Chapter 1: Welcome to my Life
Charlie stumbled over the door mat into the NCIS building, diving to the floor in a love letter to her college diving days she hit the carpet in a splash of hot coffee. It saturated her black pin stripped suit jacket, seeping into her blouse.
"I give you 5 out of 10, the build up was a bit sloppy but the finale was rather impressive. Not to mention the view was great!"
Huffing she pushed herself into a sitting position bemoaning the stain spreading on her blood red blouse. Great start to your new job Donohue. Blowing her fringe from her eyes she got her first look at the self appointed judge. Handsome, cheeky grin, green eyes, six foot two... Her mind flickered through the personnel files sent by Director Sheppard.
"Anthony DiNozzo I presume." The mans brows furrowed for a moment as he gave her the once over, lingering on the stain stretching across a particular part of her anatomy.
"I don't know you." It was a statement and Charlie raised an eyebrow at the seriousness of the tone. The man, Anthony offered his hand. "And it's very special Agent DiNozzo sweetcheeks." The cheeky grin was back full force and Charlie rolled her eyes before letting him pull her up.
"I'm Agent Donohue-"
"Your Irish? You don't sound Irish."
She stared at him for a second before dryly replying. "Obviously. I grew up in Texas." She began brushing off her suit staring resignedly at her sopping jacket. Well so much for wearing a suit. With a groan she pulled off the wet material, shivering as it dragged against the tan skin of her forearm leaving a coffee scented snail trail.
"Oh are we undressing?" There was a dull thud and Charlie glanced up to see a silver hair man staring sternly at a now sheepish Agent DiNozzo. "Sorry Boss."
Again Charlie flickered through the mental list of her new colleagues. Sticking the arm out the wasn't draped by her sopping jacket she introduced herself. "Agent Gibbs, I'm Agent Donohue."
"She's from Texas."
Charlie quirked a brow as Agent DiNozzo stage whispered in Agent Gibbs' ear earning himself a head slap. Dots connected and Charlie noted that must have been the origin of the thump earlier.
Gibbs stared at her hand until she retracted it and then turned his eyes to her stained blouse. "You're blouse is wet." Without another word the man turned and entered one of the lifts. Startled the woman looked at DiNozzo who gave her a lurid wink. Judging by the angle of his eye line he was checking out her arse. Men.
"Are you two coming?" Scrambling Charlie bent to pick up her now empty cup and bag, cursing as she realised the view she was freely giving the Agent beside her. Quickly she straightened tossing the cup at the bin as she swiftly jumped into the lift with the other two Agents. Silently she cursed being the last one in, it left her standing in front of the two men who she was certain were having a silent conversation behind her back. The frosted metal of the lift did nothing to repress the feeling, if anything it made her almost certain that Agent DiNozzo was checking out her arse again. A thud accompanied by a muffled 'sorry boss' only confirmed her thoughts. Repressing the urge to put her size eights to use she stiffly exited the lift as it came to their floor.
Slightly unsure in which direction they were actually heading and more than fed up of one of them checking out her arse she fell back behind the two Agents following dutifully towards a collection of desks.
"McGee, Ziva..." Two heads popped up from behind their monitors. "...this is Agent Donohue...she'll be with us for a while." He spoke as though there was something sour living on his tongue, obviously despite the introductions she wasn't a welcome addition. "Donohue, your over there." She was nodded towards a desk that was out of the way and yet still connected to the others, though barely. Outcast again.
Taking a deep breath she walked, with as much dignity as one with a coffee stained blouse and sopping suit jacket could muster, towards the desk. Dropping her bag onto it she sank into the chair that creaked ominously before dumping her on the floor. With an exasperated groan she let her head thump against the wood of the desk. What was it, she spared a glance at her watch, 10 minutes and she'd made possibly the worst impression of her life. Groaning again she was about to left her head fall against the wood again before a hand was thrust into her peripheral vision.
