A/N...Hey everyone. Well, it's safe to say you are going to kill us once you read the chapter lol. the past few months have been really tough. My dad was in hospital for 3 weeks and then SeSa on NFA community took up My time. Needless to say, it's been manic (for lil ole Shelbylou).

Anyway, we hope you enjoy the chapter and a big old HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all. We hope that 2012 brings you all the health, happiness and love you deserve.


Ducky knelt beside the body and sighed. This was another innocent person killed in the same manner as all the other bodies, only this time there was one slightly difference; one that he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was because of the loose white robe that the victim had been dressed in. He sat back on his heels and studied the body before noticing the way the robe draped over the abdomen. With a deep frown, Ducky lifted the robe and felt the anger pool in his gut.

"Utter bastard. After everything I have seen in this job I still have to wonder what sick….Who would do this?"

"What's up, Duck?" Jethro asked worriedly as he crouched down next to his colleague. "Same M/O?"

"Quite, only this time there's a significant difference that…We have to find him, Jethro. He doesn't care who he hurts and I am saddened to say that there is more than one life lost in this instance?"

The crestfallen tone from his friend meant that something was definitely not right. Ducky had seen a lot and autopsied fallen agents before. That tone of voice was the tone that the M.E. used for those occasions when it was someone he knew. Jethro looked at Ducky with a frown. "What do you mean?"

Ducky lifted the white robe that the body was dressed in and covered the genitals with his hat to preserve the victims modesty. "This young man was pregnant. I'd hazard a guess and say he was about 5 months along and he's been dead so long that there's no chance of saving the poor little bairn. Jethro, whoever we are dealing with here has shifted his focus. He is killing to make a point and I'm afraid this is one point that has baffled me."

"Pregnant? He's…Damn it! Who the fuck would do this?" Jethro's eyes narrowed momentarily before he stood up and stormed away leaving ducky to process the body with Jimmy. He walked over to Spencer Reid and stood right in front of him to get his attention. "What do you think?"

"It's the same modus operandi as the others, but there is a difference in the religious symbolism. Whereas the other emblems have always been a rebuff against the victims creed, this victim is Jewish. It's a total shift in focus that could possibly mean he's getting more personal in his vendetta. Everything is leading up to his master plan which given the sudden change, will probably play out very soon. It's almost as if he's making a point of some kind. Either that or he's slipping and made a grave error in judgment which could anger him further and make him more dangerous."

"Error huh? That poor bastard over there was about five months pregnant. What do you say to that?" Jethro didn't mean to sound harsh, but someone out there had lost their lover and their baby in one fell swoop and he was pissed beyond reason. All he could think about was what if it had been Tim laying there? What if he'd lost everything once again? He couldn't live with that; with knowing that the man he loved and their child had been…no! He was NOT going to think that way!

"That seems to fit." Spencer frowned looked at the body. So far, we have a suspect by way of Ziva's brother, Naftali Da'vid. We know he's a renegade Mossad agent and that he's upset with Ziva for killing their other Brother, Ari Da'vid. From what we know, he's been trying to isolate or alienate Ziva by taking away the things she loves the most and I can see where everything fits to a degree. Every victim has had an indication of the life she now leads. The symbolism, the military…"

Gibbs glared at the young genius in front of him and rubbed his eyes. "Reid, I don't give a shit about profiling this guy. I wanna find him. Do ya have anything that will lead us to him?"

"Please, Gibbs hear me out. The religious symbols and insignia's all seem to point to Christianity and Catholicism with the Navy insignia's all linking back to the military. It could be a rebuff for Ziva joining NCIS given the circumstances, or it could just be coincidence because Mossad work closely with you. That I'm not sure of, but what I am sure of is that this man is highly dangerous." Spencer trailed off and gazed over to the body once again. "Have you spoken to Tim recently?"

"Not since I sent him to bed last night, why?"

"Because…Look, it might be nothing, but the victim is pregnant and this…" Spencer held up a bag with an insignia in it. "Is for the rank of rear admiral. There are two stars and Tim told me that his father now held this rank. I think you should call him because he might be leaving clues as to what he will do next and if he wants to eliminate the people that Ziva is close to, then it's better to err on the side of caution. I recognized the Star of David around the victim's neck and it's identical to the one that Ziva wears. I might be completely wrong, but everything fits."

