Ligers and Tigons and Tony, Oh My (Part 5/?) for Spoonyriffic

[justhuman.livejournal.com]

***Continuation of a Round 4 (2009) Ficathon story. Assignments are out for Round 5 of the NCIS Ficathon and posting will begin August 16.***

Title: Ligers and Tigons and Tony, Oh My (5/?)
Author: justhuman
Written for: spoonyriffic
Prompt: Tony/Gibbs - Supernatural (the genre, not the show) - a series of strange killings in DC leave our favorite NCIS team puzzled, and soon it is revealed that there is something more nefarious behind it all. First Time fic. Rating between R or NC-17, whichever is best for the fic.
Archive: Please ask
Genre: teamfic, adventure, romance
Pairings: Gibbs/DiNozzo, mentions of canon pairings and maybe a surprise
Rating: NC-17 overall, PG this section
Disclaimer: CBS
Word Count: 10,032, this part
Summary: While working a case, Tony runs into a problem with potentially deadly consequences. Now it's up to the team to do what they do best and investigate until they find a solution.

A/N: Many thanks to tejas for the beta assistance in this part. As always, all mistakes are mine.

Part 1 - Harvest Moon
Part 2 - After the Harvest Moon
Part 3 - Hunter's Moon
Part 4 - Hunter's Dawn

Part 5 - Drag Hunt

Sunday October 4, 2009 - Full Moon, Day 2

Tony had opened the window, but his room still had the faint odor of crayons. Some combination of his super-sniffer and being forced to sit on the floor to get dressed brought it to his attention. He jotted a note to talk to Gibbs about replacing the carpeting in the room.

The scent of Ducky at the door registered before the light knock or the whispered, "Anthony?"

"Come in," Tony called as he tied the laces on his running shoes.

"There you are," Ducky said as he closed the door. "I was expecting to find you asleep in the basement." His eyes traveled the room, taking in the wallpaper.

"That's where I woke up. Gibbs said that I slept for about 45 minutes," Tony shrugged. "Like my new digs?"

"I would have expected you to be more a striped wallpaper man," Ducky said, as he set his medical bag down next to Tony.

Realizing that Ducky was going to have a much harder time with the floor than he was, Tony stood up. "Hang on, I think I saw a chair over in the closet." The door was half open, and when Tony opened it fully, there was a small white chair with cloth-covered seat, printed in flowers and berries. As Tony pulled it out, something caught his eye.

"What is it, Tony?" Ducky had stepped up next to him and they were both looking at the door jam, scratched with little lines all labeled with dates. "Oh dear. Gibbs really wants you to stay here, in this room?"

"I tried to sell him on the other room, but he told me it was my job to take down the wallpaper and paint," Tony said, closing the door and picking up the chair. "That's good, right? Because if it's not good, I'll try and figure out some way to change his mind."

"No, no. I think it's healthy for him." Ducky took Tony's arm and led him back to the medical bag. "It would have been healthier for him to have done it himself, but it would have also would have been healthier to change this room over a decade ago."

"Yeah, I was wondering that. How did this room survive three ex-wives?"

"Have a seat," Ducky put his palm against Tony's forehead and glanced at the open window. "Most people find October to brisk for open windows."


Tony shrugged, "I suppose that I'm not most people today. I brought the chair out for you."

"Sit and let me be the doctor." As Tony sat, Ducky took his left arm and tied off his bicep with some tubing. "Have you eaten anything?"

"Nothing - I've been good, which is something like a miracle. You know, sort of like this room remaining untouched."

"Well, you haven't lost your sense of curiosity. You could always ask Gibbs."

Tony just looked at him.

Ducky gave a short laugh as he put on a pair of gloves. "No, I suppose not. Now let me see what I can recall. Gibbs and his first ex-wife lived here. She was sure she could fix the place up to her standards."

"So she renovated the kitchen," Tony said, scrunching his nose against the smell of the alcohol wipe that Ducky used on his arm.

"Yes, but it took, Lord, it must have been two years. Gibbs took exception to the cost, the time, and the fact that she had the painters paint the trim instead of staining it."

"Messing with Gibbs' woodwork is not a good idea." Tony took a small involuntary breath when Ducky stuck him with a needle.

"I can't tell you the order of events, but somewhere in all this remodeling, he basically moved into the basement. And the rest as they say..."

"And shortly after, she moved into the Jackson Hotel? I still don't know how Gibbs manages to pay her the alimony that she must need to live in a place like that. It's the kind of set-up my dad would like."

"Oh he doesn't. She is in fact significantly better compensated than any of us. She should have been paying Gibbs alimony, but she's also a lawyer and was shrewd enough to sue him for the alimony so he wouldn't sue her."

"She won?"

"I believe that he still pays her a dollar a month."

Tony pulled a face. "I think that sounds worse than paying her a mint."

"Well, you could ask Gibbs how he feels about it, because a mint is exactly what he paid his second ex-wife before she re-married."

'To Fornell - and I can't think of a nicer guy to win that prize. Okay, so the first wife never had the chance to remodel the upstairs, what about ex number two."

"She wanted to remodel also, starting with the kitchen."

"But the kitchen was just done."

"By Gibbs' ex-wife," Ducky said

"Territorial," Tony said.

"Among other things."

Tony snapped his fingers. "This was the wife that hit him with the golf club, right? Does Gibbs play golf? I like golf."

Ducky nodded. "No, the golf club was the first, and Gibbs does not play. It was her club. The second hit him with a baseball bat - among other things. When Gibbs refused to back down on re-modeling the kitchen, she insisted that they move somewhere else. They ended up buying a second house, which she kept as part of the divorce along with everything that Gibbs had moved into it. Now the third one -"

"Stephanie Bronwyn Flynn, she was a suspect during the Reynolds murder. She was kind of nice, but she hated Gibbs' guts. Does everyone who lives with Gibbs end up hating his guts?" Tony batted that one around in his brain for a moment.

"Quite possibly."

Tony felt his gut clench and then Ducky winked at him.

Ducky removed the needle and taped a piece of cotton over the small wound. "I think that if you avoid unauthorized remodeling you should be fine, Tony. Of course, Stephanie Flynn never had the chance to remodel. They only lasted a year and were overseas the entire time."

"Mystery solved," Tony said and stretched his arms over head with a deep sense of satisfaction.

"Now what do we have here?" Ducky put his hands on Tony's arm and turned it to get a good view of the hickey that Tony had given himself earlier. On the bright side, it was already starting to heal and didn't look as bad as it had half-an-hour ago. On the not so bright side...

"Did you do this last night?"

"Uhm, not exactly. Could we maybe not dwell on it," Tony said, snatching his t-shirt off the floor.

"Tony," Ducky said sternly.

"It, it was the last sample. You know, I can be a bit of a biter during..." Tony wagged his eyebrows and moved a hand, trying to coax Ducky to the proper conclusion. Tony was saved by a knock, followed immediately by Abby stepping in.

