Dedicated to: ltjvt1026, for believing in me even when I don't.
The Blessings of Friendship
Ah! Being blest, for Heaven shall lend
To share thy simple joys a friend! – Samuel Taylor Coleridge, "Happiness"
"McGee!" she squealed the moment she laid eyes on him. Abby continued to grin as he faltered in the doorway, seemingly surprised by her enthusiastic greeting.
"What do you want?" he asked suspiciously just before she crashed into him and gave him the biggest hug of his life. "Can't breathe," he warned.
She released him with another grin. "Can't I simply be happy to see you?" she inquired, looking as innocent as she could.
He chuckled. "You're happier than normal," he pointed out.
"I'm always like this," she countered.
"It's not your birthday, you haven't had that many Caf-Pows this morning and we haven't given you any evidence," he continued. "Something's up."
"Okay," she caved. "I've had an idea."
"Does this idea involve Tony and Ziva again?" he warned. "Because the last time we trapped them in the elevator together –"
She shook her head firmly. Why didn't Timmy understand? It was a pity Ziva had come out of the elevator and threatened to kill McGee with a staple gun, but she couldn't be held responsible for that.
"You need to get out more," she announced.
He stared at her for a few moments. "I have a deadline coming up," he reminded her.
"Sister Rosita sprained her ankle again – don't ask me how because I can't understand what a nun could be doing that would result in frequent injuries to her ankle – and we need someone else on our team tonight," she explained.
"I'm sure Tony will go with you," he began.
"But the nuns want to meet you. It'll be fun! It might give you some ideas to write about," she begged.
McGee nodded slowly. "Okay."
She smiled and hugged him again. "Now, about your outfit…"
Timothy McGee smiled to himself as he entered the bowling alley. At least he had managed to persuade Abby that he did not need to wear an outfit. There was no way he was squeezing himself into one of her outfits and he hoped no one would have brought along an extra outfit for him.
He had to admit he was looking forward to this. Abby talked about the nuns a lot and it would be nice to finally meet them. He'd once met Sister Rosita in passing and she seemed friendly enough.
Not for the first time, he smiled at the mental image of Abby – the Gothic mistress of the night – spending time with a group of nuns. On the surface, they seemed like polar opposites. But Abby was an odd mixture of just about everything. A scientist who believed in ghosts, ghouls and other assorted paranormal phenomena. Someone who believed that Gibbs possessed magic powers to know when her machines would return a result, yet would train Tony to arrive on time when he was in charge. Someone who wore her emotions on her sleeve and yet would not warn them about a stalker.
He wondered what the nuns would think about Abby finding boyfriends at a cemetery and winced. Maybe he shouldn't bring up that topic.
It wasn't difficult to find his group. They were all dressed identically, happily waiting for their lane to become available. Abby was deep in conversation with a younger nun – McGee wasn't sure of the average age range of nuns, but she looked to be about twenty and he guessed this was young.
He sidled over to the Goth, feeling safer by her side. She beamed at him before introducing him to Tina, the nun she had been talking to.
"You didn't mention how cute he is!" he heard another older nun whisper in Abby's ear.
He went bright red, unsure how to react. But the nuns seemed to find it adorable and began to fuss over him, making sure he was well, offering him drinks and food. If it was possible, his blush deepened.
"I know who you are!" another nun declared in delight. "Thom E Gemcity! What an honor – I loved Deep Six."
McGee wasn't sure how they'd got hold of his book, but the excitement about him seemed to grow even more.
"When's the sequel coming out?" Tina politely asked.
"Erm, I'm supposed to hand the manuscript to my publisher next week," he recalled. It was the main reason he hadn't wanted to come tonight; it just needed a few tweaks. He had to admit he was enjoying the fuss over him though.
Their lane became free and they walked over. The fussing didn't stop. Sister Margaret wanted to know if Tommy and Lisa would realize their feelings for each other in the new book, Sister Agnes asked if forensic specialist Amy Sutton would come to any harm, while Sister Olive was curious about Agent LJ Tibbs. He answered their questions as best he could while trying not to give the plot away.
Somehow he managed to bowl decently, with the nuns giving him help from the sidelines. Even though he scored the least, they were clearly happy that he had improved his game.
They bought him coffee before departing, leaving Abby in his care and ordering him to make sure she arrived home safely. He promised he would do his best and they beamed at him.
The journey back to her apartment was peaceful. Abby always felt better after spending time with the nuns and she guessed McGee did too. He definitely looked more relaxed.
It was why she had picked him to accompany her instead of Tony. Well, aside from Timmy needing to get out of his apartment more. He had been so stressed recently and she had known her friends would fuss over him.
She hadn't expected them to make the Gemcity link, although it had not surprised her. The nuns were sharp and she had seen a few copies of Deep Six lying around on previous visits. If Timmy was silly enough to have his photograph on the back cover, she could not be held responsible for when people recognized him.
Although he hadn't seemed to mind. She thought he had enjoyed the attention and their time together.
Next time Sister Rosita sprained her ankle, she was definitely going to invite McGee again.