"Tim McGee, you ok?" The man, who gave of a friendly if not socially awkward air, offered a genuine smile and she felt the corners of her mouth lift on reflex.
"Hear I thought you were Ziva." For the second time that day she was helped off the floor. "Just the worst first day recorded. Charlie Donohue." She turned the helping hand into a handshake and proceeded to glare at the offending chair before giving the crumpled mess a kick. "Even the furniture is turning against me." The two of them chuckled.
"Well I can't help with the chair, but I can introduce you to the rest of the team."
"Do you think I'll get a warmer welcome?" She was still smarting from the frosty reception she'd received off of the man she was meant to be taking orders from. She hadn't really presented herself the best but even so everyone had bad days right?
Tim just laughed as he directed her towards the lifts that led to the labs. "Gibbs is Gibbs..." He glanced around as though suspicious of anyone listening. "...you'll get used to him. Its Abby you've got to watch for." He'd turned teasing at the end, but she could clearly hear the undercurrent of seriousness and mentally steeled herself for meeting this Abby.
~oOo~
"Jethro it's an order, I won't back down on this." Jenny was getting increasingly frustrated with the man in front of her. Why he refused to see reason she couldn't comprehend. He was too stubborn for his own good. Something, she noted dryly, she should be more than used to at this point.
"I don't need another Agent, I don't want another Agent." Across from Jenny Leroy Jethro Gibbs was fuming. He'd been protesting the new addition since he'd been notified and now she'd arrive despite it all. His steel eyes hit the fiery red heads across from him only a desk between them. He didn't know what she was playing at. The team had only just accepted Ziva after Kate's death. They were just beginning to work as a team again and now she was throwing it all under a bus with this new addition. "You can't just do this Jen!" Somewhere, in the back of his mind he recognised he was stepping over the line onto a landmine, but the majority of him couldn't care less. Marines looked pout for their own and he was looking out for his team, no one would stand in his way.
"It's Director Agent Gibbs. It's done now get out." Her tone left no room for argument, but that had never stopped him.
"This is not over." Every word was punctuated with force which was mirrored by the crack of the slamming door.
As Agent Gibbs stormed away, Jenny sunk further into her chair. "Yes it is." Her heavily sighed words held a lead weight that implied they went deeper than the argument that had just taken place. She let her head sink against her desk, things in NCIS were only just getting back to normal. The sting of losing an agent had only just settled. Maybe she was stirring things up top soon, maybe she was acting to fast. But what choice did she have, she was corned, her choices stripped from her. Jenny could only hope that things sorted themselves out or they would all be in trouble.
~oOo~
The first thing Charlie noticed was music, its wasn't exactly something she was expecting. If her memory served her right is was Chemlab by Rivet Head. Oddly enough it brought back happy memories of her college days. Her flat mate of 4 years had been very much into the Goth scene and Charlie had been dragged along for the ride, something she'd been more than happy to strap herself into. Smiling she followed McGee into the forensics lab.
"McGee what do we have." Brown eyes widened slightly as they took in the black hair, chains and platforms. Well that explained the music at least.
"Abby this is Agent Donohue." The woman, who without the platforms would probably reach her five foot ten, twirled in a feet that would have a ballerina envious.
The room seemed to hold its breath as the two women stared at each other, as the moment lengthened McGee stared worriedly between the two.
"AB!"
"CD!"
In a state of shock Tim McGee watched as the two women excitedly embraced giddily jumping like high caffeine addicts. He was sure there were words being exchanged but they were spoken so fast he couldn't keep up with them. Obviously they must of known each other, probably very well from the looks of things.
Tim took another look at the new Agent, scanning her for anything that indicated 'I know Abby Sciuto'. Agent Donohue was athletically toned with rich brown hair that touched the swell of her hips. She was neatly dressed, if you ignored the coffee stain, in black pin stripped trousers and a deep red top that touched on the colour of blood. She was wearing small heeled boots, they were casual enough to be innocuous but still professional and obviously she could balance well enough in them if she was jumping about with Abby. Looking back up he noted her features. Her hair swept across her face in a side fringe covering one dark eyebrow. There was a small scar on the left side of her upper lip which was mirrored on the right, piecing perhaps? He glanced at her ears, her left was hidden by her hair but a glint indicated that the right was not. A small bat, shiny and silver. Abby's influence or a batman fan?