Her scent washed over him, wiping out the smell of alcohol pads, Ducky and crayons. Abby was looking very Abby-ish, gloved, gowned and carrying a small, insulated cooler. "Are the blood samples ready? I grabbed all the samples from the bathroom. Nice job with the tagging, by the way, Tony. Hey! Check out the wallpaper!"

Tony didn't answer because his brain was in a complete fog. Ducky took the sample sheet from Abby's hand and ran his finger down the list.

"Ah yes. I see, the last sample." Ducky said, while Tony tried not to turn scarlet.

"Tony! Is this your room now? I know an artist that could come in and give each one of these little Rumtarts a face-lift. Purple hair here, a tattoo over there, mix in with a little leather. Maybe he could take a grouping of little Rumtarts and turn them into a mega-Rumtart."

"Abby," Ducky said, and Tony was glad, because he could feel all the words catching in his throat. The scent of Abby was just reminding him that he was starving.

"What about it, Tony?" Abby grabbed his arm, and Tony felt her hands burning him like a brand. "Boy, are you warm!"

Before he could think of anything to say, he was enveloped into an Abby style hug. "Abby!" Tony squeaked, afraid to move since his head spinning in her scent. With a kiss on the cheek Abby let him go. Tony turned around to grab his t-shirt and pull it on. It was mostly an excuse to breathe some different air. He mumbled, "I need to go get some breakfast."

"We could eat together, and then I'll head off to the lab," Abby said.

"I've got to run," Tony said, trying to figure out how fast he could get out the door without making the others reach for the trank gun.

"Where do you have to go?" Abby asked.

"Huh? I mean, no, I don't have to go somewhere, I need to run." Tony jogged in place. "Look, I've got more energy than I know what to do with, and it's a lot cooler outside than inside. I was just going to grab a cold slice of pizza."

"I'm not convinced that going out on your own is the best course of action, considering everything," Ducky said.

Betrayal. Tony just looked at him. What kind of wingman maneuver was that? Couldn't Ducky see that he needed to get out of there?

"Yeah, Tony. That's an odd look in your eyes," Abby said. It was only one step closer that she moved, but it felt like he was drowning in her scent again.

Tony gently put his hands on Abby's upper arms and pushed her away. "Look, I was trapped in a cage last night, and I'm feeling claustrophobic. I need to get out of here for a while."

Ducky studied him for a moment and then nodded. "Assuming everything is driven by the sun and the moon, going out for a short while should be fine. All right, get some exercise."

"Don't forget your cell phone, so we can check in with you," Abby said.

"That's Gibbs' rule #3 - never be unreachable. Don't worry, I've got my act together," Tony tried to reassure them. He made it to the door, and then spun around to get his cell phone. Another loop to the door brought him circling back again, laughing nervously. "Just grabbing my wallet too." Then Tony was out the door and heading down the stairs.

Abby was speaking quietly to Ducky upstairs, but Tony heard it clear as a bell. "Oh yeah, he looks completely normal."

***

An hour and a dozen donuts into his run, Tony's phone rang. He stopped and answered.

"DiNozzo."

"Tony, where are you?" McGee asked.

"In the park, running. Well, I was running until you called. It's getting hot out for October."

"Tony, it's going to be around 72 and sunny today - in other words, more or less perfect weather. Which park did you say you were at?"

"I don't know which park, it's about a mile away with a running trail and a duck pond. There's a good donut shop on the way."

"Maybe you could pick up some donuts on the way back for the rest of us."

"Maybe I could, when I'm done with my run. Look, McGee, if you got something to say, just say it."

Tim let out a breath. "I just chatted with Abby and she said you looked agitated this morning, and we thought it might be better if you stayed close to home while all the ...stuff is going on."

Stuff? "Stuff? And by stuff, do you mean-"

"Tony!"

"What, now you're feeling shy?"

"Tony, you're in a public place, right?

"I'm-" Tony stopped himself as he looked up and spotted a group of runners about to pass him. One of the guys was kind of cute, so Tony smiled. The two women in the party smiled back. At least he wasn't a complete freak.

"Tim McGee, yes I am. So let's not talk about stuff. Let's focus on another word in your suggestion - home. I've got one question for you, have you seen the wallpaper in my room?"

There was a noise. "Did you just snicker at me McGee?"

"No, I- No, I absolutely did not. I understand that this entire month has been hell and based on the wallpaper, things aren't exactly looking up. However, we have more pressing stuff to deal with today, so it might be helpful if you were here."

"Abby and Ducky want to do stuff to me, don't they?" Tony scratched at the back of his neck.

"Actually, Ducky is still out visiting his mother, and Abby is still at the lab analyzing, well, stuff. It's just that you've been a little ... unfocused over the last couple of days and-"

"You want to be there to keep an eye on me, McNosy? Make sure I don't trip and eat a small child by accident."

"No! That was not what I was going to say. It's more like we don't want you to hurt yourself."

"Do you want to compare sports related injuries, Elflord, and see which of us is better prepared to handle a skinned knee?"

"Tony, we want to be there to help you," Cassie said.

Tony spun around to find her standing behind him, decked out in her running gear and holding a bag of food.

"Cassie found you, right?" McGee said.

"She did. So has this whole conversation been about triangulating my GPS position so you can sic me with a stalker?"

"More or less," McGee said at the same time that Cassie said, "Pretty much."

Tony was still annoyed, but it just didn't seem like it was worth the effort. "And you're probably going to get away with it because Cassie looks hot in running shorts, and she brought me brunch." Anything McGee might have said was lost because Tony hung up, Gibbs-style.

"You know, DiNozzo, some of your co-workers would have considered that hot comment a form of sexual harassment," Cassie said.

"But you don't," Tony said once he sized up her tone and body language.

"Nah, I am hot," she said with the shake of her head and a smile. "Keep in mind that if I ever have the misfortune to work vice again, and you say anything along those lines, they'll be scrapping you off the deck."

She was smiling, but it a dangerous kind of smile. Tony had bigger issues to deal with than baiting Cassie. "Gotcha. Now about that sandwich-"

"What if I'm not sharing, DiNozzo?" Cassie said and gave the bag a little shake. Then with a smile, she took off at a run. "I should warn you that I was the sprint champ of my FLETC class!"

There was pepperoni somewhere in that bag. Tony bolted after her, determined to show her what a NCAA athlete was capable of. After five minutes, when he hadn't caught her, Tony was coming to the disturbing realization that it had been a while since Ohio State, and Cassie was sneaky. Whenever he got close she dodged around a tree or a big rock, and he was so intent on simple pursuit that he didn't anticipate her moves.

But there was pepperoni in that bag.

