Tim pounded on the front door again. Tony!! Tony!! This is NOT Funny! Tony! He sagged against the door frame, despair at the situation he was in causing him to rest his aching head on the frustratingly solid and unyielding door. The wind picked up again and gusted past his wet chilled skin. Tim shivered and huddled further into the slim protection offered by the doorway. He thought of every terrible swear word he could think of and whispered them under his breath, his mind hurling them at Tony. There was nothing like living on a Naval Base for awhile to teach you to swear. Tim choose not to, it wasn't his style to swear in public but that did not mean that he didn't know how to.

He knew Tony liked his jokes and had in fact been the recipient of most of his remarks, pranks and mischief, not to mention superglue over the last four years but this was going too far.

He was tired, hungry, slowly freezing to death, wet and worst of all naked. Well practically naked. He did have a tiny white threadbare towel he had grabbed off the rail and wrapped around himself before Tony had tricked him and shut the door behind him.

The better part of Tim's nature insisted that the door could have caught on a gust of wind and simply shut behind him but then why did Tony call him out of the shower in the first place? And where was Tony now?

McGee had arrived on Base along with the rest of the team earlier that evening. They had been asked to attend by the local NCIS agents who believed they had uncovered a wide spread pharmaceutical scam. With over 100 people from several different departments covering everything from the mail delivery, false prescriptions, transport of large volumes of drugs off base and document fraud needing to be interviewed, their Washington team had been called in to assist.

It had not been a warm welcome. NCIS agents weren't particularly given that warm fuzzy feeling anytime they arrived on Base but this case had resulted in large numbers of people being quarantined away from the rest of the population until their interviews were conducted. The sheer volume of interviews and cross checking had made processing people with any speed difficult and two days had already passed before Gibbs team had arrived. While isolating potential suspects was standard operating procedure, this particular group of people included half of the Base's championship basketball team only two games away from the finals, a groom and his groomsmen whose plans for an elaborate bucks night were rapidly coming undone, a young lieutenant who was missing her much anticipated attendance at a medical conference and seemly endless more people complaining about loss of leave, visiting relatives and cancelled plans.

The feeling on Base against them was high and it was not assisted with the halt on issuing any non urgent medical prescriptions. Suddenly the entire Base seemed to complaining of everything from headaches, sinus problems through to nausea and joint swelling. The blame it was clear was being put firmly on the NCIS agents and particularly the Washington team as their arrival had thought to see a release of suspects and had resulted instead in the current ban on Base issued medicinal.

It was now at least eleven thirty at night after an exhausting day including the very, very early morning trip up from Washington. McGee had looked forward to a nice hot shower followed by the first decent meal of the day before sagging into bed.

Instead here he was stuck outside the large house that McGee was to share with Tony in a section of residential base housing. The plan had been to split up and use the bottom floor rooms as interrogation rooms in an effort to process people faster and they could then both sleep in the rooms above.

McGee shivered involuntarily again as he peered around the moonlit front yard. All the shadows were thrown into deep contrast with the night time awash in lavender tinted moonlight. Tim suddenly rather resented the picture perfect front yard with its stupid large tree just right for a rope swing and it's stupid brilliant white picket fence and gate and it's equally stupid neat front path.

Tim glancing at his own damp white goose pimpled skin was sure that he was practically glowing against the deep blue colour of the front door. Could he be easily seen? Was he being watched right now? This was one situation where he wasn't sure what he dreaded more, the shame and humiliation of being found by someone or simply the exhaustion and anxiety of not being found. Tim felt himself blushing at his own awkward pride and for the first time in his life was glad of it as he felt briefly warmer before the cool wind wrapped its icy fingers around him again.

How long Tony would continue this little game, Tim didn't know other than every second he was out here felt like a lifetime. The concrete steps were freezing his bare feet and he ran his fingers through his hair trying to rid himself of the excess water while still gripping tight to his towel with one hand. He couldn't even really dry himself with it as that would require removing it from around his bare ass and other even more intimate parts of his anatomy. And THAT was not going to happen.

The sudden thought of being spotted by a local Navy wife and identified as some sort of naked Peeping Tom or more precisely Thom horrified Tim. His record would be tainted forever and all his good work and long hours would mean less than a simple wrong place, wrong time. What was worse was that Navy wives, accustomed to long absences by their husband often kept guns and knew how to use them. What if they shot first, asked questions later? It wasn't as if he had any ID to show them. Hell he didn't even have any pants.

Tim considered the trim houses either side of his. No lights on, no cars in driveways, no sounds of TV or radios, they may not even be occupied, which might be why he and Tony were allowed use of this particular house as a base of operations. Still should he try? Knock, knock yes hello I'm a completely foreign NCIS agent, yes I know it's Midnight and I'm naked, oh your children are screaming, but would you mind if I came into your home and used your phone? Tim's mind shied away from that particular scenario.

His stomach was twisted into a big knot and he was beginning to feel more panicked and paranoid with every passing moment. It felt too much like a nightmare. He tried to take deep calming breathes, sucking in the cold air and he suddenly wondered what Gibbs would say if he caught a bad chill and was out of action for a few days with a raging fever. Ha that would get Tony in trouble. Still, realising that this revenge involved him being quite ill for a few days took the gleam off the idea.

Ok ok time not to panic and think like an agent. Tim told himself firmly. So it hasn't really been all that long that I have been out here, it just feels like it. Tony might continue this for just a bit longer or… perhaps he has already left another door open expecting me to find it. Of course! Tim feeling a fool for making such a fuss and standing by the front door for so long as it was, stepped back into the damp grass to inspect the house. He wasn't really all that familiar with it as he had spent only a short amount of time in it and that had been to set up a sort of processing command post in the front lounge.

After some inspection there didn't seem to be another door accessible from the front and he sure as hell wasn't going to try and shimmy up the drain pipe to the next floor and climb in a window. With his luck he would loose his towel as he was scurrying about when some local MP's would be travelling past and he would be arrested for 'mooning'. Or worse he could fall from the roof and have to suffer the indignity of being found naked, spread eagled on the front porch - dead. What would his mother say to that? Her brave Special Agent son would have no dignity in that death at all.

Suddenly Tim thought of an even worse scenario. Being found naked, spread eagled on the front porch, alive…..

but in extreme pain all night with broken arms and legs so he couldn't move to get help…..

by Ziva.

Nope. Climbing was definitely out!

Ok so other options? Gibbs, Ziva? Tim knew they had been billeted in barracks close by but he had no idea exactly how close or in which direction. Tim looked desolately up and down the quiet tree lined road the house was situated on, pushing his wet hair out of his eyes. Besides the idea of sauntering off down the sidewalk to an unknown destination in his current attire did not prove particularly appealing.

So it seemed that his only other option was to essentially 'lurk' about in the shadows trying almost not to be seen, keeping the reputation of NCIS agents intact and hope that Tony or someone would open a door and let him in before he froze to death. Perhaps Tony hadn't shut the door and he would discover him missing and come find him?

It was as Tim turned; still tightly clutching his wet towel and headed off down the garden path towards the darker shadows provided by the large tree that he heard it.

Agent McGee?

Ok Did Tony do it? What will happen to McGee? What will Gibbs do to Tony? What is Ziva wearing at that time of night? Please let me know if this is working in anyway. First time Im tackling a longer story. Previous two storys - Tim based ones of course were funny one shots really. Please review. I have a scene in my head for chapter two oh and for three that is making me laugh now. But I could be crazy! Ok and Im in Australia have no idea of a name for a base that is out of Washington so suggestions would be good. Norfolk is too close for purpose of story.