August 10 2013: US Embassy, Grosvenor Square, London, England

Gibbs and Ducky were waiting in an ante-room at the Embassy, both of them eager to see Tim again. He'd been incognito here at the Embassy ever since he'd been whisked away from Stonehenge, but Gibbs had received a call from CIA Director Kort, Tim's work was done, and they could come for him…The door opened and Gibbs took in a sharp breath, the healthy glow that had suffused his skin after several weeks in the countryside was gone, Tim looked almost grey. Ducky had seen it too, and reacted quicker than Gibbs would have thought possible, he caught Tim just before he fell to the ground.

"Jethro, a hand please."

Gibbs took Tim's other arm, and they got him to the couch, almost immediately he regained his senses.

"Ducky…what happened?"

"You blacked out for a moment."

Tim pulled himself upright and took a deep breath. "I feel better now…maybe I just need some fresh air." He stretched out his arms and winced a little. "Guess I've been spending too much time hunched over a keyboard…I could use an Abby neck massage right now."

Ducky wasn't so sure about that; Tim looked as if he needed a lot more than fresh air and a massage, a good meal would be a start. "Then let's get out of here, but before we do anything else I want to give you a quick check-up. Tell me young man, how much have you eaten since we last saw you?"

"Not much Ducky…too busy."

Gibbs led them through the lobby, and waited for confirmation that their car was waiting; he offered Tim his arm as support and cursed himself anew for not insisting that they stay with Tim. He'd wanted to stay, Ducky too, but the CIA Bureau Chief had maintained that the Embassy personnel could watch over Tim. Well, he'd be getting the sharp end of Gibbs' tongue; anyone who really knew Tim would know he lost all track of time, of self when he submerged himself in the work…Now more than ever Tim needed to be surrounded by people who had his best interest at heart, who were prepared to wait one more day for the job to be done, so long as Tim was okay, that was what really mattered.

The Embassy driver was making good progress, their hotel wasn't far, but it was always better to use the less busy side roads rather than the main thoroughfares, it took a little longer, but Gibbs always felt safer keeping off the beaten track. He was pleased that they would soon be back at the hotel, he was becoming increasingly concerned about Tim; he was quiet…withdrawn.

They hadn't been told exactly what Tim had been working on – need to know – how Gibbs hated that phrase. But seriously, even if Tim told them everything that he'd been doing these past days Gibbs knew he wouldn't understand one word in ten.

"So Tim, mission accomplished?"

Tim smiled, but it was a tired smile, and it didn't reach his eyes. "For now…I guess it's a matter of time before they find another way in…Gibbs, could you stop the car? I…I'm not feeling so good…"

Gibbs signalled to the driver to pull over, he opened the door and held Tim as he heaved into the gutter. Ducky helped him to clean up his face, and glanced anxiously at Gibbs.

"Jethro, I think we should get Timothy to a hospital…"

"No Ducky, please…I'm just tired…haven't slept much…"

"I can imagine; then let's get you back to the hotel, and I will look you over myself."

August 11 2013: Harley Street, London, England

"Damn it Kort! You can't tell me a CIA Bureau Chief can just disappear."

"I can, because he has; Foley hasn't been seen since McGee left the Embassy."

"You think he was working for AK?"

"It very much looks like it. Gibbs, I won't apologise…there's no excuse; we try to weed out the AK sympathisers, but it's not so easy."

Gibbs knew that was true, he also knew that he and Ducky had been right to get Tim away from DC, and the work. "If he has to help you with any more 'problems', you take Ducky and me as part of the package, are we clear? No leaving us on the outside."

"Agreed. Gibbs, how is McGee"

"He's better, Ducky wants him to stay here a couple of days, it could have been worse Kort, much worse. If Foley turns up…"

"I'll call….Gibbs; do you have any idea when McGee will be returning to DC full-time?"

"When he's ready Kort; not when you think he should be there. Only when he feels he can do it, then we'll come back."

