Hello everyone! It's been a long time since I last wrote a fanfic, but I've been busy with college and studying. A part of this fic has been written a long time ago (which means over a year), but I never came around to finish it. But now the time has come for me to post it and leave it with you lovely reviewers to decide whether it's good or not. Remember Engels is not my first language (not even my second:D) I tried my best.
Disclaimer: NCIS does not belong to me, or else TIVA would've happenend a looooong time ago.
It was normal for them to get together after work, even on a weekday. Since Gibbs had given them the next day of, they decided to get some drinks instead of their normal movie night.
Tony had come up with the most brilliant idea; he was going to make Ziva taste some liquors she had never tried before. The Idea came to him while at work when they were discussing their most embarrassing drunken moments when Ziva told him that there weren't many types of liquor that would get her drunk, besides excessive drinking. Tony had replied with a big smile and told her of their change in plans.
'An Irish pub, really Tony?' Ziva asked while Tony guided them inside.
'You ever been here?' Tony replied while greeting the bartender with his hand and a smile.
They took a seat at a table in the corner at a dark wooden table, Tony sat on the bench with his back against the wall while Ziva sat down one of the small stools opposite him.
'Not here, but I have seen my share of Irish pubs. I never had you squared for someone who likes going to these kind of places.' Ziva raised her eyebrow making her last statement a question.
Tony didn't take the bait and let the 'squared' bit go, knowing for sure she was teasing him.
'Had a friend in collage, Liam O'Sheary, pale, blue eyes, black hair, thick accent, a really nice guy. Great drinker too. Even you wouldn't be able to keep up with him.' He smiled reminiscing the guy.
'Do not challenge me, Tony. I have always liked these kind of places. So what will be our first drink? And do not say a Heineken, it might be European, but it's one of the worst beers I have ever had.'
Tony smirked at her comment, 'No I've got a whole list in my mind and Heineken isn't on it. I'll be right back.'
Ziva took the time Tony was away to look around the place. The room was dimly lit with a dark wooden bar, dark green painted walls alternating between stone and dark wood. There was some Irish folk music playing in the background.
Tony came walking back with two tall glasses with an amber liquid inside.
'This sweet-cheeks, is a Kilkenny.' He placed on glass infront of her.
Ziva tasted the beer. 'This tastes... okay.'She said 'I hope you can do better than this?'
Tony smiled again 'We're only getting started, there's still more to come.'
'Then I hope you brought your wallet with you. This was your Idea so the check is yours.' Ziva said raising her glass.
The evening wore on. After that Tony made her taste a real Guinness, which Ziva turned out to like.
Then came some shots. One of them was a Dutch shot called a Schrobbelaar.
First Ziva raised het eyebrow at Tony then burst out laughing for how ridiculous the word sounded. This indicated to Tony that Ziva was already a bit tipsy. They downed the liquid. Ziva made an appreciative sound.
Soon after followed Bailey's which Ziva stated she already knew. Then another drink from the Netherlands called Jenever.
'Which,' Tony happily told her ', is where gin originates from.'
After a raised eyebrow from Ziva Tony elaborated to her that he also had a friend from the Netherlands.
Ziva told him that she always had wanted to go to the Netherlands when she was younger. You can legally purchase alcohol (to some degree) at a bar or a store at the age of 16.
Of course, there are many countries in Europe that have the same regulation, but still.
They carried on drinking and laughing. Tony ordered drinks Ziva tried them out.
Suddenly the noise of a shot being fired followed by a scream interrupted their laughter and normal banter.
Out of reflex Ziva was already on her feet and ready to pounce, although she was swaying. That might have had to do with her consumption of alcohol.
Tony automatically reached for his gun which he soon realized he didn't have on him.
"Stop it, stop it, stop it! All of you just stop it!" The shooter shouted to everyone in the bar.
Tony stood still and responded, sounding more calm them he actually felt, his heart was beating like a scared rabbit, partly to do with the satiation an partly because of the alcohol in his system, " Okay take it easy, no one needs to get hurt." He noticed the gun in the man's hand, pointing at a woman sobbing on the floor next a man who had a huge puddle of blood forming around him.
Ziva slowly sat back down, her back now towards Tony and facing the shooter.
'No one wants to get hurt?' The shooter shouted. 'What about me? Did any of you try to stop him?' He indicated towards the man on the floor, spitting saliva around the room while he spoke. 'That man tried to stab me with a knife after he made me sit on that… that… burning chair!' He pointed at one of the barstools. 'You're all biased! You all think that the war is over, but they are stilling hunting us! They're still looking for that traitor!' The man shouted at Tony. He looked like a middle aged man in his mid-thirties, blond hair and spoke with an accent Tony couldn't place.
The woman on the floor was holding the by now deceased man, still sobbing and mumbling.
Tony forehead wrinkled. He had no idea what the man was talking about and judging by Ziva posture she didn't either.
Tony dared a question 'What's your name?'
This seemed to confuse the shooter a little. 'My name? Uh.. Thijs, Thijs Ten Haken. Now stop asking me questions!'
