Disclaimer: The characters and all that are not mine.. yada yada, blah-de-blah. You know the drill.

Author's Note: Okay, the story isn't in first person, haha. Just little quotes at some points will be. This is for a friend of mine that passed away a few days ago. We didn't have the greatest last day together.. this is about having a second chance to say things you wished you could have.

Second Chances:

Someone once told me, fate was something that couldn't be changed. But I learned something different, from someone who is very important. That fate is what you make it, because your choices in life make your fate. My partner, Ziva David told me that, maybe that was why she told me she wasn't mad anymore, right before I saw her fall.

()Earlier that day()

Tony DiNozzo grinned at his partner as they picked up their bags. "Come on Zee-vah," he teased, drawing her name out purposely. "This is gonna be fun, you and me, and the great outdoors."

Ziva narrowed her eyes at her partner and then proceeded to put her gun in the holster on her waist. "Yes Tony," she replied. "You and me, and the rest of the team," she said with a smirk. "Almost seems, romantic, yes?"

McGee coughed to supress the laugh.

Tony bit his tongue and said nothing in response. Ziva, one. Tony, zero. She was already beating him and the day had just started.

Gibbs glanced around. "Go home, pack some clothes," he told them all. "Looks like we're going camping."

Ziva looked confused. "We are, camping?" she asked.

Tony grinned at took Ziva by the arm, leading her to the elevator. "Yeah Zee-vah," he told her. "You know, hiking, roasting marshmallows over a fire, sleeping in a tent," he told her as they got on the elevator. He grinned again and leant down, whispering in her ear. "Sex in the lake with yours truly."

Gibbs raised an eyebrow up at seeing the look that came upon Ziva's face, mostly shock, as he saw her punch Tony in the gut right as the doors closed. He had to smirk as he shook his head. Those two were a one-of-a-kind team.

()()()

Ziva sat in the passenger's seat. As she looked ahead she saw the car with Gibbs, McGee, and if any of them were injured Ducky was also in the car with them. Emergency medical care, who could ask for more, she thought with sarcasm. This wasn't her idea of fun, that was for sure. She hated camping. Why did people sleep outdoors if it wasn't necessary to survive?

Tony glanced at his partner. She looked like she was having a fight with herself. But the look of downright annoyance she had with the idea of camping was just too amusing, and to be honest, she was pretty cute when she was annoyed. His favorite face was when she was just plain baffled. Wait.. when did he get a favorite face?

Ziva felt the eyes on her and turned to look at Tony. "Would it not be safer to be looking at the road, Tony?" she asked.

Tony grinned before looking forward. She was getting snippy now. She clearly did hate to camp. "We could always play a game."

Ziva rolled her eyes. "I am not playing punch buggy," she told him. "One, I hated that game after Abby made me play. Two, there are no other cars on this road besides ours."

"I wasn't going to say punch buggy," he told her. "How about, I Spy?"

Ziva stared at him.

Tony had to try not to smile even more when that look of bafflement crossed her features once more. "Okay, it goes like this, you look around, find something you see, and you say the color," he explained. "For example, I spy something.. grey."

Ziva rolled her eyes. "The dashboard."

Tony was silent for a moment. "Okay.. but that was just an example. It was supposed to be easy."

Ziva raised an eyebrow up in response. "And this is fun?" she asked.

"It will be," he told her. "Okay," he glanced around quickly again. "I spy.. something green."

Ziva looked down. "My shirt."

Tony groaned. "You played this before?" he asked.

"No," Ziva replied. "And thank goodness, its so easy."

Tony rolled his eyes. "Okay, you try."

"I spy something orange."

Tony looked around. Orange? Where the hell did she see something orange? He looked outside, inside, and even on himself as he drove. He didn't see one damn orange thing.

Ziva was just smiling. "You are right Tony, I do enjoy this game."

"I give up," Tony grunted after going over everything in his head once more.

Ziva tapped the clock on the dashboard. "The time is in orange."

Tony looked, and sure enough, the clock's numbers were indeed orange. "Okay, well, that means you get to go again."

Ziva was quite for a moment. Finally she spoke. "I spy something black."

