Hello All,

First off I'm going to apologize up front for the length of this A/N but I really can't help it.

To say that I was overwhelmed by the response to this story and the affect it has already generated, would be a massive understatement. My intention in writing this story was to make a friend feel better during a rough time. I truly believe that a happy heart helps to make a well body.


What I didn't expect was the help from all you folks. To those of you who dropped a line into Laine's PM box, thanks so much. All of your prayers, well wishes, happy thoughts, whatever you choose to call them, I'm sure are helping Laine and I was truly touched when she told me how full her inbox was.

Once again, you guys prove just how wonderful this fandom is and I'm truly honored to feel a part of it.

Here is the latest chapter and I am working hard on getting the next done as soon as possible. I did want to mention that I've added two characters that are (very loosely) based on myself and my mother. My mother beat her own battle with cancer (knocking on wood for continued good test results in the future) and she is part of my inspiration as well. Not only for this story, but life in general.

Oh and one final thing. I will be needing some translations for an upcoming chapter so if anyone out there speaks Italian and/or Spanish and would like to help out, I'd be eternally grateful. Last time I needed something translated (into Friench) I used an online translator and was informed by one of my readers that it was incorrect. So this time I thought I'd try a new method. LOL.

Love to you all and since I may not get to post for a couple days, Happy Thanksgiving to all my US readers! I'll be spending the day with my mom and I hope all of you enjoy the holiday.

-Moki

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Chapter Two

What the…?

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"Okay just hang on the line, DiNozzo," Gibbs said even as his hand reached for the land line. His voice was calm, deceptively so considering how much his insides were shaking. It was a skill he'd perfected over the years. He never showed fear or pain, not very often anyway.

Clamping his cell to his ear with one shoulder, Gibbs flipped on the lamp next to his bed with the land line still clasped in his other hand. Dialing, he listened as it rang for a long while until a groggy voice picked up.

"Hello?" the voice was too sleepy to be even a little bit professional. Not that Gibbs blamed the man on the other end. He doubted anyone could wake up out of a dead sleep without sounding a little odd.

"McGee, listen up," Gibbs began, knowing that those few words would wake the other man up.

On the other side of town, McGee bolted upright and tried to swing his feet off the bed. Somehow he thought that he should be standing when his boss sounded like that, but had momentarily forgotten the fact that he was still under the covers. They got tangled in his legs and he nearly fell head first onto the floor.

"McGee! Are you there?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes Boss. Sorry Boss."

"I need you to get into the office and put a trace on my cell phone ASAP."

Before Gibbs could continue, McGee interrupted.

"Uh Boss?"

"What?" Gibbs snapped, not ready for any excuses at this time of morning with Tony barely with him on his other line.

"I uh….I can do that from here. I mean if you need it done right away I could…"

"Do it!"

McGee launched himself the rest of the way out of bed and ran to his computer desk in the other room. Gibbs heard frantic typing and he took that moment to check in on his other agent.

"DiNozzo? You still with me?"

"Yeah Boss…still here…."

"Good. Keep it up."

Gibbs put his attention back on the other phone and heard McGee muttering to himself.

"Okay Boss, I've got it…….damn."

From the tone of the younger man's voice, Gibbs was sure of two things. He probably wasn't going to understand whatever McGee was about to say, and he was damn sure he wasn't going to like it.

"What is it, McGee?"

"His phone, I can't trace it."

"What do you mean, McGee? I've got Tony on the other line, I'm talking to him. I know the phone is on and working. Why the hell can't you trace it?"

Just as Gibbs predicted, McGee proceeded to spout off one of those long explanations that made the team leader wish he had the ability to reach through the phone just so he could have the satisfaction of slapping the younger man on the back of the head. Then again, if he had the ability to do that, he could just crawl through the phone and get to Tony.

"McGee, I have no idea what you just said." Gibbs said finally, still holding a phone to each ear and wishing he had a free hand to rub at his aching skull.

"Basically Boss, Tony's phone is somewhere away from any normal towers. His signal is being routed through…..well, I'm not sure yet but if I had to guess, I'd say he wasn't anywhere in D.C."

Gibbs heart sank at the words. Knowing that Tony was hurt had been easier to take when he'd been certain that finding the other man would be relatively easy. After all, DiNozzo had called him and was still talking to him. Gibbs didn't know a lot about all the technical stuff but he knew they had the technology to trace a live call. It couldn't get any easier than that, right?

Now he knew that it wasn't going to be all that simple. Not that it really surprised him. Nothing was ever simple when dealing with DiNozzo.

"Okay, McGee. I need you to head to the office now. Call Ziva on the way and have her meet us there. We need to start working on this and…." Gibbs paused, taking a second to cover the mic on his cell phone before finishing quietly for McGee's ears only "..and I'm not sure how much longer Tony's got."

McGee's eyes opened wide and his mouth involuntarily gaped for a few seconds. He didn't know why, but somehow he'd never thought that Tony was in that much trouble. Maybe it had been wishful thinking on his part or maybe just the fact that he still hadn't woken up yet. He'd thought Tony must have gotten himself lost, maybe even gotten drunk somewhere after meeting a girl in a bar. As he thought about it though, he realized he should have known better. He'd just seen the other man barely six hours ago and Tony had said he was going home to get the movies together for Christmas Eve.

