Chapter updated 10.14.10

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for·tu·i·tous[/fawr-too-i-tuhs] adj. happening/coming about by chance, especially giving rise to good fortune o·blit·er·a·tion- verb [uh-blit-uh-rey-shuhn]To do away with completely so as to leave no trace

It began in the middle of the winter, December 29,when the day burned itself into two individuals' memory, leaving them close to death. She had never expected to come to love the one who destroyed her world. It seemed as though the top of the world fell on her, but he helped her push it off. So will forbidden love bloom, or will she nearly kill him… again? Tony Dinozzo never realized that she could make his life a living hell. After all, she was just a girl, and he was the school's star athlete. First he befriended the goth science geek, then he had to protect the loser computer geek too and finally his best friend Kate was put in a coma. His life seemed to start to crumble when he accidently crashed into the girl's car when he was driving to escape his father on that fateful icy day…

He thought that he could trust Gibbs.

Perhaps he was a mistaken fool that trusted far too easily.

He was also a coward.

That second afterthought was like a blow to the heart, even as he knew it was true. Tony was running, instead of facing the man and standing up for himself.

Even as his injuries throbbed- his ribs were burning from his father's careful ministrations- he found himself gathering speed, his breath ragged and heavy. Running had always served as a stress reliever for him, but today it seemed as though he couldn't run fast enough, as though if he paused, the world would catch up to him and force him to realize how cold and bleak it truly was.

He didn't wish to face it, so he ran.

Tony DiNozzo gained speed until he staggered to a stop, panting for breath as he struggled to regain his equilibrium. The boy- a teenager, really- rested his hands on his knees, his sides heaving as he struggled to allow the oxygen to pass to his brain. Tony shook his head, fighting off the surge of dizziness.

"Well?" a smooth voice, both cool and feminine, asked him, and Tony swept his sweaty hair out of his eyes, narrowing the emerald orbs as\t her even as his heart faltered from shock.

"Ziva?"

discidium

Ziva was aware of the faint annoyance on her face as she watched him come barreling down the street, his face looking similar to that of a hunted animal. When he stopped, she was barely aware of her own motion of slipping off the stone wall, her body nimbly landing on the ground as she ghosted her way over to where he was.

"Well?" she asked him, her expression closed off. She could almost hear Tali's light voice in her mind as she watched the startled American. Watch as the lioness stalks her unsuspecting prey. No, the voice was too painful to listen to. Her sister was dead, yet Ziva had a part in her that refused to move on.

He looked startled as he glanced up at her, but that didn't stop him from responding with a cocky sounding, "Well what?"

She scarcely contained herself from gritting her teeth, but she did manage to grunt out a neutral sounding, "Why are you in my neighborhood?"

Ziva was aware that she was watching him warily, but instead of pressing him, after a few moments, she conceded that Tony wasn't going to tell her anything, however, to her surprise, he spoke just a few minutes later.

"I didn't know you lived around here," an undertone of truth was in his words, so she didn't try to dispute it.

For a moment, Ziva hesitated- was he aware of the importance of this spot? Was he aware that just a block down from here, a vase of flowers was beside the road, a small memorial for her sister and mother?

It seemed he wasn't. For a moment irrational anger made Ziva jump, but she pushed it away sourly. He probably had memory loss from hitting his head too hard.

However, it was hard to quell the cold fury.

"Ziva..." his calm voice made her glance at him again, and she blinked at him, silent as she laced her fingers behind her back, suddenly nervous. "I never did properly apologize, did I?"

Ziva cocked her head, startled by his serious tone. For a moment, she was forced to wonder what he was discussing, but then it clicked. Tony was on the exact topic she had sought to avoid, yet never managed to stop dwelling on.

"You tried-" Ziva began quietly, but he cut her off.

"Tried. Not quite good enough," his voice quickly took on a world-weary tone and she blinked again. His moods were ever-changing and precise.

Ziva found herself flinching quietly, as his slightly trembling hand traced over one of the few souvenirs from the wreck. As Tony's quivering fingers stopped just below her right eye, Ziva watched him cautiously, once again reminded of a caged animal.

"I am sorry for that," once against his tone switched, going from sorrowful to dead in a moment. "I guess I just can't stop messing up, can I?"

Ziva was at a loss for words. This... this child, no, teenager, was so determined to blame himself for the world's problems. It was equally their faults... yet he was determined to shoulder the guilt.

"I suppose you'd like to apologize for the year length as well?" it was a rare occurance that her voice was so brutally cold, but somehow he'd managed to bring it out without seeking it, "because that is just as much your fault as the..." somehow, she couldn't bring herself to say it, but Tony caught onto Ziva's meaning.

"Accident was?"

"Yes," the single word was barely audible as Ziva struggled to maintain her composure.

To Ziva's surprise, a low chuckle came out of his mouth at her words, and she found a shy grin crossing her face as well before she could contain it.

"I guess... I am being foolish, aren't I?" Tony asked, and a grim amusement flashed through Ziva once again. She couldn't imagine what he was thinking at the moment as his laughter grew.

"The one person who has reason to hate me tries to comfort me... and yet, the family I trust goes behind my back. This day is getting better and better!"

Crazy, he was.

Author's Note

This chapter was the offspring of overstudying for classes made for people older then me... Honors Bio and Honors Geometry. So they're probably OOC. Crit accepted. I'd like to correct any glaring errors in here.

POLL QUESTION (answer in a review and fill in the blank!)

Q. I'd hate to be locked in a room/interrogation room with _ for a day.

A: You can use anyone from NCIS that you want.