Focus was what the boss had said. Tony saw her tense just before she swerved right around an oak. He poured on the speed and got to within a stride away when she tensed to pivot. There was some kind of primal sounding noise that came out of Tony's throat as he dived ahead, and got a hand over Cassie's trailing thigh. He had put on so much force that she spun back towards him. With the rest of his weight behind him, Tony knocked her to the ground.

Cassie squawked at some point during the fall, her arms flying wide and the bag landing off to the side. They were breathing hard. Tony felt the rush of every victory he had ever experienced. "Got you!"

Cassie punched him in the shoulder and gasped - the air wasn't quite getting into her body.

Tony rolled off and was suddenly terrified that he had managed to break something. "Cassie, are you alright?"

She had her hand on her chest, and her breathing was shallow, but became more relaxed. "Yeah, I just got the wind knocked into me. Ya didn't have to hit me like a bulldozer!"

"Sorry, I had football on the mind and pepperoni," Tony admitted. "I'd have outrun you sooner, but you know the plague left permanent scars on my lungs."

Cassie laughed, "Tony, that is the lamest, most self-indulgent pick-up line that I have ever heard. I am sad that there are women in this world that probably fall for it."

Tony's eyes flew open. "I wasn't, trying to pick you up! And if I was, I'll have you know that the vast majority of women would have found that intriguing. But out of curiosity, what kind of line does a discriminating woman such as you -"

Cassie smacked his hand hard as he surreptitiously tried to reach for the bag.

"All you better want is my pepperoni, because I think of you and Tim like family-"

"You're like a sister-"

Cassie handed him a bottle of water. "Whoa there, sailor, maybe cousins. I like you guys, but maybe we're not that close. You and Tim are constantly having conversations that I can't fully comprehend." Cassie pulled out a full-sized sub and unwrapped the paper.

"You'll catch on," Tony said a he fought the duel instincts to drool and grab for the sandwich.

Cassie handed him half and shook her head. "I've worked with a bunch of teams inside of NCIS and there is something great about working for Gibbs. But you guys are family, a lovely and somewhat inbred bunch based on how you are all psychically linked."

"I am so not related to McGee, nor do I wish to inbreed with him," Tony said around a mouth full of Italian cold cuts.

Cassie swallowed a much more modest bite. "Tony, he is your partner, and you're not fooling anyone. Gibbs' team is fantastic, but I have different plans for my career then the work you guys do."

Plans? Did Tony get to have those anymore? Focus! He could worry about the future later, because right now he had to learn how to focus again. He had missed Cassie sneaking up on him while he had been on the phone with McGee. He had been so intent on the chase that he played too rough. The Boss had also given him another mission, and he should be working on it.

"I got offered a job overseas once. It was a long story why I didn't take it, but in the end, I kinda needed to be here," Tony said.

"Don't get me wrong," Cassie said. "If they told me that this was my only choice of NCIS assignment, I wouldn't be putting my resume out to the FBI or the Federal Marshals. I could get real comfortable here with all of you. It's just that I've got some wild dreams and the opportunity to pursue them."

Tony’s brain wanted to run down this tangent, but there would be plenty of time to dwell on his own future later. Focus. He held out his water bottle. "Here's to Agent Afloat - better you than me." Cassie's bottle met his with a plastic thud as they both laughed. Tony scoped the area and determined that they had some privacy.

"So let's hear your version of last night."

Cassie froze for just a moment and then went back into the bag for some napkins and a container of sliced apples. "Ducky and Abby didn't tell you?"

"They were all about the science this morning. How fast did I become dangerous?"

"You were dangerous before you were done changing. I don't know how aware of it you were, but you were thrashing a lot when it started. It looked like it hurt." While she spoke, Cassie had fussed with her shoe and avoided eye contact.

When he put his mind to it, Tony could remember parts of the change. "It did hurt. All at once it was like I had become a human punching bag, especially my hands and my jaw.

"Teeth and claws - it was scary how fast they grew. It was like watching a nature show where they the time-lapsed photography on a flower blooming. It's supposed to take days but it happens in seconds on the screen." Cassie said.

Blank. Tony's brain was a blank when it came to the new attributes. "I can't remember that part. So teeth and claws was where I went from being dangerous to being a threat?"

"Tony, you don't want to dwell on it like this," Cassie said, tidying her end of the picnic gear.

"It freaked you out."

"Damn straight it did!" Now Cassie was looking Tony in the eye. At first she was angry and then horrified just as she looked away. "Tony, why are you doing this?"

For a moment, he didn't have an answer, because really, who wanted to hear first hand accounts about how one becomes a monster? Gibbs was nowhere near him, but it was like Tony could feel those hard blue eyes boring into him. "Because I need to know. I need to know what's going to happen if I forget what day of the month it is, or if I lose track of time and don't make it to the basement."

"We're not going to let you forget."

"And in the end, the responsibility is all mine, just like any blood will be my fault,"
Tony said. Cassie glanced away, not quite shaking her head. Tony had seen that look cross the faces of dozens of cops. It was a look he had plenty of times - the one where you knew life was unfair, but somehow it was your job to keep the status quo going.

"Maybe we can get going," Cassie said and stood up.

"We can, but I've got more questions," Tony said, bouncing to his feet.

Cassie sighed, "Do you want an official threat assessment?"

"Nah, I'm pretty clear on that part. Now I want to know what you want for lunch."

Cassie turned. "What? We just ate a sandwich!"

Tony took off, tagging Cassie on the arm. "Good appetizer. Now let's hit the grocery store."

***

"How's it doing?" Tony asked and then scooped an oversized spoon of ricotta cheese from the container into his mouth. A little sweet, a tiny tang, full mouth, cream, he smiled around the spoon, trying to ignore the metallic note that was threatening to disrupt the momentary ecstasy he was feeling.

"It just started to turn brown around the edges. Tony, Would you stop looking like you're having sex with that cheese?" Tim snapped.

Moment ruined. "Get the garlic out," Tony said and when Tim didn't move the wooden spoon fast enough, Tony shouted, and got to his feet. "Get it out!"

"I heard you the first time!" Tim turned towards Tony and pointed an accusatory finger. "It's just that they're hard to scoop."

Tony tensed up, ready to spring into action, but he had promised. He pointed a finger at Tim as he slowly sat back down at Gibbs' kitchen table. "Garlic burns really fast, McGee, so if you could start moving faster than a snail!"

"Hey! You know, I am tempted to let you do this yourself."

"Now, now, we don't want to risk having Typhoid Tony at the stove," Ducky said, as he came into the kitchen, dropping his coat over the back of a kitchen chair. "Until we can determine if he's contagious or not, food preparation is off limits."

Tim nodded. "Yes, I know, Ducky. It's just that I-"

Ducky had made his way to the stove. "Oh, Timothy, you need to get that garlic out of the pan."

Vindicated, Tony took another spoonful of cheese

"I'm trying-"

Ducky snatched the spoon from him, and rescued the garlic, eyeing the boxes and cans on the counter. "Did all this come from Gibbs' pantry? But more importantly, does this mean that you're giving out the secrets of the famous DiNozzo sauce?"

