Via Text

Hearing the name of the caller on the other end, Tony sat up and urgently strained to listen. His heart began to beat audibly.

"Right," Jethro confirmed, "I understand." He regarded Tony on the couch, who watched his boss warily instead of focusing once again upon the television. Gibbs narrowed his gaze, and the events from supper drifted back into his focus. Not taking his eyes off of Tony, he attempted to clarify the situation. "Sister, it puzzles me that after asking for Abby's attention tonight, and Abby rushing out after supper to see you, that she has not gone straight to you. Did you….."

Tony groaned softly.

Evidently Sister Rosita interrupted with a denial that she had communicated with Abby that day.

Within a minute or two more of the enlightening conversation, Jethro disconnected the call and narrowed his gaze onto his protégé.

Having eavesdropped, Tony hazarded no erroneous guess that their ruse had succeeded. Quickly slipping to his feet he stretched dramatically, yawned, and regarded his boss with a grin. "I believe I am going to make it an early night tonight and hit the rack now. Chasing that guy all over the city today exhausted me. Night, Boss."

Jethro did not let him take a step, but quashed his escape instead. "Halt!" he ordered, watching as Tony froze in place. "Enlighten me as to why Sister Rosita had no idea that she had requested a visit from Abby tonight, yet both you and Abby assured me she did."

Licking his lips, Tony's imagination raced with a handful of possible defenses.

His boss scrutinized him with that comprehension that evolves from years of reading and interpreting someone close.

Inspecting the expression on his agent's face while Tony scrambled futilely to create a plausible explanation, Jethro Gibbs narrowed his eyes. All of the signs pointed to Tony's complicity in whatever scheme Abby had enacted, rendering them both guilty.

"Where did she go tonight, Tony?" Gibbs prodded.

Running a hand nervously through his hair, the younger man pretended to ponder the answer. "Boss, wow, I thought she went to the Convent."

"Give me your phone," Jethro commanded in reply, pulling his glasses out of his shirt pocket as he spoke.

Tony's eyes widened. "Why, Boss?"

"Because I said so, and I mean now!" Jethro responded instantly.

Fumbling in a pocket, Tony grasped the cell and held it out for Jethro.

The older man modified his decision. Regarding Tony over the top of his glasses, he directed, "On second thought, start texting."

Confused, Tony stammered, "What do you – who, Boss?"

"Common sense and normal deduction would point you towards Abby as the recipient."

Tony's eyes widened, and Gibbs congratulated himself on putting his agent on edge with the request. He had a better chance of getting to the bottom of things if the younger set stayed baffled with his motive and method. "Start texting to her that she should come home right now."

"Why, Boss?" The agent looked decidedly uncomfortable.

"What do you mean why?" demanded Jethro, snapping impatiently. "Write that something came up at home and she needs to get back here on the double."

Worried green eyes met determined blue ones, and Jethro witnessed the nanosecond when Tony realized he and Abby had lost all hope in pulling off the deception. The co conspirator carefully typed the message under his boss's watchful eye, unable to warn of the danger heading her way when he hit send.

Her reply followed quickly and belligerently, an absolute refusal to heed his instructions. "Absolutely not!"

Holding the phone's display screen up for his Boss to see, Tony waited.

Gibbs adjusted his glasses. "All right then, type that I said for her to get back here."

Nodding, Tony complied, cringing at the panic that would elicit. "Baby Girl Boss said to get home immediately."

Arching his eyebrows, he confirmed sadly, "Ok, I did it."

"Good," Gibbs grinned and beckoned with his hand, "now, let me see that phone of yours."

Tony passed it to him, "Honestly, Boss, not to be disrespectful, but I think it will be hard for you to see the letters when you type. You might want to keep getting me to do it."

"I have no intention of writing anything," Jethro replied, powering off the cell.

Comprehension dawned and the younger agent threw his head back dramatically and pled, "Boss, please don't take the phone. Tonight really is not my fault this time!"

Pocketing the phone, Jethro assured him, "I do not care what percentage of the fault lies with you, Tony. I do not care. Now, sit back down on that couch and wait for Abby to return."

