Chapter Four

Monday morning, Tony looked up with a big grin on his face when Abby stepped off the elevator and into the squad room.

"Hey guys, what's up?"

Ziva looked up from her computer screen and smiled at Abby before nodding across the squad room to Tony. "He has been smiling all morning, looking like the cat that caught the... canary."

"Hey, she got one right!" Tony wadded up a piece of paper and sent it over Abby's head to land on Ziva's desk. "That citizenship deal has really worked wonders on your use of the English language."

"Oh? Tony?" Abby turned to look at him, her eyebrows raised. "Did you have a good weekend?"

"The best."

"Anything you'd like to share?"

"Um, no?"

Abby turned back to Ziva. "James Bond marathon and his right hand." She sent Tony a playful wink when Ziva couldn't contain her laugh and McGee nearly snorted coffee out his nose. Even Gibbs' had a hard time forcing a straight face.

"I hate you. All of you." Tony was quick to busy himself with the files stacked on his desk.

"Oh, come on Tony-" McGee started.

"Hey! I can't take it out on Abby because the boss will shoot me, but I can beat you up. See you after work, loser."

"So Abby was right," Ziva bit her lower lip and returned her attention back to her computer screen.

Tony wanted to follow Abby down and thank her for the distraction. He knew he had been smiling like a fool all morning, but he couldn't exactly say why and he couldn't stop either. Between his date with Abby, and Gibbs leaving him beyond satisfied afterward, he couldn't wipe the grin off his face. Now that Abby had made it look like his weekend had been spent alone, Ziva would leave him alone.

As the day progressed, Tony managed to keep his excitement under control, and even made it down to the lab with McGee to drop off evidence for Abby. He expected her to make some sort reference to their date, a sly glance or little grin. But she made no indication one-way or another that she had had a good time, and even when McGee left them alone, she said nothing, instead telling him about a holiday party she was going to with Carol. He knew they couldn't really discuss it at work, but he was hoping for something, some little acknowledgment.

"You okay?" As soon as the elevator doors closed, Gibbs turned to Tony, searching his face for some sort of hint as to what was bothering his lead agent.

"Yeah, fine."

"DiNozzo…" He didn't like being lied too.

"It's nothing."

They reached the parking lot, and Gibbs stopped him before Tony could walk away. "We can save it for when we get home, but…"

"I was thinking I might go back to my place tonight. Get lost in some movies or something."

"That what you want?"

Tony glanced up at the security camera in the garage and then looked back at Gibbs, hoping he would understand that he wanted to touch him, but couldn't. "Yeah, I think so. Don't worry, I'm fine. Just need some time alone."

Gibbs gave a little nod. "See you tomorrow."

Sometime around 2am Gibbs heard his front door open and close, and he waited quietly in the dark, listening to the slow footsteps up toward the bedroom. "Couldn't sleep?"

"No." Tony pulled his shirt up over his head and stripped down to his boxers before sliding under the covers.

"Ready to talk?"

"No." He buried into Gibbs' arms and inhaled deeply.

"Okay." Gibbs kissed his forehead softly and hugged him closer.

In the next few days running up to Christmas, the team was swamped with case after case. It was mostly busy work, and they all kept long hours to get as much done as possible so that they could be off Christmas Eve by dinner time, to start their week-long vacation. Tony never opened up about what had been bothering him, but Gibbs could tell by the way he looked at Abby that it had to do with her and his fear that she would turn them down.

But with the way they were suddenly swamped, Gibbs didn't have the chance to confront him about it, and by the time they were home each evening, they barely managed to stumble to bed before passing out – that was if they even made it home. More than once Gibbs found his agents catching a quick nap behind their desks or on the futon in Abby's lab, while she sucked down another Caf-Pow! and listened to her blaring music on her ipod rather than over the lab speakers so that her guests could nap. Tony had refused to nap in Abby's lab until Gibbs walked him down and glared him into submission over it. Abby was oblivious to the exchange until Gibbs tapped her shoulder.

"Gibbs!" Abby jumped and ripped her ear buds from her ears. "You scared me!"

"Need you to make sure he gets some rest," Gibbs nodded toward Tony on the futon. "Don't let him leave until he's gotten some sleep."

Abby gave a little salute and then peered around Gibbs with a little smile as she watched Tony settle on his back. "Yes, sir."

"When was the last time you got some sleep?"

"Sleep? I've been getting plenty. Don't worry, I'm fine. I'm almost caught up with all the DNA you brought this morning. Almost."

"Plenty?" Gibbs raised a brow.

"As much as you have."

"Once you finish up, call a cab and go home."

"Really Gibbs, I'm fine. We've got one day left, and then we're off. So just hurry and catch the bad guy. I've got plans to help the nuns on Christmas Eve, and I would hate to cancel."

"I'll do my best." Gibbs leaned to brush a quick kiss to her cheek and then he was gone.

