Chapter 2

Sleep was as precious as gold and every bit as illusive now. Whenever Ziva did find a time where she could drift off, her thoughts were haunted by Tony, and her dreams filled by watching him slip out of her life forever. She was afraid of being separated from him. Although Tony may not have been the perfect guy and most of his charm occurred by complete accident, he accepted her as a normal person. Tim may have been kind to her on occasion, but he never welcomed her like Tony did. She didn't even want to make the comparison to Calvin. That man might have had charm oozing out of his pores but…oh, who was she kidding anyway? The only reason she didn't like Calvin was because he wasn't Tony. Something about him had managed to worm its way into her skin, almost like a tick. Yes, a tick. It refused to leave, and its existence was not only disgusting but deeply and profoundly disturbing. Around the time that she had managed to come to that conclusion, her cell rang and any chance of sleep was torn from her grasp.

"Hello?" Ziva yawned into the phone.

"Morning, Ziva." Tony replied in an equally groggy voice. "We've got a case."

"I'll be there in a few." She hung up without waiting for a reply, knowing that there wasn't going to be one. Tony would brief her when she got to the office.

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A gigantic cougar lay spiraled out near a grove of trees with its eyes wide open in a death stare and blood dripping from its gaping mouth. Several bullet wounds peppered the corpse's side. Whoever had killed it had caught the animal by surprise. Had the cat been charging, the shots would have hit it in the face and chest. Had it been trying to escape, the shots would have caught it in the hindquarters. No, this beast had never seen what killed it. What had called NCIS to the scene, however, was what the dead cat was using as a pillow. The cat was halfway on top of a disemboweled marine. There were marks on the body typical of a cat attack, which Ducky was explaining to Tony when Ziva and Calvin arrived.

"What I don't understand is what a cougar is doing here." Ducky glanced up from his work to greet the approaching field agents but without his usual kindness.

"Haven't cougars been extinct in this area for hundreds of years?" Calvin knelt beside the cat curiously.

"Yeah, but not too long ago some people started seeing some big cats roaming around an airbase. Seems a stretch, but this could be one of those cats." Tony sipped his coffee. "Ziva?"

"But that doesn't explain what it's doing here." She glanced flashed a picture and slipped something into an evidence bag. "Dog tags."

"Well, seems pretty open and shut." Calvin sighed. "Marine gets attacked by man-eating cat. End of story."

"Afraid not." Ducky opened the cat's mouth. "I don't think that this poor fellow was our first victim."

"That happens with man-eaters sometimes."

"Not like this, I'm afraid." Ducky moved the body of the cougar aside. The dead marine still had his dog tags on. "I believe this cat preferred a certain kind of person. If we search the park, I imagine we would find quite a few dog tags laying around."

"A coincidence?" Ziva suggested.

"We should find the den. I shall have an expert come in to perform an autopsy on the cougar." Ducky grunted at he climbed to his feet. "I wonder if I might have a word with the person who shot the creature."

"Your wish is my command, Ducky." Tony led him away from the crime scene where Tim was questioning the person who'd come across the scene. "Hey Probie, Duck wants to put in a few questions. Think you could run down and help out Ziva and Calvin?"

"Um…I was just…" Tim gestured.

"Did that sound like a request, Probie?"

"No sir." Tim grumbled and marched to the crime scene.

"Ducky, this is Alica. She's the ranger that stumbled upon the cat." Tony explained.

"Did you take anything off of the cougar? A collar of some sort?" Ducky asked.

"No. I assume you think it might have been being tracked, then." Alicia said.

"Perhaps. Did you see any sort of den where the cat may have been living?"

"No, but there is a little cave near the northeast corner of the park. That's where I think it could've been staying."

"Would you take us to it?" Tony jotted something down on a notepad.

"That isn't a request, is it?" she smirked.

"Not really, no." Tony replied humorlessly. He was too tired to play around with her.

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Funny, Tim thought as he worked through the area with Ziva and Calvin, he had never gotten the impression that Ziva was quiet. Around Tony, she very rarely stopped giving him a rough time, but she just wasn't as quick on her feet with Calvin. She seemed bored with her work, and the only signs of energy she showed were quick bursts of annoyance. Calvin was a nice guy, why did she get so frustrated with him?

"Why don't you like Calvin?" Tim asked after Ziva's umpteenth explosion.

"Because he's an idiot." Ziva pitched her voice so that Calvin would hear that particular comment.

"But you seemed to get along just fine with Tony and his brain's not much to be proud of."

"I'm not sure what you expect me to say, McGee."

"Do you have a crush on him?"

"A what?" She looked at him in a state of udder bewilderment. "What is that?"

"Um…a step shy of love."

"I don't think I want to share my feelings with you."

"Does that mean yes?"

"That means keep your toes out of it, McGee!"

"Nose, Ziva." Tony muttered as he walked up behind them. "But while we're here, do you have a crush on me?"

"From McGee's explanation of the term, I could have a crush on Ducky."

"Not Abby?"

"Abby and I don't get along. You tell me what a crush is."

"A crush means that you're interested in a romantic relationship."

"Oh…in that case, I most definitely do not have a crush on Ducky."

"And me?"

"Are you asking me on a date, Tony?"

"Just trying to get an answer."

"I'm saving myself for McGee."

"What?" McGee blinked stupidly at her.

"Get back to work, Probie." Tony gave him a dismissing wave. "What've you got here, Ziva?"

"Ducky was right, I've found six more sets of dog tags already." Ziva glared devilishly at Calvin. "Where as my better half has yet to discover what he's done with his rubber gloves."

"I'll have you know that I did find something!" Calvin marched over with an evidence bag held triumphantly over his head. "Look at this, do you know what this is?"

"It vaguely resembles a…" Tony's eyes grew to the size of hubcaps. "A leash?"

"Choke collar, used for training dogs." Calvin grinned.

"So…maybe the cougar ate a dog, yes?" Ziva folded her arms over her chest. "Is that a viable explanation, Calvin?"

"I think this collar might've fit around the cat's neck."

"Have you ever tried to train a cat?"

"You think someone might've trained the cat to go after marines?" Tony tapped his pen on his notebook.

"Why else would there be so many dog tags?"

"You're loving this investigation, aren't you, Tony?" Ziva laughed. "An ass-murderer training cougars to hunt marines."

"Ax-murderer." Tony sipped on his coffee, thinking. "Let's find out where this thing lived. I don't want to admit it, but Calvin may be right about this.

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In April 2006, there were sightings of cougars around an airbase in DC.

Cougars have been extinct in the region for over 500 years.