Whoa, that was a lot of feedback on the last chapter. Thank you so much, I love you guys! :D
Okay, so I need to tell you something. This is the longest chapter yet and a lot of things happen. Good things...and also some pretty bad ones. But no matter what happens in this chapter, you have to read it to the end. Even if you want to kill me for what happens in it. Everything will be alright. I promise.
Also I think I might have messed up my timeline a bit...
Hope you'll still enjoy and give me some more feedback ;)
Disclaimer: Would you grant a little Austrian girl her biggest wish? No? Well..it was worth a try...
"DiNozzo?" Ray asked in sheer disbelief.
"CI-Ray?" Tony got out after a moment of silence. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"Excuse me? I live here. And don't call me that!" Ray exclaimed.
"Oh...right." Another silence followed and Tony gulped. It wasn't that he hadn't expected Agent Cruz to be home, but he'd had hope. Finally he spoke again. "Is Ziva home?"
"Yes."
So he wanted it the hard way? No problem. "Can I talk to her?"
"I'll see what I can do for you..." Ray said and threw the door shut, only missing Tony's nose by an inch. Great, Tony thought. He waited patiently, taking a look at his watch every now and then. At some point he had enough and rang the doorbell, wondering why he hadn't done that before.
... ... ...
Ray closed the door, hoping it would hit DiNozzo's nose. He knew exactly how Ziva would react if he stormed into the guest room without knocking. He waited in the hallway, so DiNozzo would think he talked to Ziva. An evil grin formed on his face as he stormed into the guest room.
"Hey honey." He said. Ziva glared at him.
"Get. Out." She hissed and put down her book.
"No. I want to talk to you." Ray said, pretending to be nice and thoughtful.
Her reaction was just what he'd expected. She got up and threw a pillow in his face. "GO AWAY!" she yelled, just after the doorbell rang. He grinned and went out of the room. How did you like that DiNozzo? He thought to himself before he opened the front door again.
... ... ...
"GO AWAY!" Tony heard someone scream and realized that it was unmistakably Ziva's voice. Was she talking about him? He heard steps from inside, took a step back and tried to look nonchalant. As expected Ray was the one to open the door again.
"I guess you heard her DiNozzo. She doesn't want to see you or talk to you, sooo..." He made a little waving gesture indicating for Tony to leave.
"I believe she's perfectly able to talk for herself." Tony said, while he completely ignored what Ray had said and tried to get inside, pushing past him. He didn't think about Ray's training at the CIA, for he'd never taken him seriously anyway. He regretted it immediately. Ray was way stronger than he had expected and within a second Tony was on the floor while his head made a loud 'thump' as it connected with the hard ground. For a minute or so he didn't move at all. Everything he felt was pain.
"Was that clear enough for you Agent DiNozzo?" Ray asked in a low voice. Tony could only nod which caused him to cough violently. "Good. Now leave. And don't even think about coming back. Because Ziva chose me. And she will always choose me again. You know why? 'Cause she loves me. Not you. You're only a little past time of hers...a brother she left the first chance she got." He spat the last words at Tony, who was now trying to get up.
"Screw you, Cruz." He said, hiding how much he hurt. Not only his head hurt, the worse pain was in his heart. Or where his heart should be. It felt as if it had been ripped out by Ray's words.
He didn't remember how he actually got in his car or managed to get back to D.C. without causing an accident, but somehow he ended up on his couch. With a bottle of Jack Daniel's. With every gulp he felt the pain lessen, but soon the bottle was empty and he got up in search for more. After a six pack and a half full bottle of vodka he didn't feel the pain anymore. In fact he didn't feel anything at all. And he had major problems with walking, or standing for that matter. Suddenly his phone rang. Tony had no idea who it was, for he found it far too hard to read the Caller-ID.
"Veeeery Special Agent Diiii-Nooo-Zooo" he lulled into the phone.
"Lora King is coming back! I need you at the boutique. NOW!" Gibbs yelled, not noticing the condition his Senior Field Agent was in.
"Alrighty-oh, bossmaaan." Tony said after Gibbs had hung up. "I'll be there in five." He threw his phone on the coffee table and got up. Somehow he managed to walk out the door and put on his jacket while walking down the stairs without tripping. Driving was the next problem. Tony wasn't even able to unlock his car. He looked up when he saw a car stopped next to him. A familiar figure got out and walked towards him.
"Tony?"
"The one and only!" Tony confirmed. The figure took a step closer.
"Oh dear, you smell like a brewery!" he said and suddenly Tony recognized the man in front of him.
"Charlie! Hey guys, it's my friend Charlie!" he yelled to no one in particular, for the street was empty except for them.
