A/N: So while I tried (in vain) to get this up yesterday, I managed to somehow not beat my laptop to death and get it uploaded. :) So glad you are all enjoying this story and thanks to those who read and even more so to those who review. Semester starts on Tuesday so I'm shooting to have the next chapter up around Friday, hopefully sooner if possible. And to all my fellow US peeps out there: Happy Independence DAY!

Chapter Twenty Two

I have a surprise. That not even Boss or Lijah know.

But Boss is missing so maybe it won't be so bad I think. Lijah is sleeping cause yesterday Lijah's mom got sick and Abby had to come and watch a movie with me so Lijah could take her to the doctor's. Abby cried yesterday even though I don't know why.

The movie had a happy ending.

But Lijah's sleeping cause I should be napping but I'm not cause I'm not tired. I think I know where Boss is but Lijah didn't understand when I tried to explain it to him but I think it was kinda my fault because I wasn't saying the good words cause when I get excited bad words come out instead. So I tried writing them down but only Boss can understand what I write and Boss isn't here cause he's still missing.

It's been nine days. I know cause I keep the number on the calendar in the kitchen. Lijah's shoulders are getting all bunched up like Boss' do when he gets tired and I feel bad cause Lijah doesn't get any time to go and do whatever he wants cause he has to stay with me all the time even though I have Baron and Baron would keep me safe.

So I have a surprise. And me and Baron are going to go find Boss. I think.

But first I gotta tell Probie and Ziva and Abby cause they're looking for Boss too even though I don't think they know where he is. Boss doesn't always tell his sur...no, his secrets to everyone but he told me because well. Cause he's my Boss.

It's really cold outside so it takes me a long long time to put everything on. I have to use my good hand because my bad hand is really tight and bunched up today and I'm glad Lijah didn't take off my walking brace cause I can't put that on by myself.

Last thing, well not really last thing but a thing I have to remember to do, is put on the blue helmet because Boss said that soon they were gonna put back the other part of my skull that they took out when I got hurt. I hope thought that Boss let's me keep my helmet. It's blue and I like it and it has everyone's names on it, even Kate's.

I think everyone's worried that Boss' name will have to go on the inside but I know Boss wouldn't do something like that without telling me and I think I know where Boss is.

But my surprise and my other secret is gonna have to help cause I don't know how to get to where Probie and Ziva and Abby and Ducky and Jimmy are by myself. And Baron doesn't know either and Lijah is still asleep so I got to be real quiet that I don't make noise.

Tony bit his lip and held onto Baron's leash. Baron didn't pull anymore because Boss and Elijah had trained him how to walk by you so he didn't pull. Which was good, Tony thought, because Baron could pull really hard if he wanted too.

Relaxing his shoulder like Boss showed him how to do when he started going to fast, Tony tried to relax. It was cold outside and his nose was going to get all red but he moved his scarf over his mouth so he didn't breathe in the cold air. Tony hated the nebulizer treatments and Elijah had told him that sometimes the cold made them worse so he didn't want to take any chances.

It wasn't snowing when he left the house but now it was, a light sprinkle that was covering everything in a thin layer of white.

Tony continued to walk, being very careful of where he placed his feet. He didn't want to slip on the snow and hurt himself because then he wouldn't be able to tell everyone where he thought Boss was. And since Boss was family and Probie and Ziva and Abby and everyone one else was Boss' team, then they should hear what he had to say too, cause that was how it was suppose to work.

Tony kept walking, waiting for his secret.

When he was almost lost, he heard the truck. It was black just like he remembered and he smiled and waved. This secret couldn't be all bad.

Could it?

McGee downed the last of the stale coffee that was on his desk. Nine days of looking and all they had been able to find was a child's sock, a drop of Gibbs' blood, and as of yesterday, the dead body of the only man who would have been able to tell him where Gibbs and the two small children who were missing might be. Because the dead man, a sailor with a grudge against an old flame, in autopsy was indeed their kidnapper and now that he was dead, they still had no idea where Gibbs was.

And now, Elijah had just called him to say that Tony and Baron were missing.

And to make matters worse, a cold front had come in early this morning, causing temps to fall ten or so degrees and for the forecast of snow to become a reality.

Where could Tony have gone to? Elijah said he had fallen asleep, the poor guy was fighting a bad cold as well as having to help his mom get to and from the doctor's for her high blood pressure, and when he had woken up, Tony had been gone.

At first he had feared that Tony had been taken but Tony had left some sort of a note, though Elijah hadn't really been able to decipher it, but with the note he had left something that Elijah was sure Tony would never part with involuntarily: Gibbs' dog tags.

He had contacted the local police, who had at first denied putting out a missing person's report for an adult, at least until McGee described Tony's health concerns and mental status. Apparently, being a ward, which Tony was under Gibbs, meant that Tony was considered to be almost on the same levels as a child. And considering there was no one else who would have any interest in Tony, other than sick perverted-

McGee mentally slapped himself. Thinking such thoughts would only make his stomach all that more nervous and thanks to a diagnosis of H. pylori when he had been in college, McGee was certain the little bug was back and had caused at least two ulcers in his stomach since Gibbs had gone missing.

McGee popped two Tums in his mouth and chewed on them thoughtfully for a moment. Balboa's team was doing a good job helping them find their missing Boss but it was times like these that McGee realized he wished Tony was still the Senior Field Agent. He hadn't been ready, of course Gibbs had assured him that no one ever really was, but at this moment, McGee was sure of one thing.

He most defiantly was not ready to become the Senior Agent anytime soon.

