Disclaimer: I don't own anything NCIS and I make no money from any of this. But I have truly enjoyed playing with my favorite TV Show characters. I hope you appreciate they are returned all nice and shiny and clean, and relatively unharmed.

Thanks to everyone for reviewing, I have tried to reply personally to each of you at least once. If I missed any of you, please let me know and I'll make sure I send you a note. And thank you to each of you who alerted the story, or alerted me as author, and especially to all who marked it as a favorite. I'm also excited about the amount of traffic this story has gotten – overwhelmed even.

Here is a shout out to all who reviewed, in no particular order (again, if I missed you, I apologize. Let me know, and I'll correct my mistake):

NazChick, DS 2021, boodebbie, ShortSarcasm, NCIS Connection, 7Seven7, MTG, Robern, Xena 101, misspalmer, Aunt Jo, Sparkiebunny, NCIStivaLOVE, Hezwel01, DarkRose2006, Megth, ForeignMusicLyrics, Chantell 11, Pia, mprmusings, iloveNCIStiva, mikiss, Anna, Jazz248, Project 0, DiNo22, earenemith, AirStriker, Ncisfan with Tivafever, aquasm and Leiah.

When I started this story, I really had no idea if I could finish it, or where it would end up. I am pleased I was able to conclude it and post the last chapter today, since next week will be way too busy. My next project is returning to college to get my degree, with classes starting on Monday, so I don't know when I'll have time to write another. But I do have an idea for a one shot floating around in my head, so maybe I can get that on paper sometime between classes. And thank you one more time, for all your concern for my husband. I'll try to update his condition when I post the one shot, which will be called "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep."

This chapter has some Tiva fluff, as requested by several and more Tony angst, as requested by many, and hopefully will be enjoyed by all. Any medical errors are all mine, I simply write what I like, while trying not to get too far fetched.

Again, thank you all for reading; you make an author's heart pound with pride. Now, I hope you enjoy the final chapter of "Unlove."

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"Unlove"

Chapter Twelve

"I'll Never Unlove You"

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Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo remembered little of the next several days. He felt himself float in and out of awareness and his mind was plagued with terrible dreams and nightmares, where he was running, trying to rescue people, women he didn't know, or Ziva. Once he was even trying to reach Gibbs, but each time, he would be stopped by agonizing pain.

Finally, after struggling in one particularly vicious dream, his eyes fought to open, and he shouted "No!" The sound of his own terrified voice brought him toward wakefulness.

Immediately he felt a hand in his, and fingers on his forehead, testing for fever. A quiet voice, belonging to someone he knew was gently calling his name. "Tony. Tony, listen now. Can you hear me? It's all right. You're safe, I'm safe. It's all right now. Wake up, please wake up." It was the despair in the voice he heard that finally forced his eyes open. Blinking against the light he tried to bring her face into focus. "Ziva?"

A huge sigh escaped her lips. "Yes, Tony. It is Ziva. Now hold still. I need to call for the doctor."

Tony's confusion grew. He could remember just bits and pieces of the recent past, flashes of blinding pain and frantic voices all around him. "What happened? Where am I?" Even in his confusion, Tony grimaced when he heard those words coming from his mouth. Talk about a bad movie line. But he was rewarded when Ziva's lovely face came back into view.

"You're in the hospital, Tony. You've been here almost a week. What do you remember happening last?" Ziva knew better than to try to keep information from him. She had been badly injured before, and she knew the confusion could be the most terrifying part of the recovery process. She was determined to spare Tony from as much of that as possible.

Tony's mouth opened and closed and then he coughed, a deep, wracking cough that left him weak and disoriented again. "Water?" he croaked out. Ziva let him sip just a tiny bit from a glass with a straw, which she held for him. "No more until the Doctor gets here. Do you remember anything?"

