Okay, here's the next story in the series, dealing with the immediate aftermath of "The Art of War." As always, this is a work of fan-fiction. If I were paid to write this, it would just be fiction.

Previously, On NCIS:

As the David sisters look at the pictures, Tessa turned to Tony. "So, are you ready for tomorrow?"

"Of course, mini-ninja," Tony answered. "I've had it circled in red since you told me about it."

The wheelchair exploded, directing shrapnel towards the front door.

After several minutes of silence, the gunmen in the school finally spoke over the school intercom. "This facility is now under the control of the Alathad Al'ereby. Do not attempt to leave this building. Anyone attempting to do so will be shot on sight. Any law enforcement agent who breaches the premises will be shot on sight."

"So, what do you want me to do?" Tony asked.

"Do what you do best," Ziva answered, "be the wild card."

"You know, assumption is the mother of all fuck-ups," Tony noted, borrowing a line from Under Siege 2.

"And just who the hell are you?" the terrorist leader replied.

"I'm just a fly in the ointment. The monkey in the wrench. The pain in the ass." Tony shifted from quoting Die Hard to quoting himself. "I'm the wild card."

"Zh beshebyelk, Ziva." Without a second thought, he immediately pulled the trigger.

Ziva listened as she heard the exchange of fire in the school office. She could discern at least three different weapons had been fired, meaning that her mate was outnumbered two-to-one. She heard a sharp thud from the earwig. "TONY!" she screamed.

The ambulance landed on the helipad of the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda. "What have we got," the doctor asked as the patient was rolled into the hospital.

"Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo, NCIS," the EMT stated. "He took multiple gunshots. He's lost a lot of blood and his lungs have collapsed."

"Put him on a ventilator," The doctor ordered as he looked at his charts. "He has scarred lungs from an encounter with a nasty strain of Y. pestis. Contact Dr. Pitt in Pneumology, he knows Agent DiNozzo's history. I'll likely need to consult with him." As the ER nurses scattered to follow his orders, the doctor turned to the fallen agent. "Don't worry, Agent DiNozzo. You're in good hands."

All Tony could see was a blinding white light. The last thing he could remember was shooting a group of terrorists with a stolen AK-47. Is this the afterlife, he wondered to himself. If this it, where's the pearly gates?

As if the man upstairs was listening, a woman placed her hand on the lost soul's shoulder. "I'm proud of you, Tony," she stated to him.

"Mom?" Tony inquired.

Although Talia David was normally a careful driver, her driving reflected her sister Ziva as she raced her way up the George Washington Parkway toward Bethesda. Even though they had only met three months ago, Tony DiNozzo had become like a brother to her. She easily saw just how much he and Ziva loved each other, and she had a hand in setting their relationship in motion. When she picked Ziva up at the Navy Yard, her eyes were swollen with tears. DiNozzo, Tali thought to herself, if you die, I swear, I will head slap you so hard, your spirit will feel it in the afterlife.

Once the David sisters arrived at the hospital, they immediately entered the emergency department. "Talia and Ziva David," Tali stated to the nurse on-duty at the reception desk. "We're here for Anthony DiNozzo."

"Agent DiNozzo is currently in the Trauma ward," the Nurse indicated.

"Is there a waiting area?" Tali knew that there were no visitors allowed in the Trauma Ward. There was no way, however, Ziva would leave the hospital anytime soon. The nurse pointed out the location of the waiting area for the Trauma ward. "Thanks," Tali answered.

"Is there anything else I can help you with?" the nurse asked.

"I could use some help to make Ziva comfortable. She's 12 weeks along, and I'm sure the stress of having the baby's father seriously hurt is not helping her."

"Of course."

Ziva was resting her head on her baby sister's shoulder when Gibbs and McGee arrived at Bethesda. "Any news?" Gibbs asked.

"Not since he was admitted," Tali answered. "He's still in the Trauma ward."

Gibbs sat down besides Ziva. "Hey," Gibbs stated.

Ziva's eyes were still red, and tear streaks were readily apparent across her face. "Gibbs, I love Tony so much. I do not know if I can live without him."

"It's okay, Ziver," Gibbs replied as he wiped her cheeks with a handkerchief. "I know. Just remember, we haven't lost him yet."

Before Gibbs could say any more, a familiar face walked into the waiting area. "Agent Gibbs," Doctor Brad Pitt stated.

"How's he doing, Doc?"

"He's still in critical," Brad replied. "He's lucky that the bullets missed the vital areas. We've repaired the damage, but he still has a concussion and a collapsed lung. Given his encounter with the plague, It's going to be a longer road for him to recover."

"Thank you, Doctor," Tali said as she paused. She was the only one that didn't know his name.

"Doctor Brad Pitt," he responded. "I'm not related to that other guy, though I did finally get to meet him when he visited Bethesda."

"Tali David. Needless to say I'm Ziva's sister. I think we've taken enough of your time. Thank you for your update."

**foof**

I may be somewhat Evil, but it was never in the cards for Tony to go down without a fight; however, having had the plague would likely complicate recovery ;)

Feedback is welcome and appreciated. That way, I know I haven't fallen off the face of the earth.