A/N: A little later in the day than I would have liked but I finally got it up! So glad you guys are enjoying the story. As always, thanks to all those who read and review. Here's the next chapter.

Chapter Twenty One

Something happened. No one says anything and everyone's quiet about it but I don't know what it is.

Boss has been at work for four days in a row and Elijah won't let me have a secret so we can go surprise Boss. He says Boss is busy but I know that even when Boss is busy, Boss still says that he has time to say hello to me.

But Boss hasn't been home in four days cause I mark them on the calendar in my kitchen and yesterday Lijah opened the door and Ducky was there cause Ducky wanted to say hello. Ducky had a bag with him and he smiled and checked me to make sure I was okay but I don't know why he checked me because I wasn't wheezing anymore and I was okay.

But Ducky got really serious like something was really wrong with me and I think I scared him cause I started to cry even though I didn't want to and Ducky gave me a hug and said it was going to be okay.

I started crying some more then because I thought he was okay before he had come over but because he said that it was going to be okay meant that something wasn't okay and I had probably forgotten what was wrong but I was too afraid to ask him so I nodded and he smiled at me and then went to Boss' special place down in the basement to talk to Elijah.

I didn't go down there cause that was Boss' special place, not mine cause I didn't have one anymore, and they talked for a long time I think but when Ducky came back up Elijah was smiling again so I think that maybe it was okay again.

I just wish Boss was there and here because he always knows when something is okay and isn't okay and I haven't seen him in a long time, four days, and maybe Elijah will let me have a secret so we can go surprise Boss.

Because Boss hasn't been home and I miss him.

"No I am not his guardian," Elijah spoke into the phone as he got Tony's evening morning meds ready for him, "And I understand your policies but I need a refill on a prescription."

Elijah kept an eye and ear out for Tony. Baron had come down earlier to go outside and eat his food but Tony had yet to make an appearance and if he wasn't down in about ten minutes, Elijah would head on up and check on his wayward charge.

"No, this cannot wait until-its ant-seizure medication! This is not something that you can just stop at a whim because you are apparently incompetent on who to refer me too-No! Do not transfer me to another line, I'm just fine talking to…Ah!" Elijah set the phone down, and rubbed his forehead. Taking a deep breath and counting to fifteen like his mom always made him do when he was angry, Elijah picked the phone back up and waiting for another dumbskull of a pharmacist to listen to his complaint.

"Hello?" Elijah said when he heard the line pick up, "Yes. No, the medication is not for me-no, I'm not Anthony DiNozzo's legal guardian. As I've explained, the legal guardian is on a federal operation and cannot be reached. Yes, it was very unexpected and no, he can't- yes. I can do that. Alright. Thank you so much. The prescription will be ready by tomorrow correct? Alright. Thank you. I'll make sure to inform- yes. Alright. Bye."

Hanging up the phone, Elijah breathed a sigh of relief. It had never been this difficult getting a prescription for his mom or for his dad when he had been alive. Of course, both his parents weren't under a guardianship or a brain damage man.

"Tony?" Elijah called when hadn't heard hide nor hair for the man in question. Tony normally didn't sleep in late and because of his strict medication schedule, Tony had to be up and awake so he could eat some food and take his meds, although not always in that order.

"Lijah," Tony called, using the nickname he had given his aide, "Blue. Blue. Blue. I lost it."

"Lost what?" Elijah walked in and helped Tony sit up correctly in his bed. Taking off the nighttime brace for Tony's foot and putting on the walking AFO, Elijah looked around to see if he could guess what had gotten Tony so upset.

"Click. Click," Tony's good hand traveled to his chest and rubbed his sternum in a circular motion, "Blue. Gone. I lost them."

"Boss' dogtags?" Elijah guessed, knowing that was the only thing that Tony referred to as click click.

"Click. Yes," Tony looked around as he continued to rub his chest, "Gone. And Boss is gone and now the tags are gone Lijah and I can't-I can't-what if Boss isn't ever gonna come back?"

"Tony," Elijah said, trying to stop the meltdown. Even though he understood Tony's frustrations, Gibbs had been missing for six days now, there was nothing he could do about Gibbs not being in the house. However, he could help find the Special Agent's dog tags, which were more than likely in the restroom where Tony had taken them off last night after having a small meltdown when Elijah told him that they couldn't go surprise Boss at work.

"I think I might be able to find Boss' dog tags," Elijah gently tapped Tony on the chest to get the man's attention.

"Click. Not lost?" Tony asked and tapped his chest just like Elijah had, "Boss?"

"Let me go look. You'll be okay right here while I go look? Baron will stay with you, right boy?" Elijah rubbed the dog's head affectionately. The German Shepherd, who had been laying on Tony's bed licked Elijah's hand.

"Missed. Come back?" Tony asked fearfully. He was close to tears and seemed a second away from grabbing onto Elijah and never letting the man go.

"I'll be right back," Elijah tapped Tony's chest once more before walking towards Tony's restroom.

Seeing the dog tags where he had put them yesterday, Elijah sighed in relief. At least one thing could be easily found.

"Here you go Tony," Elijah showed the anxious man before slipping them over Tony's head.

