This is a shorter chapter, had to be. But, because of that I'll be updating within the next couple of days with the next chapter. Sorry it' been so long in between chapters, work has been busy and this week all the serious shit possible went down so I've been reeling with all that.
This chapter kind of holds a similarity to my events at work this week.
As an ask by me, remember to enjoy life and do what you love. With all the tension in the world a lot of people need to remember that the air we breathe is precious and to enjoy the simple things. Spread love not hate.
Okay that's enough of Danni being heartfelt and all that garbage. Enjoy!
Chapter Eighteen
He was broken, bruised. And his heart ached. He hardly slept the night before. He'd drunk all the liquor in his apartment. He was tired. He wanted to go home now.
Looking at himself in the mirror that morning had scared him. His face was half purple. His left eye was red, blood discolouring the white. He'd ripped his stitches in his neck. Well, Ziva had ripped his stitches. Nail marks joined his stitches there. The cut on his ribs was angry looking and everything just hurt.
He wasn't okay. This is why he never let anyone in.
He hates the way she makes him feel, because he knows he cannot have her. And it was so fucking real with her, it felt so right. He wants to regret his choice to share himself with her but he just can't. He cannot let go of how good she'd made him feel. No matter how broken she'd left him.
He should hate her, but he can't. Because he loved her.
He knows her feelings were true and he spent all night thinking about why she was doing this. Pushing him away. Because she was trying not to hurt them anymore. She was trying to do the right thing, because if it went any further the crash would be harder.
And he's so fucking mad that that's the truth.
He'd thought that none of them would be going in today, he thought he'd be on a plane and leaving. But Azriel had found a lead, a good lead. He thought he'd found their killer.
When Derek knocked on his door, he knew that everything would be put to the side right now. All this hurt, all this pain would have to take a backseat. Because they needed to put this asshole to rest. That was more important than his or her broken heart right now.
The briefing room was heavy with tension. His eyes couldn't stop trying to search hers out. But she didn't once look at him. She looked just as broken as him and no one in the room had to say anything for all of them to know.
After yesterday, the cat was out of the bag.
He could feel Eli's eyes burning a fucking hole in him the whole time he sat in that briefing. He just wanted to go and smack him in the mouth. Tony knew that he and Ziva shouldn't have in the first place, but he definitely blames Michael on Eli.
Their target was Uri Felber. Ex-Mossad. Tony had been right on that one. Azriel had found him linked in the chatrooms, coming back to an I.P address that he had forgot to cover his tracks on. There was always something they slipped up on eventually, no matter how good they were.
As they went to leave the room to gear up, Abbott stopped him on the way out. When they were alone in the room he spoke.
"Can you handle this Tony?" he said. Tony almost felt offended, but then again he knew the state he looked right now so he wasn't really surprised.
"I'm not going to let my team go in there without me covering their six Sir" Tony replied. Challenging him almost. He didn't care right now, he was most likely going home after this anyway.
He was expected to be met with more fire, but he wasn't.
"Clear your mind before you get there. I need you focused" Abbott said calmly. The way he said that to Tony made him stop and take a breath. There was only one thing that was important right now and Abbott had reminded him. His job. This mission.
"Yes Sir" he returned and Abbott followed him out.
They were all gearing up in the hanger and everyone held such focus. The tension that had been in the conference room was non-existent right now.
He was tightening his vest and Ziva was handing him extra magazines. Her eyes did not falter with him, because she was focused right now. They needed to have each other's backs, broken hearts aside. That had given him the fresh air he'd needed.
He loaded his extra magazines into the pouch on his vest and took a deep breath as he actioned his pistol, holstering it. He was okay, his head was clear. He uplifted a rifle and jumped into one of the vehicles. He turned to see Ziva in the driver's seat and her eyes were finally on him.
"I've got your back" he said quietly. The first words they'd spoken since everything last night.
"I have yours too" she returned. They held a gaze for a brief moment. It felt as though they weren't breaking each other's hearts, because right now they had each other's backs and nothing, absolutely nothing would get in the way of that.
