She felt absolutely roasting hot in her office, even though the air con was on full blast. She could feel her makeup starting to get oily, which it almost never did. She put a shaky hand to her forehead and it felt like a furnace. Just then she heard the door burst open, and there stood her knight in shining armour. She felt a smile pulling at the corners of her mouth.

'Jethro. What can I do you for?' she said tiredly. Her eyes were getting itchy too, she probably shouldn't have pulled that all-nighter to get DiNozzo's dossier finished, because her contacts were getting dry in her eyes, she could feel it. It was driving her crazy, but she hadn't really noticed until he came in, and she had the sneaking suspicion that he thought she was batting her eyes at him, but they were just so damn itchy and she was not going to childishly rub her eyes with her fists, no matter how much relief she knew it would give her.

'Did you stay here all night Jen?' he asked quietly, and she was wondering how the hell he knew, because she was diligent enough to take a shower in the biohazard block and swap suits with the spare in her closet. But he always knew. 'I had things to do.' she snapped, she didn't need him getting all worried now, she didn't need him anymore. Whoa. Where did that come from? She thought, amazed. It was the tiredness. She hoped.

He brushed it off, and that just annoyed her even more. She could feel the colour rushing to her already flushed cheeks, and she could feel a hot sweat at her neck, and it freaked her out.

'Are you okay, Jenny?' his face seemed to portray genuine worry, as did his voice.

'I am fine, Jethro, just fine.'

'You don't look so hot, or rather you look too hot. As in temperature. Have you got one?' his tone switched from caring insult to interrogating in a millisecond, only riling her more. She stood up quickly, and instantly saw Jethro and the office enveloped in a black haze. She blinked, but it wouldn't go away. She felt herself swaying, like she was in the middle of a hurricane.

He saw her reddened face as soon as he entered the room. It was nearly the same shade as her hair as the evening sun shone through it. There had been a flu going around, which Tony had tried (unsuccessfully) to use to wrangle a couple of days off. He'd gotten the vaccine instead. As did the entire agency, except, now he came to think about it, the Director. She had freaked out and nearly ran a mile when she saw the needle. It had made him smile, because it reminded him of how Shannon would run away too. Must be a redhead thing, he mused.

Her face wasn't the only thing that was abnormally red though, so were her eyes and she just seemed really dead on her feet. And the fact that she snapped at him with practically no provoking from his side. She suddenly stood up, and Jethro could see a glassy look come over her face and her pupils expanded like quarters. She started swaying on the spot, and he could tell, just by the way she was, she wouldn't be standing for much longer. Then he saw her eyes roll back into her head, and he caught her just before she hit the ground, where he let out an 'Oof!' of surprise at her surprisingly dead weight.

He scooped her up in his arms, putting one hand behind her back and the other one under her knees, and placed her gently on the couch. He put a hand to her forehead, and drew back in surprise at the heat radiating off her whole body, not just her forehead, and her loose dress shirt clung to her skin, which had a sweaty sheen all over it. He remembered the last time she had been so sweaty and near at hand, back when-

He snapped out of his reverie, and focused on the task at hand, looking down at Jenny, who was still out cold. Or out hot, really. He pulled out his cell and called Ducky downstairs. He picked up after the first couple of rings. 'Jethro,' he sighed in an exasperated manner, 'I do not have anything for you yet, I haven't even opened the poor fellow up yet-' Gibbs cut him off. 'Duck, it's Jen. She just passed out, and her temperature's as high as Abby on a Caf-Pow binge. I'm in her office.' 'Oh dear. I'll be there in a moment.'

True to his word, Ducky bustled in minutes later, carrying a bag under his arm. In fact, it looked very like- 'Duck, is that your autopsy gear bag? She's not dead, you know.' Ducky just looked at him. He fell silent. Ducky crossed over to Jenny, waving a small vial swiftly under her nose. She abruptly came to, jerking up suddenly, her eyes wild and frightened, wrinkling her nose in frustration and annoyance, confusion written all over her face. Gibbs smiled at the mannerism, but kept his memories locked up tight.

'How do you feel, Jennifer?' said Ducky gently, pushing her back into a lying down position. 'Oh Jesus, my head is..' she trailed off, putting her small delicate hand up to her face, covering her eyes. 'Why are the lights so goddamn bright? No wait, don't tell me. It's them, not me. What a great breakup line. Hah!' she dissolved into a fit of sniggering.

Jethro turned to Ducky, and he couldn't help but smile. 'Duck, is she….?'

'Hallucinating? Yes, it would appear so.'

'Jennifer? Do you know where we are?'

'Well duhh, Ducky. I am a redhead, not a blonde. I am at work, with you and Jethro, whose boss I am. Guess he never thought I would be his boss. I always like to be on top.' She giggled, suddenly noticing Gibbs behind Ducky, and flushed again, if possible, an even deeper shade of pink. 'Oh hey there, Jethro! I almost didn't see you. Have you come to take me home?'

'Um…' not for the first time with Jenny, she had left him speechless. He glanced at Ducky, who quickly nodded yes. 'Would you like that, Jen?' she nodded her head up and down, nearly tipping her chin onto her chest with enthusiasm. He couldn't believe what he was agreeing to. 'Alright, let me just grab a few things down in the bullpen, and then we can go, okay?'

As he stood up to leave, he pulled Ducky aside. 'Not that I'm annoyed, Duck, but remind me again why I agreed, or should I say that you agreed for me, to take her home? And to whose house?' he sighed frustratedly at the idea of fumbling around Jenny's townhouse trying to search for things, and he glanced at Jenny, still on the couch, now fascinated with the charm on the end of her necklace, like she'd never seen it before.

'Jethro,' Ducky explained calmly, 'Jennifer is quite obviously down with the flu. Unfortunately for her and you, it has manifested itself in the form of hallucinations. She will remember what is going on, but she will not be aware of anything as she is doing it, rather like a bad hangover after a wild night out on the town. She seems to want to have you look after her, and I suggest that you go along with it. For her safety as well as your own. It should only last for, well, actually, it depends on if her immune system can handle it.'

Jenny chose that moment to sneeze loudly, followed by a loud 'Uuhhhhhhh, my nose. Jethro, can we go home now? Please? I just want to sleep.'

Jethro turned back to Ducky. 'Right. Anything else?'

'Just keep her hydrated. You'll be fine. Just call me if her condition changes.' And with that, he turned to leave, glancing back. 'Behave yourself Jennifer, and try to relax. Good luck Jethro.'

Gibbs knew he meant it.

After trying to pack up Jenny's belongings, Gibbs turned to face her. 'Ready to go, Jen?' she smiled back at him in response, too tired to speak. 'okay, let's leave. The back elevator is down, so we'll have to use the main one, alright?'

Jenny groaned, deciding to speak at last. 'So this means I have to walk past DiNozzo, looking like this? Oh Jethro!' she drawled out his name, and he couldn't believe how unconsciously sexy her voice was, even more than usual. He shifted the girly suitcase to cover himself up a little. 'What are you doing?' she asked, quirking an eyebrow at him suspiciously. 'Nothing. Let's just go, you need to go home and rest.' He pulled her to her feet, where she swayed slightly at the altitude change, a glazed look coming over her face. He thought she was going to faint again, and he grabbed her shoulders to steady her.