Tony closed his eyes, trying to hold back another cough. As he fought it down, more memories surfaced. Suddenly, he remembered. "Cari! Is she ok, where is she? Did she…?" And again the wracking coughs kept him from continuing. Ziva helped him lean forward, gently rubbing his back, waiting for the coughing fit to subside a little. "Shhh, don't talk. I promise, I'll tell you everything. And Cari is fine."

Just then the door opened, and Dr. Brad Pitt walked in, followed closely by Gibbs. "He's awake, then?" Pitt asked, checking Tony's vitals. "Hey there, DiNozzo, how's it hanging?" He grinned into Tony's confused eyes. Though Dr. Pitt was still very concerned for Tony's condition, he knew teasing the agent was the best way to reassure him.

Tony managed to swallow his retort, especially when it started out as another choking cough. "Just peachy, doc, can't you tell?" His raspy voice sounded like music to Gibb's ears.

"All right, then Tony. Lay back, let me take a look." And Dr. Pitt became all business, giving him a thorough exam. Ziva did not let go of his hand the entire time, simply shifting out of the way as necessary. Finally, Pitt sighed, running his hand through his hair. "Well, DiNozzo, you gave us quite a scare this time. But I think you're going to make it." Holding his hand up, he forestalled the questions he knew were forming in Tony's head. "Nope, no questions, not right now. This lovely young lady can fill you in on all the details, after you've had a little nap." And before Tony could voice his protest, the doctor added something to his IV. Tony's eyes closed of their own volition, and as he finally sank into a peaceful sleep, he heard Pitt's voice. "Nighty-night, now."

As soon as Tony had drifted to sleep, Dr. Pitt turned toward the two people in the room, who had been there almost continuously since Tony had been brought in over a week before.

"I think he'll be fine. He's got a long road ahead, but now that the infection seems to be receding, we can get the pneumonia knocked down. And once that's cleared up, he can have the surgery he needs to repair the damage to his shoulder." Shaking his head, Dr. Pitt watching the sleeping man a moment longer. "I really thought we were going to lose him this time."

On hearing that Tony would be fine, Ziva's legs seemed to give out. She had been the very pillar of strength, ever since that terrible night in the cabin, as she and Gibbs had fought to save his life, waiting for rescue to arrive. Cari's arrival and help had been invaluable; she had heard the commotion and the gunshots, and gathering her courage, had run to the cabin, determined to help.

Ziva knew she would be forever grateful to the young woman, who had bounced back from her ordeal by announcing her intention to pursue a career in forensics. She and Abby had hit it off, and though Cari had no desire to ever go through such an experience again, the whole thing had peaked her interest. She now knew she wanted to be in law enforcement, but safely behind a computer screen.

Ziva found her way to the chair Gibbs helpfully pulled out and pushed her into. "It's all right Ziva, you heard the doc. He's going to be fine." Gibbs wouldn't admit out loud to the relief those words had given him. He also had been terrified that this time, Tony's luck had run out. He yanked the other chair in the room around and sank into it. He thought back to the frenzied time in the cabin, when Tony's life had hung in the balance.

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After he had confirmed Hannah was dead, hating to leave, but knowing Tony's survival depended on immediate medical care; Gibbs had sprinted into the woods, running until his cell phone had finally shown it had reception. Punching in Tim's number, he had shouted instructions, demanding they get there, now! Running back to the cabin, waiting to see if his agent was still alive, had felt like the longest few minutes of his life.

When Gibbs had returned, he'd found both Ziva and Cari working on his Senior Agent. Cari had taken charge; and between them they had pulled Tony into a sitting position, trying to ease his labored breathing. Ziva was sitting against the wall, her legs on either side of the injured man, bracing him, his head lolled back against her shoulder.

Cari looked up as Gibbs burst into the room. "Gibbs," she had ordered him without even thinking about it. "Find some cloth and get it wet, and bring it here. I need to pack this wound, we have to get the bleeding stopped and we can't wait for help." She was on her knees, with both hands pressed firmly onto Tony's heavily bleeding shoulder. But as hard as she tried, she had been unable to do more than barely slow the flow of blood.

