A/N: For some reason, I had a hard time coming up with a name for this chapter. I think it's because I wanted to break the whole one word thing…anyway…yeah. I've been pretty good about keeping up with my other fan fictions at the same time, so I'm not devoting all my attention here. Just most of it XD

Chapter 12- Apologize

Abby returned to work as usual early the next morning. Now that all other distractions were out of the way, she noticed that McGee hadn't been showing up to work for some days in a row. She knew McGee well enough that wasn't like him at all. Still, no one else seemed concerned. Except for Gibbs, who tried reaching him several times. When he visited her lab, she decided to ask him about it.

"Where's McGee?" she interrogated loudly over the music. "I haven't seen him in a while," It was the first time Abby had mentioned McGee in a long time, but she thought nothing of it at the moment. Gibbs, however, silently made the observation.

"He's supposed to be returning from an undercover mission the Director gave him, and even she is nowhere to be found," He shook his head in confusion. "I have no idea what to make of it," Abby shrugged, already moving on from the subject.

"I was just asking, don't strain yourself," she chided. "Has the twin been located?"

"No. The relative was found dead. She was murdered just hours before McGee found her. Looks like the investigation is being watched, but I told him to tell no one who he was or what he was doing…" Abby frowned, observing his choice of words.

"Knowing Tim-I mean McGee," she corrected herself. "He probably fell for that girl in the coffee shop. You may want to send Ziva to interrogate her. This sound suspicious. What happened between those two? Do you have any audio?" He nodded, and played back the tape.

"…dropped something outside. Is this yours?" Gibbs looked furious.

"How could he be so careless?" he ranted, pressing the stop button with more force than was necessary. Abby jumped slightly at his shout. "I told him to never let that flash drive leave his hands, and what does he do? Drop it into a puddle. I swear, sometimes I wonder if that probie will ever get a promotion," As he turned to leave, Abby grabbed his sleeve, making him stop.

"He's not just a probie," Abby insisted, looking straight into his fierce blue eyes. "He is a member of the NCIS family, and deserves more than that," Surprisingly, after that, Gibbs let it go. He left the lab in a daze. Nobody had ever gained the courage to stand up to him, it defied one of his own rules. As soon as he was gone, Abby breathed a sigh of relief that he didn't smack her on the head like he did with everyone else. She eagerly returned to her online game and proceeded to blow up the Great Wall of China just as Kate came in to see what was going on.

"Ha! Take that!" she shouted, turning around to greet her visitor. "Oh, hi Kate. I didn't see you come in,"

"Have you seen-" Kate started.

"No, no I have not," she interjected. "I came straight here and didn't chat with anyone but Gibbs today. How long have you been here?"

"About ten minutes," she replied. "You seem to be in a better mood. Have you spoken with Ziva yet?"

"Yes, I have, just the other day. It sure put me in a better mood, and she took it well," Abby said happily, going to her mini fridge in search of a yogurt.

"Took what well?" Kate asked.

"Oh, about me being pregnant," she said absently, going back for a spoon. Kate stared at her in shock, unable to speak for several moments.

"W-well, you and McGee sure had some interesting times," she called out faintly after she recovered. Abby laughed, coming back with both yogurt and spoon. She opened it and took a bite, enjoying the flavor for a minute. She set down the yogurt and decided to return to her game. Things were quiet, with the exception of the music and the occasional explosion from the computer. Kate observed with a mild amusement.

"Did you scan the footprint?" she asked after a time.

"Sure did, it belongs to that girl McGee talked to in the coffee shop. I think her name is Francine," She took another bite of yogurt. Kate glanced at the label and noticed the flavor.

"Huh. Raspberry. I thought you hated that flavor," she mused.

"No…I hate blueberries, remember? I couldn't even enjoy the book Blueberries for Sal," Kate laughed quietly.

"When do you suppose McGee will return?" she asked Abby suddenly.

"I hope soon, I can't stand the thought of him being in possible danger," Kate nodded, knowing this response made sense. The song changed suddenly to something softer and unfamiliar to her. She listened to the melody for a moment, mystified.

"Hey, is it a girl or boy?" she called out, curious about the pregnancy again. She then realized that Abby had closed out of her game and disappeared. That's strange, she thought as she left the lab. Kate returned to her desk and noticed that Ziva and Tony were gone too. Guess she was alone for now. She sighed and sat down in the chair. This was going to be a long day.

NCIS parking lot

"Home sweet home," McGee muttered to himself as he pulled into his parking space. "I wonder if Abby got my call?" Not that it should matter to him, he just wanted to know. That's all. Or was it? Abby ran out to greet him.

"McGee! McGee!" she shouted. "Gibbs is really worried about you and wants to talk to you!" He sighed and rubbed his eyes. Back to the Daily Grind. He got out of the car and went over to Abby. She seemed mostly unaffected of what happened over the past two weeks. Palmer had recovered, but refused to speak about the shooting willingly. Victoria had vanished from sight, who knows when she'd return?

"Hello Abby," he said cautiously. "How's everything going here?" She collided into him, hugging him tightly before responding.

"I was so worried that something happened…anyway, Ziva and Tony went to interrogate Francine because her footprint was the one at the crime scene. And it seems you had a dead end with the great-aunt…?"

"Not what I meant, Abbs," he whispered in her ear. "I want to know about the-" She slapped him across the face. McGee winced. Guess he deserved that.

"Not in a million years, Timothy," she replied in an icy voice. "do you get to hear about my child, because you don't want her. If it's not work related, I don't want to hear it!" She stormed off. McGee let his breath out in a gust. He knew he'd have to do a lot more than apologize to win back her friendship.

A/N: DUN DUN DUN! Sucks for McGee, right?