Better late than never, right?

He told them all to leave by 19:30. Not that they'd heeded his suggestion; since he had returned with Dearing's body seven hours earlier, they hadn't so much as let him out of their sight. So Gibbs let another hour pass before making the suggestion mandatory and then watched as they all hesitated for a few long moments before nodding mutely and grabbing their bags. McGee and DiNozzo mumbled a 'Nite boss' but Ziva refused to even meet his eyes, heading straight for the elevator and waiting with her arms crossed tightly across her chest.

Gibbs intended to stay another hour, and yet he found himself shutting his own computer down just ten minutes later. After all, it was over now; Dearing was dead, and the case was closed. And while there was still plenty broken, he had to recognize that there was no further fix he could offer to NCIS right now. Only the passage of time could do that.

He was surprised to see DiNozzo's car still in the parking lot near his, could hear even from a distance the argument ensuing between him and Ziva. She was facing Gibbs, and therefore saw him first, her lips pressing together in a thin line. Tony threw a befuddled look over his shoulder, his face tense for a moment before he spotted the older man and relaxed.

"Hey Boss," Tony called calmly, leaning back against his car even as Ziva climbed into the passenger seat and slammed the door with unnecessary force.

Gibbs quirked an eyebrow. "Problem, DiNozzo?"

Tony smirked sardonically. "Well, yeah. Ziva is still pretty pissed at you."

Gibbs had a flash of Ziva's face earlier, the anger radiating off her in waves as she called him a stubborn fool. She hadn't been wrong really, but it was a level of insolence that had caught him just a little off guard nonetheless. He sighed, nodding to Tony as he circled around the Mustang and came to a stop outside the passenger door. The first two raps of his knuckles against the glass went unanswered, but she had to know he wasn't going anywhere and finally heaved a sigh and rolled down the window.

"I'm not sorry for what I said," she snapped quietly before a single word was out of his mouth. He crouched down, resting his forearms on the car door, and gave a little shrug.

"Wasn't expecting one; you know the rule. But you also know why I had to do it. It was always going to come down to me and him, no one else."

She turned her angry gaze away from the dashboard and glared at him. "No it wasn't! This isn't the old west where you two have to face off at high noon!" Gibbs glanced past her to see Tony crouching down and listening through the open driver's door. The fleeting look of pride on his face made Gibbs think that their movie nights of late had included John Wayne and Gary Cooper.

"Ziva -"

"It was foolish, Gibbs," she interrupted. "A man died, and I'm not saying he didn't deserve it. I'm just saying it could have been you." Her voice choked up on the last word, hardly noticeable, but it was enough to show him how much his actions had truly hurt and scared her. She had always been the most like him, and so he had assumed - obviously incorrectly - that she would best understand his need to go after Dearing alone. It occurred to him then that just because Ziva wasn't calling him every night at three AM like Abby or wandering in once a week for dinner like DiNozzo, it didn't mean she was handling the last few months better than the rest. It just meant that she had been internalizing everything, and clearly his actions today had brought it all to the surface.

"You're right, it coulda been me," he conceded. "But if you and Tony and Tim had come along, it could have been any one of you as well. Risk comes with the territory," he said quietly.

Ziva's head bobbed once in agreement. "I know, but today's risk was unnecessary, and we have already lost too much." She glanced up at him then, the look in her eyes simultaneously stubborn and vulnerable, and he heard her silent amendment. I have already lost too much. "We are a team; we face the risks together."

Gibbs studied her for another long moment before nodding. "We are. You're right."

She raised an eyebrow in surprise at him even as something akin to relief flooded her features. "Those are...unexpected words coming from you," she said softly.

"And you bet your ass you'll never hear them again," he muttered under his breath. "But for the record, you can't call your boss a stubborn fool at work, David," he teased gently.

"That's what Tony said," Ziva grumbled, glaring at Tony even as the corners of her mouth twitched upwards. Gibbs studied them; he had been distracted at the time, but he was reminded suddenly of what Tony had said to him earlier.

Ziva is upset.

He had thought Tony was just being a smart ass, trying to diffuse the tension in the bullpen. But looking back at the moment now, the tone was sincere instead of joking, a current of deep concern for his partner running just under the surface. A few things shifted in Gibbs' mind, settling into place as they presented him with a new picture of what he should expect in the coming months. He felt no surprise really, just weary resignation, and so his groan as he straightened from the crouch was only partially from his protesting knees.

"G'night Ziver," he sighed, shaking his head slightly and moving for his car. He made it only a few steps before turning back around suddenly.

"DiNozzo."

Tony's head popped back up over the roof of the Mustang. "Boss?"

Gibbs paused for just a moment and hoped he wouldn't someday regret his next words. "A four letter word for surviving a terrorist attack -"

The younger man grinned and nodded. "I know, luck…"

Gibbs shook his head, his gaze dropping down to Ziva for a moment before returning to his Senior Agent. "Gift. It's a gift, Tony."

He watched just long enough to watch the meaning of his words sink in - to catch the smile dawning on DiNozzo's face - before turning back to his car, craving the quiet solitude of his house after a long, long day.

From the second Gibbs left the bullpen and went after Dearing, this was written in my head...just had to get it on paper. :)

Thanks for reading!