Hinky Feelings

Tony was setting himself up for another all-nighter in the squadroom. He did his best work at night, he was always fond of telling everyone.

There were no distractions, at night. The dimly lit bullpen, the quiet hum of computers, and the other sounds that faded into white noise in the background of life at NCIS headquarters, all soothed him into a groove, one that allowed him to do his best work.

He was surprised when his phone rang. Who knew he'd be here, anyway?

He picked it up. "Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo," he answered cordially.

"Tony, it's McGee. Abby isn't around there, is she?"

"Why, Probie? You lose your wife again?" Tony snorted. Tim ignored the glib response. "She isn't answering her cell phone. I don't think it's even on."

Tony recognised something in his younger colleague's voice, and immediately, alarms went off in his head.

"Tim, I'm sorry, but I'm pretty sure I saw her leave a couple of hours ago. What's going on, anyway?"

He was met with a brief silence on the other end of the line. "I don't know, Tony. I've just got this really hinky feeling… and if she's going to be late getting home, she always lets me know. Always, Tony."

Tony nodded, even though he was alone in the office. "Because she knows you'll worry about her, otherwise. What does this feeling tell you, Tim?" Tony sat back, concern passing over his face.

"It's telling me that something is wrong. I don't know what. Something's just… not right. I wish I could tell you more."

"Give me 20 minutes, Tim. I'll finish what I'm doing and head over there. I'm sure everything's fine," Tony tried to reassure him.

He managed to convince neither Tim, nor himself.

…………………………………………………………………………

The mini-van travelling behind the dark little car skidded to avoid a rear-end collision. It fishtailed, then swung around, doing a 180 in the middle of the road. The occupants stared, horrified, as the small car in front of them became airborne, then disappeared over the guardrail, and into the darkness of the steep ditch.

The man behind the wheel quickly checked behind to ensure that his kids were okay, then glanced at his wife. The woman said nothing, but pulled out her phone, and immediately dialled 911.

The man jumped out of his vehicle, and reached under the seat for his flashlight. Without a moment's hesitation, he turned it on, and headed into the blackness that dropped off of the shoulder of the road.

…………………………………………………………………………

"Where are her usual haunts?" Tony asked, as soon as he'd arrived at Abby and McGee's place.

Tim shook his head. "There are a few clubs. Some friends she might have dropped in on. I don't think we needed anything from the supermarket, so I doubt she would have gone shopping. Movie rental place, maybe." Tim ran his hand though his hair, let it rest briefly on the back of his head, then let it drop into his lap. "She would have called, Tony."

Tony reached over and tried to reassure Tim with a pat on the shoulder. "She'll turn up, McGee. Probably her cell phone just died or something, and she couldn't check in."

"You know, Tony, I really don't give a damn where she is, or where she goes. Just as long as I know she's okay, that's all that matters. I always do the same with her, you know. Check in with her. Let her know if I'm gonna be late or something." Tim brought his hands to his temples and winced. He could feel one hell of a headache coming on.

Tony sighed. That hinky gut feeling was fast becoming mutual.