"What made you drink that much?" Charlie asked when Tony tripped over his own feet and nearly fell to the ground. He caught him in time and held most of Tony's weight. For a man his age he was pretty strong.
Tony seemed deep in thought before he answered. "I dunno. Guess I forgot...Oh but I need to go now."
"You're not going anywhere in that state."
"But I need to go...somewhere. The Great Leroy Jethro Gibbs needs me!"
Charlie rolled his eyes. "Your boss will have to work without you today." He tried to get Tony back up to his apartment, but didn't succeed at all.
"It was nice talking to you, but I reeaaallly need to go now." Tony said and went back to trying to open his car, which made Charlie sigh helplessly.
"I'll give you a ride, Tony. Come on." He said and pushed Tony inside his car. Tony remembered the address and they were on their way in an instant.
... ... ...
It was getting dark when they arrived at the boutique. Tony got of the car, or tried to do so. Charlie unbuckled his seatbelt for him. McGee had watched the whole scene and came to help the old man get Tony out of the car.
"Whoa! What'd you do? Buy a liquor store?" he asked as he smelled the older Agent's breath.
"Nooo McGoo. But good idea!" Tony exclaimed.
"He's in no condition to work, but he just wouldn't stay home." Charlie explained as he got out of the car himself.
" I'll tell our boss. Oh and thanks for...taking care of him."
"That's alright. Tony's a good man."
"You know him?" McGee asked surprised. He'd thought Charlie was just being nice.
The old man nodded. "Yes. I only met him yesterday. My wife and I live near Ziva David. She's a colleague of yours as well, isn't she?"
"Umm yeah." McGee said. "How'd you find Tony?"
"I was driving home from my grocery store when I saw him trying to unlock his car. And since I couldn't convince him to stay home I decided to drive him here."
"McGee, you done with your little tea break over there?" Gibbs yelled as he approached them. "And what the hell is wrong with DiNozzo!"
"Boss...I..well I think he might be..."
"Completely wasted!" Tony yelled cheerfully. Gibbs sighed and gave him a headslap. "I love you too boss." Tony mumbled.
Back at the boutique's front door Agent Thomas was standing, He had just received a phone call that Lora King was on her way. "Agent Gibbs!" he called out "She's coming!"
"Great." Gibbs ran a hand through his silver hair. "McGee, keep DiNozzo out of the way."
"But how?"
"I don't care! Just do it!" Gibbs said before he turned to walk back to Agent Thomas. McGee looked from Tony to Gibbs with a helpless expression. Charlie lay a reassuring hand on the young man's shoulder.
"I can drive him back home Agent McGee." He offered. McGee shook his head.
"Gibbs wants him here. And I'm afraid you'll have to stay as well now." he said with an apologetic look. "Just stay in the car and try to keep Tony in there as well."
"I thought so. May I just call my wife and tell her not to worry?" Charlie asked. McGee nodded and gave him his phone, before he walked back to Gibbs. After calling Beth and explaining everything to her, Charlie tried to get Tony back into the car. And he succeeded. Tony sat on the passenger seat and watched the scene across the street.
A black car pulled up in front of the house and Lora got out, not expecting Gibbs, McGee and Thomas. She wore dark sunglasses and a brown coat. Something silvery looking stuck out of her purse. Charlie didn't see it because he was reading the newspaper, and obviously the Agents at the house didn't see it either. But Tony did. Thomas just stepped in Lora's way and showed his badge. McGee and Gibbs stepped to his sides and Gibbs took out his handcuffs. Lora's hand went to her purse and she pulled out a knife.
"Drop your weapon!" Gibbs yelled. Lora nodded in Agent Thomas' direction and he rammed an elbow in Gibb's stomach. McGee reacted immediately and shot at him. The bullet hit him in the knee and he dropped to the floor. Lora had dropped the knife in surprise. Gibbs handcuffed Thomas, but both, he and McGee, had lost focus on Lora King, who, again, slipped a hand in her purse. They didn't notice, but Tony and Charlie had seen everything from the car. And, drunken state or not, Tony practically jumped out of the car. The adrenaline cleared his head and he ran towards the house.
"Boss. She's got a gun!" Tony yelled. All heads turned towards him. Tony aimed his own gun at the blonde woman, but she was faster. Three shots rang through the air. Two people screamed. One dropped to the ground.
... ... ...
