"…following that, we'll have the Russian Ballet Company performing a piece from their upcoming season," Ed Sullivan read on as the show began. The Gibbs family was standing offstage with the other acts who would be appearing that evening. Tony was in his dressing room, preparing himself and Abby was standing between her parents looking far glummer than another girl in her position would.

"…and we'll end our program this evening with a special tribute to America's hottest rock star, Tony DiNozzo."

At the very sound of their idol's name, the girls in the audience went wild with screams. The fervor of their response surprised even Sullivan himself who paused and let the shouts die out before continuing. "So let's get on with our show with the!"

Jenny looked to her daughter. "Are you nervous, Abby?"

"No, mom, I'm fine," Abby said with a half-smile. The truth was that she was still reeling from the events of the previous evening. She felt embarrassed about the way she had behaved in front of Tony…and in front of Jimmy. The last thing she wanted to do now was kiss the rock singer, but she knew she couldn't back out. Tim and Ziva had put so much work into this and the last thing she wanted to do was ruin it.

"Hey, how's our girl?"

Tim and Ziva entered the backstage area together. They were immeasurably happier than they'd been the previous day; Ziva was positively glowing! They brought a much needed positive energy to the area.

"Are you ready, Abby?" Ziva asked.

"Yes."

Tim looked around. "Where's Tony?"

"He said he had a routine to go through before he could go onstage; some sort of backstage ritual."

"Ah, yes," Tim replied with a roll of his eyes. He was all too familiar with Tony's pre-show ritual. It usually involved hooking up with the cutest backstage attendant he could find. "Well, so long as he's here to go on."

"Have you two figured out the speeches predicament?" Ziva asked Jenny and Mayor Vance.

Jenny immediately jumped in. "We'll split the first minute. I'll go first and then introduce Mayor Vance."

"Actually," the man said in a curt tone, "I think it would be better for me to start things off and then introduce you. That way you can introduce Abigail."

It was obvious what was going on. They each knew that the band had been given explicit instructions to start the song after one minute, no matter who was speaking. Whoever went first would be able to speak as long as they wanted, leaving the other with little to no time. Personally, Ziva didn't care who went first; the band would start when they'd been told to and that was all that mattered.

"Do you think we'll be the best act out there?" Abby asked, peeking out at the audience.

Tim gently pulled her back, lest the audience—or cameras!—catch sight of her. "I can guarantee it. We're competing with Russian ballerinas, some three-piece suit from Washington, and a plate spinner. It's no contest."

She nodded. Despite her insistence that she wasn't nervous, she felt her heart palpitating violently within her chest. She reminded herself to inhale deep breaths…and to exhale them, of course.

"Hey, kid."

Abby visibly jumped at the voice as she emitted a small noise of surprise. She turned to find Tony standing there, giving her a sly grin. He was donning his usual gold jumpsuit, though it looked a bit disheveled than it had before. In fact, his hair looked a bit messier as well.

"Ready for our big moment?"

Despite her reticence, Abby forced a smile on her face. "You bet! Are you nervous about singing?"

"Me nervous?" He laughed. "I've been doing this a long time. I don't get nervous."

"Uh, Tony…" Tim cut in, directing the rock star away from Abby. "You may want to give yourself a once over in the mirror. Maybe straighten your hair a bit."

"Good call, McGee!" the man replied as he hurried off to find a mirror.

Tim felt two arms wrap around his waist from behind. Ziva's voice was in his ear. "Calm down, my love, or else you will have a heart attack." She pressed her lips against his neck. "I'd hate for you to die before we tie the knot."

He offered a wry grin. "I suppose an emergency room wouldn't be the best place for a honeymoon, huh?"

"DiNozzo and company," one of the production assistants called, "you're on in five!"

The group tittered amongst themselves; even Abby got excited about appearing on TV. Jenny and Mayor Vance sought out mirrors to quickly check their appearances while Tim and Ziva staked out a spot in the wings to watch the show.

"Now," Sullivan announced, following the performance from the Russian Ballet Company, "our next guess is a young man who has captured the hearts of women all around the country. Now the country has called on him for quite a different purpose and one lucky girl is going to see him off! Please welcome, Tony DiNozzo and Abigail Gibbs!"

They entered, followed closely by Jenny and Mayor Vance. The latter two were still trying to get in the first word, and ultimately the mayor won.

"As the Mayor of Sweet Apple—an office I've held for the past three years—it is my honor to welcome Mr. DiNozzo to our humble yet wonderful town! I know elections are coming up, so let me take this moment to remind you that I have done great things for this town, such as bringing celebrities here to boost tourism. Also, I—"

"He wants to promote the rise of Women's Liberation that is sweeping our nation," Jenny interrupted, stepping forward and pushing him aside. "As a proud member of the Sweet Apple Women's Lib chapter, I want to encourage all of you women out there to stand up against repression! Together, we can make a change!

"Yes," Sullivan said uncertainly, "well, that's wonderful. And the song?"

Tony jumped right in before either Jenny or Mayor Vance could continue. "That's right, Eddie! This is a little something my friend Tim wrote. I'll be going off soon, fighting for our country. But before that happens, I'd like to sing this for all of the women who will be heartbroken to see me go." He gave the band a nod and the music started up. From the audience came a rush of girls and women. They surrounded the stage, trying to get as close to their idol as they could.

As the song progressed, Tony played to Abby who, in turn, stood there awkwardly, no longer enjoying his attention. He would take a step toward her…and she would take one back. He would lean in…she would turn away. He wasn't her idol anymore. Now she knew that kind of man she wanted.

Tim stood with Ziva, watching with delight as their plans went off without a hitch. The song was being sung on TV and soon Tony would seal it with a kiss. "You know," he whispered to his bride-to-be, "I think that this may have been the best idea you ever had; aside from marrying me, of course."

"We haven't quite reached the altar yet," she teased.

"We'll get there soon enough," he promised. "Now I was thinking…" He stopped short as something caught his attention. There was movement on the other side of the stage. "Is…is that…?"

"Jimmy!" Ziva hissed.

Sure enough, the young boy was stealthily making his way to the stage with a determined look on his face. His narrowed eyes were on Tony who was reaching the end of his song. The kiss was near…Tony was leaning in…

Jimmy tapped the rock star on the shoulder. When Tony turned, Jimmy landed a punch right on his jaw, knocking him to the floor…on national TV.

The previously happy couple said three words in unison. "Oh, my God…"