Work Text:
The pouring rain was blurring her vision, the cold wind making it feel like ice on her skin. If she had to be out here much longer she would get hypothermia. For the third time in fifteen minutes she pulled up the collar of her soaked through coat, realizing it was nothing more than a futile attempt at getting warmer, drier.
Should have listened to Tony and his app, she thought absentmindedly wiping sticky strands of hair from her face. The app was usually wrong, but it figured that the one time it was correct, she would be out in a rainstorm without a waterproof jacket. Or an umbrella. Or even a plastic bag for all she cared.
For a brief moment she longingly looked at the thin emergency blanket she was standing on with one foot, then wrinkled her nose remembering the body, and possible evidence, it was protecting from the weather.
As shivers ran down her body and her teeth began to chatter, she wondered if staying with the evidence had been the smartest idea. She hadn't found enough in the field to safely secure the blanket from the strong winds and rain; two heavy rocks kept one side mostly flat on the ground, the other side was secured with her backpack and one of her feet.
The faint sound of a siren drew her attention. She tilted her head, turning this way and that, but struggled to confirm it wasn't simply her mind playing tricks on her amidst the howling wind. Checking her watch she realized she would have to admit defeat soon, the car was a good half hour jog from where she was, and the wet clothes, strong winds and heavy rain would slow her down a lot.
The wind turned once more, and as she wiped more hair from her face, the sound of a siren was now undeniable. Shielding her eyes from the rain with her hands she could faintly make out blue and red lights approaching against the ever darkening sky.
Her laughter sounded manic to her ears, but there was no else to hear it.
The Dodge Charger skidded to a stop in the muddy field, her three teammates piling out instantly and rushing towards her. Ducky's van came to a halt on the gravel road further away.
"Why didn't you go back to the car?" Gibbs asked her angrily.
"We would have lost evidence."
Tony looked at her, anger etched on his face. "Rather loose evidence than an agent."
Ziva was about to argue, but Gibbs cut her off gruffly.
"Inside the car, now!" A small nod at Tony had him following her closely.
As she got into the backseat wordlessly, he rummaged around inside the trunk before joining her.
She shrugged out of her coat, dumping the wet pile at her feet. Tony sat down next to her, holding a woolen blanket and a thermos. He poured some coffee in the thermos' cup, held it out for her, and curtly said, "Drink."
It was hard to see through the windshield, but it was obvious the rest of the team was struggling to put up a cover over the body. "We should help," she said absentmindedly through chattering teeth.
"Agent David!"
She turned to Tony and frowned, confused at his outburst.
"Drink this, and get out of those wet clothes, unless they're wool."
He pulled up the hood of his raincoat, got out of the backseat and into the driver's seat in two seconds flat. He started the engine, and ramped up the heat. Before getting out of the car again, he said, "I'll check the van for towels or something."
Ziva blinked rapidly, then drank the cup of coffee, and stripped. Wrapping herself in the wool blanket, she could already feel the warmth from the coffee and the warm shelter from the car take effect. Glancing through the rear window, she noticed Tony was on his way back, clearly covering something from the rain inside his coat.
A chill ran through her body as he opened the backdoor, letting himself and a gust of wind inside the warmth of the car.
Tony roughly pulled down the hood of his jacket, then opened the zipper to remove a perfectly dry towel and tracksuit.
Ziva gazed at him a moment, trying to read his mood after his previous outburst, then thanked him and started drying her hair with the towel.
He tried to wipe the rain off of his face with his wet hands, and in a concerned voice said, "What were you thinking standing out there with no cover?"
She pointed out the windshield. "That's most likely his fourth victim, what if this is the one that breaks the case?"
He slammed the headrest in front of him unexpectedly, looked at her angrily, and yelled, “Did you want to be his fifth?”. Scrubbing a hand over his face, he regained his composure and asked, “Why were you even here all by yourself?”
His anger had pumped adrenaline through her veins, heating her body more than the coffee ever could, and she testily said, “I was following a lead.”
He clenched his jaw, and briefly closed his eyes. “Ziva,” he said tiredly, “we’ve been through this, you should have waited for backup.”
“We would have lost evidence!”
“We lose evidence to circumstances beyond our control all the time!”
“Tell that to his next victim.”
She could see the anger leave his eyes right before he looked away, and glanced out the window.
Shaking his head slightly, he swallowed thickly. “Do you have any idea how much losing you would…set us back?”
When he met her eyes once more, all she could see was fear and desperation. “I was trying to do the right thing,” she said dejectedly.
As he grimaced and rubbed a hand through his hair, her chest tightened. It was never her intent to make him, or the rest team worry about her. Then again she hadn’t expected to be caught in a storm either.
“Look on the bright side,” she said, and bumped his knee with hers, “you were right.”
Tony frowned and tilted his head. “I always am,” he said lightheartedly, then looked at her suspiciously, “but enlighten me.”
“The storm.” She smiled softly, hoping to clear the air, but the way he grimaced only made her chest tighten again.
“Does that mean you’ll actually listen to me next time?”
She bit her bottom lip, and gave him a half smile. “Probably not.”
He scoffed and glanced away, and when he met her eyes again, the storm that had raged there had quieted down and been replaced with affection. “Yeah, I didn’t think so.”