Tony looking around. Practically everything in the car was black. "Uh.. your hair?" he asked.

"No," Ziva replied.

"The gear?"

"No."

"Our car?"

"No."

Tony frowned.

Ziva simply smiled.

"Well geez, Zee-vah, please don't tell me we're talking about your black heart."

Ziva's smile disappeared and she simply turned and looked out the window.

Tony frowned. "Ziva, I was just kidding," he told her, moving his hand to put it on her shoulder. Instead she simply smacked his hand away. "Ziva.." he said, making sure to keep his eyes on the road now.

If someone told me that this fight was the last thing I would truly get to do with my partner, perhaps I would not have taken his joke so personally. I knew in my heart he only meant it as a joke, but no matter what, it still hurts. But if I had known what was to come, I would have laughed it off instead. Why do I feel so cold now?

()()()

Gibbs could cut the tension between the two partners with a knife as soon as they arrived at the camp site. What the hell could Tony have possibly said to Ziva this time? Either way, he didn't have time for marriage counseling, they had a marine to search for.

"DiNozzo," he barked. "You and Ziva go looking around for a bit," he told them. "McGee, Ducky and I are setting up camp," he explained. "Get back here before nightfall, understood?"

Tony nodded and glanced at Ziva. She still wouldn't look at him. She was already walking off an left him to run after her.

"DiNozzo!"

Tony froze mid-run and turned back to Gibbs. "Yeah boss?" he answered, only just managing to catch the flying object heading towards his face. He glanced down at the walkie-talkie.

"Chances are the phones won't work. Channel 3, if something happens to go wrong, got it?"

Tony nodded and switched the channel before running back after Ziva.

Tony groaned. This was great, absolutely wonderful. They'd only left ten minutes ago and Ziva had managed to lose him. Where could she have gone? Gibbs would kill him if he found out.

After about twenty more minutes of searching he decided it would be a good time to call in to Gibbs and tell him Ziva was nowhere to be found. Ziva didn't just disappear into thin air, even she knew better then to walk off by herself in the middle of the woods.

"Yeah DiNozzo?"

"Boss, I can't find Ziva," Tony said immediately.

Gibbs was silent for a moment as both Ducky and McGee froze from setting up the camp site. "Back track DiNozzo, we're grabbing flashlights and heading your way, its going to get dark soon."

"On it boss," Tony replied before beginning his search again as he doubled back towards camp. "Ziva!!" he yelled out, glancing around the path. Where could she have possibly gone? He froze for a second. He heard people talking, but he couldn't make it out. So instead of continuing towards camp, he made his way towards the voices.

Ziva let out a groan as she was shoved forward once again. She let herself be so distracted over Tony's words, that she hadn't paid any attention and she'd gone off without him. Now she could hardly tell what exactly was happening. Everything seemed kind of fuzzy, her head felt like a thousand spikes were being drilled into it, and she knew her arms were tied behind her back. What the hell had happened? She nearly fumbled to the ground at the next shove. Now she remembered. Their missing marine had found her, and before she knew he was even there, she had been down on the ground.

That was ridiculous. Ziva David didn't get captured. Why did she have to let Tony's words bother her so much? If she found an opening, she was going to give this guy hell.

"Keep moving," Petty Officer Monroe huffed out.

Ziva rolled her eyes and did as she was told. By now Tony would have everyone looking for her anyways. This guy wouldn't get very far. "This is probably your worst plan yet," she told him, her voice displaying no emotion.

Monroe smiled. "Maybe, but it was a good looking plan."

Ziva narrowed her eyes and managed to elbow the guy, but it didn't stop him from throwing her to the ground again and holding her down. She stared up at him. It was like dealing with Corporal Damon Werth all over again. The difference was, Corporal Werth was kind in the eyes, this man was not. He had no kindness left in him. "You are not a marine," Ziva said, staring into his eyes. "You are simply a mad man."

Monroe narrowed his eyes and lifted his hand to slap her.

