Far Away

Eyes Closed

He thought maybe he heard her voice, but then his phone rang in his coat pocket and shattered his focus.

It was Sammy.

Now what did he want?

"Hey, man, they want everyone back on board ASAP. Something about that club exploding? A couple of our guys were in there so they're gonna stay behind for medical care, but we're boosting out."

His heart sank.

He hung up and continued searching for Ziva more urgently than ever.

Where the hell was she?

He didn't realize how fast the minutes were ticking by until his phone rang again, Sammy calling again.

"Dude, seriously, you need to get over here or we're leaving without you."

Tony wouldn't have minded if they left without him because, let's be honest, he never wanted to be on that ship in the first place.

"Tony, I mean it, man, get here soon. Run."

But Ziva...

"Dude, don't make me come over there and drag you back. I ain't got time for a rescue mission. Come on."

He needed to see her. He needed to know she was alright.

And then the crowd split, just for the briefest second, and he saw her.

But it wasn't what he wanted to see.

She was lying on a stretcher, covered in blood. Eyes closed. Not moving.

"Tony!" Sammy shouted in his ear.

He shook his head, trying to convince himself he didn't actually see her.

Better to not see her at all than to see her like that.

Better to not...

He turned and ran, remembering halfway to the ship that he left his duffel bag in that hotel room.

He debated for a moment, then decided he couldn't leave it. It had printed pictures from his and Ziva's last rendezvous, and he couldn't possibly leave those behind.

Thank God he hadn't had time to unpack anything.

With his duffel bag slung over his shoulder, Tony really booked it back to the ship. He couldn't remember the last time he'd run so fast.

And he still just barely made it in time.

Breathless, he spent a few minutes on deck. He didn't want to see too winded, too out-of-shape, when he went below deck and had to walk past all those younger, fitter officers.

***

Gibbs didn't even know who to call.

He tried Eli David's number, but of course the man didn't answer.

Who else was there to call?

Ziva?

He tried her number, but wasn't at all surprised when she didn't answer. He didn't think she would, not when she was in that condition.

He called Eli David again, and then furiously slammed the phone back into its cradle when the line continued to ring and ring and ring.

His team shouldn't have been separated like that. Rule number three was 'never be unreachable,' and yet here it was, he couldn't reach DiNozzo or Ziva.

***

Her head was throbbing.

She didn't want to open her eyes, but she needed to know where she was.

One peek told her she was somewhere safe.

Not somewhere she wanted to be, but it was safe.

"Ziva, what have you done?" her father's voice asked.

She exhaled slowly. "I was taking care of the target."

Neither of them spoke for a few minutes.

"Casualties?" she asked eventually, keeping her eyes closed.

"Five dead, seven severely injured. A dozen more with minor injuries."

"The target?"

He hesitated. "Dead."

But not by the explosion, she knew. Her father'd probably had someone waiting outside, ready to kill the target if he escaped.

Which he did.

So she was a failure.

Again.

Couldn't keep her director safe, couldn't take out a target.

"I am done," she said, squeezing her eyes shut.

"My Ziva-"

"Do not try to talk me out of it again. It will not work."

"I was going to give you two weeks to heal and think it over. I do not want you to regret a hasty decision later."

She doubted that she could regret it, but coming from her father, it was a fair request.

"Fine. I will think about it."

She felt him lean down to kiss her forehead.

For a moment she was transported back into her childhood, when everything was simpler. When her heart was lighter. When she didn't feel the weight of the world on her shoulders or have the blood of others on her hands.

But then the door snapped shut behind her father, and her eyes sprung open instinctively.

There was no going back now.

*****

Ta daaa.

I think we're going to shift back towards the actual storyline now, so following the plots of Last Man Standing and Agent Afloat (in other words, pulling the team back together, yay).

Vote and comment if you're enjoying the story.

Check out All Your Fault if you haven't already, I just updated this morning...

Thanks