Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters.
Chapter Eleven
Gibbs and McGee raced into Ziva's apartment building followed closely by the FBI agents. They held their guns at the ready, racing up the stairs to where her door stood wide open. Inside, the condition of the apartment hadn't changed, but what they did find caused McGee to holster his weapon and race to his fallen partner. Tony laid sprawled on the floor, a gunshot wound to his side that was quickly spreading. Lake called for an ambulance while the rest of the agents checked to make sure Ziva wasn't still in the apartment.
"No one home at the neighbor across the hall," Sheridan said as he came back in Ziva's living room.
"Where did Anna take Ziva?" Gibbs said as he watched McGee stop the bleeding to Tony's side by putting pressure to the wound. After a second glance, the wound was only a flesh wound, not nearly severe enough to put the agent on the ground. Suddenly, Tony began to moan and opened his eyes with a start, trying to jerk upright only to flinch and groan.
"Take it easy, Tony," McGee said as Lake knelt to help him move Tony so that he was leaning more comfortably against the couch. "What happened?"
"Anna...Anna surprised us," Tony wheezed, taking deep breaths between each word. "We weren't paying attention and...ah...and she came in...pointed...pointed a gun at us."
"Easy, Tony," Gibbs said as he placed a hand on McGee's shoulder.
"The guy...from the sketch," Tony said slowly. "He was waiting...waiting in Ziva's bedroom. Came out and...and knocked me out. I blacked out after that."
"Search the whole building top to bottom," Gibbs ordered, standing and turned to McGee. "Stay with him, McGee. Make sure the paramedics save him. I don't want to bring her back to his dead body."
"You got it, boss," McGee said fiercely.
They raced through each floor, trying to go as quickly as possible. Gibbs had a strong feeling they wouldn't be barricaded in any apartment so after they checked the basement, he pointed up. When they reached the door to the roof, Gibbs noticed the lock had been shot off. Feeling a sense of dread beginning to overwhelm him along with a buckling sense of déjà vu, Gibbs nodded to the FBI agents and they pushed their way through the door to the roof.
"How very nice of you to join us, Agent Gibbs," Anna said from across the roof.
As they neared her, Gibbs' heart began beating rapidly as he realized the trap Ziva was in. Anna had a gun trained on her which would have been bad enough. But somehow she'd managed to get Ziva to stand on the ledge of the tall apartment building. Lake brought up the rear of their group and when he raised his gun it clattered to the ground as he was knocked out from behind, the pistol sliding across the rooftop. Sheridan and Daniels quickly spun around, guns up and ready, to find themselves staring at Patrick Johansen. Before any of them could decide if shooting Johansen would actually work Anna sent a shot straight in the air to get their attention.
"Put your guns down," She said viciously. "All of you! Now!"
All the agents, including Gibbs, lowered their guns to the rooftop. Holding his hands out in a symbol of surrender, Gibbs began to plead for his agents' life.
"Let her go, Anna," Gibbs said bravely, a trait he didn't even remotely feel at the moment. "She hasn't done anything to you."
"You're right," Anna said with an evil smile. "My business is with her lover, Tony Dinozzo. He stole my life from me 15 years ago and I thought I would never get a chance to get it back. But then I moved in here and who shows up across the hall from me, but my new neighbor and her partner, the very man with whom I hate more than anyone in this world."
"You're right, Anna," Gibbs said, quickly realizing that blaming her and defending Tony would do nothing to get Ziva off that ledge. "He took everything from you. But this isn't the way to deal with it. Your son wouldn't want you to do this."
"Why should he get to be happy?" Anna said as the gun began to waver at the mention of her son. "Why? He took my son from me and my husband couldn't stand the sight of me anymore. He blamed me and he left me too. I was left with no one. You tell me how that's fair Agent Gibbs."
"Your business isn't with her, Anna," Gibbs said as he took a tentative step forward. When she didn't move he took another step. "Ziva didn't tear your family apart. Don't take out your pain on her."
Suddenly a gunshot rang out and Anna startled at the sound. Thankfully Ziva didn't move, her ninja skills coming through in spades. He kept his gaze firmly on Anna, watching her eyes widen. He sensed all the FBI agents coming up next to him, sighing internally in relief to see all their guns back in their hands.
"It's over, Anna," Gibbs said as he descended upon her. "There's no way for you to win this."
Anna, with one last desperate glance at Gibbs, turned to Ziva and raised her gun. Keeping his eye on Ziva, Gibbs watched with horror as the ninja finally lost her footing as McGee's shot went through Anna's heart. Moving faster than he ever thought he could, Gibbs grabbed her hands before she was lost forever. Pulling her over the edge, he hugged her to his chest as he breathed a heaving sigh of relief.
"Don't you dare scare me like that again, Ziver," Gibbs whispered as he pressed a kiss to her temple.
"I will do my best," Ziva said as a tear slide down her cheek. Looking up at him with nothing but terror in her eyes she asked what she most afraid to know. "Where's Tony?"
"McGee?" Gibbs asked turning towards his junior agent with his arm still around Ziva's shoulder. "Where is Tony?"
"On his way to Bethesda," McGee said not looking up from checking Anna's pulse until he was sure she was gone. "The paramedics stabilized him and they said he should be fine. He told me to come help. I found you guys right as Johansen knocked Lake out."
"Is he alright?" Ziva asked Ramsey who was knelt next to the agent.
"Yea, he's alright," Ramsey said looking up at Ziva reassuringly. "He'll have a nice goose egg to brag about, but he'll be just fine."
"What is a goose egg?" Ziva whispered in Gibbs' ear as they started to make their way off the roof.
All Gibbs could do was laugh, a full, loud, very un-Gibbs like laugh. Scrunching up her nose in confusion, she allowed him to help her down the stairs. Outside the apartment, news vans had gathered along with most of her neighbors, all of whom were looking at her with concern and curiosity. Gibbs started to lead her straight to the waiting ambulance, which caused Ziva to dig in her heels when she realized where he was taking her.
"I do not need a hospital, Gibbs," Ziva said stopping short before they reached it. "I am fine."
"I know you are," Gibbs said with a fatherly smile. "But I still want you to get checked out."
"Only if I get to see Tony first," She said knowing she wouldn't leave his side once she reached him.
"Deal," Gibbs said, seeing right through the ploy, but perfectly happy to reunite his two best agents with each other.