Team Gibbs receives Widow's message and begins working a new angle. Meanwhile, Ziva struggles with the realization that she needs to let go of some control.

"Why on earth did they call us for this?" McGee asked, noting that the dead woman they'd been called out for did not come up as any relation to anyone in the military, nor had she ever even worked as a contractor on any military base.

"Um," called out Palmer as he and Ducky lifted the body to bring it back to the Navy Yard, "Maybe this is why?"

The concrete in the alley upon which the dead woman had been lying was covered in blood. That, in itself, was not unusual. Brutal murders tended to bring about their fair share of blood, seeping and oozing from its origin point to paint the ground in a most unsettling way. This blood, however, scrawled a message, chilling in both its blatancy and its audacity: "FOR ZIVA DAVID."

"Widow?" Thompson suggested, though her interjection was wholly unnecessary. Everyone at the scene knew that there was only one possible culprit. Pruitt busied himself with photographing the scene now that the victim had been removed and the message had been unearthed.

"What do we know about her?" Gibbs piped up, his head bent down slightly to meet with the hand that was now rubbing his forehead in frustration.

"Vivian Mays, British national," McGee said, reading from the screen in his hand. "Several aliases listed. No links to Mossad or NCIS, nothing tying her to Widow, either. Not on any terror watch lists."

"Informant," Gibbs supplied, and McGee nodded his head. It was the only explanation. Ziva had once mentioned the fact that she had several contacts scattered throughout the globe, and this woman was most likely one of them.

McGee put the pieces together. "Widow must have tracked her down, pressed her for information on Ziva, and then killed her." He wondered if they'd gotten anything, and if Tony and Ziva were now in grave danger of being located based on something Ms. Mays had given them.

"You think she gave them anything?" Thompson asked, stuffing her hands into her pockets as she looked up at the more seasoned agents. McGee's mouth tightened into a frown as he tried not to let the personal nature of the case get to him.

It was a losing battle.

"We have no way of knowing, do we?" She continued, and all three of the other team members looked at her, their stares confirming what she already knew – if Widow had gotten anything out of this contact, they were undoubtedly already on the way to wherever Tony and Ziva were, and they'd be none the wiser.

"Would they have killed her if she had given them something?" Pruitt piped up.

"To keep her from talking to us? Absolutely," McGee supplied.

Gibbs added, "If they got a lead, they don't want us to know about it."

"So we have no way of knowing," Thompson responded rather unnecessarily, repeating her earlier words. At that, the team worked in silence, gathering what pieces of evidence they could from the blood present, though as far as physical evidence went, there wasn't much of it.

Less than two hours later the four of them sat silently in the government-issue sedan headed back to the Navy yard, Gibbs' brooding making the air inside the small vehicle stiflingly oppressive. More than once McGee considered speaking, saying anything to lift the heaviness in the air, but there was nothing he could think to say that wouldn't sound trite in the face of what they were just now reminded of – Tony and Ziva were out there somewhere, and at this very moment, ruthless terrorists could be headed straight for them.

When they got back and Abby came to collect the paltry amount of evidence they'd brought back with them, she smartly kept to herself as she noticed their somber moods. Still, she pointed out one thing that the rest of the team members hadn't thought of: "If Tony and Ziva had done such a good job covering their tracks from us, then one of Ziva's contacts probably had no idea she was even gone, let alone where."

McGee had to admit that she had a point. Ziva, with Tony's help, had left no clues as to where they'd been headed. They'd avoided surveillance, they'd wiped their computers. Even their bank accounts didn't seem to have any unusual activity. Even if Ziva had contacted Vivian Mays before she and Tony had left – and that, in itself, was a huge if – there was no way she would have indicated her plans. Ziva knew many things, chief among them being that people will talk, if enough pressure is placed upon them. It was one of the things she was skilled at herself – extracting information. In order to be completely sure that none of her informants would be able to leak information, she'd have done the only thing she could to keep them quiet: tell then nothing.

"She's got a point," McGee pointed out to Gibbs as they took the elevator back upstairs, and Gibbs merely nodded. Of course he knew that, and instinctively, they'd both known that, but now they were dealing with dead bodies with clearly sent messages from an obviously desperate group of individuals on top of everything else.

The moment they stepped off of the elevator, Director Vance was waiting for them in the bullpen. "Leon," was all Gibbs gave as a greeting, and the director nodded at him.

