AN: Still don't own squat. Sigh, maybe eventually.
I want to take a moment and thank EVERYONE for the reviews. In the stories that I have read, the writers thank everybody in every chapter. I appreciate you more than you will ever know, and hope that you don't take offense when I don't name everyone individually. If you do, you have my sincerest apologies.
Now, onto the story!
PREVIOUSLY ON NCIS
The two men made their way to the car. With both in deep thought about their plan, they headed out.
"How's your leg?" The uninjured man asked.
"It's stiff, but fine." Jerome said.
"Good because if we don't succeed, then we are as good as dead." The other guy said.
They drove for a few minutes in silence. Soon, they came to a clearing near where they wrecked the car. They pulled into the clearing and got out.
From the trunk, they grabbed their guns and extra ammo. Jerome had remembered to bring the map with them.
Cautiously they headed into the woods in search of their prey.
REGULAR POV
Tony and Ziva were walking as quickly and cautiously as they could so as to not get themselves injured by carelessness in the woods. They stopped several times looking at the map and arguing which way to go. Ziva, though, always won out reminding him what happened every other time that he read a map.
The one instance she always brought up was when he was trying to read a map at a state park, and still walked the opposite way when even the trail they were to go on was clearly marked.
Around 11:30, the duo sat down on a fallen tree and ate the two remaining granola bars. They ate in comfortable silence and thought about their morning so far.
While they were walking this morning, Tony had been grumbling about being up at six. But in truth, he didn't even start moving until six thirty. This had pushed their tentative schedule back to start walking to at least 8:30, which aggravated Ziva.
So, here they were, two hours later, and around five miles down, they sat and ate an early lunch.
"We need to make a better plan tonight, Tony. I do not like lingering in one place to long while someone is after us." Ziva said after taking another bite of her granola bar.
"I agree." Tony said, "But I told you, we would have been to Bluefield if we had taken the interstate."
"Yes, we might be there already, but it is not safe. They will be looking for us. We were wise to not double back to the interstate." Ziva said taking a drink of water and then continuing, "Plus, we have walked for about five miles, and by my calculations, Bluefield is about five and a half more miles away."
Ziva finished off her granola bar and continued, "If you had not taken your time on your hair, we could have been there. We should have left when we agreed. Who knows where those gunmen are."
Tony finished his granola bar and said, "Well, sorry, Zee-vah. You are the poster child for punctuality."
"Why do you always say that!?" Ziva exclaimed.
"Because you, my dear, are always exactly on time." Tony said giving her one of his traditional lopsided DiNozzo smiles.
"You are impossible." Ziva said trying to contain a chuckle.
"True, but you love me and wouldn't have it any other way." Tony said stuffing their wrappers away.
"True. The only thing I would change would be getting rid of the hair on your butt." Ziva said laughing while examining their map. She was referring to their first undercover assignment to which she gave him the nickname hairy butt.
"Once and for all, my butt is NOT hairy!" Tony said getting up.
This made Ziva laugh a little harder. She put the map away and stood up. She kissed him on the cheek and said, "It might be hairy, but it is still cute." She then patted his cheek and started walking with Tony trailing behind.
MEANWHILE
The two gunmen stumbled their way through the woods, stopping only to listen to the woods around them for any sign of life. Soon, they made it to the clearing where the two agents had spent the night.
"Look what we have here." The unidentified man stated.
"They are very resourceful." Jerome admitted sitting down for a beat. His injury was doing better as it was only a flesh wound. It was sore, but he was able to do his job, though nothing short of death would stop him anyway.
They searched the site for any clues as to where they might go. Finding none, they sat down and looked at the map as to which way to go.
"Well, they didn't double back – at least we didn't see them." The unidentified man said.
"They are too smart for that, that's why they are Feds." Jerome said. He took the map out and opened it up. "I've been thinking. They are smart, like I said, so thy are probably following the road into Bluefield." He moved his finger down the map following the path.
They felt it that every step, every second, was bringing them one step closer to their payday which was the biggest one yet. But with bigger paydays, there were more dangers and risks.
