Another chapter into it, sorry this one took a few days I have been a busy woman :P Thank you to all the reviews and thoughts I have gotten so far at this point in the story, hope you enjoy this chapter and I'd love to hear more of your thoughts as the story evolves.

Hundan.

He watches her from across the bullpen and he can tell she'd slept at least some of the night. She looks slightly rested, and that was a good thing. This morning at breakfast at the Gibbs house it had been rather quiet, except for the discussions about Alef and how they would find him. Right now they were working on a lead, McGee was trying to track down some sort of cyber lead, Abby had figured out the type of pen Alef had used to draw the tattoo and she had that running through the system to find where you can buy it from.

Right then Gibbs' phone started ringing and all eyes went right to him. As soon as the person on the other end said something -you wouldn't notice if you hadn't been working with him for ten years- but his face stiffened briefly.

"Okay, Got it" Gibbs replied and hung up the phone.

"Grab your gear" Gibbs instructed. They didn't need to ask him what it was to know, they weren't taking up any other cases right now. Gibbs rounded his desk and stood in front of Ziva as she went to step out from behind her desk. McGee and Tony kept walking to the elevator but Tony was watching very closely. Gibbs leant in closer to Ziva and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Ziver, if you think its best, you don't have to come" he said quietly. He knew she was going to come along anyway, no matter what he said. She was determined to beat Alef, face him and take everything he did to scare her head on. However he wanted her to know that she had the choice, that the offer and advice was there.

"No, it is alright Gibbs. I will be fine" she stated. He smiled slightly, there was that tough ex-assassin Gibbs knew well coming through the cracks in their new Ziva. He knows she is still scared about what Alef wants to do to her, but so far she wasn't scared of the tricks he is playing to get to her head. She won't be intimidated by a murdered woman, she sees them all the time -as sad as that sounds- but it was her job. He hopes this won't affect her, it might do in the long run. He'll just have to keep an eye on her.

And he won't be the only one. He knows if he misses anything Tony will definitely see it. He doesn't miss much that involves Ziva. But he's not going to think too much into the reason why that is. Again.

I didn't think she would come. Maybe I thought too less of her. She arrives with her team and she walks up to the next bookstore I chose, there's a body inside and I took pleasure in killing the young woman last night. I pictured she was Ziva when I killed and raped her though. It made me just that much more excited to finally do those things to Ziva herself.

Two of the men she's with I recognize. They were the two men she stayed with last night. I've done my research, the house was Leroy Jethro Gibbs' home, he's the older one with grey hair. I know he's a marine sniper, very decorated, but I'm not afraid of him. I know I'm better than him. And the younger one? Well he wasn't younger, he was a good few years older than Ziva. He's Anthony DiNozzo, I don't see him as a tactical threat, more as a clingy one.

There's this weird way that he looks at Ziva when she walks around. His eyes hardly leave her. I'm pretty sure he's fucking her. However I don't know if their boss knows this, he slept on the couch away from her last night. And he hovers around her, always staying close. He's definitely going to get in the way.

Even though Ziva seems confident now, I know when she sees another woman looking just like her, that it'll start to get into her head. There's something about repetition that makes things stick in your mind. And I'll always have another body for her in the morning, just to dig myself a little deeper in her mind. I want to scare her so much that she begs at my feet, I want her to cry for mercy at my feet like a weak defeated woman.

She hates it before she enters the new crime scene. Bookstores were a place of peace and somewhere to relax, he was stripping that thought from her mind more and more each time he leaves a bloody murder in one for her to find. The heat of the day has made this smaller bookstore stuffy and hot. It also doesn't help the smell hanging in the air. She scrunches her nose as the sent really hits her and she walks around a desk to find the bare woman splayed across the floor.

And just like the last one, she looks just like herself. Tan skin, dark curly hair, the face, the cut, the tattoo. It makes her heart rate pound against her ribcage even more than it did before. It doesn't help knowing that this is exactly what Alef wants to do to her, that's why he's doing it to these women after all.

She's here to do her job, not to just tag along and witness the scene someone has played out in their mind for her to end up in. She picks up the camera that hangs loosely at her neck and starts snapping away pictures. The girl lying naked on the floor didn't deserve this, and she can't help but feel slightly responsible. But she knows not to think like that, she can feel Tony's eyes heavy on her and she knows he'll say it's not her fault. That it has nothing to do with her.

