Specks of blood flecked the green slate-stone floor like rubies on grass, shining dimly in the light that created mottled shadows across the ground. Death hung in the air, omnipresent, linked directly, one would assume, to the comatose woman who was half-propped against the kitchen cupboard. It was a shocking sight, made all the more eerie by how bright the room began to become as the sun rose above the bright green trees. The whole sight had a surreal feel to it, and everything just looked like a photograph capturing the beauty and horror the vision embodied.
Time stood still and the sun seemed to move no higher. Everything froze how it was; nothing moved nor made a noise. The woman’s face was turned to the sunlight.
-x-
Senior Detective Jason Sciuto sat at his desk, pretending to examine the papers piled high before him • almost high enough to obscure him from view completely. Thoughts elsewhere, he put his signature on every indicated line mindlessly. A book, lying tantalisingly open - face down on the little table beside him • was the object of his gaze at that moment. It looked so easy to pick it up, to interrupt the monotonous duties of the paperwork…
A sigh escaped his lips as he looked away and back at the page before him, trying to focus on the words that swam in his vision…
Something important, he concluded after a few minutes of staring at the paper. Mm.
He put it aside to read later. It would be an interesting procrastination on the petty arguments and bread theft and inheritance claims which were cluttering his workspace. He finished what he could of the rest of it, then took the piece of paper with him as he got up to get a cup of something pretending to be tea to wake himself up.
Putting the kettle on, he sat down on one of the chairs and attempted again to read the document. The morning sun spilled over the window sill and across the page.
Addressed: Sr. Det. Jason Sciuto
Subject: None
He sighed again and began to read.
Jane Doe
Time of Assault • approximately 10 am on the morning of December sixth, 2008.
Yesterday, he though absently.
Report -
Skip that for now. He flicked ahead to the next page and continued.
At the end of the document there was an enclosed photograph of the crime scene. He turned to it • a horrific, detailed photograph of a woman, a woman with black pigtails and green eyes. Her naked body had been slashed and stabbed, burns showing where she’d been branded with a hot iron • from what may have been the fire poker that lay close to her on the green slate. She looked surprisingly relaxed • which probably implied she had been knocked out before anything else had happened to her.
But that wasn’t the worst of it.
Her flawless skin, her beautiful eyes…
”Abigail,” He whispered, thrown into shock. Everything around him ceased to exist, the world stopped. It • it couldn’t be…
Denial set in. It wasn’t her, he knew. She was at home. She was safe.
The woman was in a coma, they’d asked him to look into the case… he decided he’d take it. He didn’t even consider the idea it may just have been Abby, he knew it wasn’t. It wasn’t!
-x-
Two days later Jason stood at the door of the NCIS department, looking through the glass doors apprehensively. The denial had worn off to be replaced by rage, then frustration, then depression, then despair. His older sister…
The anger came back, and that was what fuelled him at the moment. A desire to bring down the man who’d hurt her, who’d done this to Abby • the sweetest, most beautiful, cleverest…
He pushed those thoughts away. His sister had been on holiday, so no one at her work knew yet what had happened despite the fact he’d called his own department and told them her name.
He wanted to do this himself. He knew that her boss, one Jethro Gibbs, had been a father to her since theirs had died all that time ago. Neither she nor he spoke much to or about the other except when they wrote • it helped lessen the pain of them being apart. After so long being all they had for one another they’d taken slightly different paths that had taken them their separate ways.
He shook the memories from his mind, then hefting his briefcase walked into the building and up to the floor where he’d been told he would find Special Agent Gibbs’ domain. He didn’t understand why that particular wording had been used but he wasn’t really interested at the time.
“Special Agent Gibbs?” He asked someone when he’d stepped out of the elevator. The woman blinked, then pointed very obviously to a man standing with a coffee in his hand in a grey suit, watching three people scramble together their things. He raised an eyebrow, then strode over, his coat catching a little on the cool breeze from the air conditioning units. “Excuse me?” he said though it was clear he was not interrupting anything.
“What.” Asked the man who was obviously Gibbs, not looking away from the three bustling people.
“I need to talk to you.” He said patiently.
“Later.”
“Now.” He replied firmly • and suddenly there was dead silence.
“What was that?”
“I need to talk to you, now.” He said, not backing down an inch.