"I've contacted Mossad on this, Gibbs. They'll be online in MTAC in about three minutes." Before Gibbs had a chance to question the director, he continued. "Ziva had a lot of contacts we didn't know about, and you know it. Mossad might be able to provide some insight you wouldn't be able to gain on your own."

Recognizing that Leon had a point, Gibbs said nothing and motioned for McGee to follow him up to MTAC. "You two, run down those aliases. Find out what kind of things she did under all those names."

"Got it," Pruitt nodded, and Thompson immediately rushed to her desk and began to work.

With that, Gibbs half-ran up the stairs to MTAC, McGee hot on his heels, and it wasn't long before the two of them and Director Vance stood there speaking to Director Orli Elbaz, Malachi Ben-Gidon, and Liat Tuvia, who had recently returned from a deep cover operation and was willing to offer her input as an operative who had faced similar situations that Ziva had, given her standing in Mossad.

"She is not one of ours," Orli was saying, looking over the information she'd been given over a secure server not long before the call. "I do not know any of my officers who have contacted this woman."

"Her aliases?" Gibbs asked, sensing that it was unlikely that this woman had made any contact with Mossad.

"None of these stand out, either, Agent Gibbs. It appears that this contact is one of Ziva's own. Judging by the fact that she has several aliases, it seems likely that she was not terribly interested in working directly with any agencies and preferred to keep her name out of the mouths of operatives. She must be someone who is fiercely loyal to those with whom she has maintained contact, unwilling to put her neck out for anyone else."

McGee, Gibbs, and Vance exchanged a look, and Liat cut in. "I have made similar contacts," she said smoothly, her accent thick after years of having not used the English language. "It is likely that Ziva did something for her – saved her life, or a family member, perhaps. That kind of loyalty is very unusual. If she had information, she would die before giving it."

"How many of these secret contacts did she have?" McGee wondered, asking no one in particular, but Liat, not one to let anyone forget her superior knowledge, spoke up immediately in response.

"Dozens, maybe more. A contact that no one else in her circle has access to is more valuable than you can imagine."

"Then why would Widow target this one? How did they find her?" McGee asked, his curiosity only growing as the pieces of the puzzle fit together seemingly less and less the longer this case went on.

"An excellent question," Orli mused, a frown settling on her face, her brow furrowing as she brooded silently. Liat and Malachi exchanged a glance behind her, and McGee shifted his weight from one foot to the other before speaking.

"What if – and forgive me for just thinking out loud here – but what if Ziva contacted Vivian Mays regarding Widow? We know that Ziva received a threatening letter sometime before she and Tony skipped town. Maybe Ziva wanted to be sure she wasn't being watched before they left, so they could get away clean. Maybe she figured she should reach out to a contact that no one else knew about – Vivian Mays. And maybe Widow found out that she had been poking around and tracked her down."

"That… actually makes sense," Vance said slowly, wheels beginning to turn in his mind.

Malachi spoke next. "Ziva would not have told Vivian that she was leaving, only that she had received a threatening letter. She might have just been looking for a threat assessment on the surface. Maybe finding out their whereabouts, but without giving anything away."

"It is not unusual to reach out for a threat assessment, I do it all the time," Liat added, and Malachi nodded.

"And Vivian would have probably not thought this to be odd at all. It's the kind of information she would probably be used to sharing with Ziva," Malachi added, speaking absently, almost as if he were merely reading his thoughts aloud.

"That's good thinking, McGee," Gibbs said, giving him a light pat on the shoulder. It wasn't that big of a break, and it didn't get them any closer to locating Tony or Ziva, but they might be able to find out more about how Vivian Mays had looked into Widow's whereabouts right around the time Tony and Ziva had disappeared. Even though it wouldn't lead them any closer to the pair, it could lead them to more information about Widow, and any information on that front would be just as valuable – if not more so – than the location of their friends. McGee gave a half wave to the Mossad operatives on his screen and excused himself, heading for the doorway to leave MTAC. He had work to do.

Just as they stepped outside MTAC, Abby pounced on them, her excited, "Gibbs, Gibbs, Gibbs!" alerting them to the fact that she had something.

"Yeah?"

"I've just gotten the blood samples back from the mass-spec, and there's something you need to know about the blood that the message was written in," she said, handing him a sheet of paper. McGee looked over his shoulder, not sure what he was supposed to be looking for.

