LIGHTER THAN LIFE CHAPTER FOURTEEN

By Sue and Craig

DISCLAIMER: We don't own NCIS or CBS. This is just a fan fiction from our warped minds.

A/N: Now here's the chapter you've all been waiting for. But know there is much more ahead. Enjoy. Sue and Craig

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ABBY'S LAB, TWO HOURS LATER

Everyone filed into the lab including Ducky. The ME noticed that Tony was sitting on a stool, not able to stand for a long period of time. He also noticed the slight shaking, sweating and some discomfort that the agent's body was giving away. Though Tony tried to hide it the best he could. This didn't fool Ducky as he kept his attention on Tony as well as Abby.

"Whatcha got for me, Abs?" Gibbs asked her as he placed the Caf-Pow between the two keyboards.

Abby looked around at the team. How was she going to do this, tell them? She didn't even want to think about it, or consider that Tony lied to her. But somewhere inside she knew he didn't consciously lie, there was a reason, and they just had to find it. So the faster she explained the faster they, and she, would have their answers.

Abby took a large gulp of her drink before she spoke. "Ok, I ran the test twice, just to make sure. What I found, I also compared with Tony's blood tests from the medical exam that we all had to go through two months ago or a little more. I looked up the date for Tony's and his was eight weeks ago, that's how I know it was two month ago. Ducky helped me with this, " She looked over at the ME who nodded for her to go on. She also saw that Gibbs had started to get inpatient and didn't want to get him upset, "so, what I found between the two blood samples there has to be an explanation to….."

"Abby! Will you just get to the point!" Gibbs raised his voice, tired of waiting.

"Yes, boss-man. Anyway, Major Mass Spec found trace amounts of Heroin. But taken over a period of time he has become addicted to it, but not as much as the Coke which explains the difference in Tony's actions. Major Mass Spec also found larger amounts of Cocaine in Tony's system along with the smaller trace amounts of the Heroin from the blood sample taken today. And Gibbs, I mean large, like if he kept going, he'd over dose soon. That's how large the amount of Coke I'm talking about. The Heroin wouldn't do as much, but acted along with that large amount of Coke," Abby stopped to take a drink of her Caf-Pow and began again, "like I said, I also looked this up with Ducky. Tony's last physical there were no drugs in his system. So then I back tracked to when Tony had been grazed by that bullet six weeks ago and there were traces of drugs in his system then. No one caught it due to the pain pills he were given. But, Duck-man looked into it and found the blood was taken before the pain pills were given. So it was there already, a small amount in Tony's system." Abby concluded.

Everyone was shocked, they tried to hide it, but it was there. Gibbs was mulling the information around in his head. Tony's body jolted in shock and he jumped off his stool. He went over to look at the results on Abby's monitor.

Tony ran his trembling hand through his hair while he paced. He had to move, he never felt comfortable thinking about these types of things without moving, not something as serious as this.

"I have never taken drugs, ever." He spoke out loud in a nervous, yet thoughtful voice, "never tried them in school," his voice began to rise filled with tension and fear that he could hardly hide anymore, "even in Vice I didn't, wouldn't take anything. They showed us how to make it look like you snort the drug, but you don't. I. Don't. Take. Drugs! Only from the hospital and the pain pills you know I get a reaction from them and flush them. Damn it! I don't know why these drugs are in my blood and started so low and then now to this much! I swear, I've never done drugs and I'm not now!" Tony's voice was angry, defensive and most of all, confused.

Everyone listened to Tony's rant. They knew him and believed him. Some watched him and other's like McGee and Palmer looked down at the floor.

"Ok DiNozzo, calm down." Gibbs said as he went over to his senior field agent.

"Calm Down! CALM DOWN? How can I calm down? You all think I'm a drug addict," For the first time Tony noticed what Ducky had noticed when he came into the lab, "Damn it, I'm shaking like a junkie on withdrawals." Tony collapsed on the stool, his mind overwhelmed by everything he'd heard, said, and now, how his body felt. He knew he needed something, but didn't know it was Cocaine along with the Heroin.