Gibbs looked around for inspiration, then yanked his jacket off and pulled his shirt over his head. Quickly ripping it into several lengths, he got them wet at the same sink Hannah had used to get his last drink of water. Wringing them out tightly he hurried to Cari's side, carefully folding the strips of cloth over until they were small enough to make the kind of pads she needed. Not evening bothering to thank him, Cari quickly placed 3 of the pads, one on top of the other, on the gaping wound, and pressed firmly until they settled inside the wound.

Ziva's mouth pressed into a hard line, as Tony moaned in pain at the added pressure on his shoulder. She knew Cari had to do it, but she hated the fact they were obviously causing him more pain, even though he didn't fully regain consciousness. Cari ignored his sounds of distress, instead holding her hand out to Gibbs without looking at him. "Let me have two more, unfolded." Gibbs quickly handed her what she wanted, then helped ease Tony forward slightly, steadying the man who was too weak to stay upright on his own.

Cari quickly wound the strips around his shoulder, tying them tightly over the packed wound. "Do you have any more?" she asked Gibbs, pausing for a moment to wipe the sweat off her forehead, not realizing she left a streak of bright red blood on her skin as she did so. Gibbs handed her another pad, which she opened up, refolding it until it was twice as large as the previous pads. Putting it over the bandage she'd already placed, she applied pressure again, nodding for the others to lay him back.

After that, she and Gibbs took turns applying pressure, trying to stanch the blood loss. Though it slowed somewhat, they were unable to get it stopped completely. Gibbs wasn't sure who was more relieved out of three of them when first Timothy McGee, then Vance called out a warning before entering the cabin. Ducky and Palmer were right behind them, and Ducky quickly took over.

Cari hovered nearby, reluctant to turn the care of the man she had come to consider a hero over to anyone, but Gibbs quietly reassured her that Tony was in the best possible hands. Once he got her settled, he looked at Ducky and wordless communication passed between the two men. Ducky's eyes looked worried and he shook his head ever so slightly. He just didn't know what young Anthony's chances were. "Mr. Palmer," he glanced at the man Tony referred to as the "Autopsy Gremlin, nodding at the supplies. "We need to start an IV immediately. Ringers Lactate for now, if you please."

As Ducky and Palmer worked over the fallen agent, Gibbs took charge outside. A hurried conference with Director Vance and Agent McGee soon had things in order. With Vance leading the way, they left to set things in motion that would round up the rest of the "Torture Club." After all Tony had gone through to stop them, none of the team had any intention of letting anyone get away.

Ziva remained right where she was; wanting to be near Tony, holding him as closely as she could. Though she knew he was strong, she had seen other men wounded less severely who had died before they could get them to a hospital. Leaning forward slightly, she smoothed Tony's hair back from his forehead, noting with alarm that he was already beginning to radiate heat. "You are going to be fine, DiNozzo, do you hear me? We, you and I, we are not yet finished with things." Her murmured words could not be heard by anyone, except possibly Ducky, who chose to ignore them. "I need you to wake up, Tony," Ziva continued. "I need to tell you that I love you." Her soft words provided a backdrop to the frenetic activity going on all around her.

When Gibbs had returned to the now crowded room, he saw Tony lying prone on the ground, his head resting on Ziva's lap. Ducky was leaning over him, stethoscope in hand, listening intently to his chest. "Duck?" Gibbs's voice inflection caught the M.E's attention. Looking up, he shook his head again. "I don't know Jethro. He is critical, and his lungs don't sound good at all. It's going to be touch and go for awhile."

