Chapter 27
Ziva David's vision was blurred, tears were running down hear cheeks. The D.C skyline ran together in a melting pot of mild, warming colours.
She closed her eyes, the sound of rushing taxis and drunks stumbling home seemed to melt away, the only sound that remained was that of the rain, as it cascaded down around her.
Ziva opened her eyes to look at the country that had given her so much, the ability to accept that her emotions are not a thing to be scared of, the sense of love, security and family, but most of all the ability to love with all her heart.
But no matter where she went, or how hard she ran, Ziva's past always caught up with her, and she knew that no matter how hard she tried to fight it, it would always find her and cause those that she loved pain and anguish.
A crack of lightning whipped across the sky, illuminating the city in a blinding flash of electrical power, seconds later a roar of deafening thunder boomed across Washington.
Ziva's hair whipped around her face as she slowly took a step out, into the unknown, to a place where her old life would never be able to find her, to a place where she could cause no harm to any body she love.
Ziva felt nothing but air beneath her foot as her leg plunged down into empty space, her body began to follow it, her stomach was left behind and Ziva could see the ground rushing up to meet her.
Suddenly a strong pair of arms secured themselves around her waist and lifted her back up onto the ledge. She was gently laid down onto the gravel which covered the roof.
Ziva opened her eyes to see the infuriated expression of her mentor, boss and surrogate father Leroy Jethro Gibbs.
"What the hell are you playing at David?" Gibbs all but screamed at Ziva, the wind whipped at its voice, the rain still plummeted around them.
"Making it go away.." Ziva sobbed, fresh tears were now running down from her face.
"What?" Gibbs asked, his voice softer now.
"Me, I am not going to cause you any more pain, I am not going to hurt him anymore!" Ziva screamed struggling to stand up but Gibbs held her down, Gibbs didn't need clarification on who 'he' was.
"Do you have any idea of what this would do to him huh?" Gibbs shouted.
"It would make him move on and be happy." Ziva quietly replied.
"Bull shit and you know it Ziva!" Gibbs yelled, trying to get his voice above the howling wind and thunder. "He can't live without you! If he found out that you were dead he would bloody well try and end his own life as well!"
"You would stop him." She murmured
"That's what Somalia was Ziva!" Gibbs continued "Tony was going to commit 'death by terrorist' that's why I put McGee on the ground with him, to stop him taking any rash risks! If he hadn't of found you I don't think DiNozzo was planning on coming home, unless it was in a body bag! So don't you dare try and tell me that he would just pick himself up and move on from you Ziva!"
Ziva was silent.
"How could you be so selfish?" Gibbs continued shouting. "Did you not think of what this would do to him, to Abby, Ducky, McGee…Me?" He slammed his hand down next to Ziva's face "Did you even think about us at all?"
"I wrote you letters…" She whispered her voice hoarse and quiet.
"I know!" He shouted, showing a crumpled up envelope, he waved it around in the air before dropping it to the floor. "How do you think that I found you?"
"I am sorry." Ziva sobbed.
"C'mere" Gibbs whispered before pulling her into a tight hug, he held her close to his chest as the rain fell continuously around them and Ziva softly cried to his shirt.
NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS NCIS
Neither of them knew how long they stayed like that. But once the rain ceased to fall, Gibbs placed a gentle kiss upon Ziva's forehead before he scooped her up into his arms and carried her down the fire escape to his waiting car below.
Once she was safely inside the protective metal shell of the car Gibbs gently placed a blanket over Ziva's shivering form. He gazed upon her for a moment, her face was still covered with grazes from her ordeal under Tzahal and her face was sullen and pale. Her wet hair stuck to her scalp making her look even more unhealthy than Gibbs had ever seen her before.
"You okay?" He gently asked placing a hand upon her shoulder.
She slowly turned her head to gaze at him with her large, doleful brown eyes, before nodding and returning her head to stare out of the front windscreen.
"Do you want to go see him?" He inquired, she nodded slowly again. "Alright then."
Gibbs then gently lowered himself into the car before turning the ignition and he felt the car roar to life.
He grabbed Ziva's hand and squeezed it gently trying to reassure her before gently pressing down upon the accelerator and taking the both of them to the hospital.