"DiNozzo, we know you aren't an addict," Gibbs stood in front of the man and spoke sternly, but also calmly, "We WILL, figure this out. Now, you need to just calm down so you can help us." Gibbs told him before turning around to Ducky, "Do we know how this happened and when it started? You said that one test was six weeks ago?" Gibbs questioned.

Ducky looked at Tony and knew that even though the agent didn't want to admit it, he needed a fix and his body was reinforcing this as the withdrawal got worse. He turned his attention back to the problem. They had to figure this out so that Tony could be monitored and given the drug before the withdrawal got too bad and he started to convulse.

Ducky sighed, "Anthony, Jethro is right, and you must try and calm down. Your body is going into withdrawals as I think you are aware of. We must find the answer so this can be taken care of. Now, when did you notice the troubles starting?" Ducky asked Gibbs and the team. He needed to get a time frame on this. He knew it started around six weeks ago according to the blood work from the hospital. . They all knew that Tony didn't willingly ingest the Cocaine or the smaller amounts of Heroin.

"At first it was gradual," Gibbs stated. Thinking back, there were small signs of something being wrong. Tony was usually a carefree agent, but lately he'd just been more carefree than usual. Then Tony overstepped the bounds and convinced everybody that something was wrong. He should have done something about this earlier. But the cases they'd had, had also thrown him off. Still, Tony was his, a part of his team, and he took pride in taking care of his own. Now that it was out of control, he didn't have time for the guilt, they needed answers.

"So gradual," Ducky confirmed it. His mind was turning the information over as he began to put the pieces of the puzzle together. He occasionally jotted down notes. "It also seems that it has had a cumulative effect. Perhaps the amounts started small and that proof has been shown by the hospital blood work. And then this kept going and became larger as time went on," he explained.

"That makes sense," Ziva chimed in. "His behavior has definitely worsened," she observed.

"Someone is lacing something with Coke and some Heroin, like a cocktail," McGee said, just to add something. It was a shock to him to see how Tony was acting, but also knew that due to Tony's incapacitation, he'd be temporarily elevated to the senior field agent position. Though Tony could help them to a degree, the man's system was too strung out to be able to do more than confirm things.

"Any ideas?" Gibbs asked. "There could be the coffee or sugar or even milk," he ran through a list. With that in mind, they'd have to start checking the coffee machines, the cafeteria staff. The list was just beginning to sound endless.

"You can add cups to the list Jethro," Ducky said. This had gotten the others' attention. "Well about a year ago, a young FBI agent investigated the case of dead agents that apparently died by accident… It turned out that somebody had laced the coffee cups with a hallucinogen," Ducky's voice trailed off. "No, I doubt it. If that was the case there'd be more people affected," he retracted the statement, "It has to be ingested, it can't be on his clothing, which works for hallucinogens, but not drugs like these. And Jethro, I don't think we have to check coffee pots or such, as I said that would only allow more people to be affected. This is only happening to Anthony, so it's something that has changed recently in his diet. Something he has regularly." Ducky explained.

Tony sat and listened to them talk about him. He was right there, in the same room and hated that they were talking about him as if he wasn't there. But at the moment he wasn't able to tell them that he was in the same room. He was to busy trying to control the withdrawal. He couldn't stand that he had no control over this and now the sweat was so bad that he had to take off his jacket and tie with trembling hands. He felt irritable as well, like he would snap. Abby helped him once she noticed the hard time he was having trying to undo his tie with his hands shaking so badly. His shirt was soaked. He then allowed her to help him to a desk and chair, where he laid his head down. Being stubborn, he still tried to listen and see if he could help.

"Ok Duck, which does rule out a lot of things." Gibbs said. "Anything changed in your eating or drinking habits, things you take everyday, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked. He now noticed too, along with Ziva and Tim, what Ducky, Palmer and Abby already had. That Tony was fighting off withdrawals. He felt for the man, but needed Tony's help. Gibbs felt helpless. There was nothing they could do at the moment, except keep investigating what was going on, find the answer and, do it fast.

