A/N: I did a ton of research before I decided to venture into this little piece of fiction, but it's likely there will be some inaccuracies anyway. I have no beta, so all mistakes are my own.

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS or its characters. I just borrow them occasionally.

The chainsaw sleeping at his boss's desk finally managed to rouse Tony DiNozzo from the haze of paperwork long enough to check his watch. With a sigh, the agent wondered when he'd decided that case files and government forms were an acceptable use of a Saturday and stretched his tired muscles, rubbing his sore neck with a grimace as he threw a sour look at the silver-haired man across the bullpen.

It was a well-known fact that Gibbs could sleep almost anywhere. In the four years that Tony had worked for him, he'd seen the former marine fall asleep in any number of odd places under circumstances that could only be described as ridiculous. For the moment his choice of position seemed acceptable enough; feet propped on the desk, chin tucked into his breastbone, hands folded across his chest. Another snore punctured the silence of the squad room as he inhaled, mumbling something incoherent. Tony smiled and dropped his gaze back to the open file on his desk. Lastone...

Ten minutes later he scrawled his signature across the bottom of the report and closed the file, setting it on top of the neat stack of now-completed paperwork. Stretching quietly the agent glanced out the window at the strip of pink on the horizon. If he hurried, he could make it home for four or five hours of much-needed sleep in his own bed before he had to meet with an old college buddy for a game of one-on-one. Rubbing his stiff neck, he reached for his jacket.

"Going somewhere, DiNozzo?"

Tony jumped and spun on his heel. Gibbs was still sitting with his feet propped up and his hands folded, but pale blue eyes were boring into his own green ones without expression. "Uh." Classy,Anthony."Well, I finished my paperwork, and since we're off rotation I thought I'd try to catch some sleep in that apartment I almost forgot I have." He smiled weakly and reached up to rub his neck again, wincing at the soreness beneath his fingers.

Gibbs let his feet fall back to the floor and leaned forward, scrutinizing his agent carefully. Finally he nodded, not missing the relieved look on his senior field agent's face as the man slumped visibly and turned toward the elevator.

"DiNozzo."

"Yeah boss?"

"Are you feeling okay?"

Tony pondered for a moment before stating simply, "nothing a little sleep won't cure. See you Monday, boss."

Safely inside the elevator, Tony flipped the emergency switch, thinking to take a moment to gather himself. He didn't like lying to his boss; he was far from fine. The pounding in his head and his stiff neck was exacerbated by the lingering cough he'd picked up from his friendly neighborhood cold bug, until the agony behind his eyes nearly blinded him. That, combined with his seeming inability to keep his eyes open, had led him to conclude that his entire weekend was best spent in bed.

Switching off the emergency stop, DiNozzo steeled himself for the walk to his car, letting his eyes fall closed as he drew in as deep a breath as he could manage. The air rushed out in a startled yelp that dissolved into a nasty coughing fit when the doors opened to reveal Gibbs waiting for him.

The former marine frowned as he watched his agent struggle to breathe, bent over double as he hacked. Finally the fit subsided and Tony managed to straighten, his face red from more than lack of oxygen. "Boss, you scared the crap out of me."

"I can see that, DiNozzo. I can also see that you're not fine, either."

At least the kid had the decency to look sheepish. "Honestly, boss, it's just a cold that got blown out of proportion by my stupid lungs." The agent gestured at his chest, as though Gibbs needed reminding of how the plague had scarred his lungs, increasing their vulnerability to infections. "I fully intend to spend my entire weekend in bed resting so I can come back to work on Monday the picture of health."

The look on the younger man's face was so pathetic that Gibbs had to make use of a lot of willpower to keep the smile from his face. He let the silence linger for a moment longer. "I intend to make sure you do exactly that, DiNozzo." Seizing the agent by his elbow he led him to his own car. "In."

"Boss, I don't need a babysitter."

"Never said I was babysitting you, Tony. You're in no condition to drive. Your car will still be here on Monday. Now get in."

I know this is short but I'm not 100% sure where exactly I want to go with this yet. I'm gonna go ahead and say this particular story might take a while to update, but I promise you there is more to come! Chapter 2 is already half-written.