And he's right. She just needs the thought of his opinion to show her that. For some reason the heat of today's summer was really getting to her, she was beginning to sweat and feel hot. She unzips her windbreaker and tugs at the clingy material of the shirt underneath. And it's not just her that's affected by the weather. Tony had forgone the windbreaker all together and had lost the jacket and rolled his sleeves. McGee had done much the same. And Gibbs, well Gibbs just continued to wear everything –sport coat and all- like he didn't feel the heat.

As soon as Ducky had given his opinion, saying that this murder was almost, if not identical to the one previous, they had finished collecting all the evidence they could and headed out. The air she hoped to be cooler outside wasn't much different to the tight heat in the store. Outside the sun scorched their skin as soon as it found the uncovered surface of their arms and necks. The heat wasn't helping her stress.

She got to the rear of the van as she placed the equipment in the back and she felt Tony join her. She knew it was him. Why? Because he hadn't left her space since they got here. And honestly, it was comforting. She didn't have to look over her shoulder every five seconds to make sure her back was safe, because he had her back. As he joined her at the back of the van he dug in his pack for something, pulling out a water bottle, holding it out to her.

"Here, you need some water in you, it's hot" he said quietly. And she took the bottle without protest of any sort, she wanted a cool drink, she needed it. She didn't want to get sunstroke in this heat anyways. She opened the cap and took a big long sip of the cool water before handing it back to him. He smiled softly at her before taking his own drink.

"Thank you" she stated and then he handed it to her again. Was it strange that they casually shared a drink like this and it didn't bother them one bit? The fact that they didn't even wipe the lip of the bottle before taking a drink after the other just had?

"You're welcome" he replied. He watched her for a moment, watched her as she took a drink from his bottle. When she handed it back again he watched her look over to the bookstore they had just come out of.

"How you holding up?" he suddenly said quietly. Her head slowly turned back around to him, eyes settling on his.

"Yeah, I'm alright" she replied softly. He nodded.

"But the heats not helping your stress?" he asked. He was gentle in the way he said it, knowing it was a subject he had to go by in that calming way. How did he know what she was thinking?

"Yeah" she replied, nodding at his assumption. He was about to say something else but McGee joined them at the back of the van and Tony knew not to continue this type of conversation in front of anyone else. Ziva wouldn't want McGee thinking she's worried by this case. McGee sometimes still thinks of her as a tough assassin, he doesn't know her soft side fully as much as Tony does.

Tony could tell Gibbs was getting more moody. They hadn't made much progress that day and that fact had him getting a little more on edge. He'd dismissed him and Ziva an hour ago and he and McGee had stayed at the office, hoping to find something new on Alef. Tony hopes McGee will be alright with the moody boss by himself, Tony's trained the Probie and he hopes it will pay off.

Ziva's in his bathtub right now, he suggested it. He knows she likes her baths and he knows she needs to relax, let some of the stress be unwound. And he's standing in the lounge, peering out the window. Making a quick scan of the street. Nothing hinky. He's watching because something in his gut doesn't feel right. He leaves the window and walks back down the hallway, walking past the bathroom and wondering how she is.

He walks up to the door and leans his forehead against the wood. He knows no one can get into his bathroom from the outside but he still doesn't feel like he should leave her out of his sight. He hesitantly knocks on the door.

"You alright in there?" he asks. He's pretty sure he's asked if she's alright way too much lately, but he can't help but to keep asking.

"Yes Tony, I am fine" she replied, the same thing she had continuously said for most of the day. Sure she said that because at the moment she was handling it. But with what she said last night, he knows that may change. He just nods at himself and he keeps standing there. He doesn't know why, he just does. And after a few minutes she somehow knows.

"Tony if you're just going to stand out there you can just come in" she said through the door. Did he hear right? He must have. He brought his hand to the door handle and held it there for a moment, wondering if going in the bathroom while his partner was naked in his bathtub was normal. He guessed that between them, nothing was normal. They didn't have that personal space between them, they were very open partners.

He slowly opened the door and took one step into the bathroom. He was glad he did, she looked so relaxed, and it brought comfort seeing that. And he was safe from temptation, she'd found his bubble bath stuff and gone ahead and used some, so she was hidden from his view. Thank god for bubbles, he knew if she was bare to him he wouldn't be able to keep his eyes off her. And he needs to keep his head on straight, he's on her protection detail. Not that they would ever call it that because Ziva doesn't feel the need to be protected.

He quietly walks in and sits himself on the edge of the tub, looking down at her. He can tell there is something she wants to say right now, so he stays quiet.

"You know, you do not need to keep asking how I am Tony" she smiled lightly "It's comforting but if how I am changes, I will let you know. I promise" she said, a little bit more serious.