Tony was mortified that he just couldn't think straight. "I'm not sure, boss." Was all he could say right at that moment. Yet there was a part of him that just wanted to scream and pull out his hair.

With what Tony had said, Gibbs just shook his head and kept watching the fight his agent was going through.

"Powdered creamer," Ziva suggested. "Tony always has hazelnut creamer in his coffee," she said. "Keeps them in a draw in his desk."

Abby jumped up, "And he buys it at that coffee shop we all go to. He buys one for here and one for his apartment. That could explain it. He only started using it about six or seven weeks ago." She nervously wrung her hands while her eyes wandered to the team, and then back to Tony. Her eyes then wandered to Ducky who wasn't just thinking about the case, but was paying close attention to what was going on with Tony.

Tony's head poked up. It felt as if his mind was drifting in and out of lucidity and found it near impossible to maintain concentration, "Yeah, been using it more and more, thought it was just the caffeine addiction, guess it was more of an addiction than I thought." He lowered his head in shame.

Gibbs walked over to his senior field agent and placed a hand on the man's wet shoulder, "This is not your fault, Tony. There is nothing, and I repeat nothing, to be ashamed of." He reassured the man. He then squeezed Tony's shoulder before he walked back to the group. Tony knew his boss was trying to help. But why did he want to bite his boss' head off? He tried to push it down, only there were so many things going on in his mind and body right now.

"Well he has been drinking loads of coffee," Ziva confirmed what Abby and Tony had just said. She remembered telling him just that, many times over the past several weeks. .

"Well unknown to him, until now, he must be addicted to the creamer in the coffee," Ducky said. The more he drank the worse it got. "So, he drunk more of it to get what he thought was a caffeine fix only it was the Cocaine and the lesser amount of heroin mixture that he needed higher levels of." Ducky added.

"No wonder he was sick on the NAVYWINK," Ziva told all of them when she realized. This earned her a look from everyone else. She hadn't mentioned Tony's behavior on the ship to them. "Well, he was acting a bit down, dragging himself, being irritable, argumentative and was sick," she explained without getting in too much detail.

"Sounds like withdrawal symptoms, the poor boy," Ducky said quietly. "Hope all of you didn't take any of his behavior personally," he said.

"I don't think we did… I think it's Abs that's the real concern in that department," Gibbs responded and gave the lab tech a look. He noticed her shake her head as she rubbed Tony's shoulders. He didn't have to assume how Tony would feel. He knew the younger man would feel he had a lot of apologizing to do once they got him cleaned up in a detox center.

"I know she already understands from running all the tests and listening to us. And Abby's already commented on his behavior a couple of times. Now I see that Anthony has moved on in his withdrawals. Withdrawal is hard and becomes very painful. It will make him shaky and sweat as you all have noticed. And it will also make the muscles ache and Anthony will soon feel very sick, stomach wise as well as panic attacks, spikes of irritability, sleepy and at times more of an appetite, since both drugs are tearing his system apart. And if we don't get him some of that coffee creamer, he can go into convulsions from the heroin part. Now, I will have to monitor the in-take and when he needs it, until we get him into a detox program," Ducky replied.

Gibbs thought about what Ducky had said. "Someone is targeting Tony and we have to make a plan to see who it is. From what we know it has to be in house, someone who works here. We'll come up with a plan once we get Tony what he needs,"

Gibbs walked over to Tony and shook him. The younger man looked up at his boss. Gibbs took in how bad Tony was, "Tony, to make this look real and catch this bastard, you have to get the coffee, sugar and creamer along with what you use in your desk to put the creamer into your coffee. Do you think you can put your jacket back on and try to act like nothing is wrong? And then go get all of those things and bring them to autopsy?" Gibbs asked. He then gave a quick order to Abby, "Abby I want you to then take that creamer and test it, to make sure that's where the Coke and the heroin is coming from. I also want to know how much is mixed into it. And how much is in his blood so that Ducky knows how much to give him." Gibbs ordered before his attention went back to Tony.

