"Oh, c'mon Probie. The crazy glue thing never gets old!" Tony laughed as McGee scowled. Ziva and Abby were smiling from under their masks.
"You know, Tony-" McGee began irritably.
"Awww McGee!" Abby said, chuckling, "You know Tony doesn't really mean anything by that. He'd jump in front of a bullet for you," Abby smiled at him, raising her brows just a little.
"Well," Tony said, still joking, "Let's not get crazy Abs."
"Yeah," McGee said, "Let's not get crazy. I mean…after all…Tony IS the regular hero around here. Not like we ever do anything big."
Tony frowned a little, watching Abby's mouth likewise under her sparkling swans, turn corners down.
What the hell is wrong with McGee? He wondered. Maybe too much to drink ?
They had all ordered at least three drinks after the champagne. But they also ate dinner…and now were waiting for Abby to get the word to go up for her award…
"McGee," Abby began softly, "I don't-"
"No, you don't understand." McGee suddenly put his hand over hers on the table. She looked at it, as did Tony and Ziva, who at the moment were the only ones present. "Abby…I love you. I love you so so much…I just…I wanna show you how much…" he moved closer, as Abby clutched her mask handle shakily and gaped at him with wide eyes.
"Tim, this is not the time…" Abby put her other hand over his and squeezed, "I think we should talk about it tomorrow…over a... Caf-Pow…when you've slept it off…or something…"
"I'm not drunk!" he yelled as she jumped.
Tony and Ziva were both about to intervene, when Mikki came over to the table.
"Hey, Abby, it's time to go up to the backstage!" the girl smiled happily.
"Uh…okay," Abby said looking between her and the seriously mooning McGee.
"I'll come with you," McGee said. "Just to the backstage…"
Abby sighed a little looking between them all and smiled, "Okay McGee, but no funny business or I will make you SO regret it tomorrow."
He laughed. "Okay Abby. I'll be good. I promise."
They both got up and Abby quickly turned to Tony and Ziva, "I hope they all come back to see it. Where did they go?"
"Ducky went to make a call since reception wasn't good in here," Ziva replied, her red mask sparkling. "Dorneget and Palmer went to the bar since they aren't serving at the table anymore."
"Oh…Okay. Alrighty. " Abby looked at McGee and then followed Mikki to the side of the room. The banquet was only about twelve tables of ten people, all dressed up and in masks. Up in front was a curtained stage with wooden steps and burgundy velvet curtains. In the center was a decorated podium, and the stage had two doors on either side that lead to exits.
McGee went to follow, but lingered, to lean over to Tony and say, "You always try to embarrass me in front of her Tony, I won't forget it."
Ziva overheard and her eyes looked incredulously at Tony. This was just...not McGee. Was he...actually jealous of Tony?
The SFA was just watching McGee follow Abby. And then saw McGee pinch her ass!
"Jesus, what has gotten into him tonight?" Tony said aloud.
"I do not know," said Ziva, "but I do not like it. I should-" she went to get up but he stopped her.
"No, I'll go make sure it's all okay back there. Maybe…he's having a reaction or something?" Tony offered as he pushed his chair out.
"Maybe…"Ziva said, "But he was so…overly affectionate before and then seemed to become…I don't know. Angry…?"
"Ok," Tony said, "just tell the guys I'll be back in a bit. I just wanna' make sure McSchizo is behaving."
She nodded and watched him dodge through the masked waitstaff still cleaning up after the dinner, the girls in their little striped dresses and masks and the young men in capes with hoods and masks.
Ziva wondered how they were managing to bus tables in such clothing.
Ducky came back to the table. "My, you are too beautiful to be sitting here all alone, my dear, where have they all gone?" The ME chose to take Tony's seat next to her.
She smiled, "Palmer and Dorneget are just coming back now with their drinks," she pointed as Ducky saw them walking away from the bar with beers in hand. "And Tony…went with Abby and Tim, to wait backstage for her award…"her tone held a hint of worry.
"Well," Ducky smiled under the large nose on his mask, "that's quite an entourage."
"Ducky," Ziva said with worry, "Do you not think McGee is…acting strangely tonight?"
"Ah, now that you mention it…he told everyone over dinner how much he loves them…which is very…sweet, but did not seem very like Timothy. And the hugging…I just assumed he was a bit intoxicated, and in a euphoric state brought on by the fine spirits we have been taking in his evening. Is that what you mean, my dear?"
"Yes…but…he also became…" Ziva was struggling to describe what happened. "…he became aggressive with Abby and Tony."
"Timothy?"
"Yes," she said as Dorneget and Palmer sat down with their drinks.
Ducky frowned, but as he was about to say something else, the lights went down and an older woman with sharp Latin features stood at the podium asking for attention.
All McGee knew as he followed Abby to the stage is that her rear looked incredible in the little dress she had on. He loved her…more than anything on the planet. She was so beautiful. SO perfect…it was all he could do to keep himself from pulling her to him and kissing her senseless. As they passed through the backstage door, he faltered, suddenly feeling a bit too hot and dizzy. "Whoa," he murmured, leaning against the shadowed wall of the side stage area.
"McGee!" Abby called worriedly, lowering her glittering swans down to really look at him, her pale green eyes somber. "Are you alright?" She gently squeezed his arm.
