A/N: Happy Christmas and a Merry New Year! If you're in Australia, did you see those fireworks? I think the heart theme is one of the better ones. I didn't like the disco ball last year much.

Alright, I know I hardly update. I'm sorry! But I'm not exactly in a 'story-filled' place at the moment (blame maths). I wouldn't have this up if it wasn't for the efforts of possiblycrazee, once again. Everyone, go check out her story and review it! It's her first, so be nice. I think it's really good!

I've tried to make a substantial amount happen in this chapter – it sets up what happens in the next couple of chapters. Hope you enjoy!

Gibbs drank deeply from his Starbucks paper cup. It was his fifth one that day and they hadn't even hit noon. That was always a bad sign.

He knew he shouldn't drink so much coffee – the caffeine had to be doing something bad to his brain cells. He could swear he was developing a nervous twitch around his left eye. But, as it wasn't having a drastic immediate effect, he didn't feel the need to worry. It helped him get the job done, didn't it?

Or maybe he should just sleep more.

He sighed and set his cup down, going over the papers he received once again. He knew there was nothing he could do – this was the only choice. He had seen men with defects such as this get shipped back home before you could say "Faker". Shirking their duty, he had thought. Too scared, so they fake some mystery illness (it didn't look too hard to do – just stare vacantly at nothing) and go home, honourably and safely.

Back when he was a marine, he just scowled and looked the other way. But he never imagined Dinozzo trying to pull off something like this.

It made sense to him, though. Tony had started to slack off on work, he was always distracted, and the incident with the car… maybe he was just tired of being an NCIS agent.

Gibbs slammed his fist onto his desk, causing everyone in the office to jump, and then scuttle away like scared crabs. Why didn't he just resign like a normal person?

Oh yes. The honors. People will think him great for doing this job until he couldn't do it anymore. It just frustrated Gibbs to no end that he couldn't do anything about it.

All he could do, he thought moodily, is follow orders.

He hated that.

Tony was practically bouncing off the walls.

Being cooped up at home didn't agree with him, and he longed to get back to the office to see the Boss and Kate. He guessed that they must be working on a really big case, seeing as though they never visited him. And probably having no luck, seeing as though the star of the team wasn't with them and… they hadn't visited him. He grinned to himself as he stepped from the elevator (having stopped by to see Abby and Ducky first). Kate alone with a frustrated, angry Gibbs – he was certain that she would, for once, fall on her knees and thank the heavens for the presence of one Anthony Dinozzo.

Okay, so he didn't expect that literally. He thought she'd be glad to see him, that's all.

So when she let out a squeak like a frightened mouse and scuttled away, mumbling something about lab results, he was a bit confused.

"You're going to see Abby? I'll come too."

Kate put on a false smile as she waited, sweating, for the elevator. "No, it's okay, I'll be fine. You probably have a lot of paperwork to do, now that you're back."

The elevator arrived and she practically leaped into the small cubicle.

"So just get started on that, okay? Alright, I'll see you in a bit…"

Then she was gone, leaving Tony staring, confused, at the shiny silver doors.

Kate burst into the lab, seeking out one extremely exuberant Goth girl. Said Goth was currently analysing one of Tony's little white pills, out of pure boredom.

"Wow, that is one hell of a chemical cocktail."

"Abby! Abby, he's back!"

"Oh, Kate! Hi! Yeah, isn't it great? He's completely better, and Ducky says apart from a couple of fits here and there – which will probably happen a lot seeing as though his medicine needs adjusting – and the side effects of the medicine – which I'm told can be rather nasty, or creepy, like déjà vu, which I didn't even know could be a side effect - but you know, if it's needed – "

"ABBY!"

The bubbly girl stopped in mid-ramble and stared at the pale, sweating Kate, concerned.

"What is it, Kate? He's going to be fine, you know."

Kate looked at her helplessly. How did you explain your fears to someone who didn't believe in them?

"What… what if his… condition," at this word Kate suppressed the urge to shudder, "is contagious? What if he spreads it to all of us?"

She didn't want to express her real concerns, for fear of being ridiculed, so this explanation would have to do.

"The doctors said it's not contagious. In fact, they – "

"Don't know what caused it?"

Abby nodded mutely, trying to support Kate and help her to understand, but not understanding herself.

"Abby, don't you see? Doctors have no idea what caused it, it causes him to go into convulsions and loose control of his body…"

"Yeah…"

Kate sighed, defeated. "Abby, I think it's spiritual. The doctors are wrong. Tony is being possessed by a demon. Who knows what he'll do?"

Abby sat, stunned for a moment. This angle hadn't occurred to her, and she didn't want to believe it.

"It's Tony, Kate. He'd never hurt us."

"It's not Tony anymore."

Abby was torn. She wanted to support Tony, but Kate was obviously scared of him, and she needed support too. But she didn't agree with her, and hadn't much of an idea as to how to support her without turning on Tony.

"Well… you could try to get it out of him…"

She knew as soon as the words were out of her mouth that it wasn't a good idea, and would have done anything – even dyed her hair pink – to take them back. She had only been thinking of ways to comfort Kate. Kate, however, stared at her, like she had suddenly become the most beautiful thing in the entire known universe.

"Abby, you're a genius!"

Kate pulled her into a hug, and then ran out.

Abby sighed. If this was going where she thought it was, Tony was in for an extremely unwelcome surprise.

"Here."

Gibbs slammed a file in front of Tony, and stalked away, presumably to find more coffee. Or brew his own, seeing as though the employees of Starbucks were beginning to get rather reluctant to hand over the hot, brown, life-juice after he barged in there for the seventeenth time, demanding coffee, with a very prominent nervous twitch about his left eye.

Tony stared after him. He hadn't seen him all day (he was probably in a conference), and then he hardly even gets a second thought. Wasn't he glad to see him back? His return wasn't turning out as he had hoped, and he was certain that the day couldn't get any worse.

Sighing, he opened the folder.

And stared.

He just had to tempt fate, didn't he?

A/N: Please review! And go check out possiblycrazee's story. (Hands out baubles to everyone. Why? Because they're fun and shiny. BAUBLE FIGHT!)