"Faithful"- An NCIS Fan-Fic
Summary: It started out as a typical Sunday morning- what would happen on this day would shake things up at NCIS. End of "Sweet Charity" series. Character tragedy.
Characters: Tony D., Charity B. (OC)
Rating: T (to be safe- there is disturbing scenery in this story.)
Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS (except for the Seasons 4 & 6 DVD's). I am just borrowing them for my stories.
"Prologue"
It was shortly after nine on a Sunday morning. NCIS Agent Charity Bernard rose out of bed, and stretched. This was the first Sunday she had had off in about a month, and decided she needed to make an effort to attend church this morning. She shuffled to her current roommate, NCIS Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo's room, and knocked on the door.
"Hey Tony?" she called out.
"Unnh," he groaned in reply.
"I'm getting ready to go to church- would you like to come with me?" she asked.
"Uh-uh," he muttered back, and fell right back to sleep.
She sighed, wishing that he might actually say yes one of these days before he moved back home. Neither had happened yet, so she went to the bathroom to get showered and ready for the morning service. She refused to be late for anything, but especially church.
*~*~*~*~*
When Charity came downstairs to grab a quick bite before heading out, she was surprised to see Tony sitting in the kitchen, with two bagels and two cups of coffee.
"Hey," she said, surprised. "When did you rise from the dead?"
"About ten minutes ago," he replied. " Nice outfit."
She looked down at herself- she was wearing a gray print top, long black skirt, and purple tank top underneath. "Thanks."
"My super at my apartment building called me, and woke me up," he told her.
"Oh?" she asked, sipping her coffee. "I'm hoping it's good news?"
"Sure is," he replied, with a smile. "He said I could move back into my apartment either tonight, or tomorrow."
"That's great," Charity said. "At least you'll keep busy while I'm at church today."
"Yup, I have to clean up the guest room, and I'll even strip the bed, and wash the sheets."
"Wow," she exclaimed, slightly stunned. "You don't have to do that!"
"Sure I do," he countered. "It's the least I can do for letting me stay here, even after that mess I created with Ziva."
"Ah, yes," she said. "You still owe me for that. Can you put Ellie outside while I'm gone?"
"Sure," he agreed nervously. "How far is this church of yours from here? You know, in case the Boss actually needs us today?"
"It's about forty minutes away," she answered. "It's outside of the D.C. metro area, in Maryland." She quickly scribbled down the address. "If you need me, or if I need you, I'll call or text you. But I doubt it."
"Alright, well enjoy," he said.
"Thanks," she replied. "I'll see you in a couple hours."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"On Christ, the Solid Rock I stand," the congregation sang, "All other ground is sinking sand. All other ground is sinking sand."
"Excellent singing today," the preacher said. "You may be seated."
Charity sat down, and looked around. Clearly, as evidenced by the number of Sailors, Marines, Soldiers, and Airmen in uniform, she was not the only one off duty for the day. Faith Baptist Church welcomed people from all walks of life, but recently had experienced a growth spurt, due to its proximity to Andrews Air Force Base, the Navy Yard, and Quantico. It was refreshing to see all the new folks coming since she had started attending three years ago. As the preacher started his sermon, the back doors to the auditorium opened. A young, Middle- Eastern man, dressed in black came in, followed by two others, one of which wore a woman's head covering. Other than that, they were dressed alike- right down to the guns they held. The men shouted in Arabic, which Charity was able to translate to herself: "You have destroyed our people. In the name of Allah, we seek our revenge!"
The congregation started to panic, and tried to run out, but the men started shooting. BANG! The preacher fell to the ground, bleeding from his chest. BANG, BANG, BANG! Two Marines went down in the row behind her. She went to pick up her phone, and dial 911, but was seen, and shot in the neck. Charity fell to the ground with a yelp. The men had moved forward, and couldn't see her squirming to reach her dropped phone. Thank goodness it was intact, she thought to herself. A young man that had been in the row in front of her was also laying on the ground, using his cell phone to get help. "Yes, there's been a shooting at Faith Baptist Church. It's three miles from Andrews…" That was all the young man could say before he slipped into unconsciousness. She decided to text Tony- her fingers would move faster than her mouth could. She quickly typed: "Tony. There's been a shooting Faith. Call Gibbs NOW!" She had just hit the "Send" key, when she heard another loud BANG! Hot metal and searing pain ripped through her forehead, and blood gushed from her face, and the back of her head. She collapsed back down to the ground. She wanted to fight the pain, but was failing fast. Charity closed her eyes, and quickly slipped into the darkness.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*