AN: I'm debating acouple if things with "Dinner" so ended up starting something different. This is going to be really short, two, possibly three chapters. Thanks for reading. :)

(Lots of spoilers for numerous episodes - Agent Afloat, SWAK, Bury Your Dead, Twilight, plus others. If you don't want to be spoiled, you might want to skip this one.)

xxxxx

One hour and counting...

"Struggle all you want, Agent DiNozzo. Even if you are somehow able to loosen your bonds, there is no way you will be able to escape from this room. It is impossible to open the door from the inside without this key." The man dangled it enticingly in front of Tony then laughed at the desperate look in Tony's eyes.

"There is much you would like to say to me, no? Unfortunately, I have no wish to listen to any more of your ramblings. You will have to save them for the afterlife. You have one hour left to live. I suggest you use your time wisely..."

With his hands and feet tightly bound and a gag in his mouth, Tony could only watch helplessly as the man laughed again, then turned to leave the room, the metal door banging loudly behind him. He was left alone to watch the digital timer attached to the bomb counting down the last hour of his life.

xxxxx

Fifty five minutes and counting...

If what this guy said was true, Gibbs knew the chances of finding Tony before the bomb went off were very slim. He had already killed two NCIS agents in a similar manner, leaving a trail of cryptic clues, but always managing to stay one step ahead of them. Both agents had been killed by timed bombs. Both could have been saved if they had managed to piece things together more quickly. Now it was personal. His agent in jeopardy. The clues had led them to a block of condemned buildings that had been partially destroyed by fire. Even with the great number of agents searching under Gibbs' command, it was an awfully large area with not a lot of time left to search. He refused to give up hope though. They still had almost an hour to find Tony. Maybe this time they would get lucky...

xxxxx

Fifty minutes and counting...

Stupid, stupid, stupid...

Tony couldn't believe he had been stupid enough to get himself into this situation. The guy had been waiting for him in his apartment and he had been completely taken by surprise. So much for being aware of his surroundings. He'd slammed him over the head with something, Tony didn't even know what, but it had knocked him out and the next thing he knew he had awoken in this room. He knew this guy was the one who had kidnapped and murdered two other NCIS agents, one each week for the past two weeks. He was number three.

He was sure Gibbs would be on the warpath, doing everything in his power to find him. There wasn't anyone he'd rather have on his six. Maybe he would catch a break. Maybe Gibbs would somehow find him. If not, he had less than fifty minutes left to live. The guy had told him to use his time wisely. He tried to force himself to think of something other than the menacing little timer counting down the final minutes of his life, but it sure as hell wasn't easy.

xxxxx

45 minutes and counting...

Gibbs thought back to the first time he had met Tony. Tony had been a member of the Baltimore Police Department and had been working a case involving a serial killer. Victim number three had been a naval officer and NCIS had been called onto the case. Gibbs had been very impressed by the young cop with the confident attitude and exceptional investigational skills. They had immediately clicked and by the time the case ended, Gibbs had offered Tony a job. Eager for new challenges, the young man had accepted Gibbs' offer and a month later he had moved into a new apartment and had presented for his first day of work at NCIS. Gibbs smiled to himself as he remembered the first time he had ever headslapped Tony. The young man had been shocked and really pissed off, but not angry enough to go up against Gibbs...

"What was that for?" Tony had asked, his eyes blazing furiously.

"For being careless and sloppy. I know you're a better agent than that, DiNozzo."

"I wasn't..." Tony had trailed off and Gibbs had seen the realization in Tony's eyes that a mistake had been made. He had been satisfied that the next time they were in a similar situation, Tony would be a lot more careful.

There had been a lot more head smacks over the years, but now, in some way, they were almost a sign of affection. The thought crossed his mind that he might never see his senior agent again and it only served to further his determination. They had to find DiNozzo before the bomb went off...they just had to.

xxxxx

40 minutes and counting...

Agent Afloat. Even now, Tony still hated the term. It definitely wasn't one of his fondest memories. He had despised the time spent aboard the ship. All he had wanted was to go home. He had felt so alone there and hadn't really connected with anyone. Most of the men had looked at him with suspicion, which had only lessened his chances of making any friends. Every time he had spoken to Gibbs or received a letter or postcard from Abby, it had only served to increase his homesickness. He had been so happy when Gibbs and Ziva had flown out to help him with his case and even more thrilled when Gibbs had told him he was going home. When Vance had given him the news that he was reinstated with the team, he had been on top of the world. Of course, based on his current situation, being Agent Afloat would be a godsend. Then again, there really weren't many situations he could think of that were worse than this. He found himself staring at the numbers counting down and willed himself to look away. Every time he looked at the timer, he could feel his anxiety rising even higher. He'd always known he had a good chance of dying in the line of duty, but going out like this, just helplessly waiting for a bomb to go off, was nothing he had ever imagined.

xxxxx

35 minutes and counting...

"McGee! Ziva! You take that hallway. I'll take this one." Gibbs shouted as he started down the darkened corridor. "DiNozzo! Where the hell are you?" His thoughts turned to another bomb that had endangered Tony's life. The bomb that had blown up Tony's car during the whole Le Grenouille case. The scene was etched in his memory. He doubted he would ever forget it. When the car on the video monitor blew up, he had been so sure that Tony was dead. One of the hardest things he had ever done was go to the scene of the explosion, to see the charred body, burned beyond recognition in Tony's car. Even now, the recollection still made him sick to his stomach, the thought that Tony could have died that way...and now it might happen again. Only this time, Tony would likely know it was coming. Gibbs couldn't stand knowing that Tony was somewhere in one of these buildings, waiting for a bomb to explode. He didn't think he would ever forgive himself if they didn't find him in time.

"We're going to find you, Tony," he whispered as he continued to search. "I promise...we will find you..."