Chapter Eight
Dead Ends
Ziva's fingers smoothed through the damp hair of her partner's scalp, his body was shivering horribly and she couldn't help but cast dark glances of worry upon him. The air about the two was filled with the heat radiation off of his fever ridden body and in a way it terrified her. She could stand losing partners, she could even kill her own family, but losing someone like this in a place like this...she didn't think she could handle altogether too well.
His eyes rolled in their sockets, the memories of electricity coursing through his body causing pain to echo throughout him as he nearly seizured at the thought of such a thing happening again. He could feel the gentle caresses upon his forehead, and envision the middle eastern hand that was administrating them, but he could not respond to her touch. To respond to that gentle caress would be to acknowledge the weakness he felt, and the pain he had caused. Plus that hand was too far away and the pain over rode his body in every sense.
Ziva glanced at the floor, she was worried about his fever. It had to be higher than normal especially with the way he was so unresponsive, inwardly she feared that there would be no way to break this fever whilst they were in the custody of these very shady individuals. But what ate at her worse, was the fact that the two of them were no rendered completely dependent upon Gibbs and McGee to find them before it was too late. And the two of them, were completely out of action the last time her dark eyes had fallen upon their features.
Her eyes closed as the memories returned to her, memories she had pushed away during this ordeal so that she could reassure her partner and secretly herself that the two of them had a chance to be rescued. She knew that was a lie before the thoughts filled her mind, but she couldn't lose hope that quickly, Gibbs had taught her that no matter what to trust in him. So that was what she was doing, she was trusting that the man wouldn't have died without his team being accounted for and trusting that he was healthy enough to aide the people searching for them. It was a great deal of trust yes, but it was what she had to offer her new boss.
She ran her fingers through her hair the frustration evident in the rough creases of her brow, the two of them were becoming dehydrated and Tony especially needed liquids with the fever. Her eyes slid closed as she put the full burden upon her Israeli shoulders, he was the senior agent yes but he needed her now. She gripped the remaining material of her shirt and ripped it off, her bosom contained by a simple sports bra now. She ripped the material in long strips, placed one on his forehead and put the others away.
"Tony...I'm going to make sure you make it out of this." She whispered softly, her lips next to his ear so that she could keep her voice low. Slowly she stood up, her eyes glancing at him before closing again. As a woman and as a trained agent she had several things going for her. One she knew how to run a good strategy, and two she knew how to use her 'assets' to her advantage.
Tony's throat contracted as he tried to respond to the soft voice in his ear, he may not have been able to know what she was doing visually, but his heart told him what she was about to do. He wanted to protest, wanted to stop her but he didn't have the strength and past the horror at what his weakness was making her do there was a tiny pinch of relief. She was going to do everything she could to insure that he would survive this ordeal, and that meant the world to him. Though at the same time he felt that like everything else this was completely his fault and thus the guilt swelled in his heart crushing the little life force he contained millimeter by millimeter.
Ziva's walk was planned, debonair and a mark of feminine flirt laced her form as she moved. One foot fell before the other, her hips rising and falling in a most enticing way, she moved slowly and deliberately to the sliding metal door. Her left hand raised to run along the side of the door before tapping her fingers in a knocking motion. With her lips pursed lightly she waited until the door slid open a crack to lick her lips. The slow movement seductive as she purred gently, those dark eyes locked upon this man before her as she moved closer."You wouldn't happen to have any water on you, would you? I'm...parched." The last word was dragged on, a flirty roll to her words as she leaned against the side of the wall her abdomen glistening with sweat against the tight muscles that rested there. The light hit her copper colored flesh and rolled over it making it stand out even more than normal, the beauty of her body clearly seen as the man handed her his full canteen. She blew him a kiss and shut the metal door before running over to Tony. She hadn't done what she originally thought she would have to do, but she managed it.
Aged and shaking hands guided the smooth black material of a suit jacket over it's owner's back and for a moment the two friends remained silent. Their doubts casting over each other for the briefest of moments before the taller and more intense of the two turned to gaze down. "Ducky, I will get them back."
"I know you will Jethro, but will they come back to me or to you?"
"Duck, I don't have all the answers..."
"Whoa, did Gibbs just say he wasn't god?" Abby smirked, her body leaning into the doorway. She had caught the moment of uncertainty between the two men but at least she had to be optimistic.
"Abs...how did you...?
"...sneak up on Jethro?" Ducky popped off quickly gaining a look of playful curiosity from Abby.
"Wow, add psychic to the growing list of abilities the incredible Super Ducky has." Abby smirked larger, her eyes twinkling with the new found joy she had found in this dark time.
"My dear Abigail, I am no super hero." At that Gibbs turned towards Ducky, the corners of his lips curling almost sinisterly.
"Duck...you are my super hero." Those fierce blue eyes were softened by the look of shock in his friend's eyes at the joke. That is until a rather hard slap to the back of his head caused Gibbs to wheel around with a malicious glare that could raise and then kill the dead in the same instant. His ice blues fell upon Abby's bouncing pigtails and her huge 'Look what I did' smirk. "ABS!"
"Come on now Gibbs, you would have slapped Tony." Abby's smile started to fade at that, until a hand fell on her cheek and lower back pulling her into a loving embrace.
"That I would have Abs, and I promise you I will not rest until Tony and Ziva are back and my team is together again." Gibbs leaned forward and kissed the top of her raven colored hair before releasing her and heading out of the room. "I need to check on McGee, Ducky you and Abby get to work and see if Fornell has found anything out."
Author's Note
I know this is relatively short for my updates, but I have a purpose for ending it here. Since the whole basis of me passing or failing this semester is due in the next week. I will try to make a longer post the next time, but it may take a few weeks due to the constant work on the school stuff. Sorry mates, I'm trying.
