Warnings: Dark, angst, Tony whump.

A/N: Hope everyone is doing well. It has been awfully quiet around here so I'm going to take it as a good sign that you are all enjoying it? Anyways, I guess I should point out that I am not a doctor so I'm doing the best with the medical stuff and researching as best I can.

EDITED 10/21/14: If you haven't gone back to read chapter two, don't worry about it. All I changed was that instead of having Tony shot in the knee, he was stabbed. Also any anon reviews that dealt with the injuries were deleted, not because I didn't appreciate the feedback but because it no longer pertains to the story.

Everyone else, thank you for your support! I hope to hear a lot more feedback from you as I continue on this endeavor/journey outside my comfort zone!

It had started to snow again.

Gibbs pushed the Charger for all it was worth and as safely as he possibly could on such poor road conditions. He couldn't help Tony if he was in the hospital recovering from injuries or worse yet dead.

But still… he needed to get to his agent.

Things were looking rather grim. Tony's company car had been found abandoned on the side of the road. There was blood in the front seat, but as they had learned seven years ago—that meant nothing. Tony could still be alive. He had to be alive because Gibbs wasn't sure how he was going to handle loosing him. And Leah, Jack… what about them?

"Jethro… I'd like to live to see my next birthday," Fornell stated, flatly as they nearly missed a snowplow in the opposite direction.

"I'm doing the best I can, Tobias," Gibbs said through gritted teeth. I wish this thing could go fast in the snow. I wish I was there by now!

"We aren't going to do Tony any good if we're dead."

Gibbs eased up on the gas slightly… but just a little. I sent Tony out, alone, on an assignment. I never should have done that! Why didn't I go with him? Why didn't I send Bishop? Or asked if Balboa was available? "I should have gone with him, Tobias. Why did I send him out to West Virginia alone?"

Fornell frowned. "He was picking up a witness and transporting her back to D.C. Doubt that is a typical assignment that requires back-up. Only DiNutso would find away to get in trouble doing that."

It was probably true, Gibbs realized as they pulled off the highway. Tony had a knack for trouble. Getting lost chained to a serial killer. Vanishing in a sewer system. Almost getting himself blown up … the list could go on and on. Eventually, at some point, Tony's luck had to run out, didn't it? As the Charger dug it's way through the snowy back roads, Gibbs had to hold onto the faith that it just wasn't time for his second's luck to run out.

But with the terrible road conditions it took nearly an hour to get to the motel once they pulled off the highway, and as Gibbs pulled the car down the driveway, his heart racing, he knew that time was slipping away from him. Time that Tony did not have. He parked the car and shut it down, staring at the last place Tony had been seen.

The Mountain State Inn was a cute, quaint little ski resort tucked in picturesque landscape. It had various buildings spread out, two level rows of equally quaint rooms and cabins for those seeking a more romantic, private setting.

Warm, roaring fires greeted the federal agents as they stepped into the lobby. There was a plate of fresh cookies and an area to get coffee and tea. Comfy chairs and sofas surrounding the stone fireplace where patrons could warm their cold digits after skiing the slopes—Gibbs found himself wishing that they'd find Tony seated there, cup of hot cocoa in his hand, sheepishly admitted he'd hit the slopes for a few and forgot to call Leah.

But there was no Tony. And there was no record of Tony ever being at that inn.

"I've doubled checked all our records, Agent Gibbs," Estelle Wilkerson told him when they arrived. Tall and athletic, Gibbs could see Estelle burning up the slopes as a young woman, now she was middle aged inn keeper, entertaining and treating the city folk to good old country living. "Are you sure this is where your agent stopped last night?"

"He gave the name and number to his wife," Gibbs said, feeling how on edge he was in the tone of his voice.

Estelle frowned. "Is it possible that he gave the name as a cover? You know… I'm not naïve, Agent Gibbs. I've seen people come here to carry on affairs."

Gibbs wanted to strangle this woman but reminded himself that she didn't know Tony. She didn't know that he'd only been married for a year and a half, didn't know that he was completely in love with his wife and that he would never cheat on her. "He called her from this desk. We have the phone records to prove it."

