The events of the previous day and her conversation with Abby filled Tori's thoughts while she was at work and stay with her later into the evening while she was at home. After mulling it over for an hour or two after work, Tori picked up her phone and called Tony.

"Well, Victoria Theriault, to what do I owe this call?" Tony asked when he answered.

"You make it sound like I never call you," she replied. "Do I need a reason? Maybe I just miss you?"

"You could," he admitted. "You probably do. Who wouldn't miss me?"

"Last time I try to be nice and give you a call…say hello…see how your day was…make sure you remember to feed the fish," Tori said teasing.

"You can call anytime, even when you don't miss me," he answered.

"I know," she said and chuckled. "Everything go okay with your father?"

"Everything is just grand, as usual. I should've talked with you instead," Tony said and proceeded to relate the details of his conversation with his father. Many minutes later he finished his rant. "Are you still there? I've probably put you to sleep."

"I'm still here and no, I'm not sleeping. You can vent for however long you need," Tori told him. "He sounds like a very interesting person."

"Interesting?" he repeated with frustration. "Are you sure you weren't sleeping because the conversation I had with him was far from interesting?"

"Tony, it's your father … who I have never met," she replied calmly. "What did you expect me to say?"

"I don't know," he said honestly. "Anyway, Vic, you called me. What's up?"

Tori inhaled deeply before she began telling Tony about Charles seeing her at the market that weekend.

"He saw you at the market but didn't say anything until you were at work and turned down lunch?" Tony asked her.

"Yes," Tori replied. "This is the part where you tell me I'm over-reacting and it was all a big coincidence."

"Rule number 39," Tony said slowly. "There is no such thing as coincidence. I should be up there with you."

"So you can tell him he can't go to a public place because I might be there?" Tori asked.

"No," Tony answered seriously. "So I can tell him there are laws against stalking and that last I checked you are, as far as I can tell, happily involved with someone."

"It was one time. For all we know he actually was wandering around town," she said hesitantly. "Calm down."

"You lived with him for how long?" he replied hoping that Tori would see where his arguments were coming from. "He might know you better than I do. I don't think it was wandering. If I've got time to waste in a new town, I'm not going to the market – especially not early in the morning. Unless, of course, there's someone there I hope to see. Someone who I know is an admitted morning person."

"I doubt he knows me that well," she challenged. "It's been a long time, Tony. I have changed some."

"Victoria, this is serious," he told her. "If he is following you or even if he's not and just making good guesses about where you go, who knows what else he'll do."

"Yes, IF," she said strongly. "It was the market. You might not believe it but the whole situation bothers me … a lot. However, he didn't mention anything else, and I haven't seen Charles anywhere other than at the museum."

"I'd like to keep it that way," Tony told her simultaneously jealous while wanting to protect her.

"That makes two of us," she said. "Tony, I promise if anything else happens or is said I will tell you, but you have to promise me you won't come rushing up here like the proverbial bull in a china shop this very moment."

"Okay, you win for now, providing you keep your side of the bargain," he replied after a short silence.

"I will and in case you were wondering, I am happily involved with someone," Tori said wanting to erase any uneasiness he might have.

The next day at the NCIS office Tony lagged behind the rest of the team as they left Abby's lab. "Abbs, you got a second?" he asked once everyone had left the room and was out of earshot.

"Sure," she replied looking at him with suspicion. Her recent conversations with Tori had her on guard and Tony suddenly wanting to talk only furthered her misguided belief that trouble was brewing. "What's up?"

"Have you spoken with your sister lately?" Tony asked her seriously.

"Yes," Abby said with a bit of hesitation. "Tony, I got Tori's Cliff's Notes speech concerning minding my own business about the two of you and I agreed to not get in the middle of things. I'm sticking to that because the full version of her speech will not be pretty."

"I'm not asking you to get in the middle of things," he told her watching her closely for some sort of clue to what she knew. "I just want to make sure everything's okay."

"You haven't spoken to her?" she questioned cautiously trying to see where he was going with his questions.

"I spoke with Victoria last night," he answered honestly and continued to eye the forensic scientist carefully to gauge her reactions.

"So then you know she's okay," Abby stated cheerfully and turned and started to walk away from him.

"Abby, what did she say to you exactly?" Tony pressed her for an answer, as he grabbed her arm and gently held her back.

"Tony, I am not going back on my word," she protested. Abby looked at him, thought for a few seconds and then said, "Why don't you tell me what she told you?"

He watched her, his eyes narrowed before answering, "Vic said that Charles was at the market on Saturday at the same time she was; but, he didn't say anything until Monday at work, after she turned him down for lunch."

"Yep, that's what Tori told me, too," Abby said with enthusiasm. She was glad her sister followed through with telling Tony what had happened at work. "You think there's something else?"

"No," he answered without hesitation and then added, "Yes."

"Which is it?" she asked with an indulgent smile.

"I don't think she's taking it seriously enough," Tony told her. "She says it bothers her, but she's not acting like it."

"Tony, she told me; she told you," Abby stated. "She's taking it seriously. I've known Tori my entire life and she tends to not involve anyone in her personal matters, unless she feels it absolutely necessary. She tries to handle it all herself; it's a weird independent streak – she's always been like that. Don't take it personally."

"Stubborn," he interjected.

"What?" she asked with surprise.

"Your sister," he said. "She's stubborn."

"Well, she is a Sciuto," Abby said with a smile trying to reassure him. "Anyway, the fact that Tori said something - especially to you, shows that she's taking this seriously. Trust me."

"I still don't like it," Tony said grumbling. "He's up to something."

"You watch too many movies," Abby called after him as the NCIS agent walked out of her lab.