DISCLAIMER: I do not own NCIS.
Gibbs had a bad feeling as he strode into the bull pen Wednesday morning. Glancing around him, Gibbs noticed nothing in particular until his eyes stopped on DiNozzo's desk. The way that it looked made his gut churn. At first glance Gibbs felt something was off and as he made his way over to the desk he noticed a few things that baffled him.
For one, all of Tony's papers were placed haphazardly in two piles. The others may not realize it but Tony kept his paperwork fairly neat, always getting it done in ways mysterious to Ziva and McGee. Gibbs let his mind mentally head slap the two investigators for not realizing how Tony got all his work done. But as he continued his perusal, Gibbs became even more anxious. There were no pizza boxes or magazines or even candy wrappers in sight. Even if Tony didn't come in last night, which would surprise Gibbs, something would be present. He would leave something to confirm the others that their perception of him was correct, even though if they ever went to Tony's apartment they would find it rather clean- and slightly empty. A trait Tony had learned from moving every so often and the reminders daddy DiNozzo would periodically send Anthony's way.
The next thing he noticed was Tony's jacket crumpled underneath his chair. Gibbs reached down and picked it up smoothing away some of the wrinkles as he did so. Never would Gibbs have imagined he would see Tony's favorite suit jacket in a heap on the floor, especially without the agent being here. It meant that Tony was upset enough over something that he forgot his jacket and cleaned up everything after him.
The elevator sounded alerting Gibbs he was no longer alone. As Ziva stepped off, Gibbs quickly perused the rest of Tony's area. He sensed Ziva's confusion when she set her breakfast on her desk. He looked over at her and raised the jacket, knowing Ziva would understand, shortly.
"What? Did Tony," Ziva trailed off and looked suspiciously at the jacket. A beat, "That was the one Tony wore yesterday."
Gibbs waited hoping he didn't have to spell it out for her. Finally Ziva raised her eyebrows and half-shrugged.
"Ever see Tony forget his jacket," Gibbs barked.
Ziva looked back at the offending object before answering, "No. He would never leave anything important behind. Unless…"
"Yeah, unless," Gibbs said brusquely before again looking at Tony's desk. He felt Ziva move closer and appraise the area as well.
Ziva noticed the missing items and quickly caught on to Gibbs' worry. She tentatively spoke, "I am sure he is alright Gibbs. He will come in twenty minutes late as usual and quickly explain to us in detail why this was left here."
Gibbs had started to shake his head before she even finished, "Has Tony been late the past few months? And I mean on purpose," he added with a glare.
Ziva opened her mouth and shut it mutely. McGee entered the bull pen slowly, trying to hide the eyebrow raised in question. Gibbs and Ziva ignored him as he set folders on his desk and joined them at DiNozzo's desk.
"What are we looking at," he ventured. Looking about him confusedly, McGee didn't notice the glares he received after his question. "Wait…"
"Yeah," Gibbs strode over to his desk and laid the jacket over the arm of his chair. He picked up his cell phone and dialed Tony's number. He growled impatiently as Ziva and McGee waited for Tony to answer.
"Damn it DiNozzo!"
Gibbs slapped his phone shut as the other two agents ran to their desks both calling out they would call his home and cell again. The worry in their voices let Gibbs know they understood what it meant when Tony didn't answer his phone.
After they too hung up, Gibbs grabbed the keys and strode out of the bull pen, Ziva and McGee following him. The ride to Tony's apartment made Ziva and McGee nauseous but they continued after Gibbs into the building. They passed Tony's car that was pulled into the outside parking spaces, not the garage. Alarm finally leaked out of the eyes as they glanced at each other.
"Tony!"
Gibbs shouted his name before they finished exiting the elevator on his floor. They came to his door, Gibbs shouting again as he pulled out his keys again and unlocked Tony's door. As he went to unlock the deadbolt Gibbs felt the door give slightly, indicating it was not dead bolted.
"Tony," Ziva shouted as she whipped out her Sig and entered his apartment. After clearing the front rooms, she made her way to his bedroom with Gibbs and McGee trailing after her.
After finding the room empty, they all let their arms swing to their sides as they looked around the room. The room was practically bare, with a bed and bedside table and a poster of Sean Connery's James Bond hung on the wall.
McGee noticed the closet door slightly open and went to look inside. "Tony," he whispered as he swung the door wide enough for the others to see inside.
A/N: Sorry it took me so long and it's so short, but I couldn't decide if I wanted to continue after McGee found Tony. Let me know how I did! :)