That wasn't to say he wasn't stepping up to the plate. The whole agency was. Cases had been shuffled and people had put in extra overtime to help in any way they could to make it easier for the two teams to find Gibbs.

And now, Tony was missing.

How was McGee ever going to tell Abby?

Apparently, someone was looking out for him because as McGee was gathering his courage to go speak to the forensic scientist, the elevator ding and holy chocolate stars Batman there was Tony and Baron, with Patrick, a security guard who had known Tony from before Tony's TBI injury.

"Tony!" McGee practically leapt out of his chair and ran over to where Tony was biting his lip and shuffling his feet. Ziva, who had also been informed on Tony's status, sighed in relief though she was still very much worried about Gibbs and where Tony had been the last hour or so.

"Where have you been?" McGee said, a lot louder than he had meant because as soon as the words left his mouth, Tony ducked his head and grimaced.

"Secret. Loud. Don't yell please," Tony asked quietly and rubbed one ear with his bad hand, his good had holding onto Baron's leash.

"I'm sorry Tony," McGee said, working very hard to keep his voice soft. But the adrenaline was pumping through his veins and after an hour of worrying about two people he cared for-

"Come Tony," Ziva was suddenly there, gently removing McGee's grasp on Tony's shoulders and instead gently taking Tony's shaking hand and leading him over to McGee's desk, "Would you like to sit down?"

"Loud. Blue. Yes please," Tony sat and sighed. He had been standing a long time and his feet hurt very much.

"Do you want some hot chocolate? You look cold," Ziva continued speaking to Tony softly but firmly, mimicking the way Gibbs spoke to the former NCIS agent. Tony smiled in response to Ziva's question and nodded his head ever so slowly. McGee watched their interaction for a few seconds before turning to the other person who had stepped off the elevator.

"Thanks Pat," McGee shook the security guards hand, "Where was he?"

"At the main gate," Pat gestured with the tilt of his head, "Marines weren't going to let him in because Tony didn't have a valid ID but I saw him on the video feed and waved him in. Although, it didn't hurt any when he told the Marines at the gate that he thought where Agent Gibbs was, though he referred to him as Boss."

"He,-" McGee's heart stuttered for a moment before his brain put it back on track, "Where did he say Gibbs was?"

"Wouldn't tell me," Pat shook his head, "Said he had to talk to Probie about it, which I'm assuming is what he still calls you."

McGee tried to smile a bit at that but already his mind was working though how Tony would know where Gibbs was and how quickly they could get a team out to where ever Tony said their Boss was. Maybe Tony had been picked up by someone who knew but didn't-

Rubbing his head, McGee walked over and pulled out another chair. Normally, they would take a witness or someone with info on a case to the interrogation room to be recorded but considering they already had their suspect dead in the morgue, McGee decided in the squad room was just fine.

Tony, who was currently taking small sips of hot chocolate Ziva had just given him, looked up at McGee and smiled.

McGee smiled back, as best as he could, and waited until Tony had set the drink down before turning to Ziva, "Can you call Elijah and the police and tell them we've found him?"

Ziva nodded and took the empty cup away from Tony.

"Tony," McGee said, gently tapping Tony's knee to get the wandering man's attention.

"Big. Cold. Blue. Yes?" Tony said and McGee could now see the tension in Tony's shoulders and the way he clenched and unclenched his good hand.

"Tony, this is very important, I need you to tell me where Gi-Boss is," Tim spoke, hoping his anxious tone was controlled somewhat, "Can you do that for me?"

"Secret. Secret. Surprise." Tony rattled off in quick succession and McGee rubbed his face. When Tony was anxious or extremely agitated, he often let off a litany of words, most of which made no sense. But sometimes, the words where what Tony was thinking about.

"Tony, Boss won't mind if you tell this secret, I promise," McGee said, tapping Tony's knee again, this time to emphasize his point, "Please Tony. Boss might be hurt and we have to find him."

"Secret. Missing. Find him, surprise," Tony nodded and rubbed his chest, frowning when his hand didn't come into contact with the dog tags.

Had he lost them too?

No, Tony bit his lip. He had left them because they go click click and he had to be quiet.

But not anymore.

"Click. Lijah. Can I have my dog tags now?" Tony blurted out and his hand started rubbing small circles on his chest.

"Yes Tony, as soon as you tell me where Boss is," McGee leaned forward and tried to smile reassuringly at Tony, "Please Tony?"

"Click. Secret. His special place," Tony fidgeted in his seat, "Down. Special. Whenever Boss goes missing for awhile he told me to knock on his door where he takes the steps down. That's where he is when he goes missing."

Realizing that Tony had tried to logically solve the problem, McGee's smile faltered and his heart fell from his chest.

But then why was something suddenly-

"Ziva," McGee said, suddenly jumping out of his seat and scaring Tony, "Did our suspect's house have a basement?"

Ziva frowned and hit a few buttons on the computer, "No. However, every other house on that block does indeed have one."

"Thank you Tony!" McGee grabbed Tony's shoulder and quickly gave them a squeeze, "Stay here until Elijah comes and gets you, okay?"

"Click. Down. Secret. Surprise! But-" Tony tried to say but before he could even try and rise from his seat, Probie and Ziva were gone.

And Tony was alone with Baron.

In a big room, the noises are really loud.

Which is why I can hear my heart going pump pump in my ears.

Probie and Ziva are gone cause I told them where I think Boss is. I don't know where they're going though. But I wish Boss was here.

Because the noise is really loud and I think I broke the surprise cause I told them.

But I didn't meant to.