Hey guys! I know this has taken a while but my holidays have been hectic and so busy I have hardly been able to sit down and write. Anyways I spent most of yesterday trying to finish this before I head off to Australia tomorrow and I will be back in a week and a bit!

I hope everyone had an absolutely wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year to you all, whether it be tonight or tomorrow!

Here is the next chapter!

"So how have you been the last two weeks Tony? Have you seen any improvement since our last visit?" Gareth asked him as he walked into the room and picked up his clipboard. It had only been a fortnight since his last visit but to Tony it seemed like it's been months.

"I have been alright, most things normally I have found still fine, it's just the memory side of things that gives me problems still" Tony explained to Gareth as he pulled a chair up next to the bed that Tony sat on. Gareth wrote something down. He knows the struggles Tony is talking about, they talked a lot about it on his first visit after leaving the hospital. It's hard to take in all the new information at once, and it can be quite emotionally painful.

"You have been talking to your friends some more?" Gareth asked. Last time Tony was in here he had had a fight with Ziva and they hadn't been talking, Tony hadn't been talking to any of his friends at that point. In Gareth's line of work he tackles these meetings from all sides. Not just the physical but also the mental and emotional.

"Yes, I have" Tony replied, but then he thought. He's only really patched things up with Ziva and maybe Tim. He hasn't even gone to see Abby yet. Maybe he should get on that soon.

"And how did that work out for you?" Gareth asked. Tony has gotten used to Gareth writing down things on his clipboard when they are together and have these meetings, but Tony would always love to read what exactly it was that he was writing down. Was it good? Was it bad?

"It was hard, but I overcome that for the better. Because I really hurt her and I needed to fix my mistake" Tony explained. He knows Gareth is not a physiologist but he's never told him not to stop talking when he decided to take the conversation personal like this. Gareth just seemed to listen and understand.

"And you are moving forward now?" Gareth asked. He doesn't fully understand Tony's relationship with his partner, but then again neither really does Tony himself. But Gareth seems to get the main idea of it all and he has a feeling that if Tony works on his relationship with his partner it will be for the better of himself and his condition after the accident. Because it doesn't seem like there is anyone else who can help him through this better than her.

"Small steps but yeah, we are getting somewhere" Tony explains to his doctor. For some reason he really likes letting all this out to Gareth, like it takes some of that weight of his shoulders.

"That's good. And nothing else from your memory has returned?" he asks and Tony shakes his head. Nothing new. Gareth puts his clipboard down on the bed next to Tony and stands in front of him.

"Now let's take a look at that wound and see how it is" Gareth said. Tony turned his head to the side to let the doctor examine him. Tony's hair was getting a little longer but you could still see the scar on the side of his head because the hair hadn't grown in that spot. It looked quite healthy and like it was healing very nicely.

"It's not giving you any grief?" Gareth asked.

"No, it's pretty good. I just got to watch it when I wash my hair" Tony explained and Gareth nodded in understanding. Something else Gareth noticed is that Tony has kept the stubble look since waking up, unlike when he was brought in here he was clean shaven.

"Well it's looking as though it's healing very nicely, and I expect that in the long run you won't really see it unless you have a short haircut like a buzz cut" Gareth explained. Tony just nodded in understanding again but he said nothing else so Gareth continued.

"So you think you're doing alright then? Nothing else is bothering you?" he said. He wanted to make sure they covered all the bases and that Tony wasn't leaving anything out.

Tony knows he hasn't told Gareth about his little emotional breakdown and freak out that he had that day when Sam found him on the park bench in the rain, so maybe this was the time to tell him. It felt right. And as he looked up at his doctor he could tell he noticed something on his face right now, that he could tell her was holding something back from him.

"A couple weeks ago I had a bit of a mental breakdown. I guess you could say it was pretty bad because if this guy hadn't of come and got me out of the horrible weather it could have ended badly" Tony admitted softly. He knows Gareth won't like to hear this, because he doesn't want Tony to become an emotional mess. He wants him to get better. And hearing this wasn't the best. And as soon as he looks up at Gareth he knew he was right, because Gareth didn't look like he liked hearing that.

"How come you didn't tell me this last session?" Gareth asked just as softly as Tony had explained.

"I guess I wasn't ready, I'm still upset with myself for what I did. It was stupid" Tony shrugged. Gareth put down his clipboard and stopped writing all of a sudden. Something Tony doesn't think he's seen him do in a session. Gareth only ever put his clipboard down when he needed both hands to examine Tony's physical progress.

"It might have been stupid in your mind Tony but it's all about your development. It was something you had to get over to move on, the emotional stress of someone in your position is normal and most of my patients have been through big breakdowns all through their journey trying to get back into their old life" Gareth said as he sat in front of Tony on the chair. The fact that he had put down his notes had meant a lot and Tony felt like this was a little more personal coming from the doctor like this

"Are you saying there will be more like that?" Tony asked. Because he doesn't really want it to ever happen again, in all seriousness. When Gareth looked down slightly Tony got his answer.