"And it's not Vivian Mays' blood?"

"It's not her blood," Abby confirmed, cocking her head slightly with a smirk.

"Then whose is it?" McGee asked, sensing that Gibbs was getting just as impatient as he was.

"It's nobody's," she said matter-of-factly, speaking slowly and deliberately to ensure that her point was made, adding emphasis by moving her hands as she spoke. "They used fake blood to stage the scene of the crime and write that message. Which means–"

"They didn't kill her there," Gibbs interrupted flatly.

"They didn't kill her there," Abby continued, completely ignoring the fact that she'd been interrupted, "and I bet when you talk to Ducky, you're gonna find that she's been dead longer than we originally suspected."

McGee sighed, pinching his brow in annoyance. "So where the hell did they kill her then? And how did they transport the body without anyone seeing them? And why the hell can't we get any breaks on this case?"

Abby looked at McGee, then at Gibbs, and back at McGee again. "I'll keep combing through the evidence, but these guys were smart. They could have killed her anywhere, and they dumped her here with fake blood just to send us a message."

"It's pretty clear," Gibbs said with a sigh.

"Crystal," added McGee, and he stepped down the stairs into the bullpen where he hoped he would find the one thing that would crack this case wide open and finally bring them closer to finding Tony and Ziva.

"Are you sure you're all right?" Tony asked, worry causing him to furrow his brow as he held Tali at his hip. Ziva had been throwing up all day, the middle stages of her pregnancy wreaking havoc on her body.

"I am fine," came the answer, and Tony shook his head. Mother or ninja, some things about Ziva would never change.

He set one of the water bottles he'd filled beside her on the bed, reaching over to pat her on the shoulder, rubbing lightly there. "You're always beautiful to me, Ziva, but you really don't look fine," he said, his concern evident. She sighed, giving in.

"I feel terrible, Tony," she admitted, sitting up slowly and taking a sip of her water, then waiting a moment while she got her bearings before speaking again. "But I will be fine."

"Of that I have no doubt, my love," he responded, giving Tali a kiss on the cheek, laughing as she squirmed in his arms. She reached forward, obviously wanting to snuggle with her mother, and Tony eyed Ziva cautiously.

Ziva scooted over slightly as she lay back down, patting the bed beside her, saying, "Set her down, Tony, and let us take a nap."

"Are you sure?" he asked, not putting the baby down just yet. If Ziva was really not feeling that well, it might not be a good idea to keep Tali next to her, lest she get sick as well.

"I am pregnant, not contagious," she muttered exasperatedly, and Tony relented. Tali started to rub her eyes as she continued to lean forward, obviously wanting to snuggle up with her mother. Tony set her down next to Ziva, and the little girl rolled over to coo at her mother, who wrapped her arm around her daughter protectively. "We will be fine here, Tony," she said with a yawn, clearly exhausted from the toll this pregnancy had been taking on her.

"I'll be just outside fishing, if you need anything."

The next thing Ziva was aware of was the tiny hand patting her face. Had Tali any real strength, they might have been considered slaps, but it was nothing more than a babyish exploration of the world. She wondered how long Tali had been awake, but the baby hadn't cried at all and seemed content to just look at her and pat her cheek until she woke up.

Motherhood certainly had its moments. "Are you hungry, little one?" Ziva cooed, stifling a yawn. She still wasn't feeling energized enough to get up out of bed, but Tali didn't seem to mind, and when Ziva lifted up her shirt, Tali adjusted herself and began to suck, and soon Ziva had drifted off to sleep again, her daughter sucking comfortably away as she began to snore.

That was how Tony found them not much later, Ziva with her shirt hiked up so that her breasts were exposed, and Tali snuggled against her and enjoying her meal. Ziva didn't even stir as Tony came in, which was especially unusual considering how light a sleeper she had always been. He was definitely beginning to become concerned.

The first pregnancy had been easy, and Ziva had done as she always had, hardly accounting for her growing stomach at all. She'd had no real sickness, no exhaustion… nothing. It hardly surprised him, considering he could count the amount of times Ziva had been sick over the past decade on two fingers, so to see her like this was especially concerning.

Tali began to fuss a little, and it was clear to Tony that she was done, so he gathered her up in his arms, pulling Ziva's shirt down for modesty's sake – not that there was anyone in the vicinity who hadn't already seen it, it just didn't seem decent to leave her boob just hanging out like that.

