The Warning Signs
A/N: First of all I must give a huge shout out to Poohdog and her story "Pickles." If you haven't read it, go do that now and come back. That story spawned this story. Hope you all like it. And if you do, let me know!
I've decided that this story will also serve as the prologue to Bringing Home Baby.

"Got anything yet, Abby?" It was the typical questions and anyone who had spent any time whatsoever in Abby's lab would expect it. Normally it was a question that Abby delighted in hearing if only because it meant that she had the floor. Normally she would use that time to divulge major scientific break throughs and completely wow the rest of the team. Normally she loved it.

But today wasn't normal.

Those very same words only served to annoy Abby even further.

"You want to know what I have? I have nothing, Tony. Absolutely nothing!" she seethed. She pointed at the machine to her right as she began her rant. "Major Mass Spec blew a gasket this morning trying to analyze the substance that you brought me. I had to call a tech in who can't be here until 3:00 at the earliest." Then her focus shifted to the computers to her left. "I've been running the prints through AFIS for the last hour with absolutely NO HITS! Whoever's prints those are has never been arrested, been in the military, or been printed in any way, shape or form."

"That's not unusual."

Abby's head nearly spun around the entire way. "Not unusual? Someone who breaks into a house and kills two people, but has never been printed before? That's VERY unusual!"

Tony was taken aback. Sure Abby had yelled at him before but it was always in a joking tone. This was not one of those times. The last time she had yelled at him in this tone was when Kate was killed. "Something wrong, Abs?"

Abby stopped. She's lost her temper again. That seemed to be happening a lot lately. "Sorry," she mumbled. "Tell Gibbs I don't have anything yet. He'll know when I do."

Tony nodded. He turned to leave the lab, but stopped in the doorway. Glancing over his shoulder he watched Abby standing at her computer. She was shifting from foot to foot as she stared at the screen. Her usual bubbly personality was noticeably absent as was the blaring music. True, the usual tunes were still playing but at a muted level. It was strange, but Tony decided not to bring it up. He didn't want to be yelled at again.

Later that week there was a lack of work to do, aside from reports to be written and filed, so Ziva invited Abby out to lunch. It was a particularly warm September day so the girls decided to walk to a nearby restaurant. They were seated on the patio with a few other patrons.

"What can I get you ladies today?" the waitress asked while placing the complimentary water on the table.

Ziva glanced up at the waitress. She was in her early twenties and far too chipper for Ziva's liking. "I will have the Philly Cheesesteak with extra cheese, onions, and peppers."

"Baked potato or fries?"

"French fries."

"Anything to drink?" Ziva shook her head. The waitress jotted her order down on her pad and turned to Abby. "And for you, Hun?"

"I'll have the grilled chicken salad with Italian dressing on the side please." The waitress nodded and took off for the kitchen.

Ziva shot a look at Abby. "What?"

"Nothing," Ziva defended.

Abby squinted, studying her friend. "That look doesn't mean nothing. It definitely means something. Spill."

"It is just weird that you would order a salad," Ziva relented. "You always made faces when I ordered a salad."

Abby shrugged her shoulders. "If you must know, I've put on a few pounds recently so I've decided to take a closer look at my diet. I mean, do you know how many calories you are about to consume? The French fries alone have nearly 600 calories, not to mention the sodium content. And the sandwich—"

"Enough!" Ziva interrupted with a laugh.

Abby smiled and sipped her water. They made idle chit chat until their food was delivered and then all conversation ceased as both women dug into their meals with fervor. Ziva's sandwich was half gone as were her fries. She looked up from her plate to see that Abby had barely made a dent in her salad, but was staring at Ziva's plate with a hungry look in her eyes.

"Something wrong, Abby?"

Abby licked her lips. "Those fries look really good." Reluctantly she stabbed at the lettuce on her plate and stuffed it into her mouth.

"Would you like one?"

Abby nodded and quickly snatched a fry off her friend's plate. Before Ziva could say a word the French fry was gone bringing a look of bliss to Abby's face. "That was orgasmic."

