**Chapter Four -- New Divide**
**Abby's Apartment -- May 20, 2009**
He pulled back and leaned against the couch, rubbing his hurt shoulder absentmindedly. "Tony..." Abby sighed, reaching out and putting a hand on his on his arm gently. "Don't do this, please? You know I hate it when you pout."
"Not pouting." He turned away from her and leaned his head against the back of the couch. "Jus' tired. Long few days. Look, 'm jus' gonna head home, okay?"
Abby frowned, moving off the couch and standing in front of Tony. "Nope, you're not going anywhere but to bed with me. Come on, babe." She grabbed his good arm and gently pulled him to his feet. She walked over to her dresser and opened the drawer that was reserved for his clothes, pulling out an OSU t-shirt and a pair of pajama pants before turning back to him.
"Go on, get changed. Your toothbrush is still in the medicine cabinet. I'll turn the bed down while you do that." She watched as he grumbled, standing up and going to the bathroom. She pushed the half closed bathroom door open a few minutes later and walked in wearing her pajamas, standing behind him and placing her chin on his shoulder. "Whatcha doin', Tony-boy?"
He watched her through the mirror as she grinned at him. "Don't think we should share tonight, sweetie. I've had a lot to drink..."
"That's silly. We've shared a bed before!" She kissed his shoulder and moved in front of him, starting to brush her teeth. She turned around a moment later, noticing how close they were standing. She grabbed his hand and led him into the bedroom. "Come on. We'll be fine. Lay down with me." He relented, getting into bed and putting his bare feet under the blankets. She scooted closer to him and propped her head up on her hand. "That's better. How're you feeling?"
He groaned quietly as he relaxed, turning his head to look at Abby. "Better now, thanks." He flashed a small smile as he reached up to tuck a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She shivered, feeling his hand wrap gently around the back of her head before pulling her down for a kiss. It lasted for a moment before Tony pulled away, resting his head back on the pillow. "Sorry." He mumbled, turning away as well as he could with a hurt arm.
Abby's voice came in a whisper. "Don't be." She reached over to stroke his cheek gently. "Don't be sorry, T." She smiled at him when he turned back to face her, laying her head on his shoulder and wrapping an arm around his waist. "Let's go to sleep. Everything will be better tomorrow."
**6 Years Earlier -- NCIS Headquarters -- November 19, 2003**
Tony didn't even look up from the file he was reading as the elevator doors opened in front of him.
"Hey, Agent DiNozzo."
His head snapped up at the sound of the voice. He closed the file and slipped it under his arm, seeing Agent McGee from the Norfolk office standing in front of him. Giving him a curious look, he stepped on, pressing the button for autopsy. "What are you doin' here, McGee? Aren't you supposed to be back in Norfolk?"
"I'm heading back later tonight." He smiled at Tony and straightened his jacket. "I'm gonna take Abby out to dinner before I leave."
"Abby, huh?" He could feel himself tensing at the thought of them together.
McGee nodded as the elevator stopped outside of the Forensics Lab. "Yep. I wanted to go for a cup of coffee earlier, but we got busy with the case, so I invited her to dinner instead."
Tony grunted in acknowledgement, stepping off the elevator with McGee. The two men walked into Abby's lab side-by-side and she smiled when she looked up from her desk. "Hey you guys!" She stood and hugged Tony tightly. "What are you doing down here? I figured you'd still be busy with your report."
"Just stopped by to say hey, Abs. You know me, can't go more than a few hours without seeing my favorite Goth." He pressed a kiss to her temple as she released him from the hug. "I...uh, actually I'd better get going. Gotta get this report back to autopsy for Ducky."
"Alright, T. I'll see you tomorrow?" She called after him as he made his way back to the elevator.
Tony turned around and smiled at her. "You bet, Abs. 'Night, McGee."
She turned back to McGee after Tony stepped onto the elevator, smiling brightly at him. "Ready to go?"
"Absolutely. Your choice, we'll go wherever you want." He offered his arm to her and they walked out of the lab, closing the door behind them.
Tony sighed as he stepped back into the squad room. *Can't believe she's going out with McGee. McGee!* He plopped down into his desk chair and began shoving the paperwork that littered his desk into his filing cabinet, slamming the drawer shut roughly.
Kate looked up at him from her desk as he continued to shove the items on his desk around and mumble under his breath. "Something wrong, Tony?"
"What makes you say that, Katie?" He said with a fake sweetness as he slammed another drawer.
"Well, you seem more irritated than usual." She leaned forward on her elbows and smirked. "You don't like Agent McGee, do you?"
