HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ABBY
A/N- This is a special one-shot for my very good friend April, on her birthday - which was really Nov. 20th. I couldn't bring her a chapter of one of my many other stories, so I came up with this TABBY 'Ship story, just for her. Thanks for letting me know there were other Tabby fans out there, April, so I wouldn't feel so alone here in FF Land! And Happy, happy birthday - hope it was almost as good as Abby's! Love you!
Abby slowly dragged her feet down the hall to her lab. She'd gone home a few hours ago, but she'd gotten bored quickly. Oh, who was she kidding, she hadn't wanted to be alone on her birthday, so she decided to come to work, hoping maybe someone from her favorite team - Team Gibbs - would still be working. But no, they'd all left early today after finishing up a case. No one had come down to say good-bye. No one had remembered during the day. Well, she knew Gibbs knew, because he'd taken her out for their annual Night-Before-the-Birthday Dinner. Which had been good, she loved sharing that time with Gibbs. But he'd been kind of distracted during dinner, so close to wrapping up the case they'd put to bed today. She'd hoped he hadn't noticed that his inattention bothered her, but he'd apologized several times as he'd driven her home, and promised to make it up to her. She'd told him it was ok, that she understood - which she did. But he knew he'd hurt her feelings, and she felt bad that he felt bad. She'd thought maybe there'd be a special Caf-Pow for her or something today, but apparently Gibbs had forgotten. There'd been no triple chocolate fudge birthday cupcake from Ziva, no poetically worded card from Tim. Not even the usual bouquet of black roses from Tony. So she'd headed home, alone, on her birthday, depressed. Her family had forgotten her birthday.
So that was why she was making her way to her lab - the one place she could feel useful today - at ten o'clock at night. Her babies, her music…she could almost pretend that things were normal.
She scanned her key-card through the lock and the door swooshed open. Stepping in, she tucked Bert under her other arm and turned the light switch on. A dim light came on, and she flicked the switch up and down a few times to try and get the lights to come on fully. Huh, she thought, light tubes must be dying, although she'd never seen anything like this happen before. She set Bert down on her evidence table and took off her cloak, laying ti next to the hippo. With a sigh, she picked up her CD player remote and pressed the button to turn it on. Instead of the loud stuff that usually flowed out of it, there was soft, mellow, jazzy music…what the…? Had someone been messing with her stuff? Oh great - first her birthday rots, now she has to yell at someone for touching her things. She didn't like…candles? Well, no she liked candles. But….there were candles flickering on her file cabinet. Slowly turning around to check out the lab, she saw that there were lit candles glowing everywhere. The dim light was from the candles, not the room light. What…who….? She turned again, looking into her office….
And there stood Tony, leaning against the door jamb. Holding one long-stemmed, black rose. "Happy Birthday, Abbs." He stood up straight and slowly walked toward her. When he was in front of her, he held out the rose. As she took it, he leaned in and kissed her cheek.
Abby smiled shyly, sniffed the rose. "What's going on?"
Tony ran a hand up and down one of her arms gently. "Well, I know you've been kind of down for a while, feeling kind of sad. Wanted to cheer you up. Besides, no beautiful woman should ever be sad or alone on her birthday." He smiled softly.
She felt her eyes tearing up. "That's so sweet," she murmured bashfully. Rising up on tip-toe, she placed a soft kiss on Tony's cheek. "Thank you, Tony. It's perfect," she smiled.
Grinning, Tony took a couple of steps back and held out a hand. "May I have a dance with the Birthday Girl?"
Abby lovingly took another sniff of her birthday rose and laid it next to Bert for safekeeping. Nervously, she took Tony's hand and let him lead her in a gentle, slow shuffle to the song "Happy, Happy Birthday, Baby," by the Tune Weavers, a slow, jazzy kind of song from 1957.
"Abbs, you know you can tell me anything, right? That I'm always here for you…." He asked her seriously. He pulled her closer when she mumbled that she knew, and wrapped his strong arms around her when she snuggled up to his chest. "Wanna' tell me what has my favorite Goth so sad on her birthday?"
Abby sighed. "There's this guy….." she started, then was afraid to say any more.
Tony kissed her on the top of the head. "And…?"
"He doesn't know I'm alive. We've been friends forever, and I think I've loved him almost as long. But I'm just a friend to him."
"Have you told this guy how you felt?"
"No," Abby pouted. "I'm too afraid he'll laugh at me. Or just totally reject me." She sighed again. "I don't want to lose him as a friend." She ducked her head. "Besides, I'm probably not good enough for him. He's this classy guy. He wouldn't want to be seen with someone like me."
Tony stopped dancing and gently her chin so she'd look him in the eye and know he was serious. "Anyone who wouldn't want to be seen with you is a fool. And this guy isn't very classy if he feels that way. Any guy would be lucky to have you on their arm."
Abby looked up at him, tears in her eyes, and nervously bit her lip. "Even you?" she asked quietly.
It took a moment for her words to sink in. He was the guy she was in love with? Had been in love with for years? His heart swelled with emotion. Tony framed her face with his two hands and gave her a soft, loving smile. "Especially me." With that, he slowly leaned in and brought his lips to hers, gently kissing her, letting her know he felt the same as she did. He rested his forehead on hers when the broke apart and wiped a tear off her cheek. "I love you, Abbs," he said, the truth written in his eyes.
Smiling through her tears, Abby placed a hand on his cheek, unable to believe her dream had finally come true. "I love you too, Tony. So much." She tilted up and returned his kiss. They began to dance again, wrapped in each others' arms. She felt a warm kiss pressed to her temple.
"Happy Birthday, Abby."
Abby smiled into his shoulder. "Yes, it is."
"…..so I'll close this note to you,
with good luck and wishes too,
Happy, Happy Birthday, Baby."
A/N- happy, happy birthday, April! I hope it - the story and your day - was everything you dreamed of. Love you, my friend!