Being wired and tired was a bad combination, Tony decided. His body might be ready to crash but his mind was still going a mile a minute. He hated feeling so out of sync, so scattershot and lost.
It was probably worse for Abby, but at least Tony knew what to do to help her. He'd done it for her before, although, he'd never seen her quite this bad. Hell, he'd never been quite this out of sorts himself either. It wasn't every day someone tried to frame him for murder.
A hot shower would help Abby unwind. A long bubble bath would be better, but she vetoed the suggestion saying it would take too long and she didn't want to be in the bathroom when McGee arrived. Given that McGee had already seen her naked at least once, Tony wasn't sure what the big deal was, but he knew better than to argue with her. A hot shower would still give her mind a chance to slow down while relaxing tired muscles.
A cup of chamomile tea moved the process along another step. Tony couldn't stand the stuff himself, but he knew Abby liked it, so he obligingly made a cup for her while she was in the shower. She only drank it at night after a particularly grueling day. The habit associated with a cup of tea, combined with the warmth and natural relaxing properties helped to slow down her still racing thoughts and unknot aching muscles.
She curled up on the couch in her flannel pj's, leaning into Tony as he wrapped his arms around her. He wondered where in the hell she'd managed to find pajamas covered with glow in the dark bats, but resisted the urge to ask. It would ruin the mood. He could always ask another time.
He cued the stereo to play a little bit of instrumental music that few would suspect Abby of even owning. It wasn't heavy metal, screaming guitars or jazz. She'd stopped by his place not long after he started working at NCIS and had mentioned like the CD, so he bought her a copy. It was mostly percussion and flute, sounding almost tribal in the rhythm and cadence. The beat was constant, measured and soothing, rather like a steady heartbeat.
"Feeling better?" He placed a kiss in her still damp hair. Tony wished she'd wear it down more often.
"Much." Abby sipped her tea and sighed. One hand moved curl around Tony's fingers. She squeezed once. "I really am sorry."
"Nothing to be sorry for." He squeezed back. "Not your fault Chip was a nut job out to get me."
Tony grimaced. He should have paid more attention. Chip had seemed vaguely familiar but Tony hadn't given it much thought; certainly not enough to worry about placing his face or name. It was his own damn fault that the little shit had even been able to frame him in the first place. Just like it was his fault for being so stupid he open a poisoned letter, had kissed Pacci's killer, incited his mother's wrath...Tony shook his head. Better to just not think about all that right now.
Abby shifted so she could look at him. "You okay?"
He smiled. "I'm fine."
It wasn't a lie. Not really. He'd be fine. The only thing that had happened to him was spending a few hours in a cell. Hardly the worst thing he'd ever experienced, and definitely not something Abby should be worried about. Not right now.
Tony was glad the only one who'd witnessed his little breakdown in the jail cell had been Gibbs. No one else needed to know he'd been so damn scared he'd gotten diarrhea of the mouth and started babbling about stuff better left buried. Gibbs seemed to understand, thank god. At least he hadn't called him on it or asked any questions. Not yet, but Tony had no illusions. Gibbs would ask eventually. Tony would do the same thing in his place. He sighed softly, not looking forward to that conversation.
"You can go home if you want," Abby offered, her expression serious as light blue eyes studied him. "Been a long day for you too."
Tony shook his head. "I'll wait for McGee." Gibbs was probably still at the office, and Tony really didn't feel like being alone. Although, he did give going for a run serious consideration. Exercise helped him shut off his brain for awhile; let him focus on just moving and his breathing. It was as close as Tony ever came to true meditation.
Abby finished her tea, placing the cup on the coffee table. She slouched down further, head coming to rest in Tony's lap. Abby sighed, yawning widely.
"Go to sleep, Abby."
"You make a good pillow."
Tony chuckled, fingers brushing through her hair. "So Gibbs tells me."
He lightly massaged her scalp. She hummed in appreciation. Tony smiled softly, knowing she'd be down for the count in just a few minutes. Once she was out, Abby would sleep soundly until tomorrow morning. Tony had never met anyone who slept as deeply as Abby. He was pretty sure she wouldn't wake up if a bomb went off. Tony assumed her sleep habits were probably one of the reasons she had so much energy.
He carefully shifted out from under her, substituting a nearby pillow for his lap. Tony cocked his head as he studied her peaceful expression. She really was lovely. He placed a kiss on her forehead.
"Love you, Abby," he whispered. Other than his frat brother, Joe, Abby was his best friend. He saw more of her than he did of Joe, but there was still a lot Joe knew that Abby didn't. Maybe some day he'd consider telling her some of those things.
He looked up when there was a soft knock at the door. Tony opened the door. "Hey, Probie."
