A/N – Just to let you know that the italics are Gibbs thoughts as various things happen. It's gonna get interesting from here on in – I promise :D

The next morning Gibbs woke stretched out on the veranda of Mike Franks beach house having no recollection of how he had got there. His head was pounding so he raised it slowly, shielding his eyes from the glaring morning sun. His furred tongue was stuck to the roof of his arid mouth. Once he moved his stomach heaved and he leaned over the rail of the veranda just in time as he threw up onto the beach. He groaned as he made another attempt to straighten up. He was amazed to see the old truck parked at the side of the house. Gingerly he crept into the house where he was met by a refreshed looking Mike Franks whisking eggs in the kitchen.

"Good morning Probie. Did you sleep well?" he asked sounding chipper.

"Huh?" Gibbs replied reaching for the nearest chair and crawling onto it.

"You look like hell, Jethro. Have some eggs you'll feel a lot better," Mike said putting the eggs in the pan. Gibbs swallowed several times to try and quell the feeling of nausea. "Here you go, Probie," Mike said slamming a large glass of water and a packet of aspirin in front of him and laughing.

Gibbs could hardly speak he felt so rough. He popped two aspirin and downed the entire glass of water. He recalled the amount of alcohol he had consumed the previous night.

How could I have been so juvenile? Good thing Ducky's not here or I'd never hear the end of it!

"I need a shower," Gibbs muttered quietly as he watched Franks tuck into scrambled eggs and toast.

"Towels in the cupboard," Franks told him. "There's no hot water though."

"It doesn't matter," Gibbs replied as he shuffled towards the bathroom.

By the time he came out of the bathroom, Franks had finished his breakfast. A slightly more refreshed Gibbs was greeted by the inviting aroma of freshly brewed coffee. Mike had a large mug of strong coffee and a plate of dry toast on the table for him.

"Feeling better?" he asked.

"A little," Gibbs replied as he sat down. "Don't ever let me drink tequila again."

"Famous last words, lightweight," Mike said smiling.

"So how come you're not dying as well. You drank a least as much as I did," Gibbs wondered.

"Stamina I guess," Mike teased. "I've had lots of practice."

Gibbs shook his head in disagreement and then regretted it instantly. He closed his eyes and waited for the kitchen to stop swaying. Mike tried to bite back a smile as Gibbs face turned a different shade of green. Then he watched as Gibbs took another large gulp from his coffee.

Needless to say the two men took it easy all morning. Gibbs gladly stretched out on the sun lounger on the beach in front of the house. He dozed on and off with his baseball cap pulled down over his eyes. Mike tinkered about with the truck's engine for a while and then decided to join Gibbs and chill out. When Juanita arrived with the two bags of groceries, she was met by the sight of both men snoring in the sun.

"Hey," she said kicking the sun lounger on which Mike lay. Mike woke with a start and almost tipped off the lounger. Gibbs raised his baseball cap when he heard the female voice.

"Juanita!" Mike said sounding a little grumpy. "I need to have a little chat with you."

"I don't have time to chat, Senor Miquel. I see you have a visitor. Good to see you again Senor Gibbs," she smiled playing all innocent. Gibbs smiled back at her.

"He knows Juanita," he told her apologetically.

"Damn right I know," Mike said standing up. "What gives you the right to butt into my business?" he snapped.

"Maybe the fact that I had to drag your sorry ass off the beach the other day. Who knows how long you would have laid there if I hadn't found you, you ungrateful wretch?" Juanita said biting back.

"No one asked you to," Mike snarled.

"I'm sorry I did," Juanita replied dropping the groceries on the sand and turning to go. The she turned back and glared at Gibbs. "And you! You are supposed to be getting him to see a doctor, not getting him drunk," she chided before marching away in a huff.

The two men exchanged glances. Oops!

"I guess we've been told then," Mike laughed. "Beer?"

By then having laid in the heat for ages and getting told of by Juanita, Gibbs decided that one beer wouldn't kill him, hair of the dog so to speak. They brought the groceries into the house and cracked open a couple of cold ones. Mike continued giving out about Juanita but Gibbs could see that theirs was a love hate relationship. It was obvious that Mike cared for the young woman and she for him, despite there being a large age difference. Gibbs wasn't sure if they had ever been together, he never asked and Mike never mentioned it. It was just one of those things.

