Chapter 2

McGee was drunk. He couldn't remember getting this drunk in... well, forever. He wasn't a drinker normally, but he needed something to try and erase the memory of her expression as he'd walked out on her. He'd never seen her this hurt, and what was worse, it was his fault. The pain in her clear green eyes was tearing him apart, and the alcohol wasn't helping one little bit.

"Probie?"

The voice came from somewhere nearby. He looked up, squinting a little as he tried to focus. His head was so fuzzy. Tony's face swam before him.

"Tony? What're you doing here?" his voice was slurred, even to his ears

"I could ask you the same question, McGee. What's up?"

"Nothing's up, Tony"

"Oh really? So why are you sitting in a bar drowning your sorrows? How much have you had to drink, anyway?"

McGee thought for a moment, then shrugged. He really couldn't remember. What did it matter anyway?

"What are you doing here?" he asked

"I was passing, saw your car out front and wondered what you were doing out this late on a Friday night. Didn't seem like you, somehow. Anyway, I think you've had enough for one night. Come on, McGee, let's get you home" Tony helped him to his feet, where he swayed unsteadily for a moment. Tony grabbed his arm and draped it over his shoulders, then guided McGee's stumbling footsteps out to Tony's car.

He got McGee into the passenger seat, where he slumped, barely conscious.

"Hey, stay with me McGee." He shook McGee's shoulder roughly, waking him up

"What in the hell is wrong with you, Probie? This isn't like you at all"

"Don't wanna talk about it" he replied as forcefully as he could through the haze

"Fine"

Grateful for the silence, McGee faded off to sleep.

He was woken a short while later by the car pulling up and Tony's door slamming. Dimly he felt himself being pulled to his feet and helped up stairs, then rolled onto a couch. Blearily he looked around. This wasn't his apartment.

He turned his head towards Tony.

"Couldn't leave you alone in your condition, Probie" he explained. He handed McGee a glass of water, then squatted on his haunches next to him.

"Feel like talking about it?"

"Drop it, Tony. You can't help anyway" he slumped back down on the couch, falling asleep again quickly

Tony watched McGee for a moment, just making sure that he was ok. He was worried about his Probie; he'd rarely seen him drink at all, let alone get drunk. There was definitely something wrong. The question was, what was it?

He was interrupted from his musing by the sound of a cell phone ringing. It wasn't his cell; it must be McGee's. Gingerly, he searched through the pockets of McGee's coat until he found it. The caller ID was Abby's. Thinking that she might be able to shed some light on what was wrong with McGee, he answered it

"DiNozzo"

"Tony? What are you doing answering McGee's phone? And where is McGee? Is he ok? Did something happen to him?" her voice was going a mile a minute

"Abs, calm down. He'll be just fine; he's just a little drunk right now"

"Drunk? Can you put him on, Tony?"

"Not gonna happen Abs, he's passed out on my couch. Have you ever known him to do this before, Abs?"

"Never, he doesn't drink much"

"Well, he did tonight, so what happened?"

"I don't really know, Tony. He came down to visit me tonight, I asked him why he's been avoiding me, and he snapped at me and stormed out. I've been trying to call him all night but he kept rejecting my calls. I'm worried about him, Tony"

"Me too, Abs. Look, I'm gonna let him sleep it off for now, maybe he'll want to talk later"

"Ok, Tony" she hung up

As he replaced McGee's phone in his coat pocket, he reflected that it was a good thing they didn't have the weekend duty this week.