I'm sorry for the delay in posting the new chapter. School is kicking my butt to put it in good context. I'm sticking to weekly updates as much as I can. I just want to thank you for your support and being patient. Enough of my constant rambling and I'll let you read.


He fumbled with the lamp on the nightstand, hurriedly trying to turn it on. He found the switch, hearing it click. His eyes adjusted to the newly soft glow that illuminated itself throughout the room. He turned to look at Ziva, seeing the pained expression painted across her features. She had stopped screaming; instead she had started to whimper.

"Ziva," he replied softly, rubbing her shoulder gently. "Ziva," he replied louder.

"No!" She screamed, waking up with a sudden start. Her hands flew to the first thing she could find, her ninja skills abruptly kicking in.

He reacted quickly, taking her wrists in his hands.

"No!" She yelled. "Don't do this! Please, please don't do this." She continued to struggle against him, despite the hold on her wrists.

"Hey, it's just me. It's Tony. You're alright. No one's going to hurt you," he loudly replied, trying to get her full attention.

"You can't do this!" She replied hysterically, continuing to struggle against him.

"Just stop! I don't want you to hurt yourself, Ziva." He felt her go suddenly limp.

She stopped struggling; finally realizing that it wasn't Bodnar who she was fighting. It was Tony. She blinked a few times, focusing her gaze on him. "Tony," she whispered, tears threatening to fall. "I'm sorry," she sobbed. "I'm so sorry."

He let go of her wrists. "It's okay," he soothed, sitting on the edge of the bed. "You're okay. It was just a bad dream." He pulled her towards him, wrapping his arms around her small frame. "It's okay."

"No, no it is not," she continued to sob, her back against his chest. "Nothing's okay." The tears cascaded down her already wet cheeks.

He held her for a few more minutes. He wanted her to feel safe when she was with him. He would always keep her safe.

She continued to cry, her sobs turning into hiccups. She relaxed against his chest. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

He turned her around so he could see her face. "There's nothing to be sorry about," he wiped away the last few remaining tears. "Do you want to talk about it?" He remained hopeful.

"No," she quickly shook her head. "I can't do this right now, Tony."

"Okay," he didn't push the subject any further.

"Okay," she agreed, turning back around to lean against his chest.

They sat this way for a few minutes, he rubbed her shoulders gently.

She sighed, her thoughts consuming her. She could say that in a way she felt safe with him, but at the same time everything was just so confusing.

He watched her for a few minutes, her breathing becoming slower and even. He waited a minute, before speaking. "Ziva," he whispered.

She didn't respond.

He shifted her against his chest, slowly getting out of the bed. He quietly scooped her up, laying her form flat on the bed. He rubbed her cheek, wiping the last remnant of tears. He covered her up, turning to leave the bedroom.

"Tony," she sleepily mumbled. "Don't leave, please."

"I won't," he looked towards the bed. I'll be right back," he replied.

"Okay," she whispered, exhaustion quickly taking over.

He left the room, making his way over to the linen closet. He opened up the door, pulling out the sleeping bag. His back was going to hurt tonight, but it was worth it.

For her anything was worth it.

He took a pillow from the couch, going back into the bedroom. He unraveled the sleeping bag, placing it beside the bed. He looked at her soft features; sleep had finally taken over her. He turned to turn off the light, before bending down to get into his sleeping bag.

Goodnight, Sweetcheeks.


She woke up the next morning, her eyes slowly adjusting to the sunlight coming through the window. She took in her surroundings. It took her a moment to realize this wasn't her home. Then she remembered that she was currently staying with Tony. She shifted her gaze to the clock on the nightstand.

9:08 AM.

She sighed, starting to get up. She pulled herself up, putting her feet on the ground. Only this time they didn't hit the ground. Instead, they hit something solid. She looked down realizing that Tony was on the floor in a sleeping bag. She pulled her feet back up, afraid that she had woken him. She watched him for a second, but he didn't stir. She moved to the foot of the bed, crawling out of it.

She made her way to the adjacent bathroom, closing the door behind her. She looked at her reflection in the mirror, gasping at her appearance. This was the first time she had looked in the mirror since she woke up only a few days ago. She rubbed her neck with her palms, seeing the faint bruising. She checked the rest of her body for injuries. She found a few more cuts and bruises, feeling uglier just at the sight of them.

