Part Twenty-One
While she wasn't thrilled at the thought of going to a bachelorette party, Ziva decided she would put up with it for Abby's sake. She saw a glimpse of the old, excitable Abby as they worked together on decorating the VIP section of the club with the balloons and streamers and banners Abby had bought in preparation and hoped her friend would enjoy the evening.
Even as the group of women at the party increased, all of them giggling like teenage girls as a continuous supply of cocktails from the bar were brought to them, Ziva found herself watching Abby and enjoying herself purely because her friend was.
Although a little wary at first, Abby seemed to get into her stride as the party progressed and played the part of maid-of-honour perfectly, teasing the bride-to-be and making sure Carol was both enjoying herself and suitably embarrassed. The gifts that were opened were enough to make Ziva feel her cheeks flood with heat on occasion, and she found herself being glad that her teammates were sitting far enough away that the items would be sheltered from their view by most of the women sitting at the tables and couches around her.
As the party drew to a close in the early hours of the morning, Ziva lingered with Abby as one by one, the guests bid their farewells to the guest of honour and stumbled out of the club and into the taxis waiting for them. She was impressed to see Abby had adopted responsibility for all of the women in attendance, making sure they all had safe ways of getting home and escorted those who'd drunk more than others to the doors of their awaiting vehicles.
"You take your maid-of-honour responsibilities seriously," Ziva commented as she helped Abby put the presents in one of the many bags scattered around the VIP area. Carol was sleeping soundly on one of the couches, oblivious to the chatter around her or the music that seemed to vibrate through the floors.
Almost everyone else from the party had left though the club was still crowded with other patrons. Hanna Parker, Ziva noticed with amusement, was busy trying to convince both Tony and McGee to be the entertainment, waving fistfuls of $1 notes at them. The woman had tried to convince Gibbs earlier in the evening, Ziva remembered, but had backed off both at the look she'd received from the man himself as well as the word of warning from Abby, delivered with a smile that had been too sweet to be sincere.
"It comes with the territory," Abby replied with a shrug. She shot Ziva a grin over her shoulder as she packed away an assortment of adult toys Carol had been given by one of the guests. "So if you settle on a lucky guy and decide to get married..."
Ziva shook her head vehemently, rolling her eyes as she returned to her task. "That will never happen, Abby."
"Never say never," Abby retorted, straightening as she surveyed the rest of the VIP area. "The guys behind the bar said to leave the decorations if we wanted. They don't mind sorting that out for us."
"They're very helpful," Ziva commented, glancing over her shoulder at the bar where three bartenders worked – two male, one female. "Do you come here much?"
"Not as much as I used to," Abby admitted, her tone conversational as she began gathering the last of the presents. "To be honest, I feel a bit too old to come to places like this unless it's a special occasion. Carol keeps teasing me I'm beginning to act my age."
Curious, Ziva stopped what she was doing to look at the forensic specialist. "You are not that old, Abby. You can't be much older than I am."
Abby laughed at that, to Ziva's surprise. She looked pleased, though. "I won't ruin the illusion but I will say thank you, you just made my night."
Letting the conversation drop though making a mental note to do a little digging on Abby's actual age, something she'd just assumed in the past, Ziva was glad when the party was finally over. The bride-to-be was bundled into her waiting and very amused fiancés car and the NCIS agents met at the front of the club, ready to go home and get some sleep.
She accepted the nod of thanks Gibbs gave her for putting up with the party and knew he believed as she did that it was worthwhile to see Abby smiling again, her worries momentarily put to the side.
The weekend passed without incident. There was nothing from Drew Barton, no contact, no sighting, and they all allowed themselves to relax just a little. By the time Monday rolled around, the group was well rested, refreshed and more determined than ever to find Barton before he could get close to Abby.
Their determination was only strengthened when, mid-way through the day, Abby received a telephone call from Drew, one that brought them all back to reality with an unwelcome thud.
"Forensics lab. Abby Sciuto." Abby answered cheerfully, in high spirits after a good weekend spent in Gibbs' company. She'd hit the speakerphone automatically, moving around the lab as she spoke. She'd decided to work on a cold case to keep herself busy in the meantime, needing the distraction only engrossing herself in her job could provide.
"Hey, Abby. It's me."
It was the first time she'd heard him speak but she knew instinctively who it was. She stopped mid-step, her blood running cold as his voice continued to come out of the speakers.
"I'm sorry about leaving Mikel in your apartment. I just wanted to be sure you know you're safe now. He can't hurt you again."
Stumbling forward, she hit the necessary buttons to start recording the call with one hand while the other fumbled with the buttons of her cell phone, calling Gibbs and letting him listen to what she was hearing.
"Talk to me, Abby, please," Drew pleaded, his voice taking on a desperate quality. "I need to know you're there. I need to know you're listening."
