A/N: YAY!!! I mean, I got a pretty substantial number of reviews last time, which was ABSOFREAKINLUTELY AWESOME, but the alerts! Holy Canolies! Everybody and their brother's dog has this fic on alert. YAY US!! Thanks so much for your support everyone, I hope you continue to enjoy! -pj
After the third nightmare had her springing up from the bed in a cold sweat, Abby resigned herself to the fact that she wouldn't get any more sleep that night unless she went over to his house and saw for herself that Tony was fine.
So, she decided that was what she would do.
In and out. No heroics. Go in and check on him, make sure he has tissues and a glass of water. He'll probably need those...Maybe feed the fish 'cause he always forgets to do that…poor fish…and then leave. That's it.
She nodded to herself to confirm her plans as she silently picked the lock. She smiled triumphantly when the sound of the tumbler fell into place and swung the door open, only to be stopped dead at the sight of a SIG pointed in her face.
"Abby," Tony exclaimed, immediately pointing the gun away, "what are you doing?"
She stood frozen, her hands still on the doorknob, her eyes wide like a deer caught in headlights, "um…picking the lock on your apartment door."
Tony sighed, dropping his arms fully to his sides, "let me rephrase that. What are you doing here?"
She bit her lip. Seeing that the truth was her only option, she shrugged one shoulder.
"I was just gonna check on you really quick 'cause I got a hinky feeling and I kept having nightmares and I knew I wasn't gonna get any more sleep tonight until I came over here to see you for myself. Don't be mad." She said, wincing slightly as she finished.
"I'm not mad, Abs, although next time a call would be nice so I don't accidentally blow your head off while you commit B&E," Tony chastised lightly. He turned to put his spare weapon up onto the top shelf of the coat closet, "why wouldn't I be okay?"
"I told you Tony, I got a hinky feeling," she said again, stepping into the apartment. Tony went behind her to shut the door that she'd left standing open. Her short, poofy coat drowned her in black and was in sharp contrast to her pale face, now without makeup. She raised an eyebrow at him, "It might have something to do with that cough you've been trying to hide from everyone."
Tony sighed. He'd almost forgotten about that, but now that she'd said something, the persistent tickle at the back of his throat was back, demanding that he satisfy it with deep, wet sounding, entirely too familiar feeling, coughs.
"It's just a cough Abbs."
"You always say that."
He heard the sincere distress in her tone and stepped forward, resting his hands on her arms, "and have I ever been wrong before?"
She frowned, "in general or about this specifically?" seeing that Tony was not going to bite she pursed her lips, "okay, no."
"So why would this time be any different?"
Because Gibbs' gut says so. She just shrugged and Tony smiled.
"Okay, maybe I was overreacting," possible, but unlikely, "but would it be okay if I stayed here for a while with you anyway?"
Tony shrugged, "sure. I was just about to pop in a movie." He moved toward his kitchen and pulled open the fridge.
"Anthony DiNozzo," Abby scolded, shrugging out of her coat to reveal scull and crossbones pajama pants and a black hoodie underneath, "you should be sleeping at this hour."
He held up a beer and she nodded so he got out another, "says the woman who trekked across town to break into my apartment at 3am."
She smiled sheepishly, accepting the drink and dropping onto the couch, "point taken. So what are we going to watch?"
"Guys and Dolls. Go," he pointed at her and her eyes fell shut. She reached up to touch her temple, easily falling into their made up game.
"Frank Sinatra, Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons and Vivian Blaine."
"Very good," he said looking impressed. He pushed the DVD into the player and came to join her on the couch, "bonus points for the year and production company," he challenged.
She took a sip of her beer and pulled her feet up onto the couch to lean against him, "1955, MGM."
Tony nodded approvingly and started to say something but the air caught in his chest and he jerked slightly and brought a hand up to his mouth. The horrible coughing and hacking that followed made Abby's heart freeze in her chest.
"I'll make a movie buff out of you yet," he gasped a few seconds later, his face red from effort.
She didn't smile and didn't try to hide the shadows in her eyes.
"Just a cough, huh?"
