NCIS Headquarters
Director Vance sat in his chair talking on the phone. "Don't leave his side. I'm sending a few marines in to post security. No one is getting in or out without my say so. That includes your team Jethro." Listening for a moment longer he hung up the phone and quickly dialed another number. He talked to the man on the other end for a few moments setting up the priority protection slash security detail. After hanging up the phone he leaned back in his chair chewing on his ninth toothpick of the day.
DiNozzo's gone. He had never really liked him but he was still one of his agents and he took any of his agents death hard.
He quietly thought about his life after becoming director. In the seven months since becoming director he had had a traitor in his midst, Langer murdered by said traitor, four NCIS agents die in a bombing, and now apprehending the ones responsible for the bomb he had lost another agent. A good agent no matter how much he hated the idea. He was doing a bang up job as director.
His time as director seemed to be the stuff that nightmares were made of. He quietly wished that Jenny had left him in a more stable situation but he knew that with Gibbs and his team around nothing would ever be stable. He wondered how Jenny was able to handle these situations. "Don't matter anymore." He said into the quiet of the office. He was director now and he had to deal with this. He began to reach for his phone to call the CIA and the FBI to let them know that Kort and the Islamic Dawn had been captured. He figured they would want to share credit but damn them on that. As much as he hated to admit it, from what Gibbs had told him DiNozzo deserved all the credit, and on his job as director he would see to it that his agent got what he deserved. But just as his hand was about to close around the receiver it began to ring. He picked it up, "Director Vance."
McGee was sitting at his desk looking vacantly at Tony's. He would never again see him there throwing paper airplanes at him or throwing paper balls into the trashcan by Tim's desk. No more rubber band wars. No more practical jokes. No more bantering between the three agents. No more Tony. He rested his elbows on his desk and his face met his hands. He had had his arms around Ziva all the way from the car up to the bullpen. As soon as she looked upon Tony's desk she hurriedly excused herself to the bathroom. He knew she would be in there crying but he knew she needed to. Hell he needed to but he wouldn't. Not in front of her. For the first time in their relationship she needed him to be the strong one. Tony would do it if he was here but he's not so it's up to me he thought. Besides what did Tony say once? Men don't cry or was it DiNozzo's don't cry.
He sat there holding his head in his hands for what seemed like hours. Not wanting to look up at the empty bullpen. Not wanting to see what they all had lost. He was completely unaware of his surroundings until he heard someone clear their throat. He quickly looked up to Director Vance standing in front of him. McGee quickly brushed the unshed tears from his eyes. Vance just stood there watching him with a small smile on his face. McGee actually wished he could knock it off of him, one of his best friends just died and he had the gall to be smirking at him.
Vance's smile dropped and he said, "Get David. Bethesda Emergency." He turned and began walking back towards the stairs he had descended only moments before. A few moments later Tim stood from his desk eyeing the director walking away from him and asked, "What for?" Vance halted on the stairs halfway to the top. He looked down at the young agent and said, "Found a survivor McGee. DiNozzo. Don't know what shape he's in, but they found him." Vance figured it was best to leave out that Kort had already been found. He didn't want any of his agents including McGee taking matters into their own hands however unlikely that was.
McGee just looked shocked. He mulled the news around in his head until it actually soaked into his head. He was alive.
As soon as Ziva had seen Tony's desk she knew she would break. She muttered a quick excuse and ran to the lady's room. She walked up to the mirror placing her hands on the counter on either side of the sink. She looked at her eyes in the mirror. Puffy from crying, what little mascara she wore now lining her cheeks. Tears began to build behind them again and the damn broke until they were spilling down her cheeks again.
She walked into one of the stalls and sat on the toilet and sobbed out the pain she felt at losing Tony. After a while they died away and she sat quietly. With trembling hands she reached for her cellphone and dialed a familiar number.
A few minutes later it was picked up with the voice saying, "Shalom Ziva, miss me." She closed her eyes and couldn't speak. A few moments later she again heard the voice, "Ziva, are you okay. Ziva?" She took a deep breath and said, "Tony is dead Michael." Silence on the other end. A few more seconds passed until she spoke next, "He died saving us. Bombs covered all exits save one and he distracted the bomber until we could get away…the building…the building was destroyed." Fresh waves of pain and guilt flooded through her and the tears began to flow freely again.
Michael heard her sobs on the other end of the phone. He had nothing to say. He had been slightly jealous of how much Ziva talked about her partner but had come to accept that they were close.
"I…I…don't know what to do." She cried. Through the tears she knew what she had to do. Even though Tony was gone she would break it off with Michael. The whole he had left in her would be too big to fill. She knew she could never love someone as much as she does Tony. "Michael…I have to tell you something." She quietly said. She heard him say, "I am listening Ziva." I love you Michael. I do. But…I love Tony and I always will." She heard silence on the other end of the line.
He knew it was a dick thing to say but he was now hurt and confused. He said, "Tony is dead Ziva. I am not." He regretted it instantly.
She took a quick intake of breath in shock of what she just heard. Anger threatened to spill over but she tried to calm herself knowing that it was said in hurt. She took a few moments to collect the right words before she said, "Yes Michael, he is. But…I still love him and I always will. I must break this off between us. It is not fair to you. You are a good man and you will always have a place in my heart but…you deserve someone who can give you their whole heart."
The only thing breaking the silence was the sound of Ziva's shuddering breath trying not to break into pain wracked sobs. After a few minutes that seemed to last a lifetime Michael finally answered, "Ziva…I love you. But you are right. I do not want to be second to anyone in your life. I guess it just took us time to realize I always was." He wanted to punch something or better yet someone. He wanted to yell and scream and call her every name he could think of but he couldn't. He knew she was right. He had guessed at it before but never thought anything would actually happen. She was faithful. Deep down he knew he was her second. "I am sorry for you loss Ziva. Shalom" He said quietly. "Shalom Michael." She replied. She closed the phone feeling her heart break a second time for hurting Michael but it had been for the best. Tony was willing to give her up if she could be happy with him, now she was letting Michael go so he could find someone who loved only him.
She put her phone away and hung her head in her hands. She began to wipe her eyes and pull herself together. Tony would fight for her and be brave for her. She would do the same for him.
She jumped at the sound of the lady's room door flying open and banging into the wall. She heard McGee yell for her excitedly. She stood and straightened out her shirt and wiped her eyes one last time before she opened to door to see an ecstatic McGee. She instantly became angry when she saw his look of happiness.
She opened her mouth to begin yelling at him but the screaming died in her throat when she heard him say, "They found a survivor, it's Tony."