A/N: Woohoo! Another update. Okay - chapter notes: 1) The opening scene is a continuing nightmare - McGee's. 2) There's a mention of Jackie, Vance's wife in this chapter. This fic takes place in S8, so she's still alive. 3) In case any of you forgot Tony and Ziva are in a relationship and they have a brief moment in this chapter, and 4) I was having McAbby withdrawal since Tim is in a coma so this chapter contains a Bloodbath flashback.

Whew! I think that's it - Enjoy!

"When you feel your heart's guarded,
And you see the breaks starting,
When the clouds are far departed,
You'll be right here with me"

-Brandy

"Abby!"

The sound of her sobs coming from the darkness was driving me to the point of insanity.

"Where are you – are you hurt? Can you hear me?"

"Timmy!" she cried as she stepped into the light, her face tear-streaked. "Help me!"

I took a step towards her only to freeze at the sound of a gun cocking. Laughter came from the darkness as the barrel was placed against her temple and Abby began to struggle in the grip of someone I couldn't see.

"Abby!"

"Tim, I'm so sorry! It's all my fault-" her words were cut off as she once again disappeared in the darkness and I heard a door slam shut.

"ABBY!"

"You're too late, Special Agent McGee."

I beat my fists against the door that had suddenly appeared between us, screaming at the mocking voice, "Who are you? Where's Abby – what have you done with Abby!"

"She belongs with me."

"What the hell –" Realization dawned on me and shivers ran down my spine. "Mawher."

"Ah, you figured me out."

"You were following us. You shot me – why?"

"I told you – Abby belongs with me."

I smiled. "That just shows how little you know her, Mawher. Abby belongs to no one. Abby! Can you hear me? Hang on – I'm coming."

Mawher laughed. "You couldn't save her last time – what makes you think this time will be any different?"

Ziva nearly ran into Director Vance when she got off the elevator.

"Whoa, slow down, Ziva."

"I am sorry, Director. Have you seen Tony?"

Leon smiled. "He's down in the lab, trying to make sense of Abby's latest manual for dummies."

Ziva grinned. "Of course. I should have checked there first." She stepped back into the elevator. "Are you heading home already?"

"I'm having an early supper with Jackie and the kids since it's going to be another late one."

Ziva nodded. "Say hello to the family for me."

"I will – and Ziva?"

"Yes?"

"Get some sleep."

"I will."

When the elevator doors opened just outside Abby's lab, Ziva was nearly knocked back in the car by the deafening volume of music coming from the room. Setting her teeth against the pulsating beat, she strode into the lab and picking up the remote control, hit the mute button.

"Tony! What the hell is going on-"

Tony had been studying the lab manual for dummies, one hip leaning against Abby's evidence table, and his head shot up when Ziva killed the music.

"Thank God!" he exclaimed as he dropped the manual to the table. "That noise was giving me a headache."

Ziva cocked her head to the side. "Then why-"

Her words were cut off by Tony's lips on hers and Ziva blamed her momentary lapse of control on sleep deprivation and the simple fact that it had been over seventy-two hours since she had felt his skin against hers. With a slight moan of encouragement, she allowed him to part her lips with his tongue before she reluctantly pushed him away.

"I've missed you, Sweet Cheeks," he whispered in her ear.

"I can tell."

"Really- how?"

Her lips twisted as she fought back a smile. "Because that's not your gun, my little furry bear."

The sound of a door closing in the hallway reminded both of them where they were and Tony smiled as he picked up the forgotten manual. "So, did Gibbs send you back to help me track down Abby's number one fan?"

Ziva made a face. "Yes, I cannot believe he is still after her. I thought you were the only one who had trouble with no means no."

"Ouch, Ziva! That's hitting below the belt," Tony pantomimed a shot to his heart and staggered backwards.

She grinned. "But, seriously, I thought we got rid of this guy."

Tony stepped over to the computer. "Nope – he got five years for stalking, breaking and entering, and violating a restraining order – so technically he should have been released this year but he got out a year early for good behavior."

"And Abby was not informed?"

"I'm sure she was sent one of those lovely form letters-"

"Wait, Abby does not receive mail anymore, remember?"

"Oh, that's right – so maybe they send her an email?"

"Her stalker is released from prison and they send an email?" Ziva looked at him in disbelief.

"Doesn't seem likely, does it?"

She shook her head.

"So what are you thinking?"

