Title: The Bullet's Kiss
Pairing: McGee/Ziva
Rating: T
Genre: Angst, Drama, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Suspense
Cat: Gen/Het
Spoilers: None.
Warnings: None.
Summary: Ziva is shot in the line of duty, and her recovery takes an odd turn, like something out of a fairy tale.
Author's Note: Written for the Once Upon an NCIS Challenge. The fairy tale this is based off will be evident by the end of the first chapter. Three chapters, already completed. :) Just realized I hadn't posted this here, for whatever reason, and figured I'd give people something to read, if they haven't already, since I haven't updated in awhile. Sorry! I'll make up for it. ;)

The gunshot echoed for what seemed like years, and McGee found his head filled with the loudest scream he could imagine as he watched her fall.

No. This wasn't happening. Not her. She wasn't supposed to get shot. She was . . .

He ran across the warehouse, his heart beating as loud as his feet slapping across the cement. He wasn't even thinking, he just needed to get to her. He needed to keep an eye out for the shooter, the man they had been tailing, to ensure he wouldn't be shot, as well, but he couldn't, not until he knew . . .

Another shot rang out and he ducked instinctively, rounding on the sound and holding his gun toward it. He saw a faint flicker of movement from behind a stack of lumber and started shooting at it, continuing to fire rounds until he heard a strangled cry and a soft thud as a body fell. He flipped the safety on his gun, hands shaking, and sprinted toward her, trying not to let the waves of panic coursing through him overtake his mind.

As he reached her, he fell to his knees and pressed his hands to the blood seeping from the hole in her chest, his breath catching in his throat as he felt tears prick in his eyes. He needed to be strong, he needed to get help here, he needed to save her.

"Come on, Ziva, you're tough, hang in there," he said, focusing on her face rather than the red slowly covering his fingers. Her eyes opened and he found himself gasping. "Ziva! Oh, thank God."

"Thank you, McGee," she murmured, her voice small and weak, and McGee's eyes widened in confusion.

"Thank you for what?" he asked, glancing at his hands and immediately regretting it as he saw the liquid coating them. He looked back to her face and found her with a ghost of a smile on it.

"For being such a good friend," she replied, and with that, her eyes shut again and McGee began panicking once more.

"What? No. No, you're not just going to die, Ziva." He pressed harder on the wound, hoping to keep her from losing more blood. When she didn't respond, he let out a soft sob, but attempted to compose himself when he heard sirens, followed by feet pounding across the warehouse to join them.

"McGee!" The shout forced him to look up briefly, but he couldn't tear his eyes from Ziva for long, and gazed down on her face, hoping she was playing a cruel joke on him and would soon open her eyes and stand up and the blood covering his hands would be a figment of his imagination.

"Hey, McGee." The voice was suddenly right next to him, and McGee glanced up to see Gibbs standing over him, blue eyes dark with concern. "You okay?"

McGee held his gaze for a moment, then focused on Ziva again, pressing with more force on her chest. He shook his head. "I gotta save her, Boss."

"Probie, the EMTs are here," Tony said from behind Gibbs, and McGee shook his head, refusing to let go of Ziva. "Let them do their jobs."

McGee couldn't even hold back the tears that trekked down his cheeks as Gibbs touched his arm and started to pull him to his feet. "I let her down, Boss. I let you down." He stared down at Ziva even as the EMTs took over and did their jobs and Gibbs attempted to lead him a few feet away, so he could clear his head of what had happened, even though Gibbs knew that wasn't going to happen anytime soon.

"Tim," Gibbs said, and McGee finally looked up at him, his eyes full of despair. "She'll be okay. You did good."

"I did good?" McGee spat in disbelief. He almost ran a hand through his hair, then looked down and saw that it was still covered in blood and choked on a sob. He instead gestured back to the EMTs working on Ziva. "Boss, Ziva got shot! She's . . . she's lying there bleeding, because I didn't have her back! I should've got him! I should've got him before he got her!"

Gibbs listened to his rant and then calmly asked, "You done?"

