A/N: I was looking through my story folder and I realized that I never posted this one over here, even though it's been complete for months. So...here it is. My entry for the NFA Urban Legends challenge. It's a story based in the supernatural and Tim-centered. Tim picks up a hitchhiker on his way to Ohio to visit his family and she throws his life into chaos, putting not only Tim's life in danger but also his sanity.

Disclaimer: Not mine! Not mine! ...and I'm not making money off it.

Warning in White
by Enthusiastic Fish

Chapter 1

Tim felt awful. Not sick to one's stomach, going to embarrass oneself by puking into the nearest garbage can (or not) awful. Just...awful. He was staring at a letter. A rejection letter. The one thing he needed to do was make sure that no one else saw it. Why had he put his work address on the form? Why? There was nothing for it but to pretend that he hadn't seen it. Go through the day without thinking about it.

No one would...

"What you got there, Probie?"

Hands swiped it out of his own. There was no use saying it was nothing. That never worked. Tony would only regard it as a challenge. ...but nothing would preserve what little dignity he had in this case.

"Nothing, Tony. Please, give it back."

"'Dear Mr. McGee..." He looked up, eyes alight with mischief. This meant absolutely nothing to him but another chance to tease. Tim knew he didn't mean it with malice, but it irritated him that Tony didn't seem to care that it might not be simple harmless teasing from the point of view of the one on the receiving end. "Mr. McGee? Since when are you a mister?"

"Tony..."

"'Pursuant to your application of May fifteenth.' Pursuant? What is this thing, Probie?"

"Give it to me," Tim said, but without any sort of energy. It was a hopeless case and hardly worth trying to do anything about it.

"'We regret to inform you that while we appreciate your eagerness in applying, we had a number of excellent applicants this year and with few spots open, you will not be awarded a spot in the upcoming conference. We thank you for your interest in the Journal of Computer Forensics and in joining the panel and encourage you to reapply when the panel is held again in two years.'"

Tim didn't sigh audibly, although he did inwardly. He hated hearing the words, no matter how dressed up they were. More than that, he hated seeing Tony's face. When he got like this, all he cared about was rubbing salt in the wound.

"Guess you should have spent more time on your job than plunking on that typewriter, Mr. Gemcity."

Tim didn't reply. It never helped. He couldn't let Tony know how much this had disappointed him, how sure he'd been that he'd be accepted, how devastating it was to be rejected, particularly in the only area in which he truly felt he excelled at NCIS.

He'd been so sure that he'd already requested the time off. As Tony continued to razz him about his rejection letter, Tim felt his face grow hot at the memory of his own misplaced confidence...and the memory of why he had chosen to have the letter sent to NCIS. It was because he'd been sure he'd be accepted and then could show Abby...and, yes, boast about it to Tony and Ziva.

Now, all that was so much chaff in the wind. Not even that much...because it had never even existed. It was imaginary chaff.

Thwack!

Tim jumped and rubbed his head, knowing that he was in for it with Gibbs now.

"Yeah, Boss?"

"You planning on sitting here all day or getting some work done?"

That Tony was also rubbing his head, that he had somehow managed to replace Tim's letter on his desk without Tim knowing didn't make Tim feel any better.

"Getting work done, Boss."

"Good."

Tim avoided everyone for the rest of the day, although he couldn't help hearing Tony telling Ziva and Abby with glee about the letter. They had both been sympathetic, but that didn't make him feel any better either.

He just felt humiliated, mostly because of his own hubris.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"Better luck in two years, McReject!" Tony called out gaily to Tim's departing back. Tim didn't turn around to reply, didn't even acknowledge that the words had been said. When he felt someone coming up behind him, he decided to take the stairs.

"Hey, McGee!"

It was still Tony. Tony. Tony. Tony. Tony, who hadn't been able to stop tormenting him all day. Tim knew what was coming next. Tony would realize that he'd gone too far and try to take it back. Well, Tim didn't want that either. He didn't want Tony's pity, especially not when it would last about as long as an ice cube in a hot oven. It was about the only thing that was worse than Tony's teasing. Instead, Tim increased his pace, sprinted down the stairs and outside before he could reprove himself for acting like a child. He had the beginning of next week off. He'd go home and visit his parents. They'd like that. Maybe he could sit in on a couple of his dad's lectures.

Yeah. That sounded good. Home for a visit. He hadn't been to Ohio in ages. Sometimes, his job took over his entire life. It wasn't a bad thing but he did miss his family on occasion.

He got in his car with no further interactions with Tony and headed home. It was late to start back but he would prefer it to facing a possible break-in from a well-meaning sometimes-friend. Decision made, he packed a bag and headed out. He called his parents and told them to expect to hear the door at about three in the morning and then he left.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

"You're out and about pretty late, son," the gas station attendant commented.

"Yeah, headed home. Got a late start."

