Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS

Gibbs went back to NCIS and walked straight to the director's office.

"Agent Gibbs, what can I do for you this afternoon?" she asked with a smile.

He decided to get straight to the point. "Ziva's been shot."

The smile vanished from Jenny's face. "Oh my God, is she going to be okay?

"Doing better. McGee had to donate some blood, the hospital didn't have enough of her type. She'll be riding a desk for a while, the bullet went through her shoulder, but there wasn't a whole lot of damage, thankfully."

"How did it happen, Jethro? Ziva knows how to fight better than almost anyone at this agency."

Gibbs sighed and sat in one of the chairs. "We were called out to a scene, shots fired from a petty officer. We split up, me and McGee, David and DiNozzo. I wasn't there, but apparently Ziva saw a gunman in a tree about to shoot Tony, so she shoved him out of the way and took the bullet for him."

Jen gasped. Ziva had saved many lives throughout her career, but none in that fashion.

"Tony been to see her?" she asked, then sighed when she saw the look of anger in his face. "I take that as a no."

"No, he hasn't. Could've, we all were there and got to go into the room, but he said that he couldn't."

"Give him some time. It was barely a year ago that his other female partner died."

Gibbs just nodded and stood. "I just wanted to tell you about Ziva, I know the two of you have been close for a while."

"Thanks, Jethro. Oh, and since one of your agents was seriously injured on the job, I'm afraid I'm going to have to transfer this case to another team."

Gibbs growled, but nodded again. He knew that that was protocol. Walking back down to the squad room, he stopped by Ziva's desk and pulled out the book. Opening it, he found the two pictures. For a moment, he just stared at them, especially the childhood one. There was just something in her eyes, he couldn't put his finger on it. He put them back into the book and set the book on his desk. He would swing by the hospital when he left. For now, he just working on the paperwork to hand the case over to a different team.

Finally, he decided that it was time to go back and visit with Ziva. Walking into the hospital, he flashed his badge and went to her room. He smiled when he saw that she was sleeping. Going over, he sat in the chair next to her, placing the pictures on the table. He sighed, wondering if this was how the team had felt a few weeks ago when he was in a coma. But, no, it wasn't the same. For one thing, she was just sleeping, they knew she would wake up. Also, the team loved him, and right now, the team wasn't sure how they felt about her. So, it really wasn't the same. Looking closely at the Israeli, he brushed some hair out of her eyes. He was rather shocked when her eyes snapped open, and, using her injured arm, reached up, grabbed his hand, and twisted it.

"Ziva, its Gibbs," he said calmly, gently prying her fingers off of his arm.

"Gibbs, I am sorry. I should not have-"

"Its okay, I'm fine. I'm more worried about you ripping some stitches. Doctors would have my hide if I set back your recovery time," he said, making her laugh.

"If the worst thing that happens with this is that I rip some stitches, I'll consider myself lucky." She sat up straighter. "So, what's the next step with the case? Have you guys talked to the family?"

"Can't. Protocol says that since an agent was injured in the case enough to need a hospital stay, another team is taking over." He grinned inwardly at her expression.

"What? I don't have to stay here, Gibbs. We can go out and-"

"No no, Officer David, there will be no going out for you any time soon," he said, knowing that he had to tell her that she was off field duty. "The only thing that you will be doing for a while is riding a desk."

Ziva froze. "You are joking, yes? Pulling my arm?"

"Leg, Ziva, pull your leg. And no, I'm not. An injury like this is one that-"

"Gibbs, this is nothing!" she nearly shouted. Closing her eyes, she took a steadying breath. "Gibbs, I have had injuries that make this one look like a splinter, and gone back to work a few days later. There is no need to keep me out of the field! I know my limits with an injury, and I assure you th-"

"Ziva, I am sure that as a Mossad officer, you have had serious injuries, ones that we here can't comprehend. But you are part of NCIS, and you will follow orders. I will speak with your doctor, and when he thinks you are okay to go back into the field, I will welcome you back with open arms. As it stands, you will still be able to help with cases, just doing desk work."

"This is complete-"

"Ziva!" Gibbs snapped before she could say something she'd regret later.

She hung her head. There was nothing that she could say to prove that she'd be fine, she knew that. All she could now was follow orders. She gritted her teeth. "Yes, sir," she said, clenching her hands.

Gibbs stood. He figured the Israeli could use some alone time. "I'm sorry, Ziver. Be back to check on you tomorrow," he said quietly, squeezing her uninjured shoulder.

"Thanks, Gibbs," she said, just as quietly. As soon as he was out of sight, she turned and picked up the photos. She looked at Paris for a minute, then turned to her homeland. Even though she knew every detail of this photo, it still brought comfort. Usually. But tonight, as she looked into the faces of both of her deceased siblings, her eyes filled. She gently stroked each of their faces, then closed her eyes, trying to will herself back to that time and place, where things were much simpler. Her sister, the laughter of the house was there, her father meant it when he said he loved her, and when Ari promised never to betray her, she could believe him. But try as she might, she couldn't force her mind to go back there. So much had happened in the last year, she wasn't sure anymore where her home was. Was it back in Israel, her homeland, her birthplace, where her biological family lived? Or was it here in America, where she became accepted for more than her killing abilities, where she found that it was okay to have a conscience, and to occasionally show her feelings? But, then again, Israel was were she became a killer, and most of her family was either dead or dead in spirit. And in America, the trust she had worked so hard to gain this year had vanished as soon as her relation with Ari came to light. She supposed she was a tumbleweed, forced into any direction the wind chooses. Fate so far had enjoyed pushing her; perhaps that was why today, in an act so opposite what she normally would have done, she chose to push back. Suddenly, she realized she was crying, and swiped the back of her hand under her eyes.

"Tissue?" she heard a voice ask, and she looked through the haze of tears into the eyes of her partner, Tony.

A/N: So, we're finally going to have our Ziva/Tony conversation, just took me longer to get there than I thought.

And if I made technical mistakes about handing over cases in the NCIS, I apologize.