Fornell held up a photograph of Tony… his NCIS personnel photo and asked, "Ma'am, please take a look. Have you seen Agent DiNozzo?"

"No. I'd remember a handsome face like that," Estelle said with a shrug. "And if he called her last night, from this desk, I wasn't here."

"Who was in charge of the desk last night?" Fornell inquired.

"My nephew," she responded with a touch of disdain. "Weird one that kid. I only gave him the job because I felt bad for my sister."

Gibbs clenched his fists. "Can we speak to your nephew?"

Estelle shook her head. "He isn't here today. Only works at night because he creeps all my employees out… I don't need him scaring away my patrons as well."

"Why's that?"

"Always mumbling. Thinks he hears voices. Gives them funny looks."

"Funny looks?" Fornell questioned.

Estelle shrugged. "Yes. One maintenance man feels like every time my nephew looks at him, he thinks he's gonna kill him. Listen, I know my sister's kid isn't normal… but… he's never been violent… I doubt he hurt your agent… if your agent was even here."

Fornell glanced at Gibbs quickly. "We're still going to need to question your nephew, ma'am. Know where we can find him this time of day?"

"Likes to go hunting. Probably at the local diner getting something to eat if his hunt was successful."

"And if it wasn't?"

"Don't know where he goes if it wasn't. But he's usually a very good shot."

Gibbs felt every hair on the back of his neck stand up. If this had been the young man that had welcomed Tony into the inn last night, Gibbs could only imagine what had gone down. He had to find Tony before it was too late. "Do you have any security cameras? Any footage that we can watch to prove that Tony was here?"

Estelle frowned. "Sorry, Agent Gibbs. Small town. I don't use cameras. And most of my customers are snow bunnies not criminals."

Fornell saw the desperate look in Gibbs' eyes. If they couldn't prove that Tony was here then they couldn't get a search warrant. He handed Estelle his car. "You'll give us a call if your nephew happens to show up here?" She agreed and the two agents left. He made some promises to Gibbs that he was going to get the FBI involved, have them look into the inn and the owners, the nephew. But he knew those promises were falling on deaf ears. Gibbs, and his team, were hurting and Fornell knew they were going to hurt even more if this trail lead them to Tony's body.

Tim stood rigid as his partner's car was towed into the evidence garage. It had been abandoned on the side of the road. Blood soaked the front seat and there was absolutely no sign of Tony.

It was looking like Tony had been brutally attacked or murdered in that front seat… but Abby was determined to prove them wrong. As soon as the car was secured and the tow truck was gone she was taking samples, muttering that Tony was not dead.

It wasn't looking so good, was what Tim wanted to say but held back. His partner had beat the odds before so there was no reason to doubt he could do it again.

"Where any finger prints found?" Ellie asked, looking into the Charger with a grim face.

"Just Tony's," Tim replied, softly. His throat ached, his body was screaming in absolute protest that he should be resting, and yet here he was. "State troopers said besides the blood there was no other sign of fool play. Or an accident."

Ellie pulled herself out of the car. "Obviously something happened, Tim… Tony wouldn't… he wouldn't lie to Leah about where he is."

Tim snapped some photographs of the blood, his stomach churning. "He would if he had a good reason."

"Do you think… do you think he willing went with whoever took him?"

"If they threatened Leah and Jack… yes. He'd do anything to protect them."

Ellie felt sick to her stomach. Tony was her teacher, her friend, her partner. She hated to think of what was happening to him at that very moment… if he was even alive at all. They just had no proof either way what had happened. Her background checks on the owners of the inn had yielded no results. They had no history of crime or violence, were model citizens in their small, West Virginia town. What were they going to tell Leah?

Tim silently went back to work, not wanting to think about the possibility that Tony had sacrificed his life to protect his family. But it was something that Tony would do. He loved Leah and Jack… would do anything for them. If they found out that he'd given himself up to keep them safe… none of them would doubt it.

"McGee. I just don't see how Tony could have survived this," Why would there be more blood in the passenger seat than the driver's seat?" Ellie broke the silence, a tone of anguish in her voice. "There's just so much blood."

"He's a fighter and he's beat the odds before," Tim replied, trying to cling to the little hope that he had left. "He beat the plague… at a time where there wasn't as much at stake. Now… he wouldn't leave Leah and Jack… not without putting up a fight."

