A/N ok this is not betaed so I apologize for bad grammar and spelling. Please enjoy :)
Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or any of the characters, just borrowing them for fun.
Summery: One-shot set after "Endgame" Abby can't get over that McGee could have been killed.
Characters: Abby Sciuto and Tim McGee
Abby sat at her desk going through some files for the case they were on. It was a late night at work and she hadn't slept much the night before. She wasn't sure how much longer she could hold out before passing out into the depths of sleep. Abby knew this case was important and needed to finish looking for what ever Gibbs had asked her to look for. He hadn't really given her something specific to look for. Abby had to just find something hinky and out of place.
As she scrolled through the long list of names of the files it all became a blur and she wasn't even sure what she was doing any more. Finally the back-ness took over her sight and her head hit the desk with a hard thump. The tired girl was finally at peace with her throbbing head.
Upstairs they were all rapidly searching for something on the guy they had sitting in interrogation. The criminal had probably fallen asleep by now as they all wish they could do but they knew they couldn't, no, wouldn't go home until they caught the man.
Yes, physically they had him, but what the guy didn't know was all they had on him was his alibi which wasn't much because he was home alone the night the girl was kidnapped. He was the closest they had so they needed to find something on him.
It was hard for the team to focus on looking for something that was most likely not there when if they had closed their eyes for a mere 10 seconds they would be out. It also hadn't helped that they had been sitting in the same place for over 12 hours.
McGee stood up and walked over to the boss's desk. Gibbs looked up from the paper work in his hand. His eyes peaking through the top of the glasses that sat upon his nose. "Boss his phone records are clean I have contacted everyone he has called in the past two months there is no way any of them had anything to do with this..." Gibbs stared at him waiting for the young agent to continue. "I thought maybe I could go down and help Abby look through the files on his computer, she has to be overwhelmed with the mess the guy left on it."
"Yeah, good idea McGee." Gibbs nodded toward him and continued to search through the papers. As McGee walked off Tony and Ziva exchanged a look. Then, Tony quickly pulled up the office Instant Message system and IMed Ziva.
TonyDiNozzo: Did that really just happen?
ZivaDavid: Yes Tony, I believe it did.
TonyDiNozzo: McGoo just got out of this crap to go spend time with you know who...like they are going to go through files...
ZivaDavid: Don't underestimate Tim, unlike you he does his work.
Tony didn't respond he just shot Ziva a glare.
Gibbs stood up, grabbing his coffee and walking toward the elevator "She's right DiNozzo."
Tony looked questionably at him and then shouted toward the elevator "About what Boss?"
Gibbs turned around as he waited for the metal doors to open and shouted back "Get you work done." This brought a smile to Ziva's face and a pout to Tony's.
"How does he do that?" Tony asked. Ziva just shrugged her shoulders and got back to looking for nothing.
McGee made his way down to the scientist's lab. Nothing was out of the ordinary except that he didn't see the girl he was looking for. She wasn't dancing at her normal station. He slowly entered the lab further and still no Abby. Once he got to her refrigerator he noticed a form slumped over the Goth's main desk. A small grin made its way on McGee's face. He knew she would be tired as they all were but he never thought she of all the people on their team would be the first to crash.
Tim knew he needed to wake her up, she would want him to but she looked so peaceful in her deep sleep. McGee moved close to Abby's side and squatted down so his face was just below her's. He could see the smile playing at her lips and wondered what she could be dreaming about...actually he probably didn't want to know.
McGee placed his hand on her arm. "Hey Abbs you need to wake up." She stirred a little at the sound of his voice but didn't wake up. He shook her a little bit harder but not enough to hurt her. "Abby common you gotta get up." Still nothing. She must be exhausted. He thought.
Oh. He knew what would work. Tim stood up from his crouching position and reached up behind him hitting a button. The sleeping girl's head shot up the second her music went off. Her head turned, where McGee was standing, to find the reason she wasn't sleeping peacefully any more.
"Finally." McGee chuckled out.
"Hey McGee." She rubbed her eyes and leaned back in her chair still facing him.
"Hey sleeping beauty." That brought a small smile to her face. She had needed that and he knew it.
"We get any where with the case?"
"Nope. I had finished all I could upstairs and so I thought I could help you down here." They both let out a tired laugh. McGee leaned against the wall behind him and slid down it until his butt hit the ground. Abby turned her chair so she was facing the wall behind her and now McGee. "Hey Abbs?"
