Far Away

Turn Around

Here's the chapter I accidentally deleted... :(

Sorry if the beginning sucks. It was perfect before I deleted it, but I couldn't remember how it started. I'm hoping I can at least get the end close because the end was beautiful imo.

*****

He hesitated when his phone rang.

Should he answer, or should he let himself finally escape the guilt?

The decision was made for him as soon as he saw the caller ID.

"Ziva?"

The only response on the other end of the phone was a muffled sob. That was all it took to make him completely sober.

"Ziva? Are you at your apartment?" he asked. When she didn't answer, he took it as a yes. "I'll be over in ten minutes."

He patted his pockets quickly to make sure he had his wallet and his keys, and then he hurried to lock up.

There weren't any cabs when he got downstairs, so he decided it would be faster to just walk. He set off at a brisk pace in the direction of Ziva's apartment.

At least it was still warm out.

***

Her throat burned and her stomach was still roiling.

Tears were sticky on her face as she let the cell phone drop from her hand. It clattered on the floor, skittering a few feet away.

She pulled her legs up to her chest and rested her forehead on her knees.

Her eyelids were so heavy, and she just wanted to fall asleep and never wake up.

Each second was like its own eternity, its own special kind of hell.

It seemed like forever before she heard a knock on her door, another forever before he tried the doorknob and realized it was unlocked.

His footsteps hurried toward her. "Ziva?" he asked, his fear evident. One of his hands touched her shoulder.

It took all of her strength to even just lift her head.

If he was at all surprised by her tears, he didn't show it, and she was incredibly thankful. She didn't need acknowledgment of how horrible she must've looked.

Instead of offering any pretty lies, any false comforts, he sat down beside her and pulled her close. She hadn't known that she was cold, but he was pleasantly warm.

***

He hated to disturb her when she so clearly wanted to sleep, but he didn't want her to sleep on the kitchen floor either.

"Hey, let's get you to the couch, huh?" he murmured.

Her eyes opened blearily, emptier than he'd ever seen them. It scared him even more to think that he must've looked the same way not even twenty minutes earlier.

He helped her up, doing most of the work.

They somehow made it to the couch. Once he made sure she was somewhat comfortable, he returned to the kitchen.

Fortunately she'd made it to the garbage can, but there were shards of glass all over, sitting in a big puddle of what smelled like vodka. He didn't want her to step in any of that if she got up in the middle of the night.

He dropped the paper towel he was using when he heard Ziva mumbling from the other room.

"What's up?" he asked, somehow managing to squeeze onto the couch next to her. She immediately snuggled into his side.

"Stay."

"Okay." He sat there with her for a good while, until he remembered that he still needed to pack for tomorrow.

She seemed to be asleep, so he tried to carefully get up without waking her.

"Stay," she mumbled, her arm snaking over his chest to hold him in place.

A nervous laugh bubbled up in his throat. "I wish I could, but-"

"Do not wish. Wishes do not come true. If you really want something, you have to go out and make it happen." Wise words for someone so drunk.

"Okay... What do you want me to do?"

"Promise."

"Promise you what?"

"Promise me this is not the end."

His pulse jumped. "Of course this isn't the end. Don't say that. Don't even think that."

Her eyes opened slightly, followed by a tired smirk. "The end of us, Tony."

"Oh." That was a relief. "Okay. I, uh... I promise this is not the end."

"Okay."

"Whatever you want. We'll talk so often you'll get sick of me. Talk, text, email, Skype, anything. I'll send you post cards, letters... Maybe we'll have lunch some time."

She punched him as best she could in such close quarters. "Be serious."

"I mean it. This isn't the end."

"Do me one more favor?"

"Sure."

"Stay?"

He nodded, but knew he had to leave as soon as she fell asleep.

It wasn't fair that they'd be separated just when he finally got her.

He waited until her breathing slowed and then he had to do the most difficult thing he'd ever done.

He left.

*****

I'm sorry. I did my best to reconstruct what I remembered. It's missing some stuff but it also gained a few good things so I don't know. Hopefully it balances out.

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