Author's Note: Special thanks to CSI-GSR-BILLY-LOVER, PlushItBunny, Abberz the Awesome, and nicolasdes for their reviews! I'll try to send you guys the reply for your comments next week! ^_^

WARNING: This chapter touches the topic of domestic abuse, so if you want to skip it, that's okay. I'll post the next chapter by tomorrow, instead. :)

DISCLAIMER: Anything publicly recognizable is not mine.

Chapter Ten

The sound of terrified sobs, along with a desperate pleading, alerted Ziva of the commotion happening inside the apartment as she walked up the stairs. As she drew closer, she heard shouted litany of hurtful speeches coming forth from the man she identified as Charlie Johnston. She checked the number nailed on the door and compared it with the address Abby gave to her in her memory. Apartment 3 of 1436 Blackwell.

It was the correct one.

"You want to say that again? Huh? Or do you want to lie again?"

"No! No! I didn't tell him anything, Charlie. Please!"

"You—"

A slap. A frail body crashed against a furniture. Ziva's anger towards Johnston intensified as she construed what was happening. She kicked the door open, and then stepped inside the dimly lit room.

She spotted Lyndi on the floor, patches of bruises and scratches all over her face, her arms, and her neck. She held a surprised expression on her face. Her reddened eyes gave away the fact that she had been crying for a while. In front of her stood the same person Ziva saw on the TV show. He was unscathed, save for the black eye he had. He regarded the unwelcome visitor with irritation.

However, it did not faze her.

"Who are you?" Johnston walked towards Ziva, incensed. He lifted up his hand in an attempt to grab her by her shirt's collar. "And who gave you the right to—"

Before he could touch her, Ziva hit him on the nose with the base of her palm. Johnston fell backwards, staggering until he was off his feet. He quickly got back up, nonetheless. He touched his bleeding nose momentarily, assessing the damage done, before he attacked again with his tightly-balled fist. Ziva grabbed his wrist, twisted it, and then pushed him hard against the cemented wall.

"No! Charlie!" Lyndi cried.

"Let go of me!" Johnston struggled to free himself from her grasp. "I can have you arrested for trespassing and assault!"

"And I can put you to jail for battery, attempting to assault a federal officer, and stealing," Ziva said.

"I didn't touch you, and I didn't steal anything," Johnston spat through gritted teeth.

"Does the name Thom E. Gemcity strike a chord in your brain?" Ziva asked, narrowing her eyes.

"I should have known. He sent you." Johnston scoffed. "I told him already. No one would believe him anymore," he said spitefully. "The novel is published under my name. I made that known to him when he confronted me last week." He tightened his jaws more as he remembered the incident. Too much emotion consumed him that he failed to notice that Ziva's grasp loosened upon hearing that Tim had seen him not too long ago. "That fool," he continued. "He thought that hitting me would make any difference." He turned his head a bit to face her. "And what you do will not matter, either. The book is mine."

"Lyndi," Ziva swiveled to the woman. "What do you think? Is the book his?"

Lyndi swallowed. Her legs quivered as she attempted to stand up. She eyed Johnston warily as if she was trying to measure what the man could do to her if she gave the wrong answer. Then, she gazed at Ziva pleadingly. "I. . ." she began but failed to finish her words.

Johnston snickered. "That scum wouldn't tell you anything," he muttered.

Mixed fear and hurt shadowed Lyndi's eyes, and Ziva understood. She twisted Johnston's arm more, causing him to yelp in pain. Lyndi gasped. Ziva toned down her grip.

"Agent David, I—I think we should go," Lyndi said. "It's just not worth it."

Ziva looked at her for a while before she let go. Johnston faced her immediately, but something in him stopped him from trying to get even again. Ziva smirked when she saw the discolored skin around his eye. She followed Lyndi, but she stopped when she got to the door. "I probably should let you know," she said. "I will make sure that Tim will get his book back and by the end of all this, you will have nothing." With that, she left.

Lyndi was standing outside under the cool September night when she came out. The woman was staring at the ground beneath her feet, although her thoughts, Ziva knew, were focused on something different. The displeasure she reserved for her were temporarily squelched. "Do you have a ride home?" she asked, causing the publisher to jump in surprise.

Lyndi weakly smiled. "No," she responded, "but I can take the bus. My apartment is not that far away from here."

Ziva smiled, calling to mind the publisher's address Abby also gave her. "I do not think forty-nine miles is that close, either," she said. Lyndi creased her eyebrows. "Come on. I will explain on the way to your home."

The invitation was hesitantly accepted. Ziva could feel the awkwardness Lyndi had on getting inside the vehicle. It wasn't until they turned on the highway that she spoke. "Is it safe to assume that you know where I live?" she asked, her voice near to a mere whisper.

Ziva did not respond.

Lyndi nodded. "You know where Charlie lives and where I live," she continued. "I'm guessing that it's because of the book."

Silence.

"You've read it?"

Ziva glanced at her.

"I thought you would have by now," Lyndi smiled. "Tim told me the book was for y—. . . a special someone. Did you know that?"

"Why did you think I came this far for you and Johnston?" Ziva asked, fired up by the remembrance of the dedication. In her periphery she saw her guest frozen, terrified by the spark of anger she sensed. Ziva eased. She sighed. "I apologize."

