A/N: Okay, yeah, short chapters. But I like the chapters short? It should get longer and more exciting later, but I have no guarantee. I go wherever the muse decides to take me. Which is... well, here.
I don't own NCIS. Enjoy.
15 hours ago, they'd realized the link.
The world stopped around them.
Silent, no words needed.
Blood pounded in her head and heart,
Only outmatched by the screaming in her head.
"Gibbs, I got a match!" Abby was positively beaming as she whipped around to face the computer in front of her, beckoning to her boss with the hand that wasn't on the mouse. He complied, carefully making his way back to her side with his team shadowing him, each eager to know exactly what Abby found. They stared at the screen expectantly, but the moment the match came up, their hearts stopped.
Nothing moved for many seconds, each person staring in utter shock. Panic clouded his mind while screams crowded hers, each unable to move as they stared. How was this right? The blood… it didn't make sense. Finally, the world began to move again, as McGee reached for the monitor and shut off the screen. The black screen seemed to wake each and every one of them, and they turned to face the person in question.
"Oh, my God" mixed with, "What the hell?" and "Ziver, explain yourself." It turned into an odd mix that she barely understood, translating it in her head as "Oh, my, what the, explain!" She only stared blankly in response, her mouth hanging open in shock.
The room remained silent for another few heartbeats, before Gibbs shot a glare at each agent and spoke directly to Ziva. "Ziva, care to explain what your fingerprint was doing on Petty Officer Taylor's body?"
"Gibbs, I… it could have been a setup, couldn't it? I didn't… This has happened… Tony, you know… I didn't…" none of her coworkers seemed to understand her at all, only catching bits and pieces of her jumbled sentences as she spoke, faster than Abby after a few dozen Caf-Pows.
If her luck was bad, then she must have underestimated to what extent her horrible luck could go, for at the door, appeared the Director. His eyes traveled to the agents in front of him and finally to the screen, before settling back on the agents. The gaze was hard, cold, accusing. "I'm calling the FBI."
"What?" another uproar sounded. At least this time they all spoke the same words, shocked both by the appearance of Director Vance and his words. What good would it do to call the FBI? This was their case, their grounds!
"You heard me. This is officially an internal investigation. Gibbs, Fornell will have to keep you updated, but you are all taken off the case. Agent David, my office. Now."
In an instant, Gibbs was in front of Ziva, purposely blocking her way to the Director. His jaw and fists clenched, he simply glared at the other man as his agents stood behind and beside him, though none summoned the courage to be so forthright in their protection of Ziva.
"Director Vance, this is a misunderstanding," she spoke at once, attempting to step around Gibbs but only to find him shifting with her. "I probably tore a glove at the crime scene."
"Your fingerprint is on the body," he pointed out. "And I don't believe that you touched the body when you were at the crime scene, did you?"
"No, but-"
"But nothing. David, you are to come with me. Special Agent Gibbs, move now or you will regret it. I'm calling Fornell in a second, he should be here any time soon. Be prepared, he'll want to talk to each and every one of you."
Faced with no other choice, the silver haired man moved, but not before squeezing Ziva's hand in gentle reassurance that everything would be okay. The team was forced to watch her leave, though she paused at the doorway, giving a slight nod to show that she could do this, she would be strong - for them, if not for her.
Millions of questions and thoughts whirled in each team member's mind, but only Tony, fiercely glaring, bothered to voice his thoughts.
"That bastard."