Ziva held back the grin. There was an opening. She kicked her legs up and threw him off of her. Running back to camp would mean running past him, and she wasn't blowing her chance of escape with her arms tied behind her back. So she ran the other way instead. If anyone had said running with no arms was easy, they would be mistaken. Her balance was horrific without her arms. Within a minute or two she nearly tripped, and after about five minutes, she came to a stop at a ledge. "Shit.." she muttered before turning and seeing the Petty Officer right in front of her, and the gun between her eyes.

"Bad move," Monroe stated.

Everyone assumes that I am some robotic warrior. Someone who cannot be fallen, but they are wrong. I am not the warrior they think that I am. I am human just like the rest of them, and I can also make mistakes. And when I look from the gun and down to the flowing water below me, I know that no matter what I do, I may not survive. I will be one of the fallen. It is only too bad I could not tell Tony that I forgave his words.

()()()

Tony ran up behind them and saw Ziva's eyes as she glanced from the man in front of her, and to whatever was down below that cliff. His eyes widened.

Ziva caught a glance of Tony behind the Petty Officer, and Monroe also caught her glance.

"I wouldn't make a move," Monroe said, not bothering to glance back as he heard Tony cock the gun. "You can shoot me, but either way, I'm dead, and she will be too."

Ziva gave a small smile towards Tony.

Tony hated the smile she gave him. It was filled with downright sadness, and he'd never seen that from her before. "Ziva!"

Ziva's eyes softened as she stared at Tony.

"I'm sorry," Tony said, before putting his gun down. "Let her go, Petty Officer," he said. "My weapon is down, you can let her go."

Monroe's eyes flicked towards Tony's dropped weapon before he went straight back to looking at Ziva. He knew not to let his guard down in front of her. "I'd rather see this woman die."

Ziva's eyes narrowed at Monroe before she glanced back at Tony and then the approaching figures of Gibbs, McGee and Ducky. She smiled at all of them before she shouted one more thing. Maybe she couldn't save herself, but she could save them the trouble of making a decision on her life. "I am not mad anymore Tony!" she shouted to him, right before she made a move to tackle Monroe.

Monroe's eyes widened at her movements and he quickly shoved her back, throwing her over the ledge.

"ZIVA!"

All the shouts had been unanimous from the men as Gibbs took down Monroe.

Tony glanced over the ledge at the flowing water. She wouldn't be able to swim with her hands tied behind her back like that. He took a deep breath and dove over himself.

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs shouted a moment too late as he watched one partner dive after the other. "McGee, Ducky, get down to the river bank!"

McGee and Ducky did as told and went rushing to the bank of the river.

I taught my agent's everything I could. In the end, they learned as well as any could and they sometimes teach me as much as I teach them. This was a whole new meaning of watching your partner's back. I could have never asked for a better team.

()()()

Ziva managed to get her head above the water for a moment to take another breath before she was brought back down. She'd been taught to swim for moments without using her arms to stay afloat. She supposed her father was actually useful for some things, even if they had seems harsh when she was younger. His idea of teaching her to swim in the first place was just to throw her into the pool and tell her to fight for survival. There had been no, 'floaties' or 'swimmies' for her. She wasn't sure the no hands rule applied to rivers though. She kicked her feet and managed to pull her head above again as she coughed out some water and tried to take another breath. She heard him though.

"Ziva!!"

Tony.. that was definitely Tony. The crazy fool had dove in after her? He was out of his mind. Her foot hit something in the water and it brought her back under.

Tony cursed as he saw Ziva go back down. He swam as hard as he could with the current and dove under, keeping his eyes open. He saw her. Her foot was snagged on something on a branch under the water and she was struggling to pull free with no arms. He swam to her, barely managing to grab onto her with the current pulling at him. He used her to plant himself in place as he pulled the ropes off her hands and yanked at her foot, pulling it loose.

Ziva opened her eyes and watched as Tony lowered himself down using her body to do so. She had to give him credit, he could act brainless, but he actually was really smart when he had to be. She felt herself fading out though from the lack of oxygen and let her eyes close again.

Tony held onto her as her branch finally let Ziva's foot free. He noticed her fade out and quickly pulled her up to the surface. He saw Ducky and McGee at the bank and swam hard towards them with one arm, holding Ziva's weight with his. He got pulled back under after a moment. How had Ziva kept herself up with no arms? He could barely do this with two when he was trying to get to her.

