xanthefic: (ncis gibbs tony story two wolves)
xanthefic ([personal profile] xanthefic) wrote2011-05-14 08:04 am

Coming Soon! Two Wolves

Squeeeeeeee! I finished writing Two Wolves yesterday! I felt I couldn't do another teaser post until it was done, but now it is, so I am *g*. It currently stands at 142,000 words long - I have no idea if that will go down or up after my final edit. I have to say, I really enjoyed writing this one. It only gave me trouble in a few places. At the same time, it's quite a slog writing such a long story and making it all come together in the end, so I'm really tired now!

There's a longer summary, a great big extract, and a very gorgeous picture in this post :-). At the moment, I'm thinking of posting it in 6 parts, starting on Monday June 6th and finishing on Saturday June 11th. However, depending on whether the editing goes really well or really badly, I'll let you know if I have to change that date.

Coming Soon!
Two Wolves



Pairing: Gibbs/DiNozzo
Rating: NC-17
Keywords: Angst, romance, hurt/comfort, drama
Warnings: Rape, dubcon, violence, whipping, brutality
Author's Note: This story is dark and violent in places. However, I should stress it does not feature partner betrayal, and the brutality is inflicted upon Gibbs and Tony and others around them and not something they do to each other. The story is also ultimately redemptive. This isn't really a rape or rape recovery fic as such. The main theme of the story is about how Gibbs and Tony both react to a horrific situation and how that brings them together.

Summary: While investigating the disappearance of a Marine, Gibbs is abducted, sold, and forced to fight in a brutal contest where the price of winning is almost as high as the cost of losing, and death waits constantly in the wings. After five months of hitting brick walls, Tony finally hatches a desperate plan to rescue Gibbs, only to find him a very changed man. In order to escape, Tony has to remind Gibbs who he is and awaken a sleeping wolf inside him. But, haunted by his ordeal and the acts he’s been forced to commit, can there ever really be a way back for Gibbs?

Extract:

“Gibbs!” Tony says urgently, ducking away from a blow aimed at his midriff. “For God’s sake – it’s me, Gibbs!”

He can see by his boss’s dark, dilated pupils that he’s drugged up to the eyeballs, but something else is going on here too. Gibbs is so focused on him as an opponent that he can't recognize him for who he is. Tony has seen Gibbs like this before, when he was pursuing Ari after Kate died, but back then Gibbs wasn’t lost to himself like he is now. He was intent on his revenge, but he was still reachable, still himself.

Now, it’s like he’s someone else. Tony can imagine this was how Gibbs was after Shannon and Kelly were killed. He always turns in on himself when he’s hurting and finds some dark place inside where he nurses the anger close until he can find a way to let it out. Usually that’s in a case, or by himself with a punching bag. Tony has seen him after a bad case, just punching away in the NCIS gym. There is a similar look of intense concentration on his face now, and Tony can’t see a single trace of the Gibbs he once knew in the predatory figure standing in front of him.

Gibbs moves in again, all prowling grace, and Tony knows he doesn’t stand a chance against him. He’s never bested him in any of their sparring sessions in the past. Gibbs is just…Gibbs, and Tony doesn’t remember anyone ever beating him in a fight.

His intention here isn’t to win in any case; it’s to stop Gibbs hurting him too badly. He’s seen the people they’ve dragged from the pit after a fight. He doesn’t want Gibbs to beat him to a pulp and live with the guilt afterwards. If he’s capable of feeling guilt these days because it looks like he isn’t capable of feeling anything right now.

There’s nothing in those icy blue eyes except a desire to win.




[livejournal.com profile] kathana_grey very kindly made this picture for me, using an original source pic I posted in my journal a couple of months ago that was sent to me by [livejournal.com profile] meret . It was the original picture that inspired me to write Two Wolves in the first place. A big THANKS to Kathana for illustrating a key, central scene in the story so vividly here, and for supplying me with the fabulous icon to go with it. She hasn't read the story, but this picture and the icon aren't far from the truth! LOL!



[identity profile] xanthelj.livejournal.com 2011-06-03 05:29 am (UTC)(link)
Glad you're looking forward to it.

I've no idea what Lionadeslion's Fenrir arc is - is it fanfic? NCIS? Something else?

It is a common plot - I first did it 13 years ago in "Subterfuge"! But I can safely promise this is a completely new take on it by me and very much it's own story. The premise is familiar but the story won't be!

[identity profile] zoryatwist.livejournal.com 2011-06-03 08:23 am (UTC)(link)
Oh I am sure you'll put an amazing, what am I saying more like hundreds of teeny tiny and huge Xanthelike twists to it, which is why I'm looking forward to it, not every author can turn a common plot into art like you

the Fenrir arc is a Supernatural slash series by leonidaslion, there's the fight ring, slave, inner wolf spirit plot, of course it's all done with a supernatural twist, a wonderful work

leonidas is kinda you in the spn fandom, wonder what would happen should you meet *imaginingimplodingsupernovas*

I often stumble upon ideas in a fandom and itch to transfer it to another, therefore I was wondering whether this had happened here

[identity profile] xanthelj.livejournal.com 2011-06-03 08:59 am (UTC)(link)
Ah, okay! I've never read anything in the Supernatural fandom - I don't watch the show! I tried episode one and it scared me too much *g*.

I had very specific inspirations for this one that happened at the same time (a picture and some disturbing news about a local dog fight) but yes, it's definitely a fandom trope *g*. Not only that, variations of it have been done by TV shows such as Being Human (I LOVED what they did with it) and even NCIS itself in a way. Someone also mentioned Birds of Prey which I don't watch but I looked up the episode on Wiki and it sounds very similar. It's definitely a trope - hell, even Star Trek: TOS did it YEARS ago!

Of course my take on it is very Xanthefied. It's what me and a good friend call "old school fanfic" - it's the sort of thing that can only be really DONE in fanfic, partly because it's kind of bonkers *g*. Although thinking about it, it was fairly bonkers when ST:TOS did it!

[identity profile] taylorgibbs.livejournal.com 2011-06-03 12:39 pm (UTC)(link)
I don't read much Supernatural, but I'm very intrigued. Could you send me a link for leonidaslion's story?

[identity profile] zoryatwist.livejournal.com 2011-06-03 12:57 pm (UTC)(link)
sorry Xanthe for abusing your page

here's the link (her lj got taken down recently!) I found

http://archiveofourown.org/works/180242/chapters/264999

beware : long story that you won't be able to leave once started

[identity profile] zoryatwist.livejournal.com 2011-06-05 08:41 pm (UTC)(link)
you're welcome
say,... would you be so kind and tell me what you think of the story?
i was one of the late readers, so i didn't get to talk about it a lot,
i'd love to hear somebody elses opinion on it

[identity profile] taylorgibbs.livejournal.com 2011-06-06 03:06 am (UTC)(link)
Will do but it will be some time before I read it.

[identity profile] zoryatwist.livejournal.com 2011-06-05 08:41 pm (UTC)(link)
especially the famous taylorgibbs' opinion
;)
i'm an admirer of your work

[identity profile] taylorgibbs.livejournal.com 2011-06-06 03:08 am (UTC)(link)
LOl I dunno about famous but I do know that Xanthe's story was so amazing that this one will have to do a lot to wow me ;)

And thanks for your kind comments!

[identity profile] xanthelj.livejournal.com 2011-06-06 06:51 am (UTC)(link)
Thanks so much TG!