Tony glared at her from across the bullpen. "It doesn't matter if I like McGeek or not. He's going back to Norfolk tonight and hopefully he won't be back."
"Who said McGee was goin' back tonight, DiNozzo?"
He flinched as Gibbs swept past him, taking a sip of his coffee before sitting down at his desk. "McGee did, Boss. In the elevator earlier on his way down to Abby's lab."
Gibbs chuckled lightly. "Go home, you two. Be back here at 07 tomorrow."
Kate smiled as she grabbed her bag and stood, taking her gun and badge out of her desk drawer. "Goodnight, Gibbs." She ruffled Tony's hair as she passed his desk. "Don't let McGee get to you. It's unhealthy, you know."
"Yeah, yeah." He watched her shake her head as she headed for the elevator. He rubbed his hand over his face, muttering under his breath.
"Got a problem, DiNozzo?"
He glanced across the bullpen at his boss before standing up and moving in front of the older agent's desk. "Did you know that he's taking Abby out tonight? Like *out* out. On a date." Gibbs shook his head slightly, but didn't look up to acknowledge Tony's statement. "Boss? You hear me? You're gonna let McGee just swoop in and take her out like that?"
Setting aside the file he was looking at, he made eye contact with the younger man, raising one hand and motioning for him to move closer. Tony leaned across the desk at the unspoken command, waiting patiently for what his boss had to say. "Yeah, Boss?"
Gibbs' hand snaked around the back of his head and smacked him. Tony straightened immediately, a surprised look on his face. "Thank you, Boss."
Tony frowned when Gibbs rolled his eyes and chuckled under his breath. "Um...goodnight, Boss." He turned back to his desk and quickly gathered his gun and badge from the drawer, shoving them into his backpack and heading for the elevator.
Once he was inside the car and heading for the parking garage, he slumped next to the button panel. He pulled out his phone and opened it, contemplating calling Abby. He got as far as dialing her number before snapping the phone shut and sighing heavily. Against his better judgement, he opened the phone again and dialed her number, this time hitting send before he could chicken out.
"Abby." She answered. He heard her giggle in response to something McGee had said and he cringed. "Hello?"
"Oh, sorry. Hey, Abs. It's Tony."
She covered the phone for a second and whispered to McGee. "Could you give me just a sec, Tim? I'll be right back." He nodded and she stepped away from their table before speaking again. "What's up, T?"
He stepped out of the elevator as it came to a stop on the ground floor and started walking toward his car. "Not a lot, Gibbs let Kate and I go early, I was just wondering if maybe you wanted to come over tonight. Maybe watch a movie?"
Abby leaned against the wall where she stood near the bathroom of the restaurant and sighed. "Tony! McGee told you we were going out tonight, didn't he?" He didn't respond. She knew it, he never said anything when he had been caught by her. She could sniff out a lie of his from a mile away. "I don't know, Tony. Maybe, okay? I'll call you when we're done with dinner, alright?"
"Yeah, sure thing. It's no problem. Sorry I interrupted your dinner." He paused, expecting her to just hang up. "Abs?"
"It's okay. I forgive you. Talk to you later." She hung up the phone, slipping it back into her pocket before heading back to the table.
He tossed the cell phone into the passenger seat as he started the car and drove toward his apartment. He stopped halfway at the corner store and picked up a frozen pizza and a case of Jamaican beer before getting back into his car and finishing the trip home.
**Three Hours Later**
Tony paused the movie he was watching when he heard the sound of insistent knocking at his front door. "'M comin', 'm comin'." He stood up from the couch and stretched, noticing the empty beer bottles and half-eaten pizza that sat on his coffee table. He shrugged, shuffling over to the door and unlocking the deadbolt before opening it.
As soon as the door started to open, Abby pushed her way into the apartment past Tony. "What's your damage, DiNozzo?"
He rubbed a hand through his hair in confusion as he shut the door behind her and locked it again. "Uh, sorry? I think I'm missing something."
She cocked her hip out and crossed her arms in front of her, glaring at him. "You forget that you called me earlier? Interrupted my date with Tim?" Tony sighed. He opened his mouth to apologize but she held her hand up, stopping him. "I don't wanna hear it, okay? I don't need you to be my big brother. I have one, and trust me, he manages to drain the fun out of everything."
"Abs, I..."
"No!" She flung her arms up and started pacing across the living room. "I don't need you to protect me, Tony! I just got Gibbs to back off a little bit. It's bad enough that I've got Bradley *still* trying to baby me, and he lives 1,500 miles away. I'm a big girl, okay? I can take care of myself. I'm not some helpless woman who needs a man around all the time. Jeez!" She plopped down on the couch and let her head fall back against the cushion.
