They could smell the rain in the air before it hit them, which meant their time was running out.

"Ducky?" Gibbs spoke as the man finished his phone call.

"Bad news I am afraid. The car broke down so Gerald won't be able to make it here on time."

"Just what we need," Gibbs muttered, wondering just what else could go wrong on that already bad day. "I guess I have to start making calls." Turning around to face his two agents, Gibbs was yelling at them again, "Don't just stand there! Secure the body!"

"Jethro, wait. Do not call anyone yet. I might be able to arrange some help."

"You, Ducky?"

"Why, do you think I couldn't have any special friends able to help us?"

"That's not what I meant..."

"It's alright, Jethro. We are all a little worried right now."

"Who are you going to call?"

"A young friend of mine." Ducky smiled and took out a business card from his pocket. Dialing the number, he waited. He was pretty sure Anthony would not be happy about this, but he also had a feeling their need for help would not be turned down.

"Yes?" sleepy voice answered.

"Anthony. Were you sleeping? I am truly sorry for waking you."

Gibbs looked up sharply from the body he'd been staring at. Anthony? Not that Anthony, right? They had met the Detective once and only briefly at the crime scene.

"Ducky? Is everything alright?" The voice was suddenly more alert.

"Yes and no. However, we do need some help."

"Tell me."

They watched as the body was being loaded in the big car and then took off with it. Seeing the look on Gibbs' face, Tony grinned. "Don't worry. I know the people and I know where he's being taken. No one will touch him until Ducky has his hands on him first. Well, other than the touching that's needed to move the body from the car of course."

Gibbs glared. He didn't trust the happy and bright facade the kid put on. The moment he had seen the familiar car stopping at the crime scene, with the other car following it, and he saw the young Detective stepping out, he had given Ducky his 'look'.

"Explain," Gibbs had growled.

"Not now, Jethro," was all Ducky said. No amount of glaring or growling gave any answers.

Staring at the far too friendly and familiar chatter between his old friend and this new kid, Gibbs felt even more suspicious. Something wasn't being told to him, and whether it was his business or not, he didn't like it. He didn't like not knowing something.

"I apologize, Anthony. You must have been sleeping when I called you and right now you look like you need all the rest you can get."

"It's okay." Tony shrugged. He was wearing a pair of oversized pants, T-shirt and sneakers without any socks on. He had obviously left his home in a hurry. "Do you need a place to stay?"

"We'll go to a hotel," Gibbs grumbled.

"Actually, no. You can't go to a hotel. It's all been booked. I bet even the shadiest places."

"What? Is there some special event we're unaware of?"

"Special event indeed." Tony grinned and pointed at the bigger than life poster on a nearby wall, which stated some big name celebrity was going to be there. Not that the name or even the face was something Gibbs would recognize. The unimpressed look on his face told as much.

"If you young people don't mind sleeping on the couch..." Tony spoke, looking at the two younger agents, who were both older than he was. "...then I'm sure we could all somehow fit in my apartment for one night."

Gibbs almost said no, but then he saw the exhausted looks his agents were giving him and he knew both he and Ducky were also going to need some sleep. Especially when their last case had been barely closed when they got the call and order to go to Baltimore. Besides, he wanted to find out what this thing between Ducky and DiNozzo kid was. "Fine."

"Really?" Tony looked surprised. Shocked even, as if he had been positive his suggestion would not be accepted.

"Really."

As they were walking to their cars, Tony suddenly took hold of Ducky's arm. "Want to ride in my car? Surely you could take a break from sitting in the same car with a madman."

Ducky smiled. "Certainly. It would be my pleasure, Anthony."

Vivian and Langer looked at Tony, silently pleading with their eyes. Although they didn't see themselves becoming friends with this stranger, they still would much rather drive with him than with Gibbs. There was no way it could be worse than driving with their boss. Their unsaid pleads were not seen nor heard, or perhaps it was being ignored, and so they slowly went to their car, mentally preparing themselves for another round of hell on wheels.

Somewhere far away was heard low thundering sound, just as the first drops of water came down.

Shockingly, the car drive turned out to be rather uneventful for all of them and even the two younger agents were able to keep their remaining insides... inside.

They barely made it out of their cars when the rain hit them and it came down hard; pouring like someone had cut a hole in the dark clouds right above them and they were all soaking wet in a matter of seconds. Together, they ran toward the apartment block, with Tony leading the way. Greeting the elderly neighbor of his, Tony went to open his door. He didn't bother waiting to see if they closed the door, which they did, and went to get them towels. Bringing them, he also had with him some clothes to borrow.

"You can take turns in the shower if you want to. I'll go make some coffee and tea. Unfortunately I don't have any food in here."

Before anyone had a chance to do anything, Vivian rushed in the bathroom. The men opted simply to dry off themselves and change the clothes.

While Gibbs and Langer were left to sit in the living room to watch the news on TV, Gibbs noticed how Ducky followed Tony in the kitchen. Since Langer was too engrossed watching the TV, Gibbs stood up and silently made his way toward the kitchen. Walking past the bathroom door, he could hear the shower was still running. To his surprise the kitchen door was closed. He heard some faint talking and it annoyed him that there had to be a door. Hoping that the door wouldn't make any noise, Gibbs slowly opened it, just enough so he could hear what was being said. To his embarrassment he felt like a kid again, trying to eavesdrop his parents talking.