"Uh…" he swallowed back the threat looming in his gullet. "Yeah…I uh…think maybe I drank a little too much…" He suddenly felt angry at himself. "Shit Abs, I do not want to ruin anything for you tonight…"
"Oh McGee…You could never, ever-" she began.
"Hey," he stopped her, and pointed to their left to the exit door that lead to outside. "I'm just gonna get some air, just for a sec. I promise…"he took a shaky breath. "I promise to come right back."
"I'll come with you –"
"No," he said, and as if on cue, the emcee was beginning the intro onstage. "Look- they're starting- this is your big moment Abs, go." He smiled weakly under his mask.
She hesitated. "McGee-"
"Go," he saw the speaker and stage lights from the angle they were at.
She raised her brows. "Okay- but you better be right back in."
He nodded, and then made for the exit door as her hand fell from his arm.
She gave him a worried glance, still torn, as her name was mentioned over the speaker system. She suddenly felt nervous, and excited, and her focus went out towards the curtained entrance to the stage.
McGee stumbled towards the back door, his heart pounding, and still dizzy. He hoped the cold, fresh air would help. He doggedly pulled his mask off up and over his head, anticipating a nice rush of chilled air on his skin.
As he went to push in the doorbar, he heard the door from the main hall open.
And what happened next, would prove to be a blur for days afterwards.
Hands shoved at him from behind, causing him to fall roughly out the door into the dark back alley outside. There was no time to break his fall, and he hit his chin hard on the pavement. Immediately, coppery blood drifted from his lips, the result of his teeth clipping his tongue.
He tried to recover, struggling to pull his hands under him, but the world just spun.
A male voice said, "Get his hands together quick, tape em' and also his mouth. After that, feet."
McGee groaned, feeling himself coiling up inside to vomit. "Don't," he murmured softly, since most of his energy was somehow gone. The air was cold, as was the cement, but he still felt like he was roasting. "M'gonna puke," he breathed out, trying to pull his arms away from the hands that were taping his wrists together.
"Better do it fast then, man," a second male voice said impassively, as hands were quickly twirling tape around his wrists.
In the dark of the alley, he saw a caped form, a man, in a mask, opening up the back doors of a white van.
Suddenly, with horror, his fuzzy brain registered he was being kidnapped. He was roughly rolled over, forced to look up at a face wearing a golden mask. It was one of the servers from the banquet staff.
The man quickly placed tape over his mouth, which wasn't working much anymore anyway…
"C'mon, man. Hurry," the other man said, as his ankles were quickly taped as well.
Both kidnappers lifted him up to carry him to the van…something was definitely wrong… he was trying to stay conscious, but now his vision was getting little starry dots in it. He thought sadly about how this would ruin Abby's big night after all.
Then he heard some other noise behind him.
"Drop him!"a voice bellowed. "Now! Or at least one of you is gonna' have a hole in his head!"
And they did.
He went down hard, with a puff of breath exiting his nose. Tony? He wondered…had to be…
He was struggling to open his eyes. He faintly saw a figure holding a gun, at the men standing around him. And then someone…another figure…coming up behind that one…holding something…and then finally, he lost his fight with consciousness and everything went black.
Gibbs ran into the hall, unnoticed mostly, because the main room was dark before the stage, and Abby was giving her acceptance speech.
Gibbs took a breath, stilling himself for a moment to look around and let his eyesight adjust.
"I just wanna thank the awesome staff here, and Sister Rosita for all her support. And without all the volunteers, and the people who donated everything from money, to clothes, to food…I mean, one woman even made us twenty trays of home made lasagna…" she was gushing, and Gibbs smiled a little at seeing her hand trembling, holding the handle of the swan mask up on the podium.
Then as she continued, he looked around for their table. Everything seemed calm…orderly…but his gut was twisted in a knot.
He found the table after recognizing Ziva, and Ducky's bowtie, and went and took a seat. They all turned to look at him, in surprise.
"Jethro ! You came ! Oh Abby is going to be positively ecstatic!" Ducky exclaimed.
"Gibbs!" Ziva said in surprise. "What are you doing here?"
They saw the look on his face.
"What's wrong?" asked Palmer.
"Jethro?" Ducky asked, suddenly serious as he took in Gibbs' demeanor.
"I dunno…yet," Gibbs said softly. He was aware of the dog tags and note in his pocket, contained and ready for Abby' lab in a Ziploc bag.
"Where are McGee and DiNozzo?" he asked sharply.
"They are both backstage. They…went to keep Abby company before she was called onto the stage," Ziva replied, looking at Gibbs and feeling his subtle apprehension.
Up on stage, Abby concluded her thank you speech, and the room came alive with applause. She walked off the stage, holding her little Lucite award, shaped like an apple, and her swan mask.
"You're not wearing a mask, Agent Gibbs," Dorneget said, in a slightly puzzled tone.
Gibbs just shot him a glare.
"Not that…anyone…w-would…expect you to…"Dorneget fumbled.
"I've been trying to call all of you," Gibbs said in a slightly annoyed growl, looking back and forth from them to the stage area.
"Well," Ducky began, "I had to go outside to make a call earlier, Jethro. The reception here is just deplor-"
He was cut short by the sound of a door bursting open, and the sound of a woman screaming for help.
And in a flash they recognized her voice.
It was Abby.