The Secret

Change of pace from my normal stories, bear with me if this is not up to par. I am trying to expand my wings.

Disclaimer: I Own nothing!

Abby was always one to be upbeat and full of energy. Maybe it was the caff-pows or maybe it was just her nature. She was bouncing from one corner to the other in her lab on any given day. It was on a Tuesday that Abby noticed that she was becoming more tired as the day progressed. Where as she could usually make it on 4 to 5 hours sleep, it seemed that even after 8 hrs of sleep at night, she was still tired. "Come on, Abby! Snap out of it! Too much to do for Team Gibbs to slow up now!" Abby muttered to herself. Gibbs and the team had just been called to a new case, it seems that a petty officer Smith was found dead in Rock Creek Park. The evidence was being brought in by Tony and McGee and if she knew Gibbs as well as she did, she knew that he would be expecting answers and soon. She felt an all too familiar feeling in head also. She has been having these recurring headaches and she knew if she did not nip it in the bud, she would not be on her toes. Abby reached into her coffin shaped purse and pulled out the new prescription that her doctor had given her for the headaches. He had assured her that the headaches were more than likely due to the stress of her job and her excessive amount of caffeine.

One full week of half strength caff-pows, of course secretly, and no change, she was not feeling better. She had to keep the doctor appointment and change in caff-pows a secret, if anyone in the team, or better yet family, found out about it, then they would never leave her alone. If she could just have a few minutes of quiet and dark, then maybe when the team arrived then she would be her normal self.

KNOCK!KNOCK! "Abby, Abby…. Earth to Abby" Tony yelled as he knocked on the glass partition that separated the lab from her office.

"Huh? What? OH! Sorry!" Abby said chagrined to have been caught asleep in her lab. 'Great!' Abby thought to herself.

"What's up Abs? Too much partying last night? Hitting the clubs a little too hard during the work week, you know how dad feels about that." Tony says as he gently pulled on her pigtail. Tony was too busy focusing on Abby, that he failed to see McGee's look of concern.

Abby quickly signed over the chain of command and tried to shoo Tony and McGee out as fast as she could. Her headache was not completely gone and she would have a difficult enough time working dealing with the headache, not with the added nuicance of Tony.

"Are you sure you are Ok?" McGee asked as he gently put his hand on her elbow and turned her to face him. "Look, me in the eyes Abby and tell me you are OK." McGee knew that she never clubbed during the week, so that whatever she was feeling was not due to excessive partying.

Abby was becoming put off at the incessant questioning. "LOOK MCGEE! I am fine, a little annoyed that you two stooges seem to want to bother me and hinder me getting answers before Gibbs arrives, SO PLEASE LEAVE!" She said as she turned and headed back to the evidence.

McGee was not easily put off by Abby's assurance that she was ok, his gut told him something was up, he just had to find out how to find out what. He was at his desk, trying to finish up his report, but he just could not keep from drifting back to Abby.

"McGee! Reports not going to write itself, you have been staring at the same page for 45 minutes now, what is up?" Gibbs asked. He could tell that something was up and he knew that distracted agents were more likely to screw something up.

"Ummm. Well boss…you see…" McGee stammered.

"Boss, McWorrywart here is worried about Abby. We found her asleep in her lab, and she just told us to leave. I told him that she just partied too hard and was reaping the effects, but does he listen to me…Huh? NOOOOO" Tony said with a sense of confidence. "Wait, where are you going?" Tony said as he watched Gibbs get up and head to the elevator.

"Coffee," was all Gibbs said as he watched the elevator doors close. Gibbs slipped out, grabbed him a coffee and Abby a caff-pow. Knowing that if Abby was processing the evidence as aggressively as she usually does, then she was going to soon be in need of a new drink and it would also give him a chance to check on her himself, just to be sure she was really ok.

Gibbs knew something was off as soon as he entered the lab, no longer was the music blaring, it was low and melodic. Abby was looking through her microscope, squinting and rubbing her temple. "Abs, whatch got?" He was just going to test, he knew that she didn't have anything.

"Seriously, Gibbs." Abby said as she saw him set down the caff-pow.

'I just thought I would check before the director asked." Gibbs said as he noticed the circles under her eyes. "Nightmares, Abs?" He asked.

"No, why?" Abby asked.

"You just look a little tired that is all. Just checkin'" Gibbs said as he exited, making sure that the camera was still in her lab, he intended to keep an eye on his youngest.

Gibbs quickly went into MTAC and asked the technician to pull up Abby's lab. He watched her pour out half her caff-pow and replace it with water. "Ohhh, little one." He murmured as he watched her slowly , work in her lab.

It was on Thursday that McGee noticed that Abby was no longer wearing the cute skull short sleeved t-shirts, it was mid-August and at least 90 degrees each day. He knew something was up, and he had a feeling that he was not alone. McGee had noticed that Gibbs was make more frequent trips to the lab, even when he knew there was nothing new. It was then that he voiced his concerns to him again. McGee walked over to the front of Gibbs desk and waited until Gibbs was looking up at him.

"Something I can help you with McGee?" Gibbs asked as he took off his glasses and pinched his nose.

"Yes, Gibbs, I have a feeling that I am not the only one who is concerned with Abby, I mean, Boss, I have noticed you have been visiting the lab more frequently, and I know your gut has got to be churning, because I sure know mine has." McGee was trying to express his level of concern, when he saw Gibbs stand up and put his hand on his shoulder.

"You are right, McGee, my gut is churning, but I don't know why. Abby has suddenly been feeling tired, and now she is changing her wardrobe, something is up, I just don't know what, and Abby has no intention of telling us." Gibbs said as he walked around his desk. 'Don't worry son, we will figure this out." Gibbs said as they both turned and went for a coffee.

Friday morning, Abby had been called back to her doctor office, they had received the results of the blood tests and they needed her to come in right away. Did she have any family or someone that she could bring with her, she might need the support. Abby was never more terrified than the few minutes that she had to wait for the doctor to see her. It was when he finished talking and asked her if she had any questions that the full impact of what he said had hit her. She had zoned out when she heard the diagnosis. All she could remember was new treatment, start this afternoon and side effects. All she could do was shake her head and leave the office. Her brain went onto auto pilot and before she knew it she was at her apartment.

Back at NCIS, it did not take long for Abby' absence to make it to the bullpen. "McGee have you spoken to Abby today? " Ziva asked as she had not seen her hot rod in the parking lot, she had tried to call her in lab, but there was no answer, and her cell was off.

"Ummm….No, come to think of it, I have not seen her at all today." McGee asked as his level of concern was now rising.

"Well, I think lil' miss Party animal might have just had a busy night!" Tony said as he wiggled his brows up and down. "I think…OW!" Tony said as he felt the stinging smack upside the back of his head.

"I think, you had better get to work before I decide to go to work on your backside, Tony and what is this about Abby?" Gibbs asked.

"Gibbs, Abby has not come in yet. I have repeatedly called down to the lab and she is not there and her cell is off. McGee has already tried to access her phone, but no luck yet." Ziva spoke with a deep concern for her little sister.

"McGee?" Gibbs asked as he looked over to McGee on the phone and watched as he shook his head in answer the forthcoming question.

"Sorry, boss no luck. I am getting ready to access her voicemail and emails to see if there is something going on." McGee said as he turned back to his computer and quickly started typing.

"Damn, boss! Sorry, had no idea that something was up with sis. I will start calling local leo's for any jane does." Tony said quietly, silently praying that she would enter the office spouting off her usual nonsense.

It was then the phone rang, Gibbs quickly answered it and quietly listened and ended the call with a curt. "Got it."

"Was that Abby?" Who was it?" were all asked at one time as each agent had jumped to their feet at the phone call and was now anxiously awaiting the news.

