FIC: Rally the Troops - Connections #35 - tth100
Title: Rally the Troops (Willow/NCIS)
Series: Connections #35
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 - 002: Death
Words: 1500
Summary: Willow didn’t call him at midnight unless it was important; important enough for her to be awake at 3am in DC.
Note: As promised, a longer part this time. Also, please remember that Xander is working a construction job in San Francisco for the summer, as mentioned in Long Distance Battles
~!~
The door opened and closed silently, though that was more a sign of the quality of the hotel than any consideration on his part. Ignoring the light switch that he knew from experience was two inches to the right of the door frame at shoulder height, Xander shuffled forward in the dark until he was relatively sure he was in the vicinity of the bed. He paused slightly to determine if he should change from his sweaty clothing - and maybe a shower - but finally decided that rest was what he needed.
Xander stoically held in his manly groan of exhaustion as he fell forward onto the bed he was fairly confident was there, but couldn’t contain the sound the instant his weight was absorbed by the mattress.
These sixteen hour days were going to kill him before the summer was over. He’d originally taken the construction job in San Francisco for the money, as the company was paying extraordinarily well - plus room and board at this swanky hotel. Xander didn’t have the financial freedom to turn down the ridiculous bonus. And the opportunity to be a crew chief - however little that meant in the grand scheme of things - was too much to pass up.
It also gave him an excuse to be anywhere but Sunnydale for several months. That really shouldn’t have been a selling point, but oddly enough it was.
It turned out that even if he had stuck around the ‘Dale, he wouldn’t have had a more improved social life than what he had going now. Which was nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Nien.
Xander managed to find the energy to flop over onto his back, but decided removing his boots required too much effort.
Just as he was drifting off into a well-deserved sleep, the hotel room phone rang. At times like this he wished he had a cell phone that could be turned off.
He tried to make it blow up solely with the power of his mind, but that worked about as well as it ever did. Meaning not at all.
He would have just let the answering service get it, but nobody called him here except Anya, and she wouldn’t call at …11:53 pm. Through a combination of shuffling and crawling, Xander managed to make it to the phone before it went to voicemail.
“Hello?” he asked tiredly, letting his head sink into the pillow.
“Xan-Xander?”
“Willow?” Xander was suddenly fully awake. Willow didn’t call him at midnight unless it was important; important enough for her to be awake at 3am in DC. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” she said, and Xander could tell it was an automatic response.
“Sniff.”
“What happened, Willow?” he asked her gently, because Willow didn’t cry for little things. She only cried to him when something bad happened that made her call him at three in the morning.
“It’s Kate. She’s….she’s-“ Xander really didn’t want her to finish that sentence, as he already had an idea.
“Willow….” he said gently, trying to break into the sobbing coming in over the line.
“She’s dead, Xander. Kate’s dead,” she said through the tears he knew were streaming down her face. He’d consoled Willow through many sobbing fits in high school, and knew the signs well. He only wished he could be there to wrap his arms around her shaking body like he always did, and cursed the fact that he was on the other side of the country.
“What happened?” he asked again, more gently this time. He sat up slowly, any and all exhaustion having left him.
“Sniper,” was all she said, and to him, it was enough. Memories and thoughts from his days as Army Guy came flooding back, knowledge of trajectories, wind speeds and ranges having never left.
“Did they catch him?” he asked, feeling almost at a loss. He was use to dealing with innocent people being caught by things they didn’t believe in, too stupid to open their eyes and see what was around them. But he knew from Willow that Kate hadn’t been a naïve bystander. She was a trained government agent who knew well the dangers she was walking into every day, but did it because she believed in protecting those who either couldn’t or wouldn’t protect themselves.
And now she was dead. Xander had never met the woman, had only ever heard about her through Willow, but he felt a loss at her death. A fallen comrade, who had died in the line of duty.
That was something he didn’t need Army Guy’s memories to feel, either.
“Uncle Jethro’s tearing the town apart looking for him,” she said with a certain degree of satisfaction. Again, this was another person Xander had only ever heard of through Willow. But from what little he’d said, Xander didn’t have any doubt that her uncle wouldn’t rest until he caught the person who had killed a member of his team.
Just like Buffy wouldn’t rest until she killed any demon or vampire that happen to kill one of her friends.
“So you know who it is,” Xander stated, in some ways glad that it wasn’t a random shooting. To be taken out by some off-the-street psycho with a sniper rifle was like the Slayer being killed by a newly risen, baby vampire.
“Yeah. Everybody at NCIS is convinced it’s this one guy, but the Director and everybody not NCIS isn’t,” Willow said, sounding a little more calm as she talked.
“So what’s your uncle going to do?” he asked, though if the stories Willow had been telling him had been right….
“Prove it’s him and kill him.”
Yeah, that sounded about right. Xander may not know all the facts, but he trusted Willow to not want this guy dead for simply killing one of her friends.
