Maggie tossed one last glance over her shoulder before darting into the alley. The smells of the street overwhelmed her. Over the stench of the rotting food in the dumpster, she could still detect the scent of the one she pursued. She could track better than any other agent she knew, but in this form there was no one who could even come close. She pulled her lips back into a snarl, a low growl barely audible in the foggy night. The man leapt from hiding; tossing a large piece of debris as he made a break for the back door of an abandoned warehouse. “Git!” he whispered loudly in an attempt to scare her, just as she pounced.
Where did she go? Noah ran, breathlessly, into the alley. Just as he was about to look elsewhere, he heard the sounds of a struggle. He burst through the door to find their prime suspect pinned in the corner. He breathed a sigh of relief at the sight of the large copper-haired wolf that had cornered him. “Here, girl,” he called to the wolf, treating her like the dog he hoped the man had assumed her to be. Maggie moved cautiously to Noah’s side, her eyes never leaving the suspect. She watched as her partner made the arrest, hating not being able to participate further, but knowing she couldn’t risk revealing her identity.
“Come on, lovey,” Noah teased, as he led her to the backseat of the car. Great. She was going to get to ride in the back with a serial killer. She snapped at Noah as he laid his hand on her right haunch, pushing her into the car. Smart-alec.
* * *
Alone. Finally. Maggie made sure no one was near the car, as she shifted back to her human form. The process was much less painful than most stories would lead you to believe; but, true to most werewolf lore, she was always naked, sleepy and hungry after the change. She leaned against the back seat of Noah’s car, and stretched her hand into the passenger seat to retrieve her clothes. “Jerk,” she whispered under her breath. She tossed her long, red-gold hair out of her face as she shimmied into her straight, black pencil skirt. She gave the panty hose a dirty look. Forget those. She pulled on her bra, and buttoned her white pin-striped blouse. She slipped into her sling black sandals, grabbed her briefcase and headed to the door without even glancing in the mirror.
* * *
“Can I help you, ma’am”, a handsome man with striking eyes greeted Maggie as she stepped off the elevator into the NCIS offices.
“Well, I certainly hope so. I’m Special Agent Maggie Sullivan. My partner, Noah Diamond, just brought a suspect in for questioning,” she replied, her voice showing a hint of an Irish accent. She spotted Noah in an office at the top of stairs, and moved past the man.
“Oh, Agent Sullivan,” he said, clearly attempting to keep her from walking up the stairs to the Director’s office where she could see her partner. “I’m Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo, and... Agent Sullivan…you can’t… Darn it.” He shook his head, as he watched her go past the secretary’s desk and enter the Director’s office unannounced.
“Well, that was a big success, Tony.”
“Shut up, Ziva. I didn’t see you trying to help the situation.”
“Pardon me if I thought you could keep one lady from going up the stairs. My mistake,” Ziva quipped. “Next time, I’ll offer my assistance.”
“What would you have done? Tackle her? Use some of your special interrogation methods on her? She’s a fellow agent, genius,” he responded, not meaning to take his frustration out on her, but not being able to resist rising to the argument.
“Whatever works,” she said slyly, leaning a hip against a fellow agent’s desk. “Isn’t that right, McGee?”
“Hey, don’t bring me into this,” the other man replied.
“Shut up, Probie,” Tony said, slapping him on the back of the head.
“Hey! I didn’t even say anything,” he protested.
“But you wanted to,” Tony replied.
“DiNozzo!!” A loud bellow came from the office upstairs.
“Gotta go,” Tony said, sprinting up the steps two at a time.
* * *
To say their first meeting did not go well was an understatement. Maggie’s entrance into the meeting taking place in NCIS Director’s Shepard’s office was greeted with a chorus of frustrated looks and long stares. Fortunately, Noah stepped in to make introductions as a way to explain her presence.
“I’m sure Agent Sullivan is very accomplished, but that doesn’t change the fact that I don’t want or need anyone else on my team,” an extremely attractive, silver-haired man said in a low, but somehow threatening voice.
“Noah; Maggie; we appreciate your cooperation in this investigation. If you could please step outside the office, I need to speak with Agent Gibbs in private,” Director Shepard said diplomatically. “Tony, if you could escort Agents Diamond and Sullivan downstairs, we shouldn’t be long. Thanks,” she said dismissively.
Tony stood at the door as Noah and Maggie stepped out, then closed it behind him.
“Jethro,” Shepard said disapprovingly, “sometimes it falls on me to make certain decisions that you don’t like. I’m the director of NCIS, and your superior.”
“Jenny,” Gibbs replied, shaking his head, “I am well aware of your… position. This is my team. I should have some input…”
“Not this time,” Shepard interjected. “I’m sorry, Gibbs, but the order came from above me. I’m sure you’ll all work well together.”
“I’m sure,” Gibbs said under his breath. “If that’s all, I have a suspect to interrogate,” he stormed out of the office without waiting for a response.
* * *
“Sorry we got off to such a rough start,” Tony said, leading the agents down the stairs.
“No worries,” Maggie smiled. “I’m sorry for rushing off like that.” She flashed DiNozzo her most stunning smile. Noah shook his head at his partner. Did she have to flirt with everyone?
“This is Ziva David,” Tony said, indicating the lovely Israeli woman sitting, watching with interest.
“A pleasure to meet you,” Noah said, taking her by the hand, giving Maggie a sideways glance.
“Oh please,” Maggie muttered under her breath. “He thinks he’s charming,” she said to Ziva. “I’m Maggie Sullivan, nice to meet you.”
“Uh-huh,” Ziva said, her hand still held in Noah’s, their eyes locked.
“I’d be careful looking into his eyes, Ziva,” Maggie warned. “He’s like Dracula with the ladies.”
“Bitch,” he mumbled inaudibly under his breath. Well, inaudible to a normal person. Maggie chuckled and held her hand out to McGee.
“Maggie Sullivan,” she smiled sweetly.
“Timothy McGee,” he said, returning her greeting.
“Now that we’ve taken care of introductions,” Tony said, steering Maggie away from McGee’s desk and toward his, “maybe you could brief us on the situation upstairs.”
“Clyde Barnes. We have reason to believe that he is the man who has been ritually killing female Navy officers for the past six years,” Noah stated matter-of-factly. “The problem is, we don’t have any evidence or reliable witnesses,” he added, emphasizing the word reliable, and gaining a chuckle from Maggie.
“Wait,” Tony interrupted. “If there were Navy officers being murdered, we would know about it. That’s what we do.”
“And that’s why we’re here,” Maggie added.
“If this has somehow been kept under wraps and off our radar for six years, it’s no wonder Gibbs is pissed,” Tony added, frustrated.
“The deaths have been purported as by natural causes, and their similarities weren’t apparent at first glance,” Noah attempted to explain.
“Still, they should have been investigated by NCIS,” Tony challenged. “Who exactly are you, and how did you get pulled into this?”
“We’re federal agents with NPID, a top-secret government organization that investigates umm… unusual events. Sort of like the X-Files, only not fiction,” Maggie explained, as if what she said didn’t sound completely insane. “You know… vampires, werewolves… things that go bump in the night...??” Maggie trailed off at the look on the faces of the other agents.
“Those things are fiction,” Ziva scoffed. “Tony, I think we are being Pinked.”
“It’s “Punked”, and I think they are serious,” Tony added in disbelief.
* * *
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.