Title: When Two Worlds Collide
Rating: PG-13
Category: Case fic
Genre: Gen
Pairing: None currently
Summary: Gibbs is due to retire but first he has to get through one last case.
Disclaimer: The characters herein belong to DPB, CBS, Paramount, et al. No copyright infringement is intended.
Ten minutes passed before she returned fully dressed with her hair falling in damp loose curls around her face as she rubbed at them with the towel. Gibbs rose from the bed and crossed to the wardrobe, reaching up he pulled a hairdryer and brush from a basket, "You left these here… it's been a while but I guess it should still work…"
She thanked him and took them from him, sitting on the stool at the vanity she plugged it in. She pulled the brush through her hair before she began to blow dry it; smiling as she saw Gibbs watching her in the mirror and he smiled in response before picking up his own towel and vanishing into the bathroom.
Returning to the bedroom he found the room empty, worried he quickly dressed and made his way out onto the landing, "Ziva?"
She called upstairs, "In the kitchen."
Relieved he walked down the stairs, smiling as he rounded the corned and saw her pouring coffee into a mug. She turned to face him, "I came down to make coffee, you usually struggle to focus before one mug…" she turned back to the pot and reached for a second mug, "And smiling is usually unheard of before two cups, I don't know what has gotten into you this morning…"
He crossed to her, standing right behind her he whispered in her ear, "It must be the novelty of having you back…"
She felt his hands move to her waist and she extracted herself from him, taking her mug and moving to sit down at the table. "I meant what I said upstairs Jethro. I need to focus solely on the threat until it has passed. I do not need or want your death on my conscious."
He moved to sit opposite her, silent sipping on his coffee and she attempted to lighten the mood once more, "Terrible habit you got me into you know…"
He looked up at her, "What?"
"Coffee drinking... Terribly expensive to have this exact blend flown out to Israel…"
"Oh right…" he turned his attention back to his coffee and she sighed draining her cup before moving to crouch beside him, resting her hands on his knees she waited for him to look at her before speaking, "Jethro I am sorry but right now keeping you alive is my top priority. The only reason Nahir left last night was because I was choking him and holding a gun to his head; it was a choice between life and death. He chose life because it he knew it would leave him the opportunity to try and take your life again. He will wait for a moment when you are alone and isolated and he will come for you… That is something I cannot allow to happen, but Nahir is good, incredibly good and it will take my entire focus to keep you alive… When this is over we will talk. I promise."
She leant up and kissed his cheek, "Are you ready to leave yet?"
He nodded and finished his coffee, carrying his mug to the sink before joining her on the way to the car. The ride back to the office was spent in silence, as was the ride in the elevator up to the bullpen. Stepping out onto the floor Ziva strode over to Jen's desk, "I want you to find Nahir, search every hotel reservation list, do what ever it is that you need to do to find him before he finds us again."
Tony looked up from the desk he was working at, "Again?"
Ziva nodded, "Let's go to the office…"
Jen and Moretti looked on puzzled as Gibbs, Ziva, Tony and McGee all made their way to the elevator. Ziva waited for the doors to close and the descent to begin before hitting the emergency stop button. "Last night Nahir broke into the house. He was on his way up to the bedroom when I intercepted him…"
Tony laughed and held up his hands, "Whoa whoa, hold up, you were in Gibbs's bedroom?"
Gibbs growled, "Enough DiNozzo, it was the best place for her to be; it's particularly difficult for someone to sneak past her and get to me if she is right beside me."
McGee turned to Ziva, "He escaped?"
"No…" Ziva looked to the floor, "I allowed him the option to leave or to die; he chose to leave."
Tony looked at her, "You just let him leave?! Knowing there was a chance he could come back? Why didn't you just snap his neck?"
"Tony I have already killed my brother, given the opportunity I would have preferred not to kill my cousin as well; however it seems that is not to be. When we find him I will not hesitate a second time."
Gibbs could see how annoyed she was becoming with herself and put his hand on her shoulder, "Ziver, you did the right thing."
"No!" her eyes flared with rage and her fist slammed into the side of the lift leaving a dent in the metal. She pulled her hand away and gently rubbed her fist, "I had the chance to eliminate the risk to you, to us all and I did not take it. I allowed emotion to cloud my judgement; fond memories of a long lost childhood. I was trained to be better than that."
He pulled her to him, holding her close and gently kissing her head as her frustration slowly ebbed out of her. Tim and Tony turned away a little embarrassed by their display of intimacy.