Abby was too busy smiling herself to notice the smile on Tony's face before he fell asleep.

They closed their latest case at three o'clock on Christmas Eve, and Director Vance told them to leave before a new case was called in and handed to them rather than their replacement. Abby, decked in red and green, had spent the majority of the afternoon showering the team with cookies and cocoa so when Gibbs and Tony were ready to leave, they headed to the lab to wish her a Merry Christmas and were surprised to find her lab dark.

"She left already?" Tony turned a small circle in the lab.

"Looks like it."

"Without saying goodbye?"

Gibbs gave a little nod toward the elevator. "You know how excited she is around Christmas. After a week of no sleep and nothing but sugar and Caf-Pow!, I'm not surprised. I just hope she gets home safely."

"You worried?"

"Nah, she's fine. Come on, let's go home."

Tony followed Gibbs to the elevator and they rode silently to the parking garage. They drove home separately, and it was no surprise that Gibbs beat Tony home by nearly ten minutes. Every time he entered the house, Tony took a moment to look at the Christmas tree they had put up in the corner of the living room. There were a few ornaments from both of their pasts, but the majority of the ornaments had been gifted to them from Abby over the past several years they had all worked together. Each year she liked to get every member of the team a special ornament, something that reminded her of them or an event they had shared together. They hadn't exchanged gifts yet this year. Usually Christmas Eve was spent at Ducky's, but this year most everyone had plans, so they decided to do dinner on New Year's Eve and exchange gifts then as well.

He shrugged out of his jacket and went in search of Gibbs, not surprised to find him hovering around the coffee maker. "Merry Christmas, Jethro." Tony wrapped his arms around the older man and dropped a kiss to the back of his neck.

Gibbs poured two cups of coffee, doctoring Tony's the way he knew his lover liked it and then turned to hand it over. "Merry Christmas to you too."

While Gibbs sipped his coffee, Tony made two quick sandwiches to quell their appetite and they ate quickly over the sink before dragging themselves out to the couch. They collapsed in a heap and within minutes both were asleep.

Tony was the first to wake up. They didn't have any plans for Christmas Eve, it would likely be like any other evening, but something was missing. "Boss?" Tony whispered and pressed a kiss to the older man's neck. "You awake yet?"

"Hmmm?" Gibbs wrapped an arm around Tony and tried tugging him closer.

"Wake up."

"Why? We could just head up to bed."

"I want to go to church."

Gibbs was silent a moment, waiting for the joke to come. When it didn't he lifted his head from the back of the couch and looked at Tony. "Serious?"

"Yeah. I've gone to mid-night mass with Abby the past several years and I…"

"You want to see Abby and wish her a Merry Christmas?"

"It doesn't worry you that she left without saying goodbye?"

Gibbs tried to ignore the slight pull in his gut. "We have time to grab a quick shower?"

Tony was off him in a flash and raced up the stairs. He was halfway done washing his hair when Gibbs stepped inside the shower behind him. Except for sharing a few soft kisses, they didn't take the time for pleasure, and Tony soon stepped out and grabbed his towel and then headed to the bedroom to get dressed.

"You know what she's doing tomorrow?" Tony asked as Gibbs drove them to Abby's church.

"Nope."

Tony frowned. "McGee and Ziva are both headed out of town, Palmer will be with his family, and Ducky is spending the holiday with Dr. Hampton. You don't think she's spending it alone, do you?"

The idea that she would spend it alone rather than with them was hurtful, and Gibbs wondered if she was avoiding them for the holidays because of their offer. He would've asked her to spend Christmas with them, just as friends, if she still wasn't sure.

They arrived a few minutes early and as they found a place to sit on an empty pew, Tony kept watch for Abby. It wasn't until the lights dimmed that he saw her rush in and take a seat up front where a space had been obviously saved for her.

Halfway through the service Gibbs noticed that Tony had taken hold of his hand. He laced their fingers together and gave a soft squeeze as the organ began to play one of his favorite Christmas songs. When mass finished, the two men hung around to hopefully catch Abby. Through the crowd they watched as she hugged nearly everyone within reaching distance, and as soon as the crowd thinned, they started toward her but pulled up when Rosita placed a hand on Abby's shoulder and whisper into her ear.

Abby smiled at the older woman and gave a quick nod. She hugged one more person, whishing them a Merry Christmas and then disappeared into the crowd.

"Come on Tony, we'll give her a call tomorrow and see what she's doing. She's busy here."

The men left without saying hello.

Abby was mid-hug when Sister Rosita lay a warm hand on her shoulder and reminded her that she was in charge of preparing the hot cocoa and the coffee. In just under an hour, they were opening up the church hall to the homeless for the night, giving them a bite to eat and making sure they kept warm with cocoa and coffee. There were a few cots set up to give people a chance to rest, and some of the tables had board games set up, and a few TV's had been brought in by church volunteers to show Christmas movies. She hugged Mrs. Ericson and then slipped through the crowd to go start the coffee.

