AN: Thank you so much to those of you who have been kind enough to leave a review! I appreciate the feedback - it truly does make a difference. I hope you continue to review and continue to read & enjoy! - Kerrison
Gibbs voice had echoed in the bull pen as he shot up from behind his desk.
His coffee cup went flying, leaving a brown puddle seeping into the bullpen carpet.
McGee felt his eyes shoot wide open and his attention turned quickly from his computer to his boss.
Tony slowly stood from behind his own desk, feeling his fingers in his hurt arm clench as Gibbs barked out Ziva's name, his boss's voice thick with fear and worry- two sounds Tony very rarely heard from Gibbs.
"Boss," he heard himself speak softly, getting a firm 'shuttup' gesture from Gibbs as the silver-haired agent cocked his head trying to hear across the poor connection.
"I need you to get the hell out of that room. If they find you when they get back, they'll kill you both. Get out but keep an eye on her. If they move her, you call me right back. Do you understand?" Gibbs ordered, his no-nonsense tone firmly in place. "I'll have her out of there in a few hours. Can you put her back on?" He paused, grabbing his gun from his drawer and shoving it into its holster with one hand while the other held the phone firmly to his ear. "We're comin', Ziver. Hold on. We'll get you outta there. Just hold on."
Gibbs flipped the phone closed and gave the screen a quick glance before he turned to his two agents. "Grab your gear."
"Where we going, Boss?" McGee had the strength to ask.
"We're going to get our girl back," Gibbs replied, holding the elevator door as Tony and McGee scrambled to catch up, their backpacks in hand.
"You're sure about this, Boss?" McGee questioned gently, his stomach threatening to rebel as the puddle jumper hit a small patch of turbulence. He didn't know if he was eager to hop onto the small speed boat that would take them into port, or if the sea sickness was worse than the air sickness.
"I'm sure," Gibbs said simply, nodding.
It was one of the only flights Tony could say that Gibbs hadn't slept the whole time.
His boss's body radiated tension and worry, two traits that neither Tony nor McGee was used to seeing in their leader. And that fact unnerved Tony almost as much as what he had learned was happening to Ziva.
"So this guy you called, he'll get her?"
"He's already got her, DiNozzo," Gibbs said, his voice confident and clear. "He's had plenty of time."
"He's a good guy?"
Gibbs gave Tony a tolerant glance which conveyed the unspoken 'Of course.'
"Did she sound ok?"
Gibbs closed his eyes, knowing this wasn't the time to lose his temper. "She sounded like she had the shit beat out of her, Tony," he replied evenly. "But if she wasn't ok when VanTright got there, we'd know by now; he'd have radioed us."
The silence in the cabin was overwhelming and it was a miracle Gibbs had heard Tony's voice at all when he next spoke.
"Boss, what do I say?" he had whispered, his lonely and scared eyes pleading with his mentor for some guidance.
Gibbs let a small smile of understanding slip onto his lips. "Say whatever you need to say, Tony. I'm sure there's things she needs to know."
The younger agent closed his eyes in frustration and rested his head back against the mesh net of the puddle jumper's seating. He spent the remainder of the flight going over everything he needed to say to her in his mind... and often found himself worrying that she might not be alive to hear it all.