"I am not saying you will, but be prepared because if it happened once it may happen again. If you get too stressed out and too much is going on in your head, it could happen. You just need to have someone that you will trust to watch over you in that time of need" Gareth said. Ziva. Tony couldn't help it, he doesn't know why but his mind went straight there. Even if she ended up being a trigger to another emotional breakdown, he could still count on her to get him through it. He just knows, right down to his bones he knows it.

"I have that someone" Tony said, a little confidently. Gareth liked the small smile that made its way on to Tony's face. Gareth knew exactly who that person was, and he also knew that that woman was going to help Tony get through many difficult things in the next few months.

He's neglected a lot of people since waking up from his coma and he knows it's not good with how he's acted, but the past is the past now and he cannot change that anymore. All he can do now is help shape his future with the people in his life. He's talked to most of the people that were close to him, the two that he probably really hasn't seen all the much except for once would be Ducky and the Goth girl Abby. According to Ziva when he talked to her about it the other night, Ducky wasn't as bothered because he understood a lot, but Abby had been taking it hard.

He decided to go out of his way yesterday because now he's starting to really try with everyone, it may be still difficult on him to handle but he struggles with it silently because it's for the better. When he talked to Abby on the phone yesterday she was quiet to start with but when he asked if it was okay to come over and see her he could hear the excitement grow in her voice. He could tell she was still trying to hold back her excitement a little, like she was almost bursting to just scream in excitement but she held it in as much as she could to not make herself sound too over excited about such a normal thing. It may be as simple as him coming over to see a friend, but really this was a big step for the both of them.

He won't deny the fact that he's very nervous right now as he stands outside her door. He can hear voices inside and unless this woman likes to talk to herself obsessively then he would guess someone else was there. It's harder when there is more than one person to deal with, he prefers to take on one at a time.

He knows his relationship with Abby isn't the same as his one with Ziva so he doesn't understand why he is getting all nervous about this, maybe it's because Ziva had told him that he had been very close to Abby, she was like his sister. And he'd let his sister down and now he had to face the music. Maybe that's why he's hesitant when he lifts his hand to knock against the door in front of him. But she knows he's coming, he cannot back out now.

He's in a bad place but all this is what will get him through it. It's hard but he is here and he is trying, he is learning. It's all about letting the people that know him best tell him his story through their eyes. That's what will get him through.

And so he knocks.

He hears it go quiet inside and then he can hear boots making their way across wooden floors. This is it, she's his sister pretty much right? This will be good.

When she opens the door she's beaming at him with a smile, she is the happiest person he's come across. It doesn't match the clothes she adorns, the big knee-high boots and the punk short skirts and t-shirts. But he doesn't judge, because the book isn't always what the cover leads you to believe.

"Hey Tony, I am so glad you wanted to come over" she said, excitement almost bursting out. She's still holding back, holding in an energizer bunny of feelings that he knows she wants to just let loose. But she still doesn't. Maybe she's afraid she'll scare him, be too much for him. It probably would so he's grateful for her restraint. She's trying just as hard as he is. It means a lot.

"I figured I needed to come see you" because I've avoided this long enough. He knew he couldn't leave not seeing her much longer than he had, he might have lost her as a friend if he did. But he doesn't want to tell her that he's been avoiding this, because he doesn't want to hurt her obviously very open heart.

She steps towards him, like she was going to hug him but then she looked up at him, unsure. Ziva had said Abby was a hugger.

"Is it okay if I hug you?" she asked, her voice taking on a quieter more personal tone. And he doesn't think he can say no to her, even if he's not hugged anyone since waking up. He's hardly shared personal contact with anyone.

"Yes" he replies very softly himself. A smile flickers on her face and she takes that last step closer to him, but he sees how carefully she approaches him. She may be a hugger but he knows this hug will be a softer one of her many.

Her arms wrap around him and she holds onto him very lightly. She lets out a soft sigh because she has probably missed this, because he's kept it away from her. He brings his own arms around her, it feels like he's hugging a stranger almost, but at the same time he kind of likes it. It's nice, comforting. Maybe this won't be so bad, there's just something about this woman that has him feeling a little easier about everything while he hugs her.

He wasn't sure who tightened the hug and held on a little longer, maybe it was her maybe it was him. He wouldn't put it past himself right now, because it was heart-warming, he felt just how much she cared for him in this hug.

She pulled back after a short while and smiled up at him, a whole smile. Because he had enjoyed the hug, whether he remembered her or not. And that meant a lot to her.

"Come in" she steps to the side and opens up room for him to enter her apartment, for what seems like his first time because he doesn't remember his past visits. He walks in and takes a quick scan of her apartment. There's a lot of older Victorian furniture but it doesn't seem dark, it's a very light and open place. Very happy, peaceful. And it fits her perfectly.

Then he sees a guy walk into the room hesitantly. He had blue eyes and dark black hair, a handful of tattoos decorate his arm, but there is a hopeful smile on his face. If he had to guess this must be Abby's brother, they look so alike.

