Title: A Long Way Home (Chapter Six)

Author: LizzieInk

A/N: Thank you all for the encouraging feedback. I hope you all continue to enjoy my writing. :)

Disclaimer: still stands. Unfortunately these characters do not belong to me.

Tony kept a protective watch over Ziva as she slept. Unable to fall asleep himself, he had taken this rare opportunity to gaze at her, without needing to worry that she might catch him looking. He had already been told about her broken arm and ribs, so neither of these injuries had shocked him, however he was surprised by the multiple cuts and scratches to Ziva's face and arms. No one had mentioned those to him before. He could also see bruises starting to form on Ziva's right cheek. She was obviously a little more worse for wear than he had been told.

Tony sighed to himself quietly.

We will both take a while to heal from this, Tony thought.

It was a shame that their trip to Berlin had ended with such misfortune. Ziva had surprised Tony with how open she was during their trip. For the first time since her father's death, Ziva had begun to slowly open up to him again. She had told him memories about her father, and more importantly, had lamented to Tony about the loss of her childhood. Ziva had been upset that the events in her past may have changed her, and somehow made her a worse version of herself. Tony knew without her saying so that she had never allowed herself to voice such worries to anyone before. He hadn't had to dig far for his response to this. She was perfect just the way she was. Her history and the strength she had shown in overcoming the problems of her past, were what made her so uniquely Ziva.

In Berlin, Ziva had told Tony that she wasn't 'a type,' and looking at her now he was beginning to realize what she had meant. Ziva was unpredictable and smart, and just when Tony thought he had her figured out, she would always end up surprising him somehow. He got to see a side of her that few others were allowed to see, and that was something he truly cherished.

Watching her now, Tony couldn't help but notice how much Ziva had evolved since her first day of working at NCIS. However Tony's thoughts didn't get much further than this before Ziva twitched violently in her sleep, causing an obvious jolt of pain to shoot through her body. Tony winced sympathetically, as a sharp hiss of breath escaped Ziva's lips.

Keeping her eyes squeezed shut, Ziva tried to remain as still as possible while she waited impatiently for the pain to fade.

When she opened her eyes, she found Tony looking at her in sympathy.

"Are you okay?" He asked her softly, taking her hand comfortingly in his.

"I am fine. Although how they expect us to sleep properly on these terrible beds is beyond me," replied Ziva with a small grimace.

"Well, I'm pretty sure that both of us being squashed onto the same little bed isn't going to help us get any sleep." Tony said with an apologetic yet teasing grin.

"Do you want me to move?" Ziva asked.

"I didn't say thaaat…" Tony murmured. Ziva smiled and rolled her eyes at him, before they both sank back into a comfortable silence.

After thinking carefully for a minute, Ziva quietly began to speak again; "…Tony?" She asked hesitantly.

"Mmmm?" He mumbled, his eyes closing.

"I never did get to thank you… before the accident."

Tony opened his eyes and shifted his head carefully, so that his eyes were level with Ziva's.

"Thank me for what?" He asked.

"I know that I am not the easiest person in the world to work with sometimes, and I know that I do not say this to you enough, Tony. I want to thank you for being there for me through everything that has happened these past few months." The honesty in Ziva's eyes was plain to see, as she continued "it truly has meant everything to me Tony."

Tony gave her a long searching look, before replying; "And I meant what I said Ziva… Aht lo leh-vahd…ever. You know that right?"

"I think I am starting to," replied Ziva honestly.

…(A little while later…)…...

Ducky opened the door to Tony's hospital room and, as quietly as he could, proceeded to wheel another bed slowly towards the one upon which Tony and Ziva were resting, so that the mattresses were touching.

Tony was fast asleep, but Ziva was still awake and looked at Ducky wearily.

"I have some good news my dear," Ducky said to Ziva with a smile, "I have convinced the nurse to discharge you in the morning. You will both be more comfortable at home I think, and I made sure to assure the nurse that I would keep an eye on you both."

Ziva smiled gratefully "Thank you Ducky. I have never liked hospitals," she said with a slight shiver.

"I don't believe anyone does," replied Ducky truthfully. "Now why don't you slide along on to this bed. That way both of you will have enough room to rest comfortably until morning." Ducky patted the end of the bed with his hand.

Ziva gritted her teeth and quickly lifted herself from one bed to the other.

Ducky pulled the blankets up to Ziva's chin and continued to tuck her in carefully.

"Goodnight Ziva," said Ducky with a tender smile, as he slowly left the room.

Ziva glanced across at Tony, glad that Ducky had allowed her to stay with him. She had been touched that Dr. Mallard had made the effort to bring an extra bed in here for her, when even her nurse had not bothered. Although she missed Tony's warmth, Ziva was glad to have a bed to herself. Smiling over at Tony who was now snoring quietly in his sleep, Ziva closed her eyes and finally allowed herself to give in to the exhaustion she felt from the days harrowing adventures.

A/N: I thought the story needed a little Tiva fluffiness. I hope you enjoyed it. ;)