Chapter 3 – Silent Tears

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Disclaimer: Still don't own NCIS

Chapter 3 – Silent Tears

Abby's eyes flickered open. It took a moment for them to adjust to the darkness of the room. It still must have been only early hours of the morning. She looked around, but couldn't see much. She realized that she was sitting on a metal chair, it was bolted to the concrete floor beneath her feet. She tied to move her hands only to realise that they were tied with, what felt like rope, behind her back. Her feet were in a similar state. A thicker rope was wound around her chest and the back of the chair, binding them together.

Her eyes had finally adjusted and she scanned the room again. It was completely empty, other than four blank, white walls and a metal door that was tightly shut. There was no escape this time, she really was trapped.

A slow creak of the metal door filled the Goth with fear. She hoped it was Gibbs or McGee. Tony or Ziva. Anyone who could help her. She prayed they had found her, though a sinking feeling in her stomach reminded her that she was probably wrong. The three men from the attack at her apartment didn't enter the room. It was someone else. Not as well built, when it came to muscles, though his figure seemed strong enough to restrain her if he had to. As the man stepped out of the darkness of the door frame, horror struck her and her emerald eyes filled with terror. She knew this man, and he knew her. This was going to be painful, and all she suddenly was praying for was a quick, painless death.

The team was back at the office now, excluding Gibbs who had gone for coffee several minutes earlier. They sat at their desks in the bullpen. Working hurriedly, but still lost in their troubled thoughts. Suddenly from out of no-where Gibbs walked into the bullpen, coffee in hand.

He called sternly at his team "Talk to me."

All three members hurriedly stood, grabbing the files they had been working on, and briskly walked to the centre point of the desks where Gibbs now stood. Ziva held the remote in her hand to change the images on the screen that they now all faced.

She clicked the button and as an image of the apartment appeared on the screen, she said "Abby's apart..." she faulted under Gibb's stern gaze now directed at her, she quickly rephrased the sentence she had started "The crime scene was covered in debris and blood, obviously caused by a struggle." Tony grabbed the remote from the Israeli's hand and took over as he noticed his team member struggling to keep her emotions in check. Rarely a problem for Ziva.

"We have no fingerprints, other than Abby's, on anything in the apartment. These guys know what they were doing, Boss".

"So we have nothing." Gibbs said gruffly. "You tell me the minute you find something! That better be by the time I get back!" With that, he left the bullpen entering the lift.

The team sat down again and Tony looked over at Ziva, obviously concerned. Ziva never opened up to anyone and rarly showed her feelings to other people. Maybe he had been wrong. Maybe, just maybe, Ziva was more of a sister to Abby than he knew.

I few minutes later, Ziva rose from her desk and said to her team, rather quietly. "I will be back in a moment."

She proceeded to move, quite quickly, towards the elevator. Tony didn't particularly want to leave Tim right now, but Ziva needed him, and he would be there for her.

"I'll be back in a sec, Probie." He called as he ran to catch the elevator before the doors closed. He made it and stepped inside. When the lift doors shut for good and the elevator started moving, Tony flicked the emergency stop switch. He turned to face Ziva. Their eyes met, and they locked on each other for a few moments before something that had never happened before, happened. Ziva broke down. She started sobbing softly, tears falling gently from her now closed eyes. Tony moved over to where she stood and wrapped his arms around her. He had expected her to try and push away from his embrace, though instead, she crumbled into it. Her hands gripped the front of his T-shirt and her head rested against his chest. He held her more firmly with his hands resting on her back and just let her cry. Her tears soaked through his shirt. Tony stroked her hair softly with one hand, the other holding her to him.

"Tony." She sobbed, her head still resting on his chest. "I'm so worried about her."

He pulled her into his arms even tighter and just whispered into her ear. "I know." He paused for a moment before he continued, "me too."

She relaxed her grip on his shirt and looking into his strong eyes, silent tears still running down her face. She seemed to suddenly realise just how much she had opened up to him, in a way that she had never done before. She took a few hasty steps away from him and turned to face the closed metal doors of the lift. Ziva wiped her tears on the sleave of her shirt, sniffed back the tears that she had now forbidden to fall. Tony looked at her. She was trying to hide her feelings again, and Tony refused to let her recoil back into her shell. She needed to know that it was ok, and that she could always cry on his shoulder.

"Ziva" He said softly. She turned, once again, to face him. Once he held her gaze, he continued "You can always lean on me. I will always be a shoulder you can cry on. Don't forget that."

She took in what he had said and after a few moments, she replied "I won't, I trust you, Tony" She choked back the emotion in her voice. Once again Tony held her against him. Not another word was spoken for minutes, as the pair stood, entwined into one another's warm embrace. The crying woman one again held firmly in Tony's arms.

Please review. This is my first shot at a touching/romantic moment. Please tell me what you think! :D I can't wait to hear from you all!