When Gibbs and Jenny got back up to the bullpen, Ziva and Tim were already there, glancing suspiciously at Tony's desk.

"Hey, Boss", Tim said when Gibbs came over them. "Have you noticed the eh..." He nodded at Tony's desk as his voice trailed off, not sure of how to put his words.

"Yeah, McGee", Gibbs said and stopped in front of his agents. "Tony resigned early this morning."

"He what?" Both Ziva and Tim just stared at Gibbs as if he just had told them that he could fly.

"Why would he do that?" Ziva asked. "I mean, sure that we've had our quarrels, but that couldn't have been enough to make him leave. Could it?"

"No, Ziva", Gibbs said gravely. "If you want to blame someone, blame me. I'm the one who forced Tony to leave."

"Try making him think that he had to leave", Jenny corrected him.

"And it's none of your business", Gibbs growled when Tim opened his to speak.

"No, Boss."

"So are we just letting him run away like that?" Ziva asked then.

Gibbs only reply was his famous glare, which made a light shade of red appear on Ziva's cheeks.

"Of course we aren't", she mumbled an looked away.

"So what should we do?" Tim asked.

"What do you think, McGee?" Gibbs said and turned his glare to the younger man. "We search for him, and when we find him, we bring him back."

"But what if he doesn't want to come back?"

"I don't care. No-one quit this team without my permission. Got it?"

"Yes, Boss!" both Ziva and Tim replied mutually.

"Good. Now get to his apartment, both of you. If he isn't there, ask his neighbors if they know anything. And don't come back until you have something useful for me. Move it!"

"He won't be there, Jethro", Jenny stated as soon as Ziva and Tim and disappeared into the elevator.

"I know, Jen", Gibbs said calmly, giving her a little smile. "And he won't answer his cell, either. I just want to give him a head start, give him some time to calm down."

"For how long?"

"Just a couple of days. I think I can give him that much."

Jenny returned his smile and put a hand on his arm.

"He'll come back, Jethro", she said. "Just tell him how you feel and he'll come back to you."

"So you don't mind then? About me and Tony, I mean?"

"Not at all. You two deserves to be happy. You most of all. I just wish that you had looked at me in the same way as you look at Tony."

"I did love you, Jenny", Gibbs said and looked her in the eyes. "Maybe not as much as I loved Shannon, or love Tony for that matter, but it was love nonetheless."

"I know." Then she sighed deeply and pulled away. "I'll be in my office if you need me."

Gibbs nodded and sat down behind his desk. There he found the note that Tony had left for him. He picked it up, skimmed through it once before reading it more slowly.

By the time you read this, I'll be long gone.
I had to go, Gibbs. I hope you understand that.
I just couldn't live with the fact that you'd never
feel the same way for me that I feel for you.
And don't come looking for me. I don't want to be found.
Tell the others I'm sorry.

Gibbs rolled his eyes, folded the note and put it in his wallet.

"Never say you're sorry, DiNozzo."

About half an hour later, he was down in Abby's lab, coffee in hand. I figured that he needed to tell the goth what was going on. To his surprise he found that Ducky was with her. They were talking with their backs at him and didn't notice that he was there until he was standing right behind them.

"Ah, Jethro!" Ducky said and smiled at his friend. "What brings you down here?"

"Got something for me, Bossman?" Abby asked and looked so eager that Gibbs had to smile.

"No, Abs", he said. "There's actually something I need to tell you. Tony left early this moment. As in quit."

"He has resigned?" Ducky asked.

"No!" Abby looked like someone just had hit her. "Why did he do that? And why didn't he say goodbye?"

"Abs, calm down", Gibbs told her firmly and looked her deep in the eyes. "I'll bring him back."

"How are you planning to do that, Jethro?"

"How do you think, Duck? I'll track him down and go get him. How else?"

"But why did he leave, Gibbs? Didn't he like it here anymore?"

Gibbs looked at her thoughtfully for a second, trying to decide if he should tell them or not. He chose to tell. Ducky and Abby were family. They deserved to know the truth.
"Of course he liked it here", he assured the goth. "He loved this job. The reason to why he left is because he thought that I don't love him."

"What are you talking about, Jethro?" Ducky asked and gave him a confused frown. Abby, on the other hand, lit up and leapt at Gibbs, hugging him so hard that he felt like she was about to break his neck.

"I knew it!" she said when she let go. "But what took you so long? I've been waiting for you to get together for months now."

"Wait, you knew?" Gibbs couldn't help but stare at the goth.

"Of course I knew. Anyone could see how you felt for each other. You were both very good at hiding it, though. If you hadn't let your guard down once in a while, I'd probably not have noticed either."

"Noticed what?" Ducky asked and looked between the two.

"That Gibbs and Tony are in love", Abby said with a huge smile. "With each other."

"In love?" Ducky blinked and gave Gibbs a surprised look. "You and Tony?"

"Yeah. Do you mind, Duck?"

"Jethro! Of course I don't mind. I'm just a bit surprised, that's all. But if you and Tony are in love, why did he leave?"

"Because Tony didn't know that I felt the same way about him. And I didn't know until recently that he had such feelings for me, either." Gibbs glanced at his watch and sighed. "I better head up again", he said. "I'll let you know when we find something about Tony, okay?"

"You better", Abby called after him as he disappeared through the doors.

He went back to the bullpen and decided to look through some old files while he waited for Tim and Ziva to return. He didn't have to wait for long before the two agents got out from the elevator and walked over to him. Gibbs looked up and frowned when he saw the troubled looks on their faces, but his guts told him that there was nothing to worry about.

"What did you find?" he asked.

"Tony has emptied his apartment and moved all the furniture and his personal stuff into storage", Tim said. "The landlord said that he had come knocking on his door earlier this morning to give him the keys. Tony had told him that something had come up so that he had to move, and that he had hired some guys to remove his things from the apartment and clean it. That's what they were doing when we got there."

"Tony had even given the landlord the keys to his car", Ziva added. "Saying that he would hire someone to drive it to him once he had settled down. Tony never mentioned where, though."

"That means that he has chosen to take a flight", Gibbs mumbled and then looked at McGee. "Go see if you can find out when DiNozzo used his credit card the last time. It might give us a clue to where he's going."

"On it, Boss", Tim said and sat down behind his desk. A few minutes later, he sunk back in his chair and just stared at the computer screen.

"Boss, I know where he is", he said.

"Then spill it, McGee."

"He is in Chicago."

Gibbs smiled brightly at the young agent, who shyly smiled back when the first shock had disappeared.

"Good work, McGee. Good work."

tbc?