For an hour she kept busy, stirring cocoa and serving it with a smile. Most everyone was grateful for the assistance and the warm, safe place to spend the night. She yawned into the crook of her arm and then smiled up at Rosita as she approached.

"You look exhausted, Abigail. Why don't you head home? It's getting rather late."

"I know, I just… can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, let's step into the kitchen." Rosita led the way and then shut the door behind them. "Is everything okay?"

"It is, I just… How do you know when someone is the right someone?" Sister Rosita was fairly accepting and liberal, but she wasn't sure how she would feel about the idea of Abby being involved in a three-some, so she decided to leave that bit out.

"You know, you just know. Sometimes the person is right, but the situation isn't what you expected. Just because you don't expect it, doesn't mean it's not right. Go with your gut, isn't that what your agent Gibbs says?"

Abby blushed. "Yeah, it's just… it's so unexpected, you know?"

"You'll know what's right. Go home, Abby, you're exhausted. Get some rest. They'll be waiting for you in the morning."

Abby looked up sharply at Rosita's use of the word they. "You…?"

"Merry Christmas, Abby. Thank you for your help this evening." Rosita opened the kitchen door and motioned for her to leave.

Abby stared at the older woman for a brief moment before leaving the kitchen to gather her things and head home. Rosita was right, she was exhausted, but she had things to do, luckily, the drive home was quick. She took a quick shower before collapsing in bed, setting her alarm to go off in a few short hours. It didn't take long for her eyes to slide shut as she drifted off.

Four am rolled around all too soon, but Abby managed to throw her legs over the edge of the bed and stumble toward her closet. She dug for a pair of Christmas PJ's to wear and then pulled a second outfit from her closet and put it in a small overnight bag, and then collected a few other items and stashed those in her bag as well.

Placing her bag by the front door, Abby when to the closet in her guest room and pulled out an over-sized cardboard box she had stashed there several months ago after getting a new dishwasher. A box that size might one day come in handy, she had told herself. The Christmas wrap was still out in her living room and she took the time to wrap the box, decorating it as a giant Christmas present. It took some work to fit it in her car, and then, she rushed back up to her apartment to grab her over-night bag and a bag full of gifts.

She circled Gibbs' block several times before pulling up in front of his house and turning off the engine. She got out of her car and circled around to the passenger side of the car and leaned back to look up at the house. That was it, her last chance to walk away. To tell them she couldn't be part of what they already had. But she knew she couldn't do that. Both of them were wonderful men that saw past her strange clothes and loud music. They didn't judge her based on her quirkiness, and she was really starting to believe they genuinely loved her. She was hoping they would be accepting to spend Christmas day with her, and that a day with them would push aside the last of her fears that she was joining as some toy for them. Deep down she knew Gibbs would never do that to her, but it still tugged at the back of her mind.

Making up her mind, Abby carried everything up the front steps to Gibbs' door. She tested the door knob and shook her head to find that it was, indeed, unlocked. She entered quietly, stowing her stuff just inside the door.

She glanced at her watch, 5:23. Gibbs, she assumed, would be up about six. Half an hour wouldn't be too bad. While wrapping the large box, she had cut the bottom out. She knew it was corny, but Tony appreciated corny, so the idea of sitting inside a box addressed to both men for half an hour or so was worth it. She was still in her Christmas PJ's, because there was no better way to spend Christmas morning, as she pulled the box over her after sitting beside the tree. She tried not to look at her watch as she sat and waited.

When she first heard movement overhead, she glanced at her watch. It was just past seven. Her muscles were tense, but she couldn't wait to see the look on their faces. She hoped it would be worth it.

When she heard the shower turn on, she let her head drop forward. She hoped it was Gibbs showering solo. She wasn't sure she could sit much longer without stretching out.

At eight, she finally, heard two pairs of footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Presents or breakfast first?" Abby could hear the excitement in Tony's voice. She had no doubt he turned into a child on Christmas morning.

"Breakfast."

Abby bit her lip at Gibbs' firm decision to eat before opening presents.

"Wait, when did you put that one there?"

Abby tensed when she realized Tony had spotted the box.

"I... I didn't."

It was easy to hear the concern in his voice. He obviously hadn't noticed the skull and cross bones printed on the ribbon. When she heard his side table drawer unlock and then open and close, she had a brief moment of worry. She didn't want him pointing his gun at her – it would ruin the moment.

"If you didn't, then who…"

Abby listened as his voice trailed off and she couldn't tell if he had recognized the ribbon or if he was still concerned. The box was slowly lifted off of her, and Abby squinted up at them through the harsh morning light. "I was going to be real pissed if you decided on breakfast before presents."

TBC…