Accepting the inevitable, Tony threw himself down on the couch, and leaned his head on the sofa's back.

Gibbs watched his protégé's dramatic response before turning and striding purposefully into the kitchen. Working from habit, he prepared a fresh pot of coffee, then stood leaning against the counter to gulp the first cup.

In true Abby fashion, she announced her arrival by racing through the front door, slinging her pocketbook on the foyer table, and hurrying into the living room.

Unnoticed, Gibbs followed behind her as she confronted Tony.

"What did you do, Tony?" she accused. "Why have I been summoned home? Did you rat on me?"

Pigtails swinging, her upset practically took a life of its own when no response readily followed. "Answer me!"

The younger man glanced at his boss, then directed Abby's gaze to look behind her.

Startled to find Gibbs right there, she stammered out a greeting, shifting nervously from one foot to the other. "Uhm, hey Gibbs-"

"Pass your phone to me and sit down right there," he ordered, cutting off her introduction and pointing at the cushion beside Tony. Knowing better than to refuse, she retraced her steps to the foyer and pulled her cell out of her purse. Returning, she handed it to him with a frown.

He watched her take her place, smooth her skirt as she sat gingerly on the edge of the cushion and then exchange a worried look with her co-conspirator.

Gibbs regarded them several seconds before he finally spoke. "Let me assure you that I have no intention of standing here and listening to excuses for lying to me tonight. Believe me that my patience has reached its limit with both of you. Now, I want simple no or yes responses, and I want them at once."

Tony looked down at the throw pillow he held in his lap, and traced the design with his thumb.

Abby played with a row of sequins on her tights, first twirling each, then smoothing them so as not to cause a tear.

"Look up at me right this second!" Jethro ordered firmly.

They did, obeying at once.

Jethro raised his eyebrows expectantly. "Does Abby have something on you, Tony?"

Not willing to throw her under the bus with disloyalty, Tony stayed silent.

Glancing at Gibbs, then at Tony, she sighed. "Yes, yes I do."

"So you know about Dr. Pitt?" Jethro probed.

That shocked both of them. Gibbs had known all along that Tony had visited Dr. Pitt!

"Actually, I had planned to address Tony's irresponsibility with him this evening. However, it appears that you two beat me to the punch."

Both acknowledged his words by making eye contact once again with each other.

"So, Tony covered for you, Abby, to go somewhere I would not have allowed. Just where would that be?"

"Nightclub," she whispered miserably. "The one I asked about earlier in the week."

Rubbing his chin thoughtfully, he clarified. "You have lied, you have deceived, and you have shown an absolute disregard for the physical well being of yourselves and of each other. It appears to me that the last time you two tried to conspire on something you failed, then, too, along with the time before that. Personally, I perceive a pattern. How about you? Can you connect the dots?"

"Yes," they responded in unison, their voices laced with misery.

"Good, so we have agreed on something. Now that I have you two together before me, let me caution you that my feelings have not wavered about allowing either of you to walk into hazardous situations. Because you enjoy working behind the scenes- plotting with each other so much, I have decided to increase your exposure. Until I tell you otherwise, you will spend the next several days hanging out right here any time you are not on the clock at NCIS. Further, since you will not require long distance communications to consult with each other for the next several days, I will hang on to your cells. Any questions?"

Neither bothered to ask any. They knew protests, pleas, or defenses would make no difference once Jethro had determined a consequence.

"No, got it, Boss," Tony muttered. "I believe I understand.

Abby replied, her voice and expression reflecting her desolation, "We hear you."

"Make sure you have it straight. If I have to revisit this, you will not be happy," Gibbs warned, his voice still firm and unyielding.

Again, they replied, but this time in unison.

"Ok, then, make sure we do not have confusion about any of this. I have work to do in the basement," he concluded, and turning, he left them unhappily sitting together.

"Great plan," Abby sputtered as Gibbs disappeared from view.

"Electronic deception, indeed," Tony hissed, "no, I can make a better conclusion. This whole ridiculous episode has been one horrible and gigantic missed call."