By Monday, Abby's current symptoms had not only gotten worse, but new ones had appeared. She felt nauseous, and her head was pounding severely by the time she arrived at work that morning. Work was slow today, as there was no new cases yet. After fifteen minutes of suffering alone in the lab, Abby decided to seek company in the bullpen. Upon finding the elevator, she felt a sudden chill. It was unbearably cold in here. She ignored the sensation and went to go find McGee.
"Well, who were you with then?" Tony demanded. Tim shrugged his shoulders. He'd managed to keep who he'd been dating a secret all this time. Not even Gibbs seemed aware of it.
"It is none of your business," McGee responded in a tired tone. "I'm getting back to work now."
"On what? There's nothing to work on!" Tony yelped as Gibbs gave him a more intense headslap than usual. Abby walked into the bullpen and smiled brightly at the sight of Tim. Her cheeks were flushed from some unknown heat source, and she looked slightly pale everywhere else, but otherwise appeared to be in perfect health.
"What, did you run around the elevator in circles in your excitment?" Tony asked. Gibbs sent him a warning glare.
"Hey, Abs, did you sleep well?" Gibbs said.
"Yeah, I was fine," Abby replied, not quite meeting his eyes. She skipped over to Tim's desk before he could respond.
"Timmy! Why haven't you visited me yet?"
"Sorry, Abs, I've been swamped with fan mail...and my editor keeps getting on me about my next book. Was there something you wanted?"
"Well, I was hoping that Black Princess could have Elf Lord's help on conquering the kingdom you mentioned earlier..." She gave him a fliratious, suggestive smile that caused him to catch onto what she meant at once. Tony looked back and forth between them, the only clueless one in the bullpen. Ziva smiled to herself as she answered an email from a far away friend in Israel.
"Elf Lord is at your service, Your Highness," Tim said respectfully, kissing Abby on the hand. Abby blushed as he lead her down to her lab.
"I know who Probie's dating!" Tony blurted, knocking over a mug of pencils and pens in his excitement. Muttering under his breath, he dropped to the floor to pick them up.
"I believe its obvious, Tony," Ziva said. "And if I were you, I wouldn't get involved unless you want a headslap so strong your grandchildren will feel it." Tony sighed and sat back in his chair, the mess now cleaned up.
"You're right." Ziva looked at him in surprise. "It is none of my business. And Probie is really going to get it from Gibbs once he find out..." He glanced at the boss's desk, which was now empty.
"Have you noticed something different about Abby?" Ziva asked quietly. Gibbs came back into the bullpen with a cup of coffee in his hand. Tony thought for a minute, remembering how she looked earlier.
"Yeah, a little bit. Why?"
"It just all seems strange, don't you think?" She looked at him. Tony nodded in agreement. Maybe Abby was catching a cold or something. But why didn't she see Ducky? He voiced this thought to Ziva, who seemed to have been along the same line in thinking.
"Perhaps it is because Abby doesn't know what's wrong just yet. I think we should keep an eye on her so we can figure it out ourselves."
"Good thinking," GIbbs said without looking up.
This line break is prone to stealing cookies. I lost half my secret stash already! BEWARE OF THE COOKIE STEALING LINE BREAK!
"Why did you really want me down here?" Tim asked slyly as he reached over to turn down the music. Abby turned off the sereo with the special silver remote. Her back was turned to him, always a bad sign. Suddenly, she spun around, a playful smile on her face.
"To kidnap you," she said in an odd voice, "against your will, and have you here forever as mine, and mine only."
"Sounds a little cliche," Tim said disapprovingly, "but I'll give you credit for trying to be poetic and romantic." Abby's face was far too flushed with heat for the current temperature in here. And yet, he could see that she trembled slightly from cold.
"Abs, are you alright?"
"Fine," she said briskly, brushing off his concern. "I just have a headache that needs to be taken care of." She kissed him lightly on the cheek and left the lab.
I am a kine break. You are a reader. That much is obvious. It is unlikely your life will ever change from crossing paths with me, but I still tend to hope that it might...
"Palmer," Ducky called to his assistant. "Do stop fooling around and get back to the game at hand. Now, the tibia here seems to be a little out of shape, could you fix that up for me?" Ducky looked up from the autopsy table to see Tim walk in.
"Hello, Timothy." He dropped the bone he was holding back onto the table and smiled at the agent.
"Hi, Ducky. Have you seen Abby since she said she was going to take care of her headache?" The ME gave him a calculating look that was hard to read.
"Ah, no...in fact I haven't seen her down here for some time. Is she alright?"
"That's the problem, I'm afraid. I don't know." Ducky's expression grew troubled.
"Well, has she been acting out of the ordinary lately?"
"Not really, but she seems a little...under the weather. I don't know if she is entirely aware of it yet, trying to deny it, or what. But I'm worried."
"I'd imagine so. What symptoms does she seem to be suffering from, my dear boy?"
"Headache, and possibly a fever. I have no idea what else...it's probably nothing. I mean, if Abby isn't concerned about it, why should I be?" He did have a point.
"Even so, it doesn't mean we shouldn't just let our dear Abigail fall ill," Ducky reasoned. "I'll have to think this through. Though you are right, things don't seem to be serious for her right now."
"See you later, then. Tell Jimmy to behave himself." Palmer blushed a furious magenta and ducked his head. Well, somebody had a busy weekend...Tim smiled to himself and left autopsy in high spirits, running into Gibbs when he got into the elevator. Good feeling was gone. He swore the temperature dropped ten degrees when the boss met his eyes.
"B-Boss," Tim stuttered. Damn it, he thought. What a time for his stutter to make an appearence.
"Rule 12. You and Abby aren't in the same field. Do not worry about it." Tim stared at Gibbs for a moment to make sure he was serious.
"But what if Tony and Ziva-"
"I doubt anything will ever happen between them. Somalia changed everything." The elevator doors slid open, revealing Tony and Ziva in the middle of a heated debate on Ziva's latest English language flub. At this, Tim couldn't help but smile as he returned to his desk. Ah, the life of a federal agent in DC. But he wouldn't have it any other way.