"Tony, this is my brother Kyle, Kyle this is my friend Tony that I was telling you about" Abby introduced when she saw her brother walk in. And just from that introduction Tony realised that he hasn't actually met her brother before this moment. Tony quite likes meeting people he doesn't know, it's a bit easier for him.

Kyle walked up to Tony and he looked at him for a moment before he hugged Tony. Yeah it came as a surprise to Tony and he wasn't really ready for it, but he took it in his stride. Abby and her brother were very alike, and Tony had already picked up on that after only a few minutes.

"It's good to finally meet you, I've heard a lot about you. I'm sorry to hear about what happened though" Kyle said with a soft smile as he pulled back from the hug. Abby was watching the whole situation carefully, she wasn't too sure about Tony will react in all these new situations. She talked to Ziva a lot about it and she knows sometimes Tony will be good but then other times he may be a little unstable when it comes to his emotions. And Abby has never really witnessed that, Tony being shaken with his emotions so clear and visible. He's always been her tough rock that holds her together when she needs it. He's always been there for her and she's happy that he is here today, working on trying to be the friend he used to be.

"It's good to meet you too" Tony replied with a smile. He knew coming here today wasn't going to be the easiest, but it had to be done and he wanted to do it. It was the start to the new beginning with his good friend Abby.

The more time Tony spent with Abby the more he was fascinated by her and he came to realize how he had become so close to her. Because she was such an open and cheerful person and he could almost feel how strong her bond had been with him by how she talked with him, laughed with him. Tony was also fascinated by her apartment and all the things it held, it was so decorated with old historic things and it had a lot of her gothic touch to it but it was so warm and lived in at the same time. And Tony really had to smile at the black Christmas tree when he saw it.

"So you two are spending Christmas together?" Tony asked. He knew Christmas was only a few days away, the reminder was everywhere that he went. He had talked with Abby and Kyle for hours on end for most of the morning and surprisingly he's been alright. He hasn't had too much trouble with it all, maybe that was because Abby mostly talk about random things, nothing really that was about his past. Maybe she did it on purpose, maybe not.

But what he doesn't know is that she was doing it on purpose. Because from what she had talked to Ziva about Abby had figured if she kept the talk away from the hard past and on things easier to Tony's ears, it might be easier for him. She's wasn't just science smart.

"Yes, it's just me and Kyle this year, my mom Gloria and other brother Luca are both doing their own thing this year" Abby answered, Tony did catch on to a little hint of sadness in her tone towards the end of the sentence. She was upset that her mom and brother had other plans.

"It will be a good Christmas here with the two of you though, right? Since it's your first Christmas together" Tony said, trying to take Abby's thoughts to the more positive. Abby and Kyle had told him about how they had come to find each other this year, long lost brother and sister. Tony thought it was actually a very touching story.

"Yes, it will be" Abby said more excitedly as she looked at her brother and smiled. That made Tony smile. Abby the turned and looked at Tony for a minute with something on her mind and he had a good idea of what it was he could see her wanting to ask.

"I know a lot has been going on for you, but have you thought about doing something for Christmas?" Abby asked softly. She knows he's been dealing with a lot, but she doesn't want to see him miss out on Christmas. And in all honesty he's seen everything around him that screams Christmas to him, but he's not doing anything. Sam had offered him to come along with him to his small family thing but Tony didn't want to intrude.

"I think I might just give it a miss this year, everything's just so confusing and I think it would just be too hard" Tony said a little sadly. And the way he said it broke Abby's heart. She reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder, and he found himself enjoying the touch. Because it was thoughtful and when he looked into her eyes they spoke volumes to him. He was like her brother, and she was there for him.

"You know if you want you are welcome here to celebrate with me and Kyle" Abby explained to him.

"Yeah, we would love to have you" Kyle added. Kyle liked helping others, and he would love to help Abby's friend out by just being there as another friend. Tony smiled a little more.

"Thanks guys, I might drop by if I don't get up to much" he replied, however he didn't know if he actually would. Because like with Sam's offer, he doesn't want to intrude. Even if he is welcome to come.

"And I know you are welcome at Gibbs' thing later, everyone is going to be there in the evening" Abby said. Tony looked at her and thought about it. It would be good for him to go to that, because then he can fix some of the broken things between him and his friends. But it will be hard, very hard to handle. He doesn't know if he's ready for that. He doesn't want that breakdown that Gareth was talking about yesterday.

"Maybe I could come" Tony said with a shrug and Abby didn't push after that. She knows he knows about it now and if he's really up for it he will come, there is no point in trying to force him. Abby gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze and a hopeful smile.

"Ziva could keep you company" she said quietly before she let her hand drop from his shoulder. He'd been thinking it, that if he did go he would need someone to watch out for him, and he had thought of her. He just didn't quite know how Abby knew exactly that, what he was thinking. Did she know something?

But it doesn't really matter what Abby did or didn't know, because in the end she was right. He's not sure if he will go, but if he does he hopes he can count on Ziva to have his back. Just like she told him she used to.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! It's only the beginning for his development with Abby!

All of you have a safe New Years and I will have a few drinks in honour of you guys because you have been a great support of me and my stories all this year! I can never thank you enough!

Danni.