Title: A Long Way Home (Chapter 22)
Author: LizzieInk
A/N: Now, really the previous chapter was the ending to my story. I suppose you could say that this short chapter is a bonus, to say thanks for all of your support. This was my first ever full length fan-fiction, and I never expected to get anywhere near this much positive feedback. I really appreciate it. I especially want to thank those of you that reviewed after every chapter without fail. It has meant so much to me! ;)
Disclaimer: These characters have merely been borrowed for the duration of this story.
EPILOGUE
Tony stood outside his apartment, with his key in his hand. So much had happened since he had last stepped foot inside its walls. He had been on a whirlwind trip to Berlin with Ziva, they had been in a major car crash, had stayed with Abby, he and Ziva had finally admitted their feelings for each other, not to mention that they had taken part in a major showdown with Bodnar. It gave Tony a headache just thinking about everything that had happened within the past week.
Gibbs laid a strong comforting hand on Tony's shoulder, breaking him out of his reverie.
"You okay, Dinozzo?" Gibbs asked.
"Yeah, boss. Still trying to get used to everything that's happened I guess." Tony admitted.
Gibbs took the key from Tony and unlocked the apartment door, and kicking it open swiftly with his foot, Gibbs stepped through the doorway before dropping Dinozzo's bag inside.
"You good?" Gibbs asked Tony, a fatherly concern clear in his eyes.
"I will be. Thanks for the ride home, Boss."
Gibbs nodded understandingly and smiled at Tony.
"You and Ziva both have two weeks off before I expect you both back at work for desk duty. Rest up, okay? I'll see you soon." And with that Gibbs left, leaving Tony to the peace and quiet of his apartment.
It's strange, Tony thought to himself, that what I used to think of as my fortress, now just feels empty.
Looking around him Tony let out a sigh before slowly hobbling in on his crutches, and pushing the apartment door shut behind him. He flopped down on the couch, and closed his eyes with a tired sigh, as he finally allowed himself to catch up on some much needed sleep.
When Tony woke up some time later, darkness had crept its way into the room. Rain lashed relentlessly against the windows, causing the lights given off by other buildings to blur. Tony sat up groggily and ran a hand through his hair. He pulled out his cell phone to check the time, only to find that he had been dozing for four hours. Tony's phone also had a bunch of unread messages on it. He must have been out cold not to hear his phone beeping, Tony mused.
Tony opened his messages folder and found that he had texts from both Abby and Palmer, as well as a voicemail from McGee. He couldn't help but notice that there were none from Ziva, but he shook the thought away almost as quickly as it had arrived. Ziva was most likely fast asleep just like he had been. Tony toyed with the idea of sending her a playful text message, but he ultimately decided against it. He didn't want to risk waking her up if she had fallen asleep.
Tony yawned and tossed his phone onto the coffee table. Picking up his crutches from the floor, he made his way into the kitchen, with the idea that he might attempt to throw some kind of meal together. Tony opened his fridge and leant forward to see what he could find, only to back-up quickly. Well, maybe he would order Pizza he thought to himself, as the smell of gone off milk permeated the air around him. He shut the door forcefully, trying to block out the smell. Tony was making a promise with himself to blitz the fridge properly when daylight came, when all of a sudden he heard a sharp knock.
Hobbling back through his lounge, Tony swung his apartment door open, wondering who on earth would possibly be visiting him at 3am.
Tony's face lit up when he saw who was on the other side of his door.
"Hey partner," Ziva whispered as she stepped forward into Tony's arms.
Tony hugged her carefully, being extremely weary of her ribs. He kissed her lightly on the cheek before stepping back and allowing her to come into his apartment.
Maybe these next couple of weeks won't be so lonely after all, Tony thought to himself with a smile.
A/N: I hope you liked this bonus chapter? :) Thank you all for everything. If you liked this story/my writing style please be on the look-out for my follow-up fan fiction which will be called "From Here To Paternity." I have included the synopsis for it below so you can see what you think. Would you be interested in reading this story? ;)
BONUS CONTENT:
'From Here to Paternity' Synopsis:
"A girl with no name turns up at NCIS, covered in blood and carrying a marine's dog tags; her fathers. Unable to speak she turns to the one person that has the capacity to understand."
Themes: Friendship, hurt/comfort, family. Deaf community/sign language.
All characters included, but Abby will be the main focus of this story.
Established Tiva. Follows on from my 'A Long Way Home' fan-fiction.