Disclaimer: You still see Jeanne? Yes. Then it's obviously not mine.

A/N Here's the next chappie. I'm taking a few liberties with Ziva's age and with the medical stuff so don't hold it against me. Enjoy muchly.

"You have to know the past to understand the present." Dr. Carl Sagan
Chapter Two: Not in Kansas Anymore

"She's very pretty," Tony commented, looking at Erica Cays. "Tall, willowy, she could be a model."

"Well, she's not gonna get a chance now," McGee said, standing next to Tony. "She was strangled, right Ducky?"

"Yes, Timothy," Ducky replied, "our poor Petty Officer did meet an untimely end. I do believe that asphyxiation was the cause of death."

"So nothing out of the ordinary, Ducky?" Tony asked.

"No," Ducky answered. "It is quite straight forward."

"Nothing's straight forward, Duck," Gibbs interrupted, coming up behind his senior agent, making him jump. "You seen Ziva anywhere? I sent her outside to check the back ten minutes ago."

"Nope, haven't seen her," Tony replied. "Probie, have you seen Ziva or do you know where she is?"

"No and No," McGee answered.

"Both Anthony and Timothy have been here with Petty Officer Cays and myself," Ducky added.

"McGee," Gibbs started.

"Yeah, boss."

"Go outside and drag her in here."

"On it, boss." McGee walked out the kitchen and over to the backdoor. He could see that the lock was broken and there was no way he could get out that way.

"I'm going out the front, boss," McGee yelled as he passed the kitchen. "The backdoor lock has been tampered with. You can't get in or out. Our killer probably got in that way."

McGee exited the house and found the same side gate Ziva had. It was still unlatched. Following the brick path, he arrived at the patio.

Unable to see Ziva anywhere, he turned his head and spotted the garden shed. Walking over to the shed, he was shocked to see what was behind the door.

Opening the door carefully, McGee saw a familiar looking trouser covered leg. He pushed the door open fully and to his horror, saw Ziva slumped against the wall, unconscious and with a large bleeding gash on her head.

"Ziva," McGee gasped, standing in the doorway frozen. "Ah . . . Ziva . . . you okay?"

'She's not okay, you idiot,' he thought, mentally Gibbslapping himself. 'Get help. Get Ziva. Pulse.' McGee dropped to his knees and pushed his fingers against her neck.

"Pulse, pulse. There's a pulse," he mumbled to himself. 'Thank god.'

"Okay, okay." McGee was talking to himself. "Breathing." He lent over and listened to the rise and fall off her chest.

"Okay, breathing good. Pulse good. She's alive. Call ambulance." He pulled out his cell phone and dialled 911.

After talking to the operator, who assured him an ambulance was coming as soon as possible, he pressed speed dial one. After three rings, the man on the other end picked up.

"What is it, McGee?" Gibbs asked from inside the house.

"Um . . . boss, it's Ziva," McGee started nervously. "She's . . . err . . . been knocked out, I think."

"Knocked out?" Gibbs asked, slightly shocked. "You think?"

"Yes, I'm sure of it," McGee said quickly, hearing Gibbs' muffled voice in the background barking orders. "We're . . . we're in the shed out the back. I've called the EMTs. Bring Ducky, hurry." The phone line went dead. McGee turned back to Ziva.

"It's gonna be okay, Ziva," McGee assured the unconscious Ziva. "The ambulance is coming, Gibbs is coming. It'll be all okay. Gibbs is not gonna be happy. I betcha the guy who did this is gonna be a whole lot worse looking than you once Gibbs . . . and Tony get to him."

"MCGEE!" McGee heard Gibbs yell from outside.

"In here, boss."

Gibbs, Tony and Ducky appeared in the doorway of the shed.

"Oh, my." Ducky looked shocked.

"Ziva!" Tony pushed his way passed Ducky and Gibbs and dropped down next to Ziva. "Probie! What the hell did you do to her?"

"I . . .didn't do anything, Tony," McGee said, looking nervous. "I . . . I just found her like that."

Ducky had now overcome his shock and was barking orders at everyone.

"Jethro, a blanket, please. There should be one in the truck." Gibbs disappeared from sight.

"Timothy, dear, Anthony," Ducky said gently, "could you please step back so I can get a look at Ziva." McGee moved out of the way, but Tony remained where he was.

"Tony."

"I'm not going anywhere, Ducky," Tony replied determinately. Ducky saw his hand inch slowly towards Ziva's. "She's my partner and I should have had her six."

"You didn't know this was going to happen, DiNozzo." Gibbs had arrived with the blanket. Ducky carefully placed it over the unconscious Ziva. "It's not your fault."

