Title: Someone Else's
Fandom: NCIS
Author: Alidiabin
Words: 1,111
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Warnings/Spoilers/Rating: Spoilers up to 8x24 | Teen|
Parings: Ziva/Ray, Tony/Ziva friendship
Summary: Ray realises, Ziva isn't his.

Someone Else's

Ray Cruz watched as the men in Ziva's team surrounded her after they had found her in the stable. Gibbs walked toward her first, with obvious concern for his surrogate daughter. McGee stood back but had a relieved look on his face. Tony stood back but he had a more concerned look on his face. She looked exhausted her eyes were bulging and glassy. When Gibbs touched her forehead to check it, she grimaced in obvious pain. All Ray wanted to do was hold her close. She was his girlfriend. He wanted to hold her close and not let anyone else touch her.

"I am fine," she said as Gibbs led her outside. "We should be going after Cobb."

"Make sure you at least see Ducky when we get back," Gibbs commanded.

"I will," Ziva said as Gibbs walked to one car and DiNozzo to the other.

Ziva rushed off following Tony without thinking. Ray followed Ziva not wanting to be apart from her, even though Ziva had not yet acknowledged him with more than a forced smile.

Tony leaned on the bonnet of the blue dodge charger, holding a bottle of water and aspirin. He offered it out silently. Ray mentally slapped himself, he should have thought about that. Tony had managed to do it even though he was worried about EJ his own sort of girlfriend.

"Thank you," Ziva uttered softly, popping the pills before taking a long gulp of water Ray finally caught up with her; he slid his hand into hers. He felt her heart race, almost in fear. She let go of the hand. She turned to face him. Her mouth opened and tried to form words but nothing came out.

"You ok?" Ray asked. The minute the words fell from his mouth, he continued his mental self-harm, and mentally kicked himself for asking a silly question.

"I have been better," Ziva replied coldly. "We need to catch him," she spoke with desperation in her voice.

"Your chariot awaits milady," Tony said opening the passenger door. "And we will, when has Gibbs ever let us down?"

Ray slid his hand back into her hand, she held on loosely. He walked toward the backseat. Ziva followed. Ray tried to get into the car without stopping holding Ziva's hand. He did not succeed. Ziva got into the seat behind the vacant passenger seat. Tony looked at her, with concern still etched on his face. Ray did not understand, Ziva was safe, why was he still concerned.

The three of them stewed in almost silence, polluted only be the air conditioning and the noise from the engine. Ray held onto to Ziva's hand, much too tight for her own liking. She tried to wriggle out of it, but Ray held on. He wasn't letting her go. She felt trapped. The air in the car was suffocating her. Her head spun. Salim's voice echoed in her head. She opened the window, hoping to get some Spring breeze.

"The air con is on," Ray said. "Opening the window as well will make it less fuel efficient," Ziva again tried to get out of his grip but he held on he was not going to let her go.

"It's ok," Tony said. He looked through the rear-view mirror at Ziva. Ziva stuck her head out; the cool air was what she needed. The desert never had such cool breezes.

The stable had been hot and almost airless; the sand coloured hay had reminded her of desert sand. Being tied up and vulnerable had scared her, she was at Cobb's mercy. Cobb standing over had merged into Salim. Even Ray's vice like grip was making memories resurface.

The awkwardness in the car stewed. Tony kept looking back at Ziva, and Ray's hand in Ziva's. He knew what was happening to Ziva, memories were coming back, awful memories. Things no person should have to live through. Though Cobb had only kidnapped her, for Ziva certain things had a trigger. That was why Abby, had an air freshener in her lab, as vain attempt to hide the strong smell of caf-pow! He watched her, she was leaning out of the window, he could see she was in another place. Thoughts and memories were consuming her.

"Are you guys' hungry?" Tony asked. Neither of them responded. So Tony continued with his monologue, "If I were you I'd say now, because I am not sharing my food with you."

Ziva blinked a few times, Tony's monologue had broken her thoughts.

"I need to use the restroom," Ziva finally said.

XXX

The minute they pulled up to the gas station, Ziva rushed up out of the seat. Ray tried to write it off as her being desperate for the rest room; she had been without one for nearly a full day. Ziva paused once she was out of the car, lingering by the window.

"Everything okay?" Tony asked as he sat in the front seat and considered filling up the charger because the fuel gage was pretty close to empty.

"I am unarmed," Ziva whispered.

"It's just a service station," Ray said, he began to wonder why Ziva would need a weapon. She could harm someone with her bare hands if one of the local hicks tried something.

Tony got back into the car, he handed Ziva a gun and a knife. He understood that Ziva was feeling vulnerable, and the gun was like giving and upset child a blanket as comfort.

"Rule number eight," he said looking at the knife.

Ziva nodded. She took a deep breath and walked toward the gas station.

Tony did not speak to Ray, as he filled up the car. Ray nodded, there was no point trying to follow Ziva, she needed to be alone.

"Do you want anything?" Tony asked as he put the nozzle in the holder.

"No," Ray said. Tony walked toward the service station.

It seemed like they had been gone ages when they finally returned. It also looked like they had brought everything edible from the store. Ziva had a bottle of fruit juice and a candy bar, Tony had a packet of chips and some soda. Ray leant over to open the back passenger door, but Ziva slid into the front passenger seat. Tony made a joke that Ray couldn't quite hear and Ziva let a smile cross her face.

Ray did not question why. He tried not to over analyse it. He even made excuses. The front had a cup holder, he told himself. So much for not letting her go, he thought.

Maybe, that ring his mother had given him wasn't such a good idea.