A/N: This is it guys, the final chapter. So much for this being a 6-chapter story lol.

There was an eerie sense of normality to her being there; she settled herself at the small dining table like it was an everyday thing. He busied himself finding the small hurricane lamp he'd bought after the first time the building had lost power, trying to buy time to pull himself together enough to form a coherent sentence. She'd always had the ability to rattle him, making him stammer like he was still the gawky teenager he used to be. It was worse when she took him by surprise, and this was definitely one of those times.

He brought the lamp over and set it on the table in front of her, lighting it and trimming the wick so that it burned steadily. Then he took a seat across from her, watching her in the glow from the lamp. She was trying to act composed, but the constant fidgety movements of her hands gave her away.

"Why are you here, Abs?"

"I wanted to see you, McGee."

He shot her a look. It was a 150 mile drive from Washington to Norfolk; people didn't just turn up because they wanted to see him. He waited for a few moments, letting her have time to explain. She shifted nervously in her chair before continuing. "I got your message. You and Kathy... it's over, isn't it?" There was an odd, strained note in her voice. He nodded slowly. "Completely." She swallowed; he could dimly see the convulsive movement in her throat. "Did you... do you love her?" He shook his head. "No."

He could see the relief on her face at his simple response. "After you told me about her, McGee, I wanted to hate you. Once you'd gone, I was angry, and hurt." She got up and started pacing around his small living area. "I tried to hate you, Tim. But I missed you too much... everything felt empty again, like when you left." She paused. "Why did you leave?" The words almost burst forth, like she'd kept them pent up. He considered for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "You were so distant. I thought... I thought you'd changed your mind. That you didn't love me."

"I could never not love you, Timmy." There was a small smile on her lips as she said it. He could feel the smile spreading across his face as he stood, taking a few steps towards her. "I love you, Abby. I've always loved you." He knew he was grinning like a fool now, and he could see the answering smile on her face, even in the dim light from the lamp. "Do you-do you think we could try again?" Not giving her time to respond, he rushed on. "I know I haven't exactly treated you right, Abs, and I'm stuck here at least for now, but-" She stopped him, raising one hand slightly. He stammered himself to a stop, watching her. She took two steps closer to him; he could feel the warmth of her skin, and felt his heart start to pound. "Just don't ever leave me again." Her voice was unsteady; he shook his head, her closeness clouding his mind, making it impossible to form words.

Standing like this, her platform boots put her at eye level with him. He leant forward and kissed her gently. She deepened the kiss, pressing herself against him. Finally, when they were both breathing hard, they broke apart. "I don't-"he began. There was a muted click, and suddenly his small kitchen was lit up as the power came back on. Blinking rapidly to adjust to the sudden light, he saw her doing the same thing and laughed a little. "Guess I left the light on." Serious again, he went on "I don't think I could ever leave you again, Abby. These last two years... it felt like part of me was missing the whole time. And we'll take things as slow as you need to; just... just tell me if you get scared."

"What if I don't want to take things slow?" She moved in his arms and he could tell she was nervous again. "Before you left, McGee, you asked me something and I never gave you an answer." He nodded slowly, finding it hard to breathe. It felt like a dream; he kept thinking he'd wake up and none of this would have happened. Huskily he said "I asked you to marry me." She nodded. "Do you still feel the same way, Tim? I know its two years too late, but- "He silenced her with a kiss; his first thought was to tell her it was too much, too soon. Then he looked at her; too soon or not, he knew he didn't want to live without her. Holding her gaze, he dropped to one knee. Two years ago, he'd had a speech planned out in his head; this time, he was lost for words. He settled for the simple. "Marry me, Abs." She reached down and pulled him to his feet again. He could see the glimmer of tears in her eyes. Hardly daring to breathe, he waited for her to reply. Finally she nodded. "Yes, Tim."

He kissed her fiercely, the elation he felt quickly turning to passion. They stood locked together for a long while; finally, trembling and breathing hard, he gently guided her down the short hallway to his bedroom.

...

McGee awoke to the sun streaming through his bedroom window. For the first time in a very long time, he felt genuinely happy. It took him a moment to remember why, then the events of the previous night came flooding back. The blackout. Abby on his doorstep. Her telling him never to leave her again. Asking her to marry him. He kept his eyes closed, afraid that if he opened them it would all turn out to be a dream. Then, telling himself he was being ridiculous, he rolled onto his side and opened his eyes. Abby was occupying the spare side of his bed. He grinned; he never thought he'd be waking up to her again.

All of a sudden he wished he hadn't deleted Vance's latest email; he didn't want to live 2 and a half hours away from Abby. And he wanted his old job back. Work with the MCRT might be exhausting, often frustrating and occasionally dangerous, but he belonged there and he loved it. He needed to go see the head of the field office and put the paperwork for his transfer back to Washington in motion. Then he looked at his fiancée curled up, fast asleep, in his bed and smiled.

It could wait until tomorrow.

A/N 2: So, what did you think? I've got a prequel to this story roughed out on my laptop, so if you liked this watch out for the new one. I want to try and get some of my works in progress finished before I post the new one, however.

Thank you all for reading, and for your reviews :) F.