Going back to my fanfiction roots with a supernatural story, and inspired by my admiration of DNAchemlia stories.
Tim the Vampire Slayer
He doesn't see her coming, she is that quick and stealthy.
"Tony... duck!" he hears McGee call out from somewhere behind him in a voice that relays a sense of urgency that he's never heard come from his Probie before.
He instinctively drops to the ground in a crouch, and he can feel something pass over his head quickly, can feel the breeze of it rustle his hair. He hears a thwak that tells him that the target has been hit. But with what? It certainly isn't a bullet.
Breathing heavily, he lifts his head and looks at the ground five feet in front of him where a woman's body lies with what looks like a stake sticking out of her chest. Two seconds later, the body, expensive clothing and all, bursts into flames, intensely and briefly, before turning all at once to ash. He stares disbelievingly as the ashes scatter to the four winds.
He hears footsteps rapidly approaching him, and without getting up from his crouched position he spins, lifting his gun and moving himself in a defensive position. He doesn't lower the gun, or his guard, even when he sees who it is. Tim McGee is coming towards him at a run/jog, holding in his right hand an empty, but lethal looking crossbow. Behind his back is a quiver filled with stakes rather than arrows.
It is a little hard to comprehend, but if he didn't know better, he'd say that Tim McGee had just gone all 'Buffy' on him.
He does know better... right?
"What the f..." he breaks off the swear word that wanted to come out, still somehow able to, in this maddness, remember that he has been trying to swear less, and he subsitutes it with a less crude term, "...hell was that?"
After all he has earned at least one swear word, even if it's just a minor one.
McGee skids to a stop in front of him and crouches down so they are at the same level, then gives Tony a sheepish grin. He rubs the back of his head with his free hand.
"Sorry about that. In retrospect, I should have warned you about her. But I couldn't be certain that she was... you know... a vampire. Not until I saw her. Not that you would've actually believed me, in any case."
Tony has a million things running through his mind, but he can't seem to grasp onto one that could logically explain this mess away. However, something in what McGee said makes him ask with a sardonic tilt that he is rather proud to muster considering the circumstances, "You see vampires often, do you?"
If possible, McGee's sheepish grin widens further, and he blushes, one shoulder lifting in a half shrug. Tony finally lowers the gun. "You could say that..." His grin fades as he tilts his head to look at his partner assessingly. "Are you okay? You're not hurt, are you? Can you get up?"
For the first time since he saw the body of a quite well dressed - a ridiculous waste of such expensive, tasteful clothing in his opinion - apparent vampire turn to dust on the ground, he can feel the earth beneath his feet. Thinking he must look ridiculous crouching there like a scared child, he slowly rises to a standing position, Tim following just as slowly a small beat behind him. Tony feels satisfied when his legs carry his weight, and he stands solidly enough without collapsing, in spite of the slight quivering of his knees.
He stares at his partner and friend with his best impression of Gibbs's no-nonsense glare that even after all these years they both still hastily respond to on the much more rare occurrence it makes an appearance.
"I'm fine," he says confidently, even though he is really feeling far from it. He's a rather resilient guy. He's had to be over the years. He will eventually be just that... fine. It will happen after a well earned freak out in the safety of his own apartment, but fine he will be. "But you and I are gonna have to have a little discussion about your... talent for seeing vampires? Not to mention your, uh... ability... to use a crossbow to kill said vampires."
"Okay, but it'll have to wait for later," McGee wearily promises, looking uncertain of himself, or maybe a little regretful that his secret is out. Tony can't tell which it is. "But for now, we have make sure our stories match when we report back to Gibbs."
Tony groans, running a hand through his hair as he turns and looks at the ground where there is still a noticeable scattering of vampire ash. Gibbs. Right, didn't think of that. They are supposed to come back to the Navy Yard with their suspect in tow, but said suspect is currently tiny flakes of ash spread out all over the place, some of it maybe even miles away by now. Tim is right. They certainly can't tell Gibbs the truth.
"I hate to say it, buddy. I'm at a loss." He gives Tim a hopeful look. "It wouldn't be too much to expect Gibbs to know about vampires, would it? That would be so much easier than having to come up with a cover story. I mean it would be just like him to know... 'cause he's Gibbs."
Tim shakes his head at him and chuckles. "It's quite possible, I suppose, but I doubt it. Unless he's that good at hiding it, I'd have been able to sense that in him, if he did."
That makes Tony's thoughts stutter to a stop, and he looks at Tim, undeniably intrigued. "What other things can you sense? Does it stop at vampires? What about ghosts? Zombies? Werewolves?..." He brightens a little at his next example of supernatural being. He's always wanted them to be be real, ever since he was a small child. "Mermaids?"
Tim gives Tony a hearty pat on the shoulder, laughing. "That, Tony, is a story for another day. Let's go. Believe it or not, I already have a cover story all planned out. Just follow my lead."
Tony gave him a suspicious look that was more playful than actually suspicious.
"Find yourself in need of a cover story quite often, McSecretKeeper?" He wraps his arm around Tim's shoulders, giving him a mischievous grin. "I admit, finding you've been keeping something like this under wraps defies belief even more than the actual existence of vampires does."
Tim good naturedly rolls his eyes, and Tony can tell he is grateful that they seem to be getting back to the status quo. Tony suppresses a smirk. When he finally has the opportunity to interrogate him about his mysterious abilities, Tim'll end up wishing he could throw the status quo out the window.
Because it's his responsibility to get to the bottom of this. In a persistent, caring big brother kind of way, of course.
Technically, I don't think a stake can actually fly through the air with accuracy when shot out of a crossbow, but suspension of disbelief is so much fun.