Gibbs fixed him with a steady gaze, his icy blue eyes looking Jason over. “McGee, DiNozzo, Ziva, go to the car. You •“
“Jason.” He prompted the grey-haired man.
“Jason. We have a crime scene to get to. I don’t care who you are or what you’re-“
“I’m here to talk to you about Abby.”
Gibbs fell silent, and all three of the others turned to face Jason. The handsome tall one with the brown hair said, “Is she okay?” The shorter one, the one still at the computer, said, “We didn’t hear from her today yet...”
The third, the woman, said in her heavy accent, “Or yesterday for that matter. And she calls every day.”
Jason bit his lip, and only just managing to keep his voice level, said, “Abigail Sciuto… I’m sorry Agent Gibbs, but she is currently in Westside Hospital in Australia.”
“W-what happened?” The computer one • he had brown hair underneath the cap • said.
“Shut up McDoofus!” The tall one replied in a hushed tone, his heart obviously not in the pathetic protest.
“Tony.”
“Sorry boss.”
“I wanted to tell you in person, as well as the fact I came here to look about and investigate, obviously this being where she worked and lived.” He fell silent for a moment, then added, “Also I’m afraid I’ll have to return to Australia soon if I find any evidence the killer-“
“Killer?” McGee’s, as he assumed the man was, voice had a hint of hysteria about it, and Gibbs looked pale as a ghost.
“She’s dead?”
Tony looked like he was going to faint.
“No,” he said quickly. “But I’m afraid she’s close to… She’s in a coma.” He bit his lip. “I really am sorry to have to be the one to tell you-“
“How can /you/ be sorry?” Ziva demanded.
“She’s my sister!” Jason snapped, the anger which he’d tried to cover up showing through far too strongly. He closed his eyes for a moment and took a calming breath. He needed a coffee.
-x-
After perhaps twenty minutes everything had been explained and all four • he’s correctly identified each of them from the descriptions Abby had given him • and they’d all read the file he had multiple times he finally got the chance to go get the coffee he wanted. He drank it in seconds flat, then poured another one, rubbing his forehead. Living off coffee and panadol as he was at the moment he wore down rather quickly. The four spoke softly, worriedly, angrily behind him, and one of then had called up the one called Ducky.
“How can she be in a coma?” Tony demanded furiously, restless and looking like he was about to explode. He shifted from foot to foot, hands clenching and unclenching.
“She was attacked Tony!” McGee said a little hysterically. “Didn’t you-“
“YES I READ THE FILE!” He shouted.
Gibbs was eerily quiet, his face distant and the lines around his mouth and those that framed his eyes deepened, the only sign of his worry. So many thoughts were assaulting his mind… but the biggest, the most horrible one was that he might lose another child. That, and that he might not be able to help her. It nipped at his heels, made his head spin in horrible confusing emotions.
Ziva too was silent, but in a different way to Gibbs. She was mourning the loss of a best friend. But she was accustomed to death… Tony had lost his partner, and the whole team had lost her predecessor Kate. Surely they couldn’t take another hit. Not like this, not the well loved, friendly, gothic Abby. Tony and McGee were arguing to get some of the pain off… but she didn’t know how to cope with it, how to let off steam like they did. She held it in and prayed.
McGee and Tony were interrupted by Ducky’s arrival. “What’s this about Abigail, Jethro?” He asked, his eyes bright with worry.
Gibbs didn’t reply, and to save him the excess pain Ziva stepped in, explaining it all in a low voice after taking Ducky aside a little. Gibbs closed his eyes, attempting to zone out, what may have been tears gathering at the corners of his eyes. Why Australia? It was out of their jurisdiction by a long shot. He couldn’t do anything for Abby, not from where he was • not in Australia. Nothing.
But he made his decision. Opening his eyes, he looked at the others, blue unmarred by tears.
“We’re going to Australia.”
Story Notes:
It's a bit screwed up. Rather dificult to classify. Anyway, hope you like it.
Oh, and of course, I don't own these characters, nor do I make money off them... etc.
Author's Chapter Notes:
It's all fun and games - until someone gets hurt.
Chapter End Notes:
It's a bit screwed up. Rather dificult to classify. Anyway, hope you like it.
Oh, and of course, I don't own these characters, nor do I make money off them... etc.
Oh, and of course, I don't own these characters, nor do I make money off them... etc.