Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

Hey everyone! Thanks so much for all the reads and reviews … this is very quickly becoming my second most popular story (we've still got a ways to go to catch up with Superman though!). I hope you enjoy this chapter … still don't know how or when this will end … for now, as long as people want more, I'll keep writing it!

Tony and Gibbs sat in the basement for another forty minutes before they heard a car door slam, followed by the front door opening and a mix of voices.

"Boss?"

Gibbs didn't raise his eyes.

"What?"

"How did you plan on getting out of here? If Abby catches us, she'll chain us to our beds."

"Only until you vomit on her again."

"Hey, I did not vomit on her, which thinking back, I probably should have but - "

"DiNozzo." Gibbs finally looked up from his paper.

"Sorry, Boss … did you have any ideas?"

"We are going to improvise."

"Improvise how?" Tony was becoming a tad worried. Visions of someone trooping upstairs to check on them were drawing closer and closer in his mind. Gibbs narrowed his eyes.

"Are you feeling alright, DiNozzo?"

Tony looked shocked at the question and even more shocked when Gibbs leaned across the workbench and laid a palm on his cheek. He whistled and shook his head.

"You're burning up, DiNozzo. Better not do anything stupid under delirium."

Finally, Tony caught on to what Gibbs was hinting it. He smiled.

"That's brilliant, Boss, but what about you?"

"Don't worry about me."

From upstairs, they heard thundering feet, signalling that their absence had been discovered.

"Ready?" Gibbs asked. Tony nodded.

"Alright, here we go."

Gibbs and Tony stood up and walked to the stairs.

"That's the best you can do?" Gibbs asked Tony, who was trying to look dazed but was looking more like a grumpy cat.

"Better?"

Tony let his eyes droop and he slouched even more. Gibbs rolled his eyes; it would have to work. He took Tony by the arm and began "leading" him upstairs. About halfway up the staircase, the door opened and Abby's face appeared at the top.

"I found them!" she yelled, her voice echoing around the concrete enclosure. She started coming down the stairs, ranting.

"You two are in so much trouble. Just wait until we get you back upstairs. I'm going to sit, sleep, eat, breathe at the top of the stairs. If you so much as shift wrong in your beds I will know."

"Abbs, calm down. Help me with Tony."

Abby had reached her patients and for the first time she saw Tony, looking convincingly (and surprisingly) ill.

"Tony!" she exclaimed. She squeezed between him and the wall and took his other arm. They emerged through the doorframe.

"What happened?" Tim asked as Ducky rushed to their side.

"Anthony, can you hear me?" Ducky asked. Tony just mumbled something and Ducky turned to Abby.

"Let's get him upstairs."

Ducky took Gibbs' place and led the agent upstairs.

"What happened, Gibbs? Why were you in the basement?" Ziva asked.

"I went to make sure there wasn't a leak and I found Tony down there. I think he's delirious, he had a high fever."

The front door opened and closed. Gibbs turned to see Jimmy Palmer standing there, soaked to the bone. Palmer looked up from his umbrella and saw Gibbs staring at him.

"Agent Gibbs," Palmer said with a smile. "It's nice to see you … I mean, it's not nice that you're sick but it's nice to see you again in general."

"What are you doing here, Palmer?"

"I was at NCIS … I was going wait out Tropical Storm Leroy there. Breena didn't want me driving home. Dr. Mallard found me there and offered to let me come home with them, saying that you and Agent DiNozzo were very ill … speaking of that, shouldn't you be in bed, Sir?"

Gibbs raised an eyebrow and Jimmy's eyes went searching. Finding a wood carving on the wall, Palmer commented,

"That's nice."

"Thanks."

Gibbs disappeared up the stairs and McGee and Ziva just looked at Palmer, who shifted uncomfortably.

Upstairs, Abby and Ducky had gotten Tony back to his room and laid him down. Abby was pulling the covers from under Tony's legs while Ducky took his temperature.

"That's odd." Ducky commented as he studied the thermometer.

"What?"

"His temperature is only 101.5 degrees. Hardly enough to prompt such behavioural actions."

Ducky looked at Tony, whose eyes were closed.

"Anthony, can you hear me?"

Tony mumbled something in response.

"Can you open your eyes for me?"

Tony decided it was a safe move and let his eyes open lazily. Ducky was leaning over him and Abby was looking very worried in the background.

"Do you remember what just happened?"

Tony blinked, trying to make it seem like he had just come out of a trance.

"I had a really strange dream. I think I was in Gibbs' basement but it was 1993."

Rule #7 was echoing in his mind as Gibbs' voice … always be specific when you lie.

"How do you feel now?"

"Tired." Tony let his eyes slide closed. Ducky turned to Abby, who was biting her nails.

"Don't look so concerned; he's fine. Strange occurrence, such a rise and fall in body temperature over such a short period of time but no damage was done. Come, we should let him sleep."

Ducky led Abby out of the room and after checking on Gibbs, they joined the rest of the team downstairs. Ziva and McGee complimented Abby on her work before McGee pulled something from a bag.

"Here, Abby." McGee handed Abby the item she had requested from NCIS.

"What is that?" Ziva asked, watching Abby hug the stuffed hippo.

"That's Bert!" Palmer exclaimed.

"Bert?"

Abby nodded.

"It's to make Tony feel better. He and Bert go way back."

After getting permission from Ducky to go back upstairs, Abby peeked around Tony's door.

"Tony?" she asked quietly. Tony, who wasn't at all tired, jerked his head around to see the origin of the voice.

"Hey, Abby."

"Can I come in?" Abby asked, almost in a reverend tone.

"Sure." Tony pushed himself up into a semi-sitting position as the Goth lab tech came and stood by the bed. For the first time that he could recall from the past three days, Abby looked uncomfortable in her surroundings.

"You can sit if you want."

Tony shifted his legs to make room for Abby, who sat.

"Are you okay?" Tony asked.

"I should be asking you that." Abby said, still clutching Bert.

"I'm fine, Abbs."

"No, you're not, Tony. You're really sick. You don't even remember how you got into Gibbs' basement."

"So? It's all part of being sick. One thing I've learned from being sick so much after having plague is that I'm always going to be okay, no matter what happens."

Abby shrugged, seemingly unconvinced.

"I brought you something."

She held out Bert and Tony smiled.

"Hey, Bert, old buddy." He accepted the toy, which let out a foul sounding noise. "Still farting away, I see."

Abby smiled and Tony looked her in the eyes.

"Thanks, Abby."

"Just don't throw up on him."

Tony held up his fingers in the scout salute.

"Scout's honour."

Abby stood and straightened the blankets around Tony, who now had Bert tucked under his arm.

"You should get some sleep. We'll be downstairs if you need anything."

"Thanks, Abbs."

Abby left and Tony looked down at Bert.

"Hear any good jokes lately?"

He squeezed Bert and laughed at the noise.

"Good one, Bert."

Review?

Just as a heads up, I didn't respond to any reviews from the last chapter because I'm running a little short on time and very short on sleep. But rest assured that your reviews meant the world to me!