Title: Zemblanity
Characters: Tim McGee, Abby Scuito, Tony DiNozzo
Prompt/Challenge: #524 "Without Gibbs"
Rating: G
Word Count: 520
Warning/Spoilers/Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.
Summary: Cyber Warfare Engineering Officer Tim McGee reads the newspaper. Non-graphic main character death.
Zemblanity
CWE Officer Tim McGee shivered as he read the newspaper at his desk at Fort Meade. Everything in the news was depressing, the world seemed to be going to hell in a hand-basket with a jet pack boost.
There were more senseless killings, corrupt politicians, and the housing and stock markets were dying. What happened to all the fluff pieces, like that bulldog riding a skateboard or a child safely rescued by firemen from a tree.
He sighed as he turned the page. It never ends. As he looked down he saw the majority of the page took up information about that Baltimore police detective who was gunned down a couple days ago.
It seemed he was called out to a domestic abuse case, but it was actually a retaliation stunt from the Macaluso family. Tim recalled the headlines of an undercover detective bringing down the head of the family as he looked at the smiling face of Anthony DiNozzo Jr.
It was a shame. It seemed to Tim that DiNozzo was just getting started when his life was cut short when Macaluso's son decided revenge was in order. The police were in the middle of a state-wide man hunt trying to find DiNozzo's killer.
His eyes fell to the cheerful man wearing his Baltimore police uniform and his heart went out. He didn't have any surviving family, except for a father, who the papers said were estranged. Underneath the colorful image was the announcement of a funeral and its procession route for anyone who would like to give their respects to the Baltimore PD.
Tim swung his head to his calendar, the funeral was set to be next week on Tuesday. It seemed he was free that day. He decided he would go, it was the least he could do. Tim felt a pull to be there, he just knew in his heart, that if they had ever had the chance to have met, that they would have been friends. Maybe he could convince his girlfriend to come with him, even though everything was still pretty new.
Tim nodded to himself as he ripped the photo and funeral information out of the page. He would solidify his plans once his date arrived for lunch.
He heard a knock at his door and he had to smile. His new girlfriend was the one good thing in his life other than his job. FBI Forensic Scientist Abigail Sciuto, all gothed out, stood smiling at him. It had been two months since she came into his life and he couldn't be any happier.
"Ready for lunch, Timmy? Fornell said I could have an extra half hour since the case broke wide open." Abby held out her hand, vibrating in place.
Tim smiled, dropped the paper on his desk and grabbed his keys, letting Abby's presence wash away the heinous news of the day. He would take them to the new restaurant that opened up a couple miles over. 'Kate's Kitchen' was widely recommended by the first people who were lucky enough to be at the grand opening.
"Ready when you are Abbs."