We stared into each others eyes unable to speak for a few moments. I just wanted to grab her and kiss her, but I knew that wouldn't be a good idea considering how things went the last time we were together. I could see it in her eyes that she had questions, that she was confused, she just didn't know where to start. To be honest, I wasn't sure where to start either. Jeanne broke eye contact and turned away from me to take a deep breath, but when she turned back to face me all I saw were those beautiful blue eyes filled with hurt and anger.

"What are you doing here?" she asked acidly.

It was complicated answering such a simple question. "W-What am I doing here? It's funny that you ask. It's a long story actually-" I began to ramble on with a half smile until she crossed her arms looking at me not amused.

"You have two seconds to tell me what the hell you're doing here or I'm walking away."

I let out a sigh and rubbed on the back of my neck. "Okay Jeanne. I'm here because-" I stopped for a second to collect my thoughts. "I'm here because I-I love you. I fell in love with you, Jeanne. I know what I did was wrong and I'm sorry that I hurt you, but even though my name and my job were a lie everything else was real." I took a step closer to her and placed a hand on her face. "Please believe me."

My hand barely made contact with her face for five seconds before she smacked it away. "How can I believe you?" she exclaimed as tears filled her eyes. "You lied to me, Tony! You were only with me to get to my father!"

"Jeanne, please listen to me." I told her as I cupped her face, but she tried pushing me away. "That's what it was in the beginning, but I swear my feelings for you are true. I love you."

"Liar!" she shouted while attempting to shove me away again.

Without even thinking, I pulled her close and I kissed her. At first I could feel her trying to push away, but it didn't take her long before she began kissing me back. I missed feeling her soft full lips pressed against mine, the feeling of her arms wrapped around my neck and my fingers getting tangled in her hair as my other hand rested on the middle of her back bringing her closer to my body. I missed her, I wanted her, I needed her.

After what felt like an eternity, we both pulled away slowly still holding one another. I looked into her eyes and brought my hand to her face to caress her cheek. I slowly leaned in to kiss her again, but she turned her head away from me.

"Stop. Just. Stop." she demanded while placing her hand on my chest and taking a step back. "What gives you the right to just come here and tell me the supposed truth, kiss me, then act like it's all alright? None of this is alright, Tony." she stood with her arms crossed again and shook her head.

I let out a sigh and ran my fingers through my hair trying to figure out what else to say to her. "Jeanne. Please. I came all this way. To, not only be truthful to you, but to tell you how much I love you." I took a step closer to her and looked into her eyes. "When I showed up at your apartment that night in tears-" I stopped a minute to swallow my pride. "and I told you that I loved you. I meant it. That wasn't an act."

"And how do you expect me to believe that? Tell me, Tony. How?"

I swallowed hard and let out a sigh. "Because that night I went and told you I loved you was the same day a friend of mine died. In an explosion. I was behind the wall, not too far away where it happened." I took a deep breath. "I told her about what happened when we went rock climbing and I didn't tell you I love you. Want to know what she said to me? 'Life is too short to not tell someone you love them if you do' and after she died, I couldn't hold off on telling you just how much you meant to me, Jeanne. You're the only woman that I've ever truly loved. That's why I'm here." I walked up and cupped her face. "I love you, Jeanne Benoit. I, Anthony DiNozzo Jr, love you."

She looked up at me with those big blue eyes that began filling with water. As a single tear rolled down her lightly tanned cheek, I wiped it away with my thumb and a half smile appeared on my face. This time it was Jeanne who leaned in and kissed me. I felt her place her hand on the back of my neck to deepen the kiss. She opened her mouth just enough to allow me to massage my tongue against hers. As I wrapped my arms around her, she pulled away slowly. I opened my eyes to find her looking at me with such sadness. "What's wrong?"

She placed her hands on my face and kept eye contact. Her tears were now streaming down her face and I was confused. "I can't do this, Tony. I just can't." she whispered.

"Can't do what, Jeanne? Talk to me." I held her in my arms.

"I can't go back with you. I-I have a lot to do here and… I can't fully trust you." she sobbed. "I love you, but I can't do this. I'm sorry." she pushed away from me and escaped from my arms.

She began to walk quickly toward the hospital and I went after her. "Please. Don't do this, Jeanne. You just said you love me. We can make this work." I stated as I grabbed her arm and spun her around to face me.

Snatching her arm from my soft grip, she looked at me as she bit her bottom lip. "Just go, Tony. Do us both a favor and just go home." she begged as her voice cracked. "After all this, it can never work. No matter how hard we try it just won't work. So please, go."

I stood there, silent and shocked, as I watched her walk into the hospital without so much as looking back at me one last time.

On the plane ride back home, all I could think about was everything I said to her and everything she said to me, yet I was on the plane, alone. What did I say that was wrong? Was it because I kissed her? Was it something that I didn't say? Was all I kept asking myself on the twenty seven hour flight.

When the plane finally landed, I felt sick to my stomach. I was back home and without the woman that means more to me than anything. I grabbed my carry on bag and got off the plane to find an excited Abby jumping up and down with a poster board in her hand that read 'Welcome Home Tony & Jeanne.' Reading that crushed me even more, but it wasn't her fault. When I took a few more steps closer to her, Abby already knew something was wrong. I don't know if it was the look on my face, the way I walked up, but she immediately dropped the poster board on the floor and ran up to me. "Oh Tony…" she said softly then wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me.

I placed my bag down and wrapped my arms around her. I didn't say a word.

"Come on, Tony. Let's get you home." she told me as she looked up in my eyes and gave me a warm smile.

The car ride back to my place was a silent one. At least on my end. Abby was trying different ways to get me to talk about what happened in Africa. When I didn't want to talk, she tried different ways of getting me open up, like talking about things that happened at work, but still I said nothing so she gave up. Abby placed a hand on my knee and smile once she parked in the parking lot of my apartment. "It'll be okay, Tony. Want me to come up with you?"

I looked at her and nodded my head lightly.

Next thing I knew, I was sitting on my couch staring off into space with a bottle of jack in my hand and Abby sitting next to me. "Tony. You've had almost half the bottle now, I think it's time you stop." she told me and she slowly started taking it away from me.

I didn't want to let it go, but she was right. I felt the bottle slip out of my hands and Abby rest her head on my shoulder. "You need to talk about it at some point. I'm here for you."

I took a deep breath and explained everything that happened between Jeanne and me. Out of everyone, I could actually talk to Abby and I trust her. I might have spoken to Ziva, but lately things haven't been right between us. By the end of it all, Abby looked at me with sad eyes and for the first time in a long time she was speechless. Without saying anything, Abby cuddled up against me and we sat on my couch holding each other for a few hours.

The next morning, I woke up with a headache and a post it note on my forehead. "Abby." I muttered as I removed the note to read it. 'Don't worry about work. Told Gibbs you had serious jetlag. Stay home and rest today. Stay away from the bottle. It won't do you any good. See you tomorrow. Love you : ) -Abby"

I couldn't help but smile sadly at the note.

As I finished reading it, I got up from the couch and threw the note away. I removed my shirt and made my way to my bathroom to take a shower, but I stopped when I heard a knock at my door. I took a deep breath and walked over to the door wondering who it was.

"Hi, Tony." she said as she looked up into my eyes when I opened the door.

"What're you doing here?"