Ok, forgive me, I'm still sick. I've edited this chapter about 10 times, and it still isn't just right. plus in a copy and paste action, I managed to loose around 300 words and now I can't get them back, or work out what is missing. SO hopefully it wasn't much. stupid flu!!! stupid kids at work that gave it to me!!! and just in time for the holidays!!! THANKS!!! yes I"m cranky. I WANT WARM chicken soup and someone to offer me pitty!!!! (you wouldn't think i was female with this amount of complaining about being sick, but I'm over being sick already. Half way throuh my hols and haven't been able to enjoy them yet!!!!Plus my head is being done in by this chapter and editing it!!!)

Hope you enjoy it and it's worth reading my whining!!! It makes me feel alittle better that you've even read my boldy bit!!!

Chapter 8

The three men walked up a path of a run down old house in a less then desirable neighbourhood. Paint chipped off the walls and doors there were obviously boards missing from the wooden porch. As they approached the door, Tony peered through the window and then headed towards Gibbs who knocked on the door. There was no sign of life inside. Gibbs walked to the window to look in while Tony continued to knock.

"Who the hell are you?" they heard a woman holler from behind them. They turned to see an aged woman with a cigarette hanging out of her mouth and a paper shopping bag in her arms. "Well, Well, Well, if it isn't little Anthony DiNozzo. Haven't you grown up. Your father still the monstrous bastard he always was?"

"Wouldn't know De."
"So what do you want then?"

"Ms Paxton, we need to ask you some questions about your son." Gibbs said attempting to break into the obvious rift between the two of them.

"Why ask me? Anthony should know everything you need to know about my poor little Marky, after all he's the reason so many bad things have happened to Marcus."

"HEY! What I do to him?"

"after your father kicked us out and you wouldn't have anything to do with him, he attempted suicide several times, he had to be under 24 hour observation for 3 years. All your teasing and womanising destroyed him."

Tony was reeling from that comment. He'd never known just how much his actions had affected Marcus, and how much that made him just like his father.

"Ms Paxton, do you have any idea where Marcus might be?" Gibbs tried to steer her back to the topic at hand.

"No, why would I?"

"he's abducted an NCIS agent, we need to make sure she's alright."

"why would he do that?"

"we believe he's delusional, our agent could be in danger." McGee stated.

"I haven't seen Marcus or this stupid little agent of yours. Can't she take care of herself?"

"That's my wife your talking about Deanna!" Tony yelled, enraged that anyone would refer to her as a stupid little agent.

"Your wife? The famous Anthony DiNozzo got married? What is she… your 4th, maybe 5th wife?"

"My first, my one and only."

"Really? I don't see that lasting long. How long have you been married?"

"well only since Friday," Tony said a little sheepishly, but before he could go on and defend his relationship that had lasted a lot longer then a long weekend, Deanna swooped in...

"Well that explains it! You always treated woman like rubbish, you're just like your father that way. Scratch that, you treat everyone like rubbish, unless you can get something out of them."

McGee and Gibbs rushed to restrain Tony as he stepped forward, that look in his eye, anger, aggression and just a hint of murder.

"Hold him back boys, I'd hate for him to have to be locked up for assaulting an innocent old lady. I can see the headlines now, 'Ungrateful Fed Attacks Sweet Innocent Mother.' I'm sure that would go down well."

"You are not, nor were you ever my Mother Deanna."

"I think it's best that you boys leave now."

"Come on Tony." Gibbs said as he started to walk past her. "If you do see your son, I'd strongly advice you to call us Ma'am." He handed her a card, she took it and walked past the men, and they watched as she unlocked her door and disappeared inside.

