Okay, hiatus no. 2 is over. This one is very short, but it's my first foray into Abby/McGee territory and something I've been meaning to write for a while. I'm also working on chaptered piece, which I would like to start posting soon. Thanks for reading, and please review!
When the phone finally rang, Abby pounced on it like a blood-crazed tiger. She'd been on pins and needles for three days almost, and barely able to sleep because of it. She'd sucked down more Caf-Pow and completed more work in the last 72 hours than she even thought possible. And this, interspersed with excursions to the morgue to see Ducky, who'd suddenly become determined to get through his backlog of paperwork, and Palmer, who seemed intent on making the whole morgue shine. None of them could stand the waiting.
Gibbs, McGee, Tony, they were in some godforsaken piece of Somalia, and may not make it back out. Her nerves were justified. Abby had begged them not to go. Of course, she wanted to avenge Ziva, but she knew Ziva would not want them risking their lives for that purpose. Not to mention, that she was pretty sure Tony had an underlying reason for going, one that she'd only admit to herself. Abby was pretty sure he didn't care if he made it back, and part of her knew he was hoping a little that he didn't.
"Hello?" She asked nervously.
"Abby?"
"McGee!" Abby shrieked and clasped a hand over her mouth, tears pricking her eyes. At least one of them was alright.
"Saleem is dead. We should be home tomorrow." He sounded tired, in a way she'd never heard before.
"Gibbs? Tony?"
"We all made it out. Tony and I are a little bruised up, but nothing serious."
More tears pooled in her eyes as she squeezed them shut and breathed deeply. All three had survived, all three would come home. She wondered if Tony was a little disappointed with that.
"Abby, there's something else..." He was hesitant, unsure about something.
She wiped away tears, and bit her lip, feeling she was pretty sure what he was trying to say. "Did you find her body, McGee?"
"Not quite...she's alive, Abby. Ziva's alive."
She gasped, clapping a hand over her mouth again, her eyes flooding now. "W-what?"
"They didn't kill her. She's been a prisoner here for months."
"Is, is she okay?" Months? She didn't want to think about what could a bunch of terrorists could have done to her for months.
"She's...weak. Dehydrated, under-nourished. We're at the US Navy base in Djbouti, the doctors here are taking care of her. But, she's conscious, she knows us, and she hasn't said anything about going back to Mossad or Israeli, so..."
Abby sensed an undertone in his voice, one that said he was holding something back. "What aren't you telling me?"
She was met with silence.
"Timmy?" Her voice was hesitant, suddenly wondering if she really wanted to know what he wasn't saying.
"Physically, she seems okay, but...she's like the walking dead, Abby."
"What do you mean?"
"She's barely said a word since we got out, and, and her eyes, it's like something's missing. Like whatever makes her Ziva is just...gone..." And, there it was. Abby could tell he'd been thinking about it for a while, and it was a very upsetting thought for him.
Abby wiped away the tears streaming down her face, a useless action considering they were still coming. "But, you're bringing her home, right Tim?"
"Yeah, that's the plan."
"Then she'll be fine. She'll come home, and we'll make her better."
"I don't know if it's that easy, Abs."
"I didn't say it would be easy. But, we will make it happen. What other choice do we have?"
He was silent a minute. "You want to fix Tony, too? Cause he's been way too quiet...it's weird."
"He's just decompressing, he'll be okay when you all get home." Oh, she though, and Tony would be okay now that Ziva was okay!
McGee sighed, apparently not yet convinced. "I wish I had your confidence, Abby."
"Close your eyes, McGee."
"What? Why?"
"Just close your eyes," she insisted, closing hers and pressing two fingers to her forehead.
"Alright, alright, they're closed."
"Bzzzzzzz...beep, beep," she made random noises. "There, my confidence has been transferred to you."
"Okay..." He clearly didn't know what to say to her after that.
Abby laughed. "Don't worry McGee, it'll all work out."
He laughed through his nose. "I miss you, Abby."
"McGee, it's only been a few days!"
"Yeah, but out here it feels like a lifetime." He sounded like he'd aged a decade.
She smiled sadly at that. "I miss you too, Timmy."
He was quiet for a minute, before speaking again, "Alright, I've got to go, limited satellite time and all. We'll be home soon though, okay?"
"I'll be waiting! Be safe, McGee!"
"Will do. Bye Abs."
She heard the click and set her phone down, clasping her hands together, a huge smile breaking across her face. The best-case and least likely scenario had occurred, and she couldn't be happier. Of course, she was still worried about Ziva, and what McGee had said, but it could be fixed. You can't fix death.
Abby took a moment to dance around her lap, hopping around on her black platform boots, her braided pigtails flying around her head. Then she squealed and tore out the door. She had to go tell Ducky the good news.
And, pee out that last Caf-Pow.
