Tony's phone rang just as the bar erupted in cheers at the touchdown that had just taken place. He cheered along with them before answering the call without checking the number.

"Yeah, DiNozzo." He heard the decidedly female sniff of his partner and immediately put a finger in his other ear and turned up the volume on his cell to try and hear her better. "Zi?"

"Tony." She gulped, tears evident in her tone. "Am I interrupting?"

"No." He lied even as the bar erupted again. "Of course you aren't. What's up?" The concern lacing his words had attracted his best friend from his college days, Jake's attention.

"Dude, you're missing the game." Tony waved a hand at him in an attempt to shut him up.

"I am, you are busy, I will call someone else."

"No, Zi, it's okay." He assured her quickly before she could even think about hanging up. "What is it?" She swallowed her tears loud enough for him to hear and his heart started sinking. "Darling, what's wrong?"

"Can you, come pick me up, please?" She asked before dissolving into tears. Even before she'd finished speaking Tony was grabbing his coat and keys from the bar and clapping Jake's shoulder as he ran out towards his car, leaving behind the questions and disbelief from Jake and the cheers from the rest of the bar. He quickly unlocked the car and threw his stuff onto the passenger seat.

"Of course, where are you?" He heard her sniff again. "Ziva?" He asked gently. "Where are you Sweetheart?"

"The Emergency Department of Walter Reed." The bottom dropped out of Tony's stomach and he hurriedly started his car and pulled out, only pausing momentarily to switch hands and put on his seat belt.

"What happened?" She sniffed again and Tony put his foot down to make a light he usually wouldn't have risked.

"I, I will explain when you get here." Tony sighed, already knowing he wouldn't like the story.

"Zi, please. Just tell me."

"I will, I promise. But not now, not over the phone, I just, I just need to see you." Tony floored his accelerator, ignoring the choir of blaring horns and yelled expletives as he ran a red light.

"I'm coming Zi, just hold on. I won't be long. I'm gonna hang up so I can concentrate on getting to you faster, you gonna be okay?" She sniffed once more.

"Mhmm, you won't be long, right?" The vulnerability in her tone made him want to embrace her and never let her go.

"I won't be long." He confirmed. Ziva hung up the phone and Tony threw his over his shoulder and onto the back seat before pushing his car as fast as it would go.

Tony threw his car into a space and sprinted straight to the reception desk.

"Um, yes hi, um, Ziva David, please?" The young woman took one look at the worry and fear in his eyes and nodded before turning to face her computer.

"Yes, she was brought in about an hour ago. Just through there, I'll buzz you through." He thanked her and took off in the direction she'd told him. Once through the door, his eyes were immediately drawn to the scarily small figure that was his partner. He quickly closed the gap between him and her bed and gently ran a hand across her forehead and down into her hair. She smiled up at him sadly.

"Hey, Ninja, I'm here, what happened?" He wiped at her tear that had escaped as he spoke to her softly before sitting on the edge of her bed.

"I, I was on my home. My date went disastrously, I'm sure you are happy to hear." Tony shook his head; right now he'd have been much happier to hear that she'd fallen in love with the guy and they were running off into the sunset together, so long as it took that horrible sadness out of her eyes.

"Don't be silly." She scoffed gently before looking down at her hands.

"He had gotten a little, angry I guess is the best way to describe it, that I was going to leave and he very publicly told me what he thought of me." Tony shook his head in disgust at the nameless, faceless man. "I took off. I did not want to be around him any more. I was even keeping to the speed limit." Tony scoffed playfully but dropped the act when Ziva turned those big sad eyes on him. "The doctor's said if I hadn't…" Her voice trembled. "We wouldn't be having this conversation right now." He took her hand in his and held it tight, not wanting to entertain that idea even momentarily.

"You, crashed, I take it?" She nodded slowly.

"Drunk driver swerved onto the wrong side of the road, my reactions weren't quick enough. I didn't see him." Tony's grip on her hand became slightly more possessive. "Head on collision." He gulped and pressed a kiss to her forehead before resting his on hers.

"How bad?" He murmured.

"Nothing broken, shockingly. Bruised ribs, a mild concussion, cuts and scrapes from my windshield exploding on impact. I had to have five stitches on one cut on my chest. Not to mention the nice angry bruise across my torso where my seatbelt did its job." She chuckled humourlessly. "I am just a little, shaken up, yes?" He nodded against her.

"What can I do?" He sighed and he felt her tremble.

"Maybe, hold me? Just for a little while?" If she hadn't been lying in front of him as she said it, he could've sworn someone twenty years younger had asked the question. He helped her sit up before pulling her into his arms and holding her gently enough to not hurt her but still firmly enough to make her feel the safety she needed.

"Are you…?" He cleared his throat several minutes later, coming down slowly from the emotional rollercoaster she'd put him on. "Are you free to go? You've been discharged?"

"Yes. Can we, can we just go home please?" He nodded before standing and helping her out of the bed. He slung an arm low around her waist and gently helped her out to his car, only pausing to thank the receptionist again.

He pulled up at her building and was quick to open her door for her. She smiled, the sadness still present in her eyes, and accepted the hand he presented to help her out of the car. She winced as the transition from seated to standing jarred her ribs.

"You okay?" Tony asked, concern dripping from his words. She nodded painfully and Tony quickly took the initiative. "This is gonna hurt, okay, but hopefully less than you trying to make it up the stairs." He slowly bent and slid his arm behind her knees while the other came up behind her back. She took the hint and locked her arms around his neck. She winced while he got her adjusted in his arms before promptly leaning into his shoulder and, for all intents and purposes, passing out.

