This story was written for keepcalmandshiptiva over on Tumblr. Set in the aftermath of 9x24 and 10x01. So possible spoilers ahead.

Tony/Ziva centric.

After being trapped in that elevator for almost six hours, they finally awaken. But what lies ahead for our troubled duo and their team members?


The settled debris surrounds them, making them appear so much smaller in the confined space.

Several parts of the elevator top lay scattered on and around them, giving them a dusky grey-esque look.

She was the first to wake up. Her head throbbed from the force of the drop she and her partner had endured earlier. She slowly lifted her head and blinked several times to look around the elevator. It was dark. So very dark. She could make out little lighting under what she guessed was the elevator doors. Not all lights out then, she thought. She attempted to turn her head once more, laying it across her partner's arm.

She felt around his head and neck for any serious wounds. Her breath hitched in her throat when she felt something wet in the back of his hair. Blood.

She pushed aside the stabbing sensation in her side, and attempted to wake him up. It took several minutes of patting and lightly shaking his shoulder and weakly calling his name for him to wake up.

"Tony?"

He groaned deep in his throat, and clenched his eyes shut. That must hurt.

"Ouch!"

Ziva felt a familiar tug in her chest at seeing her partner in pain, and she slowly removed her hand from the back of his head. That clearly does not help.

"I think you have a concussion."

"I never would've guessed, David." He turns his head in her direction and instinctively presses against her side where his hand still lays. She hisses slightly in pain, but makes no move to remove his hand. He notices though.

"Seems like you're in pain too."

"It is nothing I can't handle."

He can vaguely see her expression in the dark, but the little light travelling under the door does help. He can just make out a heavy crease in her forehead. She's in pain. He instantly removes his hand from her waist, in fear of hurting her more. "I am fine, Tony."

He attempts to shake his head, forgetting about his concussion, then realising after the pain increased.

"Stop moving." He wonders how she could see him do that in the dark, but chooses not to question it.

"We have to get out of here."

He feels her nod gently and deliberately slowly against his arm. "Can you get up though?"

"Can you?" In all honesty, he's not sure he can, not without support at least. He wouldn't ask that of her. No, she's injured too.

"Yes." Of course she can. She's not going to admit defeat, even if he felt like doing so.

"Do you know which floor we're closest too?"

She lifts her head off of his arm, and attempts to look through the small crack in front of them, where light is tunnelling through. She really doesn't know, but she's not giving up hope.

"Possibly outside Abby's lab."

"How certain?"

"60." He's not exactly thrilled, but supposes its better than nothing.

"I wonder how long we've been here."

She's wondering the same thing. It seems like days. "Possibly a few hours. We cannot estimate."

"I wonder who survived."

They take in a sharp breath simultaneously, and shiver at the thought of their team members not making it.

"Here is hoping, they are all alive."


It's a while later that the idle chatter Tony and Ziva engaged themselves in to keep the other awake, stops. They hear voices above them, shouting for survivors in the rubble.

Ziva is the first to shout out for them, before Tony weakly joins in. Its fire fighters. Obviously here to clear the building, they think.

They manage to pry the doors open, and the partners instinctively close their eyes and clench their hands tighter together. When they next open their eyes, they see that the elevator stopped half way before hitting the ground on the floor of Abby's lab. Good estimate, he thinks.

The voices of the fire fighters are a blur to the partners. After an intense half hour of coaxing on both the fire fighters and Tony's part, Ziva was eventually pried from his arms and pulled out of the elevator. Tony was pulled out not much later, and they were sent outside with blankets to keep them warm.

The outside of the building is destroyed near the lab. Burnt. Crisp. Broken. Ziva instinctively pressed her head to her partners shoulder. "That's our home."

Tony swallowed the lump in his throat, and curled his arm around her. "I know."

"I cannot believe it's gone." He feels her pain, and wants to comfort her so badly, and she feels his hesitancy when he kisses her forehead. It's an added comfort, but not much.


The non-stop questions they ask the other cops and other agents, is of no use. They won't say anything. It's not until they are shipped to Bethesda together to get checked over, do they see their co-workers.

Abby is pacing ferociously up and down the visitors ward, and Gibbs is silently letting her vent. Tony and Ziva are confused, but choose not to question them. It'll only cause a headache.

Gibbs is the first to notice them. "DiNozzo. Ziva. You two okay?"

"Minor cuts and bruises. And Tony has a mild concussion." Their Boss merely nods, and sits back again. Abby still hasn't stopped pacing, and Tony and Ziva's concerns begin to grow.

That's when they notice; "Where is McGee?"


A/N: Will possibly have another two chapters to put up soon.