Tony yawned and stretched and after a few too many cracks and groans moved his protesting body out of bed. After a scrub of his face with his hands to remove the sleep he contemplated another exciting day. He checked his watch he had placed on the night stand, 0600. This one he realised was going to be filled with hour after endless hour of generally mundane but necessary interviews. Great.
Suddenly Tony remembered last night and a huge smile split his face. Ha Probie. He laughed out loud as he remembered the mutterings and grumblings as he had urgently called McGee out of the shower, late the previous night. After much cajoling and some heavy soggy stomping down the stairs, McGee was left alone peering around for whatever the urgent message was. It was genius though to leave the front door open as if he himself had simply stepped out. Once McGee had investigated, as only a good investigator should, taking a quick step out to peer around the edge of the house, Tony had 'nudged' the door with his foot. The door has swung easily and shut firmly with a click.
Tony leapt out of bed to land in the middle of the simple bedroom and braced himself for an onslaught of verbal complaints or at least sulky looks from his team mate. Silence. Tony gingerly peered under the bed before making his way over to the wardrobe. HAH .He pulled open the bifold doors expecting to startle McGee who must surely be hiding somewhere seeking revenge. Nothing.
It was surprising that after pulling such a prank that it appeared McGee had simply returned to bed without a complaint and had let him fall asleep.
It had taken some effort on his behalf to smoother his snickers as McGee pounded on the door outside. But Tony didn't want to be cruel, simply to briefly embarrass his overly pompous friend who had been grumbling like a bear with a sore head for the previous few hours. Well and if he was honest to alleviate the crushing boredom of collating pages and pages of interview requests and filling in endless reports. He had simply waited 10 minutes and then he had pushed the front door open and raced up the stairs and jumped into bed.
Pulling his jeans over his boxers (he always wore something to bed when on assignment, after the Iguana incident) he carefully walked out of his room. 'McGee? Probie?' he called as he stalked carefully down the hallway waiting to have a pillow bashed into his face at any moment. Nothing.
Tony swung around the doorframe and leapt yelling into McGee's room hoping to distract him from whatever diabolical plan he had spent the long night cooking up. Nothing. In fact more than nothing. The bedroom was empty and the bed was unslept in. Tim's clothes were folded in a neat pile at the end of his bed along with his shoes from the day before and the rest of his luggage.
Tony's smile slipped before he fastened it securely on again. McGee was simply getting sneakier and Tony had to admit he was a genius. Tony smiled as he remembered when McGee had first joined that it had been McGee who had suggested doing nothing to Kate, who would then drive herself mad thinking of all the tricks Tony was playing on her. Perhaps after all these years he was getting the hang of this camaraderie between them.
'McGee?' He called as he slowly made his way down the stairs 'McGee??' Tony paused as he saw the front door still standing open. Had that been open all night? Surely not. His pulse picked up and he started to walk quickly through to the kitchen. 'Probie?' His voice, he couldn't help but notice was starting to get an edge to it. The kitchen bench was exactly as he had last seen it which meant that Tim's dinner of microwave pasta they had procured was still on the bench waiting to be eaten. Tony's of course had disappeared long before McGee had even finished setting up the computers in the lounge and he could see the empty container abandoned in the trash.
Tony's stomach started to twist and an uncomfortable clammy feeling started to creep over him. He called out, his voice echoing through the empty house. 'McGee this isn't funny! I don't care if your mad just get your butt down here so I can see you!' Tony's ears strained to hear an uncomfortable cough, a shift of weight on the floorboards anything. Nothing. The house was silent.
Tony swore and took a few calming breaths. Ok ok this was going to be fine. Perhaps he is already up and he is talking to Gibbs on his cell or something outside. Yes. He was senior field agent and he wasn't going to be panicked by a probie. Tony ran upstairs slipped on some shoes and a shirt so he looked presentable – and calm and then headed out side.
It was as Tony turned down the side of the house that he considered the position McGee had been in, no clothes, no ID, no gun, cold, wet and judging by the uneaten dinner still on the bench hungry. The sudden image of a vulnerable Tim subjected to a 'Blanket Party' by disgruntled members of the Base flashed into Tony's mind. McGee wouldn't stand a chance with a blanket thrown over him, so he couldn't identify his attackers then kicked and punched into unconsciousness and left till morning. Tony suddenly didn't feel quiet so amused by the situation as he had been earlier and the clammy feeling started to take a firmer hold.
The thought of finding his friend broken and bashed while he had enjoyed a full nights sleep anguished him and he started a thorough search of the backyard as well.
Tony completed a full circuit of the house and then started back through all the rooms inside, checking each one systematically a growing feeling of panic welling up inside. Tony checked his watch again, 0640 and swore. It had now been nearly seven hours since he had last seen McGee and Gibbs was going to expect them both to report to central command and then bring over the first batch of interviewees.
Tony took out his phone and with a deep breath dialled a familiar number. It picked up on the first ring. 'Good morning Tony. Why are you phoning so early? Did you have a nice dream about me?' He could hear her smiling down the phone at him.'
'Ziva, please I don't have time for this now. Have you seen McGee?'
' McGee, what are you dreaming about him now?' She seemed confused.
'No Ziva, just answer the question. Have you seen him.?'
'Of course I have seen him. He has big green eyes and a pouty mouth and …' Tony cut her off again with an exasperated sigh 'ZIVA!
'Ok no I haven't seen him this morning. Isn't he with you?
Tony last hope of salvation fell. 'Uhhhh well it appears that he has gone.'
'What do you mean gone? Gone where?' Ziva demanded.
That's just it. I don't know, he's just gone.'
Ziva sensed there was something Tony wasn't telling her 'Tony' She could hear the anguished sigh down the phone, sounding more like McGee than the cocky Tony.
'I might have played a joke on him last night.'
'So, what does that have to do with anything?'
'Well I called him out of the shower and then well, shut him outside the house'.
'Ohhh Tony he would not like that at all.' Ziva considered the extremely private and if not shy then introverted young agent.
'Well I opened the door ten ok maybe fifteen minutes later so he could come back in and, and well when I got up this morning I figured he would be mad and you know…. but he isn't even here. Bed unslept in, clothes still on the bed and he never ate the dinner he had waiting. He just gone.'
'Oh Tony. It is you I am worried about not McGee'. Ziva breathed 'Gibbs is going to kill you! '
Ok what do you think. Where is McGee? Please review Am I getting the voices right? A thank you to Streak13 who mentioned what Blanket Partys were in review and I thought it was perfect to work into story.