Chapter 1: Smouldering Love

"You ready for bed yet Abby?" McGee asked, his girlfriend had been rushing about the apartment for the last hour, not for any particular reason, she just couldn't settle.

"No Tim." Abby answered as she bustled into their bedroom only dressed in her underwear and one of McGee's shirts, "I know something is up. I just don't know what. It worries me Tim."

"Abby, nothing is up. There's nothing different today than any other day. Come here," he sat on the edge of their bed and opened his arms as an invitation for Abby to seek safety. She came straight over and snuggled deep into his chest breathing in his scent, he smelt to old books and his aftershave that she didn't know the name of. The smell made her feel safe.

"Now came we go to bed?" Tim asked looking down at his precious forensic scientist, kissing her glossy black hair.

Abby nodded, let go of her grip round McGee's waist and crawled across the bed and snuggled deep into the blackest. Tim joined her and pulled the blackest over her head, shoved his hands under the covers and started to tickle her sides. She started to giggle uncontrollably and writhe around the bed.

"McGee!" Abby laughed, desperately trying to resist from laughing but obviously failing miserably, "Tim, stop it. I get it, we can go to sleep now."

"You know," McGee said huskily into Abby's ear, holding her back against his chest, "I don't think I want to go to sleep anymore."

"No?" Abby said, wriggling round to face McGee, looking into his eyes.

"No," Tim leaned in and kissed her full on the mouth. Both their minds no longer on sleep, but now focused on a completely different type of activity, one which required much more physical excursion than sleep.

An hour later Tim turned to Abby and held her close.

"Feeling better now?" he asked, kissing her on the nose.

"Much, thank you Tim," she kissed him back and snuggled deeper into his embrace. "Mmmm, tired now, sleep time."

"Night Abby, love you."

"Love you too Tim."

= O ~*~ O =

Tony and Ziva were walking past Abby and Tim's apartment on their way back from a restaurant down the street. They had parked the car and walked because, as they had been to this restaurant a few times in the past, they knew getting a parking space around the restaurant could be a nightmare. Walking hand and hand they casually looked up at their friend's apartment to see if they had gone to bed yet. At first glance it seemed they had, but then they could see a thin stream of smoke emanating from an open window and flickering light, a lot like fire light.

"Tony! Look!" Ziva cried, stopping suddenly, pulling Tony to a stop as well.

"Oh God!" Tony looked at the apartment and started to run towards the building, he shouted back over his shoulder as Ziva, "Ziva, call the fire department and then call Gibbs!"

"But Tony!" You could be killed!" she shouted back at her idiot of a boyfriend.

"No different to every day at work then," he yelled as he opened the door to the apartment building.

Ziva dialled the numbers Tony told her to and waited for the relevant people to arrive. She paced up and down the pavement, worry eating at her entire soul and being. What is McGee and Abby were already dead, what if Tony couldn't rescue them, what if Tony died?

Luckily the fire crew arrived quickly, Ziva told them the apartment number and the fact that Tony had gone in to try and rescue Tim and Abby and also the fact that they're all federal agents for NCIS, except for Abby who was the forensic scientist for the same agency. Gibbs arrived soon after, straight away asking for a sit rep. After getting the info he settled to watching the fire crew do their work, drinking his coffee.

= O ~*~ O =

"Abby!" Tony was yelling through the smoke, coughing slightly because of the smoke and kicking down the door, "McGee!"

"Tony?" McGee answered from behind the bedroom door.

"McGee? Why are you staying in there? Come on lets get you and Abby out of here and quickly."

"Tony, I can't kick in the door and carry Abby, and its locked from your side!"

"Okay, stand back" Tony kicked relentlessly at the door. It took a few kicks but it eventually gave in. As soon as the door fell to the floor McGee stepped over the threshold carrying an unconscious Abby in his arms. Tony put his hand on the probie's shoulder and helped him swiftly cross the apartment and out of the door just as the fire crews rushed in."

= O ~*~ O =

Ziva was still pacing back and forth, constantly flexing and cracking her fingers and knuckles. The nerves were eating at her, it had been fifteen minutes since Tony had entered the building. He should be out by now, why wasn't he?

"Ziva, calm down. Tony, Abby and McGee will be fine," Gibbs said, he stood up and put his hand on Ziva's shoulder, squeezing it comfortingly. "They always are, and plus the fact that all your pacing is even making me jumpy."

"But Gibbs, I don't know what I'll do if any of them get hurt, especially..." she paused looking at Gibbs, her eyes desperate for reassurance, "... especially Tony."

"You love him, don't you?" he asked, looking at Ziva, trying to judge her thoughts.

"I do," Ziva admitted, looking at her shoes because suddenly they had become very interesting.

Gibbs wrapped a comforting arm around Ziva, pulling her into a fatherly comforting hug. He type of hug that you dad gives you when you fell over and grazed your knee, or when you fall out of the tree after you've been climbing it. Ziva could see the doors to the apartment building over Gibbs' shoulder, she closed her eyes just for a moment, tears started to leak out. She opened her eyes, about to break away to wipe away her tears when suddenly she saw what she was desperately wanted to see. Her tears of sadness became tears of joy.

"TONY!" Ziva almost threw Gibbs away from her as she rushed towards the people who were coming out of the main doors to the apartment building.

Tony was stumbling and coughing flowed by McGee carrying Abby, also stumbling but seemingly determined to make it to the end of the pathway. Gibbs dropped his coffee and rushed forward. He reached McGee and lifted Abby from his arms, gathered her up in his arms and rushed her over to the waiting ambulance. After depositing her in the care of the paramedics he jogged back over to support McGee over to the medics.

"Gibbs, I'm sorry." McGee coughed weakly, "Abby said something was up, I didn't believe her. I'm sorry boss, I should have listened to her, I said I would look after her."

"Don't apologise, its a sign of weakness." Gibbs said, gently patting the young agents shoulder. He closed the door to the ambulance and watched as it drove off carrying his forensic scientist and his probie.

"Tony!" Gibbs called.

"Yeah boss," Tony came jogging carefully across to him after breaking off a hug with Ziva, trying to wipe away her tears.

"Don't do that ever again," he smacked the agent across the back of the head in the usual Gibbs' slap style.

"Yes boss."

"Special agent Gibbs? A fireman asked.

"Yes?" Gibbs turned.

"Urm, we thought you should know," he paused, "this wasn't an accident."