She turned on the facet, getting her hands wet. She vigorously rubbed at her neck, until the skin was almost raw. She wanted to get rid of the evidence, she didn't need the physical reminder of her accident. She cried when the hot water didn't do anything. She turned off the facet, leaving the bathroom.

She checked to see if he was still sleeping, before making her way into his closet. She looked at the various suits, setting her eyes on the clothes in the far corner of the closet. She saw the Ohio State University sweatshirt, she rubbed the soft fabric between her fingers. She pulled it off of the hanger, pulling it over her head. She made her way over to the mirror, adjusting the hood to hide the bruising.

She closed the door to his closet, tiptoeing back to the living room. She sat on the couch, leaning her body against the soft cushions. She sighed, closing her eyes.


He placed his palms on the bed, using it for support. He groaned, feeling his back crack at the sudden movements. He got up off the floor, noticing the unmade bed.

Where was she?

He slowly shuffled towards the living room. The sleeping figure on the couch got his attention. He watched from afar, hearing the loud snores coming from her small frame.

For such a small person she could really snore.

He made his way over to the couch. He touched her shoulder gently, trying to wake her. "Do you want to get up, Ziva?" He coaxed her from her sleep.

"No," she mumbled, burying herself deeper into the cushions. "I just want to sleep."

"What if I made some breakfast? Maybe some waffles," he smiled.

"Chocolate chip waffles," she replied, finally opening her eyes.

"Sure. Anything for you," he laughed, reaching his arm out to help her.

She gladly let him pull herself up, pulling the hood tighter around her neck.

"Are you cold?" He questioned, looking at the familiar sweatshirt.

It looks good on her.

"Kind of," she bit her bottom lip nervously.

He noticed the shift in her mood. "Are you okay?"

She shook her head, deciding to show him what she was so upset about. She pulled at the sweatshirt, showing the faint bruising around her neck. "It's bad isn't it?"

He knew that it was already there. "Ziva," he started.

"Don't start Tony," she coldly replied. "You knew it was there. You know everything and yet you won't tell me. Why can't you just tell me?"

"I'm just trying to protect you."

"How are we supposed to get anywhere if you won't even tell me these things?" She started to walk away from him.

"Ziva," he pleaded, reaching for her hand. "Don't shut me out," he gripped her hand.

"It's the only thing I can do. You won't tell me anything, Tony. You refuse to tell me about the accident and where the hell you've been for the past three days," she replied harshly. "I was in the hospital. Your own partner was in the hospital! You give me no choice but to shut you out, Tony." She yanked her hand out of his grip, clearly frustrated with the whole situation.

"Where are you going?" He questioned, watching her walk towards the bedroom.

"I called Abby, she's feeling better. I'm going to go stay with her," she yelled, preparing to pack up her bag.

He walked into the bedroom after her. "You can't just leave," he argued, watching her throw her remaining clothes into the duffel bag.

"Watch me," she pushed past him, heading for the front door. Before she knew it, he gripped her hands. The bag fell to the floor with a thud.

He gently pushed her body up against the bedroom door, being careful not to hurt her. He pinned her arms above her head. He felt the heat radiate throughout his body just at the mere sight of being so close to her.

She gasped at the sudden movement. Her body was almost too close to him for her comfort level. She felt the heat rise to her cheeks, her breathing becoming heavier.

He looked into her chocolate brown eyes, trying to compose himself. They stared at each other for a moment, before he decided to speak. "You can't just leave me," he whispered.

"Please, Tony," she begged. "Tell me what's wrong."

He released her arms, backing slowly away from her. He missed her touch, but she had a right to know the secrets he was keeping from her. Otherwise, she was going to leave him and he didn't want her too.

"Tony," she pleaded, stepping towards him. "Tell me. What else happened? Where have you been?" The millions of questions raced through her mind.

He sighed, before starring straight at her. "All I can do is show you."


I hope you enjoyed the chapter. The next chapter will show where Tony was those three days and Ziva will find out about the rest of the accident. How do you think she will react when she finds out Tony was the one who saved her? In case you forgot, he never got that far in telling her the story about her accident. Leave a comment on what you think will happen next. Thanks for the constant reviews and followers! You guys make this story worth the while.