He set Tali down and worked to clean up her now soiled diaper, noting as he did so that they were running low on clean ones. He'd have to wash some, which would prove challenging if Ziva wasn't up to watching Tali for a little while, but he supposed he'd just have to wait for her to nap again and take care of it then.

Once he got the baby cleaned up, he took her outside, wanting to leave Ziva alone to sleep. If she was that tired, it was the best thing he could do for her, and her body obviously needed the rest. He didn't know for sure, but it had to be exhausting doing all that work of creating an actual human. Hell, he got tired sometimes just doing the regular chores.

He took Tali for a walk, carrying her down the stream with him, letting her down when she began to squirm in his arms. Tony sat on the ground with her as she explored, stopping her from putting things in her mouth but otherwise allowing her to get dirty and play with the world around her. She picked up a leaf in her chubby fist and held it out to him, and when he took it from her, he said animatedly, "It's beautiful!" Tali giggled with delight, and he couldn't suppress his own laughter as she discovered the world.

She crawled toward the water and he followed close behind her, watching as she tentatively dipped her hand into the stream, then lifted her hand up, looking at it in wonder. She'd had baths before, of course, but she'd never been given the chance to explore the bank of the stream where water met land, and she was enthralled by what she found, crawling forward and face down into the water with a splash.

Tony was there in an instant to pick her up, trying not to laugh with amusement as she scrunched up her face and spit out the water, patting her face and trying to dry her eyes unsuccessfully. Tony lifted his shirt up just enough to dry her off, and Tali began to babble happily in her baby language, and Tony responded back with simple phrases. "Yeah! I know!" he said when she finished what she was saying, and he laughed when she did.

He couldn't imagine loving anything or anyone more than he did this little girl in this moment.

"Come on, Tali, let's go and check on your mama," he said, turning back toward the house and following the stream.

"Ba boo ba boo," was all Tali said, still working at forming actual words, but he knew that eventually her babbling would evolve.

It didn't take long for them to reach the house, and he stepped inside with Tali, surprised to see that Ziva was sitting up, though she didn't seem to be too keen on getting out of bed at the moment. She appeared to be less pale than earlier, but she still didn't look like herself just yet.

"There you are," she said softly, her chest heaving as she sighed with relief. She must have left the cabin – possibly to go to the bathroom – and found that they weren't right outside.

"We took a walk, isn't that right, Tali?" he asked, leaning in and bumping his head against hers, making her giggle.

"Boo ma doh," was all Tali said, and Tony set her down, allowing her to have her playtime in the cabin. She wasn't walking just yet, but she'd become an expert at crawling, her fat hands padding heavily against the stone floor as she scooted quickly around the room. Ziva smiled slightly as she watched their daughter explore, wishing for all the world that she felt well enough to get down on the floor and crawl around behind her for a bit, but Tali didn't seem to mind at all, so she tried not to let herself feel guilty about it.

Soon enough she was sitting up on Tony's lap and he had given her some small pieces of well-cut fish, and she was happily chowing away. She'd not been on solid foods for very long and she still enjoyed the comfort of breastfeeding, so after she'd finished what small amount of food she wanted, Tony carried her over to Ziva, who nursed her as she drifted off to sleep.

It was morning when Ziva woke up again feeling much more energetic, and so she got up and stepped outside, reveling in the scent of the fresh air, which she'd hardly enjoyed over the past few days. It seemed that everything – every scent, every breeze, every noise – set her stomach off, and for the first time in days she relished in the feeling of being able to enjoy life without worrying about whether or not she'd have to throw up.

She decided to take advantage of it and stepped into the house to grab her bow and arrows. Tali was still fast asleep and Tony could feed her something when she woke up, but she desperately wanted to go out and hunt. Perhaps the thrill of the hunt would make her feel more invigorated than she'd been feeling lately.

Just as she was about to step outside the house, Tali began to stir, and so she set the bow and arrows down and walked over to where she'd been sleeping and picked her up, sitting back on the bed to take care of feeding her. This early in the morning Tali almost always wanted the comfort of breastfeeding anyway, and the thought that she could have left without feeding her made Ziva feel slightly guilty, but she'd been so eager to get back out and be productive again while feeling better lasted.

Tony, too, was waking up and Ziva had to stifle a groan at her luck, despite knowing that she should at least let him know where she was going, lest he be forced to go through a similar ordeal to the one she'd undergone when he'd hurt his foot.

