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Disclaimer: They're on my shopping list, but I don't have much hope.
Tony was so lost in her eyes that he almost missed the words she uttered. She what? Killed her brother? But how? Gibbs… Gibbs killed Ari. He was sure of it. But he saw the brokenness is her eyes, the honesty, and he knew she was telling the truth.
It's true what people always say: when your soulmate is in pain, you feel the pain too. He never knew it would be so intense, but as the pain ripped through his own body, he felt it. It was almost tangible, the shock mixing with sorrow, and he just pulled her closer and buried his face in her hair, trying to conceal the tears he felt were coming, because he couldn't let her see them. Then she would know. She would know they were soulmates and now was not the time for that.
Ziva did not understand his reaction to her words, but she welcomed it nonetheless. She relished in the feeling of his arms around her and his breath coming in short warm bursts through her hair onto her neck. She was still crying uncontrollably, her body wracked with sobs, but he held her so tightly that they were less noticeable.
Luckily for Tony, Ziva's sobs covered his own, so she did not know he was crying for her. Not yet; he was planning on sweeping her off her feet when the time was right, for he knew that he would never be able to let her go now that he had her in his arms. He would follow her to Israel if that was what it took, but he had to be with her.
They sat there in silence for a long time again. The rain had slowed down to a drizzle and both of them were getting cold, but they did not want to move. Both were content with being in the other's arms and wanted to stay that way for as long as they could.
When Ziva finally started to calm down and her body was shaking from the cold rather than from the rain, Tony knew they had to get dry and warm before they both catch a terrible cold. He decided to push his luck just a little bit, because she seemed happy in his arms after all, even if she did not know why. Moving slowly, so as not to startle her, he put his left arm under her knees and pulled her up a little bit while whispering in her ear.
"Ziva…" He nudged her with his nose, smelling her wonderful scent again. "I'm going to pick you up. Don't be afraid. You're going to be okay. I'll take care of you. Okay?"
He only got a small sound in response. He decided to take it as an okay and proceeded to stand while still holding her in his arms. He was amazed with how light she was, but just moved her to a more comfortable position. He looked down at her, but was only met with a mess of hair, as she was pressing herself into his chest.
She did not know what made her trust him so explicitly, but again, it felt good and right, so she just went along with it. One side of her wanted to protest and say that she was perfectly capable of walking on her own, but her vulnerable side had decided to stay. She was finally able to take a bit of him in. She had noticed the muscles of his chest and her eyes slyly followed the curve of his shoulder and admired his arm. When he picked her up, she had to fight with herself to remain calm, but burying her face into him helped again, smelling his strong musky scent. She briefly wondered what kind of body wash he uses, but the thought was gone again in a second as she once again registered his strong arms around her. He was carrying her without any effort and she knew he must work out.
The gentle rocking of his steps almost caused her to fall asleep, but just as she was about to drift off, they turned at the entrance of the park and she saw the lights still flashing in front of the house. In an instant, all of the memories came rushing back and she stiffened in Tony's arms, wanting nothing more than to jump out if them and start running. Tony felt this and knew what she was thinking. His response was only to tighten his embrace and whisper nonsensical things to her. It seemed to work at least a little, as he no longer felt her wanting to escape.
He knew that if he wanted to take her home, he would have to let go of her through the entire drive in his Mustang. He didn't want to, nor did he think she would let go of the death grip she had on him. When they approached the house, he stayed in the shadows for the most part, not wanting to expose her to the bits of talk from the agents, nor wanting them to see her so broken.
He wanted to jump with joy when he saw a cab parked a few yards away from the crime scene tape. Probably McGee's. He most likely paid the driver to wait for him, as getting a cab at this time of night and especially in this weather, was next to impossible. Looking around, he spotted Gibbs standing on the porch with his ever-present coffee. Knowing that Gibbs was always aware of everything around him, Tony stood across the street for a few minutes, waiting for Gibbs to see him. He did not have to wait long, as Gibbs turned a few moments later and immediately started walking toward them.
Tony knew that Gibbs would understand what he needed without too many words, as he did not want to upset Ziva any more than she already was. When Gibbs finally reached them, Tony spoke softly, knowing the gentle tones of his voice would most probably be soothing to her.
"I'm taking her home in McGee's cab. Tell him sorry and that the keys to my Mustang is in my backpack. He's welcome to go home with it. I'll get it from him later."
"Okay," Gibbs answered just as softly as Tony. He bent over and kissed Ziva on the side of the head while stroking her hair. "Take all the time you need and take care of her."
"I will."
Gibbs then turned to walk back to the house while Tony went to the cab.
Through all this, Ziva just stayed in Tony's arms, willing herself to be okay, yet not succeeding completely. She knew she should have protested when Tony gave the cab driver an address that was not her hotel, but she was still reeling from Gibbs' kiss and the feeling of Tony all around her. She could not bring herself to care that he was taking her to a strange place – probably his apartment – because she felt safe with him. She trusted him.
As the car started moving, with them in the same position in the back seat as they had been on the bench just a short while ago, Ziva surrendered to the pull of sleep and she closed her eyes with her head on his shoulder and her hand on his heart.
Just as she slipped away, she could swear she felt him kiss her forehead.
His whisper of "I'll take care of you, sweetheart," was only heard by himself.