Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or any of the charcters from it. I do however own the crazy mind that puts these concoctions (what you're about to read) together. I'm not making any money from this. It's all purely for fun. No Copyright Infringement Intended. I'm just a heathily addicted, loyal fan of the show!. =D

Catch Me When I Fall
Chapter Four
by Special Agent Starr

Getting Abby out into the car demonstrated more of a struggle than the actual fight with her boyfriend, who now in McGee's book was officially her ex, because she wouldn't be setting foot anywhere near him again.

"Let me go McGee!" she said harshly but kept her voice low, not wanting to wake up the neighbors. "You're making a huge mistake! What if he wakes up and wants to know where I am? What if he comes after us? Or what if he wakes up in the morning and finds me and my car gone?"

"Then tell him he got drunk, passed out, and in the morning you left for work. I think that'll serve as a plausible excuse." He didn't bother to bring up that she'd never have the chance to talk to him again, so her worry was invalid.

She let out an irritated growl as they reached the passenger door, "You have to let me go back McGee. If I'm spending the night at your place I'm going to need clothes!"

"We'll figure something out." He replied, knowing she was just trying to find a way to trick him into letting her stay here. "Now get in the car Abby." He opened the door for her.

Her reluctance was evident as she entered the vehicle. He closed the door and hastily made his way to the driver's side. Before he opened the door however, he took a deep breath of the cool air and exhaled slowly. Once they became enclosed inside this car together he was certain she would unleash her wrath in the most effective way she could… verbally. He would have to remain emotionless and not take anything she said to heart. It would all be spoken out of pure anger, and while that anger was extraneous, it would be something she would regret later.

He stepped inside and shut the door. Promptly, he adjusted the mirrors and then reached over across her so that he could buckle her seat belt. As he did so her vocal rampage began.

"You remember when I told you I could never hate you McGee? Well, I'm beginning to seriously rethink that statement!"

He simply sat back, fastening his own belt, and put the keys in the ignition.

"You just couldn't leave it alone could you? Now, everyone's life is in danger! He knows where I work McGee, he's seen you! He knows I told someone about what happened and now he's going to go through with his threat! We're all gonna die thanks to you not being able to mind your own damn business!"

Pulling up to the end of the road, he flipped on the turn signal.

"Why are we going left? Your house is to the right!"

He allowed himself to answer her, "We're going to the police station; you're going to file a report."

"Oh yeah McGee it's a brilliant idea! Let's get the police involved where they go investigate him but can't find enough evidence to charge him with anything and all he gets is inconvenienced and pissed off even more!"

Thinking about that for a minute, she had a point. Not all crimes received a fitting punishment. Especially in subjects as unfortunately common as domestic violence.

He decided to change the signals direction and accelerated out on the road.

"If you're trying to be my 'knight in shinning armor' McGee, you can forget it! I don't need you! I don't need any of you! I can take care of myself by myself! I don't want any of your blood on my hands!"

He began tapping his thumbs against the steering wheel, letting her words bounce off him.

"I wish we never dated! Ever since then you've had this creepy infatuation with me! It's like an obsession almost! You really need to get over the fact that I didn't love you or will I ever, especially now!"

He kept his eyes focused on the road ahead, he could tell the fact that he was ignoring her was getting under her skin.

"You know what McGee? If I wasn't being restrained right now I'd slap you!"

"Oh so you've decided to follow in the footsteps of your psychotic lover. Good to know." He retaliated just that one time.

Apparently that struck a nerve within her. The once fuming anger he felt coming from her body had now vanished and she was silent for the rest of the ride.

To his relief she exited her car much more compliantly than she had entered it. Though the way she walked to the house reminded him of the way a criminal would walk down death row.

She remained quiet as he shut and bolted the door. It appeared as though she had gotten all her frustration toward him out.

"Are you hungry or anything?" he asked, preparing to remove the cuffs.

All is she did was shake her head.

"Abby…" he started softly, worried about the sudden gloominess that spread over her.

She stopped him before he could continue, "Can I take a shower?" she requested in a weak tone.

Tim nodded twice slowly, "You promise you'll stay here and not try to escape?"

She gave him confirmation that she wouldn't and he went to set things up for her. When he returned she was still where he'd left her.

Heading toward the bathroom, she turned in the door frame to look back at him.

"Tim, you know it's not too late for you to let me go back there. If he's conscious, I can find a way to smooth things over." She attempted one final plea.

"Abby listen… I don't know what the hell's gotten into you, but it's over, okay? You're not going back to him, so just get it out of your head." He said matter-of-factly.

With that she disappeared into the other room.

----- x ----- x ----- x -----

Undressing she, for the first time since the attack, caught her reflection in the mirror. When it had first happened she had avoided this at all costs, not wanting to see the real damage the man had done to her. She thought back to the comment Timmy had made about there being a monster. But she recognized only one monster staring back at her now, and that was herself.

'What did I let happen?' she thought in shock. The person she was currently viewing she would never identify as herself. This was a stranger.

A feeling of numbness washed over her body. She stepped into the tub and turned the faucet on, allowing the highly temperatured water to spray over her, in hopes that it would break up the lack of sensation and allow her to feel again.

She deserved to experience the full pain of what see had let happen to herself and to her loved ones.

