Author note:

This is an NFA Secret Santa story written for MrsMcGee according to the following specs:

McAbby is my ultimate pairing but i also love McGiva.
Must Haves: angst and maybe a rejection somewhere in the middle
Don't Wants: OC characters involved with the main characters

See my profile for links to the other Secret Santa stories

Chapter 1: Abby's secret video.

"I can not work like this!" Abby yelled across her lab at cardboard Ziva and Tony, the latter still sporting his moustache courtesy of McGee. "You two aren't helping," she snapped, stomping towards them. "I need more than cell phone images crudely adhered to janitorial equipment, I need you guys."

Dumping herself on a stool, she turned to her favourite computer and clicked a non-descript icon on the desk top unleashing a full screen live video feed of McGee sitting at his desk somewhere down in the geek sub-city of NCIS. The picture emanated from a tiny camera she had placed delicately on McGee's bookshelf one night. It wasn't just a camera: it was a state of the art Intel E52 surveillance camera with integrated microphone that her cousin Leon had 'acquired' for her. It had ridiculous resolution for something so small, allowing her to zoom in and examine every pore on McGee's face. She had told cousin Leon she needed the camera for a life or death situation – which was true in many ways. Besides, he owed her a favour.

Abby gained no small amount of personal satisfaction from the fact that she was spying into the Cyber Crimes Unit and they were oblivious. The E52 was a genius piece of electronic engineering but you'd think a bunch of computer geeks trained to detect high tech spying would notice one stuck to a shelf in the room. She'd notice if someone planted one in her lab. Then again, it was a very crowded bookshelf, as McGee's often were. She had no idea why he insisted on having all those books in his home or behind his desk anyway; he always had all the information in his head. In fact, in the many years she'd known him, she had never seen him open a single book. Now she came to think about it, McGee's books always looked brand new; completely untouched, like the set of some TV show.

Abby interrupted her own musings to click on the speaker icon under McGee's silent video image and turn off the mute. Usually, just the visuals were enough but today she was stumped – she needed the full audio visual McGee experience. Even when the sound was on, he wasn't saying anything but she if she listened very hard, she could almost hear him breathing. Now, with pseudo-McGee beside her once again, Abby relaxed for the first time that day.

"Now, McGee," she said pursing her lips in annoyance, "these guys have a firewall to die for, how are we going to get through it?" She paused for his answer. "Of course, I've tried that, I'm no rookie, think of something else." Again Abby conjured McGee's response in her head; then scoffed at it. "Tell me something I don't know, McGee."

On the screen, she saw McGee click his mouse and stare at his computer as he did several times a day. She wondered what it was that McGee watched for so long on his monitor. He often looked sad as he stared. Occasionally he just looked thoughtful and, every now and again, she would catch him smiling. Once he had even laughed. Maybe he was looking at really strange porn. On her image it was almost as if he were looking straight at her. Abby sighed dejectedly, rested her chin on one hand and watched him longingly. She wanted him with her right now.

"What have you got for me, Abs?" asked Gibbs, appearing silently in the lab.

She muted the sound and minimized McGee to a nameless icon in one practised, deft action.

"Nothing, oh great one," she said with forced levity.

Gibbs looked back at the door. "Do you want me to redo the entrance?"

Abby smiled sadly. "It won't change anything. It's a firewall I just can't crack."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow at her.

"Yet," she amended, "can't crack yet."

Gibbs squeezed out a gentle smile.

"You know this would be a whole lot faster if I had help from a super geek," said Abby suggestively.

"I'll get you an assistant," Gibbs offered.

"Oh come on!" Abby groaned. "My last two assistants are serving time."

Gibbs smiled at her sadly. "He's gone Abs."

Abby shrank inwardly. "I know but I need him back. It's been 14 days, 20 hours and 32 minutes. Don't let this get into triple digits, Gibbs. I'm going to start keeping score."

Gibbs gave her a puzzled look but she wasn't finished.

"You know how you never realise how much you miss someone until they're gone?"

"Yep, I think I do."

"Well, this is so much worse than that. He was the other half of me, Gibbs. I mean, I miss Tony, he's like my playmate and Ziva well, that's a girl bonding thing but McGee: he was the Ying to my Yang. I can't do this alone anymore." She buried her head in Gibb's shoulder and he wrapped his warm arms around her. "I need him, Gibbs," she whispered.

"Working on it," said Gibbs quietly, planting a gentle kiss on the top of her head.

Abby stayed in position for almost a minute before she pulled away. "See!" she demanded pointing to her stubbornly quiet equipment, "no breakthrough while you're in here. Even your power doesn't work without him."

"See what you can do," said Gibbs kindly.

Abby watched him turn and walk away. The moment the lab door slid shut behind him, she resurrected McGee on the laptop. He was looking in profile now, talking to someone else. She kept the mute on; she didn't need to hear his conversations with other people.

"See what happens when you're not around, McGee," she accused: "Nothing."

McGee ignored her and kept on talking off into space to some unseen audience.

Abby turned to cardboard Tony. "Tony, McGee's ignoring me again."

"We'll see about that," she mimicked Tony. Grabbing the mop handle, she tapped cardboard Tony's head lightly on the top of the laptop. "Lady's talking to you, Probie." Onscreen, McGee did not seem to notice.

Defeated, Abby sighed and returned cardboard Tony lovingly to his post next to cardboard Ziva. This was never going to work.

McGee was still talking on her screen. She took a moment to admire him just one more time then minimized the picture again. It just wasn't fair. She needed him here with her to bounce ideas of, to discuss dating disasters, to tease, to smell, to love. Dating was so out but she needed to see him.

Then it hit her.

"I'll ask him to lunch!" she told Major Mass Spec as she leapt from her stool.