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Ziva still lay on the floor, her legs remained bound together, her arms were separately taped to each side of the back of the wooden chair, and her torso was wrapped to the chair with duct tape. Marcus paced the length of the room. He had been doing this for a while. He insanely muttered that there must be respect, and tried to convince himself that Ziva loved him, and that eventually she would also love his mother and they'd be happy. They were ramblings of a mad man. Ziva had used this almost trance like state to her advantage. She had noticed how poorly the chair was constructed and found the tip of a nail protruding from it. Carefully and quietly she repeatedly pierced the tape around her left wrist gradually she was weakening the tape, finally her hand was free, she raced to loosen some more of tape restraining her. It was difficult as she constantly had to stop when Marcus would look at her. She managed to pull the knife concealed at her ankle which would make freeing her feet a lot easier. "You know we could be happy." Marcus continued. He looked at her Ziva then crouched down next to her, seising any actions that might free her. "You know that don't you. Do you remember the bar Ziva, how you'd flirt with me?" Ziva heard the front door open and close. She knew she didn't have much time if she was going to try something. Marcus turned his head when the room to the door opened, the aged woman appearing again. While neither of them where paying attention to her she continued to cut through the tape on her ankles. Suddenly she stopped, had she heard them right, did the woman say that Tony was out there? She began to listen a little closer as they continued to bicker through whispers. "did you get rid of him?" Marcus asked.

"of course I did, but he'll be back, we need to leave, the sooner the better."

"We're not ready yet."

"we're going to have to be. HEY" she screamed. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Ziva's slight movement. Marcus turned round to look Ziva, he ran to her, kneeling beside her. With one sift movement Ziva kicked out Marcus's legs from underneath him. He fell on his back to the floor. Ziva tried frantically to cut the tape on her the wrist. The tape still strapping her body to the chair meant she would be unable to move properly and that included standing up and defending herself. Deanna ran behind her and kicked the knife out of her hand, sending it flying across the room.

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Gibbs turned and looked at his senior field agent. His eyes told a completely different story now. The anger had been replaced with bewilderment. "DiNozzo." He called back to him.

"She knows something boss. She was far to cocky."

"We're not going to find out this way, we'll find her some other way."

"hang on Tony," McGee interjected.

"what is it Probie?" McGee bent down and picked up a small object from the grass.

"isn't this one of the earrings you gave Ziva last Valentines day?" Tony grabbed it from his hand. There is was, simple, elegant, and understated, just like Ziva liked her jewellery.

"She's in there boss."

"You don't know that DiNozzo."

"She's been here boss, and I'll bet she's still here."

Tony ran up the path to the door, he again knocked on it. "Let us in Deanna"

"Go away DiNozzo, he's not here."

"Well then let us in and prove it.

"Why should I?"

From a distant, Tony heard a muffled voice. "Tony!" It was unmistakably Ziva's. That was enough evidence for Tony, he kicked the door in, he and Gibbs raced in, while McGee continued to race around the side of the house to cover the back door. Deanna who stood in the middle of her living room pulled out a gun from the bookcase next to her and pointed it at the agents.

"Put the gun down." Gibbs yelled at her.

"Ziva?" Tony cried out.

"Tony I'm in here." Ziva called out.

"Shut her up" Deanna yelled, it was followed by a loud slapping noise and then Marcus.

"Shut up bitch, you said you loved me."

"I never said that."

"Put the gun down Deanna." Gibbs reiterated pulling DiNozzo back from his concern for Ziva and back to the problem confronting him.

"why the hell should I? I should just kill you now DiNozzo. That would teach you and your father a lesson."

"You have to move on Deanna, yeah, my father's a bastard, I know that better then anyone. We were both screwed over by him."

"Don't you talk about him like that" she screamed at Tony, distress and disgust in her tone. A shot rang out, it was from the gun in Deanna's hand, the gun that was pointed at Tony. Pink mist sprayed form Tony's thigh another shot sounded, this time from Gibb's gun, Deanna fell to the round a small red circle in the middle of her forehead.

"DiNozzo, you alright?"

"Find her Boss, please, you gotta find her."

"Mum?" A door on the side of the living room flung open and Marcus appeared. "Mum?" He looked around the room, then saw Deanna's lifeless body on the ground. "You did this didn't you. You. You're still destroying me life." He yelled as he ran to her side falling to his knees as he neared her.

Was it worth it???