Tony glanced over at her and wasn't entirely surprised to see her eyes shining and her face pissed.
"I'm fine."
"You can stop saying that," she said, neither her voice nor her face changing, "it's not like I believe it."
Tony watched her carefully for a moment and raised his eyebrows, "I'm fine."
She dropped her eyes from his and Tony forced his face to remain neutral but couldn't really blame her for not believing him. He didn't really believe himself. But he had to. He had a job to do and no room to be sick.
Even if it was just a cough.
---
Tony didn't really notice Abby hanging around the next morning. Falling asleep on the couch meant he'd neglected to set an alarm clock so after the tingling in his left arm, which had fallen asleep under Abby, woke him, he'd spent most of his time rushing around trying to make up for the time he'd lost. Somehow he just knew Gibbs would know if he came in late.
He smelled coffee brewing in the kitchen, which reminded him that Abby was still there and called out to her.
"Pour me a cup, will ya Abbs?"
There was a mumbled non answer and he rolled his eyes. He was sure she would, but she wouldn't be happy about it. She didn't like the fact that he was going to work at all.
But, if there was one thing he knew about NCIS, it was that criminals didn't take the day off just because he didn't feel well. So, he popped a couple of aspirin, downed a swallow or two of cold medicine he kept in the bathroom for just such an occasion and hoped the coughing would subside long enough for his headache to go away and for him to drink his coffee.
After tightening his tie and scrutinizing his overly pale complexion in the mirror, he gave a slight 'this is as good as it's gonna get' shrug and turned swiftly toward the door, almost ramming into Abby and her steaming cup of coffee in the process.
"Abbs!" He exclaimed, barely dodging her.
She made no move to apologize and sipped it slowly. She raised an eyebrow, "you look like crap."
He sighed, giving her a warning glare as he smoothed his tie self-consciously. Apparently she was still pissed.
"Gee thanks. Now move." She had herself wedged into the doorway of his bedroom, not allowing him to pass so he could get his coffee and leave, "please," he added as an afterthought.
"One condition," she said, her arms crossed challengingly.
"What?" he asked, sure he would regret it.
"You go in, do your video conference with Gibbs, get your evidence, then you come down to the lab and take a nap."
"A nap? Abby I'm not five -"
"Either that, or I call ducky and he'll call Gibbs and you'll be on sick leave before you can say 'macho macho man'."
"That's blackmail!"
"Actually it's extortion."
He paused and frowned, "no, it's blackmail."
Abby wrinkled her forehead in thought and then shrugged, "Ok fine. Whatever. We got a deal?"
Tony sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, but knew there was no other option.
"Fine. Deal."
Abby grinned at him and Tony returned the smile sarcastically. Then, placing his hands on her shoulders, he physically moved her asie and stepped around her to make his way toward the kitchen. Abby turned and followed him down the hall but instead went to the living room.
She turned on the television and made herself comfortable while Tony poured himself a steaming hot cup of black coffee, the stuff he usually kept around for Gibbs' unexpected visits, hoping it would help eliminate the uncomfortable gritty feeling in his eyes.
"Hey Abby? This job I'm rushing out the door not to be late for? It's your job too," he said, wrapping his hands around the mug and ignoring the slight twinge at the base of his neck that told him the asprin had not yet taken effect.
Abby seemed to be ignoring him as she frowned at something on the television screen.
"What's going on?"
Instead of answering she hopped up from her seat and flew to the window, whipping the vertical blinds open and flooding the room in too bright light.
"Argh!" Tony winced and closed his eyes, turning his face away from the light, which had turned his slight twinge into full blown throbbing, "What the hell, Abbs?"
"Um, Tony," she turned back to look at him, seemingly unaware of his discomfort, "I don't think you're going to work today."
"Aw, c'mon Abby I already agreed to your terms-"
"No, Tony, I don't think anybody's going to work today," she pointed at the television screen and he turned to follow her gaze. She had the tv set to the local news channel and they were currently giving the weather. Weather which consisted of a huge mass of white and blue that covered nearly the entire east coast.
"Remember that big winter storm they were predicting?" Abby said after a moment, "it's here."
TBC