"Watch it, Duck, or Tony's going to start thinking that you put the cooking prohibition on him so you can steal his recipe," Gibbs said on his way to the counter where he poured himself a cup of coffee. Abby and Cassie followed Gibbs into the kitchen and sat at the kitchen table across from Tony.

"All this came from the grocery store this morning because Tony wanted to stop for a snack," Cassie said. "Good thing I drove to the park, because I don’t thing we'd have made it back with all those bags on foot."

"Ew - you're eating right out of the container?" Abby pointed. "Gibbs, you should lay down some rules about drinking straight out of the milk carton."

Tony wondered how she knew he did that.

"I don't drink milk," Gibbs said.

Tim turned off the burner on the stove. "Uhm, I do in my coffee"

"Hey!" Tony held up both hands to fend off the assault. "I have never drunk out of the milk container!" His eyes met Gibbs and then Tony added, "In this kitchen."

Abby pulled a black marker out of her jacket pocket and picked up the lid from the ricotta tub and wrote TONY across it. "You should start marking things. We wouldn't want to get confused when you put the leftovers in the fridge."

"Leftovers? What Leftovers?" Tony took another spoon of cheese, really wishing people would leave him alone with all the food.

"That's a three pound container!" Cassie said and then sat back in the chair, putting the heel of her hand against her forehead.

"Uh huh," Tony said and then sat up straight as he had a thought. "Do you think the warehouse food places have bigger containers?" He was about to plunge the spoon back in when Gibbs hand came down and slapped the lid back on the cheese. Tony looked at Gibbs and immediately turned away, knowing that challenging the man might risk his food going into the trash. He gave a forlorn look at the yellow tub, as he licked every molecule off the spoon.

Tim wiped his hands with a kitchen towel. "And speaking of Tony's potentially contagious state, maybe we should check on the testing status. Team meeting. Abby, do you want to go first?"

Abby knitted her fingers together and pulled her hands close to her chest. "Sure!" When she looked at Tony, he thought she looked nervous. Abby planted her hands on the table and started, "I took all the samples back to my lab and did an initial screening on everything. For the most part all the results were within expected norms or the norms that Tony has developed over the last month. The most significant finding was that I didn't find any sign of bacterial infection."

"That's good," Tony said. "It means that when I'm me, I'm not dangerous."

"Uhm, not exactly," Abby said. "I was looking at sample from this morning, from last night and the ones collected from the cage. None of them showed bacterial infection."

"Good?" Tony said tentatively.

"Bad or at least inconvenient," Ducky said. "Tony, if we had found a sign of infection in your samples last night and none this morning, that would have meant something. Finding no infection means that we're probably dealing with a virus."

"Or a viroid or a prion," Tim added.

"Yes, well the exact form doesn't matter at this point because we don't have the kind of equipment to find it," Ducky said.

"What does that mean?" Gibbs demanded, crossing short distance between the counter and the head of the table.

Tim pushed off the stove. "We tend to lump bacteria and viruses into one category, but they're very different. At the moment, the most important difference is size."

"My microscopes - polarizing, non-polarizing, they all work in a similar range," Abby said.

"A range that includes bacteria, but not viruses," Tim said.

"Buy a new microscope," Gibbs said.

"Not that simple," Abby said. You need an NMR or and electron microscope to get down to that level."

"And that means?" Tony asked.

"Really expensive to buy and just as expensive to run," Tim said. "The kind of thing that you can't just add to the bottom of a purchase order."

"What about the FBI?" Gibbs asked. "They get all the fancy stuff. Not that I'm fond of asking them for favors, but Fornell owes me. We could come up with something plausible, so he would get us into one of their labs."

"They don't have one either, Gibbs." Abby said, sliding down in her chair. "This kind of equipment is just not standard in a crime lab. We typically don't need measurements this small. If we did, we'd send the sample out to a lab that specialized in this equipment," Abby said.

"Let me guess, really expensive to send them out?" Cassie asked.

"Really expensive and no privacy or security." Tim said. "It's not like renting a car, where you go in and someone hands you the keys to the equipment. In a commercial lab, they take your sample and run it for you. A lot of times, you can ask to be present and look over their shoulders-"

"But they're not giving you the wheel," Gibbs finished

"We're not completely dead," Abby said. "Ducky, Tim and I all know a guy."

"An institution of higher learning or a government lab where we might be able to get a friend to lend a favor. Or in my case, pay off a bridge debt," Ducky said.

"But?" Gibbs asked. "Come on, if it was that easy then Abby would have done it this morning."

"We can't let them know we're looking for a virus, for one," Abby said.

Tim folded the kitchen towel. "Most of these places don't deal with diseases, and they'll freak out if we tell them we're looking for a virus."

Tony held up both hands, "So we don't tell them?"

"Analysis doesn't work that way. You have to give them some idea what they're looking for. Even keeping it simple, they'll realize they're working with blood and all sorts of alarm bells will go off about AIDs or Hepatitis C," Tim said.

"And if they do deal with disease, I'm betting that they'd freak out more?" Cassie asked.

"Yes, those scientists will have much bigger imaginations and think of things like weaponized anthrax," confirmed Ducky. "Then there's the time on the equipment. We'll have to be selective with our samples, because we'll only have the chance to run a few."

"Don't forget the prep work," Tim said. "To look at these under a light microscope only requires a slide and a few drops of stain. All the equipment we're interested in using has unique sample prep - replacing fluids with resins or sputtering on a layer of gold."

"Look, I've got some gold jewelry," Tony started.

"Not that simple, Tony," McGee said.

"That's it? Those are our only options?" Cassie asked.

Ducky sighed and tapped his fingers on the stove. "No, there is another option. It's much slower, but its low-tech nature would allow us to obtain all the necessary materials and equipment without raising suspicion. However it does present certain dangers-"

"No!" Abby called out. "We should be able to cure Tony without murdering bunnies!"

"I was leaning more towards lab rats," Tim said.

Tony wondered if it was a coincidence that Tim and Ducky were standing together as they faced off against Abby.

Gibbs put both his hands on Abby's shoulders as she was going to go flying out of her seat. "Abby!"

"Gibbs! We are not alchemists trying to turn Tony into gold!"

"Huh?" Tony said.

"She's referring to medieval bad science, where alchemist tried to turn lead into gold" McGee said.

"In other words, she's saying that you've got lead in your ass, DiNozzo," Cassie said with a wink.

"Oh yeah, Yates? Why who caught whom today?" Tony stopped, when he felt Gibbs' glare boring into him.

"Abby, Tony is more important than a rat," Gibbs said.

"Thanks, Boss. Not that it's much of a compliment, but it's appreciated," Tony mumbled.

Abby folded her arms over her chest. "There are no guarantees, and it would be a lot more than one rat."

