Over coffee the next morning, they started discussing plans for their wedding. Soon the subject of families came up.
"Tim, have you told Sarah yet?" Abby asked.
He looked up from his coffee mug. "Not yet..." he reached for his cell phone. "I should probably call her."
She picked up the phone just before it went to voicemail, sounding grumpy as she answered. "Sarah McGee."
"Hey Sarah, its Tim."
"Tim, its 7 o'clock in the morning. What's wrong?"
He flushed; he hadn't thought about how early it was. "Did I wake you?"
"I was up until 4am studying, Tim. What is it?"
"I need to talk to you. Come to the Navy Yard."
She sighed. "Can't you just tell me over the phone?"
Exasperated, he replied "Sarah, will you just come already?"
"Fine, I'll be there for lunch, ok?"
"Fine."
He hung up to find Abby laughing at him. "Is she always like that?"
He half shrugged. "I woke her up. Have you told your family yet?"
"I haven't been able to get a hold of my brother... but I sent my mum an email." He looked at her. "Well, it's easier for her than a phone call... all those teletype phones, they're just so...inconvenient."
"So what did you say?"
"I told her that you were a federal agent, and that you're really into computers and science..." She stopped when she realised he was laughing at her. "What?"
"You kinda made me sound like a geek, Abs."
"So, what's wrong with that? You are a geek, McGee" she pointed out. "What would you prefer I told her? That you willingly sleep in my coffin, are a little turned on by my dog collars and have a tat on your ass?"
He flushed as he thought about that. "Yeah, probably better we do it your way."
...
The morning was busy; McGee had barely gotten to his desk when they got a call out to another dead Marine from Reynolds' unit. By the time they'd processed the scene, brought the body and the evidence back to headquarters and started running the various tests, it was lunchtime. McGee and Abby both managed to sneak away, McGee uneasily aware of how little time they had to explain things to Sarah.
She was running late to the cafe; he'd arranged the meeting point by text during the morning, knowing she'd forget if she went back to sleep. She sat down across from them, still with her heavy-looking pack across one shoulder.
"Tim, what is so important that I had to come down here to meet you?"
He sighed; his little sister still hadn't gotten over her bad mood of earlier today.
"Have you met Abby?" he asked. "I don't think you did when you were here before."
Sarah looked at Abby as if she was trying to place her. "No, we haven't met. Wait, I remember you. Tim said you're the one that ran the tests that proved I was drugged that night. I meant to thank you for that." Still impatient, she looked back at her older brother. "Tim, I really do need to study. Is everything ok?"
"Sarah, Abby and I are married."
She let her pack drop to the ground next to her chair.
"What?"
"Abby and I are married" he repeated.
Clearly exasperated, she said "Tim, I do not have time for this. I have exams coming up; I should be studying, not coming all the way down here for some stupid joke!"
As Sarah continued, Abby leaned closer to him and whispered "I thought you said Sarah would be easier than your parents."
"I thought she would be" he responded. Thinking it was time to stop her, he called her name.
"Sarah." He used the tone that she occasionally listened to; for once, she stopped and looked at him. "This isn't a joke, Sarah."
"Tim and I really are married." Abby put in.
"Oh." For a moment she sounded taken aback then her usual nature asserted itself. "How? And when?"
Tim and Abby exchanged looks. "Well, there's this little chapel in Vegas..." Tim began.