She sped off then and right now it was all business. They pulled up to the address and everyone circled the area before the direction to enter sounded in his earpiece. One last look at Ziva and they shared a brief nod, they had each other covered.
As they burst into the building they raced up the stairs of this old hotel, as he leveled on the next floor his eyes settled on their target. They hadn't confirmed that this was him yet, but by the way a marine hung in front of him from ropes around his wrists, a knife in Uri's hand. Tony didn't doubt for a second this was their guy.
There was yelling and demands for him to drop his weapon. He went to stab the marine and Ziva took a shot. Uri ducked. All of a sudden Uri was returning fire and he and Ziva found themselves pinned down behind a table they'd flipped.
It wouldn't hold up long. His eyes caught hers then, both of them unsure of the next move. They radioed their position and he felt a round chip thought the table between them. Their eyes met again.
"Take him out, I'll draw his fire" Tony stated. They were about to start taking hits if they didn't do anything right now and he would rather risk himself for this to be over, for her to be okay.
He saw her about to protest, her eyes went wide at his plan. But before she could say anything he was standing, shooting towards Uri.
It had worked, he drew fire. He felt two rounds hit his vest and he was knocked back. He tried to run to his side, gaining any kind of movement and the bullets followed him. But then they stopped. His eyes looked over to see Ziva running towards Uri who had fallen at her fire.
Derek and Ezra appeared then, Derek went to go to him but Tony waved him off, telling him to get the marine and he was fine. Then something exploded and Tony's ears were ringing. Suddenly he saw flames, smoke.
Ziva's face came into his vision then, black soot covering her face and a scratch across her temple. Her hands were on him, pulling him up by his vest. He didn't miss the worry filling her eyes. Because as broken as they were, she still cared about him more than she would ever admit.
"Can you walk?" she yelled out, her ears were probably still ringing too. He nodded. He thinks so. She pulled at him and suddenly standing was fucking horrible. If he thought his body was sore before, it was way worse now. His chest was on fire and he just released how hard it was to breathe.
His arms gripped to her then, because no he couldn't support himself. He was surprised when she held his weight. He saw Derek dragging the marine he'd cut down from the ceiling and Ezra was trailing behind, limping.
They got to a door and Ziva wrestled with it, it wasn't opening. Flames were engulfing around them right now and she let his weight go then. She needed all her body weight. She leant back and kicked out at the door, once, twice. Three times. No luck. She pulled out her Glock then, firing at the hinges of the door, emptying her rounds.
Just as Derek and Ezra got to them she was kicking the door again, on the second boot the door cracked open. The flames were hot by now and they were surrounded by the heat. Derek ran out the door and Ziva and Ezra grabbed his vest by the shoulders, one side each. They just dragged him out the door.
As they got into the staircase they lifted him, supporting him on both sides. He tried to walk in that moment but his right leg wouldn't support his weight. His whole body was in deep pain. As they ran out the door and into the street they were surrounded by IDF soldiers who were rushing around trying to get a handle on the situation.
Ziva and Ezra collapsed onto the ground with him and she started tearing at his vest, opening it. Checking him for damage. He saw the fear in her eyes then and suddenly it was no longer just business.
His chest was killing him, but that didn't seem to be the problem because her hands were gripping his thigh hard then and he couldn't help but scream out in pain. He looked down and her hands were covered in his blood.
"Ezra get me a tourniquet" her voice was breaking. Ezra was at his side then too, fixing the device high and tight on his leg. He screamed out again when Ezra pulled it as tight as he could. The pain was almost worse than the injury itself.
He was picked up by multiple people then and roughly thrown in the back of a vehicle. She was climbing in the back of the truck then and the doors were closing. She crawled over to him and her bloody hand found his, gripping so hard like she was holding on for dear life.
"Stay with me" she said. Her eyes not leaving his.
"Always" he whispered back, she was the last thing he saw before he found his consciousness slip away.
Most of you probably have no idea what I'm on about, but tourniquets save lives and are one of the best inventions. I swear. Danni rates them.