Ellie sighed and bit her lower lip. "Unless he was given no choice."

Tim thought back to what he'd said moments before, about Tony doing whatever it took to protect his family. "Yeah," he whispered, coughing, "yeah… unless he had no choice." With a heavy sigh he opened the front door and reached for the lever to pop the trunk, almost fearful of what he was going to find. He took slow, tortured steps to go investigate. "Oh…"

"What? What is it?" Ellie asked, dashing towards him. She looked into the trunk to see what he had found and felt her heart stop for a second. "It's Tony's backpack."

"There's blood on it," Tim pointed out. "Guess Abby is going to have another sample to run."

Ellie reached into the car and pulled the bag out, carefully unzipping it. She found Tony's extra clothes, his badge, and his credentials… all neatly tucked into the bag. "His weapon is gone. Maybe… maybe he still has it."

Tim shook his head. "Remember when Crowley took me? He used my gun. The perpetrator has Tony's SIG and I bet his knife too." And he's probably using both on Tony right now as we speak. "Gibbs better find Tony soon… because I… I don't know how much longer he has to live."

"Don't know where Wayne is, sorry," the friendly woman behind the counter told them. "Haven't seen him since yesterday. Which is odd."

"Have you seen this man, Betty?" Fornell asked holding up Tony's photo and reading the waitress' name tag.

Betty smiled. "Oh yeah. Came in around six last night, sat right here at the counter. Real friendly, liked to chat. Especially about his son. I hope nothing happened to him. He seemed like a good enough guy."

Gibbs' heart beat rapidly against his ribs. "He's a United States federal agent. And he's missing."

"Oh my… what does Wayne have to do with it?" she asked, wiping the coffee mugs clean. "He was working last night while your agent was in here."

"He might have been the last person to see Special Agent DiNozzo before he disappeared. He called his wife from the inn," Fornell replied.

"I sent him there. He was looking for a place to stay the night," Betty replied a sad look coming into her eyes.

Gibbs needed some air. He turned to go, wanting to get out of the diner, when he heard Betty answer another one of Fornell's questions. "Wayne was always a weird boy. Do you know his mother found him bashing the heads of poor field mice? What kind of child does that?"

Fornell noticed as Gibbs shoulders stiffened as he turned back, eyes wide with horror. He cleared his throat. "Ma'am… this is extremely difficult to ask… but I have to. Generally children that show a… pattern of killing animals… graduate to killing people. Is there any chance… any chance at all that Wayne could have taken those urges out on Agent DiNozzo?"

Betty looked appalled. "Wouldn't your agent have had a weapon?"

"He's issued a gun, yes," Fornell replied, "but he might not have been able to get to it in time."

"You think Wayne did it? You think he killed him?"

"We're looking into it."

She shook her head sadly. "That poor woman and her baby."

Gibbs definitely needed the air now. He stormed out of the diner and stepped out into the snow. Letting the flakes fall on his face as he stood there trying to reign in his emotions, all he could think about was Leah and Jack as well. "Tony… come on… give me a sign…" he whispered. "I don't want to make that phone call."

Fornell came out of the diner, shoving his hands into his pockets. "I gave Betty my card incase she hears about where Wayne is. Just got off the phone with Sacks—Wayne has at least three registered weapons. Estelle Wilkerson wasn't kidding when she said he liked to hunt."

"He tried to use hunting to stop the urges. When that didn't work he moved on to bigger things," Gibbs surmised. "Tony stumbled inadvertently in his path."

"You had no way of knowing that the storm was going to slow him down that much. Or that he'd find the one inn with a serial killer behind the counter."

"It's Tony… I should have known trouble was going to follow him."

"I can't really argue with you on that."

Gibbs was glad Fornell wasn't even going to try. He pulled his phone out and stared at it. He needed to hear from McGee or Bishop giving him something. He needed some sign that all wasn't lost yet, that Tony wasn't dead. It was nearing seventeen hours that Tony had been missing and they were nowhere closer to finding him than they had been that morning. It was looking rather bleak and if he lost Tony it was going to be like going through loosing Shannon and Kelly all over again.