Desert Rose II

AN: For my loyal fans. You asked, I delivered! If you have not read Desert Rose one then this will be a little confusing, I would suggest reading that, very carefully, first.

Ziva's eyes widened as she looked at Gibbs, "He's gone?" Gibbs rubbed a hand down his tired face, looking down at Ziva, her head hovered above his arm, and he grumbled to himself for waking her. Saying nothing he gently guided her head back down wrapping an arm carefully around her waist. She twisted, resting into him, her mind was going a mile a minute. She felt her hair shift as Gibbs lips touched her scalp, she closed her eyes, a small tear escaping.

"No rest for the wicked, yes Gibbs?" Ziva whispered and she felt Gibbs chest rumble behind her in a chuckle.

"Sleep now, kill dirt bags later." Gibbs pulled the covers up higher on the two of them and settled in. Ziva sighed deeply and forced her eyes closed, her body was tense, so she focused on Gibbs breathing behind her, in, out…in, out, Ziva felt her face start to relax, her body and mind were refusing to cooperate, finally her body won out and her mind relented and she fell into a merciful dreamless sleep.

Gibbs however, laid awake, his mind reeling, how did that bastard escape? He had seen Akiva cut off his hand with his own eyes, had it all been a game? He needed answers, he needed coffee, but more importantly, Ziva needed him.

Around six o'clock Gibbs couldn't lie there anymore, he gently extracted himself from Ziva's still resting form, slowly and quietly, he made his way downstairs, he suppressed a laugh when he went to his living room. Tony had fallen off the couch sometime in the middle of the night, and was now laying sprawled out, face down in Gibbs' carpet; the blanket laying haphazardly over his body. Gibbs shook his head and crept past him, into his kitchen to his waiting coffee pot. Gibbs tapped his fingers impatiently waiting for the pot to fill; he looked around his old house, his mind turning. He could not remember a time when every member of team Gibbs had been under his roof at the same time, he found that thought comforting, knowing that each one of them were safe and well out of harm's way. Well, except for one, the new adopted member of team Gibbs was a few states away, he knew it was too early to call and get a SITREP on the situation. He decided instead on rousing his team, so that they could catch the son of a bitch once and for all. He was tired of watching Ziva suffer in the shadow of her father, it was time he ended it. Now.

Gibbs poured a cup of coffee, putting a ridiculous amount of sugar in it and headed back out into the living room, he placed the warm mug on the floor by the sleeping man's nose. Tony stirred and smiled reaching blindly for the mug. He mumbled something close to, "Morning Boss", as Gibbs headed down the stairs to the basement. Unsurprisingly, McGee and Abby had shifted during the night as well, although Abby was still holding Tim, they were lying spooned against each other in the small space of the, still to be finished, boat. Gibbs noted the two empty bowls on his workbench before making his way behind Abby. He bent down talking softly in her ear, "Abby. Your computers on fire." Abby jumped up, just barely missing a cross beam, her sleep filled eyes scanning her surroundings, finally meeting eyes with Gibbs. Abby gave him a sleepy smile and rubbed at her eyes. Gibbs stood heading back up the stairs, "Wake Tim we have work to do." The door shut signaling his absence from the room. Abby smiled then looked back at the man still sleeping next to her. Abby brushed her hand down his cheek, whispering in his ear. "Timmy, Don't be mad, but I think I broke your iPhone." McGee jumped slightly hitting his head on one of the cross beams before turning to look at Abby. She was trying her best not to laugh but she couldn't hold it in as she looked at his fearful face.

"Where's my phone?"

"It's fine, Boss man says we have work to do." McGee groaned and rubbed the, now sore, spot on his head giving Abby a playful glare. She in turn smiled big and pulled herself down from the boat.

Gibbs sat down at his kitchen table with his coffee, Tony shuffled in a few minutes later, looking a little worse for wear, he plopped down in the old chair causing it to creak in protest. After a few moments, Tony looked up into his boss's eyes.

"What's going on Boss?"

Gibbs took a drink from his cup looking down at his hands, "Oren escaped."

"What?" Tony yelped, wincing at his own voice, in the quiet of the morning, "We-we need to find him!"

"You don't think I know that DiNozzo?" Gibbs voice was harsher than he intended, but in his defense, he wasn't in the best of moods either, lack of sleep and coffee taking its toll on the weathered Marine.

Tony looked down at his coffee, officially reprimanded, "What should we do?"

"What we always do DiNozzo, we follow the evidence." Gibbs took the last sip of his first cup of coffee, standing as Abby and Tim made their way into the kitchen, also shuffling their sleep filled bodies. Abby opened Gibbs' fridge pulling out a redbull she had stashed in there a long time ago, it wasn't Caffpow but it would just have to do. McGee lumbered over to the coffee pot waiting for Gibbs to finish, soon enough Gibbs stepped aside allowing McGee access to the black gold. Gibbs took his original seat taking another big gulp.

"All the evidence was taken to NCIS by Henderson's team, everything should be waiting for us when we return, the case is still officially ours. " The team nodded and looked around at each other.

"What about Oren, I mean, I thought Akiva killed him."

Gibbs looked at Tony taking a breath, "She cut off his hand when he aimed a gun at her, she must of thought that when he passed out from blood loss, he would stay that way until he died."

McGee looked over his coffee cup chin resting on his hand, "Or she played us."

End Chapter.

AN: Tell me, did you like Akiva's character? Should she return? Do you like it?