"Yeeeeaahhhh?" She yawned.
"Why are you so tired? I mean I know it is late and we are all tired but you are usually still going for a few more hours." McGee asked yawing at the end of the sentence. He rested his head on the file cabinet to his left.
"I didn't sleep well the night before. I am going off of about 3 hours of sleep." McGee knew she didn't sleep much but that was her own choice. Her not sleeping well was code for something was bothering her and keeping her from sleeping.
"Come 'er." He motioned for her to sit beside him. Abby slid out of her chair and scooted to the right of McGee. He placed his arm around her shoulders and he let her head rest on his chest. "What kept you up?" With this question he tilted he head so he could look at her face. He could feel her head shake back and forth.
"It's nothing."
"Hey, Abbs. It isn't nothing. If it was nothing you would have gotten more then 3 hours of sleep." Tim said in a soothing voice. He was running his hand up and down her arm knowing that her talking about her feelings wasn't what she liked to do but he could tell she needed him right now.
"McGee, it doesn't matter ok? It's no big deal." She at up from his embrace and leaned back on the wall. Tim turned toward her and grabbed her shoulders forcing her to face him.
"Abby what ever it is you aren't telling me I know for a fact that it is important because you wouldn't be trying to avoid telling me. Is it something I did? What ever it is I didn't mean to hurt you." He said sweetly.
Whenever something was wrong with her and she wouldn't tell him he assumed it was something he had done. Tim was always afraid to hurt her. Abby knew he was sweet and worried about her whenever she was down. He could read her like an open book and she hated that sometimes.
She felt bad now that he assumed it was him. She had to tell him now. Abby didn't want him hating himself for something that wasn't even his fault. She looked up into his curious, caring eyes. "McGee you didn't do anything wrong. Its just..." She didn't know how she was going to put this. It had been over a week since it had happened and she was sure she was the only one who hadn't forgotten about it. "Its just that you all go out every day and I never know who is coming back." She had stopped looking in his eyes and was fiddling her thumbs now.
He knew this wasn't about the team. Well, it kind of was but he knew where it had started. "Abby?" She still did look up. Tim placed his finger under her chin and lifted her head to see her eyes. "Abbs, this isn't about the team is it?" She didn't answer but he knew he was right. Tears started to well up in her eyes but she didn't let them fall. "Abby is this about Amanda?" That was it. He had hit it right on the bulls eye.
"Tim! You could had died. If Kai wouldn't have been there you would be dead. We wouldn't be having this conversation. The team would have one less member. It isn't right. This isn't supposed to happen. I can't lose you Tim, I need you." Crap did I really just say that? "I need all of you." better, he doesn't need to know that much.
"Hey, Abby I am here. Nothing happened. I'm not dead."
"Yeah but-"
"Abby it's what I do. It came with the job. I put my life on the line to help others. We all do. We all know that one day we might not all return and it wont be easy but you have to respect that. It was my, Gibbs's, Tony's, Ziva's, even Kate's choice. Yes we have lost people before and I can't guarantee it wont happen again. But, Abby, you have to be happy with what you have now. Rule number 8 never take anything for granted. Ever since Kate left, before bed I thank God every day for bringing us all home alive and I ask to keep us safe in the future. Never have I missed a night. I won't take that chance. You never know what is going to happen and I know you hate being here while we are out there not knowing what is going on. Be happy for the times we come home unharmed, because I know you will regret it one day if anything ever happens and I don't want you to regret never appreciating the fact that you have us while you do. You are better then that and I know that for a fact."
McGee leaned in and kissed her forehead. Silent tears had been running down her face as she soaked up every word that came out of his mouth. She knew he was right.
"I love you Tim." With the sound of those words coming out of her mouth he embraced her in a hug. McGee wasn't totally sure how she meant it but he knew it was true and he never had to question that.
He knew she loved him whether it was as a friend or something more and he loved her too. He hoped he would never have to watch over her from the heavens above he hoped he could always be here to protect the ones he loved. But like he told her there were no guarantees in life and he needed to be happy with what he had at the moment. He looked down with Abby still in his arms, her head resting on his chest.
Yeah, he was happy with what he had.
A/N Hey ok, just something roaming around in my head. Hope you enjoyed. Tell me what you think anf thanks for your time. :)