Author's note- I know this chapter is short but it's just a little sneak peak into the story as I'm currently in the process of writing more chapters so I hope you enjoy and I would love to hear any feedback on it :)
"It was Christmas Eve, babe
In the drunk tank
An old man said to me
Won't see another one
And then he sang a song
'The Rare Old Mountain Dew'
I turned my face away
And dreamed about you
Got on a..."
Ziva abruptly stopped singing and reached for the gun lying on the floor beside her as the slam of a car door reached her ears. She held her breath and listened for any sound of movement in the house but none came. Sighing she put the gun back on the ground and took another swig from the the rather large jar of bourbon she had filled moments previous.
The silence once again consumed her but she couldn't handle it so she let her barely audible voice ripple through the air again. It was yet another Christmas song however she had only gotten a line in before stopping again. If she was being honest it wasn't to her taste, musing that she must have had more than her fair share to drink if she was singing one of the many songs that had been overplayed by Abby throughout the month of December, with Christmas FM replacing the heavy metal they were all accustomed to. Then again it could be sheer delirium. Smiling slightly, she brought the jar to her lips again before remembering one of hers, and Tony's favourite songs. Finishing her drink she softly sang the first verse and the chorus before a car engine pulling up outside brought her back to reality. She picked the gun back up and crouched out of view, wincing in pain. As she waited, her mind wandered back to earlier in the evening and she kicked herself mentally for even ending up in this position.
However that was a conversation for later as the front door had opened and she heard the flick of light switches and the rattle of keys as they were thrown on the table. The door slammed shut and the slight creaking of floorboards reached her ears, telling her that he was making his way towards the kitchen, presumably to grab a steak from the fridge and to brew up some fresh coffee. But the footsteps stopped dead and she knew what he had seen. The trail of blood she had left from the back door towards the basement. She knew there was no point trying to clean it up and she couldn't risk turning on a light to even attempt it. It was risky enough even being in the house and she almost got caught sneaking in through the back door.
The door of the basement opened without a sound, letting a beam of light from the kitchen shine on the dark stairs. A flashlight was lit up and Ziva could see the glint of a gun in the faint light as a man made his way down the stairs, looking for any danger that may be lurking in the shadows. Once Ziva had made certain it was him, well once her gut had convinced her that it was him, she decided to make herself known, hoping that, like Gibbs, she could trust that her gut feeling wouldn't let her down.
"Gibbs it is only me."
The man stopped dead on the stairs and swung his torch around the basement. He had almost missed her she was that well hidden but the man knew his basement well. But then how could he not when nearly every waking moment was spent either there with a boat and a bottle of bourbon or at NCIS HQ?
He brought the torch slowly back to where she was sitting, resting it there.
"Ziva?"
With a sigh of relief at hearing his rough but yet gentle voice she slowly rose to her feet, grunting in pain, with one hand raised, the other still tightly gripping her weapon.
"Yes, it is I Gibbs."
Gibbs bounded down the rest of the stairs to meet her, stopping abruptly when his flashlight caught the bruises and cuts on her face. He holstered his weapon and lifted her face gently to meet his gaze.
"Ziver what the hell happened?"
"I am fine Gibbs," she paused for a second as if she was deep in thought and then giggled slightly, "you should see the other guy."
"How much have you had to drink Ziva?"
"I think I owe you a bottle of bourbon," she replied sheepishly. "Or maybe two for the trouble," she added as an afterthought.
Gibbs pulled out two stools from under the workbench and motioned Ziva to sit down.
"S'alright Ziver, you gonna explain why there's a blood trail leading from my back door and why you were hiding in my basement?"
Immediately Ziva sat up straight and tried to clear her head, she knew this was serious now. "If I'm being honest Gibbs I don't know."
Gibbs cocked his head but didn't say anything knowing that she would speak when ready. It was another five minutes before she did say anything so he took the opportunity to check out the injuries on her face. He knew that she'd need patching up but he'd need proper light for that and something told him that he shouldn't put the light on.
Ziva who was deep in thought, suddenly jumped up. Having forgotten about her various injuries she let out a hiss of pain that didn't go unnoticed by Gibbs but he decided that it was a topic for later.
"Shit Gibbs, how could I be so stupid?"
"Ziva?"
Ziva's face had paled significantly so he gently guided her back to the stool.
"Gibbs your house is being watched."
Please let me know if you'd like me to continue with the story :)