"I'm listening," Abby managed, looking up as Gibbs walked into the lab, his cell phone in his hand and his agents on his heels.
"You know why I did it, don't you?" Drew continued after she'd spoken. "You know I couldn't let him hurt you? Just like Tommy. I didn't know at first what Tommy was planning. For the others, yeah, but not for you. If I'd known, I would've acted sooner. I would've taken care of him for you before he hurt you."
"You killed Tommy Doyle?" Abby asked, confusion in her tone. She closed her eyes when she felt Gibbs move to stand behind her, resting a hand on her hip to assure her of his presence. She heard the soft clicking of fingers on a keyboard and knew McGee was trying to trace the call. "I thought he killed himself."
Drew laughed then, a sound that sent unpleasant shivers up and down her spine. "He was a coward," he told her scornfully. "He would have never killed himself. He planned to get out through the backdoor but I locked it after he armed the explosives. I'd have loved to see his face," he continued, a wistful sigh escaping him, "when he realised what I'd done. He deserved it, Abby. He could have killed you."
"I know that," Abby murmured, remembering only too well how ill she'd felt in the days leading up to her eventual collapse.
"He had to be punished," he continued as though he hadn't heard her. "I couldn't let him get away with it, Abby, not when I knew he wouldn't give up. He wanted to make the agents you work with suffer and I think he realised that he could do that by hurting you. I couldn't let that happen, could I? Not when we're supposed to be together."
Abby tensed, the matter-of-fact delivery of his words causing her stomach to lurch. Behind her, she felt Gibbs shift even closer. She inhaled deeply and leaned against him, using his warmth to ground her. "What about Mikel?" She heard herself asking, her voice unsteady. "What did he do to deserve it?"
"He threatened you." Drew sounded surprised that she had to ask. "He told me what he did to you, Abby. He said he'd planned on killing you, that if you couldn't be with him in life, you'd be with him in death. He was delusional. He actually thought you wanted to be with him but couldn't be, because of the people you work with. He said you were scared of them, that they were influencing you, keeping you away from him." He snorted derisively. "As if they would've been able to get between you if you really loved him. Mikel didn't understand that. He didn't realise that you're not meant for him, didn't realise he didn't deserve you."
Abby opened her eyes at the sensation of movement beside her, tilting her head to see the handwritten note from McGee, delivered by Tony, instructing her to keep Drew talking. "And you think you do," she said softly, her hand finding Gibbs' where it rested on her waist, twining their fingers together.
"Of course." The confusion in his voice thickened. "We're meant to be together, Abby, surely you can see that? Why else would we be brought together like this? Fate meant for us to meet. It was fate that brought me to Mikel, Mikel that brought me to you," his tone grew insistent. "You understand that, don't you? You get why there can never be anyone else for either of us, why no one will get in the way of us being together..." His voice dropped a notch. "I won't let anyone come between us, Abby. I promise. It'll be you and me, together for always soon. I've got it all worked out."
His words sounded ominous, almost like a threat, though she was sure that wasn't how he'd intended them. Clearing her throat, she glanced at McGee, biting back a sigh when he shook his head to indicate he hadn't managed to pinpoint Drew's location. "You want to share those plans with me?" She asked, trying to keep it casual. "If you've got it all worked out..."
Drew laughed again and she found herself swallowing hard. "You'll know soon enough," he promised. "I've got to go, got things to do. I just wanted you to know I'm looking out for you, Abby, and that we'll be together soon. No one will get between us, I promise. I love you."
He hung up with a soft click and Abby let her shoulders slump. Her legs felt shaky, her knees weak, and she was grateful for the support of the arm Gibbs' slipped around her waist as he led her to her stool.
"McGee?" Gibbs questioned, arching an eyebrow at his agent. He cursed softly when McGee shook his head.
"Looks like he had something set up to bounce the signal all over the place," McGee reported apologetically. "I can't get a location, boss. I'd only just managed to trace it back to DC before he hung up."
"Keep working on it," Gibbs murmured, a sigh escaping him. "See if you can narrow it down to a particular area." He turned his attention to Abby, a hand on her shoulder. "You okay?"
She trembled under his hand but managed a nod and an unconvincing smile. "I'm fine. I'll be better when you guys catch him but I'm okay. It doesn't sound like he wants to hurt me, which is one thing I don't have to worry about anymore."
Gibbs squeezed her shoulder. "Just call if you need me. McGee, keep working on tracing the call. DiNozzo, David, you're with me."
"Where are you going?" Abby asked before they could leave, looking up at him questioningly.
"We're going to check out the hotel the wedding's going to be in, make sure we've got all the exits covered on the day." He leaned down and kissed her forehead softly, seeming not to care that his agents were watching. "It's gonna be okay, Abs."
She rewarded his confidence with a smile that almost reached her eyes but couldn't keep it in place for long, an insistent voice at the back of her mind wondering, questioning: what if he was wrong?