"Alright, sorry" he said. She shook her head and lifted her hand out of the tub, placing her hand on his thigh. He didn't care that her hand was wet and it was soaking through the fabric of his pants.

"Don't be sorry" she replied. He stared down at her, her eyes were locked on his and he couldn't help but think this was nice personal moment between them. Alef forgotten about, it was just the two of them. It seemed right now that nothing else mattered.

"Okay, I won't be" he replied. He didn't know what made him do it but he brought his hand down and placed it over her one on his leg, wrapping his fingers around her hand. She stared at him, he stared at her. This was one of the moments they share that he's not really sure about, the type of one that has him wondering if he made his move, took their relationship somewhere further, that she will follow him with no regrets.

"What do you want me to cook you for dinner?" Tony asked and a smile spread across her face. It wasn't often Tony cooked, but when he did, god did she love his cooking.

"You're going to-" she began but her sentence was stopped short when a loud crash came from inside Tony's apartment. Tony was on his feet in a second, grabbing the weapon from his waist. He turned and looked at her.

"You stay right there, you hear me?" he demanded, she hadn't seen him so authoritative to her before, and he was serious. And what he said wasn't a question, it was a statement. When he disappeared from the room she climbed out of the tub and got dressed, grabbing her weapon. He always had her six, she wasn't going to leave his unattended.

Tony walked into his hallway and made his way towards the kitchen, he couldn't hear any more noise, he was on high alert right now. He stepped into his kitchen and before he could react a knife was flying in his direction and it lodged right into his shoulder. He cried in pain but still lifted his gun up and fired at the man standing at the other side of his kitchen.

Alef ducked behind Tony's counter and Tony slowly approached.

"Show yourself you bastard" Tony called out, anger was running through his veins a mile a minute. Tony pulled the knife out of his shoulder and threw it on the floor. Right now he wasn't worried about himself, all he was worried about was protecting Ziva.

Tony stepped towards his counter, with great caution as he did. Another knife came flying in his direction, this time he was able to dodge the attack. Then suddenly Alef stood, Tony went to fire but before he could one of his frying pans were coming right at him, crashing into his arm that held his weapon, knocking it from his grip. And yeah, that had hurt.

The man that he doesn't know but has more hate for than anyone, advanced on him right now, and Tony was going to take this fate head on. Because anything that meant he could keep Ziva safe, he would do.

"You are much more in the way then I thought you would be" Alef said, his deep, rough voice smothered in anger.

"And you a lot more stupid then I thought" Tony snapped back before striking a punch, a good right hook if he were to judge, into the side of Alef's face. And for some reason it looked as though Alef hadn't expected that. Alef gripped Tony by the throat. He said nothing, all he did was growl in his face.

"Let him go Alef" Ziva called out from across the room, saying that name to his face was hard. Seeing him right now, staring at her and choking her partner, was very hard. She had a gun pointed in their direction but Alef smiled because he knew, just knew, she wouldn't use it when her partner was in the crossfire. Tony tried to speak, but it proved harder than he thought.

"Not when doing it makes you suffer" Alef grinned. He knew these two had something between them, he could almost smell it right now. Especially with how protective Ziva is becoming for the man in his hands.

"I will shoot" Ziva threatened.

"You're not going to shoot with him right in front of me, put the weapon down" Alef demanded. She would not lower her weapon. Alef used one of his hands to hold Tony's throat while he brought the other to the knife wound in Tony's shoulder, and he gripped it tight with his hand. Tony winced in pain.

"Put it down" Alef continued. Ziva still didn't back down. Only when Alef dug his fingers deep in Tony's wound and her partner let out a restricted scream, even with his throat held tight, she heard the raw pain in his voice. She placed the weapon down, she will have nothing happen to Tony because of her, and her past.

Once she had placed it down Alef smiled and he quickly hit Tony across the face where he fell to the floor and Alef advanced towards Ziva, when he got close he noticed her take a sharp breath in. He had shaken her with his murders. She was afraid. He reached out to touch her and she slapped his hand away. Anger grew in him and he gripped her wrist.

"You think you can beat me this time? Oh, I don't think so. You've grown weak" he snapped. She'd made him angry, her partner had made him angry.

"You won't get away with this" she stated. He laughed.

"I have planned this for a long time my dear Ziva, nothing will get in my way" he stated. A smile flickered on her features, he frowned.

"Why are you smiling?" he asked, his voice not pleased with her reaction one bit.

"Because you underestimate the people I work with" she said, smiling. He growled and one sharp backhand across her face had her one the ground. He definitely knew exactly where to strike when taking out his opponents.