"Okay Ninja." He murmured into her ear while he somehow managed to unlock, open, close and re-lock her door without so much as jolting her. "I'm gonna lay you down on the couch now okay?" She gave him no response. Slowly, trying not to panic about her silence and to neither drop her nor jar her injuries, he knelt beside the couch and laid her down before carefully untangling her arms from his neck. She mumbled something incoherent and he smiled. "I'll be right back Zi, don't worry, I'm not going far." He made his way to her kitchen and quickly made himself at home. Ten minutes later, he's sat beside her, placing the biggest mug she owns full of hot chocolate and a sandwich on the coffee table in front of them. He tilted his head to face her properly before slipping off the couch to kneel beside it. He carefully tucked a loose curl behind her ear and rested his hand on the back of her head. "Zi?" He prompted softly. "Ziva, time to get up now Sweet-Cheeks." She scrunched up her nose in such a way that he finds adorable, not that he'd ever voice that opinion, before her eyelids slowly fluttered open.

"Hi." She whispered sleepily. Tony smiled and gently stroked her cheek with his thumb.

"Hey, how you feeling?"

"Sore." She admitted quietly, the honesty of her answer doesn't escape him. She winced as she tried to sit up slightly. He quickly grabbed a cushion from the other end of the sofa and helped to prop her up.

"I'm not surprised Zi. You know where you are?" Confusion marred her features for a moment while she looked round and gathered her bearings.

"How did we get up to my apartment, have I just forgotten walking up here?" Tony chuckled, passing her the mug.

"Drink. No, I, uhh, I carried you up from my car." She sipped her drink and hummed in satisfaction. "Good?" She nodded slowly, sipping more. "I uhh, made you a sandwich as well, figured seeing as you left midway through your date you may not have eaten, plus you'll need to eat as the shock wears off." She tilted her head to the side. "What?"

"Nothing, just, you carried me, from your car, up three flights of stairs." The incredulity in her voice makes him rub the back of his neck self-consciously.

"It's not that bad, it's not like you're heavy or anything." She smiled at him gently.

"And, while I was passed out on my couch, you made me hot chocolate and food."

"Should I not have?" Tony asked confusedly. She shook her head quickly.

"I only mean that I interrupted your night and you are still being so good to me." Tony scoffed.

"You were publicly humiliated and involved in a head on collision in the space of an hour Zi. Do I really strike you as so much of a bastard that I wouldn't be good to you right now?" She shook her head with a smile.

"No. I just, thank you." She finally settled on. "Just, thank you." He smiled before taking the mug out of her hands and replacing it with the plate.

"You're welcome. Now, eat. I'm gonna phone Jake so he knows I didn't just abandon him, you gonna be okay?" She nodded. "Good girl." He pressed a kiss to the top of her head before going into the kitchen to make the call.

"Hey, Jake." Tony started, noting that the bar seemed to have died down.

"Tony? What just happened? 'Cause I know you didn't just walk out of a bar in the middle of a game." Tony laughed gently.

"Yeah, I did."

"Why?" Tony sighed before leaning around the door frame to watch the back of Ziva's head. She seemed to be eating. He smiled.

"A friend of mine was in a smash up, drunk driver, she needed someone to pick her up from the ER." Jake scoffed.

"This 'friend' wouldn't happen to be the famous Ziva, would it?" Tony smiled to himself. He was more than slightly aware of how much he talked about her when he was with his college buddies.

"Yeah, Jake. It was Ziva." He laughed down the line for a moment before sobering up.

"Is she okay?" Tony smiled.

"Bruised ribs, couple of stitches, she's mostly just really shaken up." Jake sighed.

"I hope she gets better soon mate. Send her my best wishes yeah?"

"Yeah, I will. Listen it's just…"

"You wanna get back to her?" Tony smiled at his own predictability.

"I don't like the thought of leaving her alone."

"You missed a good game for her; I hope she's worth it." A truly shy grin spread across his face.

"There will be other games, there's only one her." Jake whistled.

"You've got it bad. Okay, I'll let you get back to her. See you soon."

"Yeah, thanks Jake." Tony hung up the phone, put it back in his pocket and quickly returned to Ziva's side.

"I am sorry." She murmured gently as he knelt beside her again.

"Why?" He asked curiously, taking note that she'd finished her drink and half her sandwich.

"You left a game to come and pick me up. You should have told me, I would've phoned Gibbs, or Abby." He shook his head and stroked her arm gently.

"You are more important Miss David and don't you ever forget it. I can catch a game with Jake any time." She sighed. He crossed his legs and faced her more fully.

"What's on your mind?"

"I just cannot believe I didn't see him. My reactions should have been faster." She shook her head at herself. Tony very carefully sat on the edge of the couch and, after some careful manoeuvring, slid back and let Ziva rest her head on his lap as she turned to face him. He rested a gentle hand on the base of her back while the other smoothed her hair.

"You can't predict everything Ninja, no matter how hard you try." She sighed before snuggling deeper into his warm embrace. "You want me to stay here tonight?"

"Only if it is no trouble?" She asked quietly, her vulnerability from earlier coating her voice again.

"You, Miss David, are never any trouble, you hear me?"

"Mhmm." She answered, drifting back into sleep.

"Try to get some rest." She nodded against him.

"Thank you Tony. You are my best friend." He smiled.

"You're mine too. Goodnight Ziva."

"Goodnight Tony."