A/N) Look what I've been working on during these months of apparent silence! Here's an alphabet challenge centred in the world of Eve because I miss it: 26 oneshots all based off a single word starting with each letter of the alphabet. I haven't done one of these before, so let's see how it goes. Some of the first ones are prewritten already, but some are still simmering in my head thus far, all of varying lengths. Mostly Nick/Katherine, but other shippings will doubtlessly creep their way in here because why not. I hope you enjoy and please comment on any oneshots that you like!
This first one is very short, but sweet ;)
Anecdote
"And then Will realised it had been just a dog all along! He had tried to get Eve to frighten away what he thought was a fox, and it was just our next-door-neighbour's dog." Nick's forehead creases slightly as he frowns, trying to remember the detail that was apparently key to completing his long, aimless tale. "Or was it a badger he was scared of? Anyway –" He tails off into empty space, looking hopefully at the receiver of his anecdote for a reaction.
Katherine regards him critically for a long moment. "You know that anecdote made no sense, don't you, Nick?" is her condescending query.
"Oh." Nick looks regretful for a moment, before brightening. "Do you want me to go over it again?"
"No," is her immediate reply. "I'm sure my future life and career doesn't depend upon extricating any useful details from your anecdote. It does, however, depend on getting this report finished and sent off by the end of the day. So stop rambling and start writing."
Nick looks faintly hurt, but obediently does as she says, fumbling for his keyboard under the mass of paper and blueprints that constituted the state of his desk.
That's why, when she finds Nick relaying what seems like the very same story to a faintly confused looking Phil at their usual lunch table later that day, Katherine decides to swing by their lunch area and pay Phil what she deems later to have been a good deed.
"Don't do it," she advises seriously once she's within earshot. "Spoiler – it was the dog all along. Or badger, or whatever. There. Now you can get on with your mundane life in the knowledge that you haven't just wasted a quarter of your lunch break on trying to unravel some sense from Nick's anecdotes."
Katherine smiles secretly at Nick's annoyed look at her after she apparently just ruined his long winding story. "It made no sense anyway," she says airily as she walks away to get some salad from the lunch counter.