**Missing**
**May 4, 2004 -- Abby's Lab**
Tony sat on the prep table in the middle on the lab, watching as Abby paced nervously in front of him.
"Abs, relax, please. I'm a trained professional."
"We're not talking about skateboarding, Tony! You're going to tail a suspect with no backup!"
He hopped down and stepped in her way, gripping her shoulders gently. "I. Will. Be. Fine." He said, smiling at her. "Besides, I like doing surveillance. Stakeouts are the best, but I'll take what I can get."
"I don't have a good feeling about this, Tony." She said, looking up at him with her bright green eyes. "Like, my gut is all twisted."
He waved a hand at her, leaning against the table again. "That's just the bad Chinese we had last night. I had the same problem this morning."
Abby rolled her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. "I'm serious, Tony."
"So am I. That Chinese was horrible. Remind me never to go to Golden Star again."
He yelped when her fist connected with his shoulder, making him jerk back slightly. "What was that for?"
"Not taking this seriously. It's dangerous, and you don't even realize the risk!"
"Abby." The Italian held his hand out to her, gathering her up against his chest in a hug when she accepted it. "I promise everything will be fine. Okay?" He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and pulled back a little, tipping her chin up so she was looking him in the eye. "We'll go out on Saturday, okay? I'll take you to that new club you've been wanting to go to."
"Okay." She sighed, pressing her nose into the hollow of his throat. "I just worry, that's all."
"I know you do, and that's why I love you." He grinned, releasing her from the embrace. "Now, are you gonna gimme back my cell phone, or am I gonna have to go without GPS?"
Reluctantly, the Goth took the small device out of her back pocket and dropped it into his hand. "I just wanted to make sure you came and saw me before you did anything drastic."
"You mean you wanted to try and talk me out of it." Tony said, cocking an eyebrow at her. He leaned over and pecked her on the cheek before turning away. "Gotta go, Abs. I'll see you when I get back, alright?"
"Yeah." She said, watching as he stepped into the elevator. Sighing, she picked up Bert and gave him a good squeeze. "This stomachache is definitely not just bad Chinese."
**20 Hours Later**
"Abby!" Gibbs called, walking into the darkened lab and looking around for the scientist. "Abs?"
He crossed the large open lab and stepped into her office, finding her passed out from exhaustion at her desk. The younger woman had been up without any sleep since Tony had been down to inform her that he was going to tail their suspect, and he had to admit that he was happy to see her sleeping, even if he did have to wake her up.
"Abby." He whispered, pulling her pigtail gently. "Wake up."
The Goth sat straight up, blinking rapidly to clear her vision. "I'm up! Did you find him?"
"Not yet. I need you to get me maps of the sewers near the bar. Can you do that?"
She nodded, looking up at the older man hopefully. "Is that where he is? I mean...are you guys gonna be able to find him?"
Leaning down, he pressed a kiss to her temple. "We'll find him, Abs. Now, come on." He nudged her shoulder, setting a Caf-Pow! down in front of her.
Abby turned back to her computer and typed quickly, blinking back the nervous tears that were building behind her eyes. "Got it." She mumbled, pulling the sheet of paper off the printer and handing it to him.
Gibbs signed a quick 'thank you' to her before turning and walking away. Standing up, she followed him until he reached the door, stopping right on his heels when he turned and looked at her. "What's up, Abs?"
"Just...bring him back safe, okay?"
Gibbs kissed her cheek and gave her a reassuring grin. "We'll be back soon, okay?"
She sighed, watching as the older man exited the lab with the map she had given him. Saying a silent prayer, she wrapped her arms around herself and resigned herself to waiting patiently for any more news of her best friend.
**1830 Hours -- Abby's Lab**
Tony pushed himself off the wall of the elevator when the doors slid open, walking into the lab. He sighed heavily as he leaned against the wall, watching his friend as she worked at her computer.
"Oh, hey T." She said, flashing him a small smile over her shoulder before turning back to her computer.
He glanced at her, confused as to how she was managing to keep herself calm when she was so distraught before he left. "Hey." He mumbled. "So, uh...I don't get a hug or anything? I did just spend almost 24 hours in a sewer."
"Of course." She grinned, pulling herself away from her computer and skipping over to him and pressing a kiss to his cheek. "Welcome back."
The Italian frowned, watching her move back to her computer. "You know, you're acting like I went on vacation rather than having been kidnapped by some crazy woman."
Abby turned around and leaned against the workbench, cocking an eyebrow at her. "Gibbs told me you were okay already. He called while you were getting patched up at the hospital."
"Oh." He said, turning toward the door.
"Tony..." She said, starting to move toward him when he spun around.
"I'm goin' home." He snapped, spinning back around and stepping onto the elevator before the Goth had an opportunity to respond.
**2100 Hours -- Tony's Apartment**
The brunette groaned when he heard the knock on the door, pausing the movie he was watching and standing up, taking a swig of his beer. He made his way over to the door and opened it, leaning against the frame in his pajama pants.
"Hey."
The younger woman looked up at him through her bangs, frowning slightly. "Hey. I'm sorry about..."
"Don't."
"Tony, let me talk. I just want to apologize..."
"I said don't, Abby. I don't wanna hear it, okay? I get it. You don't care, or whatever your reason is...it doesn't matter. Just...we'll see each other on Monday and everything will be back to normal."
Abby nearly stumbled back at the force of his words, feeling her resolve crumble. "I *do* care, Tony. I probably care more than I should!"
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
"What do you think it's supposed to mean, T? You're always going off and practically begging for trouble, not taking anyone else into consideration! I *told* you that I had a bad feeling about this, but you went off and did it anyway, brushing me off like I don't rate!"
"I was doing my job, Abby. I don't get to cherry pick the assignments."
She stopped trying to hold back her tears, raising her voice slightly. "But you don't have to volunteer! It...it's like you go looking for trouble! Like you can't get enough! What the fuck are you trying to prove?"
Tony slammed his hand against the open door loudly. "Everyone has someone to give a shit if something happens. I clearly don't. You and Gibbs proved that today."
The Goth reached out and punched him hard in the chest. "If you think that I don't care about you, then you're dumber than you look, DiNozzo."
Before he could say anything else, she turned and walked away, leaving him standing in the doorway to his apartment alone.
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.