A/N: Thanks for the reviews :)
Chapter Twelve: Before too long, before too late
Tony wanders into the bullpen the day after, grinning slightly as he sees that McGee has returned to the office.
"Hey McSicko, how are you feeling today?"
"I'm much better, thank you."
"Well, I'm glad," Tony replies so light-heartedly that McGee eyes him suspiciously.
"Oh, don't give me that look. Nothing's up, Tim. I'm just glad, you're okay."
"Sure," McGee only mumbles, warily looking around him.
Only seconds later, Ziva strolls in, carelessly throwing her bag onto her desk and gives Tony a wink.
"So, Tim," she says, beaming at him, "Tony and I have to tell you something."
"Oh, don't bother. I already know that you two are dating."
"How?" Tony asks confused. "Abby?"
"No, haven't heard it from Abby. Let me think. First there was Noah from security. Then there was Hannah from law. She looked really pissed by the way, Tony. Then there was Agent Turner from downstairs and oh yes, the lovely lady from the cafeteria also told me."
"Damn scuttle butt," Tony says irritated, causing Ziva to chuckle ever so softly.
"So, you're okay with that, McGee?" She asks, true concern mirroring on her face.
"Yeah, sure. It's not like I didn't see it coming," he furrows a brow. "I'm happy for you guys."
"Thanks, man."
"You're done chit-chatting?" Gibbs growl carries down the stairs. "Dead sailor right outside Quantico. Get your things."
Keeping in mind what Gibbs told him yesterday about not getting distracted at work, Tony tries desperately to stay away from Ziva, only to realize that it is almost impossible to do so. Every few minutes, she would walk into his field of vision, smiling softly at him. It drives Tony crazy and she knows that.
The case of the dead sailor is a rather devastating one. The corpse is lying in a forest near the interstate. The beautiful woman, who's quickly identified as Lt. Carrie Ward seems like the victim of some sort of rape and was then shot to death afterwards.
Tony crosses the crime scene, the cam in his hands.
"Boss, I'll go further up that hill. Maybe there are more traces."
"Yeah, do that." Gibbs gives back.
Tony climbs up the small ascent carefully, so that he wouldn't miss any traces. It is freezing today and he is sure that it will snow soon. He really likes the snow. He zips his jacket close, readjusting his cap. As he turns around, he sees the usual busy crime scene. But yet something is oddly off but he can't quite put the finger on it. There is definitely something strange about that crime, he just doesn't know yet, what it is. He keeps on going, looking around every few moments to make sure he hasn't missed anything. But there is no trace, nothing as far as he can see. He bows in order to dodge a tree branch and then he can't see the others anymore. After a few more minutes, he has to give up. It is freezing cold and there is nothing to find there. He slowly makes his way down again.
He's not quite sure how long he's been gone but as he joins Gibbs and McGee again, Gibbs seems to be in a furious mood.
"DiNozzo! Haven't I told you not to let yourself get distracted?"
"What are you talking about? I've been taking pictures. I wasn't distracted."
Gibbs looks at him, his blue eyes piercing.
"Don't lie to me, DiNozzo. Ziva is gone for a while now. She said she had to check up on you."
"No, Boss, I haven't seen her since I left you all here."
Tony looks around, slightly alarmed. Ziva is nowhere to be seen. He casts a glance at Gibbs whose senses seem to be alerted now, too.
"Ziva!" Tony cries out, breaking into a run.
He feels his heart rate going up. A weird feeling spreads in his stomach. He would feel weird any time that Ziva is not within his eyeshot but this is totally different now.
"Ziva!" He shouts again, hearing Gibbs and McGee do the same thing.
There's still no answer. Tony runs faster now, turning around every other second. He realizes that it's getting darker around him now. The trees are closer together now and the sun is slowly setting.
"Ziva, come on! This is not funny."
But there is still nothing. Panic slowly grips him. Although, he knows that Ziva is well capable of defending herself, he can't shrug off the feeling of fear. He looks around once more. He can't see the other two anymore either. But they would have called him, if they had found her. He slows down a bit, cursing himself to be slightly out of shape these days. He keeps on walking though, attentively looking in any direction.
He draws a deep breath and then, suddenly, he can hear something. First it seems like it's only the wind that is whooshing through some leaves but then he realizes that it's more than that. It's a person, a man who's breathing heavily. Tony's panic reaches an unknown height, causing his pulse to quicken. He reaches for his gun, carefully approaching the place where the man is panting.
A step forward.
Finally, he is able to see something. The man's body is hunched over something that is lying on the ground.
One more step forward.
No, it's not something that is lying there. It's a woman's body.
Another step forward.
It's Ziva.
His insides freeze. Shock-frozen, he stands there, watching her body lying on the cold ground lifelessly. Her hair seems to be everywhere and Tony can't see the look on her face. He realizes that her hands are bound on her back. The man is now beginning to rip off her shirt.
Tony furiously breaks into a sprint again, gun drawn, ready to shoot that guy at any moment.
"Federal agent!" He cries out loudly.
The man lets go off Ziva and turns around to Tony, equally having a revolver drawn, pointing at Tony. The man must be about forty years old, his dark hair already slightly grey on some places. As Tony looks into his eyes, he can see that they are red. He's instantly reminded of how he's always pictured Lord Voldemort's eyes. But the most disturbing thing about that man is that he grinning. He's grinning like madman at Tony.
"Federal agent," he cries again. "Put the gun down."
"Or what?" The madman snarls, his index finger already on the trigger.
Tony knows it's now or never. He suddenly starts to run towards the guy, not caring that he still has his gun drawn, not caring that he could easily shoot him dead. All he knows is that he wouldn't let him hurt Ziva anymore. He literally plunges onto the man and obviously taking him by surprise, Tony is able to wrestle him down rather easily. He can feel that the madman has lost grip on his gun. Tony braces himself and punches the guy very hard. Blind rage is climbing up his body and he doesn't care about anything anymore. He punches him again. Harder this time and he realizes that the madman is unconscious. He takes a deep breath and stands up again. Then, he reaches for his cuffs and puts it around the guy's wrists.
He quickly turns around now to look at Ziva. She still is lying there, not moving an inch.
