A/N: Really short one this time guys, but I had to leave it there. I'll have the next chapter up soon, I promise. F

"Will you marry me?"

The words seemed to echo in the quiet room. She stared at him in shock for a moment. Her first response was disbelief. Was he serious? Then suspicion set in. Knowing Tim, she wouldn't put it past him to propose on some sort of chivalrous impulse, which led her to one conclusion. He knew about the baby. But how?

"How do you know?" she asked, her voice sounding strangely unlike her "I mean, Tony knows but he only just found out so he couldn't have told you, and I only just found out for sure myself. But obviously you know somehow, so how do you know?" Stress and surprise made her babble, the same way she always did. She watched him, seeing intense hurt, confusion and bewilderment cross his face in turn. Bewilderment? Maybe she'd jumped to the wrong conclusion

"Or don't you know?" she asked

Exasperated, he sighed. "Abby, I don't even know what you're talking about. What is it that I'm supposed to know?"

"You really don't know?" she pressed "This isn't some chivalrous impulse? You just...want to marry me?"

He was incredibly confused now. Why else would he ask her?

"Abs, the only reason I asked you to marry me is because I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you" he assured her. The cloud of suspicion slowly lifted from her eyes, replaced by joy and welling tears.

"Then yes, Tim. I'll marry you"

He grabbed her, pulling her as close as his damaged shoulder would allow, kissing her deeply. She leaned into the kiss for a few minutes, and then pulled away, mindful of the pressure being put on his injury. Grinning shyly, he took the ring out of the box and slid it onto her finger, fumbling a little at having to use his left hand. She snuggled into his chest, so he wrapped his good arm around her and held her tenderly, feeling a deep contentment spread over him. Even his shoulder didn't ache so much

He lost track of time as he held her. Eventually her words at his proposal began to niggle at him. What had she been talking about? Something about chivalry?

"Abs?" he asked

She raised her head and looked at him. She looked so happy; he smiled at the sight of her. He couldn't help it. He'd spent the best part of a month grinning like a madman when they'd started dating, and he was even happier now than he'd been then. He hadn't thought that was possible before this. He shook his head slightly, getting his train of thought back on track

"What is it that Tony knows, and you know, but that you were so sure that I'd found out?" he knew it was a convoluted sentence, but he really didn't have any idea how else to put it

"Oh" she looked a little unsure of herself, nervous somehow. She looked down, fidgeting with the bed sheet. "Do you remember a couple of months ago, the Halloran case?"

He nodded as memories came flooding back. They'd only been dating for 3 weeks or so, and the Halloran case had taken him out of town for 4 days. Her welcome home had been... enthusiastic.

"Well, we weren't exactly careful"

"Abby, are you...?"

"Yeah, Timmy. I'm pregnant. And I'm sorry I reacted the way I did, I thought that you'd found out and that was why you were asking me to marry you"

He didn't know whether to be amused or offended at that. He went with amused. "Baby or not, I'd still want to marry you" he told her fervently. He got another kiss for that

He laid his hand across her still flat middle. "We're going to have a baby" he said softly, a mix of joy and wonder on his face. She covered his hand with her own, smiling tenderly.

After a few minutes, he spoke again.

"Tony knows?" She nodded, then heard his quick inhalation of breath. With a tinge of fear in his voice, he asked

"Does Gibbs know?"