Gibbs dropped Monroe's unconscious body onto the ground and dove in from the bank. He grabbed hold of Ziva from the other side and helped Tony to pull her back up, helping to swim them both to the bank.

Tony was thankful for the help, at least now they had Ziva on dry ground. He checked her pulse, but he found nothing. "Dammit!" he groaned before immediately putting his mouth to Ziva's.

Ducky and McGee watched in awe at how quickly Tony started the CPR.

Gibbs understood it. There was something else beyond the partnership that was driving Tony now. He watched Tony do the compressions and suddenly when he was looking down at Ziva's face, he was seeing Kate's instead, and then Jenny's. Was he about to lose a third woman to this job? It would drive him to the brink of insanity if that were the case. He would retire for certain this time.

Tony did another compression and the coughing was almost like heaven to his ears. He turned Ziva on her side and watched as she spat out the water from the river. He let out a breath of relief, and without caring that the others were around he let his forehead rest against Ziva's.

Ziva sucked in the breath and opened her eyes, glancing up at Tony. She didn't bother to move, because for the moment, she was happy exactly where she lay.

"We should get her to a hospital to make sure that she is alright," Ducky suggested, kneeling down and checking on her.

Ziva let a small smile out before she managed to speak. "I am.. fine," she stated. She winced when she moved her leg.

Ducky glanced at the leg and noticed the bleeding. "What happened here?"

Tony sat up and looked at her leg as well. "Her leg got caught on a stubborn branch underwater.." he mumbled. "I didn't really have time to finesse it out.. sorry Ziva."

Ziva smiled and sat up with McGee's help. "As if that little scratch on my leg is going to make me angry?" she asked. "It is better then being dead."

"I'd slap you in the head if you hadn't almost died," Gibbs stated as he knelt down by her as well. "What were you thinking attacking Monroe?"

Ziva was silent for a moment. "Either way, he was going to kill me," she explained. "I figured my chances were better in the river then with a gunshot and the river.."

Tony stared at her openly. He admitted, her plan had flaws. Monroe could have just shot her anyways and then pushed her in the river.

"Well she's alive," Ducky stated, taking the heat off of Ziva. "Let's get back to camp," he told them. "Its best to let Ziva rest, but someone should bring the Petty Officer home."

McGee glanced over at Gibbs. "We could take him back, boss."

Gibbs stared at McGee for a moment, then held back an eyeroll. "She going to be alright Doc?"

Ducky nodded with a smile. "Yes, she will be fine. The cut is minor, she just needs rest before she goes anywhere."

"Then I'll stay with Ziva while you guys bring back Monroe, is that okay boss?" Tony suggested.

Gibbs sighed. "I guess it has to be," he said. "You guys get back to camp, I'll help Ziva back."

Tony glanced at the others, then Ziva before he nodded and left with McGee and Ducky, helping to drag Monroe.

Gibbs glanced down at Ziva, who was being uncharacteristically silent. His eyes softened from their hardened look. "Can you walk?"

Ziva glanced up at Gibbs. "Yes.." she said, moving to stand and instead toppling over into her boss.

Gibbs snorted instead of laughing as he grabbed hold of her. "We know you're human Ziva," he told her. "If you don't think you can do it, just tell me."

Ziva frowned. "I can.." she stated defiantly. But she knew she was wrong before she had stood up. She was exhausted, her head hurt, her leg hurt, and her arms did as well. Her father would be disgraced to see her like this.

"Ziva.."

"Okay.. okay.." she said. "Maybe I cannot.."

Gibbs let his eyes soften even more when she said it. He hadn't expected her to actually admit it. He smiled and put her arm around his neck and pulled her up into his arms like a child.

Ziva felt almost foolish like this. If it had been anyone but Gibbs, even McGee, it would have been less embarrassing. But it was a chance to rest, which she was thankful for. "I am sorry Gibbs.."

Gibbs smiled down at her. She looked like a lost child trying to find her words. He didn't bother with the sign of weakness. It was not a sign of weakness between friends, and Ziva was more like a daughter now. "Why did you really do it?" he finally asked.

