**Chapter Eleven -- Fall Back Into My Life**
**September 27, 2010 -- 2345 Hours -- Tony's Hotel**
"Yeah, so I guess the talk Gibbs had with Bradley did some good, he didn't look like he wanted to murder me when he answered the door." Tony joked, flipping the channels absently. He sat up and rubbed a hand over his face, propping the phone between his cheek and shoulder as he talked to McGee.
"Well, did she come down?"
"Not on her own." He said. "He had to lock her out on the porch, otherwise she probably would have ignored me completely. You think I'd have learned to just tell her what she wants to hear by now."
"She appreciates your honesty. Look how she reacted when she found out about the whole Jeanne thing. You just have to give her some time, that's all."
"Yeah..." The Italian groaned at the sound of knocking on his door, pushing himself to his feet grudgingly. "Room service is here finally." He commented, pulling the door open.
Abby stood in front of him, dressed in the same pajama shorts she had been wearing earlier and a black LSU hoodie that he could only assume was her brother's based on the bagginess of it, with her hair loose around her shoulders. His jaw nearly dropped as he fumbled for words, seemingly unable to form any.
"Tony?" McGee called out, trying to get his attention. "Tony? Everything okay?"
"Uh, yeah. I'm fine." He said, never taking his eyes off his girl. "Lemme call you back." He snapped the phone shut without waiting for a response and shoved it into his pocket before speaking to the Goth. "I...uh, you're not room service.." He cringed, realizing how stupid he sounded.
"Very good, Tony." She smirked, holding up the copy of 'Evil Dead' he had given her the day before. "I thought maybe you'd like some company."
"Oh, yeah. Of course!" He stepped back and allowed her into the suite, closing the door behind them. "You surprised me. I didn't expect you to come by. How...uh, how'd you know where I was staying?"
"I uh...I asked Ziva. She told me where you made the reservations." Abby explained, watching as the older man picked up a small, unopened bottle of liquor from the table and threw it away. "Did I...interrupt anything? Because I can go...if you want."
"No!" Frowning at his over eager tone, he turned back to her. "I meant...no. Please don't go. I'll pull the couch over and we can watch the movie."
"Are you sure? Because I know it's late and everything, but I couldn't sleep after we talked and I was hoping that we could just hang out for awhile. But I can go...I mean, I should've called...I'll just go."
"Abby...I really want you to stay."
"I just...I don't wanna overstep. I mean, we just..."
"Abby." Tony said, stepping over to her and placing his hand against her cheek. "Trust me, I'm happy you're here. Let's watch the movie."
She looked up at him, smiling as his thumb brushed over her cheek. "Okay." She whispered, allowing him to lead her to a chair.
"Sit here, I'll move the couch over to the TV."
"Tony, don't be silly. We can sit on the bed. There's no reason to move the furniture around."
"Are you sure? 'Cause I don't want to make you uncomfortable." He said quietly, averting his eyes.
"Hey..." She said quietly, touching his cheek. "It's okay, Tony. I promise." She smiled.
Nodding, he reached for her hand, sighing contently when she laced her fingers through his, allowing him to lead her over to the bed. He sank down on the mattress beside her when a quiet knock sounded on the door.
"Ugh," he groaned, dropping his head back. "Room service. I forgot."
Abby giggled quietly as he ran his hand over her back before he stood up, walking over toward the door and opening it. He let the hotel employee into the room, letting him set the cart near the table on the opposite side of the room. He tipped the young man and closed the door behind him before turning back to his girl.
"Got enough food?" She asked, eying the cart. "You're gonna end up in the poorhouse if you keep eating like that."
Tony offered her a half smile as he checked the food. "I didn't get dinner earlier, so I was hungry. That's all." He immediately regretted his choice in words when he saw the smile on her face fall. "Abby, I..."
She cleared her throat quickly, shaking her head. "You've got a pretty wide assortment of stuff there. Maybe you're the one who's pregnant." She joked, trying to lighten the mood.
Tony chuckled nervously, not knowing how to respond to the comment about her pregnancy. "Yeah, it's McGee's. Jealous?"
The Goth laughed, placing a hand on her belly. "Well, it explains why he hasn't been talking to me since I left."
