Again. It had happened again. Someone had targeted Abby, and special agent Timothy McGee had realized it just a moment too late. By the time he arrived, Gibbs had already come to her rescue. So many times McGee had sworn to himself that he would never let it happen again. And yet, once again, he had failed to protect her.
It had been two days since then, and McGee was still too ashamed to even go see her. He was glued to the computer at his desk, but didn't even bother to hide the fact that he wasn't paying attention to the work he was supposed to be doing. His eyes were boring holes into his desk, and the only thing keeping them from colliding with it was the arm wedged between his forehead and the desk.
Fortunately for McGee, Gibbs was currently at MTAC and wouldn't be back for quite some time, so McGee would have plenty of time to brood over his failure. However, across the room were two other NCIS agents who had noticed McGee's change in attitude.
"What's wrong with McGeek?" Tony wondered aloud.
"I'm not sure. But something definitely has his parties in a tryst, yes?" Ziva replied.
"It's 'panties in a twist', Ziva," Tony corrected.
This seemed to confuse Ziva. "McGee wears panties?"
"No, just...Nevermind." Tony didn't see the point in explaining it to her. Not when there was a Probie-related mystery to solve. A few moments of contemplation gave him an answer. "Ah, I get it. It probably has something to do with what went down the other day."
"With that suspect and Abby?"
"Yeah."
"Hmmm...That would make sense."
Tony smiled. "Yeah, it reminds me of 'Knight in Distress'."
"What?"
"Old movie. 1970s. Cult classic. It's about a cop that's in love with a woman who has an unfortunate habit of getting into trouble. But every time he tries to go save her, he's too late. Some other cop gets there first."
"Tony, I doubt that McGee thinks of himself as some kind of knight in shining armor." Ziva laughed at the mental image.
"Then you haven't seen the kinds of video games Probie plays. Anyway, I think we should-"
"-I think we should leave," Ziva cut him off.
"What? Why?" Tony asked, baffled.
Ziva pointed to the elevator, which had just opened to reveal an irritated-looking Abby.
Tony got the message. "Ah. Good idea. It'll give me time to explain the ending."
As Ziva and Tony exited the room, Abby stomped over to where she knew McGee would be hiding. Each footfall from her large black boots was like a thunderclap. But somehow, McGee still failed to notice her approach. So she slammed her fists down onto his desk to announce her arrival. He nearly jumped a foot into the air. Good. She wanted him to be scared.
"Timothy McGee! I have been calling you for over an hour! What's the deal?!"
"Oh...Sorry, Abbs. I must've had my phone off," McGee lied through his teeth. Just then, the device in question began beeping. He could feel Abby's eyes burning holes in him as he checked the number. His mechanic. That guy always did have bad timing. McGee would be sure to scare him later. He did not need this.
"McGee!"
"Look, Abby, I'm sorry. I'm just not in the mood to talk right now."
"Well, too bad. Now move it," Abby said as she grabbed his hand and tried to drag him out of his chair. He wouldn't budge. She was going to have to get serious.
"McGee, if you don't move right now I'll tell Tony about that time we used the handcuffs..."
McGee's eyes widened. "You wouldn't..."
"Wouldn't I?" The evil glint in her eyes was both seductive and horrifying. "Oh Tony..."
McGee nearly toppled over his chair in his haste to escape it. "All right, all right! I'm up!"
Abby grinned. "That's better."
Still clutching his hand (to ensure he didn't try to escape), Abby led McGee to her lab. Once inside, she pushed him onto a chair and leaned over him, supporting herself wth her arms on the chair's.
"Now what's wrong?"
"N-nothing." McGee was too uncomfortable with how close their faces were to notice that he had stuttered.
"Bullshit, McGee!" She began pacing around the room. "Ever since that asshole tried to kill me, you've been avoiding me! You've ignored my calls, you don't come to see me, and you don't even say 'hi' when you pass me in the halls!" She ticked off each one on her fingers as she spoke. Then she returned to the chair and leaned over him again. "Now. What. Is. Wrong?"
Once again, the proximity interfered with McGee's ability to respond properly. But this time, the proper response would have been another lie.
"I...Couldn't stop him."
"Stop who?"
"That guy. I couldn't protect you from him. I failed...Again."
She stood up straight. McGee suddenly noticed that there was no music playing, which was unusual. Of course, being close to Abby tended to have that kind of distracting effect on him.
"McGee, what are you talking about?"
"When Ari tried to kill you, I wasn't around. But I should have been. I should have realized what he would do. I was supposed to protect you from that stalker. But I failed at that, too. Then there was the assassin. And Chip. And when that car nearly killed you, I just sat there and didn't even notice you. If Gibbs hadn't shown up..."
"You would have noticed the silence and looked, just like you said," Abby finished. "And I was the one who opened the door for that jackass when you told me not to. And even GIBBS didn't realize what Ari was planning. You're being too hard on yourself, McGee. Besides, I'm not some damsel in distress. I can protect myself. Just like I did with that imposter driver and Chip."
"But you shouldn't have to, Abbs. It's my responsibility to look out for you, as both an NCIS agent and as your friend. But I can't even do that..." His eyes fell to the floor. It just took too much effort to keep them on her right now. Out of the corner of his eye he could see her feet retreating outside his field of vision. When they returned, his curiosity demanded him to look up.
What greeted him was the sight of a Caf-Pow mere inches in front of his face. "Drink," she commanded in a stern voice. Fearing her wrath, he took a few sips, hoping it would satisfy her.
"Better?" she asked expectantly. Seeing a way out of his current predicament, McGee nodded. And in doing so, he fell right into her trap.
"No, you're not, Tim. You took like two sips," she pushed the Caf-Pow in front of his face again. "More."
McGee shook his head. "I'm not thirsty, Abby."
But she was not to be deterred. "Sugar has been scientifically proven to make people feel better."
"Not when you're taking it away from someone you care about," McGee blurted out. Instantly, he regretted it. Now he was going to have to listen to another heart-wrenching lecture about how wrong they were for each other. That is, unless he made a quick escape. He stood up to leave. "I've got work to do, Abby. I'll talk to you later."
In a flash she was at the door, blocking his path. "Oh no you don't!" she exclaimed. "You are not leaving until you cheer up, mister!"
"Abby, I'm fine now. Really." He felt terrible about lying to her so much, but he had to get out. He couldn't deal with this right now.
"Damnit, McGee!" Abby yelled indignantly. "You can't just not deal with your feelings! You can't just run away from things just because they scare you, Tim."
"What?" Had she actually just said that? Abby, the girl with a deep-seated fear of commitment who dumped him because they were getting too serious? The girl who-
His reverie was cut short by an event that even his MIT-trained mind could not process. Specifically, the event of Abby kissing him. It lasted but a moment, but the lingering after-effects would keep him on autopilot for some time yet.
Noting his dumbfounded expression, Abby smiled sweetly at him. "There. Shock therapy. NOW you're cleared to go back to work." Her expression became serious. "But don't you dare think too much of this; I'm just sick of you avoiding me. Capeesh?"
McGee nodded, and Abby moved to allow him to exit. As he stepped through the doorway, Abby had one more thing to say. "Oh, and Tim?" He stopped and faced her.
"If anyone finds out about this, I'll tell everyone about that second tattoo. You know, the REALLY embarrassing one I convinced you to get. Got it?"
McGee nodded and left. As a result, he didn't see the small smile on Abby's face as she returned to her work.