Stop, Drop and Roll by Star24

Disclaimer: The usual, Don't own them, don't profit from them blah blah blah…

AN: Response to a fiction challenge on NCIS Special Ops Message Board.

"All you need to do is Stop, Drop, and Roll…"

Abby heard a slight snore next to her and without looking over, she gave Tony a hard jab in the ribs.

He sat up with a start and looked around blinking his eyes madly. "Wha..?"

"Shhh," Abby hissed, "you were about to snore loudly enough for Professor Legree up there to hear. Two hours of this stuff is more than enough for me. You know that he threatened an extra hour if people started nodding off again."

Tony gave her a look of pure innocence, "I wasn't the only one he bored to sleep yesterday."

"But you were the one who snored loud enough to wake the dead which brought it to his attention."

Tony fell silent as Abby grinned at having the last word. The stoop shouldered, bespectacled man in the front of the room droned on happily, oblivious to the reaction of the thirty NCIS staff members in the small auditorium.

Fifteen long minutes later, the fire safety class was dismissed and the pupils eagerly jostled each other in their eagerness to leave the room. Tony and Abby caught up with Kate who was walking just in front of them, and with a grin Tony reached out and yanked Kate's ponytail.

"Hey!" Kate turned and then shook her head as she saw who was behind her. "I should have known. No one has pulled my hair since sixth grade; it had to be you, Dinozzo."

"This lecture is stuff I've known since sixth grade or before. I can't believe they're wasting the time of a couple of dozen highly trained special agents and staff with Fire Safety for Dummies." Tony remarked.

"It's something to do with government regs." Kate said primly.

"Yeah well you know what they say about most government regs..." Tony grinned.

Kate frowned at him.

"Children, please. I already have a headache from Mr. Dull and Boring. I don't need another one from you." Abby interceded.

By that time they had reached the bullpen area and Gibbs was standing there waiting for them. Going by the expression on his face he wasn't pleased. He stepped aside and the threesome saw the reason. Standing behind them was the Professor.

"Shit." Abby said sotto voce. She made an abrupt turn and headed back to the elevator bank. "I just remembered a test that I needed to check on five minutes ago. Tell Gibbs I said hello," floated back over her shoulder.

Tony and Kate exchanged looks as they proceeded slowly to where their boss stood.

"Hey, boss. Hello Professor." Tony greeted them both cheerfully.

"Dinozzo. Todd. I understand there was a slight problem with today's class?" Gibbs gave them both a stern look but Tony could have sworn there was a twinkle in his eyes.

"No, boss. No problem. Right, Kate?"

"Um, yeah, No, problem, Gibbs." Kate stammered.

The Professor opened his mouth to say something but Kate suddenly felt something hot on her arm. She looked down in horror to see flames licking at the outer sleeve of her suit jacket.

"Kate, you're on fire! Do something!Stop, drop and roll!" Tony cried out dramatically. He gave her a shove and whispered in her ear, " Do it, damn it."

Kate stumbled and then found herself on the floor, being rolled over by the efficient hands of one Anthony Dinozzo. Seconds later those same hands smoothly pulled her back to her feet.

The Professor stood staring at the two of them, looking like a fish out of water. His gaping mouth flapped slowly as he struggled to say something.

"Gee, Professor, it's a good thing we had your class today. What a coincidence that Kate had the opportunity to put your fine teaching to good use." Tony blasted the Professor with a megawatt smile, as he reached out to shake his hand. Gibbs stood there watching, his face impassive.

"Well, then. Yes. Indeed." The Professor managed to say, finally.

"I think this answers your concerns about my agents' attentiveness to your class." Gibbs said smoothly. "Now if you'll excuse us, I have a case I need to brief my team about."

Then the Professor was gone, and Gibbs stood looking at the two agents. Nothing was showing in his face.

Kate turned indignantly to Tony, "I could have been…" she started to say.

"…stuck in a three hour makeup class with the Professor?" Gibbs finished for her. "He was rather upset that two of my agents managed to fall asleep in his class today. Dinozzo's quick thinking saved you from that."

Tony looked at Kate who flushed. "Why, Kate how could you? Sleeping in class?"

"Shut up, Tony," she shot back.

"Take her advice, Dinozzo. I did say that two of my agents were sleeping, not just one." Gibbs shot Tony a look. Tony did as he suggested.

Gibbs chuckled as he walked back to his desk. "By the way, Kate, I think next week's class might be of interest to you. And you might want to go fix your hair."

"My hair?" Kate put a hand to her ponytail which was sticking straight up in the air looking like a fountain in the middle of her head, as a result of Tony's impromptu fire drill.

"What've we got next week?" Tony asked curiosity evident in his face and voice.

"Health and Hygiene," was Gibbs response as he walked away from the two stunned agents.

Finis