How To Relate: Chapter 7
Title: How To Relate
Author: justhowthisgoes
Fandom: NCIS
Category: Hurt/Comfort/Family
Pairing: None
Rating: T
Spoilers: Up to Season 7
Summary: Tony has been getting threatening letters and the team is worried, but Tony isn't taking them seriously. Then come the attempts on his life. Could the new girl at NCIS be involved? And what secrets from Tony's past will be revealed in the search?
Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply.
Chapter 7
Full On Freakout
Gibbs was in MTAC when his cell rang.
He briefly glanced at the name on the screen before answering.
"Gibbs." He listened for a moment. "What?!... I'll be right there."
He hurried down the stairs into the bullpen, glad to find one member of his team still at his desk.
"McGee, with me."
"Boss?" McGee questioned. "I was supposed to help with-"
"A bomb just went off in the parking garage, McGee." Gibbs barked.
McGee's eyes widened as he began gathering his gear. "The NCIS parking garage?"
Gibbs' glare was answer enough.
"Ok, uh, should I call Tony and Ziva?" McGee persisted.
"Ziva's already there."
McGee pondered this for a second. "And Tony?"
From the look on Gibbs' face, McGee was afraid he already knew the answer to that question.
"On his way to the hospital."
"Is he alright?" McGee asked, concerned.
"Well, if he's not, he'll have me to answer to." Gibbs growled. "Let's go."
McGee followed Gibbs into the elevator without another word.Ziva hadn't told him much over the phone. And looking over the aftermath of the explosion, the devastation of which was strewn over a large portion of the parking garage, Gibbs felt a thrill of dread run through him. The car had been literally blown apart. He found himself doubting that anyone could survive an explosion of that magnitude.
Of course, statistics meant nothing when it came to Tony. That had been established multiple times. And Gibbs himself had been blown up, not once, but twice, and came out with no severe repercussions. Still, it was hard to think of that when he couldn't even tell that the twisted heap of wreckage in front of him had been a car as recently as half an hour ago.
Gibbs quickly quashed his fears as he approached Ziva, McGee close behind.
"Ziva, sitrep." He demanded.
Ziva seemed distracted as she turned toward him. "What?"
"Focus, Ziva!" Gibbs snapped. "Tell me what the hell happened!"
"It was very sudden. One second Tony was joking around, getting into his car, and the next second, there was an explosion."
McGee gave a low whistle. "I'll say there was."
Gibbs shot him a look before turning back to Ziva. "How bad?"
She shook her head. "I do not know exactly. He was having trouble breathing. Smoke inhalation. But most of his injuries seemed superficial."
"Superficial? With all this?" Gibbs gestured widely in disbelief.
"Well, the first explosion was much smaller." Ziva told them as they headed toward the center of the blast radius.
"There was more than one." Gibbs raised his eyebrows, surprised.
"Yes. Did I not say that?" Ziva still seemed a little preoccupied. "After I managed to pull Tony out and away from the vehicle, there was a second explosion. As you can see, it reduced the car to barely more than rubble."
"It was probably caused by the gas tank catching fire after the primary explosion." McGee deduced, pulling out a camera and beginning to snap pictures of the scene. "Good thing Tony wasn't in there when it blew."
"Yes, well he was conscious and even making jokes by the time the paramedics arrived."
Gibbs nodded stoically, hiding his relief. He didn't even want to think about what would have happened if Ziva hadn't been there, or hadn't been quick enough. "That's a good job Ziva."
She met his eyes. Gibbs read worry there that mirrored his own. It was as clear as if she had shouted; despite Tony's making it through this incident relatively unscathed, Ziva was still deeply afraid for her partner. But he caught a flash of something else there, too. Guilt?
"Gibbs," she began in a low voice. "I think I need to tell you something."
He put his hand on her arm and guided her back a little. "What is it?"
"I should have told you before, but all I had were suspicions and coincidences. Tony and McGee had convinced me that I was just being silly." She chewed her bottom lip. "But I cannot ignore it anymore."
"Ignore what?"
Ziva quickly listed for him all of her reservations involving Ali, beginning with Ali's generally suspicious behavior and ending with the fact that she was in the garage right before the bomb went off.
She looked upset when she was done. "It is my fault Gibbs. I should have told you. And Tony is my partner. I should have had his back."
Gibbs was silent for a moment after she had finished speaking then beckoned her closer. As she approached, his hand came up and gently cuffed the back of her head.
