A/N: Here we go, yet another venture into the wonderful world of Gibbs/Tony father/son, my favorite genre! It's essentially finished, so I should be able to get chapters up pretty quickly. Please read and review, and I really hope you enjoy my latest attempt! -abby
**********
Ziva and McGee arrived at the Navy Yard at the same time, 0645 on Monday morning. They chatted quietly while waiting for the elevator doors to open into the bullpen. Since they were fifteen minutes early, both were surprised to see Tony already there.
The senior field agent didn't look up as his partners entered. He appeared to be lost in thought, staring absently at an open case file on his desk.
"Hello, Tony," Ziva greeted him as she settled into her chair. "You are here early."
Tony jumped and looked startled. He hadn't heard anyone come in and grinned faintly as he replied. "What, a guy can't come in early to get some work done?"
McGee snorted derisively. "Sure. But you never do, especially not on a Monday. Plus, we don't have any open cases at the moment. What gives?"
The younger man was surprised at the reaction. DiNozzo tensed and the smile dropped from his face. Tim noticed the fine lines of exhaustion and dark circles around his friend's eyes as Tony said sharply, "I couldn't sleep, McNosey. Is that a crime?"
McGee recognized the warning to back off, and raised his hands in surrender as he settled behind his own desk. He exchanged a worried glance with Ziva, but wisely said nothing further to the senior field agent. Tony wordlessly returned to staring at the large file. The only sound for the next fifteen minutes was the shuffling of paper.
Gibbs strode briskly out of the elevator at precisely 0700, coffee in hand. He took note of the icy silence ensconcing the bullpen and narrowed his eyes suspiciously. He didn't mince words, asking simply, "Is there something I should know about?"
Three heads swiveled in the lead agent's direction, and before Tim or Ziva had a chance to respond Tony answered with a grin, "No, Boss. We're just trying to get some work done, that's all. Everything's great."
Gibbs could tell the cheer was forced, and he immediately noticed the fatigue etched on his senior field agent's face. He wasn't buying it, but knew better than to push. DiNozzo would push right back, and Gibbs would be that much further from getting to the truth.
Tony looked back down and continued studying his mystery file. Tim and Ziva, however, glanced worriedly at each other again before resuming their work. This time their silent conversation did not go unnoticed. Gibbs watched his two younger team members and wondered what, if anything, they knew about Tony's obviously foul mood.
As luck would have it, Gibbs' phone rang at that exact moment. He picked up the extension without taking his eyes away from his team.
"Yeah, Gibbs." His greeting was customarily brusque, but the caller wasn't perturbed.
"Hey, Bossman," Abby said from the other end of the line. She sounded subdued, and Gibbs was instantly on alert. "Can you come down here?" She continued, "it's about Tony. I'm worried."
"On my way," Gibbs didn't hesitate. He dropped the receiver back into its cradle and rose to his feet, not bothering to speak to his silent team members as he stalked toward the forensics lab. Ziva and McGee watched him go. DiNozzo did not.
----------
Down in her lab, Abby was pacing frenetically. As soon as Gibbs stepped in the door, she practically pounced on him.
"Gibbs!" She grabbed the silver-haired main by the hand and dragged him over to the plasma screen, which was showing what appeared to be footage from the NCIS security cameras.
"What is it, Abbs?" Gibbs handed over the Caff-Pow he'd brought the Goth scientist, and she smiled her thanks and took a sip before continuing.
"Look at what I found in the security videos! Director Vance has me looking through the footage from the weekend. I haven't had much to do lately and so when I asked him if there was anything I could help with, he said he's been getting complaints about the cleaning staff and-"
Gibbs halted the young woman's rambling tangent by holding up a hand. "Abby. What does this have to do with DiNozzo?"
"Oh, right. Anyway, it looks like Tony stayed here at the Navy Yard all weekend!" Abby flounced back to her keyboard and pointed at the plasma. She tapped a few keys and the footage scrolled back. "See, here he is leaving with you guys on Friday evening, 2015 hours." She tapped a few more keys and moved the footage forward. "But here he is again, less than an hour later." Abby paused the image and pointed at the screen again.
Gibbs cocked his head and squinted. "What's he holding?"
Abby zoomed in on Tony's hands. "A pizza – of course – and that overnight bag he always keeps packed in case of emergencies. Look!" She fast-forwarded through more of the grainy images and switched camera feeds a few times, tracking Tony through the building. The scientist continued worriedly, "He stayed in the building the entire weekend. Worked out in the gym, showered in the locker room, napped at his desk, and went into the basement and came back with that huge file." Gibbs recognized the thick case file as the same one Tony had been intently studying moments earlier.
Abby paused the video and looked at Gibbs expectantly. "Well? If Tony's avoiding his apartment there has to be a reason! Why hasn't he told you anything?"
Gibbs sighed and gently kissed the young woman's cheek as he headed for the door. "I don't know, Abbs. But I'm going to find out. Thanks."
Abby watched the lead agent leave before turning back to the black-and-white footage of her friend. She murmured softly, "What is going on with you, Tony?"