A/N: Thank you so much for reviewing! I know it's been a while since I last pasted, but school is just insane. The next three weeks are going to be so chaotic for me, but I plan on updating at least once between now and then. After school ends, there should be weekly updates. I hope you enjoy chapter eleven!(:

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Chapter Eleven

Thursday October 4th, 2012...

Unruly chocolate brown curls tumbled unceremoniously down her shoulders. Her being laid collapsed upon the sterile tile ground and each shallow breath soon grew deeper and steadier as time ticked on. The foul taste of cheap vodka remained in her mouth, and she refused to relocate to her bedroom, as she wished to be near the toilet at her unsettled stomach's unexpected command. Her usually olive toned skin, seemed to have faded to a pale white at the time, and the Israeli simply appeared exhausted. The heavy weight of the past few weeks was barely able to balance on her frail shoulders, and she wondered how long it would take for it to crush her. Though, she was not left to think of such things, as her longtime friend returned to her post at the frame of the bathroom door.

Two Hours Earlier...

The chilling wind whipped across Tony's bare face, and the howl of the wind sounded through the creaking limbs of the trees that surrounded him. Accompanying the primordial howl came the faint sound of men chanting numbers increasing in increments of one. Curious and suffering from insomnia, the Italian followed the distant chanting as it grew louder with every step in the voice's direction. The crowd of men had just reached the number 17 just as he arrived to investigate the scene. In front of him was Ziva, carelessly downing shots of vodka as she was egged on by the crowd. It was evident that she was heavily intoxicated by her wobbling movements, an uncharacteristic toothy grin, and the fact that more vodka was spilling onto her clothes, than into her mouth. Tony called out to her,

"Ziva?"

The Israeli whipped around and slurred,

"Tooooony!Iamsogladyoufinallycame!"

She tried to stand, but only resulted in tumbling down onto the forest floor. DiNozzo quickly made his way over to her and said, "Ninja, it's time for you to go back to your cabin."

Ziva protested,

"Noooo!IamhavingfunTooooony"

Though, he did not listen. He picked her up, and carried her bridal style. Now, he would've simply thrown her over his shoulder, but fearing that she would vomit, he decided against it. Even while intoxicated, David put up a hell of a fight. She relentlessly pounded her fists against his chest and failed her feet around in attempt to kick him as she demanded to be released from his grasp. However, her slurred requests fell upon deaf ears, and soon the two were on the cabin porch. He knocked on the door, hoping Jenny's friendly face would greet him, but he had no such luck. Before him stood Leroy Jethro Gibbs, and the gunny's famous stare felt as if it were boring into his soul. Tony did not even explain what he believed had transpired, he simply stated,

"She needs water, lots of it. Also, a bathroom that can be used just by her and someone looking after her around the clock tonight."

The older man's calloused hands ran expertly down the side of the boat with only a piece of sandpaper separating them from the currently rough wood. He worked in complete silence expecting DiNozzo to spill everything to him. Though, when the teenager did not, he gruffly demanded,

"Explain."

And so, Tony told him what had happened only a couple of hours before.

Curls created a thick curtain of darkness in front of her nauseated face. The far too bright kitchen lights and her pounding headache forged an agonizing partnership that when mixed were a torturous reminder of last night's events. The voice of her female friend seemed at much too high of a volume as she mockingly greeted,

"Good morning Cousin It"

She arched her eyebrow as she grumbled,

"Who?"

She padded around the kitchen cluelessly searching for the Froot Loops. As she inspected the pantry, she noticed that the cereal that she had grown rather accustomed to eating most mornings was nowhere to be found. Irritated, she asked,

"Where are the Froot Loops?"

The familiar gruff voice of the gunny boomed as he stated,

"You ate them all last night."

Simultaneously, Jenny said,

"You drunkenly binged on them last night, and ended up finishing them. Speaking of last night w-"

Gibbs then cut in,

"Ziva, what the hell were you thinking?"

He asked as he took his usual seat at the coffee table. Ziva joined him shortly after, nursing a glass of orange juice that Jenny had been so kind to pour for her. She took her seat, but remained silent. Gibbs prompted,

"Anytime now Ziva."

Velvet curtains retreated to reveal a fifteen-year-old Ziva David standing at the ready upon a freshly swept stage. The music was cued, and the girl who looked oh-so-innocent turned into a pained child as her feet flexed high into the sky. Raw emotion could be seen as she furiously whipped through her turns and clawed at the projected stars above her. Each step told part of larger story, one of pain, one of sadness, and one of triumph. Each motion caused the plot to continue as she moved gracefully across the stage.

Finally, the music stopped, and left an out of breath Israeli collapsed upon the stage floor. Slowly, she rose, and made her exit from the stage for the final time.

Timidly, she unlocked the heavy wooden door that lead into her home. Performance makeup still caked her face and she was still clad in her figure hugging costume. As she entered, all seemed quiet at the late hour, until her father's voice beckoned her into the study,

"Ziva!"

Obediently, she made her way to him and placed a kiss on his aging cheek,

"Shalom Abba."

Quickly, she took a seat in front of his desk as she customarily did whenever she was in the study with him. However, he offered her no greeting, simply cut to the point as he always seemed to do.

"I was informed by your tutor that you missed you afternoon classes, and later your training instructor visited me in my office saying that you were not at training. Care to explain?"

He slid his chair back, and neared her seat. Silently, he circled her, as if she was a one of men he interrogated. The young adult responded,

"My dance recital. You promised to be there, due to the fact that Ima and Tali are in Haifa visiting Aunt Nettie. Toda for being there..."

A chuckle escaped his lips as he began,

"A silly dance recital? Ziva, you know that I have no time to attend such a meaningless thing."

"...You promised Abba!"

Unexpectedly, she felt his calloused hand connect with her olive toned cheek, and she gazed up at him distantly. Her father accompanied his blow with his sharp words,

"You should not be wasting your time with dance! Training should be your first, and your sole priority besides your studies. You should keep it above everything else."

"But Abba!"

She protested, though the only response she was given was a well aimed punch to her jaw. Her hand flew to her face, and fat tears rolled down her cheek. What had she done?

The door to the study clicked to a close as her father exited leaving her to suffer in pain.

Minutes had passed, and impatiently Jenny snapped,

"Answer him, Ziva."

Gibbs peered into the Israeli's haunted chocolate orbs and saw all the pain that she had endured reflected in them. Anger towards her father coursed through his veins, as he thought the man doesn't know how lucky he is to still have a daughter. Pain sat heavy in his heart at the remembrance of his deceased daughter Kelly and he responded to Jenny,

"She already did."

Please Review! My goal is to reach 136 reviews before I post chapter twelve!(: