Abby was sitting in her lab at NCIS headquarters, alone and depressed. It was Valentine's Day; which was by no means her favorite holiday, but still, some part of her wished for something more than just the friendship cards and candies she received each year. There was one man that she was interested in, but he didn't want her anymore. They had dated, but she pushed him away because she wasn't ready for the kind of commitment he was looking for. Now, she was ready, but it was too late.

It didn't help that when she came into work that day, there had been an anonymous Valentine left on her desk. She was sure that it was from Palmer; he had always been intrigued by her dark looks. There was no way it was from the one guy that she wanted it to be from.

She grabbed Burt the Hippo and gave him a squeeze, "At least I'll always have you," she said softly.

"And I'll always have you, Abs," an unexpected voice startled her.

Gibbs set a Caf-Pow in front of her. It was decorated with a black and red bow. He waited patiently for her to take sip before speaking again. "What do you have for me?"

Abby clicked a button on her keyboard and brought the chemical analysis up on the flat screen so that Gibbs could see it. "It's not anything I've ever seen before," her voice came out more monotone than she wanted, so she tried to perk up; she didn't want Gibbs to get worried. She went back to the analysis of the swab of a material found in a victim's foot. "I don't mean that the chemical is something I've never seen before; it's bleach."

"Bleach?" Gibbs was rarely visibly confused, but a victim with bleach injected into her foot postmortem caught his attention.

Abby seized the opportunity to snap a picture of the comical look, knowing that she would probably not see it again for a very long time. She gave him a semi-stern look and said "Don't ask me, the 'why' is part of your job," she clicked the print button and handed Gibbs a copy of the report for the case file.

He put it inside the manila envelope he was carrying and set it down on the table "Are you gonna tell me what's bugging you, or do I have to ask?"

"Doesn't that count as asking?" Abby joked, receiving 'the look' from Gibbs, "It's nothing important. It's just, well, it's Valentine's Day and it seems like everyone around here is in love, it makes me wish there was someone for me to love and to love me back."

Abby had kept this side of herself locked away for so long that she felt very awkward and whiny as she explained the situation to Gibbs. "Abs," he said gently, "You know you've always got us. Someday, you'll find the perfect man for you. You're still young; don't try to rush growing up and falling in love," Gibbs giving out relationship advice was like a ten year old building a working spaceship; it just didn't happen, "Especially don't rush marriage."

Abby took a deep breath and said very quickly "Well, I think I already met him, but I don't know if he feels the same way," she felt vulnerable and it was uncomfortable.
"Do I know this man?" Gibbs inquired in a gruff, protective voice.

"Yeah, it's-"

-MEANWHILE-

"Got any plans for tonight, McLoverboy?" Tony tossed a wad of paper at the junior agent.

"Yep; I've got a date with my next bestseller," Tim intended to spend the night in his apartment with a cocktail and his typewriter.

He gladly would have given up his precious writing time if it meant spending that time with his girlfriend, but he didn't have one at the moment, so he was sticking to his novel.

"You really need to get a girl, McGee," the look on Tony's face was sincere, but Tim knew that there was still a smirk behind it.

Luckily for McGee, Ziva exited the elevator in time to hear Tony's most recent comment. She grabbed Tony's arm and twisted it behind his back. "Stop harassing him," she was determined not to let anyone ruin such a lovely day, "Or you will be eating dinner alone tonight," she threatened.

"Fine," Tony mumbled. Ziva let go of his arm and went to her desk. Tony flashed McGee a mischievous smile. "Sounds like Ziva and I have a date tonight."

Her head snapped up. "What are you talking about, Tony? I did not mean that I would be having dinner with you, I meant that I would eliminate your date."

Much to Tim's relief, Tony turned away from him and to the mortified Mossad officer. "Come on Ziva, just one date. I promise that I won't do anything you don't want me to do."

"That is a very empty promise Tony, now please, leave me alone," Ziva actually blushed.

Tony was not easily deterred from anything, and Ziva presented an interesting challenge. Tim sat back to watch the disaster unfold. Tony raised his voice so that several surrounding Agents looked up from their work and over at him. "Ziva David, I would like to take you out to dinner tonight. Will you go out with me?"

To Tim's surprise, Ziva hissed back at Tony, "If it means that you will shut up, then, yes you may take me out to dinner. Now, sit down and shut up."

Tony did as she said but not before he shouted for everyone to hear "She said yes!"

The senior agent strode over to his desk. Once his back was turned, Tim saw what looked like a flash of pleasure and excitement on Ziva's face. He had always known that those two were perfect for each other; it had just taken them a while to realize it.

It was the year of romance, or so it seemed to Tim. He felt like he was getting too old to still be alone, but he couldn't find the right girl. Well, he had found her, but she didn't want him as bad as he wanted her. Tim held every memory of her tight, memories that spanned from grocery shopping to sex. He didn't think of it as sex and he never had; they did not have sex, they made love.
Tim sighed softly. Ziva looked at him, silently asking what was wrong. He shook his head; he wasn't going to talk about it with Tony around. He wondered if Abby liked the card he had left on her desk. He was too afraid of ruining their friendship to sign the card; it said everything that he felt for her and it felt good for her to know, even if she didn't know that it was Tim who was feeling that way.

-DOWNSTAIRS-

"Abby, is he 'the one?'"

"Yes," she whispered.

"Then go get him. You won't know how he feels unless you ask," Gibbs gave her the best pep talk he could; all of the mushy, romantic stuff gave him a headache.

Abby took a deep breath and walked out to the elevator. She pushed the button and did her best not to hyperventilate. When the doors slid open, she quickly scanned the room for him. He was at his desk. He looked flustered; he looked gorgeous. Her heart skipped a beat as she charged over to him before she lost her nerve.
He heard her coming and stood. "Abby, what are you-"

She grabbed the sides of his face and gently pulled him into a kiss. Neither moved until Tony tapped Abby on the shoulder. She turned to him, annoyed that he had ruined the moment. "Save the face-sucking for later Abs, McGoogle has work to do," he smiled at her.

Abby turned back to Tim and pulled him into a tight hug. She rested her head in the crook of his neck. Whispering as quietly as she could, so that no one else would hear, she said, "Timmy, did you leave me that Valentine?"

"Yes," he whispered back, "Did you like it?"

"Yes. I love you. I always have, and I always will; I can only hope that you love me like that too," she could feel herself getting teary eyed.

"Abby," he said, loud enough that curious onlookers could hear, "Will you be my Valentine?"

She placed a soft kiss on his neck. "Absolutely," she murmured, letting the happiness wash over her. She put her hand in her pocked and felt the Valentine, committing his words to memory; it was a moment she would never want to forget.