"I am just wondering if maybe, somehow, Mikel intercepted it. So he could have all this time to plan-"

"And Abby would never see it coming," Tony finished grimly. "Do you think he engineered Cassie meeting McGee?"

"It would not surprise me."

"Me either." Tony waved the manual at her. "Now, are you ready to help me figure out how to clean up an audio feed without breaking one of Abby's babies?"

Abby was shaking by the time she stepped inside Tim's apartment building. This is ridiculous. I'm not even inside his apartment yet. I refuse to wet my pants like some probie agent in front of my protection detail.

She snuck a glance at Agent Watkins beside her and sighed. While she was grateful to Gibbs for providing her with security since her number one fan was on the loose again, she couldn't help but wish it was Tony or Ziva with her instead. Actually, the one person she wanted the most was lying in the hospital fighting for his life and it was all her- Abby gave herself a little shake. No, it wasn't her fault. She had to keep telling herself that. Mikel was a nutjob that for some reason that defied explanation had fixated on her and had shot McGee because in his twisted mind, he stood between the two of them being together.

Abby smiled. Well, Mikel wasn't wrong on that one. McGee was standing between them. And if I have anything to say about it, he always will be.

Abby was fishing in her oversized handbag for her copy of McGee's key when she heard a door slam behind her. "Miss Abby!"

Agent Watkins reached for his weapon and Abby reacted quickly, covering his hand with hers. "It's only Michael, the land lady's son. He's not a threat to me, Watkins."

Watkins blinked at the name similarity but removed his hand from his gun as Michael came around the corner, launching himself into Abby's arms. "I saw you come in and I wanted to ask you how McGee is doing. Mom called the hospital and they said he can't have any visitors right now."

Abby hugged Michael, feeling the boy shake against her and felt bad for not calling him. "I'm sorry I didn't call you, Michael-"

He pulled away and looked up into her face with a smile. "That's ok. You're really busy trying to find out who shot Tim. Any leads?"

She swallowed the lump in her throat. "Some. Tim is doing ok, Michael, he just can't have any visitors right now because he has an infection that the doctors are treating with special medicine."

Michael's eyes went round. "Oh – but he really is ok?"

Abby nodded, not trusting her voice. "I have to go into Tim's place and get some stuff off his computer, but I'll come say good-bye before I leave, all right?"

Michael's eyes darted to the silent agent beside her. "Are you in danger now too, Miss Abby?"

She sighed. "My boss is just looking out for all of us right now. Listen, you haven't seen anyone strange or weird around here since Tim got shot have you?"

"No, Miss Abby. And no one's tried to get inside McGee's apartment either."

Abby ruffled the boy's hair. "I knew you'd make a good junior agent. Thanks, Michael. I'll be sure to come say good-bye, ok?"

"Okay!" Michael waved as he ran off.

Watkins grunted. "That boy asks too many questions."

Abby smiled. "He's just a boy!" She tugged on his arm. "Come on, I've stalled long enough."

She stood for a long time just inside the door, trembling. To his credit, Watkins didn't say anything, he just moved quietly and unobtrusively around her and went to stand over by McGee's typewriter desk. Nothing had been touched since the paramedics had taken McGee away in the ambulance. Blood still stained the hardwood where Tim had been shot and Jethro's bloody paw prints were scattered across the floor. Finally she squared her shoulders and swept her hair up into a loose bun.

"First things first," she announced to Watkins. "I've got to clean this up."

It took her a few minutes to locate McGee's cleaning supplies but within half an hour, the living room was spic and span and if Abby didn't look at the spot where Tim had been lying, she was all right. Feeling sweaty and gross, she disappeared into the bedroom to find something to wear. When she came out wearing a pair of sweats and one of Tim's MIT T-shirts, Watkins looked at her in disbelief.

"What? You thought I had a change of my own clothes here?" Abby demanded, as she crossed to Tim's computer, secretly loving the fact that she was wearing McGee's clothes. They smell like him.

As she waited for McGee's computer to boot up her mind drifted to the last time Mawher had been after her. She had been wearing Tim's clothes then too, and even though she had made a fuss about staying with him, there really wasn't anyone else she felt safer with, except maybe Gibbs.

Oh Tim, what I wouldn't give to have you here with me now.

2006 – (Flashback)

"McGee! What the hell are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing? I told you that if you opened that door I was going to tie you up so-"

"Yeah, but – ow!" I flinched as the metal closed around my left wrist. "That's a little tight."

"That's the point, Abby."