"That was the director, it seems that Abby has been called into use by the FBI and that she would be back maybe next week." Gibbs said as he went back to his desk, grabbed his sig and badge and headed out. "Coffee."

Something was gnawing at Gibbs gut, he knew that the director had every right to lend Abby out, but this was his team and he should have been asked first. Then his cell rang and they had a new lead to solve the recent murder and the whole team was so involved with closing this case they did not think to ask anymore questions regarding Abby.

NCIS NCIS

That following Thursday came and the team had wrapped up the case neatly and cleanly. The temporary fill in for Abby was half way decent, so there was no delay. McGee could not believe that Abby had not even tried to contact anyone. I mean unless they had locked her up in a concrete cell, Abby could and would have found a way to communicate with her family. McGee went into snoop mode and accessed/hacked into the FBI database and looked to see what current cases were being investigated and who was assigned to them. It was after checking and double checking that McGee noticed something was off, or the lack of something was off. "UMMM, Boss, I just."

"Just what McGee?" Gibbs asked as his gut was still churning and it was gettingworsse. I looked in to the FBI to see who Abby had been assigned to and guess what?" McGee said as he stood and walked past Tony and Ziva and headed to the elevator. It didn't take much for Gibb to grab his stuff and follow McGee's lead.

Stepping into the elevator as the doors closed, Gibbs hit the emergency switch and plunged the elevator into darkness. "Let me finish for you Mcgee. You could not find her in any case, well, I have been thinking is sort of odd that we have not had any contact from her. I am meeting Fornell in the park, you…" Gibbs was interrupted as McGee had now learned to anticipate Gibbs thoughts.

"I will head to her apartment and check to see what is going on. We know she is not missing, because the director is covering for her. I will let you know what I find." McGee said as he flipped the power back on, entered his car and headed towards Abby's. McGee arrived at Abby's and was relieved to find her street rod in her normal parking place. McGee knocked at her door and did not get any response, feeling a true sense of concern, he used the spare key she had given each of her family members. He entered her apartment yelling her name. "Abby, ABBY, ABIGAIL!" He yelled as he searched room to room. It was when he neared her room that he heard the sound of Abby wretching and vomiting. McGee rushed into the bedroom heading for the bathroom when the door was slammed in his face.

"No." McGee answered, "I am not going anywhere until you open this door." McGee said as he banged on the door.

"Please, please." Abby whimpered as she did not want McGee to see her like this.

"No, there is no FBI, no secret case, you lied, so NO!" McGee said. "Please let me in…Abs." He said quietly as he leaned his head against the door. It was when he heard the lock turn and the door start to open that the world as he knew it started to fall apart.

Abby bravely tried to hold her head up, but McGee quickly noticed the differences in Abby. She was clearly sick, pale and weak. She had tried to cover her face and head with a towel as she weakly attempted to push past McGee and lay on her bed.

McGee quickly grabbed the towel as she fell on the bed, and it was then that he noticed that she was a considerably paler but the most shocking was the fact that where once there had been a headful of black curls, now was replaced with noticeably thinner and balding hair. "Oh, Abby, what? Why?" McGee said as he sat on the edge of her bed, reached for her and pulled her into his lap. He gently started rocking back and forth, tears flowing freely down his face and hers as he silently held her as he waited for her to talk.

Once Abby had calmed down, she gently lifted her tired, empty green eyes and whispered, "ALL."

"All, all what?" He asked as he gently stroked her hair from her wet cheeks.

"Not all, ALL. Adult lymphyacytic leukemia, McGee. I have leukemia." Abby said as she rested her head against his chest and for the first time in two weeks, rested.

PLEASE READ AND REVIEW! I AM TRYING TO EXPAND MY WRITING ZONE, SO ALL REMARKS ARE APPRECIATED. NEXT CHAPTER DEALS WITH THE FAMILY ACCEPTANCE OF THE DISEASE AND MAYBE A CHANGE IN MCGEE/ABBY RELATIONSHIP.