BACK AT NCIS
"Yeah, Gibbs." The elevator ride up to the bullpen had been interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone.
"Boss, the evidence from West Virginia just arrived. Abby and I are in the evidence garage." McGee said from the other end of the phone.
"Good." Gibbs said hitting the button for the doors to close on the elevator to bring him back down. "I'll get Ducky and Palmer to meet you in there." Gibbs shut his phone and headed down towards Autopsy.
"Good morning, Jethro!" Coroner Doctor Donald Mallard, or Ducky to friends and family, said in his usual greeting.
"Morning Duck." Gibbs said walking into the room of death.
"Duck, I need you and Palmer to come with me to the evidence garage." Gibbs said already turning on his heels.
Ducky and Palmer looked at each other and hurried after Gibbs. They barely made it into the elevator before the doors closed and they rode swiftly and quickly down to the evidence garage.
They all stepped out and into the garage where Abby and McGee were working to sort out all the evidence. "Duck, Tony and Ziva are in trouble. They were run off the road and are trying to stay alive from two gunmen. One of which has been shot by either Tony or Ziva." Gibbs was filling them in.
"Oh dear. They will be fine Jethro." Ducky said and continued by saying, "They are trained, and Ziva is ex-Mossad for goodness sakes, just as long as Tony isn't given the task to read a map, they will be fine."
This last statement cause everyone to laugh – even Gibbs cracked a smile and chuckled. They could all now feel the mood had shifted and felt like a small weight had been lifted.
Once some of the chuckling had quieted down, Gibbs resumed filling him and his quiet side kick, Jimmy Palmer in. "The same car that Ziva saw following them was at a murder in Princeton, West Virginia. The West Virginia State Police gladly sent us the evidence, pictures, and rushed autopsy report."
McGee finished up by saying, "I believe that these are connected, and this happened because, more likely Ziva, shot one of the gunmen. We know there are two, but we only have one identified."
"Good, we all know what we need to do." Gibbs said and paused. He looked around while everyone was still standing here and said, "Well, what are you all waiting for?"
With that, everyone scattered.
REGULAR POV
Tony and Ziva had FINALLY made their way into Bluefield. They were relieved. Now, they could get a decent meal and a place to sleep, recharge, and wait to be rescued.
Walking along, they argued where to stay at but ultimately decided on the Econo Lodge. Tony went in to get their room, while Ziva stayed outside and looked around the hotel.
He came out and said, "Good news and bad news."
"Ok." Ziva said warily.
"Good news, we got a room." Tony said holding up two key cards. "Bad news, there was only one room left."
"We will share. I do not mind cuddling up next to you." Ziva said with a seductive voice and look.
Tony audibly gulped, and then Ziva broke out in laughter. She grabbed his had and they walked to their room, hands still linked.
Once inside the room, they dropped their things on the bed then cleaned themselves up just enough so they could go out and eat.
Tony called a cab while Ziva was finishing up. They went to Ryan's and stuffed themselves on the buffet, then ran to Kroger's and restocked their water supply and granola bars.
On the way back to the hotel, they each wondered what this night would bring them since their talk the previous night.
MEANWHILE
The two gunmen had just returned to their car with their new plan in mind of going hotel to hotel showing pictures and fake police badges. But with the start of the phone ringing, knew that their plans were probably getting ready to change.
"What the hell is wrong with you two?" A loud, angry, and tense voice yelled through the phone. "You two are supposed to be the best! Andy why were you out of range?"
"We were on the trail of the agents." The unidentified man stated, and quickly added, "There was no service."
"Well, I did get your text, and did the work for you." The man spat over the phone, and then threatened, "If I keep doing your work for you, the fee will drop."
"Fine, just give me what you got." The uninjured man said calmly on the outside, but inside he was starting to boil with anger.
"They just used a credit card at the Econo Lodge in Bluefield, West Virginia. Get them, and get them fast. I want this over and done with." The man said over the phone and hung up.
The two gunmen looked at each other, still boiling with anger, but happy that they now knew where their marks were.
AN: DUN DUN DUN! Hope you all liked this chapter! Please read, review, alert, favorite, and repeat! See you all next chapter!