A/N: This was supposed to be a One-Shot but it turned out a little longer than expected. That's why I decided to turn it into a ficlet. I'm a proud Tiva fan and I'm waiting more or less patiently for them to finally become a couple on the show. Here's my attempt to how that could happen. I'm from germany which is why my english isn't the best. Please be kind... Read and review.

Chapter 1

„Am I speaking to Agent Ziva David?"

Ziva instantly knew that something was terribly wrong. "Yes" she answered shortly.

"It's the Memorial hospital. We've got an Agent Anthony DiNozzo here and you're the one that should be contacted in case of emergency"

She was trained to hide her emotions but she couldn't stop her hands from shaking. "I'm...Is he ..." she couldn't bring herself to ask it. Instead she asked with an unsteady voice "what happened?" not really sure if she wanted to hear the answer.

"I'm not sure what happened, the only thing I know is that Agent DiNozzo has stopped his car on the parking lot of the hospital before he passed out. He was shot ..." the man at the other end of the line stopped speaking for a second. Then he continued "...and you better come here as soon as possible." He knew that the woman had understood was he was implying. They weren't sure if Agent DiNozzo would make it.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Gibbs came out of Jenny's office, not sure how he could tell his team that Tony had been shot. He was about to go down the stairs but when his gaze found Ziva he knew that she already knew. The way her hands were shaking when she put down the telephone and the way her gaze flickered across the room and then landed on him made it clear that she was close to break down. Of course she wouldn't do that, she was trained to be an agent first and only on second base a human being. But he had known her long enough by now to know better.

She had changed since she came to the US and that Tony was the one she might lose was probably one of the few things that could trigger a reaction. He wasn't stupid. The way Tony and Ziva were looking at each other, the teasing and the flirting, their jealousy and even their little fights gave them away. He wasn't sure if THEY had already realized that they were in love with each other, but HE knew.

With a few steps he was by her side, putting his arm around her shoulder and giving it a soft squeeze to tell her that he was by her side through this. At the same time he called out to McGee "Get up. We have to get to the hospital. Tony's been shot". He inwardly smiled when Tim jumped up off the chair and grabbed his gun, running to the elevator. With all the teasing and fighting, his team was still always sticking together, no matter what. He entered the elevator and there was just one thought that was in his head "He can't die. He's a part of us, we can't lose him"

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO

"What's taking them so long?" Ziva asked nobody in particular, pacing down the floor in front of the OP for what felt to her like the millionth time. When the huge door that led to the surgeries opened around an hour later, she felt like she would pass out every minute when she saw the blood on the doctor's scrub. Tony's blood...on the scrub and on the doctor's hands... She closed her eyes for a second before she looked back to the doctor and then asked with a hoarse voice "Is he okay?"

It felt like hours but were only mere seconds before the doctor answered her question. "We' re not sure yet. He made it through surgery but the next 24 hours will be critical. If he's still alive tomorrow at this time, he has a good chance to survive. But he has to wake up soon or else..." Ziva tried hard to fight back the urge to just kill that man who was standing in front of her and was talking about Tony like he was just a number on his statistic.

"Can I see him?" she asked, the urge to kill the doctor even stronger when he shook his head.

"No, you can't. He's at Intensive Care Unit now and he has to stay there for a while. And you're no relatives, so..."

Gibbs cut him off with a voice that made it clear that he wouldn't take no as an answer. "She will go and stay with him in his room." When the doctor tried to say something, Gibbs added with a stern voice "One of my agents was shot and we're not sure yet what has happened. That's why Agent David stays with him to protect him." He turned to Ziva and in a commanding tone he said "Agent David, you're gonna make sure that Agent DiNozzo is safe here" She would have probably made every one crazy if she couldn't stay here he thought to himself. When the doctor just sighed and motioned for Ziva to follow him, Gibbs added in a low voice "Call us", winking at her.

"Thanks Boss" she said, hurrying after the doctor.

XOXOXOXOXOXO

"McGee, Tony's Apartment, now!" At the shocked look on Tims face, Gibbs sighed and added "Sorry! But we have to find out what happened to Tony" when he saw the reluctance of Tim to leave the hospital, he patted his shoulder lightly. "We can't do anything for him if we stay here, McGee. We better find out what happened, okay? I'll take his car and you take his apartment."

McGee sighed. "Yes Boss" he said quietly. He knew that Gibbs was right but it still felt wrong to leave Tony. Sometimes, Tony could be a real pain in the ass but he still felt like part of the family for Tim. Like the older brother that makes you crazy but who you still love and look up to. He stood up slowly and left the hospital.