Much as Gibbs had a few minutes earlier, McGee now wondered how so much could change in just a few hours. The man he'd punched in the arm and laughed at for singing along with the The Grinch was now lying injured somewhere and McGee didn't have a clue how he was going to find him.

"Okay Boss, I'll just send my search parameters over to my computer on base."

McGee heard Gibbs talking but he soon realized it wasn't to him so he waited on the line patiently.

"Tony? I'm driving to the office now. We're gonna find you. You hear me? We will find you."

The younger man frowned sadly at his boss' voice. He knew Gibbs hated it when anyone on his team was in trouble, Tony especially. He kept the phone at his ear, wanting to make sure that the older man didn't have any more orders for him before he hung up. Typing in a few commands, he sent the search results to his other computer and was about to close it down when something caught his attention.

In his ear, he heard Gibbs about to hang up with Tony and suddenly McGee knew he had to stop him.

"Gibbs!" McGee screamed in a panic.

On the other end, Gibbs nearly dropped his cell phone as he frantically jumped to answer the land line.

"What McGee, what is it?"

"Don't leave your house!"

"What? Why?"

"The trace, I may not be able to see exactly where it's coming from yet, but one thing I can see is the signal strength. Boss I don't know how he got through to you. That signal is so low it's crazy. If you leave, I'm afraid you'll lose him and then we'll lose the only chance we've got to find him."

Back in his house, Gibbs sat down soberly. He'd been about two seconds away from hanging up the land line and walking out the door. He'd managed to get dressed while being on two phones at once, no small feat, and was ready to leave. If McGee hadn't caught him….Gibbs didn't want to think about that.

"Okay McGee, I'll stay here. Get into the office. Call me as soon as you have anything."

"On it, Boss. I'm gonna work on a trace and also see if I can boost the signal."

"Good. Go ahead and call Abby if you need the help."

"Got it," McGee replied, smiling as he'd already planned to call her anyway.

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Wednesday - 9:52pm….

Tony DiNozzo whistled happily as he opened his car door and got inside. He knew that the security guys he'd just passed on his way to the garage thought he was nuts, but right then he couldn't care less. Pulling the Christmas weekend shift was about the best thing that had happened to him in a while. For once he didn't have to pretend that he had somewhere to go, didn't have to lie to his friends (though he knew for a fact that Gibbs was never fooled) about where he had been over the holidays, didn't have to come in afterwards with a made up story about some hot chick he'd met in a bar wearing a Mrs. Claus outfit.

This year he was going to spend the holidays with his family. Not the people who shared blood with him, but the actual people he spent nearly every waking moment with every day. These were his real family and he was giddy as a schoolgirl that they were all stuck on duty for the next four days.

Once he'd found out about the team's assignment, Tony had started hatching a plan. Within a couple days he'd sweet-talked one of the MTAC techs, a pretty blonde named Lucy, into letting him set up his holiday movie extravaganza. It was lucky that he'd run into Lucy, as Tony didn't think his sweet talking would have worked half as well with the other tech, George.

Traffic was understandably light and Tony made good time on his way home. He tuned in to a station that had started playing nothing but Christmas music a few days before, singing along loudly when Bing Crosby came on. Thinking about the pizza in the freezer and the stack of Christmas movies he had waiting for the DVD player, Tony sang even louder when "Grandma Got Run Over By A Reindeer" started to play.

Pulling up to his apartment, Tony was happy to find a place out front. Sometimes the parking on his street could be a little crazy but tonight, he didn't have to park a mile away. This brought his mood up even higher and he was positively skipping as he got out of the car, still humming the last song that had been on the radio.

As he walked up the sidewalk, he saw another car pull up across the street and smiled as he recognized it.

"Heya Mo, how's it going?"

Maureen Hogan lived in the building next door with her little girl. She was a hard working single mom and Tony had gotten to know her and little Michelle over the last year or so since they'd moved to D.C. Mo worked two jobs, so she often got home as late as he did, more often than not a sleeping child her arms that she'd just picked up from the babysitter.

"Tony!" before he knew it, Tony had a pair of little arms wrapped around his legs. Laughing, he bent down to pick up the warmly wrapped girl.

"Mee-chelle, my bell. How are you?"

"I'm fine. Mommy and I just finished shopping for Christmas dinner. We're going to have ham AND turkey."

Tony knew that Mo had no family in the city and on her salary, couldn't often afford to make the trip down south to see her parents over the holidays. She did the best she could to make up for it though, putting as many presents under their small tree as she could and cooking a big meal. The day after Christmas usually started with a knock on his door and a delivery of wonderful leftovers. On those occasions he had to work that day, he would come home to find them waiting on his doorstep – packed in a cooler that he would return the following day.

"Wow, a turkey AND a ham? You've got the best mom in the whole wide world!"

Tony and Mo shared an indulgent smile.

"C'mon Shelby, it's time to get in your pj's. Tomorrow night Santa is coming so you better practice getting to bed on time tonight. No arguments, right?"

"Right!" the little girl agreed enthusiastically. Tony put her back down and she scampered ahead.

"G'night Mo," Tony said, waving as mother and daughter walked up the steps to their building. Mo turned to wave, opening her mouth to say goodnight. Then suddenly, her hand stopped in midair and the words froze on her lips.

Seeing the odd look she was giving to whatever was behind him. Tony turned around.

What the…?