Jethro's eyes widened and he fumbled in his pocket for his phone with a curse. He dialed Tim's cell phone but didn't get an answer. "Damn it! Come on! Tim answer the fucking phone."

"Gibbs. Is everything alright?" Ziva asked when she heard the Boss' frantic tone and made her way over to where he stood.

"No! ZIva, it's not! How much does your brother know about your relationships?"

"My relationships? Nothing as far as I know, I do not even tell my father about my love life"

"Not your love life! Your friends! Can he know about Tim?" Jethro demanded harshly and watched as realization dawned on his agent.

"I…Maybe." Jethro scowled at her harshly and took a step forward.

"Maybe? MAYBE? Damn it Da' is possible."

"He knew about me and Tony. I do not know how he is getting his intel but he does seem fairly clued in. Gibbs, what has happened?"

"Shit!" Gibbs slammed his phone shut and ran for his car yelling orders over his shoulder. "Ziva! You, DiNozzo and Ducky with me. Jack and Tim might be in Danger! Get Palmer and the BAU to finish processing the scene!"

"Jack? I thought Jack had a couple of things to attend to back in Stillwater and had gone home for…"

Jethro opened the door and glared at Ziva. "He came back last night. Da'vid! Now!"

Ziva nodded and rounded everyone up. It wasn't long before the squealing of tires could be heard as the team made their way to protect Jack and Tim.

***NCIS***

Jack woke up feeling as though his head was splitting. With every heartbeat came a thumping pain that was relentless in its onslaught leaving him disorientated and wondering where he was. He opened his eyes and groaned around…What the hell? A gag?

Looking around he recognized the living room that had been lovingly decorated by both his boys. Tim had moved in with Jethro and between them they'd put their own stamp on the once cold, bland home that Jethro lived in for years after Shannon and Kelly. He shook his head to try and clear his runaway thoughts, and tried to move his arms but couldn't because they were tied behind the back of a chair that felt too much like the ones Jethro had crafted after he moved Tim in. Tim? Why….Oh God! Tim was there! Two people barging into the house! Where was Tim? Jack struggled against his bonds and tried to spit out the gag that had been shoved ungracefully in his mouth. Unfortunately, it was crude but very effective and it was damn near impossible to loosen it enough to call out to his son in law.

"Ahh you are awake. Good." Jacks vision was filled by tall, dark gentlemen that reminded him vaguely of Ziva. He had the same eyes, the same skin tone and the same silky, dark wavy hair. "Ah, I see recognition in your eyes. Please, let me introduce myself. My name is Naftali Da'vid and I am Ziva's brother…unfortunately" Naftali spat on the floor with disgust and scowled. "I am not proud of that fact because she has not only disgraced the Da'vid name, but she has marred the reputation of Mossad."

Jack's eyes narrowed dangerously but opened wide when his head was yanked back by his hair and the gag was removed.

"Speak. You obviously have something to say. I can see it in your eyes."

"What in the hell do you want? And where's Tim? Please, don't hurt him or the baby. I don't know what the hell happened between you and your sister and I don't care. All I care about is my family."

"You want to know where that abomination is? Fine!" Naftali let go and tipped the chair back so he could drag it further into the living room. Before he knew it, Jack's chair was pushed forward hard and he felt his feet thump onto the ground. He blew out the breath that he'd been holding and looked up to see Tim tied up to one of the same chairs.

"Oh Tim…" Jack felt his heart breaking at the sight of Tim breathing through what was obviously a contraction; his face bright red with the effort of doing breathing exercises through his nose. "Son, it's gonna be okay. Slow your breathing down…"

Tim looked up briefly through pain filled eyes and shook his head as the contraction started to pass.

"Damn it! Take that thing outta his mouth. Show some mercy!" Jack pleaded. The front door opened and closed but from where Jack and Tim were bound, they couldn't see who had arrived.

