Purgatory
Chapter 26 – Epilogue
Tony watched Ziva from across the bullpen as she continued speaking on the phone with Director Craig. Although he could only hear her side of the conversation, her growing frown and furrowed brow set off alarms in his head.
"Yes, Director. Yes, Sir. I understand. We will alert them immediately. Thank you, Director." Ziva ended the call, returning the handset to it's cradle. She stared down at her desk, obviously lost in thought.
"Ziva," he said. When she didn't respond he called her name again, louder this time. "Ziva!"
She jerked her head up, confusion flashing across her face for a moment, replaced by anger. She ran her hand through her thick, brown hair and the hardness in her face changed to concern and then to doubt.
Unable to get a clear read on her emotions he asked anxiously, "What is it?"
"Homeland Security contacted Director Craig," she said, her voice rasping dry and strained. "Rathburn …," she paused, drew in a sharp breath, then continued, her voice almost inaudible, "Rathburn escaped."
Nausea surged in Tony's stomach, pushing its way into his throat. Struggling to force it back down he stared at her, stunned, not believing her words.
"We are to alert Gibbs and EJ," she whispered.
His eyes caught hers. The fear and panic reflected in them was palpable. "I …," she choked and stopped. Swallowing, she tried again. "I cannot do it, Tony. I cannot tell them. Not after all they have been through." He saw the shimmer of tears pooling in her eyes.
He nodded, walked across to her desk and drew her into his embrace. "I've got this, Ziva," he whispered. She wrapped her arms around his waist, nodding her appreciation as she buried her head into his chest.
After a few moments she took in a long breath, exhaled and stepped back from him. He understood her intent and pulled his phone from his pocket. Thumbing EJ's contact on the screen he listened to the chirps as the phone dialed her number.
"Hey Tony," EJ's cheery voice came over the phone.
"Uh …, hi, EJ," he said, his stomach still queasy, not knowing how to deliver the news about Rathburn's escape. "Is Gibbs there?"
"Yeah, he's right here," she sing-songed to Tony. "A beautiful sunset, a cushy lounge chair and Gibbs – what more could a girl want on a summer evening? Wait a sec, I'll hand him the phone."
"No, EJ," he blurted out, the apprehension in his voice unmasked, oozing out in spite of his effort to hide it.
"Tony, what's wrong?" she asked, her voice taking on his tension.
"Put this on speaker. You both need to hear this."
"You're scaring me, Tony. Is everyone alright? Is anyone hurt?"
"Just turn on your speaker!" he snapped. In an instant the guilt at his loss of composure sobered him. "EJ, I'm sorry," he sighed. "Please, just get Gibbs on the phone."
A few seconds later Gibbs' voice came over the speaker, "Yeah, DiNozzo, we can hear you."
"Ah …," Tony paused, squirming where he stood, unsure how to tell them the man who had almost destroyed their world was free. He swallowed hard, one hand gripping his phone so tight his knuckles turned white, the other pulling Ziva into his side.
"I have some really bad news, guys." He swallowed hard, mustered his courage and continued, "I am so sorry …."
### END ###
A/N: I want to thank everyone for reading and ask that if you can spare a moment or two, please provide your thoughts in the form of a review/comment. I hope you enjoyed this story as much as I enjoyed writing it. I learned a lot writinng this story and have really grown fond of Gibbs/Barrett. There will be more Gibbs/Barrett, as is obvious from the epilogue. So, until next time, wishing you all the best.