I'll give you a hint about who's going to die…it's going to make a certain person very VERY upset…maybe to the point of suicide? Hm…we'll see; on with the chapter!

Gibbs POV

I walked out of the hotel, my heart racing and pounding against my chest. I felt the heavy weight of the SIG in my holster and constantly checked the clips I had in my other pocket, making sure that they were there. I had to occupy my hands or else my mind would drift to a certain Israeli and I would turn right back around and run to her to make sure she was ok.

I pulled out the van's keys and opened up the door, climbing into the driver's seat. I slammed the door shut, my hands resting in my lap, waiting for Melinda.

I sighed, the silence was unnerving; it only made my heart hurt more. I rubbed my hand over my eyes, resting my arm on the dashboard, my minds spinning. What if she couldn't disarm the bomb fast enough and she died? Or what if she died in the process? God, I couldn't bear the thought.

I pulled my hand away from my eyes and lifted my face, staring straight ahead. The once romantic city was filled with death, I thought, we used to have so many good memories here, Jen and I. I guess when she died, the city in a way died too.

I heard the car door open and then the familiar smell of peach perfume filled the car, jolting me away from the past. I started the car and began navigating through the quiet city. I took sharp turns, never missing a single one until we arrived in front of the dock.

I quickly got out of the car, we only had half an hour left now. I didn't hesitate to climb on board and go down into the cabins. The narrow corridors were filled with strong able bodied young men calling out orders and reports.

I headed straight into the captains room, not bothering to knock, I went right in.

"Captain, we have a problem," I began.

He looked up, his face crestfallen and set down his book, striding over to us.

"What's going on?" He asked, his eyes stealing over.

"They got a bomb on the ship; we need the ship evacuated now so we can find the bomb and stop it from detonating," I told him, my voice hard. I was painfully aware of the seconds that we were wasting by talking to him and felt my temper rising.

He looked at me for a second, "Are you absolutely sure about this? We're extremely vulnerable if we're all out on the dock."

I nodded, "Yes sir, I understand, but if you don't leave, you're all going to die and it's going to make our jobs harder."

He was quiet for a moment, thinking it over. After what felt like hours but was only a few minutes, he went back to his desk, pressing the speaker button.

"All crew must evacuate onto the dock, drop everything you're doing and get out. This is not a drill," he added.

I immediately heard movement from behind the door and heard men shouting over each other, and could almost picture them rushing for the exits.

I nodded, "Go with them, captain, let us do our jobs."

He hesitated again but then left his room. I waited a few more seconds and wiped out the radiation detectors. I walked around the room, covering every surface of it. I sighed, this wasn't where it was.

"Go down to the heart of the ship; they must've put it there," I mumbled, storming out the door and taking three steps at a time to get down. I could almost hear the clock ticking inside my head and didn't bother to check if Melinda was behind me.

I went down the final steps and was in the bottom of the ship where the machines were. I looked around, the detector in front of me. Suddenly, I heard movement to my left and looked behind me, pointing towards the other half of the massive room. Melinda nodded and disappeared into the darkness.

I turned on my flashlight and shone it through the room, the bright beam uncovering ever aspect of the barely visited room. I heard a crackle and looked down to see that we were getting closer to the bomb.

I walked forward again, and felt an arm grab me and pull me into the darkness, ripping my flashlight away. My captors arms wrapped around my throat, suffocating me. I gasped for breath, tears welling up in my eyes.

I brought my elbow back and elbowed him in the stomach, making his grip loosen. I pulled away, gun in hand. I didn't see his fist until it was right up against my chest, throwing me off balance. I felt around and grabbed the flashlight, shinning it at his face.

"Ah!" He cried as the beam hit him, shielding his eyes. I punched him twice in the face, slamming his head into the medal wall, knocking him unconscious.

I pulled out the ticking alarm and saw that we only had three minutes left. I cursed and looked around for the radiation detector to find it crackling like crazy near a crate. I quickly grabbed a crowbar and jammed the lid open and saw the bomb set in the middle, several wires erupting from the little square surface.

