Downstairs stairs Gibbs watched Dinozzo eat. "God this is stupid, I know it's the same food as before but it tastes so much better."
"So I'm guessing," Gibbs, said in between long pulls of caffeine, "that everything is enhanced but like you said last night nothing is over the top."
" Yeah although I've noticed that my sense of smell is better than all the rest."
"Hm."
"I can smell a wound on someone fairly far away but I'm not drawn to it. Does that make scene?"
"Dinozzo none of this makes scene."
"What are we making scene of bossman?" Abby said bouncing into the kitchen.
"Abbs, what's ya doing here?" Gibbs asked.
"Well you said to enjoy our time off so I made gumbo and brought it over here to get all yummy."
"Not that I don't love your gumbo, but why my house?"
"Because you never come to my place and for some reason I just knew you were going to need to eat up." Abby said walking over to Gibbs to give him a hug when she pulled back she say two little holes in his upper shoulder.
Turning she said, "Hey Tony," and found the man trying to disappear where he stood, her eyebrows knitted together.
"Hey Abbs, what's up?"
"Nothing much." she said.
"Ok hay I'm gonna head uh um out thanks for the uh well you know." Tony's face turned a pale shade of pink as he tried to slide out the kitchen doorway.
"Dinozzo." Tony stopped as soon as Gibbs spoke.
"Yeah?" he whispered.
"Think you're gonna have to tell her." Tony shoulders dropped.
"Yeah I know," Tony turned around and watched the elegant ballet of hands in front of him. Abby was saying something to Gibbs in sign and he was answering her back. Tony sighed and walked over to Abby and put a hand on top of hers, stilling her fingers.
"Abby please remember I love you and nothing has changed really. I should have told you sooner but I was afraid. I was afraid of all of you actually."
"Why would you be afraid of us Tony?" Abby asked looking up into the eyes of her friend.
"Just say it Tony. Don't think it's gonna matter if you do it quick or draw it out." Gibbs said placing a hand of support on Tony's shoulder.
"I know I just know I'm about to be deaf in one ear." Tony joked, "Let's go sit down in the living room firsts." The trio wondered into the living room and Tony sat next to Abby on the couch. Abby, who could barely contain her energy when she wasn't excited and scared for a friend was bouncing booth boots on the floorboards.
"What Tony what what what what what oh my god just tell me already." she chattered away.
"Please promise you won't scream Abby."
"I won't scream." she said clamping down hard on her lips.
"I am I," taking a deep breath, "I'm a vampire."
"What?!"
"Abby you said you wouldn't scream." Tony shouted as he put a hand over her mouth.
"Imorry."
"What?"
Abby pushed the hand from her mouth, "I'm sorry."
"Ok you done?"
"Yes I'm done yelling, I'm sorry. Ok how long, since last night?"
"No."
"Tony better," Gibbs waved a hand towards Abby.
"Yeah," Tony put his hand back on Abby's mouth and continued, "six months ago give or take."
"What?!" came a mumbled scream, shoving the hand down hard this time, Abby did her best Gibbs's stare, "what do you mean six months Anthony Michael Dinozzo? Because I know you would never keep a secret this big after the whole mess with Jeanne, you would never not tell me something this important after how that ended up."
"Abby this is different, this is way different."
"Gibbs you didn't know either did you? No because if he kept it from me, he kept it from you to. Anthony…"
"Abigail stop." Tony said, "I was afraid of how you guys would react. I couldn't handle it if you all turned away from me just because of some I don't, some title name thing. I don't I'm not even sure that's what I should call myself."
"Better explain it all to her Dinozzo."
"I need Cafepow! too process this though." Abby said getting up and retrieving her drink from the kitchen where she had set it so she could ask Gibbs about the mark on his shoulder.
"So six months ago you started keeping a MOAS again?" referring to the last mother of all secrets that had been the whole la grenouille undercover operation.
"Abbs," Tony whispered, "don't please just listen. I pretty much woke up feeling like shit, no idea why. Couldn't have been bad food or anything, didn't feel like a bug so I went to the pharmacy down the way from my apartment asked to talk to the pharmacist but he was out for the day. The next thing I know I'm in some store room with the counter girl, teeth in her neck, blood in my mouth and…"
"Dinozzo…"
"I know boss and I'm, well we are about to come."
"You have sex when you drink?" Abby asked.
"Can't seem to keep from having sex when I…" Tony left it unfinished.
"How many times a day do you…"
"Two to three." Tony mumbled telling Abby was somehow worse than telling Gibbs.
"Okay you still work in the day time so what else changed?"
"Nothing really, everything seems to be a little better, speed, strength, reflexes, smell, sight all that."
"I'm guessing from the little show in my lab yesterday, taste to."
"Yeah taste to, I was too afraid to try food but uh…"
"I blackmailed him into it yesterday." Gibbs grumbled.
"Good bossman, so why are you at bossmans place Tony?"
Tony pushed off the couch and walked out the back door.
"Abby." Gibbs sighed.
"What, what did I say?"
"Yesterday I went with him to get lunch, that's when he's been drinking during the day."
"He didn't drink yesterday how…"
"Abbs."
"Okay." Abby made a motion mimicking locking a lock and throwing the key over her shoulder.
Gibbs just shook his head. "I walked past his desk and could smell that scent he has now."
"Oh the sweet one." she said after making like unlocking the lock and then quickly relocking it.
"Yeah that one," shaking his head, "it was the strongest I have ever smelled it, I dragged him into the elevator. He damn near passed out before he got there. Once we were in there I asked him what was up but he wouldn't answer me just kept saying he couldn't tell me."
A repeat performance of unlocking and lock again Abby said, "But he never says no to you, never."
"I know Abbs. He really was afraid we would all turn away from him. Still is actually. Anyways, he tried to start the elevator and it actually broke." Gibbs heard her gasp. "That's when he broke down, just crumpled to the floor telling me I had to get out of there. That he couldn't control it much longer. I wouldn't listen to him got to closer and the next thing I know I'm pinned to the floor and he's biting my shoulder and…"
"What about the…"
"Abby."
"I'm sorry Gibbs."
"He only took a small amount, he was able just barley to keep from…" Gibbs didn't finish.
"Okay so little sips and he can hold back."
"Abby it's not just him, not sure how or why but when he does bites you, you want him to and while little sips seems to keep it so he can stop from fucking you, it hurts."
"You mean?"
"Abby, shit you know I don't talk. You know I would never say this to you, but since he bit me yesterday all I could think about was him finishing what he started, even knowing it meant we were going to end up fucking."
"You guys?"
"Yeah last night. He drank from someone after the elevator was repaired and when he came here last night I I told him what was happening."
"Did he drink from you again?"
"Yeah when we, it doesn't seem like he takes much though Abbs. I think we need to tell Ducky and you two need to, I don't know to do some research or something. He obviously can't be the only one out there like this."
"Yeah we'll have to be careful about any tests though, you know he doesn't like being…"
"Poked and studied." Gibbs sighed he knew his second had never had a love of hospitals but after contracting the plague it had become more of a hatred. "Hmm I wonder if this has helped his lungs."
"What do you mean boss?"
"He said he heals faster, not fast enough to watch but I was wondering if this whatever it is would have fixed what the plague did to his lungs."
"We better ask him before we think about this anymore boss."