A/N: Thanks for the amazing reviews guys! I know the cliff hanger was cruel but I hope this chapter makes up for it.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own NCIS or any of the characters; Adena is a piece of my imagination. The rest belong to CBS and I do not make any profit with this story.

CHAPTER 3

IN THE LIVING ROOM

It had been a few seconds since Tony had disappeared with Ana up the stairs.

They could once again hear the screams and tantrums of the infant.

"Somehow I have a bad feeling about this. In this one year since she was born she was never so inconsolable. It is like something really bad is going to happen." Ziva said frowning.

"Ziva, my dear it will be noth..." Ducky started but was cut off.

"ZIVA" Tony yelled, from upstairs.

Ziva jumped out of the couch in an instant grabbing her gun from the table she ran up the stairs, having Gibbs and McGee and Sarah follow her.

Once she approached the nursery she was relieved to see both Tony and Tali still there alive and breathing. But Tony had an expression of horror on her face and Tali was screaming her lungs out.

Tony turned around with a stunned expression and looked at Ziva, "Zi put the weapon away and take Ana away from here. I think I know what has been up with her." Tony said.

Ziva handed her weapon to Sarah and picked up Tali from her father's arms, her face and eyes were red from all the crying.

"Ziva check if she is hurt anywhere." Tony told Ziva.

"Tony what is it?" Ziva asked confused by both Father and daughter's behaviour.

Tony picked up an onsie from the floor that Ana was wearing in the morning, and used that, in order to not tamper evidence, to pick up a large sharp knife from the crib, "Someone was in here this afternoon. That is what has Ana so terrified."

Ziva's eyes went wide looking at the knife in Tony's hand, she hurried with her baby to the changing table and laid her there taking off every piece of clothing and inspecting every inch of the terrified infant. "Oh tataleh I am so sorry. I should have known, I should have come and checked." Ziva talked to her daughter, apologising to the ignorant baby.

Sarah came from behind and laid a hand upon Ziva's shoulder, "Ziva we will take care of her don't worry, I'll put her to sleep." Sarah offered and took the now whimpering baby to her parents' bedroom.

Ziva moved towards the rest of the team standing near the crib, Tony still had the knife in his hands and the very size of it scared the living daylights out of her. What if the intruder had intended to do more than leave that knife beside her daughter? What if she had been a minute late to come up and check on her screaming daughter?

Gibbs started ruffling all the blankets in the crib searching for anything more the intruder might have left. After a moment he held up a piece of paper. He unfolded it and read the contents.

He looked at Ziva then Tony and let out a breath he was holding.

"What is it boss?" Tony asked as he took the paper from him and read it; he immediately let the knife fall down and ran out of the room. Ziva took the paper and read it with a frown.

"Remember my promise DiNozzo, next time it will be stuck in her and not lying beside her."

The note read. Ziva raised her head and looked at Gibbs with doubt in her expression.

"Ray Cruz" Gibbs breathed out.

"Ziva, go and be with Adena and Tony. They need you, we will be here tonight and process all the evidence we can collect. We will catch the one who has done this." Gibbs said.

Ziva headed out of the nursery and into their bedroom. She saw Ana sleeping there peacefully and Tony lying besides her stroking her black curls.

Ziva closed the door and slid along it to the floor; she had her head in her hands and was sobbing.

Tony came and sat besides her wrapping his arms around Ziva and kissed the top of her hair, "Hey don't cry, it's going to be alright she is here and well, we need to concentrate on that Zi, she will need us, and we need to be there for her. We will get through this I promise." He reassured.

"How could I do this my own daughter, Tony? What kind of a mother who doesn't know that her child is in danger? If I had been a minute late she would be laying de..." she said but was cut off.

"Don't think like that Ziva. Please hold yourself together, we need you. Whoever it was came with the intention of leaving a warning and not hurting her. We will find them." Tony said.

"But I don't understand Ray is in prison and how could he do any of this?" Ziva asked.

"He is not alone Zi, he was never alone. They were just waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike." he said. They got up from the floor and sat on the bed either side of their daughter who was making sucking motions with her mouth in her sleep.

Ziva patted Ana's head rhythmically assuring the little child and making her sleep peaceful.

"How can he do this? In whatever twisted way it is, she is his blood, technically his child, how can he even think of hurting such an innocent life." Ziva said and looked up to see the pained expression on her fiancé's face. "What is it Tony? What are you not telling me?" she asked.

"He said something during the interrogation, that still makes my blood boil. That message in that paper today was a confirmation of his intentions." He said as he studied the peaceful features of the sleeping child.

flashback

Ray curled up in pain and that was when the second blow came right into his groin. Tony kept hitting him, he held on to his shirt and yanked him on to his feet and threw him against the stone wall hitting his head and sliding back to the ground.

"You won't kill me, you will need me to know what is planned ahead for that bitch and that kid inside her." "It won't be even old enough to call for its mommy before I cut it into pieces and send them back to her." Ray growled trying to gain leverage

"And you will lose your body parts sooner than we planned, I won't let you even close enough to breathe the same air as Ziva and our child will." Tony growled back pressing his foot into the other man's shoulder joint.

He screamed out in pain, and thrashed on the ground. "You are not going anywhere for a very long time Cruz, You won't even know when you spilled the beans about your big secret plans. And if you think you'll escape or die before that I don't think you know me too well" Gibbs growled.

Ray kept looking at Tony, blood flowing out of every hole in his face. "Protecting that bitch like always aren't you DiNozzo, and now adopting that little **** of hers as well. Well guess what, that little filth is mine I put it in there, inside your precious girlfriend."

Ziva had a terrified expression in her eyes as she heard Tony relay for the first time, all that Ray had told during the interrogation.

She lay down without another word and pulled her daughter closer; Ana snuggled into the familiar warmth of her mother and buried her face in Ziva's chest. Ziva kissed the top of her head and closed her eyes making tears drop from them.

Tony switched off the bedside lamp and curled behind his daughter, flinging his arm across Ziva's waist protecting both of them from the unseen danger.

A/N: So how was it? Please leave a review before you leave and I'll be happy