May 4
'Tis Kindness to hold a Friend up by the Chin. – Jonathan Swift
"No!" came the frantic squeal. "Help!"
Tony jumped off the elevator, reaching for his gun as he ran towards the lab. His senses were tingling. Abby was in danger. Must protect Abby. Gibbs would kill him if anything happened to her.
He charged into the lab, gun at the ready to shoot the evil intruder, slightly surprised that the Goth had not grabbed her nearest acid solution and tried to defend herself. And then he froze…
There was no one in the lab apart from Abby. Tears were running down her face and she did not seem to have noticed his arrival. He gave the place a quick sweep anyway, determined to catch any hidden intruder, but came up clean. Holstering his gun, he turned his attention to her.
She looked lost and alone, a little girl again. She still seemed unaware of his presence, and he was careful not to shock her as he moved towards her. He felt she was perfectly capable of screaming the building down, and Gibbs would shoot first, ask questions later.
"Hey, Abs," he smiled softly. "What's wrong?"
"Bert has disappeared," she wailed, launching herself into his arms. He held her tightly, ignoring the black mascara that was sure to stain. "He's been… Bert-napped!"
Tony privately couldn't understand why anyone would want to steal a farting stuffed hippo, but decided not to voice this. After all, she could kill him and leave no forensic evidence.
Instead, he nodded his head and rubbed her back. "Perhaps you misplaced him?" he offered.
She pulled back from him, her face screwed up in concentration. "I could have left him in the evidence garage," she conceded. "Will you come with me?"
"Of course," Tony soothed. He would do anything to make Abby happy again.
Short of making her a new farting hippo.