The two remained hugging each other for another half an hour as Ziva's sobs quieted to occasional sniffles as tears ran down her cheeks and onto Tony's shirt. Ziva pulled away slowly, wiping her face lightly with her index finger. "I am sorry…" She motioned down to Tony's wet shirt.

"It's okay. It'll dry." Tony shrugged and pulled on the shirt so that it wouldn't stick to him.

"Thank you, Tony." Ziva was staring down into her lap.

"Sure. Anytime." Tony wanted her to talk but was afraid of pushing her again like he had the night before.

"It is always there. It never leaves me." She spoke so quietly that Tony had to lean over towards her to hear her clearly.

"Somalia?"

She nodded simply without responding.

"I didn't realize you still had nightmares about it." Tony admitted.

Ziva nodded again, "Not always. But sometimes, yes."

"Why last night?"

She shrugged a little as if she didn't know, but then replied, "The snow. I do not like to feel trapped."

Tony understood at once. The feeling of being held somewhere, being captive. "Reminds you of another time when you were forced to stay somewhere." It was less of a question, more of a statement.

"Yes."

They sat silently again for a moment, and Tony saw his opportunity. "What happens in the dreams?"

Ziva sighed deeply in attempt to calm herself before she spoke. "Everything that happened while I was there." She paused and he remained silent, waiting for her to continue. "The guards had free reign over me. As long as I was alive, they could do as they pleased. Many of the guards were occasional… visitors. But one guard in particular found me every night."

Tony watched her closely, seeing nervous movements for the first time as she fiddled with the edge of the blanket while she spoke, still looking down and away from him.

"For most of the time I was there, he raped me every day. Sometimes he kept the sack on my head, enjoying the terror that it provided me not to see my attacker. Other times he took it off to watch…or to force me to do other things." Ziva closed her eyes for a moment, taking another deep breath. "He disappeared one day and never returned. He must have been killed. But the new guard that was brought in was not much better. Instead he would find me sporadically, bringing others with him so that they could take turns cheering each other on. If he did not feel up to it on certain days, he would simply beat me, throw me into walls and kick me. Other times he would order me to perform sexual acts on guards or other prisoners as he watched."

She fell silent, studying the blanket as if preoccupied by its fabric and color.

Tony reached over and pulled her into him again, stroking her hair as he wrapped his arms around her, as if protecting her from her past. "I wish I had found you sooner." His own voice was raspy and filled with emotion as he struggled to keep from tearing up at her descriptions, swallowing down the nausea he felt.

"It is okay, Tony. Please do not blame yourself." Her reply was muffled, and he could tell she was crying again.

"I'm so sorry. I know…it's not my fault and apologizing…weakness. Whatever. I am. You have no idea how sorry I am." Tony mumbled into her hair, holding onto her tighter.

Ziva pulled away from him slightly, enough to look up at him. His eyes were rimmed red, though not as deeply as her own. He smiled sadly down at her, stroking her cheek with his thumb. Suddenly, surprising them both, she lifted herself up and pressed her lips against his, placing her right hand at the back of his head and holding him there, savoring the softness of his lips as he returned her kiss.

Tony ended the kiss slowly, and pulled back from her. "Not like this, Zee."

She flushed red, something he had never witnessed before, and then looked back down at her lap. "I am sorry…I should not have…It will not happen again."

"No…no, Ziva, you don't get it." Tony rushed to explain. "I want this. I really want this. But not because you need comforting, not because you're upset and exhausted. I want it to happen because you want it to happen too."

Her eyes flickered back up at him and she studied his face, searching for lies. Satisfied that it was truth, she nodded.

He smiled at her, then noticed how late in the afternoon it had gotten. "Are you hungry? I can heat up some of the leftovers and we can put in another movie or we can talk? Or we can just sit awkwardly together in silence as we eat?" Tony joked lightly.

"A movie is fine. And food would be lovely." Ziva smiled back at him as he stood to make them lunch.

It wasn't until almost an hour later that Ziva suddenly noticed how distant the memories of her nightmares seemed.