"I.." she started, letting her head rest on his shoulder. "I did not want to burden you with the choice of saving me or capturing Monroe.."

Gibbs glanced down at her. She was serious. "There would only be one choice," he told her.

"I know."

"I would have saved you."

Ziva's eyes opened back up from being half closed. "What?"

Gibbs shook his head. "Monroe we can catch anytime.." he explained. "We can't make another Ziva."

Ziva felt the small emotion grow in the pit of her stomach. She never had this when she was younger. Someone who cared. After today, Gibbs was starting to seem more like a father then her real father ever would.

"Close your eyes, Ziva, rest," Gibbs said. "We'll be back at camp in a few minutes and you can lay down."

Ziva stared at him as her eyes began closing on their own. Gibbs wouldn't understand, but at least she would. "Todah.. aba."

Gibbs glanced down at her. He had to smile, he may not know the whole language. But he knew some.

Ziva may think I didn't understand but I did know some of the basic words. As soon as the words, 'Thank you, father' had left her mouth, I felt a slight warmth that I hadn't felt since Shannon and Kelly had still been alive. I've lost a lot in life. But I gained just as much. Ziva wasn't Kelly on the outside, but on the inside, even I knew Ziva was just as innocent as a child.

()()()

Tony watched Ziva sleep. Gibbs, McGee and Ducky had left with Monroe and headed back home. Now he and Ziva were left camping out so that Ziva could rest after nearly drowning.

Ziva opened her eyes and glanced over at Tony.

Tony just smiled. "I really am sorry, Ziva.."

Ziva smiled back at him. "I know that you did not mean it.."

"That really doesn't make it better," Tony admitted. "I don't think I would have been okay if you had died and that was the last thing I had gotten to say to you.."

Ziva smiled and sat up, letting her hand rest on Tony's cheek. "You told me you were sorry Tony.." she said quietly. "That is what matters.."

Tony frowned and shook his head. "Its not what matters Zee.." he told her.

Ziva tilted her head, baffled.

Tony grinned at the look. "I love it when you make that face."

Ziva looked shocked and, if possible, even more baffled then before.

Tony let out a laugh. He couldn't believe that he'd said it either, but now he was glad that he did.

Ziva smiled at his laugh and started laughing as well. It was amazing how contagious laughter could be. "You can be such a child sometimes, Tony," she told him.

This time Tony looked baffled. He wasn't sure if she was offending him or not.

"It is not a bad thing," she told him. "That is what makes you so easy to be around."

Tony grinned. "Well I had to be good for something."

"Tony.." Ziva whispered, looking down at the ground for a moment.

Tony stared at her. "What's wrong?"

Ziva frowned. "Close your eyes for a moment."

Tony looked baffled again.

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course.." Tony said in confusion, then closed his eyes.

Ziva took a deep breath then pressed her lips to his.

Tony opened his eyes in surprise for a moment and before he could close them she had already pulled away. "What was that for?"

Ziva smiled a little. "For saving my life."

I got my second chance to make things right. No one ever gets that.. and I suppose someone was looking down on me and giving me my chance. I felt something after that, something that I hadn't felt before. And for once in my life, I was thankful for what I had in life. I knew I wouldn't screw things up like that again if I could help it. I wouldn't be able to live with myself, knowing someone so important had died and the last thing we had done together was fight. But in the end, Ziva showed me something else. That in the end, the words don't really matter. It's what you do after the words that really make all the difference. She taught me how to trust myself.

If I had died in that river, I would not have regretted it. Tony showed me something today, that love is just friendship, set on fire. Sometimes it hurts a little, and sometimes it hurts more when they say something you do not like, but I understand that Tony will always just be Tony. He may be an adult, be he is a child at heart. I am thankful I got my second chance in life. And I got that because of what he risked. We both have our issues, but I will forever trust in him from now on. He taught me how to trust in myself and others.

()End()

I hope you enjoyed it. I didn't get my second chance, I hope everyone else does though. You never realize how important it is to cherish your family and friends until its too late to go back.

-Kay