"More important than a whole herd!" Gibbs shouted.

"I know that, Gibbs - it doesn't make it right!" Abby said and slumped her shoulders.

"Swarm," Tim said

"What?" Tony demanded.

"Rats don't travel in herds. They travel in swarms or packs," Tim said.

"Or plagues," Ducky added with shrug.

"Ah," Tony said. "Somehow I knew it would come back to the plague at some point."

"No, Tony, that's not what I meant at all," Ducky said.

"Then let's find another option!" Gibbs glared around the room.

Sheepishly Abby looked across the table. "Sorry, Tony, I never meant to imply-" Abby frowned. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Tony blinked and sat back, way back. While they had been talking the cooking scents had faded and been replaced with Abby. "Looking at you like what? I'm not even looking at you," Tony stammered out, trying to cover his tracks.

Now everyone was looking at Tony. Tony banged his forehead against the kitchen table.

"If I could hijack the agenda, McGee, I've got some new observations about my condition," Tony said, looking up.

"O-kay. What have you got?" Tim asked.

"I can smell an M&M from 20 meters," Tony said. "I tested it in the grocery store."

"Super smell, gotcha. Anything else?" Tim asked.

"What does super sniffer have to do with..." Abby gulped. "Me? Oh gosh, I know I skipped a shower this morning, but it can't be that bad, can it?"

"No!" Tony shouted and then cleared his throat. "It's ... it's different. I can kind of identify you all by smell."

Everyone shifted uncomfortably. Way to make friends, Tony thought.

"And..." Gibbs said.

Tony looked at Gibbs and it was clear that the Boss thought he should share the conversation that they had had earlier in the day.

"Well, for instance, McGee smells like sweat socks."

"Great, I've always wanted to smell like a locker room," Tim said

"It's not a locker room," Tony said. "Sweat socks is probably not right, but it's not wrong. It's more complicated."

"Tony," Ducky said. "Perhaps instead of trying to label it, you should describe it."

Describe it? He could try to describe it, but Tony wasn't sure that it was going to make any more sense than sweat socks. It was kind of funny because most days he wouldn't have minded the kind of attention he was getting right now. Tony pulled in a breath and was hit all at once with the mingled scent of everything. He wanted to get out of the kitchen, but instead he looked at Gibbs and reminded himself to focus. Turning towards the stove, Tony closed his eyes and took a breath, trying to isolate Tim. He knew that scent and then all at once he started talking.

"McGee smells like a Sunday morning flag football game. It's early October and it's just cool enough that you don't want to be wearing shorts. You change your mind after you've been running around for an hour so, knocking each other around, passing the ball and sweating. It's the good kind of sweat where you've been playing hard and not the bad kind you get from warming the bench on a hundred degree day."

The room was quite, really quite. Tony opened his eyes and looked at McGee, who was obviously thinking about it.

"That's, a lot," Tim said finally. Then he frowned. "Sweat socks was the best summary?"

Tony shrugged.

Ducky smiled. "Tony, what about Cassie?"

"You had to pick me?" Cassie asked. "I was running all morning."

"I'm sure it will be all right, my dear. Tony?"

Tony hadn't given much thought to the words associated with the distinctive smells. He mulled Cassie around in his head. "Dancing, she smells like dancing."

Cassie mouthed the word. "So what kind of dancing? Ballet, hip-hop, or clogging?"

"Swing," Tony said. "Big party, cocktails flowing, fast spins, big dips with the occasional slow turn around the floor."

"That's kind of nice, Tony," Cassie said with a bemused smile.

"Nicer than sweat socks," McGee said.

"Tim, it's not about the label," Ducky said, moving his hands. Tony came from people that talked with their hands, and he was fond of it. Ducky talked with his hands when he was excited about putting pieced together in a puzzle.

Ducky went on. "Think about it this way. Humans rely on eyes and ears for the lion's share of sensory input. Our language reflects that with hundreds of words to describe sound and thousands of words just to describe color. But for smells and tastes, we're have only a small collection of words beyond naming an object, saying that a lemon smells like a lemon."

McGee jumped in. "Even complex aromas, such as wine we describe by comparing it to other things like oak, cherries, and blackberries."

"Exactly," Ducky continued. "Human language doesn't have the depth necessary for Tony to put accurate words to what he now smells. At the risk of embarrassment, what about me?"

Tony took in a breath, trying to sort the conflicting smells. As he was doing it, he caught himself as he poked his tongue out of his mouth to taste the air. "It's kind of like rain and blankets."

"See, Tim, I'm a wet blanket," Ducky quipped.

"No! It's like a rainy day in late November and you're curled up on the couch watching Frank Capra movies - oh! Maybe not Capra, maybe some early Bond or Man from U.N.C.L.E. And you'd have a mug of tomato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich. Grilled cheese - that would be really good right now," Tony said.

"DiNozzo." Gibbs voice wasn't loud, but he was insistent.

"Focusing, Boss!"

"Tony, it seems that your brain has mapped these intricate scents to experiences. I'm rather flattered by associations between myself and shelter against the storm. Tim smells like someone you could play contact sports with. Interestingly, you mapped you other partner to a different type of contact sport."

Tony could see the frown evaporate from Tim's face and he may have even straightened up and looked a little proud.

"Chauvinist," Cassie said with a smile.

"Hey, you do smell better than McGee, and besides, he's got two left feet," Tony said.

"I do not!" Tim was back to being annoyed with him, and Tony was filled with the sense that everything was right with the world again. All right provided that they didn't ask him what kind of contact sport he associated Gibbs with.

"Tony!" Abby was bouncing in her seat, reaching her hands towards him. "What do I smell like?"

And suddenly, everything was not right with the world again. "Uhm, I don't...you smell… like dragonflies." Tony felt his eyebrows pull together. He didn't know where he had pulled that from, and mouthed the word again. It was right, at least in part.

"Dragonflies," Abby said.

"Yeah, big wings and awesome colors that you just can't ignore. Dragonflies freak some people out because they figure any bug that big must be dangerous, but you're exactly the opposite. I like that I get that, but not everyone does. Then when you're flying around flower to flower, or you know, from Major Mass Spec to the rest of the lab army, it always looks random, but it's not."

"Tony!" Abby grabbed his hand, and Tony looked down and thought that the other things in his head were just not right.

"DiNozzo," Gibbs said quietly.

Tony pulled his hands away. "That's what you smell like to me. It's the Abby smell, but..."

"But?" Abby asked, eyes filled with wonder and curiosity.

"There's another scent, kind of around or on top that makes me want to lick you."

"Geez, Tony, Rule #12!" McGee said.

Abby was watching him and at first she was encouraging him to go on with a little nod. Then her expression slowly changed. "Not sex, is it?"

"No, more like-" Tony was having a hard time getting the words out. "Lunch." He frowned. "No, more like dessert, like a giant chocolate sundae." Drowning in the sudden silence, Tony kept his eyes fixed the table, so he wouldn't have to see everyone else's expression.