“Is that what you want?” he asked, because he had to be sure she wasn’t just wanting revenge.
“He’s a bad guy, Xan,” she told him quietly, the tears finally leaving her voice. “He’s killed people before and will again. He shot Uncle Jethro once, and he took some shots into Abby’s lab a little while ago.”
“Is she okay?” he asked, wondering idly how living in DC was any less dangerous than Sunnydale.
“Yeah, she’s fine. Uncle Jethro thinks this guy's going after the women in his life,” Xander could hear the tiny tremble in her voice, and wished with everything he had that she was back in Sunnydale, safe from the monsters, be they demon or human.
“So this guy could come after you, next?” he asked loudly, because this was not in any way being ‘fine’.
“Uncle Jethro thinks so. He’s stuck one of his agents on me, and told me not to leave the building. Not like I wanted to,” she added the last bit in quietly. Xander understood that last part, because she’d been the same way after Jessi died. They’d both spent so much time together trying desperately not to think about it. Any and all distractions were welcome.
“So he’s taking care of you,” Xander phrased it as more a question, but still wanted to clarify. If the man wasn’t taking care of his Willow, uncle or no, Xander would hurt him. Or get Buffy to do it for him.
“Why wouldn’t he?” Willow asked, and Xander felt his lips quirk at the incredulousness of her answer. She hadn’t thought for a minute that her uncle wouldn’t keep her safe. It was the same tone she used whenever someone had asked why she was friends with Xander in the first place. The tone she’d used then was the same one she used now, filled with ‘are you sure you weren’t dropped on your head as a child?’.
It was the only thing that had ever set Cordelia back on her heels. Still a gleeful memory to this day.
“Just making sure, Willow-mine,” he said playfully, delighted to hear a tiny giggle over the phone line.
“Do you need me to come to DC?” he asked after a moment of silence.
“Xander, you don’t need to fly across the country-“
“I’ll rephrase,” he interrupted. “Do you want me to come to DC?”
Silence again.
“No, I’ve got Uncle Jethro and Abby and Ducky - even Agents McGee and DiNozzo,” she finally said, her tone going soft a wobbly again. “I’ll be fine.”
They talked for a few more minutes before hanging up, and Xander found that any and all desire for sleep had left him.
He sat on the over-made bed for awhile, processing everything he’d learned before making a decision. Picking up the phone again, he called down to the front desk.
“I need a flight to DC as soon as possible. There’s been a death in the family.”
He’d accrued some time off, and decided that now was the best time to employ them.
He was going to DC.
END
Series: Connections #35
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 - 002: Death
Words: 1500
Summary: Willow didn’t call him at midnight unless it was important; important enough for her to be awake at 3am in DC.
Note: As promised, a longer part this time. Also, please remember that Xander is working a construction job in San Francisco for the summer, as mentioned in Long Distance Battles
~!~
The door opened and closed silently, though that was more a sign of the quality of the hotel than any consideration on his part. Ignoring the light switch that he knew from experience was two inches to the right of the door frame at shoulder height, Xander shuffled forward in the dark until he was relatively sure he was in the vicinity of the bed. He paused slightly to determine if he should change from his sweaty clothing - and maybe a shower - but finally decided that rest was what he needed.
Xander stoically held in his manly groan of exhaustion as he fell forward onto the bed he was fairly confident was there, but couldn’t contain the sound the instant his weight was absorbed by the mattress.
These sixteen hour days were going to kill him before the summer was over. He’d originally taken the construction job in San Francisco for the money, as the company was paying extraordinarily well - plus room and board at this swanky hotel. Xander didn’t have the financial freedom to turn down the ridiculous bonus. And the opportunity to be a crew chief - however little that meant in the grand scheme of things - was too much to pass up.
It also gave him an excuse to be anywhere but Sunnydale for several months. That really shouldn’t have been a selling point, but oddly enough it was.
It turned out that even if he had stuck around the ‘Dale, he wouldn’t have had a more improved social life than what he had going now. Which was nothing. Nada. Zip. Zilch. Nien.
Xander managed to find the energy to flop over onto his back, but decided removing his boots required too much effort.
Just as he was drifting off into a well-deserved sleep, the hotel room phone rang. At times like this he wished he had a cell phone that could be turned off.
He tried to make it blow up solely with the power of his mind, but that worked about as well as it ever did. Meaning not at all.
He would have just let the answering service get it, but nobody called him here except Anya, and she wouldn’t call at …11:53 pm. Through a combination of shuffling and crawling, Xander managed to make it to the phone before it went to voicemail.
“Hello?” he asked tiredly, letting his head sink into the pillow.
“Xan-Xander?”
“Willow?” Xander was suddenly fully awake. Willow didn’t call him at midnight unless it was important; important enough for her to be awake at 3am in DC. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” she said, and Xander could tell it was an automatic response.
“Sniff.”
“What happened, Willow?” he asked her gently, because Willow didn’t cry for little things. She only cried to him when something bad happened that made her call him at three in the morning.