"It's not your fault, Ziva."
"But-"
"Do. Not. Blame. Yourself." Gibbs drew out each word for emphasis.
Ziva still looked remorseful.
He sighed, softly. "Trust your instincts next time."
"I will."
"I know you will. And as for having Tony's back, who pulled him out of there? You did."
"I did." Ziva conceded.
"You saved his life." He reached over and ruffled her hair. "You did good, Ziva."
Smiling at the affectionate gesture, Ziva rejoined McGee as Gibbs left the garage.
"Where's he going?" McGee asked.
"Following a lead, I think." Ziva answered as she began sketching the scene.
"That must have been some explosion." He mused. "There are pieces of the car all the way over by the far wall. And judging from the marks, I'd say some pieces blew into the ceiling too."
"You forget I am from Israel. I have seen others more devastating."
McGee shrugged. "Well, anyway, all of this debris is evidence. Abby is going to have a field day."
Ziva suddenly looked at him. "Abby."
McGee squinched up his eyes, as if in pain. "Abby. I almost forgot." He shook his head. "She is going to absolutely freak out."McGee and Ziva stepped into Abby's lab, a little nervously. Abby had her back to the door and seemed to be completely engrossed in whatever she was peering at under her microscope.
As McGee picked up a remote and turned the stereo system down several notches, Abby looked up from the microscope, her pigtails bobbing.
"Hey guys! Do you wanna see something cool?"
"Is it relevant to a case?" McGee asked.
Abby took a slurp of her Caf-Pow. "What? Oh. No. My babies are still working on finding something from the fibers in the SUV. But this is really cool. Trust me." She grabbed them each by an arm and pulled them over to the plasma screen. "Now, check out this mold spore. Doesn't it look exactly like the Martians in War of the Worlds?"
"Abby-" Ziva began.
"I have to show this to Tony. He'll appreciate it. Did he leave already?" Abby glanced at a clock on the wall. "Wow, it is kind of late. Why haven't you guys left yet? And Ziva, do you smell like smoke?"
Ziva exchanged a glance with McGee.
Abby noticed.
"And what's with the hinky looks? Did something happen?" She gasped. "Something bad? Oh no. Oh my gosh. It is something bad."
"Look, Abbs-"
Abby interrupted McGee with a scowl. "No. No, no, no. Don't you dare tell me something bad happened. I will not accept any bad news." She clapped her hands to her ears stubbornly.
"Abby listen-" Ziva tried.
She moved her hands. "Something happened to Tony, didn't it? Didn't it?"
"Yes, Abby, but-"
Her face crumbled. "I knew it. I just knew it."
McGee opened his mouth as Abby held up a finger.
"No, wait. Don't tell me yet." She took a deep breath and composed herself. "Ok, I'm ready."
"There was an explosion."
Abby's hands flew to her mouth as her eyes filled with tears. "Oh no. Oh no, Tony. Is he ok? Please tell me he's ok." She begged.
"Abby, calm down."
"Do NOT tell me to calm down, Timothy McGee! I just found out that one of my best friends in the entire world got blown up and you want me to calm down?!"
McGee took her in his arms. "Ok, Abby, I'm sorry."
Abby buried her head in his shoulder. "Just tell me he's ok, you guys."
"Abby, Tony is going to be fine." Ziva assured her.
"Yeah." McGee put in. "We just called Bethesda. They treated Tony for shock, minor burns, and smoke inhalation. He only needed a few stitches and they're keeping him overnight for the smoke inhalation. Just for observation. Because of his lungs, you know," he added, a bit unnecessarily.
Abby straightened up, sniffling. "Oh, poor Tony. Are you sure he's really fine? Did he seem like the 'fine' when he says he's fine but he's really not, or like the actual 'fine' when he really is ok?"
McGee shrugged helplessly. "I didn't even see him. You'll have to ask Ziva. She's the one who pulled him out."
Abby turned to Ziva, expectantly.
Ziva considered it. "Well, he was teasing me. He said I should give him mouth-to-mouth."
Abby smiled.
"And then I had to threaten him with bodily harm in order to get him to cooperate with the paramedics."
McGee smirked and Abby laughed out loud.
"So, he'll really be ok?"
"Tony will be just fine." This time, at least. Ziva added in her mind. She only hoped he would stay that way.
...