Finally Tim spoke. "Tony, is Abby in actual danger, right now?"

"I think it might have been a problem before now if she were," said Cassie.

Tony looked up and found Abby's eyes. "I'm not going to hurt you, Abby. Abby, you've got to believe me that as long as I have any part of my right mind that I could never hurt you."

Gibbs said, "Tony's not going to bite." When Tony shifted his focus to Gibbs, he could see that the boss was looking at Tim, who gave a nod.

"Tony," Ducky said. "When you described it, you said that Abby smelled like dragonflies, but the other scent, the one we're all concerned with, was something in addition to Abby?"

Tony bit his lip and took another breath. "Yeah, it's not exactly Abby. I know it's attached to Abby, and I associate it with her, but it's not her, if you know what I mean."

"No, we or at least I don't know what you mean," Tim said.

Tony shrugged helplessly.

"A perfume?" Cassie suggested.

"Oh! I'm usually wearing something - a perfume or some essential oils in a carrier oil." Abby said.

"Do you have your perfumes with you?" Tim asked. "If you do, we can set up an experiment to see how Tony reacts to each of them."

"Abby, hit the showers, and don't use anything perfumy" Gibbs ordered.

"Yes! That way we can test if it's my scents or me that's making Tony mentally turn me into a lamb chop."

Tony banged his head against the table.

"Sorry, Tony!" Abby said. "Oh, I don't think I have any unscented shampoo."

"You probably shouldn't put your clothes back on," McGee said.

Tony turned his head to look at McGee, and he wasn't the only one.

"Really, Tim?" Abby had a predatory grin on her face, and Tim responded by going beet red.

"What I meant was that people's scents cling to clothing."

"Ah!" Tony said. "I know what you mean. I've been known to keep a souvenir piece of clothing from a girlfriend or two." And a boyfriend or three, but that was the kind of information that Tony had spent years learning not to say out loud. "Kept a souvenir or two yourself, McGee?" Oh, he so did, Tony could tell. He wanted to go to McGee's apartment right now and see which piece of Abby's clothing was hidden away somewhere in McGee's bedroom.

Before McGee could answer, Gibbs spun Abby towards the doorway and gave a little push. "Use my shower and my soap."

"Gibbs!" Abby said with some dismay.

"Hey, the Marines did what my father failed to do and taught me how to clean a bathroom," Gibbs said.

"I'm not worried about the bathroom," Abby said. "Well, technically I am, but it's of secondary concern to the issue at hand."

"Which is?" Tim asked.

"You've got a bar of Lava soap up there, don't you?"

"Abby-"

"It's going to suck every drop of moisture out of my skin-"

"Abby!" Gibbs barked.

"All right! On it, Gibbs." Abby quick stepped towards the stairs. "At least we'll be testing this on me and not some innocent rabbit. Never let it be said that I didn't sacrifice for science."

Gibbs called after her. "There's some clean clothes on the dresser. Pick something out."

Cassie poked Tony's hand lightly. "You haven't told us what Gibbs smells like. It might be important since Abby's going to smell like him."

That would mean Abby would be going from the frying pan and into the fire, Tony thought. When he looked up, Gibbs was glaring at him. "He smells like the Boss."

"That's it?" Ducky asked.

"All I can put into words," Tony said.

"Okay," Tim said. "Let's move on and I'll fill Abby in later. We need access our preparedness for tonight and tomorrow. Gibbs."

Gibbs sat down in the chair next to Tony. "The cage held, and it's going to keep holding. We have some improvements to tackle to make things as easier on all of us. I'm going to tap off the water line, so we can have a hose handy. It'll make cleaning the cell easier for you," Gibbs said, looking pointedly at Tony.

"Right, I've got cleaning duties. And we need to pick up some kitty litter or something," Tony said as he scratched the back of his neck as an excuse to look away. "And food, we need food."

Gibbs glared at him and then sighed as he pushed the ricotta container in front of Tony. "Ducky, why is he so hungry?"

Tony hadn't wasted any time diving back into the cheese. "Yeah, why am I so hungry?" he mumbled around a spoonful.

"It's all speculation, you understand, but it makes some sense based on the symptoms we can see. Look at the teeth, hair and claws. I still find it impossible that you're growing a full set of teeth and nails over night, but I do know that it would take a lot of raw material. As does the consistently high energy levels that we've seen you exhibit for the last few days," Ducky said.

"Ducky, you said the teeth and nails, but not the hair?" Cassie asked.

"Hypertrichosis is a rare condition in which the patient has excessive hair growth," Ducky said.

"Is that what I've got?" Tony asked.

"Well, it's actually a disorder, which means that the symptoms and causes are not always clear cut. In one outcome, the body grows excessive hair everywhere but the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet. There are however several causes, everything from chemical or drug exposure to a genetic abnormality."

"Can Abby check for any of the causes?" Tim asked.

Ducky shrugged and nodded. "No doubt she can check for most of them, but we wouldn't suspect any of the normal causes. What are you thinking, Tim?"

"I've been working on the mythology of werewolves and found some patterns. Now ignoring the supernatural explanations and working on the idea that we're seeing the expression of a disease or genetic disorder, I'm wondering if there's a connection. Not so much that Tony has a well documented disorder, but that it might be a variation on something that is documented."

Ducky had been thoughtfully frowning while Tim spoke. "Yes, I'd been researching along those lines too. Looking at the overall manifestation, I had been spending my time looking at rabies. I hadn't considered looking at the symptoms individually for analogs. Well, done McGee."

"Okay," Tony said, "If you and Abby are going to keep drawing blood, I'm going to need more food."

"Yeah, we know," Gibbs said. "It was the one thing last night that guaranteed to keep you calm. We fed you, and you were occupied and a lot less likely to howl."

"Coffee cake," Tony said. "It was kind of dry."

"It was practically the only thing left in the kitchen," Gibbs said.

"Tony, what do you remember from last night," Tim said, sitting across from him. Ducky joined them at the table.

"Not much," Tony said. "Someone says something or I smell something and I get a flash. I saw the bones this morning and knew that it had been Island Anderson's goat."

"We never said that in front of you," Tim said.

"It tasted like Island Anderson's goat, you didn't have to. The coffee cake came later. The sugar was nice, but I was more in the mood for something creamy." Tony ate another spoon of cheese.

Cassie pointed at him. "Ducky, could that be a calcium craving, to grow all those sharp pointy teeth?"

"Very much so. I'm not much of a nutritionist, but I'll endeavor to find some proactive recommendations. Did you buy more dairy at the store?"

"There's enough cheese in the refrigerator to make lasagna for an air craft carrier," Cassie said.

"You were trying to coach me through lasagna?" Tim asked. "You can make lasagna?"

"McGee, you can be amazed later," Gibbs said. "DiNozzo, start cooking."

