My first challenge entry, an occasion which, in and of itself, also demands cake. A history of how Tony learns to come home and, also, an appreciation of pastry. Primarily Tony and Gibbs, but McGee and Ziva get their slices of cake, too.

( Two birthdays, a wake, a promotion, and a wedding. )

The second (and probably last) Tony-and-Pete story, a longer and less happy one along the same line as "Caulk the Wagon and Float It"--phone calls and visits over the first two seasons. Spoilers for seasons one and two abound, along with Rictus references, a few hints about the upcoming Rictus sequel The Third Day, and casual references to many ( Read more... )

In order to get a better handle on some of the original characters from Rictus, I have several story fragments where I establish their history with Tony and try to work out their voice and the dynamic they have with Tony. Pete Woley, the Baltimore lab tech and Tony's slightly acidic friend, actually ended up getting a flash-forward story. This ( Read more... )

This is, I think, the last of the long-lost Tony and McGee stories--I think it's also my last post-"Twilight" AU. Written in the gap between seasons two and three and set ten years after "Twilight," when Tony and McGee have taken very different roads and somehow ended up in the same place. Dark, pessimistic, and a little choppy. I think it might ( Read more... )

Apparently, I wrote more stories about Tony and McGee than I really remembered. This is a stream-of-consciousness "Twilight" AU that I was never quite sure of--it's dark, angry, a little strange. Warning for character death.

( In which something goes wrong. )

The only real humor piece of the bunch--and I actually like it, too, which is rare. Ordinarily when I write humor (which I've done before in the CSI fandom, although under a different pen-name), it tends to stop being funny when I reread it, but this one has lasted, at least for me.

( In which Tony gets hit on the head and starts speaking in tongues. Metaphorically, of course. )

Whenever I watch "Twilight," I always spend the first half of the episode feeling sorry for Tony, who was cheated out of a proper "welcome back" just because McGee and Kate had to try--five minutes before Tony arrived--to talk themselves out of missing him. Of course, I'm unwilling to present straight-out smarm, so I ignored the budding sympathy! ( Read more... )

A post-ep to "Frame Up," that, in retrospect, has a lot in common with "Everyone You Know." Both stories are about McGee discovering aspects of Tony that he previously hadn't even suspected, although this one is shorter and less about redemption. Title comes from Jack Williamson.

( I'm angry, and I'm immature, and I like control. )

My return-to-fandom story, actually written before Gibbs's official return, and edited before publication to mention the mustache. Angst, balloons, and failures to communicate.

( Tony kept the lights on while Gibbs was in Mexico. )

I must have rewatched the early scenes in "Shalom" at least twenty times in the process of trying to make this story feel like an accurate portrayal of Tony's team leadership, and I think this might be my favorite of my short stories. It's also quintessential Snapple Angst (the term I use to describe a mix of angst and banter). Written to fill ( Read more... )