Hello Readers!

Well this is the end chapter. I am really happy with this story and all the feedback from it! Please let me know how I did and what I can do better for my next stories, especially for the sequel. Review if you would like to share any ideas for that. I am not sure when I will get it up but keep a look out for it. It will be much more intense and have TIVA!

Thanks for everything guys!

~goaliegirlhrc98 :D

Disclaimer: I sadly own nothing but the ideas (which rock :P)

Ziva was reliving getting shot in her sleep. She woke with a start and jumped into a sitting position. She couldn't breathe and she was in so much pain that she couldn't move.

Tony was luckily right there and he jumped up just as fast as she did. "It's alright, Ziva. I'm here just relax." He rubbed her back and she calmed down.

Once she got her breathing back to normal, she tried to lie back down but the pain from just a little movement caused her to groan. "Damn it," she said under her breath.

"Here, let me help you." Tony said and guided her back down.

"Thanks." She said as she tried to get as comfortable as possible, without any more jolts of pain. That failed.

Tony noticed and said "I'm going to get the doctor so he can give you more pain meds."

Ziva's response was automatic like always, "Tony, I'm fi-"

"Don't give me that 'I'm fine' crap. You are definitely not fine. I will be right back." Tony was back in literally two minutes with the doctor close behind. He administered pain killers into Ziva's IV, then left the room.

"What time is it?" She asked looking at him.

"1400, you were out for about ten hours."

"When did Ducky leave?"

"I sent him home at 0700." Ziva nodded then looked out the window. "Do you want to talk about what happened?"

"Nope."

"That's it? Just 'nope'?" Tony said mockingly.

Ziva just shook her head, never looking away from the window. He knew she was fighting back a lot of emotions and bad memories, so he decided not to push her. "Okay, but when you decide you want to talk, I will always be here to listen."

Ziva looked over at him this time. A single tear shed her eye, which she quickly wiped away. "Thanks, Tony."

"Always."

Gibbs walked into Abby's lab with a fresh cup of coffee and emotionless mask. He had sent McGee down to help Abby after they got back from Ziva's apartment. They came up empty, putting Gibbs in an even worse mood, if at all possible. All they had there was a lot of blood, Ziva's blood. That was a thought he was trying to keep out of his head.

"What do you got?" Both Abby and McGee greeted him in entrance.

"Abby and I contacted the CIA with all the evidence we have. We asked if they could give us any alias Cruz may have but all they said was 'it's classified'." McGee answered and Abby continued.

"We knew we would have no idea what alias he would use." She turned and motioned them to follow her to the computer. "So, we checked surveillance at both Dulles and Reagan and we found this one man with the approximate height and weight of Cruz who shielded his face from the camera. He made a mistake here though." She stopped the video and blew up his face on the screen.

"Sloppy for a CIA operative," Gibbs said. "When was this?"

"2030, about one hour after he shot Ziva in her apartment. We followed the cameras and here he is: getting on a plane to Spain an hour after that. We checked for layovers and there was one for six hours in New York." Abby replied.

"Any chance they are still in the air?"

"We checked. It landed an hour ago." McGee paused then continued with a sigh. "He's gone, Boss."

Gibbs walked out of the lab.

"Gibbs, where are you going?" Abby called out.

"To fill DiNozzo in."

One Week Later…

"Ziva, are you sure you are ready to leave?" Tony asked as she packed her bags. He was leading against the wall with his arms folded across his chest.

"I have been here for a week, the doctor has cleared me, so yes I am leaving." Ziva replied looking up with a glare.

"I asked if you were ready, not if you were going to leave."

"I am fine, Tony. I cannot stay here any longer."

"And Gibbs is going to let you stay alone?"

"First of all, Cruz is not even in the country, and has not been for a week. Second, I can take care of myself."

"But Cruz can just as easily come back," Gibbs said walking into the room. "You are going to stay with either me or Tony." He knew it was too soon to send Ziva back to her place, with everything that happened there.

"Bu-"

"No buts," Gibbs cut her off. "The doctor said you needed to have someone with you because your lungs are still healing. In case you're breathing stops. So, it's me or Tony, pick."

"Uh, as much fun as drinking bourbon in your basement sounds, it is not my choice of drink. I guess I'll stay with you, Tony, if that is alright." Tony smirked at her reference to their boss.

"Of course it is." He said immediately.

Ziva was glad that she would have someone there for her after everything she went through. She would never admit it, but she was a little nervous about what would happen when Ray came back. She knows her father and he is probably not happy that an assignment failed.

She zipped up her bag after she finished speaking and Tony asked "Ready to go?"

"Yep," she said. She went to throw her bag over her shoulder, but it was too quick of a movement. A wave of pain washed over her, and a gasp escaped her lips. She used one hand to steady herself on the bed and the other was holding where she was shot.

Tony and Gibbs were watching her the whole time and they immediately were at her side. "You alright, Ziver?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I just, uh, moved too quickly."

"Here, let me take that." Tony said as he grabbed her bag from behind her.

"Thanks," Ziva said as she walked out of the door. She felt completely weak and helpless, but she kept her head held high.

Ziva and Tony arrived at his place about half an hour after they left. He quickly got out of the car and went to the other side to help her out. He reached one hand out for her to grab, and the put other around her waist to guide her.

"Thanks," she said.

He grabbed her bag and led them up to his apartment. When he got there he unlocked the door and walked into his room to out her stuff down. Ziva walked over to his window, which had a great view of the city, and looked outside.

"Hey, so, I'm going to set up my bed for you and I am going to sleep on the couch. Is there anything you need?" He didn't get a response, so he walked back into the living room to see her lost in thought. "Ziva?" he asked.

"What?" she looked over her shoulder, a little shocked at the sound of her name.

"I just asked if you needed anything." Tony said walking to stand behind her.

"Oh, sorry. No, I am fine." She looked back out the window.

Tony put his hand on her arm and she looked down at his touch. "Ziva, you should talk about this. You just can't keep it bottled up."

Ziva turned to face him and stopped breathing. She started gasping for air and tears filled her eyes. She had her hand on her chest as she dropped to her knees.

Tony squatted right in front of her and immediately started to help her. "It's alright Ziva, just relax. Follow my words: breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out…" Tony put one hand on hers (the one that wasn't bracing her chest) and the other was rubbing her back to try and calm her down. It worked and her breathing went back to normal.

"You okay?" She shook her head and tears started to fall from her face.

"Why do things like this always happen? I mean my father ordering my so-called boyfriend to kill me, after ordering him to use me for information? What the hell?"

"I don't know Zi, it's not fair." He said still rubbing her back and holding her hand.

"I cannot even trust anyone because every time I do, they always end up using me. I thought Ray was different and I cannot believe I was stupid enough to let him fool me. Twice."

"Hey, look at me." She looked up and tears were streaming uncontrollably down her face. "You are by no means stupid. Everything they did was their fault."

"Yeah but I let him trick me more than once. You know that saying: you fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice," she paused and took a breath, "shame on me."

"You can't blame yourself."

"I am tired of all of this." She was sobbing by this point and Tony pulled her into his arms. She buried her head into his chest as he wept.

"One thing you can always count on is that will always be able to count on team and me. We will be here for you, forever. Got that?" She nodded her head against his chest. "Good."

Once she stopped crying, Tony used one finger to lift her chin. Then he wiped off the tears from her face with his thumb and pushed her hair out of her face. "You know, Ducky said that your lungs will be even worse than mine after they heal, copycat."

This caused Ziva to laugh a short, yet genuine laugh. She moved to stand up and Tony helped her.

"Thank you, Tony." She placed a soft kiss on his cheek. "For everything."