"Tell me what you know of NCIS!" Saleem shouts, reaching out a callused hand and smacking her squarely across the cheek. Her head snaps sideways and blood trickles from the cut above her eyebrow that split open and into her mouth.

The girl swallows, her tongue like a weight in her mouth. "There is nothing to tell." She whispers, her voice raw from disuse. Saleem narrows his eyes at her, and then wraps a hand in her limp, muddy, blood-clotted hair and forces her face back to look up at him.

"I will get what I want, Mossad. That is what I am good at. And if not on your terms, then on mine. Think about this before you die." He snaps, slaps her again, and stalks from the room, leaving Ziva coughing and sputtering, her mouth and lips dry from lack of water. She looks down to her knees, and a single tear traces its way through the layer of muck on her face and stings the cuts she has acquired over her weeks at Saleem's hands.

"I am so sorry. So, so, so sorry." She whispers into the darkness of the room – the sun had set long ago. However, she is not sure who she is apologizing to – her father, Tony, or herself.

I have only recently rediscovered my love for NCIS, and am currently watching all the seasons. This particular one-shot is from 'Truth or Consequences', the first episode at the beginning of season 7. I know it's short, but don't worry - there's more on the way! So far I've written about 8 scenes, working on the 9th. Story title is stolen from Ed Sheeran's 'Drunk', which is a seriously amazing song. Don't forget to review, and if you're also reading itseybitsey, I am seriously disappointed. I have four chapters and no reviews. I'm working on the fifth chapter of that, by the way.
no white horse for me