Gibbs switched off his phone and wearily levered himself out of the extremely comfortable armchair in Doctor Nash's office. He was tired, and he was worried…if Tim wasn't safe in the confines of an American Embassy…at least he was safe here, Adam Nash was the son of one of Ducky's oldest friends, and his father had died rather than submit to AK, they had no concerns where Nash's loyalty lay…Gibbs poured a fresh cup of coffee, placed it on the tray next to Ducky's pot of tea and headed upstairs. His feet made no sound on the plush carpet of the stairs and corridor, and as he opened the door to Tim's room Gibbs wasn't surprised to see Ducky dozing in the chair beside the bed, he was more surprised to see Tim awake.

"He should be sleeping in a bed Gibbs; you don't have to watch over me every minute…"

Oh yes we do. Gibbs left the thought unsaid, "Hey Tim, how long have you been awake?"

"Not long…what did the blood tests show?"

Gibbs wasn't sure how much he wanted to tell Tim, he had troubles enough to deal with. "Exhaustion…"

"What else? I know what exhaustion feels like…this was different..."

"That's because you were drugged Timothy." Ducky stifled a yawn, and stretched out his tired muscles. "You would imagine that a private clinic would provide comfortable bedside chairs, but it seems not…ah tea! Most welcome Jethro, thank you."

Tim waited until Ducky had poured his tea and taken a few sips. "The tests Ducky?"

"Yes…it would appear that your lack of appetite has saved your life…your blood contained high levels of Prednisone, even taken under supervision it can have some worrying side-effects, too high a dose can lead to a drop in potassium levels…"

Tim's eyes were wide. "It was in the food?"

"So we must surmise…the Embassy has been searched thoroughly, no evidence to be found."

"Gene Foley's gone too." Gibbs figured they might as well get it all in the open.

"But he was…he was there all the time, watching…" Tim shivered a little as he remembered those deep brown eyes that never seemed to leave him, watching every move he made. "What was he waiting for? Ducky…low potassium…"

"Can lead to muscle cramps, fatigue…it can cause…there's no easy way to say this Timothy…it can interfere with the heart's rhythm, and lead to a heart attack…If you had eaten everything put in front of you, the effect could have been catastrophic."

Tim slumped back against his pillows. "That's why I was aching all over, had to fight to keep awake…I thought he was on our side…"

The fatigue overwhelmed him once more, and he slipped back into the calming world of sleep. Ducky straightened his already straight bed cover, and whispered. "We thought so too, Timothy, we won't make that mistake again."

It was much later that night when Doctor Nash finally persuaded Ducky and Gibbs that they needed to get some proper rest; they had protested until he offered to sit with Tim himself.

"He will be perfectly safe here gentlemen, and you will be just along the corridor if I need you. Look at you both, what protection can you offer him in your current condition? Go on, I will wake you at 6am."

He had ushered them out of Tim's room and taken the seat vacated by Ducky. Adam Nash settled back in the chair; he would use this time to catch up on some journals he had bookmarked earlier…For now he was content to watch; Tim stirred slightly, sleep did not come easy to him, Nash knew that, and the muscle cramps wouldn't be helping. They couldn't give the IV potassium too quickly, that would only store up further problems…he needed time, and rest; Nash laid his hand gently on Tim's arm.

"Sleep Son of Isis, sleep well, lay down your burden for a while, you are safe now."

August 31 2013: Madrid, Spain

"There's no mistake?" Kort's voice held an easily detectable tone of disappointment; he'd wanted to deal with Foley himself.

"No Director, we have a positive ID; his body was found in the apartment of Jurgen Kessler, a German businessman currently residing in Lanzarote. They were both found in his apartment; naked…the local police are calling it a lover's suicide pact. Kessler stabbed Foley, then slashed his own wrists…"

"Well we both know that's not true, there's no necessity to correct the police interpretation of events, but I want a copy of the autopsy reports, photographs, everything sent to Doctor Palmer at NCIS. Then I want you to start digging, I want to know how Kessler and Foley got together, there must be others…I want names!"

September 1 2013: Mombasa, Kenya

The man sat in Juma Zubari's office, he had been waiting for over an hour, but it did not concern him, he was patient…it was one of his best qualities, and it served him well in his chosen profession. He had no reason to be concerned, he knew exactly why Zubari had called him here, he had heard of Kessler's untimely end…the man had no sympathy, Kessler had taken too long, and been unable to deliver…he would not make the same mistake…all that remained was to negotiate a price, he leaned back and gave the matter some consideration…how much was it worth, the life of one falcon?