**Chained**
**December 14, 2004 -- Squad Room**
"Abby? Everything okay?" McGee asked, hurrying down the stairs from MTAC at the sight of the distraught Goth perched on his desk. He had just ended a call with the Deputy Secretary of State, and needless to say it hadn't gone very well.
"No!" Abby cried, jumping off his desk and launching herself into his arms.
He held her close to him, running a reassuring hand over her back. "What happened?"
"We lost him." She mumbled. He was barely able to make out her words as her face remained buried in his chest, the few tears she was allowing to fall making his shirt damp.
"We...lost him? How?"
"H...his GPS signal disappeared, then he found the truck and trailer that Gibbs decided to stash for him, then he got into a car accident! Someone stopped to help, but I guess Tony took off with the creep, stealing the guy's motorcycle. I...there's no way for me to track him, Tim! What...what if..."
"Abby, Abby. Stop." Pulling her away from him, he cupped her face in her hands. "Tony knows what he's doing. He'll be just fine, okay?"
"P...promise?"
McGee closed his eyes briefly, inhaling a deep breath. "Yes. He's got Kate and Gibbs out there looking for him, and he knows how to take care of himself." He pulled her against him again, giving her a tight hug. "Everything will turn out fine, Abs. Let's just...try to keep calm, huh?"
She whimpered quietly, nodding against him. Pulling back, she wiped her eyes and forced a smile. "Thanks, Timmy. I...Gibbs wants me to figure where they're headed. Better go do that."
The young agent frowned slightly when she turned and hurried off to the elevator, wishing there was something more he could tell her. Rolling his eyes, he caught sight of the MTAC controller waving him back up toward the large room, letting him know that the Deputy Secretary of State was back on the line.
Pulling the bottle of TUMS out of his pocket, he popped a few more into his mouth and headed upstairs, knowing that once she found out that Tony was missing, things were only going to get worse.
**The Next Day -- 1700 Hours**
McGee glanced up at the sound of the elevators dinging, a quiet sigh of relief escaping him as Tony stepped out of the car. Though he'd never say as much out loud, he had been concerned about the older man and was glad to see that he was back.
"Welcome back, Tony." He said dumbly, inwardly cursing at his greeting. He'd made it sound as though the man had just returned from a pleasant vacation and he wasn't surprised when he didn't receive a response.
Stalking over to his desk, Tony dropped into his seat, his jaw clenched as Gibbs followed.
"DiNozzo." Gibbs said quietly, his voice firm. Tony gave no indication that he'd heard, but it didn't deter the older man. "Tony."
"What?" His voice was harsh and his gaze remained focused on the computer screen.
"Go home, Tony."
"I'm fine. Need to finish this report."
"Not a discussion. Go home. It can wait."
The Italian pulled his drawer open and pulled out his gun and badge before slamming it shut loudly and stomping off toward the elevator. McGee looked over to Gibbs, hoping for an explanation.
"Don't ask, McGee." He said, not even looking up from his paperwork. Sighing heavily, he closed the file and slipped it into his desk drawer, exchanging it for his service weapon. "I'm goin' home. You go too."
"Th...thanks, Boss."
The silver haired man nodded, pulling his jacket on and heading toward the elevator to tell Abby that everything was okay. When he stepped off the elevator in the basement of the building, he walked into the oddly quiet lab and approached the Goth.
"Abby."
She immediately jumped up and crushed him in a hug, her eyes puffy and red, though she wasn't currently crying.
"Gibbs! Is he okay? Where is he?"
"He'll be alright. I sent him home, came down to tell you the same."
She smiled, pulling away from him and grabbing her purse and jacket quickly. "Good. I'll go make him a nice dinner and we'll relax and watch..."
Gibbs shook his head, resting a finger against her lips. "Go to *your* home."
"But Gibbs...he needs a friend tonight!"
"Not tonight, Abs. Trust me, he needs some time to himself. Now, are you gonna go home, or do I need to put a sitter on you?"
The Goth hung her head slightly. "No. I'll go home."
He tipped her chin up and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Y'know I wouldn't tell you to leave him be if it wasn't for the best, Abs. You can see him tomorrow, after everything's had a chance to settle."
She nodded and he turned away from her, walking back to the elevator and heading home.
**3 Hours Later**
Abby released a sigh as she stepped onto the elevator in Tony's apartment building. Pressing the button for the 4th floor, she shifted the hot pizza from one hand to the next and waited for the doors to open.