"I really don't want to talk about it," Tony spoke, while making the coffee. He frowned when Ducky advised him how to make it, so that certain someone would like it and remain happy. "Are you sure?" He frowned even more. Seeing the nod, he did as he was told, with a visible shudder. Once he was done, he turned to face the old doctor again. "Like I said, I don't want to talk about it. It's all in the past now and I would like to keep it that way."

"Keeping things like that to yourself will one day become too heavy burden to carry on your own. Perhaps it already is."

"Like it matters." Tony snorted.

Ducky sighed heavily. "Anthony..."

"Can't we just keep pretending that we don't know each other? It's been working just fine so far. Why the sudden change? Be honest with me."

Ducky remembered the look Jethro had given to him before and the way the former Marine had kept looking at the two of them. "Jethro knows something is going on. You can trust him. He would not betray your trust. He may seem like a bastard most of the time, but deep down he is a big teddybear, as his girl used to call him."

"I don't care. Promise me... When we walk back in there, you and I will go back to the we just met act. Okay?"

With a deep and heavy sigh, Ducky nodded. "I promise... But I do not like this."

After that there was silence in the kitchen between the two men, so Gibbs returned in the living room, barely remembering to close the door before leaving.

Sitting back on the couch, Gibbs saw that Langer was still watching the TV. His own eyes were also watching it, but his mind was at the conversation he had heard. He probably had no business knowing this big secret of theirs, but since they would be spending the night here, there was no way he would not think about it. After a while, Gibbs cursed in his mind. Shannon would head slap him if she would see him right now, unable to let go of something that was none of his business.

One hour later they were all sitting in the living room. Ducky was sharing one of his many stories with them, while they were drinking their tea and Gibbs his coffee, which no one else was willing to go anywhere near; the fumes were bad enough. Shockingly, the man was currently drinking his last cup of coffee, having finished the whole pot on his own.

Feeling the constant stare, Tony finally looked at the old Agent. He furrowed his brows when Gibbs simply kept staring at him without blinking or saying anything. During the next few minutes, Tony kept glancing back toward Gibbs and he was always seeing the same; Gibbs was staring at him, almost like trying to read his mind.

"So, how old are you?" Vivian suddenly asked.

Tony blinked, completely thrown off by the random question out of nowhere. "Twenty-six later this year."

"Hah! I knew it! He's the baby among us!" Vivian cheered. She held out her hand and, much to everyone else's displeasure, Langer sighed and gave her money from his wallet.

"Baby? You had a bet? About me?" Tony asked with his eyebrows up. Rubbing his chin, he was looking suddenly tired. "I think I'll go make sure each of us has a place to sleep. The lady can have my bed. Don't worry, I don't usually hit on older women." He winked and walked away, leaving furiously blushing Vivian staring after him. Anger or embarrassment, no one knew. Perhaps both.

"What was that all about?" Gibbs was seething and his agents looked at him, startled, as if they had forgotten their boss was sitting right there with them.

"Boss..."

"Just a bet..."

"You repeat something like this and you will be going back home. I don't care how. This will not happen again. Understood?"

"Yes, boss..."

"Yes, Gibbs..."

Sharing looks with Ducky, Gibbs stood up, to go and see if the kid was alright. He didn't get far when Tony came back, carrying blankets and pillows with him.

"One of you can sleep on the couch and I've got two beds in the guest room. I know they're not too big, but I doubt any of you want to share the big bed and then end up cuddling in sleep, right?" He was chuckling at the mental image he had in his head.

Gibbs stared again. The kid didn't seem upset. Was his gut failing him now? "And where will you be sleeping?"

"Oh, I have my own special place. Just for me. Don't worry about it." Showing Vivian where his bedroom was and to the men the guest room, Tony disappeared somewhere.

"I'll take the couch," Gibbs said and Langer looked relieved, not wanting to share a room with his boss. Especially now when the man was obviously still mad at him and Vivian.

Thanks to the long day, and the other sleepless nights they all had before, they were soon in deep sleep. All but one person who kept staring at the darkness above him. The clock was ticking on the living room wall. Too loud, Gibbs thought. And maybe he should not have become so greedy with the coffee... After a while he finally stood up, to get something to drink from the kitchen. When he opened the fridge, he was surprised to find it empty. Water it was then... After drinking, he went back to the couch, feeling suddenly sleepy enough to fall asleep. His last though was, where on earth had DiNozzo gone to sleep?

Gibbs didn't get much sleep. At 4 AM, he was more or less awake again and with his natural needs calling to be fulfilled, he went to the bathroom. While doing his business, he noticed that the shower curtains were hiding the bathtub, which he remembered seeing there before. After washing his hands, out of natural curiosity Gibbs pulled away the curtains and then he froze.

In the bathtub, in the middle and under bunch of blankets and pillows, was Tony. He was sleeping, like in some kind of nest.