Title: Dismantle/Repair
Author: WtUnite [Chedders/Jess]
Rating: T
Pairing: Gibbs/Ziva
Status: 1/13
Category/Warnings: Established Romance, Angst, Hurt/Comfort
Spoilers: General Spoilers for all 7 seasons, roughly.
Summary: Ziva and Gibbs deal with a traumatic incident, only to rebuild a life together.
A/N: Something other than RI, aren't you guys surprised? We're been working on this since we last posted an update to The Unwinding Cable Car. We wanted a break from Rizzoli & Isles and decided to branch out into other couples. Slightly OOC at times because we've never written this couple, and because the whole concept is somewhat AU. Please enjoy.

"Ziva-"

Even at such an early hour, the slight exasperation crept into Gibbs' voice as he slowly started to wake up and reach for the covers that his lover was hogging. It was something he was used to, but no matter how many comforters he put on his bed, they always managed to end up on the assassin's side of the bed. It wouldn't be such a problem if it wasn't the beginning of winter, but it was, and that meant the bedroom was freezing, even with the heat on.

There was no gentle transition from sleep to wakefulness for the Israeli woman. Without opening her eyes Ziva rolled closer to Gibbs. She might be awake but today she felt no desire to get up to take the two mile run that she always did when staying at Gibbs' house. She hadn't been feeling well the past few days but that was no reason to slack off. Ziva would take her run, in a little while later.

Wrapping his arms around the tanned beauty, the NCIS Special Agent allowed himself to relax again. He always managed to sleep a little easier with the brunette woman in his bed. Pressing a quick kiss to the top of her head, he tightened his arms gently as he soaked up her warmth. "You feelin' okay?" he asked after she didn't try to pull away. This was usually the time of day that she took her run while he got up and worked in the basement until she came back. It was a steady routine, most of the time.

"I am fine." Slight exhaustion and lower back pain were nothing compared to the laundry list of injuries in her shadowy past. With a deep sigh she sat up and swung her legs over the side of the bed to pull on discarded sweats from last night. "I am going to run," she announced pulling on a sweatshirt, it was cold enough that she would need to grab her coat when she went downstairs.

Reaching over the recently vacated side of the bed, Gibbs pulled Ziva back down for a quick kiss before he released her, moving to get his own sweat pants and long sleeved shirt for his work in the basement. The run never took long, and by the time she got back there would be coffee and breakfast waiting for her while he showered up. They were almost like a well oiled machine after so many months of being together. Glancing over at Ziva, he offered a half smile as he grabbed the gloves from the top of the dresser and tossed them over to her before heading out of his bedroom and down the stairs to the kitchen.

Not half a mile in to her run Ziva felt a stitch in her side. Half a mile was too early to feel the stitch but Ziva finished her run, if slightly slower and panting a bit. Stepping back inside Gibbs' house Ziva noted, with some displeasure, that she was running late if she was going to go to her apartment for clean work clothes. Heading up to the bathroom Ziva found Gibbs getting out of the shower, a towel wrapped around his waist.

"I have to leave now, or I will be late," Ziva drawled, letting her eyes rake over his exposed skin that contrasted so nicely with hers while in bed.

Glancing over at Ziva, Gibbs nodded his head in agreement. The half smirk that had originally been on his face was replaced with silent concern as he looked her over. "I can drive you." he offered after a moment. She really didn't look like herself and it almost had him worried. Almost. He trusted her to tell him if something was wrong. Reaching out, he tugged her to his chest, leaning down to press a kiss to her forehead and then her lips with a light smile.

"I have to go," Ziva said with a smile. "I have a terrible boss who will yell at me if I am late." Pressing her lips against his exposed shoulder Ziva inhaled Gibbs's scent. Wood and bourbon laced with the clean scent of soap as she kissed him goodbye. "I will see you at work.

Going through her routine as quickly as possible Ziva managed to make it to the Navy Yard before the rest of the team, however without coffee. She did not need the caffeine fix, or anything to take a couple hastily popped pain pills with.

