Day 25 - The Cavalry
Title: The Cavalry
Author: Grundy (jerseyfabulous)
Rating: FR13
Crossover: NCIS
Disclaimer: The characters are not mine. No money is being made here, it's all in good fun.
Summary: The cavalry's on the way- from all sides.
Word Count: 1100
Buffy looked grim when she hung up the phone.
“Who?” Willow demanded.
Dawn, Faith, and Xander were all out on assignment right now, and they were the only ones Willow could think that would put that look on her best friend’s face.
“Xander,” Buffy replied. “Can you get me to DC immediately?”
“I can get us wherever Xander is right now,” Willow replied, resolve face on. She was not being left behind to hold down the fort if Xander was in trouble.
“Good,” Buffy said, not bothering with arguing.
Leaning out of her office, she hollered for Rona. When the younger Slayer arrived, Buffy simply announced that she was in charge until any of the senior personnel returned.
“Just don’t rearrange anything on my desk,” was the only restriction she put on Rona, who looked a little floored to be told on zero notice that the big chair was hers, even if only short term.
“Where are we going?” Willow asked.
“Riley’s office first,” Buffy said grimly. “I’ll explain once we’re there. He already knows we’re coming.”
Willow nodded, and they were there. Riley wasn’t in his office when they arrived, but his right hand man Graham was.
“Riley’s already at the hospital, expediting a medical transport,” he said, knowing from experience that any time he wasted with pleasantries would be resented. “We need to drive over, arriving by magical means would be inadvisable.”
Willow nodded.
“Who’s the woman who called in for Xander?” Buffy asked.
Graham handed her a folder.
“Thought you might ask that,” he said. “Abigail Sciuto, NCIS’s top forensic scientist. No idea why she was in his room, unless she was gathering samples for forensic analysis.”
Buffy frowned.
“We’re going to need any samples she took. I don’t want Xander staying in their records. The girls either.”
“You’re going to need to call in orders from higher than us to get the girls’ bodies released,” Graham warned. “This went straight to the Major Case Response team, and they don’t back off.”
“I’ll call, you drive,” Buffy replied.
---
Abby eyed the man who had just walked into her brother’s hospital room suspiciously. It was barely fifteen minutes since she’d hung up the phone- and she was still bothered by that phone call. The woman she’d talked to had never given a name, although she’d wanted to know who she was talking to.
Fortunately, working with Gibbs and Ziva for years had paid off- Abby had only done her best harmless sounding ‘my name’s Abby’ and then gotten to the point of her call. As soon as she’d said she didn’t know the man’s name, she’d heard the short intake of breath that said no matter who the woman at the other end of the phone was, Abby’s brother meant something to her.
“His name is Xander,” she had said. “If he’s conscious, please tell him someone will be there shortly, and to stay calm.”
“Ok,” Abby had said.
“And I’d appreciate it if you stayed in the room with him until that someone gets there,” the woman added.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Abby had told her firmly.
And she wasn’t. That was her brother in that bed, all battered and broken and lucky to be alive. She’d looked at him and discovered that his eyes were halfway open.
“Xander? Are you awake?” she asked softly.
There was an ever so slight motion of his head that she took to mean ‘yes’.
“Somebody’s coming for you,” she told him. “Just stay calm, they’ll be here soon. And I’m staying here until they are.”
The slightly loopy smile that got almost made Abby’s heart melt. She really, really wished it was possible to hug her brother and tell him everything was going to be all right.
That was when the officer walked in the door. Army. Tall. Around Tony’s age. His eyes widened in shock when he took in Xander’s state.
“Jesus H Christ, Harris, what got you?” he asked with a low whistle.
Abby filed that detail away. Now she had a first name and a last name.
“And who might you be?” the officer asked, turning to Abby.
“Abby,” she replied bluntly. “Are you going to tell me who you are?”
“Someone sent to arrange transport for our friend here,” he replied with a practiced smile.
“So that’s a no on telling me who you are,” Abby said, her eyes narrowing.
“Abby-“
She perked up at the sound of an annoyed Gibbs. She wasn’t sure how he’d figured out she was here, but she was happy to have backup right now. Something was not right.
Gibbs trailed off as he walked in the door. His eyes instantly took in Abby’s protective stance between their victim and the Army officer in the room.
“Colonel,” he nodded. “Mind telling me what Army’s interest is in this case?”
“Classified, sir,” the officer replied immediately. “I believe your director will be getting a call shortly explaining to him that this is no longer your case. Your medical examiner will be instructed to release the three young women that were no doubt found in Mr. Harris’ vicinity to my unit.”
Gibbs frowned.
“Until my director gets that call, I don’t give a damn about you or your unit. You’re obstructing my investigation.”
---
Riley tried not to frown. This was going worse than he’d expected. He wasn’t entirely sure who the woman standing between him and Xander was, but she seemed to be taking his presence personally. More worringly, he couldn’t get a good bead on Xander’s condition from where he was standing.
Then the agent in charge of NCIS’s MCT showed up. That was when he made the connection. ‘Abby’ was Abigail Sciuto. He’d heard about her, of course. She was on the cutting edge of forensic science, which meant it was sensible for his unit to keep an eye on her publishing. You never knew when a forensic technique could be adapted for their use.
“Agent Gibbs,” he sighed, hoping Buffy didn’t show up before he’d shuffled these two out, “your investigation is over. You don’t have the clearance to know who this man is, let alone what he was doing when you found him. The same goes for his companions.”
Before Gibbs could bristle any further, Riley cut him off.
“I know who you are, and what you do. Usually I’d let you have the courtesy of speaking your piece. But right now you two are standing between me and my man, and that is not in any way acceptable. You can move, or I can have you removed.”
