Had my muse return to me the other day. So i wrote this and two other chapters. Posting them all today so i hope yoy all enjoy them. They are all on the shorter side (between 1400 and 1600 words) but hope you like them all the same. Thanks for the reviews. I thought that last chapter was horrible but arrarently some you yall liked it.
A/N: This is for this and the next two chapters. Don't own any NCIS.
Midnight Outside warehouse.
Ziva, Gibbs, and McGee stood by the van watching as the firefighters and rescue crews searched the rubble that used to be the warehouse. Smoking clumps of twisted metal and concrete were laying haphazardly as a testament to the destruction they had witnessed.
Gibbs looked morosely over the scene as the workers turned over every bit of rubble looking for any sign of his agent. His expression was unreadable but his mind burned with anger and pride for his senior agent. He had risked his life to keep them out of harms way. Tony knew he wouldn't make it out of there, but when it came down to it Gibbs knew that Tony wouldn't regret his decision. Gibbs himself would have done the same thing to protect what was most important to him, and just like DiNozzo that was his team.
McGee was trying to keep the tears that blurred his vision from falling. He had taken Kate's death hard but this was different. This was Tony. Thoughts filtered through his head at his first meeting with the man who he had grown to think of as an annoying older brother. He admired him at times and loathed him at others. Always being the insufferable prankster and making jokes, mainly at Tim's expense. His gaze swept the devastation in front of him and a shudder passed through him. Life wouldn't be the same after this. He had always had hope that Tony would always be there. He had lived through so many situations that had Tim not been there for them he would have thought them good fiction. This time was different He didn't know if he could come to terms with the fact his beloved brother was gone.
Ziva gazed with unseeing eyes and a completely blank expression. He was gone. She had no emotion for this. Anger could not describe the hate she felt for the man who caused this. Guilt couldn't come near enough to know that Tony sacrificed himself for her and the two men next to her. Loss couldn't explain the empty feeling she felt. She felt everything and nothing. Couldn't cry, couldn't scream, couldn't do anything except stare unseeing at the smoking ruins in front of her. She knew she loved him but had not known how much until this moment. Thoughts of Michael flew unbidden into her mind and she knew that if he died she would be crushed, but…but not like this. Her heart was not broken. It was as shattered as the remains in front of her.
Gibb's phone began to ring and he answered it with a broken sound that sounded something vaguely familiar as, "Gibbs." After a few minutes of listening to the man on the other end of the phone he snapped it shut. He slowly turned to face his remaining team, taking in their faces and broken expressions. He took a shuddering breath and said, "Come on. We gotta get back to the office. Vance is sending two more teams to secure and process the scene. Ducky's en route to collect the…" He couldn't finish his sentence from the sudden lump that found it's way to his throat.
McGee looked at him and blinked twice, a small tear sliding down his cheek. He stared at his boss in a valiant effort of defiance to his order and turned back to the ruins. Ziva never heard the proclamation, her mind only hearing Tony's words from earlier that day. Gibbs sighed and slowly made his way in front of his two agents. They didn't back down from his sad stare. Gibbs stepped forward to stand in McGee's personal space until finally Tim nodded and turned to get into the van. He then looked to Ziva who looked like she wasn't even aware of him. He gently took her arm and finally the spell she was under snapped. She looked him right in the eye and he was taken aback at the amount of emotions he saw in her brown eyes. She flung herself into his chest and began to sob.
He had no idea what to do. He had seen her cry before but never like this. He did the only thing he could think of and wrapped his arms around her and held her tight until the sobs slowed. He pulled back from her lifting her chin to look at her face. She looked at him as he nodded. She nodded back tears filling her eyes and falling unbidden down her cheeks. He moved to stand next to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, slowly moving her towards the passenger side of the van. He gently placed her inside and looked at McGee who was sitting in the drivers' seat that Tony had been sitting in just a few short hours ago. Gibbs nodded at McGee as he closed the door.
McGee started the van and began to drive away as Gibbs slowly walked to the blue charger that he had driven in. He opened up the door and stood there looking over the scene one last time. After a few moments he did something that he had only done four times before in his life. He had done it for Shannon, for Kelly, for Kate, and for Jenny, his family. Leaning against the open car door he clasped his hands in front of him and gave a silent prayer that his agent, friend, and surrogate son would find peace. He moved to get into the car when a sudden shout stopped him. He stood quickly and listened for the call again. His eyes scanned the ruins before his and in the distance he saw a man waving to other rescue workers. He heard the shout again, "We got a survivor!!!"
Gibb's heart leapt in his chest there was a chance that his agent had made it after all. With no thought he slammed the car door and began to run in the direction he saw the man shouting from. When he reached the edge of the debris field two firemen stopped him. Gibbs held up his badge to show the men who he was and tried to break through them again. The still held him back and told him he couldn't go into the ruins. He exploded into a screaming match with firemen but was still not allowed to enter.
He waited impatiently pacing back and forth in front of the firemen as rescue workers ran by him with a stretcher for the newly found survivor. With the smoke that was still rising from the ashes of the ruined building he could barely make out what was happening. After fifteen minutes he could make out four rescue workers carrying the stretcher back towards the waiting ambulance. As they neared he strained against the two firemen trying to get a glimpse of his agent. The firemen held him as the stretcher passed and was placed on a gurney by the ambulance that had pulled up waiting for the injured person. When the stretcher was securely strapped to the gurney Gibbs finally broke free of the firemen's hands and pushed one of the EMT's out of the way to look at the man lying there.
Gibbs could barely make out who he was. He was covered in dirt and soot. He clutched his right side with his left hand and his right arm seemed to dangle helplessly off the gurney. His clothing had small burns all over it and the man had cuts and scrapes.
Gibb's eyes blazed with fury and unshed tears at the false hope he had allowed himself. Gibbs stared Kort down and Kort stared back. Kort shook his head at Gibbs and weakly said, "I know Gibbs. I should be dead. I had no intention of leaving alive after you came charging in. DiNozzo said death was too good for me and pushed me into a back office as the building came down."
Gibb's eyes closed as he half smiled. His agent had sacrificed his life twice that night. The first to protect his family, the next to ensure that proper justice awaited the man that took so much from so many. Pride swelled within his chest as he thought of Tony.
He was snapped back to attention as one of the EMTs told Gibbs that they had to move the patient quickly. Gibbs nodded and moved out of the way. As soon as the gurney was placed into the back of the ambulance and one of the EMTs was in; he jumped in as well. The EMT just looked at Gibbs as did Kort. By way of explanation Gibbs stared Kort down and said, "I am not leaving this man's side until he's in Gitmo. Don't care if I have to swim him there myself." His agent died making sure this scum lived long enough to go to trial. If anyone had deserved justice at the end of a rope it was this man, but Tony wanted him to have a trial, he'd be damned if he didn't get one. As soon as the doors were closed one of the firemen on the outside patted the back of the window and the ambulance took off at a fast rate, sirens wailing and lights blazing.
After another hour another call was heard from what was left of the warehouse. "WE GOT ANOTHER ONE!"