"Gibbs-" Ducky started.

"Go," Gibbs said, pointing at the stove. "He can't afford to buy enough food for himself unless he cooks. I'll put a couple of dishes with my cast iron frying pan. DiNozzo, don't touch them."

"All you're going to keep is a cast iron pan?" Cassie asked.

Gibbs shrugged. "Anything I cook goes in there."

Tony dropped his spoon in the nearly empty container and headed towards the stove.

"Hey!" Gibbs shouted at him. "Police your werewolf ridden dishes. Get that spoon in the dishwasher and the top shelf in the refrigerator is mine."

"Does the dishwasher have a sanitizing setting?" Ducky asked. "That would be a prudent move."

"No idea. I've never used it. The sink works just fine," Gibbs said.

"Okay, we'll put the food for the rest of us on that counter, way over there," Tim said.

"Abby and I will help organize the kitchen sanitation later," Ducky said.

Tony didn't care about any of it because he was chopping some onion and dropping it into oil that smelled like garlic, all was right with the world. The sausage was already browned on the back of the stove, so he grabbed the can opener and started opening the tomatoes. That was when Gibbs smacked him in the back of the head. "Hey! What?" Tony spun around and everyone was looking at him.

"You could respond when we call your name," Tim said.

"Multitask, DiNozzo." Gibbs went back to the table.

Focus, DiNozzo was the unsaid part of that. "Sorry." Tony grabbed a couple of cans of tomatoes and set them on the end of the kitchen table and started opening them while facing everyone else.

"Tony, we wanted to know more about what you remembered last night," Ducky said.

"Okay, at first it hurt, a lot. I don't know if it hurt afterwards, but it was all wrong." Tony thought about the previous night and immediately could smell the mustiness of the basement and the coolness of the cement floor. "I was hot. I've never been so hot, but the floor was cold. Any chance we could secure the refrigerator in autopsy?"

"Maybe an air conditioner?" Cassie suggested.

"Once the hose is hooked up in the basement we could wet you down," Tim said.

"Yeah, I'm not sure that Tony's going to remember it was a good idea when the time comes," Gibbs said. Tim shrugged and inclined his head. Tony stirred the onions and started adding the tomatoes.

"We could get a kiddie pool," Abby said.

Tony had a nose full of garlic and onions, so he hadn't smelled her coming. She was standing in the kitchen doorway wearing an NIS sweatshirt and tying off the drawstring on an old pair of Gibbs sweats.

"A kiddie pool?" Ducky asked.

Abby threaded her fingers into her wet hair and made a pig tail. "Uh-huh. We could fill it before Tony changed and then no we wouldn't have to hose him down."

Tony stood very still and noticed that Abby wasn't coming into the kitchen. His life officially sucked beyond recognition. "Was it really Lava soap?"

"Of for crying out loud it was plain old Ivory soap," Gibbs said.

Tony grimaced on purpose. "Sorry Abby."

"If this works, you buy him better soap for next month," Abby demanded, but they could all tell she was faking even before the smile broke out across her face. "Well?"

Tony put the wooden spoon in the pot and went to the opposite side of the doorway where she was standing. He closed his eyes and sniffed. It was the same; it was different; it was complicated. "Why are your wings wet?"

Abby spoke slowly, "Because I took a shower? What the heck are you talking about?"

The scent realigned it self so fast that Tony took a half step back. "That's better. Dragonflies flying instead of dragonflies with soggy wings, because…because you're upset?"

"You can smell that?" Abby was wide-eyed and open-mouthed.

"Wait a minute, he was right?" Tim asked.

"Well, I'd call it more worried, but yeah."

"Flying faster," Tony said, wondering what exactly was going on.

"Sure, this is exciting and cool," Abby said.

"It is?" Tony asked

"Yeah!" Abby smiled, so Tony smiled.

"Did it work?" Gibbs asked.

Tony looked to him, "Huh?"

"I still smell like dragonflies, but do I still smell like a chocolate sundae?" Then Abby stepped in front of him, and showed him the spider web on the back of her neck. "Come on, get a good wiff."

Three of the four people were watching with great interest. McGee was half out of his chair with a grim set to his mouth. Closing his eyes tightly, Tony inhaled and sorted through the conflicting scents.

"You don't smell like a sundae," Tony said. He wasn't expecting Abby to squeeze the air out his lungs. "Ab-by!"

She bounced and clapped her hands. "I'm not dessert!"

"No." Tony scratched at the back of his neck. It would be so easy to lie. "It's more like breakfast. Abby, you’re a plain donut with vanilla icing."

"What, no sprinkles?" Abby held out her hands. "Why do I have to smell like food!"

Tony shrugged his shoulders to his ears. "I don't know! But there is a bright side." He realized that his assessment might be too optimistic, but he had to say something.

"Did you stop liking donuts?" Abby asked.

"No. I like donuts, but now you smell like Gibbs' donut." Way too optimistic based on the non-response of everyone in the room. "Do you think I'd mess with Gibbs' donut? And okay, there is nothing I can say that's going to improve this situation."

"Mocha," Abby said.

"Huh?" Tony just looked at her.

"The new soap you've got to find Gibbs." Abby pointed at the man, who was frowning back at her. "I'm sure I'm safe being Gibbs' donut, but I'd like the extra insurance of being Gibbs' coffee."

*** Monday, October 5, 2009 - Full Moon, Day 3***

Tony's nose was assaulted by the smell of coffee.

"Come on, DiNozzo - time to rise and shine! It's oh-seven hundred, just enough time to shower." It was Gibbs. It smelled like coffee, so of course it was Gibbs. Abby was right; mocha soap was a good idea.

Tony did a body check. He was back up on the cushions from the lawn furniture just like the previous day. "Is there any bacon to go with that coffee?"

Something soft hit Tony in the face, he pulled it off as he sat bolt upright. It was a pair of sweatpants.

Gibbs was sitting in a folding chair outside the open cell door, sipping his own mug of coffee. "There'll be plenty of time to pick up breakfast if you get your ass up."

Tony had spent half his life in locker rooms. Gibbs had spent more than half his life sharing barracks, so it was only natural for Tony to push off the blanket that was cover him and begin wiping down excess hair. It was in no way an excuse to pretend that Gibbs was checking him out.

But there didn't seem to be a lot of hair. There certainly was stray werewolf hair around, but not in the quantities that he had seen before. "I didn't get hairy last night?"

"Oh yeah, you did. Abby and I vacuumed you about twenty minutes ago when you changed back."

"Vacuumed me. I mean, don't get me wrong, I appreciate the clean-up, but you vacuumed me?"

"It was Abby's idea," Gibbs shrugged.

"She wanted revenge," Tony said with more than a hint of self-pity.

"Hey! She wanted to prove to herself that there was a difference between you and what you become."

Tony winced. "Sorry. Taking care of me made her feel better?"

