Time Gone By ✡ NCIS TIVA Fanfiction

Chapter 14

Every single window in the car had been shattered by bullets.

Tony had used up three full magazines, there was only one left. The hooded machine-gun-guy didn't have that problem.
"I'm running out of bullets!" Tony yelled and took cover from another automatic salvo of gunfire.

"And I'm running out of gas! We can't keep going like this for longer than two minutes!" Gibbs yelled back.

Both of them knew that they'd be screwed if the other car caught up to drive next to them, because then they'd be able to shoot straight through the side windows.

The car seats which had been a good covering until now would be as useful as a hole in the head.

"How's Ziva doing?" Gibbs asked loudly to drown out the car and shooting noises.
DiNozzo took a look at her, she was definitely not alright.
"She's passed out again!" He had no time for it, but he took her hand and squeezed it. No squeezing back.

"Are you two well strapped?" Gibbs shouted.
"Yes but wh-..." With the car tires screaming, he jerked the wheel violently and the car about faced in the middle of the road.
They saw the black Mustang whizzing past and crashing into the car in front of them, then Gibbs hit the gas pedal again.
Cars were approaching to them, people honking their motor horns and dodging away in the last second.

Tony screamed with his eyes pulled open in terror.
Gibbs drove even faster, a concentrated look on his face.

The sound of cars crashing into other cars followed them.

"Dammit, what are you doing? Slow down, please, I'd like to come out of this -..."

Alive, he was about to say when everything behind them exploded.
A huge wave of fire devoured half of the road and a second later, it was gone.
Flames flickered behind them, people screaming and car alarms howling.

Tony exhaled; he'd been holding his breath.
He stored the gun away.

Carefully he lifted up Ziva's body and made her sit up in the car seat.

Her hair fell all over his shoulders; her head hit his collar bone.
She wasn't able to keep herself sitting up straight.
"Please don't leave me again," he whispered and felt the pain crawling back up his throat.

Gibbs slowed down the car and stayed silent, as he did so often.

"Gibbs, I've lost her. She's not moving, barely breathing. Help me." Tony pleaded.

No emotion showed on Gibbs face, but it was hurting him to see DiNozzo in so much pain.
What was he supposed to do?
There was nothing he could do, besides driving them home safely.

"We're there soon" He replied.

Tony stroke helplessly across Ziva's cheek and tried to make her lay down as comfortable as possible.

Gibbs saw how he hated that feeling of being useless, but there was nothing more, any of them could do for Ziva.

A few minutes, which felt like hours, later they parked the car and Tony carried Ziva into Gibbs' house and lay her down on the couch.

"Get her something to drink," Gibbs instructed and put a hand on Ziva's forehead to see if she had temperature.

"She's got a little fever. I'll get her a blanket."
They both did as he said, no one talked much.

"As long as we don't know what exactly she has, we can't help her. We could call Ducky, but I'm not sure he'll be able to do more than us."

"I think he wouldn't. Even the doctors in the hospital didn't know. We have to wait until she wakes up again." Tony replied.

They sat on the kitchen table, watching Ziva sleep.
The silence was killing him on the inside.

"She's hurting you, Tony." Gibbs murmured. He looked down at his fingers.

"I know." He stayed silent for a while, and then he added calmly:

"Everything is going to end in pain, earlier or later. Every love story ends in heartbreak, either by rejection or death. But it is worth the pain, isn't it? Tell me it is."

"It's worth it, I promise." Gibbs answered.

"Are you just saying that because I asked you to do that?"

"I'm saying it because I've seen you two. I've known you both for years. And if there is one love story which is worth the pain, it's yours. It's going to be alright."

After all this time, it surprised Tony how good Gibbs was at calming him down.
How easy such important words went over his lips, how easy he could make Tony feel better just by saying a few sentences.

Tony was thankful that his boss was here with him so he didn't have to go through this alone.