TITLE: Pride and Prejudice
AUTHOR: nicis_anatomy
CHARACTER: Tony/Abby (McGee/Abby implied)
GENRE: General, Drama, Romance
SUMMARY: Sometimes two become more than friends, sometimes they later go back to being just friends. But is this what they both want? - Response to round 2 for lj's ncis_lfws.
RATING: PG-13
WORD COUNT: 997
DiSCLAIMER: I don't own these characters, nor am I making any money from them. I merely borrow them from time to time.
COMMENT: not beta'd

*~*~*~*

Normally, it would've been a quite evening. The case was solved, it was time to call it a day and go home; or at least that was what Tony would've done, if there hadn't been this slight incidence that prevented him from sticking to his plan.
Leaning back in his chair, he sighed. McGee… of all people he got ruled out by a Newbie. McGee was only a Probie; a creature not even worth breathing the same air like him.

"I've got a lunch date with Abby."
Tony's first impulse was to laugh. The second one was to check for a hidden camera.
This was so not going to happen. Abby and McGeek … No way! But there was this seriousness in McGee's eyes, the way he'd told him about his date … and even Abby hadn't looked as if this was some kind of joke. Actually, she'd looked pretty exited - like she really wanted to date McProbie.
"She's playing you, dude!" The small voice in his head was trying to tell him over and over again that this lunch date was only some kind of payback. Nothing he had to worry about. Abby and Probie was nothing compared to what he'd shared with Abby.
If only the other voice in his head, the one laughing at him, would stop reminding him about just that …

Six month earlier …

"He, Abs! What's up?" Tony asked, entering Abby's lab. It was late, he'd just returned from Spain and was longing for some attention. He'd just spent what seemed like a lifetime on a red eye flight framed by his grumpy boss and I'm-so-sorry-Viv, both of them pretending the others were invisible. As usual he had tried to cheer up the situation but neither of them had even as slightly smiled at his jokes. After a while he'd just stopped trying.

Being not used to so much silence, he now needed someone to talk to. Always-chatty-Abby seemed like the right company for the night; of course only for a drink …
"Tooooony!" Before he had even time to think Abby had already pulled him into a deep hug. Instantly he wrapped his arms around her, keeping her near. He enjoyed the sensation of her close to him too much to let go of her too soon.
"I missed you, Tony," Abby mumbled against his shoulder. "You were gone waaaaay too long. Spain is so … it's like the end of the world. Don't you dare to ever leave me alone again!"
"I won't," Tony said, finally letting go of her. He placed both of his hands on her shoulders, smiling. "Are you free for the night?"
"What do you have in mind?", Abby asked, grinning. "Dinner and a movie?"
"Something like that…," he answered, slowly. "Grab your coat. I'll meet you upstairs. You have five minutes."
"I need only two."

In the end she made it in ten. But who's counting?

On the way to his car and later over dinner, Abby bombarded him with questions about Spain and their mission. Tony answered every one of them as detailed and with much extra spice as possible, and when they got to their desserts, Abby was giggling like a small child. Tony wasn't sober himself – thanks to too much red wine - so they decided to walk home. The night was warm, his apartment was only a few blocks away, and he had a couch Abby could crash on.
Walking slowly, side by side they fell into a comfortable silence, only enjoying each others company, and when they finally reached his apartment Abby was already half asleep.
Tony led her to his room, tucked her into his bed, and after a second of hesitation he crawled under the covers next to her. They were both way too drunk for anything to happen. They were just friends. Like brother and sister. So it wouldn't be a big deal.

Or at least that's what Tony thought.

Abby had definitely other things in mind, when she woke him up just one hour later. Her warm body next to him and her breath on his bare skin were enough for him to forget about everything he'd told himself earlier, and so they ended up doing things siblings were never supposed to do.
But neither of them had second thoughts. At least not until dawn, when a pretty hung over looking Abby woke up next to him as he tried to kiss her.
"Tony!" she screamed. "What are you doing? What … what am I doing here?" Compared to last night's silence the one that followed felt much more uncomfortable, and Tony was somehow relieved when Abby announced she had to go.

Wrapped into his blankets he escorted her to the door.
"Bye, Tony." Abby kissed him on the cheek and started to leave, but Tony grabbed her arm to hold her back.
"Is it me or…"
She cut him off by putting her finger on his lips. "No, it's not you, Tony," she said. "It's just… I used to date bad guys. People like me. You know… dark cloth, tattoos all over the place… and you… you're just… you're like my brother. Let's not ever talk about it again. Okay? Last night was… I'm not sure what it was, but I chose to believe it was great. Let's leave it this way. Okay?"
She never waited for his answer, and he'd never told her what he felt about that night. For him it would always be special, and although from that night on she was more than a sister to him than she'd ever been before, he never again tried to push her into going out with him.
He had his dates, his girlfriends, and he was sure she had her fun, too.
They were cool. He was fine. At least he thought so. Until tonight; until she invited Probie over for lunch, until he had to learn McGee even got his buttocks tattooed for her…

- The End -