McGee smiled hesitantly. "I'd have been here sooner but--"
"You're right on time." Tony made a sweeping gesture, inviting McGee into Abby's place. "She just fell asleep a few minutes ago."
McGee nodded, glancing toward the couch where Abby lay unmoving. "Down for the count then."
"Yep."
McGee gave him a searching look. "You okay?"
"I really need to find a mirror," Tony muttered, not realizing he'd said that aloud until McGee frowned at him. Tony rolled his eyes. "People keep asking me that."
"Well, given that you were nearly on death row, it is sort of a logical question."
Tony snorted. "I was not nearly on death row."
"Abby seemed to think so," McGee offered hesitantly.
"You really think Gibbs would have let it go that far?" Tony arched an eyebrow. His faith in the cell had wavered a bit, but he'd never fully lost it. Not really. Gibbs has saved him from the Black Death for crying out loud, Tony should have known better.
"No, I don't really think Gibbs would have let it go that far." McGee shrugged, his expression apologetic and doubtful as he rubbed the back of his neck. "But Gibbs is not omnipotent."
Omnipotent, no, not really. But Tony hadn't met anyone else who so often made the impossible seem easy. "Close enough to it for me, McGee."
McGee laughed softly, raising a hand for a high five. "Amen, brother, Amen." Tony grinned, lightly slapping McGee's hand.
He looked over at Abby. Now that she was asleep, it probably wasn't absolutely necessary for someone to say, but Tony would feel better if McGee was there. And he knew Gibbs would want someone to make sure Abby had really shaken off the affects of the last two days.
"You okay with staying the night?" Tony didn't want McGee to feel obligated to stay if he wasn't comfortable doing so.
"I'm fine with it."
Tony nodded, accepting the easy answer. He wasn't entirely sure about the nature of Abby's and McGee's relationship. Good friends having casual sex or casual friends having good sex, Tony mused with an internal shrug. It wasn't his place to judge. And unlike Gibbs, Tony knew Abby could more than hold her own. If anyone was going to get hurt, it would most likely be McGee.
"You heading home?" McGee asked as Tony grabbed his jacket, shrugging into it.
"Yeah." Tony rubbed tiredly at his eyes. "Been a long day."
"That it has." McGee gave him a sympathetic look.
"About choking you...earlier...through the bars," Tony cleared his throat, forcing himself to make eye contact. He couldn't quite bring himself to apologize; he wasn't really sorry he'd done it at the time, but he knew he shouldn't have done it. It wasn't McGee's fault he'd gotten himself framed. "It won't happen again."
McGee nodded slowly, clearly understanding what Tony wasn't saying. He smiled easily. "Didn't think it would happen again. Not really expecting to see you behind bars in the future."
Tony grinned. "Your lips to God's ear, Probie."
"I thought you weren't sure there even was a god?"
"Nothing wrong with hedging my bets." Tony shrugged, patting McGee's shoulder. "See you tomorrow."
"Good night, Tony."
"Night, Tim." Tony headed out. He hoped Gibbs wasn't expecting too much from him when he got to Tony's place. Helping Abby had definitely helped Tony unwind a little. A shower, maybe something to eat, and some mindless movie entertainment was about all Tony thought he could handle.
He would love a massage. Gibbs had demonstrated a real skill for giving them. Knowing his lover was good at it had prompted Tony to restock his supply of oils not too long ago, but he wasn't going to ask for one. It just seemed so damn?needy. Tony knew it was stupid and insecure of him, but he was leery of asking Gibbs for too much, of appearing weak in his lover's eyes.
Maybe he could talk Gibbs into a bath with him. He knew the former Marine loved the big sunken tub at his place. It wouldn't seem overly selfish to suggest something he knew Gibbs enjoyed. Tony enjoying it at the same time could be considered a side benefit.
Tony yawned as he got into his car. He was damn glad he'd been able to get her out of the impound lot. She should never have been subjected to having strangers climbing all over her looking for evidence. He patted her steering wheel. "Sorry, baby."
He started the car, letting the engine warm up. He hoped Gibbs would already be there, but wasn't really expecting him to be. Gibbs hadn't changed his habit of staying late at the office wrapping up loose ends. It wasn't usually a problem since Tony often stayed late himself, or went running after work. Just this once Tony wished they'd altered their routines.
"Can wish in one hand, piss in the other, and guarantee which one will get wet." He said to himself, snickering as he remembered the first time Ernie said that. Waiting for Gibbs wasn't exactly a hardship, so he'd just have to suck it up and quit wishing for things to be different.
He lightly stroked the dashboard. "Let's go home,girl."
Author's Chapter Notes:
Tony helps Abby settle in for the night.
Chapter End Notes:
This is part of the Risky Series. Follows Covering the Risk