McGee started to nod, then took in Gibbs' words and reeled back with a disgusted look on his face. "What?" he asked, too shocked by the question to think about how he was responding, to Gibbs, of all people.

"I asked if you were done," Gibbs repeated, his voice still quiet. "We got a crime scene to take care of."

McGee looked at him for a moment, then peeked over Gibbs' shoulder to where the EMT's were attending to Ziva, closing his eyes against the image. He nodded. "Yeah. Yeah. I'll do it."

"Good," Gibbs said, knowing this couldn't be easy for his agent. "Go with DiNozzo to get washed up. I'll wait here for Ducky and Palmer."

McGee nodded again, though this time his expression was blank. Gibbs knew he was trying to separate himself from what had happened, make Ziva into just another victim, because if he didn't, he might fall apart. He watched as Tony guided McGee outside to get cleaned up, then turned back to the ambulance, letting out a deep breath at the sight of Ziva lying on a gurney, motionless.

She wouldn't die. After all she'd been through, this was not how she was going to go.

Once the scene was secured, Gibbs announced they were all going to the hospital. Tony grumbled something about how someone should have gone with Ziva in the ambulance, but his protests died on his lips with the withering look Gibbs gave him. They were on their way now, and Gibbs had kept in touch with the hospital staff, so they knew Ziva's status.

She was still unconscious, and they had taken her into surgery. Ducky was going to head over there after he and Palmer returned the body of the man McGee had shot to NCIS, and Abby would surely be going with him.

The car ride to the hospital was silent for Gibbs, Tony and McGee, the latter of the three sitting in the back seat, staring blankly out the windshield. It was so sunny. It didn't seem right. Ziva had been shot, she could die, but the sun just kept on shining . . .

"McGee." The quiet voice made McGee look up, and he found that the car had stopped and Gibbs was looking back at him. "You coming in?"

He looked out of the windshield again, realizing then that they had reached the hospital. He blinked and looked back at Gibbs, nodding, but not saying a word as he stepped out of the car.

As they walked through the hallway of the hospital, McGee felt like everyone was staring at him, judging him. It's all your fault, they were saying, sneering at him in disgust.You let her get shot. Her blood is on your hands.

The thought was ridiculous, completely irrational, and he knew the other people in the hospital didn't know them or why they were there, but he couldn't quell the feeling of guilt over what had happened.

They rounded the corner to the nurse's station, Gibbs taking the lead and asking the nurse sitting there about Ziva, while Tony and McGee hung back, Tony looking around for signs of Ducky and Abby.

"Tony!" they heard a few moments later, and Abby bounded into his arms before he had time to react, sniffling into his shoulder. "Oh my God, this is so terrible. Did they tell you anything?"

"No, no, the Boss is finding out right now," he responded, running a hand absently down her back before pulling away, holding her out at arm's length and saying, "Listen, I gotta, um, make a phone call. Talk to McGee." He walked away then, leaving Abby watching McGee, who still hadn't said anything to her.

"He's not going to make a phone call, is he?" Abby asked as she turned to watch Tony walk out the hospital doors.

"Nope," McGee responded blankly. "Probably went off to punch something, since he can't punch me."

"Oh, Timmy," Abby said, walking up to him and putting her arms carefully around him and resting her head on his shoulder. "It's not your fault. It was just a really bad accident."

"That could have been prevented," he said softly, though he still wasn't completely "there."

"Timmy . . ."

"Don't, Abby," he said, and this time it seemed that he had finally come out of his reverie. He unwrapped her arms from around his shoulders and walked toward Gibbs, standing there until Gibbs turned around.

"Where's DiNozzo?" he asked, his voice quiet.

McGee's face paled at the sound of Gibbs' voice and he swallowed, but found himself unable to speak. Luckily for him, Abby was still there.

"He went outside," she said softly, still trying to get over being rebuffed by McGee.

Gibbs nodded, then said, "Well, I guess I can tell you now."

"What, Boss?" McGee whispered.

"Ziva's in a coma," he said. "The doctors aren't sure when she'll wake up."