Author's Note :

Tony is hurting, feeling frozen, feeling lost… without Ziva… Will Gibbs and the rest of the team be able to help him through this?

Enjoy.

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"When last did you have a good night's sleep, Tony?" McGee asked as he dropped his bag behind his desk. It was barely 7am and it was the 3rd day in a row that Tony was in the bullpen before him.

"Oh McGee, worried about me?" Tony smiled.

"Seriously Tony, you're looking…"

"Looking what?"

"Exhausted." McGee replied, looking at Tony's bin. "Did you drink all of that this morning?"

There were 3 cans of energy drinks and a rumpled up coffee bean bag in Tony's bin.

"No, I drank some of it during the night."

"You worked through the night again?" McGee exclaimed.

"Oh relax McGee." Tony shrugged. "There's nothing wrong with working through the night. We do it often enough."

"Yeah, when we're working a case. But we did have a case this week." McGee said. "Listen, Tony, do you want to talk about what's bothering you?"

"Appreciate the offer McGee but I'm fine." Tony replied.

"Good." It was Gibbs. "Grab your gear. We have a dead officer in Shenandoah Park."

Tony grabbed another energy drink from his drawer before rushing after Gibbs and McGee. In the elevator, Gibbs stared at him and Tony avoided looking back. McGee watched them expecting Gibbs to say something. But he didn't.

At the crime scene, McGee walked alongside Tony as he gulped the last of the energy drink.

"You need to lay off that stuff. It's bad for you."

"Okay McGee, I won't have another one this morning." Tony said rolling his eyes at McGee. They approached the scene and Tony started taking photographs while McGee took the dead man's finger prints.

"You should take some time off." McGee suggested.

"What, no. The last thing I need is to be home alone." Tony shuddered, taking photographs of the surrounding trees and spectators.

"Tell me why." McGee stood up and in the line of Tony's camera lens.

"Because, McWorry, I have been away long enough and I need to get back into my A game." Tony said.

"DiNozzo," Gibbs walked up to them. "What you got?"

"One times dead man, shot once in the back at close range. Not dressed for a trip to the park."

"And?" Gibbs prompted.

"His missing one shoe and looks like he was in a fight prior to being shot."

"What else?" Gibbs prompted.

"He has his wallet and watch so this was not a robbery gone wrong." Tony turned to look around.

"DiNozzo?"

"Looks like he ran from that direction," Tony said pointed at the trees, "out onto the road looking for help. I'll retrace his footsteps." Tony said heading towards the tree line.

Gibbs and McGee watched Tony and noted that he was a distracted, because he started taking photographs of the trees and leaves around him, instead of looking at the ground.

"Something you want to say, McGee?" Gibbs asked.

"What? No, nothing Boss." McGee turned back to the dead man.

But Gibbs wasn't fooled. He could see the concern in McGee's eyes and he didn't blame the younger man. DiNozzo was in trouble and he was going to have to do something about it.

Tony walked through the trees, snapping random shots.

It was beautiful, fragrant, like the garden he and Ziva had buried her little box in. They had been so close then, touching each other, sharing their feelings for each other…

God, Ziva, I miss you.

Tony ran a hand over his face, feeling almost frozen, shivering… lethargic. His stomach cramped from the gassy energy drinks and lack of food and he didn't know what to do anymore. And he couldn't sleep or maybe he didn't want to sleep.

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs' shout, shook him out of his reverie.

Get it together DiNozzo, he admonished himself as he snapped another photograph, turned around and tripped, going headfirst over the edge of a hill that materialized out of nowhere.

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