Tony saw Gibbs eyes look at him for an answer. He nodded weakly and pushed himself up from the chair. Abby helped him on with his jacket and then wiped the sweat off his forehead and face. She then pushed her fingers through his hair. "You'll be fine." She whispered in his ear only getting a nod of shame back and he nodded again in response to Gibbs.

"I feel like Ted Striker," Tony let out as he wiped his forehead with his hand and flicked the sweat off. "You know from that airplane movie," it was obvious how bad he felt when he couldn't elaborate on a classic movie and how he showed the frustration of it.

Gibbs knew DiNozzo and knew if anyone could do this he could. After all the pain Tony had been through and always telling Gibbs he was fine. Especially when he came back early from having the Plague and saying he was fine to work. Well then, Tony could take ten minutes and act like he was fine. The sentence that Tony always said to him echoed in Gibbs mind. I'm fine, boss.

Ducky stepped over to the desk, "Anthony, it's very important you bring everything down to me in order for me to see how much creamer you have been using. This way I can write it down. You tell me and I'll figure out the dosage along with Abigail's findings in your latest blood sample. We will start lowering the dose, now. I promise you young man, that you will feel better in another twenty minutes if you leave right now." Ducky explained as both he and Jethro helped Tony to the elevator.

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Once Tony was on the elevator, Ducky went to autopsy and Gibbs went back to the lab. They had to come up with a plan to find out which person at NCIS that was targeting Tony. After they found him, Gibbs would find out the answers to all of their questions. The main one was, why. And he would not be easy on this person or persons, if there were more than one were involved.

He reached the lab and heard Abby finishing her talk with Ducky.

"I just told Ducky my findings, which should help." Abby explain. She had other ideas running around her head as she walked over to the two agents, knowing Gibbs was collecting his thoughts.

He stood there in thought for a minute putting everything together in his head. He then noticed Abby and McGee going over something and Ziva was nodding her head.

"Gibbs!" Abby yelled excitedly, "We figured out a plan that's going to work, but Tony's going to have to play the part and Ducky already said he'd ween Tony down until we get this person and Tony gets into detox. And….." She was bouncing all around him.

Gibbs knew he'd have to stop her to get the plan. "Abs stop. Whatcha got planned?" he held her shoulders and eye contact while he stopped her bouncing and asked her.

McGee stepped up with a piece of paper and laid it down. "We can put small cameras on Tony's desk and in the draw where he keeps his creamer. We'll have to set it up late tonight and Tony will have to go get the two bottles of creamer tomorrow. But, he has to do it like he's been doing so whoever this person is knows he just bought two more creamers. And then we will have the feed run down here from the small cameras and record it all. Even with the low lighting late at night we'll still be able to see the face with the cameras Abby and I have in mind. After we get this person, Tony can go get better and we, or you, boss. Well, you can find everything out from this person." McGee, Abby and Ziva looked for a reaction from Gibbs.

Gibbs tossed the idea around in his head for a few minutes. Yes, this would work. He knew that with Abby and Tim doing all the stuff he didn't know about, they'd get the job done. And then Gibbs would get his hands on the person that obliviously wanted to get Tony so hooked that he'd loose his job or that he would die or both. There were things he needed to find out, needed settled in his mind. He also needed to put the bastard or bastards behind bars.

"Go and get what you have to, quietly, and then do it. This will be set for tomorrow?" He ordered and then asked about the rest of the plan.

"Oh yeah, boss-man. Tomorrow night we will watch and wait and I'm sure the person will make a move and then we'll catch him." She clapped her hands together and gave him a hug. She then gave Gibbs her serious get down to business look.

