hey guys, just wanted to thank everyone for reviewing. it really helps to know what you think, so please help me out, let me know, so yea reviews please :)

also im on holidays, now, so im not sure if there is internet down there, so the next chapter maybe a little bit longer, sorry for the wait.

Chapter 2- Aftermath

Tony turned one last corner, and saw her in a pool of her own blood.

He could hear McGee yelling "NCIS Freeze!" but it seemed oddly distant. The whole world seemed to slow, Tony dropped to his knees. She was crumpled, thrown on her side, like a rag doll that had been neglectfully tossed to the side. Lying on her side, in a pool of her own blood, and her hair covering her face.

Tony's heart wrenched at the sight. His seemingly invincible partner, there on the floor. Dead. Tony rolled her over, her skin was still warm. Tears rolled down his cheek, he couldn't stop them. He rested his hand on her neck. Her lovely slender neck, then felt a beat.

"Am I imagining it?" he questioned himself. "Have I gone mad?"

But then to his immediate relief, he felt it again. And then again, it was extremely weak, and inconsistent but it was there. She had a beat, her heart hadn't given up yet. She was alive! His heart soared, before his brain took over.

She wasn't in the clear yet. Far from it in fact. Her wounds were oozing blood down the side of her head, and her neck was already turning a nasty shade of purple. However the most concerning, was the amount of blood of that she had lost. Tony looked for the wound. He founded it immediately and mentally kicked himself for not noticing it before. There was a deep puncture wound in her right thigh. She had lost a lot of blood, it had soaked her jeans and continued to stain the concrete floor around her.

McGee turned the man that he had just pulled into handcuffs around, looking over he saw Tony pulling off his belt.

"What in earth's name is he doing" McGee wondered to himself. He quietly pondered.

"Why would he be taking off his belt…."? He murmured.

That got Gibbs attention, his head snapped around to the direction that McGee was looking, eyes locking onto the back of Tony's head. "DiNozzo, what the hell do you think you are doing?"

He stormed over to Tony, however when he arrived, he stopped stunned by the sight. His mouth dropped open in disbelief. He quickly snapped it shut.

Tony had spun around at his approach and was grateful for the help. "Gibbs, she's alive," Tony whispered. "Just" he thought to himself.

Gibbs snapped into action, kneeling down to help Tony deal with Ziva's wounds.

"McGee call an ambulance, NOW!"

Together Gibbs and Tony managed to stop the flow of blood coming from Ziva's stab wound. Gibbs stood up, leaving his most senior field agent with his partner for a minute.

"Gibbs, ambulance should be here in 3 minutes" however McGee didn't get an answer. Gibbs was just staring at Tony, who sat by Ziva's side, holding her hair back and continually whispering in her ear.

"…and I found this over there" McGee pointed to the far corner of the room "it was kicked under there" McGee held up a blood stained hunting knife.

"Bag and tag" was Gibbs only reply.

McGee went to work, knowing that Gibbs always had a reason for doing something, and usually it was a good reason.

All was silent for several moments, apart from the soft whispering of Tony's word of encouragement, those however were only a continuing murmuring in the background.

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After 2 minutes of silence, the roar of a siren began to fill the warehouse. Slowly at first until they heard the screech of tyres as it came to a standstill. McGee ran outside, showing them the quickest way through the maze.

The paramedics raced over to Ziva and began to prep her for her ride to the hospital. The paramedics pushed Tony away in their attempt to get closer to help her, but Tony was dead to the world. When one of the bolder paramedics sort to remove him by physical force he almost got a punch in the face for trying.

Gibbs saw this happen and felt his heart drop. Tony was a lot fonder of Ziva than he originally imagined. However this was not the time for one of Tony's overprotective moods. Gibbs walked over to him, before placing a hand on his shoulder. Tony looked up reflexively and almost took a swing. Gibbs raised an eyebrow at that.

"Comeon Tony, they're just doin their jobs" slowly Tony stood up andreluctantly allowed Gibbs to pull him pack a few paces until he was out of the way of the paramedics. Gibbs gently pulling him by the collar of his shirt, Tony however wouldn't turn around, he couldn't tear his eyes off her, not again. He knew that something would happen, and that this time he wouldn't be able to get there in time, he had only been just been there this time.

He stumbled on his own feet in his attempt to not turn around. Gibbs was tempted to slap the back of his head, but then he didn't have the heart. Finally Gibbs let go of the back of his shirt, he pushed Tony down, till he was sitting down. Only then did Tony turn to face Gibbs, wide eyed like a little child he stared at him.

"Is she gonna be ok, boss?" Gibbs pulled Tony's head to his chest, ruffling his hair slightly, "of course" he murmured to Tony. Tony let out a sigh of relief, Gibbs looked down and saw Tony, covered it blood, sweat and what may have been tears, he looked worse for wear.

Gibbs let his eyes drift over to Ziva, wear she still lay with paramedics frantically trying to help her, checking and fixing her injuries, suddenly however Gibbs wasn't holding Tony any longer, he was holding dead weight.

"DiNozzo! What are you doing?" Gibbs struggled to push Tony back into an upright position, Tony however was dead to the world. "DiNozzo!" Gibbs voice cracked like a whip that would have woken any man from his dreams. "I need some help over here" Gibbs cried over his shoulder to the paramedics.

He lay Tony down on his back before quickly searching for a pulse. This couldn't be happening, he was NOT going to run the risk of losing a second agent today. He felt a pulse but it wasn't strong, paramedics came rushing over, and cut his shirt off. There on his right shoulder was a bullet wound, the bullet had gone all the way through his bicep, although hopefully it hadn't damaged any of the major arteries or ligaments. Gibbs took a step back allowing the paramedics a bit of room, McGee had come at his call and was now staring at Tony in concern. Gibbs turned and left, needing to escape from it all, while McGee couldn't leave.

McGee couldn't tear his eyes from Tony. His mind flashed back, to before, to Kate and when she had died, how he couldn't even watch as she was carried away. How guilty he had felt when he couldn't even say a proper goodbye to her, as she was carried away. If someone else went today, he would have the guts. He promised himself that, they deserved it.

Gibbs however was furious with himself, "dammit," he thought "you know the rules; always double check" and with a grimace he gave himself a sharp slap over the back of the head.

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