"He...he hasn't talked to you?" The Italian asked, a hint of anger in his voice.
She shook her head. "We...well, we kinda had a fight about a week after I left. We haven't talked since." She pushed herself off the bed and walked over to him, noticing his shoulders tensing. "It's not that big of a deal, Tony. I understand where he's coming from."
"Doesn't make it okay. I...I never wanted him to stop talking to you."
"I don't think he did it for you."
He scoffed, turning to face her. "He did. Thought he was helping me, I think." He dropped his eyes momentarily before looking back at her. "Let's not talk about this, huh? Are you hungry?"
She shook her head. "Not really, thanks. You go ahead and eat though, I'll just relax until you're done."
"Ba...Abby, come on. You didn't eat dinner either, and you're...you know, eating for two now."
She sighed, looking down at her hands. "Okay. I'll eat. What did you order?"
"Well..." He smiled, pulling out a chair for her to sit in. "I got some a salad, shrimp, and some lasagna. You can have whatever you want, baby."
She looked up at him through her bangs, a wide smile on her face. "I'll split the lasagna with you if you want."
"You got it." He smiled, handing her the plate. "I don't feel so bad for ordering so much food now." He laughed, picking up a shrimp off the tray and popping it in his mouth.
They fell into a comfortable silence as they ate, simply enjoying each others company. When they were both finished, Tony piled the plates up on the cart and returned to Abby's side.
"Ready for that movie?" He asked, offering his hand to her.
"I am." The Goth smiled, taking his hand and allowing him to help her out of the chair before she followed him over to the large bed.
"Good." The older man pressed a kiss to her cheek as she sat down and leaned back against the pillows while he put the movie into the DVD player. Walking over to the bed, he sat back against the headboard and smiled over at his girl. "You comfortable?"
Abby pulled her sweatshirt over her head and tossed it onto the floor, revealing the black tank top that was stretched over the slight swell of her belly. "I am now." She grinned, motioning for him to start the movie.
He pressed play and they relaxed slowly, letting their mutual silence soak up the awkwardness they felt from being apart for so long. Short of the time when Tony was away being an Agent Afloat, they hadn't been separated for more than a week in the past eleven years. Even when they had been fighting, they had still spoken to each other every day, and to have been away for nearly 4 months with next to no contact with DC, Abby was happy to finally be near her lover again.
The Goth yawned and scooted closer to him apprehensively, not wanting to startle him. She rested her head against his shoulder, smiling to herself when he reached up and wrapped his arm gently around her shoulders, dropping a kiss to the top of her head.
Tony shifted a few minutes later, accommodating his girl as he rested his head against the pillows. He pulled her close to his side, the slight swell of her belly pressing against him gently as he ran his fingers through her hair. He glanced down and smiled when he saw her nose pressed into his neck, completely ignoring the movie.
"Everything okay, Abs?" He asked, brushing her hair out of her face. "If you..." He stopped, feeling her stomach rumble against his hip. "Hungry still? Or just gassy?" He quipped, smirking playfully at her.
"I...um, I think that was the baby."
He pulled back and looked down at her, eyes wide. "It...the baby?"
She nodded, taking his hand and placing it over her belly. The baby kicked again as if on cue, making the Italian smile brightly. "Our baby." He whispered.
"Yeah. Our baby."
Pulling her close to him again, he leaned down and gave her a hesitant kiss on the lips, deepening it slightly when she responded in kind. "I never meant to hurt you, Abby. This...us...we can fix it. I want to fix it. That's why I came here."
"Good." She smiled, resting her head against his chest. "'Cause I don't think I can do it alone."
He kissed her again quickly before wrapping his arms around her tightly. "I'm here now. And I'm not goin' anywhere."
They both fell silent, focusing more on their closeness than the movie that was playing on the TV. Tony continued to run his hand through Abby's long black hair, feeling the muscles in her shoulders relax as she fell asleep. He smiled to himself and turned the TV off, pulling the blankets up over their bodies and wrapping himself around her tightly, joining her in sleep only minutes later.