"2 minutes 50 seconds," I mumbled, trying to desperately remember which wire to cut. I got out the pliers and went for the red one. My hand shook ever so slightly as the medal cut the small piece of medal.

I expected the timer to stop, but instead it went to one minute and twenty seconds. I cursed again and pulled out the PDA, scrolling through the bomb's construction blue prints. I tried to decipher the Arabic and cursed again; I should've brought Ziva, I thought.

I felt cold sweat break out on the back of my neck as the clock went down to 40 seconds. I looked around in the PDA, hoping against hope that there was an English version. I felt the seconds tick away and felt my life slipping away as well. There was so much I hadn't said yet that just had to be said. I decided to go with my gut and cut the black wire.

To my relief, the bomb stopped ticking. I breathed out a sigh of relief, the timer stopped with twenty seconds to spare. I looked around, calling out Melinda's name.

"Yes, Jethro?" She answered, coming up behind me, her hair slightly tousled.

"I need you to throw this bomb into the water, don't shake the box too much or else it might start up again," I instructed, feeling as if the weight of the world was finally lifted from my shoulders.

She nodded, coming up behind me and taking the box, holding it out in front of her, her arms wavering slightly.

"Hey! Hold it steady, stop shaking!" I chastised, sighing. This woman had the nerve to call Ziva weak when she couldn't handle a little bomb that hadn't even gone off yet.

Ziva! I thought suddenly, climbing up the stairs and out onto the deck. I pulled out the walkie-talkie.

"Ziva? How you doing up there?" I asked, my voice soft.

I waited for her response, holding my breath. I felt the wind pull at my coat and wipe away the sweat on my back.

"Ziva!" I called again, hoping against hope that she would answer.

I heard a crackle and then her voice, broken, "Gibbs . . . did you stop the bomb?" She asked, her voice so soft and broken it made my heart stop all together.

"Ziva, what the hell's wrong over there?" I yelled, concern lacing the anger. Why wouldn't she just tell me what the hell was wrong?

"Nothing is wrong . . . I am working on the bomb," she whispered, her voice was calm, the vulnerability vanishing all together.

"Do you need help?" I asked, my voice lowering slightly.

I heard a pause, "No, I don't need any-

Her voice was cut off and I felt my eyes open wide, my fingers gripping the walkie-talkie hardening, gripping it so tight that the whites of my knuckles were visible.

I heard an explosion that rocked my world, turning my mind off and making my heart stop. I felt my world crumple into a heap as I heard that explosion, unable to move for a few seconds, my eyes wide and the hand clenched around the walkie-talkie going limp, dropping it onto the medal deck, clattering away into a corner.

I bolted off of the deck, not bothering to use the stairs, just jumping onto the dock. I ran past a bewildered Melinda and crew, my mind not functioning. My legs pumped, adrenaline and pain making me push myself faster and faster until I reached her. I felt tears prick my eyes and tried holding them back, but they managed to slide down my cheeks. I felt my whole chest ache with pain and hurt and a vicious hope that could die in a few short seconds when I saw her body, crumpled against the wall of the hotel.

I ran through the silent streets, my footsteps echoing along the apartments and alleys. The buildings blurred with my tears, the wind hitting my face with full force like a punch to the gut. I couldn't contain myself, couldn't think right until I saw her.

As I began nearing the hotel, I slowed down, my heart wrenching, wondering the scene that I would find. I tried to put on my calm mask but it was already in shambles ever since I heard the explosion. I slowed from a sprint to a walk, all the energy draining out of my body.

I walked up to where the hotel should be to see it in a pile of rubble. I felt pain grip my chest as I walked up to it, yelling Ziva's name over and over again, hoping against hope that she would pop up from the rubble and be alright; but I knew I was just lying to myself. If I did find her then she would be burnt to a crisp below the pile.

I would never see her beautiful face crack into a smile that always seemed to make my day; hell, I would never see her again period because the blast from the bomb would've killed her. Never the less, I got down on my hands and knees, turning over the rocks, cutting my hands in the process, searching for her body, throwing rocks this way and that.

