A/N Chapter two! After my monster chapter (it was monstrous to me) this feel insufficient. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. I just like to mess with them, and make them fall in love and stuff.

Abby offered Ziva a shower while she made something to eat. Ziva just shook her head yes mutely.

Ziva stepped into the squeaky clean bathroom and smiled for the first time in she doesn't no how long. She always loved how much of a control freak Abby was. Before she can help it she's staring at herself in the mirror.

Her usually full, caramel tan cheeks were thin and pale. She ran her fingers through her lank hair. It retained it's curls, but it felt all wrong against her fingers. She blamed it on the fact that she couldn't remember the last time it was washed. She let out a small grunt as she tried to pull through the tangles she encounters.

Soon she was fussing over it and letting out little squeaks as she tries to finger through what she knew were mats. Then she froze. The smell of Abby's purely homemade chicken noodle soup hitting her nose. It gave her this lulling feeling. Her small panic instantly calming.

The shower. Conditioner and a comb should help her hair.

As she shed her clothes she caught a few more glimpses of herself in the mirror. She'll be adding a few more scars to her collection. The water took a few moments to heat up, in which she stood there naked and shivering.

When she stepped in to the artificial waterfall she let out a small hiss, as the water made contact with her cuts and bruises. Followed by a sigh as the initial shock wears of and the hot water rolls down her tired, cold, tortured body.

She opened her eyes and when she saw the walls she can't hold back memories of Abby naked against them. Or her pressed between Abby and the pure white tile wall. It sends shivers down her spine, along with a sense of longing. That comes with any memory of what her and Abby used to have.

She swiveled around, and throws out an arm to keep to falling at the sudden dizziness that assaults her. She pressed a palm to her eyes. She couldn't wait to eat that chicken noodle soup. So she started the attack on her hair. All the while worrying about the fact that she would eventually have to talk to Abby.

XxXxXxX

After Ziva vanished into the bathroom Abby set to work making chicken noodle soup, Ziva's favorite American meal.

She didn't know how she was going to talk to Ziva. She was just so happy to have her back, mute as she was. She didn't want to scare her off with questions.

XxXxXxX

When Ziva exited the shower her skin felt soft and vulnerable, but so wonderfully clean. She had also managed to untangle her hair to a degree. When she had washed herself she had noticed just how thin she was. She had lost a lot of muscle tone, and muscle for that matter, due to malnutrition. They had limited supplies, she had gotten the left overs.

Ziva wrapped a towel around her, and for the first time wondered what she was going to put on. She glanced at where she had dumped the clothes that she had been wearing for what seemed like ever to her. on the floor. Something caught her eye.

A NCIS t-shirt, a pair of gray sweat pants, and underwear, all hers. They lay folded on the counter. Ziva realized maybe she hadn't gotten all of her clothes when she had left for Israel the first time. She shivered and decided she should put the clothes on instead of just staring at them. She ran her finger over a partially healed cut on her thigh as she pulled her pants on, and let out a whimper.

Usually she would scold herself at showing her weaknesses so clearly. But here, in Abby's apartment, she felt so safe. So why was she so scared to go talk to the woman that made her feel so safe?

She hugged herself and opened the door, to find the love of her life, and get some of that soup that smelled so delicious.

XxXxXxX

She peeked around the corner of the hallway. Abby was bouncing on her toes, stirring the pot of soup. It had to be close to done.

She was humming under her breath.

Ziva took a few hesitant steps around the corner. Abby turned. Ziva froze, taking on that deer in the headlights look again. They stood there for almost a minute.

"Ziva?" Abby said her name like a question.

"Abby," Ziva said it more firmly. It was the first thing Abby had heard from her in three months.

"I am sorry," Ziva stated not knowing what else to say. She looked down at her feet, bare on the carpet. It was the only thing she could think to say. Actually it wasn't. She was afraid to say anything else. There were so many things she wanted to say.

I still love you. I never stopped loving you. I never wanted to leave you. I did not love Micheal. Barely even cared about him. I love you. My father made me be with him. My father made me be not with you. I love you. I miss you. My father said I could come back after Micheal died, but I did not think I could not be with you yet have you so close anymore. I was trying to protect you. You say you hate it when I do that, but you know I you love it when I hold you and keep you safe. I love you. Oh, I love you so much.

"You keep saying that but you're not doing anything about it." Abby replied meekly. Turning back to her soup.

"Why did you do it? I know you still love me. You can't deny it, it's to obvious." Abby added. She didn't need to elaborate on the 'it.' They both knew it meant a lot of things. 'It' was, not letting them pick up where they left off before she was sent back to Israel. 'It' was Micheal, the relationship they had, had. 'It' was pretending she didn't still love Abby. 'It' was going back to Israel after Micheal died, without saying goodbye to Abby.

Unable to hold back any longer. Unable to let Abby go on believing that she did ever want to not be with her.

So she poured out her heart, every detail of her father's commands, threats. She felt something hot and wet on her cheeks, and realized she was crying, dammit.

Toward the end she was stumbling over her words slightly. She didn't realize how hard it would be to tell all of this to Abby. Because sure she was trying to protect Abby. But that didn't make it okay. She had broken her heart. Not of her own accord, but of Vance's. Then stomped on it. She didn't deserve Abby's love.

"But I wanted to tell you..., but I-" Ziva felt a small sob break through her chest. "I.., was afraid..., I would not be able to-" Ziva's voice cracked with another sob. She looked up from the ground she had been staring at.

Abby's chest ached. Ziva was stumbling over her words. Her tears making it hard to speak. She was hugging her stomach. Tears rolling down her cheeks.

Abby took a few more steps toward Ziva, now a great deal in her personnel space. She placed a finger to Ziva's lips stopping her desperate words.

"Ziva, I'm sorry." Abby whispered. But before she had time to wonder why Abby was apologizing to her. The thin pale digit on her mouth was replaced with warm lips.

Lips she had missed oh so badly. Lips she had wanted to kiss for so long. So many times she had just felt the urge at the most random times. Soon warm arms were encircling her, pulling her into a firm embrace.

Ziva let out an involuntary whimper. Her head was spinning when Abby pulled away. She was still pressed as close to Abby as she could get.

"I've missed you." Abby stated her hands coming to rest on Ziva's lower back. Ziva nuzzled her face into Abby's neck, pressing her lips lightly against the soft skin of a collarbone.

"I have missed you too," Ziva breathed against her neck, making Abby shiver. God, how much she's missed her.

"I never stopped loving you." Abby added moving her chin to rest on Ziva's head.

"I," Ziva stopped she felt wrong telling Abby she had never stopped loving her. But she wondered briefly if she should.

"I love you too." She settled on.

A/N Yay! Fastish update, and kisses, and making up. I promise I won't make Ziva cry anymore. Hopefully. Yeah, so review! I love it so much when you do!