They sat in silence for a second before her head popped up and she turned around to face him, kneeling on the couch. "You're jealous!" Her eyes widened and she pointed a finger at him accusingly when he didn't defend himself immediately. "You so are! Oh my God."
Tony's mouth went dry as he searched for words. "I...I am not...wow, Abby." He chuckled. "I'm not jealous, okay? Especially not of McGeek."
"Don't call him that, Tony. He's sweet."
He pointed a finger in the air as if to make a point. "Exactly! He's sweet in the pants, maybe."
"TONY!" She shouted, glaring at him. "He was completely interested, if you know what I mean. Even kissed me goodnight. We're going out again next weekend."
He walked over to the back of the couch she was kneeling on and smiled down at her. "Lots of guys can kiss. Doesn't stop him from being McTootyFruity." He leaned down and kissed her. "See? And you know what I'm capable of."
Abby punched him in the shoulder and grinned. "You're not proving anything, Tony-boy. Only that you're more jealous of him than I previously calculated."
"Abby." He sighed, hopping over the back of the couch and sitting next to her. "I am not jealous of McGee, okay? I promise you that."
**11 Months Later -- October 13, 2004**
The loud knocking at the door resounded through the apartment, waking its owner with a start. He climbed out of bed, making sure to pick up the Sig that was sitting on his nightstand before making his way to the door.
"You're aware it is 0300, right? What could anyone possibly..." He opened the door and was surprised to see Abby standing at his door, soaking wet from the rain that was falling outside.
"I...I'm sorry." She shook her head, spraying him with small drops of water from the ends of her pigtails as she wrapped her wet jacket around her tighter. "I'll go. See you tomorrow...er...later today, I guess. Didn't mean to wake you."
Before she could turn around completely, he grabbed her arm gently, pulling her into his apartment and shutting the door behind them. "Abby...you okay?"
"I'm fine..." She barely got the words out between the chattering of her teeth. "Just a little...wet."
"Yeah, I can see that, Abs." He ushered her into the bathroom and helped her out of her wet clothes before wrapping her in his large bathrobe. "What happened?"
"We...we had a fight." She was still shivering as he led her into the bedroom, pulling her hair out of the pigtails and drying them with a towel as he sat behind her on the bed. "He was mad at me. It was pretty bad, Tony."
He ran his fingers through her hair gently after he dried it, untangling it. "Well, you two have been together for awhile now, right? You're bound to have a fight or two." Tony tried to hide the bitterness in his voice, but he knew it wasn't working when she shifted uncomfortably.
"I don't think I'll have to worry about that anymore." Abby swiped at the tears that rolled down her cheeks. "We broke up tonight."
"Oh...Abs, I'm sorry, sweetheart." He rubbed his hands over her arms soothingly. "What was the fight about?"
She leaned back into Tony's arms awkwardly, unsure of what his reaction would be. They had drifted apart since she and McGee had been dating. It upset her, but she knew that Tony didn't approve of their relationship and she didn't want to be around him if all he was going to do was rag on Tim. He did enough of that at work.
"He doesn't like going to the parties I go to. I wouldn't let it bother me, except I always go to his stupid LAN parties with him! I mean, is it too much to ask that we do something I wanna do for once?" Abby sighed, exasperated.
Tony wrapped his arms around her, pulling her closer. He fell silent, not knowing what to say to comfort her as she continued.
"So, I had made plans to go to a party for one of my friend's birthday tonight and he didn't want me to. Wanted me to go with him to some LAN party instead. I said no, we fought, then I left."
He stood up, leaving her sitting on the bed. "Where are you going?" She asked, watching as he pulled on a pair of jeans over his boxers and threw on a OSU sweatshirt.
"I'm going to talk to McGee, Abby. Got a problem?" He slipped into his All-Stars and started to head out of the room, but she stopped him at the door.
"Don't." She put a hand on his chest, looking up at him with her big green eyes. "Please don't, Tony."
He sighed, looking down at her wrapped up in his too large robe, seemingly disappearing in the heavy black fabric.
"You and Gibbs, you're too much alike, you know? Neither of you know how to just *talk*. There's almost always some physical confrontation involved."
Tony snorted, thinking briefly about just moving her aside and going anyway. "Abs, come on. He obviously needs someone to talk to him. How long has he been like this?"