Ziva laughed and popped a fry into her own mouth. Their previous conversation resumes, but Ziva notices as Abby continues to steal a fry every few seconds. She finds it humorous that someone so committed to a healthy lunch is stuffing her mouth full of deep-fried sodium.

"What's so funny?" Abby asked as the muted chuckle tumbled from Ziva's lips.

"You ordered a salad because you wanted to eat healthy and yet you are stealing French fries off my plate. Which you were criticizing me for only an hour ago."

Abby merely shrugs her shoulders and munches on another fry. "Screw healthy. I want salt," she laughs. The remainder of the meal passes with lively conversation and shared laughs. Eventually their lunch hour is winding down so the girls pay their bill and make their way back to the Navy Yard.

"Hi Gibbs!"

True to her word, Gibbs came striding into Abby's lab a second later carrying a small evidence jar in one hand and a Caf-Pow in the other. "I come baring gifts." He set the evidence jar in front of her, but kept the drink in his hand.

"Tissue samples from Ducky?" Abby asked excitedly, desperately looking for a distraction from her fingerprint scans.

"He thinks our sergeant was drugged before he was killed," Gibbs says confidently.

"I will confirm that suspicion by the end of the day," Abby promised. "Tomorrow at the latest."

Gibbs smirked and slid the Caf-Pow in front of her. "You have two hours."

"Oh…umm…no thanks Gibbs."

Jethro stopped dead. He'd been working with Abby for nearly ten years and never once had she refused a Caf-Pow. This was unprecedented. It was uncharted territory. "No…thanks?"

Abby spared a glance over her shoulder before turning back to her computer. "Yeah. I'm just not in the mood for a Caf-Pow right now."

Gibbs nodded, but he wasn't buying it for a second. Something was definitely wrong. "Not in the mood for Caf-Pow." He closed the space between them and placed a hand on Abby's shoulder. "You okay, Abs?"

"I'm fine Gibbs!" she assured him. "I've decided that my diet needs some revamping. The first thing to go was the Caf-Pow. Believe me, it's killing me not to drink that entire 64 ounces in one gulp, but I can't put that crap into my body anymore. Do you have any idea what's in those things?"

Gibbs quirked his eyebrow and studied his forensic scientist. She looked different, but the differences were minute. Her eyes looked tired like she hadn't slept well in the last few weeks. Her face looked a little heavier and her shoulders weren't as rigid as usual. She looked stressed, but that was normal for Abby. Something was off, but it wasn't obvious and Gibbs didn't give up that easily.

"You let me know if you get anything else," he called before leaving the lab. He took the elevator back up to the bullpen and returned to his seat. Tony and Ziva were busy at their desks and barely spared him a look. He stared at his computer without actually seeing it, his mind still back in the lab.

"Something wrong boss?" Tony asked.

Gibbs debated involving the others, but chances were if there was something really wrong with Abby he wasn't the only one to notice it. "Have either of you noticed anything…different…about Abby?"

Tony glanced at his partner, choosing his words wisely. "She yelled at me the other day."

"Well that is nothing new," Ziva chirped.

Tony shot her a look. "This wasn't the usual Abby rant. She was legitimately pissed. And no I didn't do anything to warrant it."

"She has been particularly…moody as of late," Ziva added. She quickly went over her interactions with Abby for the last week. There did seem to be a change in her friend. "She stole my French fries at lunch yesterday too."

Tony quirked an eyebrow. "Abby doesn't eat French fries. She doesn't like salty food." Silence settled between the trio as each of them contemplated their next move. "You don't think…I mean Abby can't be…umm…"

"Pregnant?" Ziva supplied. She had been thinking the same thing as Tony and judging from the look on their boss's face he was on board as well.

Gibbs sat at his desk and continued to stare into nothingness. All the pieces fit, but he wasn't convinced yet. They could be blowing this way out of proportion. There was really only one way to find out for sure. "You two, with me."

Up next: the team confronts Abby about their suspicions!