She thought back to the words she had lashed at Tim and instantly hated herself even more. She was to the point where she felt like the lowest form of life on this planet. Here he was trying to save her and there she was trying to destroy him. It was not fair. Her anger should have been targeted toward the source, James. McGee had every right to bombard her with every name in the book and anything else he could think of. Yet even though she knew he wouldn't, she knew she deserved it.

'Why was I such an idiot?'

She thought of the lives that were now in danger because of her, not because of Timmy, as she had tried to blame earlier. She had yet again put their lives in unneeded peril, jeopardy that could have been avoided had she simply used her brain. But no, once again she'd prove to be the menace of the family, the one who could never do anything right, and ended up dragging the others down with her when she ran into trouble, which was the last thing in the world she wanted.

If anything happened to any of them on her behalf, would never forgive herself, ever, the reasoning why she always tried to keep them away when she got into predicaments. Though that was showing to be a useless tactic seeing as she never handled things correctly and they got involved anyway, usually when things had been pushed to the limit.

'This is my entire fault!'

Sure, James had been the bastard, she saw that now. She had been the one to let it get to this point. She should have gone to Gibbs. He'd know what to do; he would have helped her before things spiraled out of control. But in the back of her mind she knew he'd probably end up killing James and getting himself in trouble. She wasn't going to have that at all. The only people that deserved punishment were the ones responsible and that was James and herself.

It was then that she had most horrid thought as they darted around in her skull at as fast a pace as the drops of water falling around her.

'Maybe if I kill myself, then they'll all be safe. All this will stop.'

Could she really do that though? Could she let Timmy walk in to find her lifeless body? After he'd risked his own to protect her? She knew James had that pocketknife. He could have just as easily used it instead of his fist tonight. Could she leave the burden up to Tim to call and inform Gibbs, Tony, Ziva, Ducky, and Jimmy that she had taken her own life? Taken the cowards' way out? Been ungrateful for the many times they had been there for her when she needed them? Left them thinking she cared nothing for them when in fact they meant the world to her? That she loved them with all her heart and soul?

No she couldn't do that. She had caused enough damaged, enough pain, she would not add more.

The fact that she had even contemplated suicide mortified her and unable to stop herself she began to sob.

McGee sat on the floor, his back against the bathroom door. Wanting to stay as close as possible in case she needed him. He had gotten an ice pack for his lip and was compressing it to the swelling when he heard the first cry. He threw the pack aside, stood, and turned the knob.

He saw Abby sunk against the tile, huddled in a corner, bawling her eyes out.

Grabbing the towel off the counter, he turned off the steaming hot water, and wrapped her up.

"Come on sweetheart." He said softly as he lifted her up into his arms.

She tried to protest, tried to tell him she didn't deserve to be comforted as he cradled her on the bed. Tried to tell him she didn't deserve the soothing words he was cooing to her in attempts to calm her. She tried to say she was sorry for everything she had put everyone through. She tried to thank him but every time she opened her mouth all she did was weep harder.

----- x ----- x ----- x -----

She had cried herself to sleep. McGee could have sworn he felt tears soaking his shirt even after that. He, who had gotten no sleep himself, stood in front of his coffee pot waiting for it to finish percolating.

Hearing the quiet sound of feet padding up behind him, he turned.

She walked right up to him and stopped a few inches from running into him.

"Are you okay?" she wondered, gingerly trailing her thumb along his lip.

He nodded.

Her voice turned more serious; "Can you ever forgive me?" she would understand if he refused that.

His mouth did not answer her, but his eyes did.

Relief flooded through her and she became teary eyed again.

"If felt I was worth any sort of affection right now, you'd definitely be getting a kiss and a hug." She said with a tiny smile.

That was the first time he'd seen her smile in a very long time, considering this was Abby.

He closed the distance between them, wrapped his arms around her, and planted a kiss on her forehead despite the sting of his injury.

Able to feel her resisting because of her irrational thoughts, he held her until she relaxed into him.

"Thank you." She sighed into his shoulder. "I'm so sorry." Her voice began to choke up.

Pulling back he looked her square in the eye, "You're worth it."

Studying him, she believed him but she couldn't accept it, not yet.

"So what do we do now?" she consulted him.

"I'm not sure, but right now we need to get ready for work."

On the way to the NCIS building, he was happy that she seemed to be slowly but surely going back to the Abby they all knew and loved. She had turned the radio to one of her stations and every now and then would bounce to the music. He felt bad that he had fibbed to her this morning, he knew what had to be done now, but he figured that would make them even.

Making sure she was going to be okay by herself, he left the lab, and headed up to the squad room.

"Geez Probie, you and your geek buddies get in a fight over who's the higher ranking elf lord or something?" he was greeted with by Tony.

Ignoring him completely, he made his way over to the only desk he needed to be at right now.

"Boss, I need to talk to you."

----- x ----- x ----- x -----

{You didn't really think I'd go without letting the rest of the team find out did you? Judging from you're reviews, no you didn't. LOL Every time I read one of them I'm like "Hold on guys it's coming!" =D So if things go as planned only 2 more chapters to go. I'll most likely finish this by Saturday b/c I have papers to work on, but I don't want to make any promises. Let me know what you thought about this! & thanks for all the reviews last time, you made my day when I came home from class! Also, I have a poll up on my profile & I'd enjoy your input if you'd be so kind. =] Have to go get ready for class now, I'm running late. LOL }