Tony rubbed the towel vigorously through his wet hair. Ahh he loved the feeling of a good sweaty work out followed by that nice clean feeling you got from a hot shower.

He looked up to see McGee, wearing just a towel standing across from him at the lockers in the process of getting dressed. He was about to call out some disparaging remark about their workout when Tim dropped the towel onto the bench behind him and started pulling his clothes out of his locker.

Tony stared.

*Smack

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs hissed at him. It was locker room etiquette that you NEVER stared at other men while they were changing, ESPECIALLY not your partners. It was a sure way to get the tongues wagging.

Tony turned and looked at Gibbs with a startled look like a deer caught in the head lights.

"No tan lines Boss!" Tony whispered fiercely back

"What?" Gibbs frowned

"No TAN lines…not one!" Tony twitched his head to the side towards McGee. Gibbs grit his teeth and took a quick unwilling peek at McGee's naked form. And stared.

McGee's generally pale skin was a deep tan…all over. There wasn't a t shirt mark or a sock line in sight. Even his bare ass was deeply tanned. Gibbs furrowed his brow and realized that every man in the locker room had tan lines of some description and they all had comparatively white rear ends. Except McGee.

Gibbs turned back to Tony.

"Fake tan?" He questioned curiously

Tony shook his head "Uh huh nope. I know my fake tans and that one is way too even and there isn't a hint of orange. McGee has been sun baking in the nude! Or up to something in the nude anyway"

Both men stared at each other as the ideas popped into their minds and then smirked at each other. Gibbs just shook his head.

"It's always the quiet ones. By the way DiNozzo if I ever catch you staring at McGee in the bare again I will head slap you silly."

Tony nodded 'Yes Boss"

Tony peeked across at McGee who was now pulling his trousers on. Just what the hell was McGee up to? He had been planning on following him over the weekend but his plans had been thrown out the window by a blonde air hostess. Tony looked thoughtful. McGee had been working out too. They had been each others spotter on the bench press during the weights section and Tony had simply kept adding more weights to the bar while McGee counted. McGee had seemingly without effort almost doubled his previous best weight and hadn't even noticed. He had been too busy counting the reps to take into account the extra weight Tony was adding. But Tony knew. Tony always spotted for McGee when they worked out together, knowing his little digging remarks tended to push McGee into working harder than he would with anyone else. He knew all of McGee's weight categories.

Tony took another look at McGee's broad back as he slipped on his shirt and started buttoning it up. Was there more muscle there than previously? Or was it just that freaky tan?

Tony turned to continue dressing himself before someone caught him checking McGee out again. Was McGee working out somewhere in the nude??

*******************************************************************

Tim felt a chill down his spine and suddenly he just knew from the twisting in his guts that there was another Vampire nearby. He looked up and down the dark alley and drew his gun although he didn't think it would be much help.

"Where are you…where are you?" Tim found himself muttering under his breath. Dante had told him to run. But he was stalking a suspect, Tony was going to flush him out by going through the front and then meet him here around the back. He couldn't just run and let the suspect get away. He couldn't leave Tony on his own.

And then suddenly he was there, stepping out of the darkness. And Tim felt awash with terror.

For the first time Tim understood what Dante had been trying to tell him about himself and what his life had been like when he was newly formed. This was a young vampire and he was filled with a searing blood lust and his handsome face seemed grotesque in its hunger. There was no reasoning or logical thought in this mind. It was all pure animal instinct to kill, fight and survive.

The Vampire was tall, thin and blond and he wore faded tight jeans and a dirty maroon silk shirt and battered cowboy boots. If it wasn't for his eyes he might look like one of those couldn't care less rock stars. But his eyes were crazed and his fangs already protruded against his bottom lip.

Tim found himself frozen as he faced the vampire stalking towards him who sniffed deeply of the air around him and then sneered.

"Hello……Companion" He said sweetly and his hands curled into claws ready to slash into Tim's flesh.

DANTE!!!!!! Tim screamed his name in his mind and it was as if the spell holding him still was broken and he could suddenly move. He spun on his heel and ran down the alley way with the vampire's laughter ringing in his ears.

The Vampire suddenly leapt down in front of Tim blocking off his escape and he grinned at Tim who backed away his heart pounding trying to think of anything that might buy him some more time.

Suddenly the vampire cocked his head and paused as if listening before grinning at Tim.

"Two of you."

Tim then heard the pounding of feet coming around the corner and heard Tony calling his name.

"McGee? It's no good. Someone got to him first. He's already dead. In a bit of a mess to by the looks of it. McGee?"

Tim suddenly realized that the stains on the Vampires shirt were fresh. He hadn't lured the Vampire to him, he had walked right into the Vampires fresh meal.

The Vampire looked at Tim with his crazed eyes and in that second he knew what the Vampire was going to do. He was going to grab Tony by surprise as he came around the corner of the building and slash his throat open as he flew to the top of the building with Tony screaming and thrashing his life out in his hands. Within seconds he would be dead and he would then drop Tony's broken body so it fell and shattered against the hard concrete as a warning to any other Vampires who strayed into his patch.

In that split second Tim saw all of this before it happened.

"NO!" He screamed and he ripped open his shirt exposing his neck and chest.

"Take me! Take me instead! What could be worse than taking another's companion?"

The Vampire paused and cocked his head considering, before lashing out at Tim with a swipe of his claws. Tim leaned back turned and ran, his head pounding as the Vampire laughed and jeered at him.

"McGee?" Tony came around the edge of the building panting only to see McGee running away up the alley as if his life depended on it.

"Hey McGee?" Tony shouted.

Tim knew he didn't have long but he had to get the Vampire as far away from Tony and the rest of the team as possible. His heart hammered and his breath came in ragged gasps as he strained to escape a violent and painful death.

"Dante" he screamed in sheer panic as he felt a rush of wings close behind him and an icy chill down his spine.

Blackness.

(

(Please review and let me know that you are reading..and if you like. Thanks Precious)