Ziva seemed to think and then spoke up 'You are Dutch, yes?'
Tony quickly counted the people in the bar and reached in his pocket to press speed dial one. Gibbs.
The man holding the gun nodded, silently confirming Ziva's question.
He started screaming at some of the people sitting at a table to get up and bar the door. One of them received a blow to the head with the back of his gun making stricken man fall to the ground and crawled back to the table where his and his party came from.
Ziva saw this all happening and cursed herself for drinking this much. Although she had to admit she really had a great time, until this loony fired his gun.
When Tony figured that Gibbs would've answered the phone by now, he spoke in a loud voice.
'You do understand that this situation you got yourself into isn't a good one. If you don't call the police now they might consider this a hostage situation. There are twenty people in here including you and me, and already one shot. This is not how I imagined spending my evening off with my girlfriend.' Tony noticed her posture change but figured she understood that it was an easy way for them to keep a cover. It was always better than being thought of as a cop and used leverage in a hostage situation.
This invoked a sarcastic laugh from the Thijs the shooter. 'You think I imagined my evening going this way? I thought that this was just a meeting place for those assholes, but I never thought there would be this many!' The man's expression turned from tense to angry in the seconds he spoke. 'Now shut up or I'll shoot you too, I need to think.' he aimed the gun at Tony and took a few steps forward.
He turned around and started pacing the room. Tony put his hand in his pocket to check if the call worked and was happy to see the call was answered.
'What did you just do?' The man all of a sudden yelled. Ziva turned around and saw Tony with his hand in his pocket and watching it.
'What did you do!' He yelled again.
Tony tensed up when he realized Thijs was talking to him.
'Get your hand out of there now!'
Tony responded. 'Take it easy Thijs, I'm gonna take my hand out slowly.' His hand came up slowly holding his phone.
'Put the gun down now!' Thijs suddenly yelled at Tony. And that was when Tony's suspicions were confirmed. The man was suffering from a psychotic break. The burning chair, the stabbing, the talk of people meeting it all added up somehow. And now Tony was holding a supposed gun? This wasn't good.
'Thijs? This is a phone, and I'm gonna put it down on the table now.' Tony said to him.
'Stop trying to confuse me! I know a gun when I see one! You're just one of them, Trying to get my father, but you won't, it's too late. He already died! But you won't get his family, I won't let you!'
That's when the shot rang out.
The whole bar was suddenly silent. The woman on the floor had stopped sobbing.
Suddenly his whole body felt weak and heavy. He tried to find support on the table next to him, but his hand slipped off making him fall to his knees. He looked down at his chest. There was a hole in his shirt. Slowly but surely the blood came seeping out.
Ziva was by his side as soon as his hand slipped off the table.
Tony looked up from his chest and found Ziva's face, she was kneeling besides him. Her face had never been so easy to read, but this was the one time that he wish he couldn't. It showed concern, worry and angst.
Tony smiled at her and put his hand on her cheek. She covered his hand with hers. He just now realized she was saying word which sounded awfully lot like a prayer to him. He saw tears in her eyes when his body gave way and he sagged to the floor.
'No Tony come on, stay awake.' Ziva started putting pressure on his chest.
'You can't leave me. You're the only reason I'm still alive and here. You can't leave me now. Come on Tony, don't do this to me.' Her tears were now flowing freely. 'You mean to much to me. I can't lose you.'
'Oh god, oh God, no no no no… this wasn't supposed to happen.' Thijs was saying in the background, while pacing around.
Tony's complexion had gone a few shades paler. 'I- I- I-… I'll be f-fine Ziva.'
He managed to say. He swallowed and motioned for her to come closer.
Ziva put her ear next to his lips so he could speak.
'He's ps-psycot-tic. D- d- don't lie, confirm a-anything he says. G- Get him to talk a-about now.' He took a deep and ragged breath .
'Sh… Tony.' Ziva tried to sooth him.
He wanted to say one last thing, cross at least one thing of his bucket-list.
When she was about to sit back up he called her back down.
'Ziva…' He took another breath, making something rattle in his chest. 'I- I-.. Love y-you.'
Ziva's eyes widened a little, but settles back on him. 'I know Tony. You know how I feel. We will talk about this later. Right now I need you to focus to stay with me. We agreed to go jogging next week and you promised to make me banana pancakes tomorrow morning.'
She smiled at him sweetly. Ziva was scared. She didn't know what to do, what to do without him. Though his word warmed her heart and she had longed to hear them for so long, she loathed them right now. She wanted to hear them when they were alone and intimate, not when he was lying on the floor bleeding out from a .22 bullet hole in his chest.
She felt a shiver shaking through her skull, through her spine and down through her ribs which held her shaken heart waiting for this nightmare to end.
Okay so this is the end... for now. Reviews are appreciated! Very much so!
I'm not good at multi chaptered fics, but I like to make an exception. There is one more chapter coming up and I already know where this story will go, so I hope to have the next chapter up next week! I am sorry I didn't respond to all the people who reviewed my other stories, but I LOVED all of your feedback!
Love,
Chanty