A/N: This is NOT part of the Rhapsody Verse or the Ben!Verse. This is a plot bunny that I wrote completely on vacation. Well. Not completely, considering I still can't bend my elbow and my fingers are still squishy (they're swollen, it's suppose to go down and right around there I stopped listening to the doctor because I wanted to cry) anyway, still have the brace on but no more pain meds! Woo!

Anyway, this story, as I mentioned, is finished and a new chapter should be posted every two or three days. Hopefully. (Which means reviews are very much appreciated.) Also, I used a different verb tense in this story. It was fun and I hope you enjoy the story.


Tony's been undercover at this hospital for four weeks.

He hasn't talked to Gibbs because it would be too risky and he has no idea what happened to his backup.

He hasn't seen McGee and Ziva in a long time too.

But Abby, who doesn't give off the vibe of "Special Agent of the Government" visits him, telling all who would here that she is his sister.

So what if they were both adopted late in life.

Tony is wearing the stupid hospital gear of white scrubs but his bracelet is red now because he beat up his roommate when the dude got a bit to frisky with his hands.

A red bracelet means he had violent tendencies but Tony doesn't think much of it. He's undercover after all. As a mentally deranged Marine who fell off the deep end.

All part of his undercover persona.

But he hasn't talked to Gibbs in awhile because Gibbs can't always be the aide assigned to this floor.

And besides, Tony doesn't mind. He trusts Gibbs.

He knows that the former Marine won't let him down.


"Hey Abby," Tony smiles happily, although he doesn't know if that has something to do with the shot the stupid nurse gave him this morning because he wouldn't take his pills or if his happy mood is attributed to the fact that he hadn't seen Abby in awhile. Gibbs still hasn't made another appearance.

Abby smiles and her eyes get all wrinkly at the corners and Tony can see her eyes are watery but that just because she worries about him in here. She would much rather have him in the bullpen with the rest of the team who are working hard to catch the bad guy so Tony can leave this stupid undercover mission.

"Hey Tony," Abby smiles and Tony's eyes go wide.

"Tonio," Abby corrects herself. His name is Antonio in here and Abby always has a hard time remembering. Tony doesn't mind though. He's checked the room and this room isn't bugged so her little slip up isn't putting the undercover mission at risk.

"How was your day Tonio?" Abby asks him, her fingers moving around and around and Tony had to remind himself not to stare at her beautiful fingers that know just the right place to be when he needs a hug. Too bad she can't touch him here.

"Same as yesterday, and the day before that, which was the same as all the days before," Tony shrugs and fidgets in his seat. He can't stay here for too long. Red bracelet people get shorter visiting times.

"So, they find anything yet?" Tony asks quietly. No need for code words or ambiguous sentences here. No one is listening. The orderly who Tony has actually come to like is just sitting in the corner, his headphones on as he listens to his iPod. Sometimes, Mike, the orderly, will let him listen to it but the nurses don't like that very much. And since Tony doesn't want to get assigned a new orderly, because the few red bracelet patients here have their own personal orderlies or "aides" as this place calls them, he makes sure not to get Mike in trouble.

Abby's face does that funny thing where she's trying to hide a lie. Tony knows she would never be a good undercover agent. Abby can't lie very well.

"No," Abby shakes her head and her face gets all watery and Tony notices that she's wearing water-proof mascara because there aren't any black streaks when she starts crying.

"Don't worry Abbs," Tony tries to comfort but he can't touch her so it's hard, "They'll find something soon and I'll be able to come home."

That seems to cheer Abby up and she nods her head and goes to touch him.

"No touch," Tony whispers quietly. Mike is nice but he follows that rule. Visitors can't touch red bracelet patients. It's for their safety even though Tony knows he would never hurt Abby.

"I forgot," Abby pulls her hand back quickly as if she had been about to touch a snake, "Do you know when they'll move you back down to uh...to blue?"

Blue bracelet patients don't get special rooms for visits and they can hug and touch their visitors.

But those rooms are bugged and Tony knows he can't become a blue bracelet patient again.

So he lies, "Soon."

"That's," Abby takes a deep breath, "That's great Tonio. Ducky told me to tell you he says hi."

"What about the rest of the family?" Tony asks. Gibbs is dad except when he pretends to be the aide. McGee is his brother and Tony has no idea what Ziva is.

Abby knows who he's talking about but her eyes get all watery again, "You haven't seen them in awhile?"

"No," Tony shakes his head mournfully. Normally, they make contact every few days.

It's been a weeks and Tony hasn't seen hide nor hair of any of them.

"Don't worry Tonio," Abby says and almost touches him but doesn't, "It'll be okay."

Tony nods and when Mike stands he tells her goodbye. It's time for dinner and since Tony is a red bracelet patient he has to eat his dinner first before the blue patients line up for food.

Abby leaves first and then Mike tells Tony it's time for dinner even though Tony knew that already.

Mike holds the door open but doesn't touch Tony.

Red bracelet patients can't be touch.


Two weeks since Tony hasn't seen the team and he's starting to get worried.

Even Abby's stopped coming to visit and Tony wonders if something has gone horribly wrong.

"How was your day today Tonio?" his shrink asks. Tony doesn't like him much because the dude thinks he's crazy but when this is all over and Tony is once again Anthony DiNozzo, he'll come back and officially forgive the man for wanting to continually shoot anti-psychotic meds into his bloodstream.

He has however, stopped trying to give him those stupid pills that Tony never took anyway. Good thing he knew how to cheek a pill.

"Fine fine," Tony sits in the big chair and wishes he could be listening to Mike's iPod instead. Mike's by the door reading a book this time. He's still listening to his iPod though.

"You've been doing better," the shrink flips through some papers on his desk and Tony wonders how he got so many papers on Tony's undercover person. Just wait till the dude finds out that this has all been fake.

"That's what they tell me," Tony replies quickly. He really dislikes this guy.

"I have consulted with your aid," the shrink flips though even more papers, "And we think that it's time to move you back with the general population."

Oh crap. Tony won't be able to talk to Abby in that big visitor's room. It's bugged. Tony found the little suckers his first day here.

"No," Tony says calmly, though he thinking how much trouble he'll be in if he jumps the desk and hits the shrink. He'll be able to stay a red bracelet and relieve some stress at the same time.

The shrink must see something though because suddenly Mike is right behind him and he touches him and Tony's screaming, "You can't touch red patients!"

And then there's more of them and Tony's crying because he really wants to see Gibbs soon and go home.

He really misses home.