Before he could process any further the two women rushed past him, Abby snagging his wrist and dragging his with them both in the direction of Ducky's lab.
"Ducky, Ducky..." Abby turned to her brown haired friend. "...Ducky is awesome, he's like the grandfather of the team, he'll love you. You'll love him...Ducky!"
A brown haired man entered, at five foot seven he appeared short to Charlie. His aging but kind face was stretched by a pleasant smile. "I'm not that old yet Abby."
"Oh you know what I meant."
"And who might you be dear?" His accent hinted at Scottish origins and she smiled at the reminder of foreign soils.
"Agent Donohue, Dr Mallard."
"Oh its Ducky please. I'm assuming you don't want me to call you Agent Donohue all the time." Chuckling she shook her head.
"Perhaps not. My actual names is Charlotte, Charlotte-Elizabeth really but you can't choose your parents..." She smirked at the thought, if only. "...Abs calls me CD, I usually go by Charlie, your pick...Ducky"
"Humm Charlotte, I think, its a beautiful meaning, French origin I believe. But your not French." She could live with Charlotte.
"No originally Ireland but moved here very young so technically bred in Texas."
"Yehaw." McGee coughed as Abby smacked Charlie on the bum sending her forward a half pace before they both dissolved into laughter with Ducky chuckling good naturedly.
The atmosphere was so much different that upstairs which Charlie could only think to describe as a bull pen. That of a wrestlers ring, but she was pretty sure they were no pulled punches up there. She could easily see what Abby meant about Ducky being the grandfather type, he exuded kindness and wisdom and it settled her earlier concerns about joining the team. McGee seemed pleasant enough and of course there was Abby.
Charlie had met Abby in college at a party neither had wanted to attend. They'd ended up subjugated to the wall outside of some frat house with cups of unidentified and un-drank alcohol. The mousy geek and energetic Goth. Words had been exchanged, alcohol dumped and chips from the shop down the road eaten. In the matter of a night their friendship had been solidified and through the use of 'totally irritating' music and 'totally uncool' memorabilia they'd managed to switch rooms. Four years later they had graduated friends for life. Its was a bit cheesy but the meaning didn't change. Through the years they'd stayed in contact on and off. Charlie's job more than Abby's causing contact issues. For the same reasons she'd kept her location and her job a secret and Abby had taken the hint to do the same. It had definitely been a surprise to see her at NCIS but in reality it made a lot of sense. Either way she felt more confident now she knew she was on the team with one of the best in the business. It was no threat when Abby said she could kill you without leaving a shred of evidence, she really could but then everyone would know it was her.
"It's been a pleasure to meet you Ducky, but I better jump back into the fire before they think they've chased me off." Just thinking about heading back into the bull pen left her feeling slightly unsettled. Gibbs who obviously disliked, if not hated her, DiNozzo who undressed her with his eyes, McGee wasn't too bad and she hadn't really met Ziva other than a passing glance which sent a chill running down her spine. She wouldn't be surprised if that woman turned out to be an assassin, she had the vibe for it.
Nodding as if understanding her predicament Ducky patted her on the arm. "Don't worry about them, they'll come round."
With a smile and wave she left Abby with Ducky and followed McGee.
"Tea Abby?"
The silver door slid shut behind them as they made their way over to the lift again.
"He's right, Gibbs is Gibbs and Ziva will come around. Tony on the other hand, you'll get used to him."
"Yippy."
~oOo~
First NCIS fanfic left me know it you enjoy it. I've only recently got into NCIS and I can tell you I'm instantly addicted. I can't get enough of it which probably isn't a good thing for my exam revision. Anyway like I said let me know if you enjoy it.