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Present
It had been an absolutely crazy week, back to back cases that kept everyone scurrying around. Abby felt even more of the pressure as she was getting evidence thrust at her from all the teams.
Gibbs' team had finally caught a breather and Tony was at his desk trying to get caught up on paperwork. He was really hoping that they would have the weekend off. He and Abby hadn't really had any quality time together all week, crawling into bed and curling up around each other to try and catch three hours of sleep before needing to be back at the office didn't count.
He knew Abby was tired, and stressed, and if his mental calculations were correct, she was also fighting pms. With that thought in mind he took a break and hit the vending machine for her favorite chocolate bar and made his way to her lab.
The music was on but a little more on the bluesy-jazz side rather than her normal head-pounding metal. He admired the view of her in one of her favorite little skirts and kneesocks for a moment before she realized he was there. She gave him a quick smile and he could see the circles under her eyes and, if possible, she seemed a little paler than usual.
"Hey, Abs," he said going to stand next to her at the bench.
"Gibbs know you're down here goofing off?" she teased.
"I'm not afraid of Gibbs...," at her questioning eyebrow he added, "Ah, no, he doesn't know."
She giggled then suddenly stopped. She gripped the bench but Tony saw her legs give out and caught her before she could hit the floor.
Abby woke up to see the fuzzy images of three very concerned men staring at her. One more frantic than the others, but deadly quiet.
Ducky was taking her pulse. "Ah, back with us, Abigail?"
"What happened?"
Gibbs' voice dragged her attention away from Ducky, "You passed out, Abs. Just about gave DiNozzo a heart attack."
Her eyes flew to Tony's. He had her other hand in a death grip, his face awash with worry. His silence screaming volumes about how worried he was. "Tony, I'm okay."
She attempted to sit up and got dizzy again. Thankfully Tony was there for her to lean against.
"Have you been feeling ill, Abby?" Ducky asked.
"No. Just tired. It's been a crazy week. I'm so embarrassed."
"When was the last time you ate anything?"
She made a face at that, "I've been a little queasy the past couple of days, I haven't really had much of an appetite."
Gibbs sighed. "You don't think that maybe that falls under the heading of "feeling ill", Abs?"
"I guess. I've just been swamped, I didn't really think about it, Gibbs."
"How is your stomach now, Abby?"
"It's better now than it was earlier."
"Good. Now Anthony had brought you a chocolate bar. Think you can manage that?" Ducky asked as he held out the candy bar.
"Yeah." Tony finally released her hand so she could open the chocolate and she ate it in short order as the men supervised.
Some of the color returned to her cheeks as she ate it, and when she had finished it and washed it down with a bottle of water, Ducky said, "I suspect that the reason you lost consciousness is the combination of a lack of sleep and hypoglycemia. Now I want you to go home, eat a healthy meal and get some rest. Think you can manage that?"
She shook her head. "I can't leave, there's too much to do."
Gibbs sighed again. "DiNozzo, take her home now, feed her and put her to bed. I don't want to see either of you until Monday."
Abby started to protest, "But, Gibbs...," when Tony spoke for the first time.
His voice was firm and brooked no nonsense, "No buts, Abby. While you get your stuff together, I'm going to go bring the car around."
Gibbs smirked to himself. He knew that Tony would take care of "his" girl.
He and Ducky waited with her as she shut down the lab and got her purse and coat. They escorted her up to the bullpen and Tony met them there. For a brief moment Tony's eyes met Gibbs' and there was approval in them that Tony hadn't expected to see.
Tony got her home and situated on the couch as he put together a quick dinner of pasta, salad and bread. He had been unusually quiet and didn't really speak until they were settled on the couch with their food.
"You scared me, Abs."
"I know. I'm sorry."
"You should have told me you didn't feel well."
Abby picked at her food, "I know. I just didn't think it was that big a deal."
Tony looked down at his plate, distractedly pushing the penne around the plate, and his voice was low when he replied, "It is a big deal. I love you and if something's wrong I need to know."
The words were out, said quietly with a world of emotion behind them. She didn't didn't say anything, simply met his eyes and nodded. More words would have just gotten in the way.
They napped together on the couch, falling asleep in front of the television. And when he woke later, he carried her to bed and tucked them both in, pulling her close to him.
And in that space, that moment between being awake and asleep, she whispered into his chest, "I love you too."
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tbc...
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