Suddenly, I saw something shine in the pile and brushed away the dust to reveal a NCIS badge that looked somewhat burnt. I picked it up, my eyes watering and my walls falling to the floor.

"Ziva," I cried, my face crumpling with pain and loss. I had lost almost everyone I had ever loved in my life, how could I lose her too? I wondered, my hand clutching the badge to my chest.

Ziva POV

I walked down the stairs, the radiation detector in my hand, my eyes scanning the strangely empty basement. Maybe the manager actually listened and had them all evacuated? I wondered casually.

Suddenly, the lights flickered, and I immediately stopped, my muscles tensing, ready to spring. After a last crackle, the lights went off. I instantly went on high alert, taking out the flashlight and shinning it around the concrete floors. I felt a hand grab at my waist and instinctively tugged at it, easily finding the pressure point and flipping the man over.

I felt at my side, and realized that my NCIS badge was gone and curse. I heard him groan, the flashlight's beam hitting him straight in the face. He shielded his eyes from it, making it impossible to see his face.

I heard footsteps behind me and turned just in time to see a fist shooting at my chest. I grabbed the hand, twisting it until I heard a bone snap and kicked the guy in the ribs. I ducked out of his way as he fell and hit his head on the concrete floor, knocking him unconscious.

I picked up the fallen radiation detector and continued on cautiously. I looked at the watch, I only had a minute or so left; I began to search harder, willing the machine to give me a sign.

Suddenly, it began crackling, the force making the whole box vibrate wildly. I took a few steps back to see nothing but the concrete floor. I bent down, examining the concrete, cautiously running a hand along the surface, trying to find the edges of a door.

After what felt like hours, I found the small opening and pried it open to reveal a ticking bomb sitting inside it. I cautiously lowered myself in, expertly hooking my feet against the medal works of a machine to keep me from falling. I got out the pliers, half my body dangling in the dark hole, watching the neon red numbers tick away. I studied the bomb, trying to absorb as much detail as possible, and found the switch I was looking for that would buy me some more time.

I cut the green and blue wires at the same time, and the timer slowed down, giving me a 5 minute lead. I tried to find the off switch in the jumble of wire, but knew that it was hopeless. I quickly pulled myself back up using my leg muscles, and ran from the bomb, kicking myself the whole way. I was running away from something that if I had a few more minutes to study, I could probably fix.

I first ran into our room, grabbing the silver case and extra guns and knives, hastily shoving them into my backpack. I thanks God that Gibbs and Melinda had already taken our suitcases in case we didn't make it back. I looked at the timer I had set along with the bomb and saw that I had less than three minutes.

I ran out of the room, my shirt now coated with sweat and dust. I didn't bother to take the elevator, and looked at the window at the side. We were only two stories up, if I was careful enough I could climb down.

Without hesitation, I pulled open the window, expertly throwing my body over the side, my fingers gripping the edge. I felt around for a foot hold and found the other window directly below me and cautiously lowered myself onto the small, precarious ledge. I stayed still for a moment to regain my balance and cautiously bent down, hanging onto the ledge and let my feet slide onto the next window.

Suddenly, I heard a furious beeping and looked to see that I now had less than two minutes. I looked down, and judged that it wouldn't be bad if I just jumped. I braced myself, my muscles tensing, and released my fingers from the ledge.

I felt the cool rush past me, gravity pulling me down. I landed on my feet, wincing slightly at the impact. I looked down at the timer again, the adrenalin preventing me from keeping still. I had all of one minute now.

I sprinted away from the hotel, the backpack strapped to my back. Suddenly, I remembered that I had left the walkie-talkie in the basement and cursed myself twice over. I couldn't go back for it now, the hotel would blow up in-

BAM! I felt the searing heat and the force of the ruble push me to the ground, my ears rang from the explosion, making my head hurt.

Slowly, I got to my feet, the world spinning for a second and then focusing into place.

I started to head towards the ship when I felt a gun being pressed to the back of my neck.