"It's not important, Tony. I didn't come to my personal bodyguard, I came to my best friend. Can you be my best friend tonight? Save the bouncer work for later...and preferably not on McGee?"
He turned and walked back to the bed, sitting on the edge. "Since when are we best friends, Abby?" He scoffed, pulling his shoes off. "We've hardly hung out at all since you've been with him, and now all of a sudden I'm supposed to be the best friend again?"
She frowned, upset at herself for hurting him. "Tony..." She walked over to the bed and sat next to him. "I'm sorry...I didn't..."
"Abby, you don't have to apologize, okay?" He wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pressed a kiss to her temple. "You never have to apologize to me."
She rested her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes. "I love you, Tony-boy."
Tony rested his cheek on her head and sighed. "I love you too, Abby-girl."
He picked her up carefully after a few minutes and laid her down at the head of the bed, covering her up with the blankets. He climbed in next to her and wrapped his arms around her waist before falling asleep.
**The Next Morning**
Tony woke once again to someone knocking at his front door. He sat up and swung his legs off the bed, being careful to not wake Abby.
He walked toward the door as the knocking became more persistent. "Hold your horses, I'm coming!"
McGee stood at the door when Tony opened it, causing a scowl to cross his face almost immediately. "What do you want, McControlling?"
"I was right, she did come to you. She always comes to you." He took a deep breath and shifted from one foot to the other. "I screwed up, Tony."
"Understatement of the century, I'd say." Tony scoffed, crossing his arms and leaning against the door frame.
McGee frowned, looking away from the older man's intense stare. "Is she here? Can I talk to her?"
"What do you think the answer to that question is, McGee? You really think I'm gonna let you see her? She showed up here last night soaked head to toe from walking in the rain."
"I know...I tried to stop her from leaving, but she just took off." The younger agent sighed, leaning against the wall facing Tony's apartment door. "I had an idea where she was going and thought I'd let her cool off before coming to talk to her."
Neither man heard Abby come out of the bedroom and stand in the kitchen silently, listening to their conversation as she made coffee.
"Do you really blame her for leaving, McGee?"
"No, Tony. I don't. I know that I was being selfish, I just wanted to come apologize and say goodbye."
Tony stepped closer to the younger man and glared at him. "Running away? You think that's gonna make things better?"
"Maybe not better, but less awkward for Abby. I just want her to be happy." The door to Tony's apartment flew open suddenly and Abby came flying out, taking McGee's arm and dragging him inside.
"Abby!" Tony followed them, not catching up before they ran into the bedroom and Abby locked the door. "Hey! That's my room, you know!"
"You're not leaving." She stated calmly, putting her hands on her hips.
"Abby, I just don't want things to be weird."
"Nope. Won't be unless you let them. I fought tooth and nail with Gibbs when he transferred you here. He wanted us to break up. Rule 12." She sat down on the end of the bed. "But I told him it would be fine. He trusted my judgement."
McGee fidgeted, eyeing the door. "I'm sorry, Abby. I didn't mean to upset you last night."
"You wouldn't have said the things you did if you didn't mean them, Tim." Abby frowned, looking away for a second before making eye contact with him again. "We're better off as friends, I think. We're too different."
McGee nodded in agreement. "Yeah, me too." He walked over to where she was sitting and opened his arms. "Friends?"
"Friends." She stood up and jumped into his arms, hugging him tightly. "Wanna go see a movie or something?"
"Nah. I...should probably steer clear of Tony for awhile. He's pretty pissed at me." Tim leaned down and pecked her on the cheek. "I'll see you Monday, okay?"
Abby nodded. "Sure thing." She jumped back from him as the bedroom door popped open, revealing Tony holding his lockpick kit.
"Word of advice, Abs, don't go locking yourself in my room with another man ever again, okay?"
She blushed. "Sorry, T."
McGee slinked toward the door when Tony grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and pulled him back.
"Tony!" Abby cried. She made a move toward him, but he held up a hand to stop her in her tracks.
He reached up and headslapped McGee before leaning close to the younger man's ear. "We'll talk later."
He nodded fervently before walking to the door and leaving the apartment.
Abby walked over to him once she heard the apartment door close and punched him in the shoulder.
"Ow! What's that for?" Tony cried, rubbing his shoulder.
Abby frowned at him and then jumped into his arms. "I'm sorry, Tony." He lifted her off the ground and hugged her tightly.
He kissed her ear and smiled. "It's okay, babe." He set her back on the ground. "I dried your clothes last night, why don't we get dressed and we'll go see that movie you were talking about with McGoo."
Chapter End Notes:
"New Divide" by Linkin Park