziva interrupted, handing the file to Gibbs. She never broke eye contact with the Goth as she spoke.
"You should have told us sooner."
"Told us what?" Tony asked, removing himself from Abby as he walked over to peer over Gibbs' shoulder. His eyes darkened slightly as he looked up at her. "Mikel?" He growled.
Abby's head dropped and her eyes closed as she groaned softly. "He didn't do this, Tony."
"Who's Mikel?" Gibbs asked, looking over the file as best he could without his glasses.
"I dated him for awhile last year. He's harmless."
"Abby, you bought him a straightjacket for his birthday!" Tony exclaimed, pacing the length of the autopsy table angrily.
"You have a restraining order against him." Ziva stated, reading from her notes.
Gibbs stepped closer to the Goth, putting his hands on the table on either side of her. "Why didn't you come to me, Abby?" He whispered, trying to control his anger.
"I wanted him restrained, Gibbs. Not beaten to a pulp with a baseball bat." She said, turning her attention to Tony. "He's really not a bad guy, T."
Tony chuckled bitterly. "Riight." He said, stopping mid-pace and turning to face Abby. "I never liked him, Abby. Coulda had something to do with that time he held you hostage in his apartment!"
Abby sighed, dropping her eyes again. "One time! And you proceeded to have him held on a 72 hour suicide watch, Tony. I was fine, he never hurt me."
"You called me, remember? Telling me how scared you were? What were my options?" Tony bit out, his voice raising without him noticing.
"Why didn't I know about this, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked, stepping away from Abby and facing his senior agent.
"Abby asked me not to tell anyone, Boss."
"DiNozzo! Since when do you take orders from Abby?"
Tony frowned. "I don't, Boss." He said, slightly embarrassed for being called out.
"You two should be fine, you didn't inhale too much of the gas." Ducky said, stepping away from the table, giving Gibbs the unspoken permission to send them home.
"You're going home, Abby." Gibbs ordered, taking Ducky's hint before turning toward Ziva. "You got an address on this Mikel?"
"Gibbs!" Abby whined, hopping off the table. "I'm telling you, he didn't do this. He may be a little obsessed with me, but he'd never hurt me. And I can't leave, when my lab's cleared I have to finish processing the evidence."
"Abby. This isn't a discussion." The silver-haired agent said, turning to McGee. "Take her home. Keep her there. She's your responsibility."
"I...um...shouldn't Tony...?" McGee stuttered, stopping when he caught an angry glare from both Tony and Gibbs. "On it, Boss." He recovered quickly, sighing in defeat. "Come on, Abs."
"Great." She shot an irritated look at Gibbs and Tony. "Like I haven't been traumatized enough today." Turning around, she pushed past the group and out of Autopsy to press the call button on the elevator. "Come on, McGee!" She called.
**A Few Hours Later**
"I'm gonna set up my sleeping bag over here on the floor, okay? You can have the bed." McGee said, pulling his sleeping bag out of the closet.
"McGee, seriously? We're adults. We can share the bed. You're not sleeping on the floor." Abby rebutted, grabbing the pillow he had tossed onto the floor and putting it back on the neatly made bed.
"Only if you can promise to keep your hands to yourself." McGee smirked, picking up the sleeping bag and storing it back in his closet.
"You clearly haven't been." She noted, stepping into the kitchen and looking through her purse for her toothbrush. "You smell like . Glow. Damn it. I must've left my toothbrush in the car."
McGee stepped in front of Abby when she started for the door. He placed his hands on her hips out of instinct, feeling the smooth fabric of her panties under his fingers and the tickle of his dress shirt on the back of his hand. "Where do you think you're going?"
"To get my toothbrush." She said stubbornly, attempting to wiggle out of his grasp and push past him.
"No, no." He said, twirling her around with his hands still on her hips and dropping her on the worn out couch. "You're not leaving the apartment. Tony and Gibbs will kill me."
"I need my toothbrush, Tim. This isn't some sneaky ploy to get you to drop your guard. I swear." Abby grinned, holding up 3 fingers and saluting him. "Scout's Honor. And besides, if I don't have my toothbrush, I'll be forced to use yours."
He frowned, walking over and grabbing his jacket off the coatrack. "You stay here. I'll go get your toothbrush." He said firmly, opening the door. "Lock this, and do not open it for anything. I've got my key." He closed the door firmly behind him, checking the doorknob to make sure it was locked before he headed down the stairs to his car.