Tony chose that moment to suddenly open his eyes. Though he seemed aware of his surroundings, he kept his mouth tightly closed. At first Ziva thought he was in a haze, maybe unsure of where he was or what was happening. Bending closer, she whispered his name, trying to get a response. Tony's eyes shifted, and he looked at Ziva. At her continued prompting, he finally opened his mouth slightly, but before he could say whatever he had wanted to, an agonized groan escaped, and he clamped his lips closed again, clenching his teeth tightly. But his eyes never left her face and he seemed to be trying to communicate. And then she understood.

Tony was all too aware of where he was. But the pain was so bad; he couldn't open his mouth without crying out in pain. Ziva could not stop a few tears from pooling in her eyes. "It's ok, Tony. You don't have to say anything. I know. I love you too." Tony seemed to relax, just a little, and incredibly he lifted his right hand, reaching toward her. As she bent a little closer, he carefully swiped a tear from the corner of her eye, then his hand flopped back to the floor and his eyes slid closed again.

Things had gone quickly after that; Tony was carefully wrapped in blankets and carried out on a stretcher. There were more than enough volunteers to carry him, but Gibbs refused to relinquish his hold on one of the stretcher grips, remaining right next to Tony's head the entire way. Ziva had walked along side, holding his hand, and they had finally arrived at the road, where he was quickly loaded into the waiting ambulance for transfer to the hospital.

Gibbs had ridden in the ambulance with Tony, refusing to let Ziva come with them, tasking her instead with getting Cari to safety. He'd exchanged glances with Leon Vance, who had nodded ever so slightly, and Gibbs knew he'd see that Ziva arrived safely and as quickly as possible.

Gibbs hated to deny her, but he'd been so afraid Tony wouldn't make it, and he hadn't wanted Ziva to have to see that. His own heart had seemed to stop beating when Tony had coded—twice—on the ride in. He'd barely been revived by the time the ambulance had arrived at the emergency room doors, and Tony had been taken away to immediate surgery.

Then the long, agonized hours of waiting for word had ensued. As each team member had arrived, Gibbs had greeted them with a shake of his head. Ducky and Palmer had followed the ambulance in, and the worried doctor had gone immediately to get an update, but even he wasn't able to learn much. Tim had arrived next, having handed his duties off to another team, and bringing a tearful Abby with him.

It had been hardest when Ziva had come in, driven there by Director Vance himself. She had paced endlessly up and down, wavering between fury and fear, as the hours went on. Finally, an OR doctor had come out, and the report had been as grim as they'd feared. Though Tony had survived the emergency surgery, he was on a ventilator and truthfully, they didn't expect him to live through the next 24 hours.

Ziva and Gibbs had coerced the medical staff into letting at least one of them stay with him, even in ICU. As Dr. Pitt had stated, it did little good to try and keep them out, since they would simply disregard orders and stay with him anyway. As long as they were gowned up against the added dangers of infection, they were allowed in.

Three days later, Tony's left lung had collapsed and he'd been rushed back to emergency surgery. Pneumonia was the result and his fever had spiked again. They could tell he was in pain and reliving much of his ordeal, by his fevered mutterings and pitiful cries. Though the doctors kept him sedated as much as possible, the fever went high enough that he still suffered. And every time he cried out, Ziva suffered with him. She still didn't know if she was going to get the chance to tell him how much she had come to love him, beyond the hurried whisperings in the cabin.

In the long hours of waiting, she had worked up the courage to tell Gibbs that she and Tony had been dating. She had not really been surprised when Gibbs had snorted softly and said, "Tell me something I don't know." When she pressed him, asking him if he intended to forbid their relationship, Gibbs asked her point blank, "Would it do any good if I did?" She had smiled for the first time and quietly said, "No."

After that, the silence between them as they waited had not been so strained. And finally, now, after 4 more long days of waiting, when Ziva had been unsure if she could take much more, she could relax. As Tony slept, peacefully for the first time in days, she felt her own eyes sliding shut against her will. Her last conscious act was to protest slightly as Gibbs directed her head down on his shoulder. "Shh, sleep now, Ziva. He'll be here when you wake up."