Chapter 8
Author: justhowthisgoes
Fandom: NCIS
Category: Hurt/Comfort/Family
Pairing: None
Rating: T
Spoilers: Up to Season 7
Summary: Tony has been getting threatening letters and the team is worried, but Tony isn't taking them seriously. Then come the attempts on his life. Could the new girl at NCIS be involved? And what secrets from Tony's past will be revealed in the search?
Disclaimer: Standard disclaimers apply.
Chapter 7
Full On Freakout
Gibbs was in MTAC when his cell rang.
He briefly glanced at the name on the screen before answering.
"Gibbs." He listened for a moment. "What?!... I'll be right there."
He hurried down the stairs into the bullpen, glad to find one member of his team still at his desk.
"McGee, with me."
"Boss?" McGee questioned. "I was supposed to help with-"
"A bomb just went off in the parking garage, McGee." Gibbs barked.
McGee's eyes widened as he began gathering his gear. "The NCIS parking garage?"
Gibbs' glare was answer enough.
"Ok, uh, should I call Tony and Ziva?" McGee persisted.
"Ziva's already there."
McGee pondered this for a second. "And Tony?"
From the look on Gibbs' face, McGee was afraid he already knew the answer to that question.
"On his way to the hospital."
"Is he alright?" McGee asked, concerned.
"Well, if he's not, he'll have me to answer to." Gibbs growled. "Let's go."
McGee followed Gibbs into the elevator without another word.Ziva hadn't told him much over the phone. And looking over the aftermath of the explosion, the devastation of which was strewn over a large portion of the parking garage, Gibbs felt a thrill of dread run through him. The car had been literally blown apart. He found himself doubting that anyone could survive an explosion of that magnitude.
Of course, statistics meant nothing when it came to Tony. That had been established multiple times. And Gibbs himself had been blown up, not once, but twice, and came out with no severe repercussions. Still, it was hard to think of that when he couldn't even tell that the twisted heap of wreckage in front of him had been a car as recently as half an hour ago.
Gibbs quickly quashed his fears as he approached Ziva, McGee close behind.
"Ziva, sitrep." He demanded.
Ziva seemed distracted as she turned toward him. "What?"
"Focus, Ziva!" Gibbs snapped. "Tell me what the hell happened!"
"It was very sudden. One second Tony was joking around, getting into his car, and the next second, there was an explosion."
McGee gave a low whistle. "I'll say there was."
Gibbs shot him a look before turning back to Ziva. "How bad?"
She shook her head. "I do not know exactly. He was having trouble breathing. Smoke inhalation. But most of his injuries seemed superficial."
"Superficial? With all this?" Gibbs gestured widely in disbelief.
"Well, the first explosion was much smaller." Ziva told them as they headed toward the center of the blast radius.
"There was more than one." Gibbs raised his eyebrows, surprised.
"Yes. Did I not say that?" Ziva still seemed a little preoccupied. "After I managed to pull Tony out and away from the vehicle, there was a second explosion. As you can see, it reduced the car to barely more than rubble."
"It was probably caused by the gas tank catching fire after the primary explosion." McGee deduced, pulling out a camera and beginning to snap pictures of the scene. "Good thing Tony wasn't in there when it blew."
"Yes, well he was conscious and even making jokes by the time the paramedics arrived."
Gibbs nodded stoically, hiding his relief. He didn't even want to think about what would have happened if Ziva hadn't been there, or hadn't been quick enough. "That's a good job Ziva."
She met his eyes. Gibbs read worry there that mirrored his own. It was as clear as if she had shouted; despite Tony's making it through this incident relatively unscathed, Ziva was still deeply afraid for her partner. But he caught a flash of something else there, too. Guilt?
"Gibbs," she began in a low voice. "I think I need to tell you something."
He put his hand on her arm and guided her back a little. "What is it?"
"I should have told you before, but all I had were suspicions and coincidences. Tony and McGee had convinced me that I was just being silly." She chewed her bottom lip. "But I cannot ignore it anymore."
"Ignore what?"
Ziva quickly listed for him all of her reservations involving Ali, beginning with Ali's generally suspicious behavior and ending with the fact that she was in the garage right before the bomb went off.
She looked upset when she was done. "It is my fault Gibbs. I should have told you. And Tony is my partner. I should have had his back."
Gibbs was silent for a moment after she had finished speaking then beckoned her closer. As she approached, his hand came up and gently cuffed the back of her head.