Ziva sat back down on the bed and looked out the window. She'd heard the doorbell just before she'd yelled at Ray and was curious who it was. She immediately recognised the car. Tony's car. What was he doing here? And why hadn't Ray told her? She saw Tony walk back to his car and her heart missed a beat. He looked somewhat broken and she couldn't stand the sight of it. He drove off and she looked after him until the car disappeared. Ziva gave Ray another five minutes to tell her who had been at the door. When he didn't, she went downstairs. Her fiancé – she shuddered at the thought – sat on the couch and watched ZNN.
"Ray, who was at the door?" she asked, making her voice sound calm.
"No one. Just the mailman." Ray lied. Ziva frowned.
"And since when does the mailman drive Tony's car?" she asked. Ray didn't reply. "Ray?" she pressed.
"I didn't want you to see him." He finally said and got up.
"Why?" Ziva asked.
"Because..."
"Yes?"
"Because you're in love with him." Ray stated. The Israeli stared at him with wide eyes. Was it that obvious? "And I thought if you spent enough time away from him, you'd stop loving him. And start loving me."
"Ray...I" Ziva started but was interrupted.
"I understand. But I can't let him have you. Because, you see, I always get what I want. And I want you."
"That's not you Ray!" Ziva said. She would never admit it, but Ray was scaring her.
"Oh believe me, it is." Ray said. Ziva straightened up and looked him directly in the eye.
"I will be leaving." She just said and turned. "And if you only attempt to stop me, I'll tell your little friend Trent Kort about the bribes. And yes I know about them, and no, I will not tell you why."
"Ziva! You're making a mistake!" Ray yelled after her. Ziva was standing at the top of the stairs now and looked down.
"No Ray. I am doing something right. The mistake was dating you in the first place." And with that she went to pack the suitcases she had only just unpacked the night before. And it felt good, because she knew she was going to go home. Home to her family. She made sure that she had everything with her before she descended the stairs again. Ray was standing in the middle of the living room, still watching TV. The news said something about a Federal Agent being shot at a crime scene and Ziva thought the shops in the background looked familiar, but she shook her head and ignored it.
"I'm leaving now." Ziva said and threw a small box at Ray. "And take my advice. Never give a woman an empty ring box."
"Please stay!" Ray practically begged. Ziva thought it was pathetic.
"No. And do not try to call or reach me ever again. It is over." She walked out the door and packed her suitcases into her car.
... ... ...
With her way of driving she reached D.C. in record time, driving straight to the Navy Yard because she had to take back her resignation and she really hoped that Gibbs hadn't signed it right away. And she had to apologize to everyone, especially Abby. When the familiar 'ding' of the elevator could be heard, Ziva smiled. She stepped out and walked straight to the bullpen. To her surprise no one was there. She decided to go visit Abby's lab.
The doors slid open and Ziva saw her favourite Goth sitting at the desk in her office. No music was playing, which was a bad sign. Ziva slowly walked towards her friend.
"Hey." She said, which was a pretty weak greeting. Abby looked up and her glare shocked Ziva. It was something between hatred and disappointment.
"You!" Abby yelled as she jumped up. "What were you thinking? I told you on the phone that he likes you and you just...you just AAHHH!"
"I am sorry."
"Don't tell me that! Tell him, for God's sake!" the Goth exclaimed and jumped up and down in anger.
"I overreacted. A lot. And I was confused...I should not have left."
Abby ran over to Ziva and hugged her. "No you shouldn't have." She whispered and started sobbing uncontrollably. Ziva tried to calm her. After a few minutes of crying Abby stepped back.
"I was going to apologize to Tony straight away, but he was not upstairs. Do you know where he is?" the Israeli asked. Abby looked shocked.
"You haven't heard? I thought that's the reason you came back!"
"Heard what? What happened?"
"Ziva, Tony went to see you and get you to come home! Because he's completely in love with you! And then...and then..." another sob escaped her lips. "...when you didn't want to see him he...drank...a lot...and then...at the crime scene..."
"He got shot." Ziva suddenly realized why the shop on TV had been so familiar. It had been Lora King's boutique. "Is he okay?" suddenly she panicked.
"He'll live. That bitch wasn't too good at aiming, only one of three bullets hit him. He's had a surgery." Abby explained.
"It's all my fault. I saw him drive off, but I didn't do anything. Ray didn't tell me."
"Ziva you're not making any sense. You're in shock." But Ziva shook her head.
"I yelled he should go away, but I meant Ray, not Tony." She explained. "I need to go to the Hospital."
"You're not driving like this. I won't let you! One injured friend is enough for one day." Abby said, holding her friend back. "I'll drive you. But only if you promise me to tell him everything and not leave again for some creepy CIA guy who looks like Dumbo." Ziva nodded.
"I promise. I could not leave him again."