"And these are your handcuffs, so I don't know if this counts as tying me up-" I argued as the second link closed around my right wrist. "And I'm not tied to anything."

McGee glared at me. "Did I say I was done?"

I swallowed heavily, trying to ignore the fact that I was becoming aroused by all of this. "No."

He grinned. "No." He hooked his index finger around the short chain between the rings and yanked me from the bathroom. "Come here."

"Wait – I still need to brush my teeth-"

He turned and silenced me with a glare over his shoulder. "You're worried about dental hygiene when Mawher just broke into my apartment with the intention of doing God knows what to you?" He shook his head in disbelief. "You're worried about cavities when I'm going to be flogged within an inch of my life tomorrow when Gibbs finds out what happened here tonight? Un-freakin'-believable."

He jerked on the chain, causing me to gasp in surprise and stumble to keep up with him as he led me into the bedroom.

"You're upset with me," I whispered.

He whirled around to face me. "You don't get it, do you? You scared the living daylights out of me, Abby! Your life's in danger and I tell you not to open the door and what do you do? You open the door so Mawher can come in and-" He stopped and cleared his throat, his eyes skittering away from mine but not before I see the emotion burning in them.

"I thought it was you."

He shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Sit down."

I blinked at him in confusion. "What?"

His eyes met mine again, the direct gaze making me shiver with need as he pointed to the bed. "Sit down."

I sat, looking up at him with butterflies in my stomach. "Now what? Are you going to tie me up like the bad girl I am?"

McGee deflated before my eyes. Reaching into the pocket of his jeans, he threw me the key to the handcuffs and it landed on my thigh. "Go to sleep, Abby."

Anger flared inside of me as I leapt to my feet, the key falling forgotten to the floor between us. "That's it? No spanking, no ties or scarves? Come on, McGee, it's like you said – I opened the door so now you have to tie me up."

McGee backed up a step. "I – I just wanted you to realize that I was serious – that you really had me worried. I was never going to actually – I mean I would never-"

I lifted my hands and wrapped them around his neck, drawing my body flush against his. "Why not? Come on, Timmy. I've been a bad, bad girl." I bucked my hips into his and he moaned. "You've never left me unsatisfied- don't start now."

"Abby!" he sputtered as he tried to untangle my hands from around his neck and hide the evidence of his arousal. "That's not – do you think I have a death wish? Gibbs is already going to kill me for what happened and if we – and he found –"

I fell backwards onto the bed, taking him with me. Our limbs were deliciously entwined and with a groan his lips met mine. This time, he rocked his hips into mine as he began to push the long sleeved shirt I was wearing up my arms until it got tangled in the handcuffs. My hands dropped to the waistband of his jeans and he shivered against me.

"You promised to keep your hands to yourself," he whispered against my skin.

I smiled. "And you said you'd tie me up."

His moss green eyes met mine, seeking permission, before he began to inch my black tank top up, his fingers cool against my warm skin. "After what just happened - do you really want me to tie you up?"

This time I didn't fight the arousal I felt coursing through me as I wrapped my legs around his waist. I didn't want to think about what had just happened with Mikel – or what would have happened if Tim hadn't returned with my toothbrush. I wanted to forget, with the one man who had always made me feel safe.

I ran my hands up his back lazily as my tongue darted out to lick his lips. "Only if you promise not to keep your hands to yourself."

His hands trailed up the sides of my ribcage, the outside of my breasts, cupped my face, and laced our fingers together as he leaned down to kiss me, swallowing my moans of approval. When he pulled back, I was tied to the bedpost by the sleeves of his shirt.

"Deal," he whispered as his mouth and hands began a journey down my body.

Wednesday evening, 8pm

"Damn it! Come on, McGee, give me a hint here," Abby muttered under her breath.

Her password cracker had been running for four hours and had come up with nothing – which meant it probably was something personal and not some random combination of letters and numbers. But she had tried all the personal items she could think of and come up with nothing. She had taken pity on Agent Watkins an hour ago and ordered a veggie lovers pizza; the man had eaten half the pie while she had barely managed to eat one slice and that was just because she didn't want to end up back in the hospital.

Tony had called around six, begging for her to come back to NCIS and work on the audio feed. When she asked if he had followed the dummy manual, he swore he had. When she asked if he had broken anything, there had been a guilty silence before he answered: 'not exactly'. Abby had groaned and said she would be in tomorrow and told him to go home and get some sleep. Now if only she could do the same.