"Apparently," Gibbs stood up. "And you know how I feel about apologies. Here's a flash, DiNozzo, you didn't do anything wrong. You and Abby are going to figure out a way to work this out."

"We are?" Tony didn't look the look on Gibbs face, so he yanked on his sweatpants and said more emphatically, "We are! Is she still around?"

"She went home to get ready for work."

"Did you-"

"I sent her home with my soap. Now speaking of getting ready," Gibbs said as he turned towards the door.

"Wait!" Tony called out. "I need a report about how things went last night."

Gibbs had turned back with a long-suffering look.

"My Boss wants me to focus better."

Gibbs took a step towards him, scratching at the back of his neck. "Let's see, the sandbox worked for its intended purpose."

Tony turned towards the back corner of the cell and saw the expected evidence. It was in a turtle-shaped sandbox that they picked up at the end-of-season clearance at the home improvement store. "What else did you try?"

"Trays of ice cubes; you loved them. We gave you some water too, but you stuck to the ice as much as possible," Gibbs said.

"And the split shift?" Tony asked. As they did the prep work the previous afternoon, McGee worked out a rotating shift for the rest of the full moon nights. It kept two people on at once with at least one armed, federal agent. It allowed for everyone to get some sleep. Last night it had been Ducky and McGee on the early shift and Gibbs and Abby on the late shift. Cassie had the night off so that at least one of Gibbs' team would have been working with a full night's sleep.

"At first, you were all fired up with McGee. You didn't like him sitting over there." Gibbs pointed to the blanket against the wall.

Tony frowned, "It's your spot."

"My spot?" Gibbs frowned at him.

"That blanket smells like-" Tony stopped himself. "It's probably a wolf thing."

"Yeah, I can see that." Gibbs gestured for him to follow and headed towards the stairs. "You got used to him as long as he didn't go near that blanket."

"The TV?" Tony asked and in his head he was already hearing the soundtrack for It's a Wonderful Life.

"After he got the right movie in and slid you some lasagna, you were set. For the record, no more nature documentaries."

Tony paused at the bottom of the stairs and thought about herds of deer and gazelle running past him. He smiled.

From the top of the stairs, Gibbs shouted down at him. "DiNozzo! Quit your daydreaming and get to work!"

"Yes, Boss!" Tony came up the stairs.

"And with you and Abby?"

Gibbs went towards the kitchen as Tony headed towards the second floor. "Just after oh-two-hundred you started howling, and it took a while to calm you down."

Tony paused. "You know how McGee has a fit about the moon not really being full for three days, and that it's only really full for a passing moment?"

Gibbs paused at the kitchen doorway and looked back at Tony.

"That moment was at 2:10 am last night."

Continued

Comments

[wrtr-aka-wmgrg.livejournal.com]

Wow ... this just keeps getting better and better. I'll just hang around hoping for more, soon. ;)

[justhuman.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much - glad you enjoyed the latest additions :-)

[captain-tibbs.livejournal.com]

OMG! YAY! Can't wait to read this next installment :-D

[justhuman.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much! I'm going to try and get the next part out faster :-D

[adafrog.livejournal.com]

Cool, thanks.

[justhuman.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[(Anonymous)]

I am so so happy to see another chapter of this story! I was waiting and checking out the LJ newsletter everyday to find an update. I don't have an LJ account so its the only way i can make sure I don't miss out on your story. I absolutely love it, the characters are so well written and you have managed to keep them true to form. I love tony as a wolf-man, i'm intrigued and captivated and cant wait for more.... Please will there be more soon???

[justhuman.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much and thanks for taking the time to comment! I'm going to try and move quicker, but life sometimes makes that hard.

[kateri-e.livejournal.com]

Oh wow, this was a fantastic chapter. The story just keeps getting better and better. Can't wait for more

[justhuman.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much!

[angst-queen-98.livejournal.com]

It's been so long since I've read any of this, I had to go back and start over! Note: that is NOT a complaint. I totally understand how RL can come in and kick ass, or if the muse ran away with the mouse or whatever. :-) But I'm damned glad you updated this and I loved it! Here's hoping for more soon!

[justhuman.livejournal.com]

Thank you for having the perseverance to deal with my slow writing. Glad you're enjoying it - I'll try to write faster.

[dinozzo111.livejournal.com]

This is a fantastic read!!! Love every bit of it...;)..more soon please??? ...

[justhuman.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much - 1700 words so far in the next part

[captain-tibbs.livejournal.com]

So I finally got some time to read this next installment, and it is awesome!
I'm really intrigued to see where the whole 'Abby smells like food' angle is going, and loved the scent-descriptions of Ducky, McGee and Cassidy.
Thank you for this excellent read, your world-building just makes this story, and all those little details like the need for dairy products just add to the weaving of this wonderful tale.
Can't wait to see where you are taking us all next ;-)

[justhuman.livejournal.com]

Ack! Sorry about the delay in replying, but I've been writing :-)

Thanks so much - Glad you're enjoying :-)

[laura-trekkie.livejournal.com]

This is so much fun... for me at least, Tony and the team aren't having quite such a good time ;P.

I particularly like this new development of Tony being able to tell everyone apart by scent. Will that stay with him all the time, or is it limited to the heightened senses time around the full moon? I loved the descriptions he had for everyone, but was that really the truth about Gibbs- that he just smells like the boss? It's obviously a smell wolf!Tony likes, given his anger at McGee trying to sit in Gibbs' spot. How long before the penny drops and someone figures out Tony's attraction to Gibbs?

Laura.

[justhuman.livejournal.com]

but was that really the truth about Gibbs- that he just smells like the boss?

Ah! Tony did not give a detailed description of Gibbs scent because he needed to maintain a sense of decorum. But I think that if you add up his desire for "other contact sports" with Gibbs and the scene from the previous chapter where Tony was collecting samples in the shower, you'll get an idea about where Gibbs scent lies. No doubt it will come out in more detail at a later point.

Thanks for reading - glad you're enjoying :-)

[slashscribe.livejournal.com]

I started reading this a while back and lost track of it, and then found it again and re-read it from the start today. And I'm SO GLAD! This is one of the best fics I've read in a long time. The characterization is so well-done, which is a feat, considering the fact that you're writing everyone completely IN-character in a completely OUT of character situation. I can't wait to see what comes of Tony's obsession with Gibbs; I love that Gibbs' scent is so powerful to Tony and he's all territorial. I'm also very intrigued by the Abby part of the plot-line.

Also, I'm so impressed with all of the little scientific details and how everyone is handling this-it's just unbelievably good, and so weirdly believable. I can't wait to read more. I could keep rambling on and on about how much I love this, but instead, I will just say-thanks for posting this, it's really really really really really fantastic, I love it, and I can't wait to read more!

[justhuman.livejournal.com]

Thanks so much. It's always fantastic to hear that not only are people are enjoying your story, but the details they really like.

More soon!