"Good." Abby grabbed Zivas hand and sprinted out of the lab with her in tow.
At the hospital the two women tricked four nurses to get to the right hallway, where everyone was already waiting. Gibbs sat in a chair, silently complaining about the bad coffee. McGee was soundly asleep in the chair next to him. On Gibbs' other side sat Ducky who was having a conversation with Charlie. They seemed to get along really well. Charlie had an arm laid over Beth's shoulders. Ziva was surprised as she recognized her favourite neighbours.
"Charlie? Beth?" she asked in disbelief. Everyone looked up.
"Ziva, sweetheart, are you okay?" Beth asked in return while getting up and walking towards her. Ziva just nodded, afraid her facade would break if she spoke. Beth sensed this and pulled her into a warm embrace. The younger woman had to bite her lower lip to keep herself from breaking into tears. When they stepped apart again, Ziva noticed that Gibbs, Ducky and McGee, who had woken up, were staring at her. She owed them an apology as well.
"Gibbs can we...talk?" she asked cautiously. The older Agent gave her a short nod.
"Talk." He said.
"In private?"
"You're hiding something, David?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. She shook her head. "Then you can talk in front of us all."
Ziva took a deep breath before she felt ready to speak. Abby felt her struggle, took her hand and squeezed it. "I left. " pause "I left and It was a mistake. I had a fight with Tony and felt like I could not work with him after that, but I was wrong. And it is my fault he ended up in here, but it was a misunderstanding."
"The reason you left was a misunderstanding as well." Abby stated.
"Would you please let me finish Abby?" Ziva pleaded.
"Oh, right. Sorry. Go on." The Goth said, again giving Ziva's hand a reassuring squeeze.
"Okay, so I know how you feel about apologies Gibbs, but I do not care right now, because if I do not apologize I will hate myself forever." Ziva took another deep breath and closed her eyes briefly. "I am sorry."
Gibbs got up and took Ziva in his arms. "It's okay kid." He whispered, only for her to hear. It made her smile. Then she looked at McGee and Ducky.
"I am sorry Ducky. I should have listened to you. And McGee...can you forgive me?"
"Silly question Ziva." McGee said and smiled at her.
"We all make mistakes, my dear. In fact this reminds me of this one time when-" Ducky turned to Charlie as he noticed that no one else was listening to him.
"Thank you. Thank you so much." Ziva whispered on the edge of tears. She was in the middle of the closest thing she ever had to a family, and she had never felt that happy. "Gibbs...have you signed my resignation letter?" she asked, suddenly afraid she might lose everything again.
Gibbs smiled before he answered. He actually smiled. "Resignation letter?...Oh, you mean your unpaid vacation time to visit your cousin." He winked at her. Ziva couldn't hold back her tears then. She laughed and cried at the same time, while Abby hugged her in typical bone-crushing Abby fashion. Ziva didn't mind at all.
"What did you tell Director Vance?" she asked.
"Don't worry. He's glad you changed your mind." Gibbs explained. Ziva mouthed a 'Thankyousomuch' before she sat down with Abby, who had to explain everything Tony had told her about the night Ziva had left. When she told her about what Tony had actually said, which was confirmed by Beth and Charlie, Ziva had to fight back tears again. Gibbs pretended not to listen and went to get some more coffee. He had known the second he had seen Tony's reaction to Ziva David that those two would break his precious rule 12. What he hadn't expected was that it would take them more than six years to do so. When he came back from his coffee break he found his team and the old couple talk to a young nurse.
"Mr DiNozzo is awake. Are you his family?" she asked. When everyone nodded she looked confused. "All of you? I can only let one person inside for tonight. Too many people could stress him."
Gibbs saw the look in Ziva's eyes. She needed to talk to DiNozzo. "She's his girlfriend. Let her in." He said. Everyone but the nurse looked at him with wide eyes. The nurse just nodded and motioned for Ziva to follow her.
"Don't worry. He'll be fine in no time." She assured her when she saw the expression on Ziva's face. Ziva gave her a kind smile in return. They stopped in front of a door."You have about fifteen minutes. I'll get you then." The nurse said and left. Ziva hesitated for a second before she pushed down the door handle and entered the room, not knowing how she would start the conversation.
I am so terribly sorry, but I had to stop here. I already made this chapter a lot longer than I wanted to. Next chapter will be the Tony/Ziva conversation...and it might get reeeaalllly fluffy ;)) you've lived through all the angsty drama stuff and will be rewarded for it with quite some Tiva.
Guess what I would love...
...YES! REVIEWS! so pretty please give me some :)
- CrazyNinjaChickDavid xx