She stepped off the elevator and down the hallway to his door, pulling her spare key out and unlocking it quietly. She frowned when she saw the lights turned off and toed her shoes off before walking into the kitchen, setting the pizza down on the counter.
"Tony?" She called quietly, poking her head into the living room to see if he was on the couch. "T?"
The Goth continued down the hallway, pushing the door to his bedroom open quietly, relaxing a little when she saw him sprawled out on his bed, clad only in a pair of boxers.
She stepped into the bedroom quietly, her bare feet silent against the thick, carpeted floor in the room. She almost hated to wake him but after going for nearly twenty-four hours without any contact with her friend, she needed to know for sure that he was okay.
She made her way over to the bed slowly, dropping to a crouch beside him. He looked troubled, even in his sleep and the very sight of him was enough to make her frown.
Reaching out, she laid her hand on his shoulder, a quiet gasp escaping her as he flinched away from the touch.
She had no time to process to situation before she found herself sprawled out on her back, pinned under his weight, the cold metal barrel of his gun pressing against her neck.
She could feel his body trembling against hers as his wild eyes searched her face frantically, his gaze slightly unfocused. Her eyes filled with tears as she went stiff beneath him, her voice caught in her throat despite the urge to cry out, begging him to release her. A strangled sob tore from her suddenly, and almost immediately she felt her friend's weight leave her body.
"Abby...oh my God." He said, putting the safety back on his weapon and tossing it gently onto the bed before reaching out to her. She pulled away, moving back until she was leaning against the wall.
"I...I..." She tried, looking back and forth between the older man and the door, unable to move out of fear that she would set him off again. "I should go."
"Abs..." He whispered, not moving from his place next to the bed, afraid that he would spook her. "I'm so sorry. I..."
She held her hand up and shook her head, looking toward the door again. "I'm going."
He nodded and held his hands up, silently telling her that he wasn't gonna stop her from leaving. She stood shakily a moment later and left the room quickly, her eyes never leaving him until she was out of his sight.
Tony dropped his head into his hands when he heard the door slam shut behind her, picking up one of his shoes that he was sitting next to and flinging it against the wall as hard as he could manage. "Fuck!" He cried, grasping his hair tightly. "God. Fucking. Damn it."
He sighed and dropped his head back against the bed, glancing toward the door. He knew she wasn't coming back, not tonight. He cursed himself again, angry that he had attacked her the way he had. He couldn't remember having ever touched a woman with the outright intent to hurt them, not even a suspect, and he hadn't wanted to hurt Abby either, after he realized who she was.
Being in that house with at least one of the two men having murdered people in his past, needless to say it put him a little on edge. He froze, looking toward the door when he heard the front door to his apartment opening again.
"Abby?" He called, not wanting to move from his place on the floor. He sighed in relief when she appeared at the doorway to his room, her cheeks damp from the tears she had been crying.
"I..."
"No, no, no." He said, standing up slowly, making each move deliberate so as to not make her run off. He could tell that she was jumpy and nervous, even from across the room in the dark. "I'm sorry, Abby. So, so sorry."
"I know." She barely managed, nodding at him as he approached slowly. Rushing forward, she crushed herself to his chest, needing the reassurance that he was alright as much as she knew he needed the same from her. "I...I shouldn't have just barged in. Gibbs told me not to come, that you needed some time to yourself, but I thought that maybe all you really needed was to know that everything was still the same, that maybe...you needed a friend."
The Italian smiled, leaning down and kissing her forehead as her rambling stopped. "Thanks. I didn't mean to hurt you...if I did."
Abby shook her head vehemently. "I'm fine." Releasing him from her hug, she smiled up at him. "Now you go get comfy on the couch and I'll bring you some pizza."
Taking his hand in hers, she led him out to the living room and nudged him toward the couch before leaving for the kitchen to grab the pizza. She returned a few minutes later with two plates and a couple of beers, handing Tony his before sitting down next to him on the couch.
"Thanks." He said, turning his head to look at her. "Oh...Abby..." He swore quietly, setting his plate and beer down before pushing her hair away from her neck. Ghosting his fingers over the red and purple bruise that lay there, he closed his eyes tightly and turned away. "I'm sorry. I...fuck."
Releasing a shuddery breath, he pulled away from her, pushing himself to his feet. "I should... You should probably go." He said after a moment, swallowing hard.
"Tony...this is nothing. I shouldn't have snuck up on you. It's not your fault."
"I could have fucking killed you!"
"You were startled! It's understandable, T! Please don't do this!" She pleaded, the tears filling her eyes again. Pushing herself off the couch, she dropped her pizza and beer to the coffee table before she reached for him, flinching when he pulled away. "Please, Tony."
