[Day 14] FIC: The Rumour Mill Grinds to a Halt - Connections #33 - tth100

[lyl_devil]

It's the Day 14 of 14valentines and the final topic is V-Day & International. The post can be found -> [here]


Title: The Rumour Mill Grinds to a Halt (Willow/NCIS)
Series: Connections #33
Author: Lyl (lyl_devil)
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I don't claim any rights to either show. I just like to play in their sandboxes occasionally.
Prompt table -> HERE
Prompt – 099: Torture
Words: 358
Summary: The NCIS gossip grapevine was always a good source of amusement, tales ranging from the odd to the obscure to the unbelievable.

Warning: It's THAT episode people. The KATE episode. (If you don't know what I'm talking about, go check out the last minute from the last ep from season 2.)

Spoilers: Twilight (end of season 2)

~!~

The NCIS gossip grapevine was always a good source of amusement, tales ranging from the odd to the obscure to the unbelievable.

But gossip and wild rumours had never circulated with even half the speed of the latest 'news'.

One of the teams had been shot at.

Someone had taken a shot at Gibbs.

Someone had taken a shot at Gibbs, and the shooter's body would never be found.

A roof had exploded.

A car had exploded.

A car had been shot at.

A missile had exploded.

A missile had exploded on a roof.

Willow heard all these, and disregarded them just as quickly. These were the normal types of stories that circulated whenever a team came under fire.

However, there was a tension flowing through the building that was only growing with each frown on Director Morrow's face, with each person who ran to or from MTAC, and with each passing minute with no word from on high.

Willow was sitting in the lunch room, killing some time with some of the other interns and support staff, when she heard it. The one rumour that sounded horrifyingly true enough to be the real thing.

Agent Todd had been killed in the line of duty.

It seemed she wasn't the only one who thought the same way, if the sudden silence around her was to be believed. But she prayed to every God and Goddess she knew, demon or otherwise, for it not to be true.

She knew being an NCIS agent was dangerous – the incident a few weeks ago with DiNozzo and the plague were proof enough of that – but never had it hit home so much. Every time any of them went out the door, it could be their last.

That splash of reality terrified Willow more than she cared to admit. To lose her uncle or any of her new friends, just when she'd gotten to know them.....

It could have been minutes or hours later, but the subdued whispers around her became silent again.

Looking towards the door, she saw her uncle, saw the look on his face, and knew.

Kate was dead.

END

Comments

[plutos-revenge.livejournal.com]

Ouch.

I love the use of the rumour mill, the outlandish theories until the one horrible rumour that has to be real. Ow ow ow.

I've mentioned loving this series, right? *g*

The recs thing you've been doing this month is cool. I've just had a flick through & marked some fic for later, so ta! It's so much less daunting reading fic in fandoms you don't usually play in when someone else points at good stuff *g*

[lyl-devil.livejournal.com]

Thanks. :) This is not the end of the Kate-trauma, so be prepared.

And I'm glad you found the recs helpful. I'm at the point now where I really only read authors I know, or recced fics from people I trust. (I barely have time to keep up with the fic on my flist.)

[emony2.livejournal.com]

*cries* ok, so I'm incredibly weepy right now... but still.

You told this very well and found a wonderful way in which to tell Willow.

Awesome. As always.

Em

[lyl-devil.livejournal.com]

Thanks. And I apologize for making you all teary and stuff. Really. :)