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As soon as Ziva was cleared to go home, Tony offered to let McGee drive them both home. As the younger agent sputtered, Ziva shook her head. "I will walk home. McGee does not have to take me."
"You are not walking home. We were just in a bad car accident and you were hurt in a fight. It's time you listen to your body and rest. You need it." Tony was not about to let Ziva hurt herself any more than she already had. He was sick of it and wanted to put a stop to those self-destructive actions.
"You cannot keep me at home!"
"Yeah, he can. You both have a few days off and I expect you to listen this time, especially since there's going to be an investigation." Gibbs just smiled when Ziva leveled a glare at him and shrugged.
"I'm going to make sure you listen to by staying with you. Or you can come to my place. Either way, it's happening." Tony wasn't going to back down on this. He had put his foot down and it was going to stay there. He was worried about her.
"Fine." She gritted her teeth and reluctantly followed Tony and McGee out of the building. She did not need this, even though she was completely exhausted and ready to start crying (Ziva wasn't about to admit that, though. She was determined to be strong).
Tony groaned in pain when he got out of the car and wasn't surprised when Ziva only winced. He just wanted to relax before shit hit the fan. "Thanks, Probie."
"You're welcome. By the way, are you planning on getting a new car any time soon?" McGee didn't mind driving them, but he wondered how long it was going to last.
'I don't know. Now we'll see you later." He waved goodbye and walked with Ziva up to her apartment. Ziva immediately made a beeline towards her bedroom and slammed the door. Tony sat just sat down on the couch and turned on the TV. He had flipped through several channels when she came back out in her pajamas.
"You don't need to stay with me. I am fine." Ziva had convinced herself of that fact even though it wasn't true. She was numb and heading straight towards a meltdown. She finally had her revenge and now she was floundering.
"You keep telling yourself that until you believe it. And we still haven't talked about what happened in Berlin before we got rudely interrupted." Tony was never going to forget that moment of fear as he saw the other car's lights and getting hit. He had coped with humor these past few days and it had seemed to work, even though Gibbs hadn't bought it.
"And we will not because there is nothing to talk about." Ziva couldn't talk about it. She had dragged him into her plan and he had ended up getting hurt as a process. If she had to push him away so he wouldn't suffer any consequences of her actions, she would do it.
He scoffed. "If you want to play it that way, fine. But we will talk about it sooner or later. Be alert." The only reason Tony let Berlin go was because there were more pressing issues at hand.
Ziva nearly sighed in relief and headed towards her kitchen to get something to eat. "We are done talking for now, yes? Go to sleep. You need it."
Tony just smirked and stood up, immediately regretting his actions as his injuries flared up. "Fuck, that hurt. Anyway, I'm not going to bed. You need me. You got your revenge. Bodnar's dead. How do you feel?"
Ziva tensed up. "I told you to stop. Leave me alone." She didn't like where this conversation was heading and was determined to put a stop to it. She was so close to tears and didn't want to put in that position at all.
"Sorry, can't do that. How do you feel? Answer me."
She nearly slammed the glass down on her counter. "I am not happy. Are you happy now? I thought I would be, but I am not. I only feel numb and I involved you when I shouldn't have. But you are pushing me and I am sick of it. Fuck you!" She was aware she was lashing out, but her flight or fight instincts had kicked in and all she wanted to do was flee.
Tony didn't take any offense to her words and just let it roll off his back. "I'm not happy either. Do you understand that all I want to do is help you, Ziva? I'm worried. You're scaring me."
She barked out a harsh laugh. "Do you understand that I feel nothing for you? I don't feel the same way about you that you clearly seem to feel for me. I don't want you here! Get out!" she screamed. That clearly hurt him and the look of pain that flashed across Tony's face nearly killed her. But she had to do this, had to make him think she didn't love him. Pushing him away was the best course of action so she didn't drag him down into the abyss with her.
Tony knew she didn't mean it – Lashing out was just the easiest thing for her to do – but the words still took him by surprise. He took a deep breath. "I know what you're doing and I'm not falling for it. I know you. You're my best friend. And I'm here. I'm not going anywhere without you. It's too late for me not to get dragged into this because I'm already in it."
And that's when she finally lost it. A sob escaped from her against her will and she backed up against the fridge before sliding down to the floor. Ziva had finally hit her breaking point and she gave into the sobs that she had been trying to hold back for months. Tony rushed to her side and pulled her into his arms.
"I'm sorry," she sobbed as he pulled the hair out of her face.
"You have nothing to be sorry for. I get it, okay? I'm here, Baby. You're not alone in this." He kissed the top of her head and let her cry it out in his arms. They stayed in that position for over an hour before Ziva's breath began to hitch and her cries began to wind down.
"I'm tired," Ziva murmured as she shifted around.
"Me too. You want to head to bed?" At her nod, Tony stood up and then helped her stand before heading to the bedroom. Knowing better than to leave her alone (again), he got into bed with her and carefully gripped her hand as she began to fall asleep. Neither of them got that much sleep that night however as Ziva's nightmares kept them both awake.
The next few weeks were not going to be easy for the team as they were investigated about everything. Ziva would fall apart several more times, but Tony was there for her each and every moment. And the team nearly broke apart in the aftermath, but they stuck together and stayed strong. Nothing was going to come between any of them ever again. They weren't about to let that happen at all. As long as the entire team was together, everything would be fine.