Abby stood up and grabbed a Red Bull out of the fridge in the kitchen, popping it open and leaning on the counter to take a drink when she heard a knock on the door. She hesitated slightly, shrugging it off when she saw McGee's keys on the counter. She chuckled as she walked to the door and unlocked the deadbolt, pulling the door open as she spoke.
"See, I tried to follow your instructions but you left..." She stopped mid-sentence and her eyes went wide when she saw Mikel standing in the doorway. "Go away, Mikel." She warned, stepping back.
He reached forward and grabbed her around the waist roughly, pulling her close to him before whispering in her ear. "It's okay, Abby." He said, holding her tightly despite her flailing arms and legs. "I'll keep you safe."
"McGee!" She screamed, trying to pry Mikel's arms off of her as he dragged her toward the door.
"Shh..." Mikel pleaded, walking into the hallway, moving slowly toward the back staircase. "He can't keep you safe, Abby. I can keep you safe!"
"McGee! Help!" She cried again, kicking Mikel in the shin as hard as she could without shoes on.
Mikel stumbled a little, though his grip on Abby's slim waist never faltered as he dropped to a kneel momentarily. "I didn't wanna hurt you, Abby." He said, taking her head in his hands and slamming it against the wall, leaving a little bit of blood behind as she fell unconscious in his arms. He looked around the hallway suspiciously before standing again, picking Abby up and draping her over his shoulder as he disappeared down the stairs.
McGee peered out into the hallway suspiciously as the elevator doors opened with a quiet 'ding', Abby's toothbrush in hand. Though he'd made it down to the car and back in record time, he'd halfway been expecting Gibbs or Tony to jump out of one of his neighbor's apartments and punch him for leaving their Goth alone for five minutes. Sometimes he'd almost swear that those two had some sort of sixth sense when it came to the Forensic Scientist.
Satisfied that his face wouldn't be compromised, he stepped out of the elevator and headed back for his apartment, frowning when he noticed the door sitting open.
"Abby?" He called, instinctively reaching for his weapon as he drew closer. His heart was thumping wildly in his chest as he pushed the door open wider and slipped in, his eyes scanning the apartment. "Abby!" He called again, while simultaneously pulling his cellphone from his pocket.
He skipped over Tony and Gibbs' numbers and dialed Ziva's, heading back out into the hallway.
"Ziva," she greeted coolly.
"She's gone!"
"What? McGee? Who is gone?"
"Abby! She's gone! I ran down to the car for five minutes and when I..." he trailed off as he spotted the smeared blood coloring the wall. "Oh my God."
Ziva growled when Tony plucked the phone out of her hand.
"Where is she?" He yelled, already heading toward the car.
"I...uh, well..." McGee stuttered nervously.
"Spit it out, McGee!" Tony snapped angrily.
"I...I..." He heard the older agent growl once again before hearing what sounded like the phone sliding across gravel, followed by the dial tone.
"Tony!" Ziva snapped, picking up the two pieces of her newly broken cell phone as they skittered toward her and holding them up to him. "You are aware that this was not your phone, yes?"
He narrowed his hazel eyes at her, and she knew that if looks could kill, she would barely be alive.
"DiNozzo." Gibbs said sternly, narrowing his eyes at his Senior Agent. "You need to relax, we'll get her back."
"Relax?!" Tony snapped, turning his attention away from Ziva and onto his boss. "You want me to relax when that nut-job has Abby?"
Gibbs took a single long step forward and snaked his hand around the back of Tony's head, smacking him hard before stepping back.
"Thank you, Boss." The younger man responded through clenched teeth.
Gibbs nodded, turning toward Ziva. "You go to McGee's. Help him process the scene. Tony, you're with me." He barked, ducking into the driver's seat of the sedan.
Tony watched as Ziva jogged over to her mini-cooper before climbing into the passenger seat of the sedan just as Gibbs pulled away from his parking space outside the crime-scene cleanup business that Mikel owned.
"I shoulda taken care of him when I had the chance." He mumbled, looking down at his hands.
Gibbs looked over at him quickly before putting his eyes back on the road as they headed for Mikel's house. "What the hell are you talking about, DiNozzo?"
He looked up at his Boss, a pained look on his face. "I shoulda arrested him. Put him away for kidnapping last year when he took Abby. I let her talk me out of it."
"Yeah. You should've." Gibbs said simply, only serving to make Tony feel worse. "But you didn't and there's nothing you can do about it now. So stop feeling sorry for yourself."
Tony's jaw set firmly, a slight frown still visible on his face as they continued to drive down the road at top speed toward Annapolis in silence.
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