Title: Is it any wonder he puts on dark glasses?
Fandom: NCIS/Man from UNCLE
Disclaimer: not my characters
Warnings: character death
Pairings: implied Gibbs/Tony & Napoleion/Illya
Rating: PG
Wordcount: 480
Point of view: third
Prompt: NCIS, Ducky, taking justice into his own hands
Tony's in the hospital, Jethro the morgue, and Ziva actually broke down in Tim's arms. Abby hasn't left her lab since they got the news, trying to find something she didn't earlier.
There is nothing to find. Nothing she missed. Whoever the villains are, they are very good at their job.
Donald Mallard has led an interesting life. Some of that might even apply here, in pursuit of vengeance. Maybe even justice, but vengeance is more likely.
Tony should wake up, and the autopsy has already been performed on Jethro. People from every agency and most walks of life will attend the funeral, some even because he was a wonderful man.
Abby still hasn't left the lab. Ziva and Tim are keeping each other from doing something rash. And Tony… he should wake up.
Leon has other teams on the case, of course. Abby is the best, but a little agency like NCIS does not always receive the preeminent toys.
It is with a heavy, sorrowful heart that Ducky enters a string of numbers into a phone he'd hoped to never use.
"Napoleon," he says. "Old friend. I need your help, I fear."
An infinitesimal pause, that hangs in the air, rife with things neither of them said a lifetime ago. "Anything for you, Illya," Napoleon finally says. "Old friend."
Ducky closes his eyes. "We will have a long overdue discussion," he murmurs. "You have my word. But there are things I must do first."
"Tell me," Napoleon demands, and it's nearly like it was.
He will find the miscreants who killed Jethro, who shattered Abigail and Ziva and Timothy, and who will kill dear Antony, should he ever wake. He will be broken, Ducky knows. He adored Jethro, even more than the rest of his team did.
Once, he and Napoleon were the very best of all. He might even say they saved the free world, a few times.
So he will sit in the morgue and stare at the table where he cut open a dear friend, and he will wait for Napoleon to call back.
And then… well, it has been a long time since he spilt warm blood with his own hands. A part of him has missed it.
He wishes to spill a great deal of blood, now, with Abby's wracking sobs and Ziva's hitched breath and Tim's stoic face all in his memory.
Tony should wake up, but he has missed the funeral.
Napoleon is waiting when Ducky gets home, and he has a list of names and locations and a sad, dearly missed smile.
"Illya," he says quietly.
Ducky sends letters to Abby, Ziva, and Tim. He leaves a message for Leon. He visits Tony one last time.
"Come, old friend," he tells Napoleon. Napoleon hands over a specialized gun and Illya tucks it away safely.
He has blood to spill.