“It’s Kate. She’s….she’s-“ Xander really didn’t want her to finish that sentence, as he already had an idea.
“Willow….” he said gently, trying to break into the sobbing coming in over the line.
“She’s dead, Xander. Kate’s dead,” she said through the tears he knew were streaming down her face. He’d consoled Willow through many sobbing fits in high school, and knew the signs well. He only wished he could be there to wrap his arms around her shaking body like he always did, and cursed the fact that he was on the other side of the country.
“What happened?” he asked again, more gently this time. He sat up slowly, any and all exhaustion having left him.
“Sniper,” was all she said, and to him, it was enough. Memories and thoughts from his days as Army Guy came flooding back, knowledge of trajectories, wind speeds and ranges having never left.
“Did they catch him?” he asked, feeling almost at a loss. He was use to dealing with innocent people being caught by things they didn’t believe in, too stupid to open their eyes and see what was around them. But he knew from Willow that Kate hadn’t been a naïve bystander. She was a trained government agent who knew well the dangers she was walking into every day, but did it because she believed in protecting those who either couldn’t or wouldn’t protect themselves.
And now she was dead. Xander had never met the woman, had only ever heard about her through Willow, but he felt a loss at her death. A fallen comrade, who had died in the line of duty.
That was something he didn’t need Army Guy’s memories to feel, either.
“Uncle Jethro’s tearing the town apart looking for him,” she said with a certain degree of satisfaction. Again, this was another person Xander had only ever heard of through Willow. But from what little he’d said, Xander didn’t have any doubt that her uncle wouldn’t rest until he caught the person who had killed a member of his team.
Just like Buffy wouldn’t rest until she killed any demon or vampire that happen to kill one of her friends.
“So you know who it is,” Xander stated, in some ways glad that it wasn’t a random shooting. To be taken out by some off-the-street psycho with a sniper rifle was like the Slayer being killed by a newly risen, baby vampire.
“Yeah. Everybody at NCIS is convinced it’s this one guy, but the Director and everybody not NCIS isn’t,” Willow said, sounding a little more calm as she talked.
“So what’s your uncle going to do?” he asked, though if the stories Willow had been telling him had been right….
“Prove it’s him and kill him.”
Yeah, that sounded about right. Xander may not know all the facts, but he trusted Willow to not want this guy dead for simply killing one of her friends.
“Is that what you want?” he asked, because he had to be sure she wasn’t just wanting revenge.
“He’s a bad guy, Xan,” she told him quietly, the tears finally leaving her voice. “He’s killed people before and will again. He shot Uncle Jethro once, and he took some shots into Abby’s lab a little while ago.”
“Is she okay?” he asked, wondering idly how living in DC was any less dangerous than Sunnydale.
“Yeah, she’s fine. Uncle Jethro thinks this guy's going after the women in his life,” Xander could hear the tiny tremble in her voice, and wished with everything he had that she was back in Sunnydale, safe from the monsters, be they demon or human.
“So this guy could come after you, next?” he asked loudly, because this was not in any way being ‘fine’.
“Uncle Jethro thinks so. He’s stuck one of his agents on me, and told me not to leave the building. Not like I wanted to,” she added the last bit in quietly. Xander understood that last part, because she’d been the same way after Jessi died. They’d both spent so much time together trying desperately not to think about it. Any and all distractions were welcome.
“So he’s taking care of you,” Xander phrased it as more a question, but still wanted to clarify. If the man wasn’t taking care of his Willow, uncle or no, Xander would hurt him. Or get Buffy to do it for him.
“Why wouldn’t he?” Willow asked, and Xander felt his lips quirk at the incredulousness of her answer. She hadn’t thought for a minute that her uncle wouldn’t keep her safe. It was the same tone she used whenever someone had asked why she was friends with Xander in the first place. The tone she’d used then was the same one she used now, filled with ‘are you sure you weren’t dropped on your head as a child?’.
It was the only thing that had ever set Cordelia back on her heels. Still a gleeful memory to this day.
“Just making sure, Willow-mine,” he said playfully, delighted to hear a tiny giggle over the phone line.
“Do you need me to come to DC?” he asked after a moment of silence.
“Xander, you don’t need to fly across the country-“
“I’ll rephrase,” he interrupted. “Do you want me to come to DC?”
Silence again.
“No, I’ve got Uncle Jethro and Abby and Ducky - even Agents McGee and DiNozzo,” she finally said, her tone going soft a wobbly again. “I’ll be fine.”
They talked for a few more minutes before hanging up, and Xander found that any and all desire for sleep had left him.
He sat on the over-made bed for awhile, processing everything he’d learned before making a decision. Picking up the phone again, he called down to the front desk.
“I need a flight to DC as soon as possible. There’s been a death in the family.”
He’d accrued some time off, and decided that now was the best time to employ them.
He was going to DC.
END