Then as suddenly as the kiss had started, it was over. Abby stepped back, her cheeks red and smiling.

"You haven't lost your touch.."

Tim grinned back. "Neither have you."

Abby's smile faded just a little bit. "I'll see you tomorrow."

His face fell. "See me tomorrow...Abby? I thought we were getting back together."

"I know you did, Tim. But we can't. Not yet." Her lower lip trembled just slightly, and he wanted to comfort her. He tried to hug her, but she took a step back.

"Abby? What's going on?"

Now he looked like a puppy who'd been kicked, and it nearly broke Abby's heart to see it. But one of them had to be strong, and today it was going to be her. She crossed her arms tightly over her chest. "I don't want you to be with me just because we were together before. I need you to give Elliot a chance. It's not fair to you, or me, or her if you don't. You're not that kind of person, Tim."

He still looked confused. "How long do I have to wait? One date, one week, one month? Abby, you have to admit this sounds a bit silly." Maybe he could argue her out of this with logic. Abby loved logic almost as much as she loved forensics and Caf-Pow.

She pressed her lips together for a moment before answering. "You wouldn't feel guilty about dumping Elliot today? Especially after telling her we were just friends? She may not have driven off yet, you might still be able to catch her."

He winced visibly at her words. As much as he didn't want to admit it, Abby was right. Even Tony wouldn't be that mean to a girl. He hung his head in defeat. "All right, Abby. You win. I'll see you tomorrow."

As he headed off to his car, Abby watched him, tears sliding silently down her cheeks. She could only mouth the words "I'm sorry" around the lump in her throat. She watched until his headlights faded into the distance before she got in the hearse and drove away.

--

The entire trip home, Abby was thinking about Tim, and how it had felt when he kissed her. She felt terrible for leaving him upset like that. Her answering machine was blinking. She had two messages.

"Message 1: Hey, Abby. It's me, JD. I just wanted to say I had a good time today, and I look forward to seeing you again. Just give me a call and we'll set something up."

"Message 2: ..."

Abby was pretty sure she knew who the second message was from. She sighed, then started to get ready for bed. Why hadn't she just taken Tim back? What stopped her? Would ditching Elliot at this point really have been that tragic?

Then, there was JD. He was smart, funny, awkward, a touch insecure. Just like Tim. Is that why she'd agreed to go out with him? For once, Abby didn't know what to do.

"Why can't the rest of my life be as easy as working in the lab?" she asked no one in particular.

--

Tim cursed inwardly. He never should have left a message on Abby's machine. From the payphone outside his apartment? What was he thinking? Even the fact he didn't say anything was a dead giveaway to someone who knew him as well as Abby did.

At this rate, instead of having two fake girlfriends, he was going to have no girlfriend at all. At this point, he wasn't sure that was such a bad thing. In fact, he was starting to understand why Tony never got serious with the girls he dated. It's a lot easier that way.

--

Elliot dropped her keys in the bowl by the door, setting her purse down. She was even more distracted than usual, with thoughts of the date running through her head. Her and Tim, Tim and Abby, Abby and JD. JD and her. It was a mess. If she was worried about Tim having ongoing feelings for Abby, and they had the same relationship that she and JD did, what did that mean for her? Did she still care about JD as more than a friend? Was that why she wasn't entirely pleased with him dating Abby the wonder girl?

Tim had wanted to see her again, but how long was that going to last? A week? Probably a month tops before her eccentricities finally pushed him over the edge and away for good.

--

JD sat in a chair, petting Rowdy, and telling him about the evening.

"So you see, Rowdy, I have a date. She's a really cool girl named Abby, wears a collar just like you. Though, I'm pretty sure it's not for the same reasons. Elliot's got a date too, with Abby's friend Tim. Frankly, I'm surprised Elliot made it through the date and that they're having another one." He leaned over to whisper conspiratorially. "She was shredding a napkin, Rowdy.."

The dog's immobile head shook back and forth.

"She did."

The head shook again.

"She did!" He rolled his eyes. "I don't know why I bother telling you anything anyway. You never believe me."

Then, the dog's head was in JD's lap, and he smiled, patting the head of his dear friend. "It's ok, Rowdy, I forgive you."