Title: A Long Way Home (an NCIS fan-fiction)

Author: LizzieInk

A/N: Please check out my profile page for more NCIS stories. Once this fan-fiction is complete, I am going to write a follow-up, so stay tuned!

Disclaimer: These characters do not belong to me, I am merely borrowing them for the duration of this story.

PROLOGUE

Tony reached across the car and took Ziva's hand, tenderly interlacing his fingers between her own. Today had a been a long day. They had travelled all the way to Berlin on one of Ziva's hunches, hoping to find and apprehend Bodnar for the murder of Director David. Although the mission hadn't quite worked out the way that they had planned, it could still be classed as mildly successful.

Tony and Ziva had been unable to capture Bodnar, however they had managed to capture his brother instead. Perhaps they would be able to get some helpful Intel from him concerning his brothers whereabouts. So in this sense, the trip hadn't turned out to be a total let down.

In fact the trip hadn't really been much of a let down at all.

Ziva looked at Tony and smiled as he held her hand lovingly in his own. Ziva had spent so long feeling nothing but upset and angry at her fathers murder, that it was nice to get away from it all for a while. Even though the trip to Berlin had been to apprehend Bodnar, for the first time in a long time Ziva was actually starting to find comfort from the memories that she had of her father. The trip, although a trying one, had allowed her to open her mind to a lot of things that she had been missing. Not only in concerns to her father but also in regards to Tony too.

Ever since her fathers death, Tony had been there for Ziva no matter what. It seemed that Tony had always known what she had needed, even before she knew it herself. There had been so many times that she had felt herself coming apart at the seams, only to turn around and find that Tony was there to put her back together again. He had gone from being her partner, to being her friend and her rock, and more recently he had started to become something much more. He had chased away her nightmares, had hugged her before her father's funeral telling her just what she needed to hear, and then in Berlin…

In Berlin, they had danced together…. It was only a dance… and yet… at the same time it had meant so much more to her than she could ever say.

Wanting to tell Tony how much his actions had meant to her since her fathers death, Ziva looked at him, and while gently squeezing his hand, she began to speak. But no sooner had she spoken his name than an SUV launched itself into the side of their car with deadly force and accuracy. Ziva's side took the brunt of the hit.

The glass in her window shattered instantly, spraying them both with shards of glass, while a tremendous sound of metal grating on metal echoed around them.

Tony cried out Ziva's name, and did his best to pull her against him as the car began to spin out of control.

When their vehicle finally came to a stand still, Tony tried to reach out and once again take Ziva's hand. However, the effort proved to be too much for him, as all he was able to do was take one last look at Ziva… before his vision turned black.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Authors Note: I included this 'prologue' chapter to set the scene for the following chapters. Now that you are all up to speed with the finale of the Berlin episode, please read on and enjoy! The following chapters follow my own storyline, and basically see the Bodnar case through to its end. In my opinion this is how this story arc should have happened. I hope you like it! ;)