He ran his fingers through his hair, unable to bring himself to look at her, though it didn't matter. The sight of the bruise had already been burned into his mind.
"You shouldn't have come." He said after a long moment, his voice hoarse as he finally turned back to her, pulling her against his trembling body. "I could have killed you." He repeated.
She said nothing, tightening her arms around his body as she pressed her face against his bare chest, taking comfort in the warmth of his body.
"I almost lost you today, Tony." She managed. "I had to come see for myself that you were okay."
They held each other closely for a few minutes before the Italian pulled away, taking a deep breath and releasing it slowly. "I'm gonna go to bed. Th...thanks for the pizza."
"Tony, wait." Abby said, reaching for his hand. Grasping it in hers gently, she laced their fingers together and offered him a weak smile. "Can I...I mean, do you mind if I stay? I...I can sleep on the couch, if you want, I just...I wanna know you're okay tonight."
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders again, pulling her against him and kissing her temple. "Sure thing, hon. You...here. C'mon."
The Goth allowed him to lead her into the bedroom, sitting her on the edge of his bed before turning toward his dresser and pulling out a t-shirt.
"You go ahead and sleep in here, okay? I'll...I'll crash on the couch." Picking up his gun from the bed, he dropped it into the nightstand and closed the drawer.
"T...you sleep in the bed. Your back always gets messed up on the couch." Abby whined, pulling her button-up off and tossing it into his laundry hamper.
"It's not a discussion, missy." He said, offering her a half smile. Standing up, he headed out of the room, pausing at the doorway and looking back at her. "Sleep good, alright?"
She nodded, tugging his NCIS shirt down. "You too."
**0300 Hours**
Shifting in the large bed, Abby rolled over onto her stomach, blinking sleepily. The clock beside the bed flashed 0300 though it didn't feel like she'd been asleep for very long at all.
Pushing herself up, she groaned quietly, swiping at her tired eyes when she heard the first quiet moan.
Frowning darkly, she kicked the covers off of her body, shivering as the chilly air hit her bare legs.
She made her way to the doorway quietly, pulling the door open slowly before she peered out into the dark hallway. "Tony?"
She heard it again, the same soft moan. Concerned for her friend, she slipped out into the hallway, padding down to the living room quietly. "T?"
Rounding the corner and stepping into the living room, she frowned again, seeing her friend tossing and turning on the large leather couch. He was clearly having a nightmare of sorts, but after what had happened earlier, she had to admit that she was hesitant to wake him up.
Sighing heavily, she remembered that he had left his weapon in the nightstand and she made her way over to the other side of the couch, kneeling down next to his head.
"Tony. Honey, wake up. It's Abby." She whispered, reaching up slowly to touch his shoulder.
He flinched, his eyes opening wide as he clutched at the pillow that was under his head. "Abs?" He asked, sitting up when he saw the worried look on her face. "What's wrong?"
"You were having a nightmare, T." She said, taking a seat next to him. "Are you sure you're okay?"
Nodding, he pulled her close to him again and kissed her cheek. "Better now that you're here." He smiled, relaxing a little when she rested her head on his chest.
"Can we go back to bed now, T?" Abby asked, looking up at him. "I'll keep the monsters away."
He smacked her lightly on her thigh before standing and offering his hand to her. "C'mon. You're gonna get those circles under your eyes if you don't get some more sleep."
She slipped her hand in his, smiling when he tugged her to her feet. Wrapping an arm around his waist, the pair made their way into the bedroom, both exhausted.
"You sure you're okay?" Abby asked again, crawling into the bed, watching as he made his way around to the other side before joining her.
"I'm alright." He responded with a quiet sigh, pulling her against his chest. Leaning down, he pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her head, waiting patiently while she settled against him. "I *am* sorry, you know. For earlier, I mean."
"And I told you that you didn't have to be. You were startled."
"I was freaked out. I didn't...last night, in that fucking cabin..." He shivered slightly at the thought, his arms tightening around her.
"It's okay." She whispered quietly, reaching up to run her fingers through his hair slowly. "You're safe now, Tony."
Pressing his face against her neck, he breathed in her scent, taking comfort in the feeling of her warm body pressed against his.
"Just relax, T."
Nodding slightly, he shifted just a bit, nuzzling her neck with his nose as he closed his eyes, willing sleep to come. He could feel his body relaxing, the tension leaving his aching muscles as he allowed her fingers to soothe him before he finally drifted off.
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