"That's $40.35 total."

Tim paid for his gas, his coffee and some snacks.

"Keep your eyes open. You never know what you'll find on the roads at this time of night."

"I plan on it," Tim said with a smile, tipping the coffee in the attendant's direction.

"Drive safe!"

"I will. Good night!"

Restocked and gassed up, Tim got in his car and resumed his trek, leaving the small town of Hancock, Maryland, behind.

x.x.x.x.x.x.x

The person walking along the side of the road nearly scared him out of his wits. It seemed like she had come out of nowhere, walking just off the shoulder in her white dress, with her dark hair blowing in the wind and obscuring her face. Tim automatically slowed down when he saw the telltale sign of a hitchhiker.

He'd been going fast enough that he hadn't been able to stop right where she was, but he pulled over and looked in the rearview mirror. She was running to catch up. Backing up would be unsafe, even when it was after eleven, closing in on midnight.

He rolled down the window as she approached.

"Hey, I guess you want a ride?" he asked, feeling that, on the whole, he'd had better opening lines.

She smiled, brushing her hair out of her face.

"Yes. Please. You're the only person who has stopped here all night."

"Get in."

"Gladly." She opened the door and settled down on the seat, putting on her seatbelt and sighing with relief.

"I'm Tim," he said, holding out his hand.

"Gwen," she replied, giving it a firm shake.

Putting his car back in gear, Tim checked behind him and then maneuvered back onto the road. "Where are you headed, Gwen?"

"Athens, Ohio, if you've ever heard of it."

"Well, that's exactly where I'm headed! What a coincidence."

"Wow. Really? You from there?"

"Sort of. We moved there after my dad retired from the Navy. You?"

"I have a few friends there, but I haven't been back in years."

"What put you on the road in Maryland?"

"My car went kaput and I thought that I'd be like the people in all those books, hitchhiking my way to my destination." She groaned and leaned over to massage her feet. "It works much better in fiction, let me tell you."

Tim laughed.

"You're not very well dressed for a walk like that."

Gwen grimaced. "I know. Would you believe that this is all I had to wear?"

"What about your friends in Athens?"

"Well...they..." She looked out the window. "They don't really know I'm coming. It's been a long time."

"You want to talk about it?"

She shook her head and shivered. "No."

"Oh, hey. You must be cold. That dress would not keep out the wind."

"I'm okay."

"No. Really. You should have a jacket. Or I could turn on the heat."

"You don't need the heat on. I'm okay."

"Please." Tim reached back and pulled out his suit coat. "It'll drown you, but you can warm up."

She resisted for a few seconds before smiling and capitulating.

"You're such a gentleman, Tim."

Tim flushed. "My mother would be happy to hear that."

"My mom would...well, it's been a long day for me. Do you mind if I get some shut-eye?"

"Not at all. I'll try not to sing and burst your eardrums."

Gwen laughed. "I find it hard to believe that you're bad at anything, Tim. You have a nice car, which indicates a steady income. You're cute and you probably have everything set out before you on a silver platter."

Tim's smile faded. "You couldn't be more wrong. I'm not a very good singer. I'll try to keep quiet."

Gwen cocked her head to one side. "What did I say, Tim?"

"Nothing. Nothing. I'm just overly sensitive at the moment."

"Tell me about it."

"You said you were tired."

"I can sleep anytime. Believe me. I'll have plenty of time for sleep when I get to Athens."

Tim smiled at her, although he caught the sadness in her eyes.

"You're not happy about going back there, are you."

"Not really, but that's li–...what I have to do. Tell me."

Tim hesitated but then found himself telling her of the events of the last few days, his growing excitement about this conference, his pride, his subsequent rejection and the sapping of his ego by Tony's callous remarks. The miles passed, mostly unnoticed. Gwen was a good listener. She didn't say much, but her eyes were always on Tim, always listening. She didn't seem tired at all, just attentive. There was actually something a little unnerving about her attention because it never wavered. Her eyes were such that she dragged all Tim's own worries, his self-deprecation, his criticism out of him, almost as if she was collecting everything he said. Midnight came and went, as did one a.m. and then two.

"We're getting closer to Athens. Where should I drop you off?"

Gwen looked out the window once more. "You're a good man, Tim. I didn't think there were any good men left in this world, but you are."

Tim hitched a shoulder uncomfortably. He didn't know what to say to that.

"I'm actually a bit closer to Grosvenor. Can you go out that way?"

"Of course. North or south of 56?"

"North. You know 682?"

"Absolutely."

They fell silent, a strange feeling of anticipation in the air. It made Tim a little uncomfortable again, but he could think of nothing to dispel it.

Finally, he saw Athens coming up.

"Almost there, Gwen."

"Yes. I loved this place once. Not anymore."

"Gwen, what's wrong?"

"Remember to get off at 56."