She was being selfish, and she knew it.

Once Tony was finally awake, she motioned to the bow she'd set down on the table. "I am feeling better this morning, and I had planned on going out hunting. I am getting a little tired of eating fish."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" he asked, rubbing his eyes to wipe away the last remnants of sleepiness. "You were barely able to get out of bed yesterday."

Ziva glared at him, her anger rising. "And today I am," she said through gritted teeth. She didn't know why she was getting so defensive, after all, he was right, but what had happened yesterday shouldn't matter when she felt perfectly fine now.

Tony simply stared at her, exasperated, but didn't otherwise respond. Ziva could be incredibly stubborn to the detriment of her own well-being, and arguing with her in this state was completely pointless. He tried not to let his aggravation show, but he was certain he was doing a terrible job at it, because Ziva kept talking, explaining her case. "I am tired of being cooped up in this place, Tony. I feel as if I have been staring at these walls forever. I need to get outside again. I won't even be that long. I just need this," she concluded, picking up the bow again and stepping swiftly to the door, pausing only when Tony called to her.

"Wait," was all he said, and she turned around slowly, her gaze narrowed to what he could only describe as pure ire. "Take some water and vegetables with you at least."

"I'm not going to be gone that long," she seethed, and Tony almost withdrew.

Almost. "Just humor me, all right?"

Heaving a deep sigh – and making a big show of making this concession – Ziva reached for a bottle of water and a handful of vegetables, sticking them both in a small pouch and slinging it over her shoulder. "Anything else?"

Tony merely shook his head, unwilling to piss her off any further. Tali, oblivious to this exchange, was happily munching on peas and babbling to herself, and she only even noticed that Ziva was gone when the door slammed behind her loudly, causing the ones Ziva had left behind to jump.

He sighed, but there was no use in putting on a sour face for Tali, so he settled down with her on the floor, pulling out some things from his backpack and laying them out on the floor, pointing out the colors to her. She was too young to retain any of it, but he was a firm believer that it was never too early to start teaching her things.

Outside, Ziva marched angrily through the forest at first, then took a few deep breaths and started to walk more calmly, realizing that if she planned to actually hunt something, she'd have to be much more subdued as she moved through the woods. He is only concerned, she reminded herself, but she scowled at the thought as it struck her. She wasn't a baby and she could take care of herself.

Drawing in a deep breath, she continued to walk carefully through the forest, watching closely where she stepped so that she wouldn't unnecessarily disturb anything as she moved, making it less likely that anything would detect her presence. It was hot out and she was beginning to sweat, but she blew a breath up and across her face which seemed to do the trick, at least for a few seconds.

She kept moving forward, but she was beginning to feel even more overheated than before, but it seemed to be nearing that time of year and the humidity was at its peak when the sun was out. Thinking nothing of it, she continued forward, stopping only to wipe her brow when she was sweating so much that it had begun to fall from her hair into her eyes.

This much sweat was a tad unusual, and she stopped for a second, taking out the water bottle that Tony had insisted she bring. The water was only slightly cool but it didn't matter much, as she opened up the cap and took a swig. Gasping as she began to feel refreshed, she put the cap back on and stuffed it back in her pouch, continuing forward, her bow hanging comfortably over her shoulder.

Suddenly she felt another rush of heat and her face began to feel extremely tight and warm, almost as though the muscles in her face had fallen asleep. Her vision began to blur and quickly she sat down, slumping against a big tree and wondering if she was about to pass out. She concentrated on breathing deeply as she reached again for her water bottle.

Ziva was feeling extremely lightheaded at this point and almost couldn't open the water bottle because she was so disoriented. Maybe I should just lay down and let it happen, she thought to herself, wondering if she would pass out and then wake up once the blood returned to her head.

She didn't have the chance to decide, for the next thing she knew, she was waking up from what felt like a deep sleep, her nose being tickled by something. When she opened her eyes, she saw foliage in front of her, and she blinked a few times, thinking she must still be half asleep. It was only after a few seconds that she realized what had just happened.

She'd passed out, right here in the middle of the rainforest, and she had no earthly idea for how long.