Arriving right behind the brunette, Gibbs deposited a coffee cup on the top of her desk before he moved to take a seat at his own. They had a few minutes to themselves before everyone else arrived. Drinking his coffee silently, he kept glancing over at the other desk, trying to decide if he should be worried or not. He wasn't one to worry about Ziva on most days. She handled herself well enough, most of the time. Sometimes she did stupid things, but he trusted her with his back and so much more. Even if they were keeping their relationship quiet, it still meant a lot to him.

"You okay?"

Soaking in the warmth of the coffee through the cup Ziva simply answered, "I am fine Gibbs." Before she said anything else Tony and McGee entered the bullpen to continue working on their case. It was the same answer that she gave when Gibbs enquired again, this time after a quick firefight. However, this time was a little further from the truth.

The pain had radiated outward from her side to encompass both her back and abdomen now. It was not unbearable, she could work around it. And Ziva was about to say as much when Tony interjected.

"You're bleeding!"

Gibbs was at her side in an instant, checking for any obvious wounds. His blue eyes were dark as he took in the expression on her face. She looked anything but alright and now he was worried. Stepping closer to her, Gibbs lowered his head to whisper into her ear. "I'm right here. So just relax." she was too tense. Turning to Tony and Tim, he barked out the orders for an ambulance and a call to Ducky. She was in pain and he was going to do whatever it took to fix it.

The words 'I'm fine' froze in her throat at the sight of the spreading stain on her pants. She had been shot, stabbed and tortured but this was different. She felt light headed but she wasn't one to admit weakness freely. She waved off the offers of assistance and wrapped an arm around her abdomen when another wave of pain rushed over her.

Pulling her closer still, Gibbs ordered the others to different jobs. He watched them leave before his blue eyes turned back to Ziva. Pressing a gentle hand over her arm, he kept his other wrapped around her shoulders. "How bad does it hurt?" he asked softly, not wanting to be overheard. He wanted the truth from her. She was already starting to look a little pale.

"It's not that bad," she lied, stifling a moan. Both Ducky and an ambulance arrived at the same time, with just enough time for the Medical Examiner to begin a tirade. But for once Ducky didn't saving his empathy for the matter at hand.

than an arm's length away from her. His blue eyes never left her face, even when Ducky tried to get his attention. He wanted to know what the problem was and he wanted to know now. Intimidating the EMTs wasn't the best route however. He didn't know anything other than the obvious fact that she was bleeding.

Ziva did her best to answer the questions that were posed to her, giving up the pretense that nothing was wrong. How long had she been in pain "Three days." How long had she been bleeding? "No idea." Could she be pregnant? "No, I take birth control." The paramedic looked at her and simply said nothing.

Gibbs stepped forward, shielding her with his body from the eyes of Tony and Tim. Resting his hands on her shoulders, he silently offered his support, unable to say anything in front of the others. "I'll ride with you," he offered instead, wanting to say more but stopping himself. Now was not the place or time.

At the hospital Ziva was seen by an OB Resident who confirmed the diagnosis of a miscarriage. The news hit her like a bullet even as she was informed that taking birth control at different times of day decreased its effectiveness. She wasn't sure how to feel as she was told that her case was borderline on whether to have a D & C or waiting for the miscarriage to run its own course.

Gibbs waited patiently outside of her hospital room, doing his best not to pace. He had sent Tony and Tim back to NCIS to continue working on the case and inform Vance of the issue. As the minutes ticked by slowly with no word, the worry and the blame started to pile up. He should've known that something was wrong with her, but instead he had ignored all of the signs.

Declining all forms of counseling Ziva chose an evacuation, it would get her back to work soonest. She also asked a nurse to go get Gibbs, she described him by his 'silver hair and a scowl.'

Gibbs immediately looked at the door when it opened, scowling at the nurse. A look of recognition appeared in her eyes before she ushered him into Ziva's room. Once he heard the door shut behind the nurse, his eyes locked onto the brunette's as he crossed the floor to her bedside. Reaching out, he grabbed her hand and laced their fingers together.

Ziva squeezed Gibbs' hand but didn't look at him. She kept her eyes closed and her head against the pillow. "A miscarriage," she said almost incredulously. Soon a doctor would be in for the operation, as local anesthetics had so little effect on her.

