Disclaimer: The copyrighted material contained within does not belong to me. No profit is being made. Just me playing in a sandbox of my own making.
Spoilers: Aliyah, Truth or Consequences, Reunion
Author's Note: One of my New Year's resolutions was to try to write things out of my comfort zone. So here's my attempt at TIVA. My son was listening to Nickelback. The song "Someday" came on. It just struck me that it was about Tony and Ziva. Then my muse started yapping at me and wouldn't shut up until I wrote this. I'm still trying to find the handle on another story, but that ain't going so well.
Tel Aviv, Israel, In front of Mossad HQ
How the hell did we wind up like this?
Why weren't we able, to see the signs that we missed
And try to turn the tables
I wish you'd unclench your fists, and unpack your suitcase
Lately there's been too much of this
But don't think it's too late
"To save your worthless ass."
Those words echoed thru Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo's head as he watched his partner, Ziva David walk stiff backed into Mossad headquarters. He'd been called worthless before, but his time it really stung. Ziva had mocked him before, but always with a joking tone. This time there had been real venom behind it.
Tony rubbed the spot on his chest where moments before the barrel of Ziva's Sig had been pressing. DiNozzo had been treated to a look that he was pretty sure was the last thing many a man had seen. For just a split second he'd thought his time was up. Why couldn't Ziva see that Rivkin had been playing her? Not only that but Tony was positive that Daddy David had put Rivkin up to it.
Well, once I can really sit down with her maybe we can work this out.
Forty eight hours later, those words would ring oh so hollow.
Tony's bedroom, 0445hrs
How the hell did we wind up like this?
Why weren't we able, to see the signs that we missed
And try to turn the tables
Now the story's played out like this
Just like a paperback novel
Let's rewrite an ending that fits
Instead of a Hollywood horror
"There were no survivors"
Gibbs would never be accused of sugar coating anything. Those four words delivered in Abby's lab ten days ago spun Tony's world right off its axis. That first night he'd gone home to his apartment, pulled the plug on his land line and turned off his cell. Then he got a bottle of Glenlivet out of his liquor cabinet. It didn't do any good. Halfway thru the bottle, he was still sober. After that he never touched another drop.
For the next nine nights he'd been treated to two alternating dreams.
The first was his fight with Rivkin. That one always went according to script. He shot Rivkin and Ziva came crashing in.
Number two was the confrontation outside Mossad HQ. This one had two endings. Ziva shooting him and Ziva shooting herself. The second ending was way out of character, the first not so much.
This morning's dream however, the reason he was sitting up in bed looking at his clock was different.
In this dream he was sitting in an office overlooking San Francisco in the '40's. Sitting across from him, behind the desk was Bogart as Sam Spade in "The Maltese Falcon". Bogart was looking him dead in the eyes with a hard expression.
"When a man's partner is killed, he's supposed to do something about it."
Tony swung his feet to the floor. Time to get his head out of his fourth point of contact. Starting today he would use every means at his command to find Saleem Ulman. Once he found him he would convince Gibbs and Vance to go after the bastard.
Then Tony would kill him. For his partner.
Men's Room, NCIS HQ
Well I'd hope that since we're here anyway
That we could end up saying
Things we've always needed to say
So we could end up staying
Now the story's played out like this
Just like a paperback novel
Let's rewrite an ending that fits
Instead of a Hollywood horror
"What matters is you had my back. That you have always had my back."
As Tony bolted out of the men's room, he was conflicted. He and Ziva had just had a breakthrough. But that breakthrough had also caused a break in the case. He should have stayed. Tony saw in her face she wanted, no expected him to stay. But the case came first. As he neared the bullpen, words he had thought months before came back to him.
"Well, once I can really sit down with her maybe we can work this out."
This time it was going to happen, no question.
Nothing's wrong just as long as
You know that someday I will
Someday, somehow
I'm gonna make it all right but not right now
A/N: Someone I have very high regard for pointed out that this is more Tony's song than Tony and Ziva's. I don't know. So, what do you think? Good? Bad? Indifferent? Hit the green button and let the truth come out.