Sitting up slowly, she reached for the water bottle that she'd been unsuccessful in opening – luckily, since it would have spilled – and sipped slowly, hoping that hydration would help her feel well enough to make her way back home. She would take it slow and take frequent breaks if she needed to, but she needed to get back. She tilted her head up and looked at the position of the sun, certain it hadn't gone too far since she'd been out, and determined that if she'd passed out, it hadn't been for long.

"Oh god," she finally breathed, feeling tears beginning to well up. "Stop," she admonished herself, knowing that crying would only dehydrate her, and dehydration was the last thing she needed right now.

Looking around, she found her bow, and checked the ground to see if anything else had fallen. All of her arrows still appeared to be in the quiver on her back, so she started to walk slowly back to the house, sitting when necessary.

She didn't know how long she'd been gone, but Tony was waiting for her on a tree stump when she got back and Tali was nowhere in sight. "She's asleep," he said softly, his voice wavering slightly as if overcome with emotion.

When Ziva didn't say anything right away, he stood up and walked to her, taking the bow from her hand and setting it down before pulling her into a hug. "You walked out of here so angry and I couldn't help worrying about you, and you've been gone for a while, Ziva. I can see that you had no luck, did you see anything at all?"

"No," she replied, drawing in a breath and taking his hand, leading him back to the stump to sit down. "I am sorry about earlier," she said, looking him in the eye and squeezing his hand gently. "I did not want to believe that I was incapable of doing this one thing to provide for our family, but you were right. I am not well."

Tony drew in a sharp breath, his eyes immediately clouding with worry. "What happened?"

She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath before opening them and meeting his gaze again. "I passed out." His eyes widened and she continued. "I started to feel very hot and uncomfortable, and I took a sip of water, but then I was sitting down on the ground wondering why I felt so lightheaded and the next thing I knew, I woke up on the ground wondering why a leaf was tickling my nose."

He looked stricken, but she kept going, needing to tell him everything. "Once I took a few more sips of water and I felt comfortable getting up again, I decided immediately that I needed to come back home, but I wanted to take it slowly and not overdo it. I couldn't exactly call you to come pick me up, so I stopped every so often to rest and take a sip of water."

Ziva squeezed his hand again. "Thank you for making me bring it with me. You were right, Tony. I should not have gone. I am trying to do too much and I am willing to let you help me now, and I am sorry."

He closed his eyes, letting her apology wash over him, then leaned forward so their foreheads were touching, reaching up to touch her cheek gently. "I'm just glad you're okay, Ziva." With his free hand, he touched the side of her belly, where the new baby lay in wait. "I just want you both to be safe. Promise me you won't overdo it anymore," he begged, his eyes shining with unshed tears.

Just seeing his tears started her own, and soon Tony was wiping them from her cheek, kissing her gently. "None of that, my love. Everything will be fine. I just want to take care of you, so please let me."

Nodding through her tears, Ziva leaned forward to softly meet his lips. "Okay," she agreed, kissing him again and accepting the small comfort he was giving her, from the hand that was wiping away her tears to the hand that was cradling their child. "I don't want anything to happen to her," she said softly, and he couldn't hide his amusement.

"Her?"

Wiping her tears away with a giggle, she nodded slightly. "I was right the first time," she said, and he couldn't help the teasing grin that spread across his face.

"I'm sure that she – or he – will be fine," he began, his expression turning serious again, "as long as you agree to let me take care of you when I can, honey."

"Okay," she said again, finally allowing herself to trust in him completely that all of their needs would be met. Maybe the stress of running, of hiding, of building a life out here, of motherhood, and of pregnancy had all just reached a point where it had become too much, and maybe she didn't always need to do it all. This was her body telling her that she was trying to do too many things. It was finally time for her to let go of all of the control. "I trust you, Tony, and I know you will take good care of us."

"That's all I've ever wanted to do," he replied, and he drew her in close for a hug, where her tears started anew, and for once, he was content to let her simply cry it out on his shoulder as he held her close, feeling that their relationship had just grown that much stronger for it.

Because now he knew that she trusted him fully, where he had been certain that for the longest time, she'd been holding back. Not because she didn't trust him, necessarily, but because she didn't trust herself to let go of control. As he held her in his arms, he vowed to himself that he would never allow her to regret that decision for as long as he lived.

Thank you all for the love I have gotten. It has been a difficult road with these two (and this fic) as it has taken so much to get it out and published. I am grateful to all of the positive support I have gotten that has kept me going.

Please look out for Chapter 22 on Monday and have a great weekend.