She fell silent again and would only stare out the window. Her hair once again falling over her face.

A few more minutes passed and Tim got off highway 32, then off of 56. It was a sparsely populated area. Gwen sat up straight in her seat.

"Stop here."

"Here?" Tim looked around. "There's nothing out here, Gwen. That's not safe."

"How much do you want me to pay you?" she asked.

"Nothing."

"No, Tim. I should pay you for the gas at least."

"No," Tim said firmly. "I don't need the money and you probably do. I couldn't take anything from you."

"I have to repay you somehow."

"No. Really. You listened to me talk. That was enough."

She smiled again, very sadly. "Then, I'll tell you your future."

"What?"

She fixed her eyes on him again. They were a pale gray, and they seemed almost to glow in the street lamps.

"You will face a terrible danger which could lead to death, Tim. Your decision to move right or left could mean the difference between success and failure."

Part of Tim scoffed at her words, but trapped as he was in the gaze of those gray eyes, he found it hard not to believe her.

"Whose death?" he whispered.

"Yours, but you will face more than that. You will be the key to success or failure. When you see the light flashing on the spray from the fountain, your team will depend on you. You have told me of your fears. You will need to forget them in the moment of decision. A man will aim a gun at you and it will take you to stop the worst from happening."

Gwen turned away from him, opening the car door. As she stepped out, Tim reached for her...

...and she disappeared.

"Gwen?"

Tim opened his own car door and looked around. There was no sign of her lithe, white figure. No sign of anyone.

No sign.

Tim's eyes widened.

"Gwen?" he called, but it was barely above a whisper. The closest streetlight was a couple hundred feet down the road, its light a pale reflection of the moon overhead.

"Gwen?"

"...anyone there?"

Thoroughly spooked, Tim walked around to the other side of his car, where the passenger door stood open. Then, he looked off into the bushes and trees near the road. He thought he saw a flash of white. He ran.

"Gwen!"

The trees pulled at his clothes as the wind began to pick up. Suddenly, he was in a clearing. He saw nothing at first...and turned around and around in circles.

Then...there it was.

The statue had moss growing over it, but it was remarkably lifelike, carved out of white marble. There was no name on it, no plaque saying who it was...but Tim knew.

It was Gwen.

He looked around, feeling a sense that he was intruding and a flash of light caught his eye. He whirled around.

"Who's there?"

"Is this your car on the road, sir?"

Tim took a few steps toward the voice, recognizing the authority in it.

"Yes. Yes, that's mine," he said distractedly, looking back over his shoulder. "I saw...I saw..."

"A woman in a white dress?"

Tim whipped his head back around. "What did you say?"

"You saw a woman in a white dress?"

"Yes. How did you–?"

"It's happened at least once a year for the last twenty years...as far as I know. It was big news the first few times. Now, no one pays much attention."

Tim walked further and saw a police officer standing in the trees, pointing a flashlight at him.

"Who is she?" he asked, still glancing back over his shoulder.

"She's...the woman in white. That statue there."

"But where did that statue come from?"

"Who knows? We get people coming in here to test it every so often. It's Yule marble like they quarry out in Colorado, but it's been here for a long time."

"I talked to her. She wasn't a statue."

The flashlight was lifted a bit higher and Tim shaded his eyes.

"You been drinking, sir?"

"No! I was driving home to see my family. I picked her up, dropped her off right here. She...disappeared." Tim turned back once more. "She said..."

"What?"

Tim suddenly realized that he was talking like a crazy man...and he wasn't even sure he had seen what he thought he saw. Maybe he'd just been so tired that...

...that I hallucinated a woman sitting in my car for the last three hours? That I gave her my...

"Nothing really. I just thought..."

"It's late, sir. Perhaps you should head home."

"Maybe you're right." Tim couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from the statue. It looked so forlorn. So sad. So...lonely.

"Sir?"

A hand on his arm finally distracted him.

"Sir, it's best if you just come away. The people who see her have a hard time leaving. I been on this road for a long time. I know how it works."

Tim allowed himself to be directed back through the trees.

"No one has ever spoken to her before?"

"Not anyone who's admitted it...but they all seem to get here at about the same time. Some are just passing through, some not. All young guys like yourself."

Tim looked back once more.

"She said her name was Gwen."

"You probably just need some sleep, sir. Can you make it back home?"

"Yeah. I'm not far. I don't feel tired."

Tim reached his car and closed the passenger door.

I didn't open that door myself. ...and where's my suit jacket? I know I had that, too. She was here. ...but who is she?

"I'll be fine, officer. Thanks for...checking."

"My job. Especially at this time of year. Just watch out. Keep your eyes open."

Tim cocked his head just a little at those words but didn't say anything. Instead, he got into his car and headed to his parents' home. He hoped that he could forget what had happened...

...but he wasn't sure he could forget Gwen's warning.