Smiling gratefully at Elijah, Tony good hand came up and played with the two pieces of metal as his legs started to fidget.

"You okay Tony?" Elijah asked, concerned that the fidgeting was a sign that a seizure might be on the way.

"Click. Boss. Is Boss lost Lijah?" Tony spoke, deathly quiet and by his tone, Elijah could tell that Tony was just as afraid of speaking the question as he was of hearing the answer.

Deciding that they had kept Tony in the dark for long enough, Elijah nodded, "I think so Tony. I think Boss is lost."

And surprisingly, instead of crying, Tony's face settled into a look of steely determination and his eyebrows furrowed, "Boss. Blue. We'll find him, right Lijah? Just like the dog tags?"

Unable to say anything because of the lump in his throat, Elijah nodded and pulled Tony into a hug.

He hoped that Tony was right.

McGee shuffled from foot to foot as he waited for Elijah, Tony's aide, to open the door. Gibbs had been missing for a week, give or take a few hours, and with each passing day, finding his boss alive was becoming a smaller and smaller possibility.

And while Ziva, Abby and Balboa's team were still looking through the files on the supposed kidnapper of two little kids, McGee had had to briefly leave the office to pick up and deliver Tony's anti-seizure medication.

Elijah had called them yesterday and told them he had finally broken the news to Tony, or more aptly, Tony had figured it out, and so now Tim was more than apprehensive to visit the Gibbs' household. Because while he loved Tony like a brother, having a brain damaged Tony deal with Gibbs' disappearance, the disappearance of his major caregiver, was not something they had taught him how to deal with in FLETC.

Hearing Baron barking and pawing at the door, McGee waited and smiled when he heard Elijah's deep baritone telling the dog to step back.

"Tim," Elijah said, opening the door, "Thanks so much for this. The pharmacy wouldn't let me pick them up because of Tony's legal status as a ward."

"It's no problem. I haven't really left the office since it happened and I think I was starting to go crazy looking through all the evidence," McGee set the bag containing Tony's medication on the counter before looking around the living room.

While the outside of Gibbs' house had been devoid of Christmas lights, the inside was a bit more decorated. As McGee glanced around the seemingly unchanged room, Tim could an empty space were a desk use to be.

"They were going to go pick out a Christmas tree last week," Elijah said, following McGee's gaze, "It was going to be a surprise for Tony. Same with the lights outside. But well, you know."

A lump formed in McGee's throat and he coughed trying to dislodge it, though he knew it had to do more with his heart than anything, "We'll find him Elijah."

"I sure hope so. I don't know if Tony," Elijah stopped mid-sentence and shook his head, before rubbing his forehead, "He's down for his nap right now but if you guys…well. Feel free to come by anytime to visit him. He knows you guys are looking for Boss so if you do come, be prepared to answer some questions."

"Thanks Elijah," Tim said, shaking the larger man's hands, "Without you I don't know what would have happened to Tony."

"Oh," Elijah smiled despite the situation and let out a quiet laugh, "I have a feeling Tony would be just fine without me."

"All the same," McGee shook the man's hand once more before opening the front door, "Call if you need anything. No matter what's happening all of us won't mind swinging by to help you with anything."

"You can help me by finding Tony's Boss," Elijah indicated his head back inside, "And if you could, find him soon. I've already caught Tony twice trying to go looking for Gibbs."

McGee let a genuine smile show on his face at that mental picture. Tony might be different now but many things about Tony remained the same, "Will do."

"Alright then," Elijah nodded and closed the door behind McGee before anymore hot air escaped. Rubbing his forehead again, Elijah was glad classes were on winter break. Grabbing the phone, he decided to call his mom and check up on her. A winter storm was coming and Elijah wanted to make sure she was okay back at their house.

"Hey mom," Elijah smiled when he heard his mom's voice come though over his cell phone, "Is everything alright over there?"

Boss is missing.

Lijah told me that when I lost Boss' dog tags. I don't know how Boss is missing cause he's never went missing before but Lijah said that's why he hasn't been home in so long.

I want to go looking for him, like Probie and Ziva and Abby and Ducky and Jimmy are doing, but Lijah says I have to stay inside cause it's really cold outside and I might get sick. I don't think I will cause I would wear lots of jackets and stuff to keep me warm but if Boss' is missing, then that means he needs to be found. And when something's missing, the only way to get it back is to make them found but without people looking for him, how can Boss be found?

I hope he's found soon. I miss him. It's really cold out so I hope he's missing where it's nice and warm and Boss won't get cold. I hope Boss is missing somewhere were its nice and safe and he'll get found real quick, like the time I went missing in the store. I got scared and got away from Boss but Boss found me really quick because Boss knows how to find things really quick.

But I don't know how to find things real quick like Boss and what if Boss is lost so bad that only Boss can find himself?

It hurts my head thinking about it but Lijah says its gonna be okay.

But all that means is that it isn't okay right now when I want it to be okay and that's a bad thing because that means Boss isn't gonna come home tonight.

But I miss him and maybe he misses me enough that he'll get found or find himself and come home with me and Baron.

Because I don't think I can find him without Boss with me.