"No. No. You shouldn't," Lyndi started to cry silently. "I know. I have let Tim down again. If I can just turn back time, I wouldn't have given in to Charlie. I was so stupid to get so carried away! I should've known."

"You should've known what?"

"I should've known that he would take the book," Lyndi sniffled. "Charlie was a new writer when we took him in," she recounted. "His stories weren't really that good, but before we could kick him out he asked me for another chance. He asked me for help. He was a charming young man, and I felt bad for him, so I let him stay. I talked to Tim about mentoring Charlie. Nice guy that he is, he agreed. Under Tim's and my supervision, we taught him. Charlie and I got close, and it didn't take long after until we started dating. Tim warned me, saying that there's something that doesn't feel right with that man. I didn't listen." She paused briefly, wiping the tears off her eyes with the back of her hand as guilt flooded inside her. "The same time Charlie and I were dating, Tim worked on his new novel. He didn't mention anything to anyone about it except me. A few months, just after he gave me the manuscript for editing, Charlie began asking if Tim had any new books coming up. I didn't answer at first. That's when he—" she stopped, afraid to continue on.

Ziva knew. "It's okay," she reassured her.

Lyndi took in a breath of air before doing what she was encouraged to do. "That's when he started hurting me. It was just grabbing my arms really tight at the beginning, but then he got angrier and angrier until it came to the point that he started hitting me. He kept telling me it was my fault that he hurts me. He said he loves me, and that it wouldn't have come to this if I just do what he said. Tim started suspecting that something horrible was happening, but I wouldn't tell him even if he kept asking me.

"After two more months, Charlie said that he thought our relationship wasn't working out, and he didn't love me anymore. He said he doesn't deserve a person like me. I got scared. I loved him so much even if he. . .even if he was doing those things to me. I begged him to stay, but he wouldn't. I resorted to the last option I had to keep him—surrender Tim's story. When I did, Charlie was so pleased with me. He said he'd give me another chance. He read the story, he loved it, and he told me to publish it under his name. . .and I did," Lyndi wept, the despair in her sobs resonating against the walls of the car. Ziva's ire turned into pity as compassion came to her. "I am so sorry, Agent David, but I did," Lyndi continued. "I was such an idiot! I'm so. . .I'm so. . ."

"You did not know what to do," Ziva consoled her.

Lyndi shook her head. "But I still have to make things right," she said. "That's what I came there for—at Charlie's apartment? I wanted to call it off with him and to tell him that I'm giving back Strike the Walls to Tim." She started to chuckle, which garnered a frown from Ziva. "By Charlie's black eye, I could tell that Tim had already talked to him about it. Well, that and the fact that he was blaming me on the fight he had with him." Lyndi sighed. "Although, I wish Tim would have told me about it when he met with me at that café two weeks ago."

"You saw him? Was he hurt?" Ziva worriedly asked.

"No," Lyndi answered. "He was fine. Never mentioned anything, like I said. He only told me that he was worried about me. He knew. He talked me into my decision tonight. I was scared, but he said that he would make sure that Charlie would not hurt me anymore. More than a week ago, Tim introduced me to a specialist on abusive relationships."

"How did it go?"

Lyndi shrugged. "Good, I guess," she replied. "It was awkward, but Tim was always there to help me through it. That's why I feel so guilty. I still love Charlie, though I shouldn't anymore. But on top of it all, I feel so embarrassed to Tim." She chuckled. "He's like my little brother, you know? He does his best to protect me from harm despite the fact that I was the one who sold his story to his mentee."

Ziva smiled. A warm feeling covered her heart as she thought of Tim's kindness to Lyndi. Thinking about his departure, she supposed that Lyndi was the tenth reason. He wanted to make sure she was faring fine and was safe from any harm.

At the same time, she hoped he one day he'd take their story back from Johnston.

Their story. That sounded funny. She was assuming again that it was for her when it may be for his wife. Tom and Zelda were Tim and his wife. Not Tim and her.

Slowing down to the parking lot of Lyndi's apartment, a tint of despair grew in her. She wanted to ask Lyndi if she had anyway of contacting him, but her uncertainty made her doubt if she wanted to see him any longer.

"He likes you, you know that?"

The question pierced through her thoughts. Turning to the source of the question, she found her guest out of the car, a knowing smile on her face as she looked at her through the open window. "I'm sorry?" she said.

"Tim. He likes you," Lyndi continued. "He talks about you a lot." She chuckled. "He's like a little boy in love."

Ziva smiled.

"Look. I trust that both of you would make your story a happily ever after. I don't know what the deal is with Tim's logic of staying away from you until all of his problems are over, but—"

"He told you?"

Lyndi nodded. "But then again, maybe he has a good explanation for doing so. He's dealing with a lot of stuff, and I don't think he wants you to get caught in the middle. He just cares for you."

"Thank you," Ziva replied, a seed of hope planted in her soul, "Lyndi."

"I should be the one to thank you," Lyndi said, stepping away. "Oh. Agent David?"

"Yes?"

"His favorite café at Downtown DC? Maybe you'll find him there," Lyndi said.

Ziva nodded again.

Lyndi smiled at her before withdrawing to her apartment. She hoped that she would find Tim soon. She thought they shouldn't be apart any longer.

Ziva, while she drove away, thought otherwise. She wanted to see Tim so bad but somehow, that determination waned down into a mere dream, into a wishful fancy.

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