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Three weeks later, a very exuberant Tony DiNozzo was sitting on the side of his bed, waiting for Ziva to get back with his clothes. Finally, he was going home. For once, after being injured, he wasn't going to Gibb's house to recuperate. That felt a little strange. But as he pondered the reason why he was going to his own apartment, he couldn't stop a smile from dancing across his face.

Ziva. She had finally told him exactly how much she had come to love him. Tony felt that everything he'd been through was worth it, just to hear her say the words. And now, she was coming to stay with him while he finished recuperating. The surgery to repair the extensive damage to his shoulder had gone well, but he had weeks of therapy before he would be back to full speed. He still needed help with the most absurdly small things, like buttoning his shirt, or fastening his belt. He was not happy with how weak he was, unable to even walk for more than a few minutes before he needed to rest. And he wasn't going to be allowed to drive any time soon.

Nevertheless, Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo was a very happy man. Ziva loved him. And he loved her. And wonder of wonders, Gibbs knew about it and apparently wasn't going to kill either one of them. He'd made that clear one night when Tony had been unable to sleep after a particularly harrowing therapy workout. Gibbs had showed up, somewhere around 3:00 a.m.

"Still awake DiNozzo?" he snapped. "I need you rested up so you can get back to work. Things are piling up on your desk." Gibbs knew the younger man needed to feel missed.

Tony had shifted, trying to get comfortable, but not wanting to ask for any more pain meds. He was tired of feeling groggy and disoriented all the time.

Gibbs, however, had no such compunction. Pressing the button to call the nurse, he had cheerfully ignored Tony's protests. As soon as the nurse gave him the shot, he had waited for the restlessness to subside, had leaned over and whispered. "Mind your doctors, now, DiNozzo, and get well. Ziva is driving me crazy. You need to get home and take care of her."

Tony might have thought he'd imagined it, except that the next day, Ziva had informed him she was moving in with him, to help him recover. When Tony had spluttered a protest, looking up at Gibbs who was leaning nonchalantly against the wall, arms folded across his chest, trying to look stern, she had waved her hand in his direction. "Just ignore him Tony. He already knows all about us. It is fine. I fixed it for us." Gibbs had shaken his head, and the left the room, unable to contain the grin at the bewilderment on Tony's features. "That one may be just a bit more than you bargained, for DiNozzo. This could be fun, after all."

Tony's thoughts chased themselves all through his active brain, as he waited for Ziva. Though he wasn't due to be discharged for a couple more hours, he wanted to be ready. Finally she came in, and dumped his sweat pants, along with a casual shirt on his lap. "Think you can dress yourself, Tony, or do you need my help?" She brushed her lips across his, and murmured, "After all, you need to be careful and not damage anything I might want to play with later."

Tony might not be 100%, but he knew exactly how to react to that. Laughing, he pulled the surprised but happy woman fully into his arms. "I'll show you just how undamaged I am, Miss David. Never fear. You'd better be careful, I might scare you. Maybe you'll 'unlove' me, after I show you exactly how good I'm feeling."

And Tony covered her mouth with his own, deepening the kiss, and eliciting a little moan from her. As they broke apart for a moment, breathless, she whispered against his lips, "No Tony, you taught me that much. I don't think either one of us could ever 'unlove' now."

And breaking off kiss off for good, she stood up, and pointed him toward the bathroom. "Now, get dressed. I have to get you home. There's a party tonight you know, and everyone will be there."

At Tony's groan, she covered her smile. "Don't worry though; I won't let them stay too long. I want you all to myself."

At that, Tony hurried, and when he came out, he sat down in the chair, pulling Ziva over to sit astride his lap. "All right, and then you can tuck me into bed, how does that sound?"

"It sounds heavenly, Agent DiNozzo; it sounds heavenly."

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The End (or is it the beginning?)

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Thank you all so much for reading. Your support for this story has amazed me. Take care, until next time. Caro