The surprise on his face was quick to disappear, but his blue eyes remained dark. Holding her hand tightly, Gibbs leaned down and rested his forehead against hers for a moment. This was the last thing he had expected, but for once he didn't pull away because it was getting hard. "Do you want me to stay?" he asked after a moment, pulling back far enough to look her in the eye.

"Please stay," Ziva whispered, in this moment she showed every ounce of her vulnerability. She neither knew how she felt about this nor how to process it but she knew one thing. She needed Gibbs. If asked she would deny it but she needed Gibbs there with her.

Without saying a word, Gibbs perched himself on the edge of her bed and held her hand tightly in his own. He used his free hand to find his cell phone, pressing number six on his speed dial to call Vance. The Special Agent quickly informed the Director of NCIS that neither of them would be back in the office for the rest of the day, hanging up before anything else could be said. His thumb stroked the back of her hand in a soothing manner, replacing the words he really couldn't find at the moment.

"Do I even apologize?" she asked in a failed attempt at brushing this off with humor. But there was not humor in her eyes or voice. "I had no idea." The thought of being pregnant hadn't occurred to Ziva, even as an explanation for the pain the past few days.

When the doctor entered the procedure room and looked hesitant about allowing Gibbs to stay, Ziva cut in saying, "I want him here."

He held her hand just a little tighter as he stared the doctor down, waiting until the other man looked away before he dropped his gaze back down to Ziva. Even if she wasn't going to admit it, he knew that she was scared. Hell, even he was just a little bit. Gibbs had never expected this to happen. The thought of the brunette getting pregnant had never occurred to him because they were always so careful. Now, he knew differently, and he would do everything in his power to fix it.

Leaning down, he pressed his lips against hers in a gentle kiss that lasted for only a moment before he was pulling away. There was so much he wanted to say, but in the end all that came out was, "I'm here."

Ziva kissed Gibbs back and watched the doctor insert the IV that would put her under conscious sedation. "I know you are," Ziva said, grasping Gibbs' hand in hers. She felt the anesthesia sliding in to her veins, slightly sedating her and removing the last traces of pain.

Gibbs only allowed himself to relax when all of the pain had disappeared from her face, reassuring him that she was alright for the moment. Turning his eyes to the doctor, he watched every move the other man made, feeling his own body tense when it all started to hit home. Ziva had had a miscarriage. His child. He could have been a father again. Thoughts of Kelly assaulted him for a moment and he held onto the Israeli woman's hand a little tighter.

"Ziva-"

Lost in her slight fog Ziva remembered why she hated doctors. She had almost no control over her reactions. She was in no position to do much of anything, and wouldn't be until the anesthesia wore off.

It was a few hours later when Ziva began to feel in control of her reactions and thoughts. Still dazed she groped around for Gibbs' hand. "Gibbs?" she murmured, everything coming back to her like sand in to an hourglass.

"Right here," the gruff voice was soft as a calloused hand grabbed her own. Gibbs was sitting in a hard chair beside her bed, keeping watch as he had been for hours. Watching the procedure had drained his energy, if only because he knew that even if Ziva wasn't feeling it now, she would be later. The fact that she had managed to sleep, even if it was a drug induced one, had made him relax a little. He had placed another call, this time to Ducky, to inform the Scotsman of her well being. He was like a grandfather to most of the team, and Gibbs knew that he cared.

"You feelin' okay?" he asked after a moment. It was a stupid question, but if she was hurting in anyway, he was going to make sure she had some pain medicine.

It took her a moment to assess. "No. Maybe." She wasn't sure of very much right now. The dull throbbing in her abdomen was the only remaining clue to what had happened in the last few hours. She was grasping at straws and trying to regain control that she had lost. "I have no idea," she muttered, forcing her eyes open.

Nodding his head, even though she wasn't looking at him, he leaned forward and brushed some hair out of her eyes with his free hand. His lips pressed gently against her own for a soft kiss which ended way too fast. He just wanted to get her out of the hospital and take her home because he knew how much she disliked being in places like this. Stroking the back of her hand with his thumb, Gibbs tried to find the right words to say to her, but nothing felt right. Not really. Instead, he pressed his lips against her temple in a lingering kiss.