AU stories for NCIS episodes. Each is independent from all the others since this is all based on the possibility of parallel universes and multiple timelines... many, many of them. Later on some may seem to follow something that happened in an earlier AU episode story, but it's probably coincidence unless I say otherwise in the beginning.

This is #6 - a short alternate universe story/scene for Season 1, episode 6 High Seas

The original episode aired on November 4, 2003.

The dialogue in the first part is from the episode.

Rating: K+

Category: General

Warnings: Spoilers for episodes, probably just the one that the AU story is about. But down the road who knows?

Disclaimer: I own nothing NCIS. I'm just borrowing the characters for a bit.

And finally, all mistakes are mine.

"That's impossible. I don't use drugs."

"Your blood test says otherwise."

"Then it must be a false positive."

"Before you joined up you were an emergency medical tech. You tell me, how often does that usually happen?"

Gibbs glared at Petty Officer First Class Robert Wilkes, who lay on the hospital bunk.

"Maybe it's just a whim. Or maybe you like hanging out in walk-in freezers in your birthday suit,"

"I don't know what happened, sir. I was feeling light-headed and hot. Really hot. "

"Well, your body temperature was 106. That's high enough to kill most men unless their cardiovascular system was being boosted by some sort of synthetic stimulant."

"Somebody must have slipped something into my drink.'

"Any idea who that someone might have been?"

"No, sir."

"Any idea who provided the meth?"

"No, sir.

"You know what, I'm trying to help you out here, petty officer. If you try to float this story at your court martial hearing they will laugh your ass all the way to Leavenworth."

Wilkes looked horrified.

"Where did you get it? Shrewe?

"No."

"From Niles?"

"I don't do drugs." Wilkes was clearly upset. "And no one else on my crew does either."

Frustrated that the kid wouldn't give it up, Gibbs got out of sickbay and prowled the passages. Something was bugging him. Wait, something was bugging his gut. Wilkes had seemed genuinely confused and scared and didn't seem to be lying. His blood looked like someone who had used for a long time, but his job performance and fit-reps didn't show that at all. The kid had been truly distraught... Gibbs did a 180 and returned quickly to sickbay.

"I want someone with Petty Officer Wilkes at all times," he told the flight surgeon.

"He's out of danger, Agent Gibbs. In a few days he'll be taken to the brig for pre-trial confinement."

Gibbs gave the man his best stare. "I want someone with him 24/7. Do I need to call Commander Stovic?"

The medical officer studied Gibbs' face for a few seconds before giving in. "No, you don't need to call the skipper. I'll have a corpsman with him at all times."

The team plus Stan Burley questioned Wilkes arresting gear crew mates, questioned the crew chief, questioned other shipmates and officers. They searched living quarters, went through personnel records, observed training and crew interaction and they tossed around a lot of theories. Abby tested urine and blood. Not long into the investigation, Petty Officer Second Class Peter Shrewe was also in sickbay and Petty officer Second Class Gil Niles was jumpy, but the team had a plan for catching Chief Petty Officer Reyes in the act of giving meth to his crew.

While Tony and Kate confronted the urine testing coordinator, Gibbs sold the plan to the commander who would use the air boss the next morning to set the trap in motion. Satisfied they'd have enough to take the chief into custody, Gibbs went back by sickbay to check on Wilkes and Shrewe. Worried about them, he observed them surreptitiously for a few minutes and the corpsman with them. It wouldn't be long before Niles would be in sickbay as well as a couple of others who were undoubtedly long term users too.

Meth withdrawal was about a week of what could be severe symptoms and Gibbs felt a small twinge of regret for having laid into Wilkes so hard during that first interrogation. After catching and arresting Reyes, the next job would be to keep JAG from hanging the others for meth use, possession and distribution. What happened to them was not their fault. They were victims of a leader who betrayed their trust and Gibbs vowed he'd do whatever he could to help the young men keep their naval careers.

End

Thanks for reading, Please review.