Today's prompt: Holding their partner's unconscious/dead body

Angst (obviously with a prompt like that), Tony and Ziva team up with the Coast Guard to arrest a drug dealing lieutenant, Borin talks some sense into Tony.


The ballistic vests they wore felt too hot in the midday sun, even with the ocean wind whipping all around them. There had been no time to take something for his motion sickness after Borin got word about the whereabouts of their drug dealing lieutenant. To distract himself from the faint nausea settling in his stomach, he glanced at Ziva; relaxed smile on her face as her ponytail occasionally whipped her in the face.

Borin walked up next to them, securing her own vest. "You guys ready?"

Ziva nodded, then said, "I can't remember the last time I was on the water."

"You know, my friend has a sailboat, if we wrap this up we can take it out, celebrate another successful collaboration," Borin suggested.

Ziva's face lit up like the sun, putting a smile on his own face. "I would love that."

When Borin got called away, Ziva turned to him. "I will bring extra Dramamine, in case you forget yours."

He smiled, and glanced at the lieutenant's yacht. An image of Ziva wearing nothing but a bikini, loose curls flowing in the sea breeze as she lounged on deck of a sailboat swam across his vision. Narrowing his eyes at the yacht he tried to get the runaway Sports Illustrated photo shoot he had conjured out of his mind.

She leaned in close. "If anyone asks I'll say it's for McGee."

He snickered, then startled as Borin's voice boomed through the megaphone, urging the lieutenant to turn off the engine.

His gut churned as they boarded the yacht, guns drawn, ready for anything. Or so he thought.

They had split up, hoping to find the lieutenant before he could destroy any evidence. The sound of a gunshot made his heart stop. He ran towards the stern, sliding to a stop on his knees next to Ziva's still body. His mind drew a complete blank as he took her in. He bent down to check for a pulse when a bullet ricocheted off the railing next to him.

Taking aim at the main deck above him, he shot a few rounds while grabbing Ziva's vest and dragging her to relative safety.

His mind raced as he cradled her in his lap, gun aimed at the only entryway. He should get out there, face the shooter, but he didn't want to leave Ziva unconscious and defenseless.

The blood in his veins turned cold. What if…

He clenched his jaw and forced himself to glance down at her for a second. Placing his fingers on the tender skin of her neck, he stared at the entryway unseeingly. He let out a shaky breath when her heartbeat pulsed against the pads of his fingers, strong as always.

He bent down and kissed her forehead impulsively.

Stumbling on the main deck above drew his attention. His heart pounded as he urged Ziva to wake up.

Borin yelling they had the lieutenant only solved one of his dilemmas, as Ziva lay limp in his arms. He holstered his weapon and patted her cheek. "Come on, Ziva, wake up."

He grit his teeth at her unresponsiveness, his left hand caressed her arm mindlessly, as he wondered how things had gone so wrong in such a short time span. Mere minutes ago he was imagining her, vibrant and sexy, enjoying a day off, now she was motionless and pale.

He searched for injuries but found nothing. He was probing her back with his right hand when Borin found them. She gasped, and he remembered they had become close friends.

"She's breathing," he reassured her with a strained voice.

She called for medical assistance, just as his fingers found a bullet lodged in the back of her vest. He let out another breath and began undoing the vest, trying not to jostle her too much.

Borin came to his aid and took it from him. "Damn, two inches higher and…"

He didn't want to hear it, and was relieved she didn't want to say it. "Come on, ninja," he said softly and caressed her cheek. The edge of a faint red mark near her hairline drew his attention, and he touched it carefully.

"She's gonna have one hell of a headache," Borin said with false bravado.

"I hope so," he said quietly, trying not to think of how serious brain injuries could be.

He gripped her shoulder and twisted her trapezius muscle, but got no reaction to the painful stimuli. Swallowing down nausea unrelated to the bobbing motion of the boat, his voice broke when he said her name.

Cupping her face with his right hand, his thumb caressing her cheek, her eyelids finally began to flutter. Her right hand flailed at him, he held it against his chest, and said, "I've got you, you're safe."

She opened her eyes to slits briefly, before closing them with a pinched expression that broke his heart.

Her voice was small, hoarse. "Tony?"

"I'm right here, Ziva." He focused on her face, her breathing, and tried his best to sound calm and strong for her.

She licked her lips, tilted her head in his direction, eyes firmly shut. "I'm-"

"Fine?" he cut her off, thinly veiled anger in his voice. Regret set in immediately, and he clenched his jaw.

She opened her eyes to slits to look at him, vaguely patted the back of her hand against his cheek. "Nauseated." She dropped her hand again. "Could use your Dramamine."

Borin stared at him with a glint in her eye. "What do you need Dramamine for, DiNozzo?"

Ziva opened her eyes wide, immediately screwing them up in pain. She waved a hand in Borin's general direction and mumbled, "Secret."

Borin chuckled. "Okay, David."

Borin's teammates arrived with a stretcher, and worked quietly and carefully to secure Ziva on it. Her lack of protest worried him, but she squeezed his hand and managed a small smile, putting him a little more at ease.

As he kept a close eye on his partner being transported from one bobbing boat to the next, Borin stepped a little closer.

"So, um, what else have you two been keeping secret?"

He frowned and looked at her. She raised her eyebrows in reply, but he was in no mood to play charades and focused his attention on Ziva again, now safely on board of the Coast Guard's boat.

"Really," Borin said in disbelief. "Still nothing?"

He narrowed his eyes at her, eager to get to his partner on the other boat.

She placed a hand on his shoulder, then nodded in Ziva's direction. "Life is short DiNozzo, I thought you two would have figured that out by now."

He stared at her retreating back for a second, then caught up quickly and sat down next to Ziva as the boat sped to shore where an ambulance was waiting for her.

She looked slightly better than five minutes ago. Only a doctor assuring him there was no permanent damage would calm his rattled nerves, though. He took hold of her hand, brushed her hair with his other.

"We still going sailing?" Her eyes seemed a little brighter, and she squeezed his hand.

He smiled, grateful for any small improvement, and kissed her hand, his lips lingering on her warm, salty skin.

"It'll be smooth sailing from here on out, Ziva," he promised, and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead.