NCIS/Fanfic Recs

Proof that the remaining 10% is worth dying for here.

These are recommendations made by Tropers for NCIS fanfics, all of which have to be signed to stay on the page. Feel free to add a fanfic of your own to the list, but remember to use the template found here.

You can also add to the current recommendations if you want. Refrain from posting Conversation in the Main Page though; that goes in the discussion page.

Page Reconfiguration in Progress: Fan Fic Recommendations is being split into pages for each individual series, so help is needed to classify each entry into the appropriate category, and to format it according to the template.

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Author and Websites

Emerald1.

• Recommended by Lady Iapetus
• Very much recommended if you're a fan of Timothy McGee. Even though more often than not Emerald winds up putting McGee through utter hell, she can keep him - as well as the rest of the team - in-character and make him shine no matter what situation the plot puts him in. Ever wanted to see Tim as a superhero a la The The Incredibles, or getting the team involved in the Renaissance Fair? Emerald1's your author.

General Fics

Stories focused on the family and the friendly relationships of the cast. Plot-focused stories or light day-in-the-life stories. Pretty much anything that isn't focused on romance.

Ten Nonlinear Moves by Sequitur

• Recommended by Polaris, Across The Stars, Zadia
• Synopsis: Ten different snapshots into Tony's time leading the team between seasons 3 and 4.
• Comments: We don't get a lot about this on the show itself, and this is a great little view of the team as family, with nice character moments very in keeping with the show's quirky humor, including Tony's various methods of persuading everyone to go see Snakes on a Plane with him.
  • Seconded by Rain Krystal; Behold, a wonderfully well written Tony, with well done, clear-cut prose that underscores some truly emotional moments between the team sans Gibbs. And missing the boss doesn't make them less of a family. It just makes them a slightly different one.
  • Also recommended by Nat Fre. Sequitur writes Tony really well, and if you like this story you should check out some of the other stories by Sequitur, including "Sine Qua Non" and "In Transit."

Lost and Found by tigerlily

• Recommended by J Random User
• Pairings: Tony/Ziva, McGee/Abby (briefly), Buffy/McGee
• Synopsis: Crossover with Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Set after the finale of Buffy and immediately after the Season 6 finale of NCIS. Buffy raids a demon-infested camp in Somalia to retrieve a kidnapped Slayer—and finds someone else as well.
• Comments: The story demonstrates a strong emotional core from the early chapters, especially the NCIS team's raw despair when they believe Ziva is dead. There is a good deal of angst early on, but once the team is reunited with Ziva and learn of the supernatural, the pace picks up and becomes a good deal more lighthearted.
  • Night: It's Buffy. It's not NCIS. The NCIS team doesn't get much screentime or action except for Ziva, and one can make a pretty good argument that Ziva's character is not being rendered faithfully. The strong core mentioned above does exist, but after that the story fumbles around.

Each Other's Back by OughtaKnowBetter

• Recommended by notreallyatroper, Night
• Synopsis: Crossover with Numb3rs. There's a missing code, a missing mathematician, and a missing agent. Can NCIS and the FBI find them before it's too late?
• Comments: Extremely well written. It was so exciting, I couldn't stop reading it once I started. And the events that bring the two shows to cross over are really unique and interesting, it's not just the old "this body falls in both of our jurisdictions. Looks like we'll be working together." that I see so often. The writer has the characters spot-on, too. Totally recommended!
  • Night: Maybe it's not a real episode written up for NCIS, but you won't be able to tell the difference while you're reading it. Excellent work on the Original Flavor, and a good story. You could film this and it would work as a double-parter or season finale.

Vindicated, by Kaoru424

• Recommended by Zadia
• Synopsis: Abby turns up at Gibbs' place in the middle of the night, covered in blood. When Gibbs finds a car crash nearby and a dead sailor, Abby becomes implicated in his murder, and it's up to the team to find out what really happened.
• Comments: Brilliant fic. Believable, hilarious and has a very good plot. Highly recommended.

AWOL by Lisse

• Recommended by RBM Ifan
• Synopsis: When a Marine goes missing, his twin brother comes to NCIS looking for help. Then things get weird.
• Comments: Crossover with Axis Powers Hetalia, in which the Nations' human personas are explored through the POV of the NCIS cast. Interesting plot, though familiarity with Hetalia is highly recommended.
  • Seconded by Archangel Unmei. This fic does an amazing job of not only showing what the Hetalia-verse Nations might look like through the POV of someone not in the know, but it also manages to keep the entire NCIS cast in character. Abby in particular is hilariously brilliant in this, and Gibbs is spot-on.
  • Thirded by Rain Krystal. This is so incredibly well done. A great view from the outsiders looking in, and they manage to make Canada's disappearing powers awesome.

