**Under Covers**
**November 8, 2005**
Abby could feel the tears pricking her eyes as she paced the lab, her phone clutched in her hand. She'd lost contact with Gibbs and McGee almost fifteen minutes ago and she felt herself growing more anxious with each passing second.
"Why the hell haven't they called me back, Chip?" She asked angrily, though she found she really didn't want an answer from her assistant.
"I'm sure everything's fine. Probably technical difficulties." Chip explained, watching her closely.
She stopped pacing and faced him, her eyes narrowed angrily. "Technical difficulties, Chip? We don't have technical..."
Her rant was interrupted by the phone ringing impatiently in her hand. She answered it quickly, turning away from her infuriating assistant. "Oh my God! Is he okay?"
"They're fine, Abby. We got them both out of the hotel and we're headed to the hospital right now with Tony." McGee said, hearing her as she moved around the lab, gathering her things.
"I'm on my way." She said, snapping her phone shut as she headed out of the lab.
**20 Minutes Later**
The Goth rushed into the emergency room at the hospital and headed for the nurse's station when McGee came over to her and put a hand on her shoulder.
"Abby, we're over here."
She followed him over to where Ziva and Gibbs were sitting, waiting for Tony to come out. "Where is he, Gibbs?"
"Gettin' patched up. Should be out any minute." Gibbs replied, patting the seat next to him. "Sit, Abs. You pacing isn't gonna make him come out any faster."
"You cut me off the comm, Gibbs." She stated, sitting down in the empty chair.
He nodded. "Yep."
Abby frowned at him. "Why? You know, I wouldn't be so freaked right now if I had known what was going on!"
Dropping his arm around the Goth's shoulders, Gibbs pulled her against his side, pressing a kiss to the side of her head. "I couldn't let you listen in, Abs. Not when we were unsure of what we'd find." He said quietly.
Despite the fact that she'd figured as much, Gibbs' confirmation of just how bad the situation could have been was enough to nearly make Abby sick.
"He...he's okay though, right?" She asked, hating the way her voice wavered as a fresh round of tears stung her eyes.
"He's gonna be fine. A little banged up, but he'll be alright. DiNozzo's got a hard head."
She laughed lightly, swiping at the stray tear that slid down her cheek.
"Don't cry for me, Argentina."
Her head jerked up at the sound of his voice, slurred slightly with the painkillers the doctor had given him. His face was covered in dark blue and purple bruises and his arm was wrapped closely to his chest with a brace.
"Tony!" She cried, jumping up and hugging him gently, taking care to not make his injuries worse.
"Hey, Abby-girl." He choked out, his bruised ribs sore despite her gentle hug. He pressed his lips to her cheek, kissing her as he wrapped his good arm around her shoulders, feeling her shaking lightly against him. "It's okay, babe. I'm fine, just a little bruised up."
"I didn't know what happened!" She whimpered, burying her face in his bloody shirt. "I was so scared."
"I know you were. But I'm okay, see? Nothing that won't be fixed in a few days."
"C'mon, DiNozzo." Gibbs said, standing up. "Time to go home."
Tony shook his head, pulling away from the Goth. "Need to go write up my report, Boss."
"That's what tomorrow's for."
"I'm already fuzzy, if I don't write it up now, I'll forget everything."
The older man contemplated the request for a moment before conceding. "Let's go."
**4 Hours Later -- NCIS Headquarters**
"All ready to go, Tony?" Abby asked, bouncing into the squad room off the elevator. She had gone back to his apartment after leaving the hospital, picking up his prescriptions and getting everything ready for him to come home.
He signed his name at the bottom of the freshly printed report and smiled up at the Goth. "Just about." He closed the file and opened his desk drawer, grabbing his weapon. "Where are my keys?"
"Right here, Agent DiNozzo." Chip said, stepping over to his desk. "I pulled your car around to the front of the building for you."
Tony narrowed his eyes at the creepy lab assistant. "You *drove* my car?"
"I took extra special care, everything's fine, I promise."
"Better be." He mumbled, trying to stand up but losing his balance and falling back into his chair.
"Slow down, Tony." Ziva cautioned. "You still have the painkillers in your body. Perhaps I should drive you home."
"Uh, no." Abby said, cocking an eyebrow at the Israeli.
Ziva looked confused. "Why not? I thought it would be a nice gesture."
"Maybe he wants to live?"
"Abby..." Gibbs warned, narrowing his eyes slightly at the scientist.
"Sorry Gibbs." She mumbled, turning back to the Italian. "C'mon, T. I've got a surprise for you."
Tony grinned, allowing Abby to help him stand up. "A surprise, huh?"
They walked toward the elevator as Tony tried to guess what the surprise was, leaving Abby giggling.
Ziva turned toward Gibbs as the pair stepped into the elevator, the doors closing behind them. "They are close, yes?"
He nodded. "They've known each other for a few years."
**Tony's Apartment**
"Keep your eyes closed!" Abby chided, leading him into his apartment. She pulled him through the living room to the hallway and walking into the bedroom. "Okay, now you can open your eyes."
"Wow, Abs. It's my bedroom. Big surprise." He joked, sitting down on the edge of the bed.
"Ha ha." She said, rolling her eyes. "Get ready for bed, I'll be right back."
He shook his head, chuckling to himself as she left the room before he stood up and pulled off his clothes, leaving him in a pair of boxers as he climbed into the warm bed. Abby re-entered the room a few minutes later, carrying a box of pizza and a six-pack of beer, with Terminator tucked under her arm.
"Here's the real surprise!" She beamed, sitting the pizza and beer on the bed before turning back to the TV and putting the movie into the DVD player.
She bounced back over to the bed and curled up under the blankets, slipping under his good arm easily as he bit into a piece of the pizza. "Thanks, Abs." He murmured, his mouth full.
"One condition for all this, T."
"Anything." He smiled, pressing a kiss to the top of her head as she took a drink of her beer.
She pulled back and looked up at him, cupping his cheek in her palm. "No more blind undercover ops."
"I had no choice, Abs! It had to be done."
"This time. Next time...lemme make this easy for you. I'll hurt you if you pull a stunt like this again. Putting yourself in danger..." She stopped, her voice cracking slightly.
Tony set his pizza and her beer aside and pulled her back against him tightly. "I'm sorry, babe." He whispered, running his hand through her hair.
"I know you are."
He continued to hold her close to him until her breathing started to deepen, signaling her sleepiness. He imagined that she had to be exhausted, knowing how worked up she tended to get about these things. Scooting down deeper into the blankets, he pressed a kiss to her forehead, resting her head against his chest.
Staring up at the ceiling, he could feel his eyes getting heavy as he thought about when they had become so close. Who knew that a one night stand over five years earlier could turn into one of the closest friendships either of them had ever experienced?
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