Chapter 21- Gut Feeling

The next day, Abby drove to work alone, wondering what could have possibly happened to McGee. He didn't return from the store last night. She shook her head and tried to focus. Gibbs was probably going to be all over her today. She didn't like taking another day off when she felt fine after six in the morning yesterday, but McGee had insisted she needed her sleep. So she slept. All day. And no nightmares that time. Victoria wasn't even her concern any longer. So, everything would back to normal at NCIS. Or whatever was considered normal in that insane place. She smiled, remembering at all the laughable moments they shared in the various areas of the building, from Tony chasing Ziva around to the point that she had to get Gibbs to intervene, to Kate playing constant pranks on Tony to get back at him for all the times he tried asking her out. She parked in her usual spot and decided to take the stairs. Up, up, up, and up again. She approached Ziva's desk, grinning at the ex-Mossad.

"You look a lot better, Abby," she observed. "Glad to see you're back. Kate is down there still taking over for you. Might want to rescue her before Gibbs goes to the lab for an update," Abby nodded, but didn't move. Tony threw a paper airplane in Ziva's direction and she was forced to duck so it wouldn't hit her in the face. Abby left to go visit Ducky. She should tell him she was fine now. Down in the autopsy, things seemed to be getting a little crazy. Palmer kept dropping things, causing Ducky to lose his frustration, and was getting close to yelling at him when Abby skipped by.

"It's all good now!" she sang, hugging Ducky fiercely. He froze in surprise.

"Nice to see you're well again, Abby," Palmer said, picking up the scalpel and continuing the autopsy as if nothing had happened. "You looked like death the other day, and I thought-"

"Palmer, no one can look like death," he corrected in a stern voice. "You of all people should know that," Palmer grinned in relief when he realized Ducky was only joking.

"Shouldn't you head down to your lab?" Ducky asked. "I think Gibbs senses your return and probably wants you back over there,"

"I will in a minute," she said. "I just have to check on Timmy first, and then I'll go, okay? See you later!" She waved at the two of them on her way out. She stepped into the elevator and tried calling McGee. No answer. She started to worry. He always answered his phone. Maybe Gibbs knew where he was. She went to his desk, but it was empty. Out in the field, she guessed. She tried the Director, but she didn't have a clue. Her worry started to grow.

"Ziva?" she asked worriedly. "Have you seen Tim?"

"No I have not. Why?"

"He didn't come back last night from the store and he won't answer his phone," Abby fretted, glancing at McGee's desk again.

"I'm sure there's nothing to worry about," Ziva said, in an attempt to reassure her. Tony threw another paper airplane, this time at Abby. She jumped out of the way and yelled for him to stop it.

"I just…have a feeling something's wrong," she murmured when Tony had calmed down, gazing at the floor. "A gut feeling, like Gibbs gets sometimes, you know?"

"Like when he eats too much Mexican?" Ziva offered, misreading the expression. Abby shook her head.

"No, more like when you just…know something's not right. It's instinctual," Tony threw a paper airplane at Gibbs, who had just walked in. Gibbs smacked Tony upside the head and sat down at his own desk.

"Gibbs has good instincts, why don't you ask him? I'm very busy at the moment and my father is expected to call soon," Abby approached the boss, who was drinking his coffee and watching Tony.

"Gibbs, did you hear from Tim?" she asked hesitantly. She closed her eyes, hoping her instincts were wrong and he'd say yes, and that everything was perfectly fine.

"Yes, he's down in your lab now waiting for you," he answered, shooting a glare at Tony, who was now rummaging through Kate's things as part of his annoying morning routine when she wasn't there. She sighed in relief, but hesitated at the elevator. What if she was right and everything wasn't fine? How did Gibbs do this all the time? How did he know he was right? Was a "gut feeling" ever wrong? She looked back over at Gibbs, who was now talking to Ziva. She seemed upset, and he was providing a word of comfort. He always knew what to do, even when the solution seemed impossible. Abby sighed and took the stairs to stall for time. Perhaps she was just being ridiculously paranoid like Ziva. McGee was always fine, and when he got in danger or did something stupid, he usually managed to find a way to fix things. Abby stopped at the door to her lab before it came into full view, trying to gather her thoughts. This was it. This is when she'd find out if her gut feeling was wrong or right. No in-between or second chances. No turning back, she'd already gone too far for that.

"Please let me be wrong," she whispered, slowly shuffling toward the door. It innocently sat there and waited to be opened. The glass was getting slightly grimy. It would have to be cleaned soon. She slowly reached for the panel that would unlock the door. One button at a time. Abby confidently started to put in her age and McGee's age added together. She changed it once a year, of course, to stay on top of things. Every December on a random day at a random time she shooed anyone that was in her lab out and changed the code. The lock clicked, signaling that the door was now unlocked. She reluctantly reached for the door and started to open it.

A/N: Sorry for the shortness, I just couldn't make it any longer than that. I'd try, but I want to put what happens next on the next chapter, mwahahahahaha!