Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.


Beep beep.

Beep beep.

Tony flung his arm onto his nightstand and groped around for his alarm clock. When the noise continued after he hit the off button, Tony used his other arm to push the covers off his face. He looked toward his nightstand to see his cell phone flashing and still ringing. He grabbed it and flipped it open.

"It's 4:30 in the freakin' morning. This better be important." Tony mumbled into the phone.

"Sorry, DiNozzo. It's Elaine from dispatch." The voice on the line said.

"Morning, Elaine. What've we got?" He asked as he switched on his lamp and sat up.

"Georgetown University Hospital. Infant born just before 0100. Mother's vanished."

"Great. Mother was one of ours?"

"Don't know. She left a note instructing contact with one NCIS Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo."

"Well, that's a first."

"Official response?"

"Field team to visit scene. Contact CPS and forward info to…Who's in Files & Records today?"

"Roster says Hilda Montgomery."

"Eesh. Forward info to Files & Records for creation. And if I'm not in by 0730, can you pick up a cheese bun and deliver it to Hilda's desk? I'll…"

"Pay me back, love me forever, help my youngest son get into college. I've heard it all, DiNozzo."

"Come on, Elaine. It's for the greater good."

"Alright, but you owe me, Tony."

"And you'll be thanking me when you get to go home this afternoon, and Miss Montgomery hasn't made the girls in your department cry."

"True. You want me to call the rest of the team?"

"I'll call David and McGee. Leave voice messages for Abby and Ducky. There's no need for everyone to be woken up early."

"Will do. And, Tony?"

"Yeah, Elaine?"

"If I don't see you, have a Happy New Year."

"Thanks. You, too."

Tony flipped his phone shut and closed his eyes for a minute before opening his phone again and dialing McGee.

"Mmph." Came the reply.

"Up and at 'em, Probie. Got a case. I'll see you at the main entrance of the Georgetown University Hospital. One hour." Tony told him as he got out of bed and padded towards the kitchen.

"You got it, Boss."

"Heh."

"I mean Tony."

"Said Boss. One hour." Tony said before flipping it shut and putting it on the counter while he put his coffee on.

Heading back to his room, he opened his phone once again, this time dialing Ziva. She answered on the first ring.

"David." She answered, breathing heavily.

"What're…" he cleared his throat. "What're you doing?" He asked, cringing at what it sounded like she was doing.

"I am just returning from my morning run." He could hear her now, unlocking her door. He let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding. "What did you think I was doing?" She asked suspiciously.

"Nothing." He said, laughing mechanically. "We have a case."

"Where?"

"Georgetown University Hospital. We're meeting at the main entrance."

"I will be there in an hour."

"Good. Hey, Ziva?"

"Yes, Tony?"

"You still coming tonight?"

"Oh, yes. Abby and I are quite eager to meet John and the 'particularly unpleasant beast of a woman" he calls his wife."

"I still can't believe he told you that. Or that you invited them."

"You said the more the merrier."

"That's why I invited you. Isabelle's gonna have a fit."

"Why? They told you to invite friends, yes?"

"Well, yeah, but…"

"And everyone loves McGee…"

"Oh, yeah, she'll love McGee. He's polite; he brings hostess gifts. He's also successful and single. She's probably going to set him up with Meg."

"Who is Meg? And if she will love McGee, what is the problem?"

"Her sister. Only slightly less terrifying. McGee will fit perfectly, but Isabelle is going to freak when she sees Abby in the middle of her perfectly coordinated living room."

"I see. We will finish this later. I must shower now."

"Alright. See you in an hour." He snapped his phone shut and tossed it on his bed.

As he showered, got dressed, and headed to the hospital, he contemplated his conversation with Ziva. If he was truthful with himself, he wasn't terribly concerned with Isabelle's reaction. Sure, she was going to hate him, but she already did so it was no big deal. It was the fact that McGee and Abby were now coming along to a party that he had invited Ziva to with something less than strictly platonic motives.

Pushing his thoughts to the back of his mind, he concentrated on finding a parking spot and making his way to the hospital entrance, where both Ziva and McGee were waiting.

"Morning." McGee greeted him.

"Morning, Probie. What floor is Maternity?" Tony asked.

"We are going to Maternity?" Ziva asked as McGee consulted the hospital directory.

"Yeah, baby was abandoned with a note instructing contact with NCIS. Probie! Floor!"

"The Maternity Ward is on the fourth floor." McGee informed them as he pressed the button to call the elevator. "Why would anyone think that this is something NCIS would handle?"

"Well, I don't know, Probie. I just got here." Tony said as they exited the elevator and approached the desk. "I'm Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo; this is Officer David and Special Agent McGee. We're responding to the call about the abandoned infant."

"I'm Barbara Hodgson. I'm the nurse who realized she was gone." She said as she came around the desk.

"Can you tell us what happened?" Tony asked her.

"The mother was admitted at 10:12 pm last night. When I performed the initial examination, she was seven centimeters dilated; that was at 10:30. It went fairly quickly. We moved her into delivery at 12:15. She delivered a healthy baby girl at 12:42. Everything was normal, good Apgar scores, delivery room procedures were followed. She held her daughter, and then insisted that her baby be bottle fed in the nursery so that she could rest. It's unusual, but we try to follow the parents' wishes." Nurse Barbara explained.

"When did you first notice that she was missing?" Ziva asked her.

"At 3:30 I went to check on her. I took her daughter with me, just in case she had changed her mind. I opened the door and pushed the basinet into the room. She wasn't in her bed. I immediately checked her bathroom, but it was empty as well. That was when I noticed the notes on the bed."

"Notes, Ma'am?" McGee asked.

"Yes, there were two. The first one was addressed to the medical staff, instructing the reader to call NCIS and request Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo. The second note is sealed, but it's addressed to you, Special Agent DiNozzo." McGee and Ziva exchanged looks.

"We'll need to see notes, as well as her chart and her room." Tony told Nurse Barbara.

"Absolutely. Her room is right down this hall, first door on your left. I locked her chart and the notes in the office. I'll just go grab them." Nurse Barbara told them before she left to get the papers.

"You did not tell us that she requested you specifically." Ziva said to Tony as they pulled on their gloves.

"I figured she just got my name off the website." He told her.

"She came prepared. Car seat, diaper bag, baby clothes are all here." McGee informed them.

"You are not the team leader. Why did she not request Gibbs?" Ziva asked him.

"I don't know!" He told her exasperatedly.

"Here we are. Here are the notes. This top one was the one that I read. The next one is the note addressed to you, Special Agent DiNozzo. And then I brought the charts for both Miss Benoit and her baby." Nurse Barbara pleasantly informed Tony as she handed him the information.

"Who?" Tony asked as he face went white.

"The mother, her name was Jeanne Benoit."


Author's Note: This wasn't going where most of you thought it was going, but I hope you enjoyed it. Please review.