Title: Surprised (2/2)
Genre: Angst/Romance
Rating: T
Pairing(s): Kate/Ziva
Character(s): Kate Todd, Ziva David,
Summary: /'Ziva had been taught her whole life not to be surprised by anything.'/ This situation, though, was different. She had never been taught how to handle this.
Disclaimer: I don't own it, kk?
Warnings: Angst, angst, and even more angst. And character death.
Author's Note: This was originally an oneshot, but I decided to add another chapter, just to show Kate's POV. This chapter makes me sad, but this fic didn't seem like it could turn out being happy.
XXX
Kate Todd was broken.
Her hopes, her heart, her sanity, and every other part of her had shattered into millions of pieces and scattered around the hollow shell that she had become. In a matter of minutes, her life had gone from happy to cracked and mangled.
She was standing in the middle of the street, clad in pajamas and slippers, staring at a mangled car that had once been Ziva's. Mortified, she was fixated on the broken, twisted remains of the car. Kate knew just by looking that there was no way that Ziva could have survived…that.
Tears threatened to fall, prickling at Kate's eyes until they burned. She let them slide down her cheeks, unable to do anything to stop them. It was as if someone had frozen her in place, so she couldn't move. Kate was forced to stand there and watch with wide eyes, a slightly-open mouth, and a quickly-shattering heart.
The sirens from the ambulances pounded at her ears and leaked into her brain. Kate knew, deep down, that she would never be able to forget the sound of those damn sirens. They were burned into her consciousness.
Kate watched as the paramedics managed to pull Ziva's body from the wreckage of her car and lay her across a gurney. For a moment, one of the men worked on CPR, and Kate's stomach flipped as she watched him press repeatedly on Ziva's chest. One of the paramedics shook his head, and Kate sobbed, "No! Ziva…please!"
Ignoring the people who tried to pull her back, Kate pushed through everyone to stand beside the gurney. Time seemed to stand still as she looked at Ziva's body, small and battered-looking. The Israeli's face was cut and bruised, and blood stained her skin and caked her wounds.
Some of the paramedics tried to usher her away, but Kate ignored them. She instead stared at Ziva a few seconds longer before leaning down and kissing the younger woman on the lips.
Ziva tasted like blood and dust, like regret and sorrow. She tasted like all of Kate's worst nightmares and every comforting lullaby that she ever needed mashed into one. The sweet tinge of oranges and spice that was uniquely the Israeli's still adorned her lips, but it was overpowered by everything else. Ziva's lips were cold and Kate wanted nothing more than to warm them so they would kiss her back. But that would never happen again.
Breaking the kiss so she had time to breathe, Kate whispered, "Ziva, wake up. I love you, god dammit. Ziva, I love you. Wake up, please." Nothing happened, and Kate leaned down to kiss the other woman again. She misjudged and there, in the middle of the street and the flashing lights and wailing sirens, their teeth smashed together. Kate didn't care.
This time, she let the paramedics drag her away. They spoke to her with comforting expressions, but Kate didn't hear their words. She had just lost the person she loved more than anyone or anything else. Ziva David was dead.
One of the paramedics handed her a crumpled, dirty, bloody photo that they had found in Ziva's hands. Kate swallowed back tears when she saw it, and collapsed on to the pavement as a shudder passed through her body. The paramedics helped her to her feet, preparing to take her to the hospital because she was going through shock.
Kate sobbed as she stumbled along, holding the photograph to her chest. A barely-legible 'I love you' was scribbled on the back in Ziva's messy handwriting, and Kate knew that Ziva had made herself live long enough to write it. Ziva cared that much.
No matter what the paramedics did to her, Kate didn't let go of the photograph. She clutched it tightly to her body until she was allowed to return to their empty, bleak-feeling apartment.
Kate curled up in bed with the picture clutched against her chest and muttered over and over, "I love you, Ziva."
Kate Todd was broken, and no one would ever be able to put her back together.