The piercing ring of the doorbell shattered through Ziva's sleep ridden mind and she rolled over to try to drown it out. The thump of falling onto the floor shocked Ziva awake and she scrambled upright to answer it. She was still dressed in her cotton pyjamas when she peered through the spy hole. When she recognised the face on the other side her eyes widened and she slumped back down on the floor, reeling from the shock. The doorbell trilled again and Ziva tried to heave herself into a sitting position but her throbbing head and weak limbs made it very difficult. Her front room swam in front of her eyes and she blinked twice to determine whether she was still asleep or not. Her body tensed involuntarily when someone kicked the bottom of the door in frustration. Ziva twisted round to stare blankly at the wood now inches from her face. She vaguely contemplated answering it but her mind was skipping around in circles from the confusion caused by the lack of sleep and the surprising sight of her visitor. She heard the clattering of heels on wood fading as her visitor disappeared down the hallway. The last thing she heard before she flopped down onto the floor was the growl of a sports car revving on the street below.
Ziva awoke for the second time that morning to the faint sound of her alarm clock going off in her bedroom. She shifted around, her hand sliding across the floor as she tried to locate the elusive clock before realising with a jolt that she was not in her warm, comfortable bed but on the floor. She pushed herself up against the door, arching her aching back and yawning widely. She dragged herself into the bathroom and leant over the sink. The occurrences of the previous night where gradually revealing themselves and the more she remembered the closer her forehead got to the sink, until she was bent double and retching. She collapsed onto the tiles and groaned. She had been avoiding the ugly parts of her life since she joined NCIS and she was horrified by the daunting prospect of having to face them once more. She pulled herself up using the sink and cupped her hands to drink some water to revive her sagging spirits. She let out a pathetic whimper before resigning herself to get ready for work. Her sore body advised her not to tax it with her customary morning run and for once she listened. She hobbled down the stairs, shuddering as she realised that her visitor had taken the exact same path the night before, and started her red Mini. She barely registered the journey to work and didn't really even realise that she was there until she noticed Tony's terrified expression.
Tony had woken that morning earlier than usual and had decided to go into work straight away to catch up on the overdue paperwork that he and Ziva had agreed to do that day so that he could taunt her lounging back in his chair while she laboured away. He smiled as he left the elevator and heard the satisfying ping as the doors closed behind him. He had no idea why he was so cheery but he quite liked his current mood. One glance around the office showed him that it was empty and he considered bursting into impromptu song but wisely decided against it. He dropped his bag down onto the floor and flung himself into his chair, expecting to stop when he hit the seat but his expectations were not realised. He continued down until he hit the floor with a forceful thud. He gasped in shock and pain as his foot was now trapped under his considerable weight. He began to attempt to crawl off the wreckage of his chair but was aided by an extended, helpful hand. He grasped it and was hauled up, his foot released as quickly as it was trapped. He turned to thank the owner of the hand but fell over again immediately when he was confronted with a face. With such a quick glance the face was Ziva's but once he had recovered from the shock and taken another, prolonged look; he saw that there were subtle differences. This girl's jaw was more defined and her features more angular. Her skin was a couple of shades darker and her hair was unruly and thick. Her eyes were restless and fiery, unlike Ziva's relaxed, soft pupils. Her lips were parted almost erotically and the edges were curled into a sneer that became her face perfectly and the arms that protruded from the tight, short sleeves of the clingy black t-shirt were more muscular and tanned than Ziva's slender limbs. She was dressed differently to Ziva as well, her style more reminiscent of Ziva in Mossad rather than the new Ziva, more revealing and teasing. She had similar combat trousers to the ones Ziva wore on her first appearance at NCIS and builder's boots. Her t-shirt reached to just above the waistline of her trousers revealing a sliver of a brown, flat stomach. Her large brown eyes pierced through him and seemed to see inside his head and know what he was thinking. When he noticed this he immediately tried to rid himself of all the sexual thoughts that were prominent in his mind but to no avail as her obvious sex appeal was difficult to ignore. He appreciated her dominant presence all the more due to his time with Ziva. The girl impatiently held out her hand again and with a swift tug had him on his feet. She raised her eyebrows mockingly, daring him to fall down again, and he was filled with a sudden, overpowering urge to sit down on the floor, the instinct to obey the frightening figure in front of him. He bent his knees in preparation to hit the floor once more but she turned away from him to face the wall. The eye contact was broken and he straightened his legs, ashamed of the influence he had let her have over him. He opened his mouth to say something witty but stopped as she pulled her hand back, her slender fingers clasped around a knife. Her arm shot forward and the knife flew through the air, a silver blur against the garish orange of the walls. The tip of the knife pierced a hole in the wall cleanly and silently. Tony's mouth fell open into a gormless gape. The girl swung around to face him again and her lips parted more as she grinned at him. He smiled back.
'I took the screws out of your chair,' she stated melodically.
He nodded stupidly before regaining his senses and replying. 'Why?'
'Your walls are not strong enough. Too many knives in it and it cracked. I didn't want to demolish the place so I patched it up which required screws.' She paused before adding accusingly, 'you weren't here to object.'
He frowned. 'Why would I be? It's 0500.'
She smiled patronisingly. 'I have been waiting since 0400.'
It was only then that he realised that he didn't know who she was or why she was in their office. He had been too hypnotised by her to ask. 'Who are you?' he blurted out.
She smiled again, amused by his awkwardness. 'I believe you know my sister.'