**The Next Morning -- 0900 Hours**
A quiet groan escaped Abby as she felt her lover shift beside her on the bed, pulling her from a deep sleep. Forcing her green eyes open, she blinked in an effort to clear her vision, a sleepy smile tugging on her lips. "G'mornin'." She greeted.
"Sleep well?" Tony asked, leaning down to peck her lips gently.
"I did. But then again, I always slept best when I was with you." She responded, stretching lazily against the mattress. "How long have you been awake?"
"'Bout an hour or so. Did you know you snore in your sleep?" He teased.
"You're such a liar. I do not snore."
"Well, okay. Maybe snore is the wrong word. You do make some weird noises though."
"I'd rather make weird noises than be a creeper who sits up watching people as they sleep." She taunted.
"Well..." He said, tucking her wild hair behind her ear and kissing her again. "You're too beautiful when you sleep. I can't help but watch."
She smiled, snuggling close to him again. "You're a brown-noser, you know that?"
"Whatever works, right? How do you think I've kept my job all these years?"
"Well, your enormous ego didn't have anything to do with it."
"Hey! I think my ego has been pretty humbled over the last few months."
Though the words were meant to be taken in a joking manner, Tony watched as Abby's face fell, tears springing to her green eyes. "Oh shit...Abby..."
"No." She responded with a shake of her head. "We should...we should talk about this, Tony. Until we do, I don't think we'll ever be able to get past everything that happened."
"We really don't have to do this."
"I do." Sitting up slightly, she reached for his hand, lacing her fingers through his. "I shouldn't have left you. Not the way I did, without so much as a warning...or without...without telling you about the baby."
"I understand why you left."
"You might...but that doesn't make it right. After everything we've been through, you deserved more than what I gave you."
"I don't blame you for leaving." He said quietly, reaching out to touch her cheek gently. "I wasn't...I know I wasn't the best toward the end. You did what you thought you had to do."
"No, I did what was the easiest for me to do. I ran because things were just too damn hard, but I shouldn't have expected it to be easy. Maybe that's what our problem was, you know? We expected, after so many years of a great friendship, that it should come naturally and when it didn't, we let it fall apart."
"I want to fix that."
"So do I." She agreed with a nod, closing her eyes as a tear slid down her cheek. "But if we agree to do this, then we have to do it right this time, Tony. Because it's not just you and me anymore."
"You know I'll do whatever it takes, baby."
Nodding against him, she allowed herself to be pulled into his embrace, his strong arms holding her against his chest. Of all the things she missed, this was near the top of her list. Something about him always made her feel so safe and loved when she was wrapped in his arms.
"I didn't cheat on you."
She didn't lift her head from his chest, instead simply nodding against him, her tears soaking his shirt. "I know. If you're anything, it's faithful, Tony. I...I was just emotional and I blew it out of proportion. I should've handled it better."
"And I shouldn't have gone to that stupid bar in the first place. I...was so angry about the whole thing, and it was stupid. I don't even remember most of the night, short of waking up in McGee's apartment and realizing what I had done. I...Abby, I'm so sorry."
"Don't be. Let's put all this behind us, okay? Start...kinda fresh? Forget all the bad stuff."
Tony nodded in agreement. "I love you, Abbygirl."
"I love you too, Tonyboy."
Pressing a gentle kiss to the top of her head, the Italian pulled away, offering her a shy smile. "I have something for you."
"Tony..."
"I understand why you left it and I've been hoping that I'd have a chance to give it back to you." He climbed off the bed and made his way over to the black bag in the corner of the room, crouching down as he dug into the pocket.
Turning back to the bed, necklace in hand, he made his way over to her, holding it out as an offering.
"Can't tell you how long I've been waiting to do this, Abs." He whispered as she pulled her long, black hair out of the way. The feeling of the cool metal against her skin sent tears down her cheeks as she reached up, swiping them away quickly.
"You kept it."
"Of course I kept it. I kept everything you left behind. Except that ratty old couch. You know I never liked that thing very much anyway." He teased, pleased when she laughed through her tears.
"It really was a piece of crap, wasn't it?"
"Eh, you loved it. It was just old, that's all." He sat back down on the bed and pulled her onto his lap. "So, I have a favor to ask of you, and I totally get it if you say no."