"Good, get started. Ziva go back up into the bullpen, we've all been gone to long. Write up a report or make like you are so that if this someone is there or watching they won't suspect anything is wrong. Anyone asks about me I went for coffee. I'm going to the bullpen and then autopsy."

Gibbs knew he had to grab a shirt for Tony from the file cabinet. He'd take out a file from a case to make it look normal while at the same time grab the shirt. He'd put file on his desk while he grabbed his jacket. With the jacket he could hide the shirt and then go down to autopsy. Gibbs now having a plan watched the two techs getting ready and Ziva nod at his order.

Both agents went to the elevator, Gibbs going to the bullpen and then to autopsy and Ziva, just to the bullpen.

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AUTOPSY

Gibbs stepped into autopsy and saw Tony sitting down at Ducky's desk, he looked a little better. Ducky looked up from his notes he had just finished writing.

"Ah, Jethro I didn't think it would take long for you to come down and see how young Anthony is doing." The ME smiled and patted Tony on the back.

Gibbs gave Tony the shirt before following Ducky to the far end of the room. They both didn't want Tony to hear what they were going to talk about.

"Well, how is he?" Gibbs asked gruffly, just wanting to know and not hear any stories from his old friend.

"Oh much better, Jethro. We spoke about how much creamer he uses and then Abby took the creamer from him in order to test it. But I'm sure she'll find that there is Cocaine and some Heroin in that creamer since the lad is starting to slowly feel better. Now, I talked with him about how much he uses in each cup and how many cups he's been drinking in about a four hour time limit. And then Abigail called me with the amount in his blood. We estimated on this and came up with how much creamer he's been putting in his system. Jethro, if he kept this up, he surely would have over dosed." The ME sighed at the thought.

Gibbs felt anger run through his veins at this. When he got his hands on whoever this was he would show no mercy. He glanced over to Tony and then back to Ducky, he saw that his old friend understood what he was thinking about.

"How much, Duck?"

Ducky shook his head, "It's hard to tell, my friend. Anthony admitted to raising the amount of the creamer a little at a time. He didn't realize it, nor did he realize how much coffee he'd been drinking. I know that young Ziva and even Timothy had pointed it out to him, but he thought they were just teasing him because he had been drinking more. He just didn't think it was anything like what Timothy and Ziva had been telling him. He feels angry and ashamed, Jethro. Do go easy on the poor boy. And to answer your question, Anthony would have been dead within two to three weeks. Yes, his heart would have failed from such an over load. When I took a listen to his heart it was beating almost twice as fast as it should have been." Ducky saw the shock on Gibbs face and patted his shoulder to calm him down, "no worries, I'll be watching Anthony and giving him a lesser amount all in one cup of coffee. We shall keep him down here for a while and say he went home sick. I know he normally doesn't do that, but we have no choice for today. He'll be staying with me, so I can monitor him. He didn't realize that he'd get up in the middle of the night and have a cup of coffee until Abigail pointed it out to him." Ducky finished, his eyes locking with blue ones filled with concern and yet relief that they had figured this out in time.

Gibbs was mortified to hear what Ducky had to say. He was glad that they had figured it all out and that Ducky would be monitoring Tony. He had to go over the plan with Tony for tomorrow. "Duck, is he alright now? I need to go over the plan for tomorrow with him."

Ducky shrugged as he thought, "Jethro, Tony will still be acting as he has been and that means he may not remember what you tell him today, not all of it anyway. Why don't I go with you while you have that chat with him, about the plan? This way I can remind him and you can also tomorrow, when you bring him down to autopsy with an excuse of course. And then I think he'll do fine, just remember, like I said he will still be acting strangely, but at least you will understand it." Ducky finished and saw a nod from his friend. The two walked over to Tony, intent on going over the plan and again, tell him he'd be staying with Ducky.

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A/N: The FBI case about the coffee cups that Ducky refers to in this chapter is actually an X-File story Fictionnaire wrote entitled Invictus Vereor where someone was lacing coffee cups with hallucinogens.