When her phone rang at nine, she eagerly picked it up, noticing from the caller ID that it was Sarah.

"Hi, Sarah, how are you?"

"That's what I wanted to ask you, Abby. I heard you were in the hospital and then Gibbs told me that it was actually one of your ex-boyfriends that shot Tim."

Abby sighed. "Yeah- sorry about that."

Sarah laughed. "Hey, you can't control what other people do or feel, Abs. I've learned that the hard way over the years. Remember when I was suspected of murder and you guys helped prove my innocence?"

For a few minutes the girls talked about Sarah's case before Abby steered her back to their current investigation. "Listen, Sarah. I'm glad you called. I'm trying to get into McGee's home computer but its password protected. Any chance he told you the password?"

"Uh – no. Tim's really private – but don't you have special diagnostic tools to crack all that kind of stuff?"

Abby sighed again. "Yeah, but I'm about tapped out. It's got to be something personal – like something from his novels or-"

"I bet it's an anagram!" Sarah interrupted.

"Excuse me?"

"You know, that's how Tim came up with his pseudonym and the characters in his book since they're based on all you guys – have you tried the names of his characters?"

"Yes, hours ago. But anagrams are a good idea. Thanks, Sarah."

For the next hour, Abby rearranged the letters in Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Anthony DiNozzo, Ducky Mallard, and Ziva David without any luck. Just as Abby was about ready to give up and crash on Tim's bed she began to rearrange the letters of her own name. She cocked her head at the name on the sheet in front of her: Toby Bacius. It sounded familiar – wasn't that one of the names in Tim's latest book? Oh well, it couldn't hurt to try it before she gave up for the night.

Her shout of triumph echoed in the empty apartment and caused Watkins to jolt out of his slight doze and reach for his gun.

So close and yet so far.

He watched from outside McGee's apartment through high powered binoculars as she got ready for bed. She was so beautiful. Her dark hair gleamed in the soft light and even though she was too far away he could still close his eyes and remember the smell of her perfume. She moved slowly, as if she was very tired, but she had a slight smile on her face, as if she had just learned something that had pleased her. He hoped she was thinking of him.

He saw her speaking to someone in the other room and for a moment his stomach clenched. Had McGee somehow made a miraculous recovery and was even now back in his own apartment with her? But no, it was an unknown armed man who joined his beautiful Gothic angel in the bedroom for a few minutes, even taking the time to look out the window. He felt another moment of anxiety when the man looked right at him but then his gaze moved on and he relaxed. There really was no way he could be spotted at this distance with the naked eye. The man turned back to Abby and spoke to her. After a minute or two, Abby shrugged and the armed man left her alone in the room.

He really hoped she would change clothes before getting into bed. It had been so long since he had seen her beautiful body. But fate was not on his side tonight as she simply turned out the light and slipped beneath the covers, burying her face in the pillow. She whispered something into the darkness and he closed his eyes, hoping that she would dream of him.

He knew he would dream of her.

"There's been no change, Dr. Hart. Mr. McGee still isn't responding to the medication."

"Damn."

"If I might be allowed to make I suggestion-" Nurse Stephanie bit her lip.

Dr. Hart looked up from Tim's chart as she hesitated. "Well? Out with it."

"Perhaps if you lifted the 'no visitor' restriction-"

"Absolutely not. Nurse, Mr. McGee has double pneumonia and needs an absolute sterile environment in which to recover."

"Yes, doctor."

Dr. Hart grunted but before he left the nurses' station he pulled Stephanie aside. "Out of curiosity, what made you suggest such a thing?"

"I noticed a tattoo on Mr. McGee's left hip when I was giving him his sponge bath today. It's the Gothic letter 'A' –" Stephanie paused.

"So?" Dr. Hart shrugged.

"I think you should let that woman, Abby, visit him."

Dr. Hart frowned. "I don't know, she practically had to be dragged from the room when he was coding."

"Exactly! I think they're more than friends, doctor. I think she's 'A' – I think she'll do Mr. McGee as much if not more good than any medicine."

Dr. Hart grunted again. "And I think you've been watching too many soap operas, nurse." He waved his hand as she began to argue. "Let's give it another twenty-four hours. If Mr. McGee isn't any better, I'll think about allowing him visitors, all right?"

"Yes, doctor."

A/N: Sounds like Tim needs his 'Abby' fix. And what about that tattoo? Reviews are L-O-V-E!