"It's not your fault, Ziva."
"But-"
"Do. Not. Blame. Yourself." Gibbs drew out each word for emphasis.
Ziva still looked remorseful.
He sighed, softly. "Trust your instincts next time."
"I will."
"I know you will. And as for having Tony's back, who pulled him out of there? You did."
"I did." Ziva conceded.
"You saved his life." He reached over and ruffled her hair. "You did good, Ziva."
Smiling at the affectionate gesture, Ziva rejoined McGee as Gibbs left the garage.
"Where's he going?" McGee asked.
"Following a lead, I think." Ziva answered as she began sketching the scene.
"That must have been some explosion." He mused. "There are pieces of the car all the way over by the far wall. And judging from the marks, I'd say some pieces blew into the ceiling too."
"You forget I am from Israel. I have seen others more devastating."
McGee shrugged. "Well, anyway, all of this debris is evidence. Abby is going to have a field day."
Ziva suddenly looked at him. "Abby."
McGee squinched up his eyes, as if in pain. "Abby. I almost forgot." He shook his head. "She is going to absolutely freak out."McGee and Ziva stepped into Abby's lab, a little nervously. Abby had her back to the door and seemed to be completely engrossed in whatever she was peering at under her microscope.
As McGee picked up a remote and turned the stereo system down several notches, Abby looked up from the microscope, her pigtails bobbing.
"Hey guys! Do you wanna see something cool?"
"Is it relevant to a case?" McGee asked.
Abby took a slurp of her Caf-Pow. "What? Oh. No. My babies are still working on finding something from the fibers in the SUV. But this is really cool. Trust me." She grabbed them each by an arm and pulled them over to the plasma screen. "Now, check out this mold spore. Doesn't it look exactly like the Martians in War of the Worlds?"
"Abby-" Ziva began.
"I have to show this to Tony. He'll appreciate it. Did he leave already?" Abby glanced at a clock on the wall. "Wow, it is kind of late. Why haven't you guys left yet? And Ziva, do you smell like smoke?"
Ziva exchanged a glance with McGee.
Abby noticed.
"And what's with the hinky looks? Did something happen?" She gasped. "Something bad? Oh no. Oh my gosh. It is something bad."
"Look, Abbs-"
Abby interrupted McGee with a scowl. "No. No, no, no. Don't you dare tell me something bad happened. I will not accept any bad news." She clapped her hands to her ears stubbornly.
"Abby listen-" Ziva tried.
She moved her hands. "Something happened to Tony, didn't it? Didn't it?"
"Yes, Abby, but-"
Her face crumbled. "I knew it. I just knew it."
McGee opened his mouth as Abby held up a finger.
"No, wait. Don't tell me yet." She took a deep breath and composed herself. "Ok, I'm ready."
"There was an explosion."
Abby's hands flew to her mouth as her eyes filled with tears. "Oh no. Oh no, Tony. Is he ok? Please tell me he's ok." She begged.
"Abby, calm down."
"Do NOT tell me to calm down, Timothy McGee! I just found out that one of my best friends in the entire world got blown up and you want me to calm down?!"
McGee took her in his arms. "Ok, Abby, I'm sorry."
Abby buried her head in his shoulder. "Just tell me he's ok, you guys."
"Abby, Tony is going to be fine." Ziva assured her.
"Yeah." McGee put in. "We just called Bethesda. They treated Tony for shock, minor burns, and smoke inhalation. He only needed a few stitches and they're keeping him overnight for the smoke inhalation. Just for observation. Because of his lungs, you know," he added, a bit unnecessarily.
Abby straightened up, sniffling. "Oh, poor Tony. Are you sure he's really fine? Did he seem like the 'fine' when he says he's fine but he's really not, or like the actual 'fine' when he really is ok?"
McGee shrugged helplessly. "I didn't even see him. You'll have to ask Ziva. She's the one who pulled him out."
Abby turned to Ziva, expectantly.
Ziva considered it. "Well, he was teasing me. He said I should give him mouth-to-mouth."
Abby smiled.
"And then I had to threaten him with bodily harm in order to get him to cooperate with the paramedics."
McGee smirked and Abby laughed out loud.
"So, he'll really be ok?"
"Tony will be just fine." This time, at least. Ziva added in her mind. She only hoped he would stay that way.
...
Chapter 8