"I'm not going anywhere," Tony mumbled, taking Ziva's hand. "I'm staying right here."

"Tony," Gibbs started, but was cut off.

"Just let me do this, please." Tony's voice had slightly pleading tone. "She's my partner and . . ."

"You want to have her six." Gibbs looked at Tony, an expression of understanding on his face. Tony nodded. "He won't be in your way, Duck?"

"It's okay, Jethro."

"McGee," Gibbs said loudly.

"Yes, boss," McGee said timidly.

"Start processing the scene," Gibbs ordered. "Start with outside. Ziva's attacker must have gotten in and out and I want to know how."

"On it, boss." McGee took one last look at Ziva and headed outside.

Gibbs looked at Ducky who was currently checking unconscious Ziva. "She'll be okay, Duck?"

"I'm not sure, Jethro," Ducky began. "She's not responding to our voices and it doesn't look like she's waking up. I'd say she has some kind of head trauma. The ER will have to run tests."

Gibbs rubbed his forehead with his hands. This was supposed to be a routine investigation, but now it seemed one of his team was fighting for their life.

Five minutes later, the EMTs showed up. McGee directed them towards the shed and Ducky immediately took it upon himself to explain Ziva's condition.

"I believe she sustained blunt force trauma to the front to the head," Ducky told the EMTs. "I think something like a plank of wood or a baseball bat was the cause. I'm not sure what kind of damage it has caused, but I'm sure there is no injury to her neck."

"Thank you, Dr . . ." one of the EMTs, Tammy, said. She and her partner, Adrian, crouched down next to Ziva.

"Dr Mallard, Donald Mallard."

"Thank you, Dr Mallard," Tammy smiled, "we've got it now."

Tammy and Adrian checked Ziva over before loading her onto a stretcher.

"Err . . . sir," Adrian addressed Tony, "we're moving her now. Maybe you could, you know, step back." Tony reluctantly let go of Ziva's hand and followed the stretcher outside.

"One of you can ride along," Tammy said, looking at the agents.

"Ducky, you go," Gibbs ordered, receiving protests from Tony.

"But, boss," Tony said quickly. "She's my . . . partner and . . . friend. I wanna go. I . . . need to . . ."

"What you need to do, DiNozzo," Gibbs said, "is help McGee process the scene. I want every single little fibre, hair or anything that could be classed as evidence bagged and tagged. I want to know what the hell happened here and I want to know which bastard decided to take it upon himself to injure my agent. Got it?"

"Yes, boss." Tony looked wistfully at the stretcher being wheeled down the brick path and out the side gate. He wished he could go with his partner. Truth be told, he was very worried about her and wanted to make sure that she would survive.

"Agent Ziva David, aged twenty seven," Tammy said as Ziva was wheeled into the ER of Bethesda Naval Hospital. "Blunt force trauma to the head. BPs 120 over 80 . . ." Ducky watched as they wheeled Ziva into trauma room one.

"You can wait out here, Dr Mallard," Adrian said kindly. "I'll make sure a doctor comes out a bit later and talks to you."

"Thank you," Ducky said wearily, sitting down in one of the uncomfortable hospital seats.

"I'm sure she'll be okay," Adrian reassured Ducky. "I've dealt with NCIS agents before. I know they're strong. She looks strong."

"That she is." Ducky offered the young paramedic a small smile. "Thank you."

"No problem, I'll go make sure a doctor keeps you informed." Adrian walked off towards trauma one, leaving Ducky alone.

"You'd better be okay, Ziva dear," Ducky sighed. "I don't think the team will cope if you're not."

Ziva gasped as she bolted upright. "What on earth?"

She looked around at her surroundings. She appeared to be in a small room with a plasma-sized television and a couple of couches. "Where the hell am I?"

"You're definitely not in hell," came a voice that Ziva couldn't quite place, "but I'm pretty sure you're not in Kansas anymore either."

Ziva spun around and saw a young girl around the age of sixteen with dark eyes and dark wavy hair. She looked a lot like Ziva.

"Tali?" Ziva gasped.

"Hello, dear sister," Tali replied, smiling.

"What the hell?"

"Mind your language," Tali scolded lightly.

"But . . . you're . . . dead."

"I was the last time I checked."

"Then . . . what?"

"You're not dead, Ziva." A voice came out of nowhere. Ziva turned her head and saw her almost boyfriend, Lieutenant Roy Sanders.

"What is going on?" By now Ziva was utterly confused.

"It's called Reflection," Kate Todd said, materialising in the room.

"Reflection?"

"Long story," Kate answered.

"I'll say," Ziva muttered.

Please R&R