Author: Grundy (jerseyfabulous)
Rating: FR13
Crossover: NCIS
Disclaimer: The characters are not mine. No money is being made here, it's all in good fun.
Summary: The cavalry's on the way- from all sides.
Word Count: 1100
Buffy looked grim when she hung up the phone.
“Who?” Willow demanded.
Dawn, Faith, and Xander were all out on assignment right now, and they were the only ones Willow could think that would put that look on her best friend’s face.
“Xander,” Buffy replied. “Can you get me to DC immediately?”
“I can get us wherever Xander is right now,” Willow replied, resolve face on. She was not being left behind to hold down the fort if Xander was in trouble.
“Good,” Buffy said, not bothering with arguing.
Leaning out of her office, she hollered for Rona. When the younger Slayer arrived, Buffy simply announced that she was in charge until any of the senior personnel returned.
“Just don’t rearrange anything on my desk,” was the only restriction she put on Rona, who looked a little floored to be told on zero notice that the big chair was hers, even if only short term.
“Where are we going?” Willow asked.
“Riley’s office first,” Buffy said grimly. “I’ll explain once we’re there. He already knows we’re coming.”
Willow nodded, and they were there. Riley wasn’t in his office when they arrived, but his right hand man Graham was.
“Riley’s already at the hospital, expediting a medical transport,” he said, knowing from experience that any time he wasted with pleasantries would be resented. “We need to drive over, arriving by magical means would be inadvisable.”
Willow nodded.
“Who’s the woman who called in for Xander?” Buffy asked.
Graham handed her a folder.
“Thought you might ask that,” he said. “Abigail Sciuto, NCIS’s top forensic scientist. No idea why she was in his room, unless she was gathering samples for forensic analysis.”
Buffy frowned.
“We’re going to need any samples she took. I don’t want Xander staying in their records. The girls either.”
“You’re going to need to call in orders from higher than us to get the girls’ bodies released,” Graham warned. “This went straight to the Major Case Response team, and they don’t back off.”
“I’ll call, you drive,” Buffy replied.
---
Abby eyed the man who had just walked into her brother’s hospital room suspiciously. It was barely fifteen minutes since she’d hung up the phone- and she was still bothered by that phone call. The woman she’d talked to had never given a name, although she’d wanted to know who she was talking to.
Fortunately, working with Gibbs and Ziva for years had paid off- Abby had only done her best harmless sounding ‘my name’s Abby’ and then gotten to the point of her call. As soon as she’d said she didn’t know the man’s name, she’d heard the short intake of breath that said no matter who the woman at the other end of the phone was, Abby’s brother meant something to her.
“His name is Xander,” she had said. “If he’s conscious, please tell him someone will be there shortly, and to stay calm.”
“Ok,” Abby had said.
“And I’d appreciate it if you stayed in the room with him until that someone gets there,” the woman added.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Abby had told her firmly.
And she wasn’t. That was her brother in that bed, all battered and broken and lucky to be alive. She’d looked at him and discovered that his eyes were halfway open.
“Xander? Are you awake?” she asked softly.
There was an ever so slight motion of his head that she took to mean ‘yes’.
“Somebody’s coming for you,” she told him. “Just stay calm, they’ll be here soon. And I’m staying here until they are.”
The slightly loopy smile that got almost made Abby’s heart melt. She really, really wished it was possible to hug her brother and tell him everything was going to be all right.
That was when the officer walked in the door. Army. Tall. Around Tony’s age. His eyes widened in shock when he took in Xander’s state.
“Jesus H Christ, Harris, what got you?” he asked with a low whistle.
Abby filed that detail away. Now she had a first name and a last name.
“And who might you be?” the officer asked, turning to Abby.
“Abby,” she replied bluntly. “Are you going to tell me who you are?”
“Someone sent to arrange transport for our friend here,” he replied with a practiced smile.
“So that’s a no on telling me who you are,” Abby said, her eyes narrowing.
“Abby-“
She perked up at the sound of an annoyed Gibbs. She wasn’t sure how he’d figured out she was here, but she was happy to have backup right now. Something was not right.
Gibbs trailed off as he walked in the door. His eyes instantly took in Abby’s protective stance between their victim and the Army officer in the room.
“Colonel,” he nodded. “Mind telling me what Army’s interest is in this case?”
“Classified, sir,” the officer replied immediately. “I believe your director will be getting a call shortly explaining to him that this is no longer your case. Your medical examiner will be instructed to release the three young women that were no doubt found in Mr. Harris’ vicinity to my unit.”
Gibbs frowned.
“Until my director gets that call, I don’t give a damn about you or your unit. You’re obstructing my investigation.”
---
Riley tried not to frown. This was going worse than he’d expected. He wasn’t entirely sure who the woman standing between him and Xander was, but she seemed to be taking his presence personally. More worringly, he couldn’t get a good bead on Xander’s condition from where he was standing.
Then the agent in charge of NCIS’s MCT showed up. That was when he made the connection. ‘Abby’ was Abigail Sciuto. He’d heard about her, of course. She was on the cutting edge of forensic science, which meant it was sensible for his unit to keep an eye on her publishing. You never knew when a forensic technique could be adapted for their use.
“Agent Gibbs,” he sighed, hoping Buffy didn’t show up before he’d shuffled these two out, “your investigation is over. You don’t have the clearance to know who this man is, let alone what he was doing when you found him. The same goes for his companions.”
Before Gibbs could bristle any further, Riley cut him off.
“I know who you are, and what you do. Usually I’d let you have the courtesy of speaking your piece. But right now you two are standing between me and my man, and that is not in any way acceptable. You can move, or I can have you removed.”