Later that afternoon, Gibbs was feeling a little more alive and decided to go for a swim in the ocean. He loved the ocean. He loved the power of nature, the perfection it held. He left his flip flops on the sand and removed his t-shirt. He waded in until the water was almost thigh high then he dived head first under the next beach bound wave and swam out into the deep water. It felt beautiful. He followed the line of the beach for ten minutes until the decided he should probably turn back. As he emerged from the water, he was met by Mike.

"Good swim?" Mike asked.

"You're a lucky man, Mike. All this literally on your door step," Gibbs commented looking around at the perfect sand.

"Yeah, I know. Too bad I don't swim," Mike quipped. Gibbs laughed. One thing he could always count on was for Mike Franks to make him laugh. "Come on Probie," Franks said slapping Gibbs on his bare shoulders.

"Where are we going?" Gibbs asked.

"Town," Mike replied. "I know a place where they make a mean enchilada. My treat this time," he said elbowing Gibbs in jest.

"Sounds good. Just let me shower and I'll be ready in ten," Gibbs replied.

-----------------

The heat of the day was finally diminishing and the two former colleagues parked the truck and walked the few steps to the cosy El Panchos restaurant in the centre of Santa Tomas. They spent the best part of the evening there, enjoying each others company, feasting on the most authentic Mexican cuisine and needless to say, having a cerveza or two. When they finally finished at the restaurant they found themselves meandering back towards the bar where they had spent such a boozy time the previous night. Despite Gibbs misgivings about a repeat of last night Mike managed to coax him to join him. It wasn't as busy in the bar as it had been the previous night although there were still plenty of customers around.

"Come on Probie, one for the road," Mike smirked.

Gibbs not wanting to be a wet blanket agreed to go in "just for one". The pair parked themselves at the bar just as they had the night before. Mike ordered the drinks. Gibbs protested when Franks ordered Tequila shots to accompany their beers. This time though, recalling the state he had woken up in that morning, Gibbs declined. He wasn't going to be convinced and Mike knew that once his mind was made up there was no changing it.

"All right then. You can drive home. No point wasting them" Mike said as he tossed the drinks down his throat one after the other. Gibbs shook his head but said nothing. He knew better. What he didn't realise was that the whole time they had been in the bar they were being watched from across the room. She stayed in the shadows making sure she wasn't recognised. Although from the state they were in last night, she knew it was unlikely that they would even remember her. As they sat finishing their beers, she slipped out unnoticed.

Eventually Gibbs managed to convince Franks that they should be getting back to the beach house. Mike staggered noticeably as they walked back to the truck. As he attempted to climb into the drivers seat Gibbs stopped him.

"Eh, Mike. I'm driving," Gibbs reminded him.

"What? Oh yeah, Probie. No problem," he said tossing the keys to Gibbs.

Gibbs started up the noisy old truck and took off slowly along the main street in the direction of the beach house. As they reached the open road, Gibbs increased his speed as he relaxed into the journey. When they neared the beach, Gibbs turned onto the narrow dirt road which would eventually bring them back home. It was uneven and lined with deep ditches and large rocks.

At least the headlights are working this time.

As they rounded a sharp bend Gibbs saw the lights of another truck coming towards them. Gibbs applied the brakes to slow down and presumed the other driver would do the same. He was wrong. To him it appeared that they had in fact speeded up. He had no choice but to turn sharply to avoid a head on collision. He could hear Mike's colourful language as he braced himself for whatever was to come. Gibbs stood on the brakes trying to stop the truck but it hurtled towards the ditch that ran alongside track. Unfortunately Gibbs made the mistake of trying to steer away from it but all it accomplished was rolling the truck. Gibbs and Franks were flung around the cab of the truck as it tumbled into the dry ditch. Eventually it ended up on its roof its wheels spinning in the dust. Mike lay half in and half out of the smashed cab window. Gibbs was in a crumpled heap on the upturned roof. He was stunned but conscious and attempted to raise his head and find a way out of the truck. His vision was blurred and he was in considerable pain. Then he saw the truck door being opened. He blinked his eyes tightly to try and clear his hazy vision. He called for help. Through the haze he could have sworn that a raven haired woman was leaning in and smiling at him. A combination of pain and the crack on the head he took, eventually took its toll and he lost consciousness.

TBC

So, what do you think so far? It's a bit off beat but it will make sense soon - I hope! Reviews always appreciated ;)