An Unlikely Friendship by serendipitous-15

• Recommended by Lady Iapetus
• Synopsis: A series of one-shots and drabbles that covers the evolving friendship between Tony DiNozzo and Jimmy Palmer, from the season 3 finale Hiatus to the end of season six.
• Comments: You don't find many fics where Tony and Palmer are the main focus, and the ones that are out there probably aren't as good as this. Very believable and well-written besides.

Gemini by quiet-heart

• Recommended by Lady Iapetus
• Synopsis: It started off as a routine case regarding a dead female Navy JAG lieutenant. But that was before the deceased's identical twin sister, who just so happens to work for the FBI, turned up...
• Comments: Very good with some delightful funny moments, as well as cameos not just from our favorite FBI agents but also from some JAG characters as well. It reads almost like it could be an episode of the show.

Moment in Time by Sweet Baby Girl 448 (warning, character death, emotional turmoil)

• Recommended by I Got Lost On TV Tropes
• Synopsis: This fic starts off like your everyday Tony/whump fic, but a few chapters in it seems as though the author decided to take it in entirely a different direction, but it works! Gibbs and the team are captured by a sadistic fiend from Gibbs's past, who then offers Gibbs an ultimatum. Choose who dies... The end stunned This Troper, and nearly made me cry!
• Comments: It's not often I read NCIS fictions, but this relativity new fic caught my eye. The characters are kept true to form, and the plot is well developed. The work is still in progress, but only seems to be waiting on an epilogue. While not as detailed as it could be, in only 8 chapters, its a fairly quick read.

Everyday by Gypsy

• Recommended by lastcrazyhorn
• Synopsis: Just when Tony thought it was safe to go back into the water... mentions of rape/non-con
• Comments: This is one of those Gibbs is Tony's surrogate father stories. And since this is a Tony whumpage fic, Gibbs is in for a rough ride. It starts out with Tony getting kidnapped and raped, and the rest of the story focuses on his recovery and the hunt for the two kidnappers (who dared hurt Gibbs's boy!). It's an enjoyable fic for those who enjoy that sort of thing.

Nine Lives by thebondgirl

• Recommended by Haustere
• Synopsis: "Well...looks like...I've...finally...run out...Boss," he gasped quietly in the direction of the small opening. "And what is it you've run out of DiNozzo?" The gruff voice sounded just that bit scared, and rightly so. Tony smiled grimly. "Al...mosts."
• Comments: Very well-written. The characterisation and prose just blows you away the minute you start reading and you really just can't stop until you reach the end. It focuses on Tony, but the team gets a fair amount of screen-time and character development as well. Comments have been kept vague so as to avoid spoiling anything. Go read it. Now.

Sine Qua Non, by Sequitur

• Recommended by Zadia
• Synopsis: Season Three-Four gap. The Director has her reservations about the team leader position, McGee and Ziva have a cunning and psychotic plan, and Tony has a mental breakdown. Sort of, anyway.
• Comments: This is seriously one of the best humour fics I've ever read. It's truly brilliant, and you need to go read it.

Shipping Fics

Stories focused on the romantic relationships between the cast.

Damage by ygrawn.

• Recommended by Joie De Combat
• Synopsis: Tony expected Ziva to understand his undercover mission better than anyone else. An alternate take on the emotional fallout of "Bury Your Dead" and the revelation of Tony's deceptions throughout season four, particularly regarding his relationship with Ziva.
• Comments: Although subsequently Jossed by the events of season 5 and onward, the characterization in this fic still rings true, particularly with regards to how Tony thinks of Ziva and of himself, and in the more humorous segments (the bits about McGee's book are gold).

Where Angels Fear to Tread by Lilah Blue.

