After school let out for the summer I decided to go through my computer and finish the unfinished stories and start getting them moved over to the “Look how much crap I have written” Disk. I opened the NCIS folder, having decided to start there and realized I had six unfinished stories. All of them were AUs in the sense that Kate Todd never dies in my stories (except in the Doom Fic, which she actually only dies for a few minutes) but I wondered if I should actually call them AUs. For examples, I shall list the summaries of these WIPs.
1. Dirty Deeds
Basically I’m writing a cliché. Kate and Tony have a one-night stand the night before his wedding to Bianca (an OC). Much angst is held because Tony is confused, Kate feels guilt and confusion, Abby and the rest of the gang are wondering why the hell Tony is getting married and Bianca has issues of her own. AU because Kate is alive and Tony is actually getting married, but still staying close to canon.
2. As the World Falls Down
Kate & Tony (are you getting my ship for this fandom yet?) babysit Tony’s half-sister. Kate has a strange dream inspired by Labyrinth and decides to make a move on Tony. It starts off as a fluffy one-shot but Abby & Tim wanted their turn. So its more. AU Kate but stays close to canon
3. The Christmas AU 1
Tony and Kate spend Christmas together during the great Snow-in. Canon AU
4. The Christmas AU 2
Jen, Kate and Ziva own a book store. Ari is a patient at a mental facility where he is watched over by Dr. Leon Vance. Ducky runs a clinic with Gerald and Jimmy, Paula Cassidy a jewelry store, Cassie Yates a drug store, Tony a movie rental place and Abby a computer repair center. Tim is a writer known for spending time at the book store. I forget what I have Gibbs doing. AU AU
5. Untitled
Tony decides to take a job in LA for a few months to put distance between himself and Kate. This is how She realizes how much Tony actually does within the group dynamic. AU season 3
6. The One with a Casino
Jen owns a casino. Ari wants her casino, so he sends his best man Peter to try and blackmail and otherwise terrorize a stubborn Jen out of the casino. Kate is a PI (partnered with Tony) and comes to work undercover to catch Ari & Peter in the act. Gibbs is Jen’s wealthy but retired boyfriend, Ducky and Jimmy bartenders, Ziva is head of security, and McGee is a frequent customer to the table where Abby is the dealer.
There is more (including, I think, a McAbby ficlet) but I will stop there. Especially since this is supposed to be a reading/writing original fic journal. But the point is most of those stick to canon in the sense that they have the same missions, the same things happen to people, but its altered slightly by the fact that Kate (and at times Jen) lived to see another season. But then I also have the Casino and Bookshop fics. If its AU to have Kate alive, what do I call fics where its not even in the same setting as the original product.
What if I have Rodney and John as professors at Atlantis University instead of who they are on the show? Do I call that Au or do I have another label for it. Or what if I write a fic where Vala never got off the Prometheus the first time?
So what I am asking my few readers is How do you define an AU and whats canon fic.
Sokorra Lewis 