"Anything." She said, sighing contentedly as her lover rubbed her back gently.
"I feel really bad about what Jack saw the other day, and I wanna make it up to him."
The Goth looked up at him. "Well, you could always try just apologizing." She joked.
"I was kinda hoping that you could...maybe talk to Britty and your brother. I'd like to take him out for the day. Maybe one day after school, you know, let him pick where we go."
"Aw, T...that's so sweet!" Abby gushed, kissing him. "I'll talk to them tonight. Oh! You should come over for dinner."
"I...it's probably best if I keep my distance from Bradley for awhile. You know, until he calms down." Tony explained, playing with his girl's hair. "I like your hair down. It suits you."
"I just...wanted a change. The pigtails reminded me of..."
"Of what?"
"Everything. Of DC. Of...home. Of you."
Tony was silent, tucking her head under his chin as he rocked her gently. "You want some coffee?"
"Oh, God no." Abby laughed. "Even being in the same room as a cup makes me wanna throw up."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Bradley had to move the coffee pot to the storm cellar because I was getting so sick."
"Well, its probably best that you came down here then. I don't think Gibbs would've quit his coffee, even for you."
"And I wouldn't have expected him to. I am gonna need your help though, after the baby comes. I finally kicked my caffeine habit, and I'd like to keep it that way."
Tony snorted in an attempt to prevent himself from laughing. "Sure thing, baby. So, tell me, what exactly am I supposed to do if you ask me for a Caf-Pow!?"
"Just don't get me one." She smiled innocently at him.
"And if you threaten to kill me and not leave a trace of forensic evidence?"
Abby laughed. "I wouldn't do that. Not over a Caf-Pow! anyway."
Tony shuddered. "Whatever you say Abs. Whatever you say. Can I...uh, record this conversation? Maybe get a signed statement? Just so I have something in case?"
She punched him gently. "You're funny, DiNozzo. Real funny."
While she pretended to act irritated with the Italian, the truth was that she couldn't be happier. They were back to the place they had left off all those months ago. She found that they slipped back into their old habits with little to no resistance, testament to how much the two of them really did care for each other, despite the fighting that had plagued their first try at a real relationship.
She sighed happily as Tony held her close to him, peppering the back of her neck and her shoulders with small kisses. "Tony?"
"Hmm?"
"I should probably get going. Bradley's gonna lose it when he finds me gone."
Tony groaned. "You're how old? 3..." He was stopped by Abby's hand covering his mouth.
"We don't need to discuss how old I am, T. He's my brother, and regardless of the fact that we're trying to resolve our problems, he did take care of me these last few months." She pulled her hand away from his mouth and smiled. "Besides, I need to shower and change. I'm sure I stink."
He smirked deviously. "I have a shower, and I can even help you wash the hard-to-reach spots. And, clothes are optional around here, but I do have some shirts you can wear."
"I think we should take our time with that, T. I want our relationship to be about more than just sex. That's where we ran into trouble last time around."
"Who said anything about sex?" He asked innocently, kissing her spiderweb tattoo. "I was just talking about a shower!"
"Uh huh." She smirked, pushing herself off his lap gently. "I'm gonna go home and grab a shower and a change of clothes, then I'll talk to Britty and BB about Jack."
"Alright..." He said with a dramatic sigh before he pecked her lips once more. "Can I see you tonight?"
"Oh yeah. You're not gettin' rid of me that easily." She smirked. "Maybe I'll come over a little earlier tonight...if you want."
"Of course." He said as he walked her to the door. "I'm really glad you came by last night."
"So am I...I'll see you later, huh?"
"I'll be here." Reaching over, he tangled his fingers through her hair, pulling her close as he pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. "Love you."
"Love you too, T." She responded with a bright smile.
He watched her step on the elevator before he closed the hotel room door, a bright grin on his face. Crossing the room, he plucked his cellphone from the table, intent on filling McGee in on the latest developments when he stopped himself.
"When the hell did I become such a McGirl?" He asked with a laugh before he tossed the phone to the bed, in better spirits than he'd been in months.
Chapter End Notes:
"Fall Back Into My Life" by Amber Pacific