NCIS: Best Shots

Chapter Fifty-Seven: City's Burning

I kinda jacked up the timeline in this one, I think.

Young man is angry, girl is afraid

She want to get high and he want to get paid

She had to jump up, he had to sit down

When they heard those words

About the troubles downtown

Anthony "Tony" DiNozzo paced around the room, his body tense, his strides short and explosive. Ziva David, his partner, watched him warily. To be honest, he was slightly scaring her, something she'd never thought would happen. The two of them were in her apartment and night had fallen, painting the windows black.

Finally he whirled on her. "Ziva, how could you do that?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You know bloody well what," he growled. "I never figured you for one to sleep with a suspect."

Her temper flared. "This from the one who fell in love while undercover?" She shot up from where she'd been lying on the couch into a sitting position, goading him on with her eyes and body language.

Instead of rising to the bait, he heaved a deep sigh. He opened his mouth to say something, clearly still mad, but closed it when the announcement came over the radio that a fire had broken out downtown. At the news, Ziva leaped to her feet, while Tony collapsed into a chair.

"Are they joking?" she choked out.

DiNozzo looked at her, eyes hard. "No, I don't think so," he said.

He had to shout, she had to cry

He wanted to kill, and she wanted to die

City's burning

City's burning

When the announcer said it was the director of a federal agency's house that was on fire, DiNozzo released a hoarse shout. Ziva's eyes turned wet with unshed tears. She hurriedly wiped them with her shirt sleeve and glanced at Tony. The murderous look on his face scared her. Despite the sudden warmth, she felt cold.

Miles away, orange flames licked the night sky.

City's burning

City's burning

Ziva and Tony glanced out her window and saw tongues of fire and dark smoke rising from downtown and steadily growing closer. DiNozzo cursed and Ziva swore in Hebrew.

"Let's book it!" the senior field agent exclaimed, already heading for the door. The Israeli was on his tail. She remarked, "I never really understood that saying."

He sighed and moved down the hallway. Eventually they reached her car and climbed in, Ziva in the driver's seat. She gunned the engine and they tore out of the place, Tony hanging on for dear life.

Grab for the dial, tune out the fright

But he turns left and she turns right

She look for love songs, he buys the drive

But all they can pull is bad news in tonight

As Ziva drove recklessly through the dark streets, she was trying to tune out her rising fear. It didn't help that Tony kept changing radio stations. Finally it stopped on "Almost Paradise" from the movie Footloose—not exactly something Ziva wanted to hear at the moment, but it was soothing.

"I never thought I'd say this, Ziva, but drive faster."

She grinned despite their predicament and the face that they'd been arguing only minutes before. "I thought you'd never ask." Her foot the pressed the accelerator to the floor. Anxiety and fear hung unspoken in the air. The only news they could pull in tonight was the bad kind. Where were Gibbs and Director Shepard when they needed them? Then she remembered: Jenny was gone.

City's burning

City's burning

City's burning

City's burning

"Where do you want to go, Tony?" she heard herself ask.

"Anywhere but downtown."

"Good point." She swung the car onto a side street, heading for Gibbs' house.

Ooooh mama tell me what to do

Aaaah daddy you better pull us through

Ooooh mama, mama, mama tell me what to do

Aaaah now, now daddy you better pull us through

Since the door to his place was usually unlocked, the two of them just walked in. Right now, Ziva needed someone to tell her what to do. Gibbs was the closest thing to a father she had.

She made her way to the basement, not at all surprised to find the team leader working on his latest boat.

"Ziva," Jethro greeted her. "What are you and DiNozzo doing here?"

"Well," Tony said, "in case you hadn't noticed, there's a fire going on downtown."

"I know. I helped start it. You still didn't answer my question."

"There's a fire downtown and you're working on your boat?" Tony was incredulous.

"Yeah. Now, why are you here?"

"This was the first place I thought of," Ziva said. Shifting her stance, she added, "And I need your advice on something. You'd better pull us through."

Gibbs opened his mouth to reply, but instead caught the acrid scent of smoke. "Do you smell that?"

"Not again," DiNozzo complained. He turned on Ziva. "Maybe if you hadn't—"

"I'm not the one who blew an undercover assignment," she hissed.

Gibbs set down the sander and faced them, hands spread. "Someone want to tell me what is going on here?"

"No," they replied.

Young man is angry, girl is afraid

He want to get high and she want to get paid

DiNozzo was angry at Ziva once again. As she took in the stony look in his green-gray eyes, she could feel her fear rushing back. Earlier, he had been the one wanting to get paid and she had wanted to get high. Now it was the other way around.

City's burning

City's burning

Flames danced in the night sky downtown, all the while coming steadily closer to where the three NCIS agents were in Gibbs' basement.

The former Marine caught the smell of smoke again. "If you guys don't want to be roasted alive, I suggest we leave."

City's burning

City's burning, burning, burning, burning

Without speaking, Ziva broke off eye contact with Tony and pushed past him as she raced up the staircase. The two men were right behind her as they booked it the heck out of there.

Outside, it was a mixture of orange flame, black smoke, and incredible heat. The three of them ran, not caring where they were going. All the while, Tony was humming a rock song.

"DiNozzo, shut up and run!" Gibbs snapped. "Anything else wastes energy."

"I don't suppose a headslap—"

He stopped mid-sentence when Gibbs slapped him upside the head.

"That answer your question?"

City's burning

City's burning

"Yes."

"Good." The ex-sniper lengthened his stride, forcing Tony to do the same to keep up. If they stopped, they were dead.

City's burning, burning, burning, burning, burning, yeah

City's burning, burning, burning