Drowning

Hi all. A shorter chapter this time. I'll soon be away with husband and kids for a couple of weeks down the beach, but I'll try to post the next chapter before I go. Thanks for all the lovely reviews. Zan

Chapter 10

Abby hummed softly to herself as she finished preparing dinner while her guest slept soundly on the couch in her loungeroom. They had been watching a DVD together, but her visitor had eventually and unsurprisingly fallen asleep after a tiring couple of days. Despite her important role at NCIS, Abby enjoyed spending time in the kitchen; particularly when she was guaranteed good company and intriguing conversation.

As she placed the condiments on the table, she smiled at the sounds of soft snoring coming from her living room.

'Too cute!' she thought to herself.

Hearing soft steps outside, Abby hurried to open the door so that Madam Vay would not ring the doorbell and disturb Abby's other guest.

'Hi!' she greeted the psychic warmly. 'Please come in and follow me,' she added in a hushed voice.

Vay followed Abby through the living room to the kitchen, smiling as she saw the lanky form of Agent Dinozzo stretched out on the couch, a warm blanket covering him.

'Madam Vay, I hope you don't mind that Tony's staying for dinner too,' Abby told Vay as they settled at the kitchen bench. 'He was kind of cut that Gibbs didn't let him go out into the field today, and I didn't want him to go home and be by himself. And then he was just so beat that he fell asleep. I don't really want to wake him yet.'

'That's perfectly fine', Vay told Abby. 'He looks pretty content. Let him sleep. And Abby? Perhaps you could call me Miranda. It's much less formal.'

Abby grinned happily and nodded.

……………………………………………….

The time neared 8pm. Gibbs sat at his desk reviewing old cases and trying to match them with recent criminal releases. Not long after they'd returned from the reserve, he'd sent McGee and Ziva home. He did not feel like telling either of them yet that the team was possibly being targeted by someone with a grudge against them. It had happened before, it was true, but this time their only 'evidence' was the word of a psychic. Gibbs had been extremely grateful to find a handwritten note from Abby on his desk that said that she had taken Tony home with her. Abby didn't need psychic ability to now that Gibbs was concerned about Tony. She knew that Gibbs would fell less worried knowing that she was keeping an eye on him.

…………………………………………………………..

When Tony woke up, he vaguely wondered where he was. He knew he was no longer in the hospital. Bethesda did not smell like a combination of lavender incense and lasagna. Opening his eyes and focusing on a weird, Picasso-like painting on the wall, Tony realized he was at Abby's. As his senses sharpened, he could detect two lowered voices coming from the kitchen. Recognizing one of them as Madam Vay's, he inwardly cringed and decided to feign sleep as long as he could. Unfortunately, it wasn't long before he was struck by a burst of coughing that he could not suppress. It predictably resulted in a concerned Abby coming in to see how he was.

'I'm fine, Ab's', he tried to assure her as he sat up and took the glass of water she had brought him.

'Tony, you sounded terrible!' she exclaimed. 'Didn't the doctor give you medicine or something?'

'Ab's, it's nothing!' persisted Tony. 'My throat's just dry from sleeping with my mouth open. Sorry about leaving you to watch the rest of Magnum by yourself, by the way,' he added apologetically.

'That's okay,' said Abby. 'Just as long as you're not just saying you're fine.'

She stood up and held out her hand to him.

'Come and have some dinner,' she said cheerfully. 'We saved you some lasagna. I made it just like you showed me.'

'It's delicious,' came a voice from the dining room table. Tony stood up and smiled nervously at Abby.

'Maybe I'll just go and leave you two to… whatever it is that a goth chick and a psychic talk about,' he said to Abby in a hushed tone. 'I'm not really hungry.'

'No way, mister,' said Abby, pulling him by the arm to the table. 'You need to eat and you don't have a car here. We'll eat, then talk, then you can help me do the dishes, and then I'll take you home. Unless you want me to ring Gibbs and tell him that you're coughing and you have no appetite for perfectly good Italian food.'

Knowing he had lost the battle before it had really begun, Tony went to the table, nodded his greeting to Vay and sat down.

'Good evening, Agent Dinozzo,' said Vay, in her affable, disarming manner.

'Hi, and…ah… it's Tony,' said the senior field agent.

'And I'm Miranda,' said Vay as Abby placed a generous serving of lasagna in front of her friend. She and Vay had already finished their meal while Tony was sleeping. Tony complimented Abby on how great the meal smelt and looked before gesturing to a piece of glittering material that was spread out on the table.

'Pretty fancy tablecloth, Ab's' he remarked just before putting a forkful into his mouth.

'Oh, it's divine!' gushed Abby. 'But it's not a tablecloth. It's Miranda's reading cloth. She's going to do some tarot reading tonight. I've always wanted my own tarot cards and learn how to read them.' She ignored the look of horror that passed briefly over Tony's handsome features.

'Tarot cards are more special when they are a gift from someone who has a deep, caring connection with you,' said Vay, picking up her own cards. 'Mine were given to me by an elderly lady who I read to while she was convalescing.'

'And the cloth?' asked Abby.

'From my late husband,' said Vay. 'I feel very close to him every time I take the cards from the cloth to do a reading. Would you like me to read for you now?' she asked Abby.

'Absolutely!' exclaimed Abby. 'You don't mind, Tony. We can wait until you've finished eating.'

'Go ahead,' said Tony between mouthfuls. Just as long as he wasn't going to be subject to a reading, he didn't really care what they did.

'And then Miranda will read yours,' said Abby sweetly.