"Thanks again for coming over, Abby," Callie called from the bathroom. She was trying on the last of the three suits she had purchased after leaving NCIS. Harris had called Abby on her way home and asked her to stop by. She needed an unbiased opinion and Cal knew she'd get that from the lab tech.
Abby sat on the bed. "No problem," she answered. Callie walked out, dressed from head to toe in solid black silk. "Wow!"
"Wow – good? Or wow – bad?" Callie replied, a concerned look on her face.
"Wow – good. It looks like it was tailored for you," Abby stood up and walked over to finger the material. She smiled broadly, "And it feels good, too."
"Yeah. Not my usual but this is an unusual situation," Callie answered, looking at her reflection in the full length mirror.
Abby went back and bounced down on the bed, "Well, one thing for sure. You don't look like you work at NCIS. You look more like you ought to be up on the Hill or in some corporate boardroom."
"Well, the people I'm going to see are used to both the Hill and the boardroom, so this should work." Callie's voice bespoke her anxiety.
From the doorway of the bedroom, another voice entered the conversation. "As I live and breathe. Callie Harris in a Christian Dior suit."
Both girls turned to where Tony stood, undoing his tie. Abby smiled broadly, "Didn't hear you come in."
"And, I think I'm a little weirded out that you know what kind of designer label I'm wearing," Callie answered.
He walked into the bedroom, glancing at the suits laid out on the bed. DiNozzo removed his jacket and, with his tie, threw them on the chair nearby. He then dropped down next to Abby.
"You help her pick those out?" He teased the Goth.
She continued to smile, "Of course. If I said I wouldn't wear it, Callie knew she would. We made a good team."
Callie relaxed at the playful banter between the two friends, "That's not really how it worked." She corrected.
Giving Tony a quick peck, Abby jumped up from the bed, "Well, I'll be on my way." Crossing to Callie and pulling her into a tight hug, she whispered, "I'm sorry about your dad. Be careful in Houston, okay?"
Not trusting her voice, Callie nodded. Breaking the hug, she smiled as Abby waved her departure and left the bedroom and the apartment on a whirlwind.
Tony relaxed back on the bed, watching Callie in the mirror. She saw his reflection and finally turned to face him, not fooled at all by his casual demeanor. Crossing to the bed, Callie began grabbing clothes as she spoke, "I'll move these."
"You gonna tell me?" Tony stopped her with his neutrally spoken comment.
"How much do you already know?"
He smiled, "Probably most of it but I'd rather hear it from you."
Moving everything to the same chair where Tony had dropped his suit and tie, Callie kept her back deliberately to the agent.
"There's not much to tell. He's dead and I have to be on a plane Thursday morning for Houston."
"By yourself." The accusation hung in the open.
Callie turned, "Yes. By myself. Is that so hard to understand?"
Tony leaned up, "Actually, yes. It's extremely difficult to understand. You don't have to go alone. I've got the time and Gibbs will approve the leave immediately."
"Tony, I don…" Callie stopped.
"What? Don't want me there?"
"It's not that simple. This is going to be an extremely difficult trip as it is. I don't want to have to worry about you on top of everything else."
"What worry? I'm not some child, Cal."
"I know that but you just don't understand." Trying for humor, she said, "My family put the 'fun' in dysfunctional. This is not a pleasure trip.
"Not buying it, Harris. All the more reason to have someone back you up."
"That's why we didn't have this discussion in the bullpen," she huffed.
Realizing she wasn't going to budge, Tony let her off the hook. "Fine. Doesn't matter anyway. We caught a case."
Callie was instantly concerned, "Tony, I'm sorry."
He stood as he spoke, "Don't be. It happens. I just came home to grab a few things and then head to Gibbs' place. We need to start out early in the morning so I probably won't be back before you leave."
"Oh," Callie replied, dropping her eyes.
DiNozzo walked around the foot of the bed to stand in front of the shorter agent, "Something wrong?"
"I was," suddenly shy, Callie rushed on, "I was hoping for tonight."
Tony slid his hands around her waist and down over her hips, enjoying the feel of Callie in the expensive, black silk suit. "Really? What did you have in mind?"
She smiled up and undid the suit jacket, revealing nothing underneath.
Tony met her smile with one of his own. Leaning into kiss her, he whispered, "I guess I can catch up to Gibbs in the morning." And Harris got her night.