A/N Here's Ch. 3! So sorry for the delay in posting. R&R :-)

Chapter 3

Tracking the phone across from his desk was not new to Tony. In fact, he'd done it so many times he didn't even have to think about it anymore. Haseed had no idea who she was being secretive with. It was close to eight o clock on a Tuesday night, when Tony exited the elevator to Abby's lab. There was no music, but Abby was diligently working on her computer.

"I'm closed for the night," she grumbled without turning around.

"I need you to run something for me quick, Abs," Tony begged.

Abby turned in surprise and ran over to squeeze the man.

"Anything! What do you need?"

"A location," he forced a smile that she knew wasn't real.

In all of the years Abby had known Anthony DiNozzo, she had noticed a pattern. Women in, women out. A constant string of girls unable to resist the DiNozzo charm. Even she had to admit the power he wielded with his smile. Some women had come close to taming the beast. There had been Jeanne, she'd truly shaken his idea of love. There had been EJ, she'd changed his views on trust. Then, of course, there was Wendy, she'd given him a new meaning for fate. Through all of that, Abby had never seen the brokenness that she saw now. She took the chicken scratch from Tony and typed the information into her computer.

"We tracking Haseed?"

"No," he stated stoically, "just her contacts."

"I see," Abby didn't see, but she did know that Tony's reflexes and responses were slower than they had been a year ago.

Now that...she was gone. It had changed everything. At first the team just kept up like usual, but gradually the hole became more and more obvious. Gibbs had become even more wary of the world. McGee had been burying all emotions. Ducky stories had disappeared. Palmer was less trusting. Vance had become angry and sullen. But Tony? The Tony that Abby had known and loved was gone. The jokes and cheesy one-liners were a thing of the past.

"Why the suspicion?" She asked.

"The less you know the better. The only reason you do know, is because I need you."

"So I'm being used," Abby supplied.

"Just let me know what turns up."

It was as if his face were stone. There was no emotion in his face or voice. Abby was pretty sure all of his spare energy was being used to continue living his life.

"Tony?" she asked gently before he left.

He stopped but didn't turn.

"Do you think she'll ever come back?" she whispered almost afraid of his reaction.

He clenched his jaw and whispered,

"She better."

As Tony left the building that evening, he got the sudden feeling that he was being watched. His fists clenched in his pockets. Haseed had brought this to D.C. This was her fault. His phone buzzed causing him to jump. He opened his suit jacket and answered.

"DiNozzo."

"Hey," abby chirped on the other end.

"Did something pop?" he asked desperately.

"Yeah. I got a location. I emailed it to you. It's a hotel in Rome, Italy."

Rome.

Haseed had lied.

Why didn't this surprise him? He should have known. She was surprisingly sweet, but she was hiding and lying about her contact. It was either a close friend or relative. Tony would find out. He was not about to let this girl sit in that desk forever.