DISCLAIMER: NCIS and its characters are the property of CBS, no infringement intended.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I tried to make it canon, but I don't want to. I just cannot see Abby in a relationship of any kind with McGee. So I make it right. :D I'm not sure how I feel about this story, I just know I like how it ends up. *G*
SERIES/SEQUEL: Second in the "Broken" series, following Along Came Tim.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
Lonely Nights
By Geonn
9:00 PM -
Kate dialed the familiar number, leaning against the back of the couch and hoping Abby would be free. She was about to give up when the ringing stopped and Abby said, "You've got me!"
"How far does that invitation go?" Kate asked.
"Kate! Hi! Did... you want to come over?"
Kate shrugged. "Or you could come over here..."
"Yeah, I mean... yeah, I'd love that. But I thought... it's just that I just came back from dinner with McGee."
Kate felt her mood nosedive. "Oh."
"And it's just that you said you..."
"No, you're right. I'll... just call you tomorrow."
"Are you all right?"
"Yeah," Kate said, smiling into the phone. "Fine. I'll talk to you later, okay?"
10:00 PM -
"Are you all right?" Kate mocked, pouring herself another glass of wine. "No. No, I'm not all right. I'm horny and you're with a guy and you should be with me and I'm finishing an entire bottle of wine I bought for the both of us." She took a large drink and shook her head. "No. I'm not all right."
11:33 PM -
Kate put down the remote, deciding there was no one on Letterman worth staying up for. She looked at the empty wine glass, looked at the empty wine bottle and pushed her hair out of her face. She looked at the phone, looked at the clock and then got out of her chair. Abby had been with McGee. She couldn't be with her on the same day. It would just feel... like she was second best.
She sighed and gave up, going to bed.
1:05 AM -
She was playing the "If I Get to Sleep Now, I Could Still Get Blank Hours of Sleep" game. And losing miserably. She'd been lying there in the dark long enough that she could now clearly see the furniture in her bedroom. If Abby was here, she'd be tracing the visible tattoos. That always soothed her into slumber. But alone... what was she supposed to do? Count the wrinkles in the sheet?
She sat up and pounded the pillow with her fist. "If I get to sleep now," she said, "I could still get five hours of sleep."
She groaned.
3:46AM -
Abby opened her door, blinking at the brightness of the hallway outside. "Kate?" she said.
"Today is technically a new day," she said. "Right?"
"I don't know. What time is it?"
Kate moved past Abby into the apartment, chewing on her thumbnail. "You went out with McGee last night. So today... clean slate, right? I get you. Today is, is like a Kate day, right?"
"I'm not sure. What time is it? Kate who?"
Kate put her hands on Abby's shoulders and said, "I'm not sure I can share you, Abby. I'm not sure I want to be able to."
Abby reached up and gripped Kate's wrists. "McGee is a fling. If it's making you this crazy, I can totally end it with him. Right now."
Kate smiled. "So... every day could be a Kate day?"
Abby laughed. "Every day can be a Kate and Abby day."
Kate stepped forward and kissed Abby's lips. When her body went slack, Abby broke the kiss and stepped back, surprised to find Kate had fallen asleep in her arms. She smiled and walked the limp Kate over to the couch, laying her down on the cushions. She lifted the comforter, preparing to cover her, and thought better of it.
Shrugging out of her robe, she curled up next to Kate and covered them both with the comforter. "Good night, Kate," she whispered, kissing the tip of Kate's nose. She pulled Kate to her and closed her eyes.
The End