• Recommended by Across The Stars
• Pairing: Gibbs/DiNozzo
• Synopsis: When Tony is diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, what does his future hold, and how will it affect his relationship with Gibbs?
• Comments:

Damage by Xanthe (Warnings: Child abuse, pedophilia, slash)

• Recommended by Across The Stars, kph2pt0
• Pairing(s): Gibbs/DiNozzo
• Synopsis: When a simple case of theft explodes into an investigation of a long-running pedophile ring, Tony DiNozzo's darkest secret comes into the open, and only Gibbs has the strength - and the love - to save him from himself.
• Comments: In addition to the slash, Tony's given a backstory that actually makes sense - and while I highly doubt that it's actually canon, it is, perhaps, the best hurt/comfort fic I've ever read... and I've read a lot of them. It clocks in at four hundred pages on Word (it took me seventeen minutes to copy the whole thing so I could save it offline for the journey home) but it is well, well worth the read. Easily the best Gibbs/DiNozzo fic I've read, and while it's definitely slashy, there isn't too much pr0n. A must-read for any Tony-lovers and Tibbs slashers.
  • Seconded by Studious Jones. This is my favorite NCIS fic yet. Everything is well done and believable. Unlike a lot of stories that use Rape as Backstory, it is useful to the plot and doesn't seem like it was just thrown in. Really a must read.

Awakening and Synergy by Crimsonquills

• Recommended by Across The Stars
• Pairing: Gibbs/DiNozzo
• Synopsis: In a world where everyone has just developed some sort of psychic power, Empaths - like Tony DiNozzo - shut themselves away from the world to avoid an emotional overload. The only way to break the catatonia? Create a feedback loop with a single other person. Gibbs doesn't hesitate, but what will the ramifications be?
• Comments: Awakening is basically the setup for Synergy. Synergy is basically pure smut. Wonderful, incredible, brain-melting smut.

Pieces That You Left Behind

• Recommended by Jek Windu
• Pairing: Tony/Ziva
• Synopsis: Jeanne is killed when Tony's car explodes, and he attempts to heal.
• Comments: A few years old, but extremely well-written. The angst is never ham-handed, and the romance is never tawdry or rushed.

Of Jews and Gentiles

• Recommended by Jek Windu
• Pairing: Tony/Ziva
• Synopsis: After investigating an attack on a Jewish lieutenant and her non-Jewish boyfriend, Ziva discovers a pattern of similar deaths. An undercover mission with Tony as her boyfriend leads to some dramatic discoveries.
• Comments: Particularly well-written and plotted. Though it is primarily a romance story, it never allows the fluff to overtake what is a genuinely interesting case.

Symbiosis by Zaedah

• Recommended by cozcat
• Pairing: Tony/Ziva
• Synopsis: The development of their relationship from McGee's point of view, covering happiness and heartbreak.
• Comments: Zaedah is particularly skilled in the art of subtly flowing through a plot that is beautiful beyond comprehension in a narration that is beautiful beyond comprehension. Not for the easily distracted - it makes you think.

Razor's Edge and the rest of the Breathe universe by colorguard28

• Recommended by Kathadrion
• Pairing: Tony/McGee (and later Abby/Palmer)
• Synposis: Tony and McGee get together after Ziva stays in Israel. In Razor's Edge and its sequels, (a.k.a. the Breathe universe) we get to follow Tony and Tim's relationship as they deal with moving in together, coming out to coworkers and family, getting married and planning for a future together. Meanwhile, Tony starts having problem with his lungs, threatening his future as a field agent. The universe also frequently features the rest of their NCIS family, including Gibbs' dad and Vance and his family, as well as Tim's parents and sister.
• Comment: The Breathe universe is around 500, 000 words long, but it is well worth the time. The characters are all in character and the OC:s (mainly Tim's parents) are believable. The plotlines (even the ones directly taken from season 7 of the show and adapted to this universe) are intriguing and nicely tied to canon, and the language is excellent at all times. Tony and Tim is a relatively rare pairing, but the author really makes it work. I have to admit that I did not ship McNozzo before I started reading the first fic in this universe, but that changed quickly. Now it's one of my favorite pairings. Note that while the characters mention sex quite often and sex between characters of the same and the opposite sex is implied, the fic is not explicit when it comes to sex. The Breathe universe is on hiatus for an indefinite time and the author doesn't know whether she'll write more in the universe or not, but the published fics in the universe are all complete and fine to read as they are.

A Forever Thing by ellenscult

• Recommended by Kathadrion
• Pairing: Tony/Gibbs
• Synopsis: Tony's grandmother left him a trust fund, but in order to claim it he has to be married before he's forty. He's running out of time, and Gibbs offers his help.
• Comments: A Forever Thing is fun and heartwarming, yet still sad at times. The language is impeccable and at 25,000 words it's an easy read. The author deserves props for making a kind of cliche plotline feel un-cliche. Recommended to anyone who ships Tibbs, really.