Huggles
Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS, only the first five seasons, June 3rd can't come too soon (season six release date in Australia).
A/N: I was supposed to be packing, so I had to think of something, anything else to do and I finally got around to writing this after thinking about it for ages. As for the name... I don't know... I think it sounds cute...
They approach her door and he finally realises how much she's shaking, she keeps missing the lock on the door and after about thirty seconds he can't take it anymore.
"Here." He offers while taking the key from her still shaking hand and opening the door as though he hasn't noticed.
"Thank you." She mumbles as she follows him in and shuts the door.
"Want a cup of..." He trails off. "Ew... hey, what about we go to that great coffee joint, you know, just outside the base."
She shakes her head, which only seems to highlight the shaking of her hands and adds a small. "No thank you, not right now Tony, I would rather unpack." Maybe that excuse would've worked if she'd had clothes-or any possessions at all- to unpack.
His look tells her he does not believe her feeble attempt at an excuse but she is too tired to care and it only seems to be making her shaking worse.
"Ok... What about I bring you back some coffee, or tea, you like tea right. And while I'm gone you can..." He pauses as he tries to reword the phrase but fails. "Unpack."
"No, thank you, I would much prefer to rest."
This does not help as Tony's face only grows with concern. She thinks maybe she should have taken up the latter offer as she could have locked the door behind him but it's too late for that now.
"What about something to eat?"
She again shakes her head at the comment.
"You haven't eaten since..." He thinks, he's only seen her eat a chocolate bar Gibbs bought her at the hospital and refused to stop staring at her until she'd eaten it; it worries him how submissive she'd been. "Come on, you've gotta want more than a little bit of chocolate."
She just stares at him, her pupils dilated, her clothes-and skin dirty- and looking ever so tired.
"Ziva." She jumps slightly and he realises he's yelling. "Ziva, you survived Somalia but you're not going to survive America unless you eat something." Her eyes are full of fear and remind him all too much of the scar(r)ed little children they find at crime scenes, the children who have seen too much and maybe that breaks him inside a little.
He swears, he swears she makes the smallest movement with her head, the smallest shake he's ever seen.
He lowers his voice again, shouting won't help, she's afraid and maybe all she really needs is a hug. "I... I'm sorry."
Her face loses some of its fear and he sees a new expression, confusion. "For yelling." He tries to add to the previous statement. He knows though, he knows that is not all he is sorry for, he's sorry for shooting her boyfriend-even if he was an ass-, and for not making her come back to DC with the team-even if he couldn't stop it- and for not rescuing her from that godforsaken hell hole sooner-and he wants to add 'even though he was doing all he could' but seeing her in this state he doubts he did-.
He reaches out his arms to hug her, she maybe Ziva the super ninja chick but right now she's Ziva the super dehydrated and starved ninja chick, her bones and brittle and her muscles weak, she can't fight back but she tries she struggles and kicks and flips about like a fish out of water. All the while Tony simply holds her to him as tightly as possible, as though somehow that will protect her. She starts to whimper and he's too afraid, too weak to even imagine what she's afraid of him doing, why she's afraid of him. Eventually, after seconds, minutes, hours, he has no clue she stops fighting and the room is silent save his hushing sounds. He panics for a split second, maybe the stress has got to her, she passed out, or worse, but seconds later he feels a warm drop fall onto his shirt sleeve and she begins to move again but she can't control these movements, her body's trembling and the tears become more frequent and he feels so useless because all he can do is rock and hush.
Eventually the tears subside to sobs and then to hiccoughs and she turns her head to look at him.
"Thank you." He voice is barely a whisper and incredibly hoarse.
Maybe the words shock him, maybe they're the only truth his ears have ever heard, and maybe he's just too happy to care.
"Do you want a drink?"
She looks around the room quickly and then answers in the hush tone "Yes," but is quick to add "please." to the end of her order.
"And a drink?" She nods this time but in the same shy manner she seems to have adopted.
"Do you wanna go out and get it?" She shakes her head vigorously, it seems to be the only thing she's certain of. "I'll go and get it then." He makes to move away from the couch but she grabs onto his arm.
"Can... can we order in," She pauses as though gathering strength. "please?"
"Of course, I know this great place that delivers and..." He continues on, neither of them paying attention to the words that are spewing out of his mouth, just happy to be in the company.
Fin.
A/N:Review, please...