Her hands gripped the steering wheel as she maneuvered her car through the street. The rain pounded against the windshield and the wipers swished back and forth, shoving the water away with great fury. No matter how hard they swished, though the drops of rain would reappear in seconds, making it almost impossible to clearly see what was coming. That, combined with the fact that the dim headlights offered little light in the dark, wooded area, should have made Ziva decrease her speed; instead, she seemed urged on by them, as though trying to spite the rain and the darkness for obstructing her view.

"Ziva, baby, I really think you need to slow down." Tim was well accustomed to the woman's erratic driving, but she was taking it to an entirely new level. His heart was beating at a very uncomfortable rate as he watched the dark scenery fly by at light speed.

"Why?" she snapped. "I have driven in far worse conditions and came out of it without a scratch."

"Maybe I should drive," he suggested as he swallowed down the recently devoured dinner which was creeping its way up his esophagus. "You seem stressed…"

"Stressed?" she echoed irritably. "Why on earth would you think that?"

"You barely talked during dinner."

"Perhaps I am just quiet. Is that a crime, McGee?"

"Uh…no."

"Then why did you say it as though there was something wrong with me?"

He groaned and rested his head against the window. Tim wasn't sure what was bothering the Israeli woman, but this wasn't the time or place to get into an argument. "You just seemed preoccupied with something, that's all."

"So you think that I am some brainless dimbo, yes? If my mind is running then there must be something wrong?"

"That's not what I'm saying." He winced as the car made a tight turn, nearly running off the road in the process. "You just seemed different and I want to make sure everything was okay."

"Everything is fine, Timothy," she proclaimed in a very disingenuous tone. "My life is completely perfect. I live here and work at NCIS and date you. It is every woman's dream, yes?"

"Are you saying you don't want to date anymore?" he asked hesitantly. The two had been seeing each other for almost seven months and he couldn't be happier with the situation. Despite getting disapproving looks from Gibbs and getting teased by Tony, Tim felt he had found a wonderful companion in the Mossad Officer, especially on an intelligence level. He still felt nervous around her, not only because she could easily have him on the ground in a death grip if he said something to upset her, but because…well…she was Ziva! But he enjoyed her company nonetheless. She wasn't high maintenance and didn't expect things of him. Sure, he tried to turn the romance on now and then, but if he just wanted to veg out in his sweats with junk food and some sci-fi movie, Ziva was more than happy to veg out along side him. They had, of course, had their spats like any couple, but at the end of the argument, they would always find their way back to each other and apologies would be made.

Ziva glanced over to him and Tim saw a certain sorrow in them. Beyond that, he saw something he couldn't recall ever seeing in her eyes: fear. "No," she told him softly, "I am not saying that."

"So what's eating you?"

"Eating me?"

"What has you so upset?"

"I told you, I am not upset!" she yelled in frustration.

"Ziva, I can read you like a book. Something is bothering you and I want to help."

"Who says you can help?"

"Can't I try?"

She emitted a strangled squeal of anger and whipped her head to the side, leveling him with a dark glare. "Will you ever let up? I am fine and I do not need you to ride in and be my black knight!"

"Ziva!"

"Just let me be already!"

"ZIVA!" Tim shouted, pointing ahead. Through the sheet of rain which covered the windshield, he saw that the road was lending itself to a very sharp turn. At their speed, there was no way they would be able to make the turn without going off the road. They were going to crash; it was simply a question of how bad the damage would be when the impact happened.

Her eyes widened as she slammed her foot against the break. The car squealed and skidded along the road. She managed to turn the car, but due to the high speed, the car whipped around a full 180 degrees and the back tires slid off the road, heading straight into a grouping of trees.

The crash occurred with a deafening crash, matched in volume only by their screams. The sound would have been quite a fright to hear…if anyone had been in earshot of it.


AN: This was something I wrote for the fabulous EmyPink as a thank you for her awesome artistic skills. The story is already finished and I will post one chapter per day!