"I have the food…Naftali! You promised not to hurt the pregnant one until the baby was born." A tall female with long, blond hair walked into the room. She shared the same accent as Naftali and Ziva, giving away the fact that she was from the same country. "Take out the gag."

"Adina…"

"No! That child has done no harm and you will NOT harm it. We are not monsters." Adina walked over to Tim and gently removed the gag. Tim gasped in a huge lungful of air and nodded his thanks. "I am sorry. Please, how far apart are the contractions?"

"I don't know. I woke up…I…my waters broke but that was the first one I've felt. Please, what do you want?"

"Enough!" Naftali backhanded Jack across the face and scowled. "I left clues for NCIS and I believe the…ah, what do you call them? BAU?" Ziva's brother watched as Tim nodded curtly. "They should be able to find you easily enough. Hopefully, they'll be on time because you see, I do not care as much as my colleague here and being pregnant will not save you. The last abomination to fall victim was with child."

Adina turned towards Naftali with Anger In her eyes. "You killed a man with child?"

"Adina, you sound surprised. Why do you think I chose the husband of navy officer rather than the officer? Do not tell me you couldn't see the growth."

"IT WAS NOT A GROWTH! It was a baby, Naf. A baby. What would you do if it was your baby?"

Naftali laughed, the bitter, evil sound resonating through the room. With a shake of his head, he made his way into the kitchen leaving his captives alone with Adina. Tim started to say something when he was gripped once again in the jaws of a contraction as his abdomen clenched painfully.

***NCIS***

"Boss! Car…car…CAR!" Tony was pushed as far back into the seat as he could get. Fear coursed through his veins and was exacerbated by Jethro's driving. "Gibbs! I swear, we won't be able to save them if we die in a WRECK."

Jethro ignored Tony and floored the accelerator so they went even faster. With a glance behind him, Tony could see that even the daredevil Ziva was un-nerved. "Gibbs, he is right. Please…"

"ENOUGH!" Jethro bellowed and squealed around the corner throwing his two team members into the side of the car. It was a huge relief when the brakes were slammed on and the car had been stopped directly outside the house.

"Boss, what's the plan?" Tony asked softly and pulled his weapon out of the holster.

"You two take the back. I'm going in the front. Don't do anything that'll endanger Tim or my dad. If Jethro's there, his spare leash is the storage container with his toys. Put it on him and keep him close." The thought of their loving, old dog made his gut twist. He'd been through so much in his lifetime and Jethro only hoped that he wasn't injured. He pulled his thoughts away from the dog and turned to point at both his agents. "Remember, If Tim is safe, so is my baby. I don't want either of them hurt."

Tony and Ziva both nodded and got out and stealthily made their way round to the back of the house leaving Jethro to go up the front porch. He stood in front of the door and pulled his weapon before biting the bullet and opening the front door to hopefully, meet the fate of the son of a bitch that had caused all the heartache over the past few months.

***NCIS***

"Naf." Adina frowned and moved quickly to the window at the sound of screeching tires. "They are here."

Naftali grinned and turned to Tim. "Looks like a family reunion. Shame he gets to see his family destroyed the way mine was."

Tim's eyes widened. "He'll kill you before you get…nnngg….get the cha…Shit!..." Another contraction gripped him and the world faded out to nothing but the mass of pain in his back and tightening abdomen. The front door opened just in time for Gibbs to see Naftali crouch before is lover.

"Ahh. Pain. I do like to see that on a man's face…" Naftali's eyes narrowed. "But are you a man? You bear a child and yet you look like a man. What kind of cruel joke did God play there."

"He's more of a man than you'll ever be, Da'vid. Step away from him." Jethro shot a quick glance towards Tim and felt his heart drop at the sight of his partner who was obviously deep in the throes of labor.

"You think you can stop me? How?" Neftali stood up and grabbed a handful of Tim's hair so he could pull his head back. "Look at the effort and anguish here. Isn't it delicious? You know, if it wasn't for Adina here, you wouldn't be walking into see this. So, again I ask you, how are you going to stop me?"

"I'll find a way." Jethro scowled at the familiar feel of a gun barrel being pressed into his temple. His fingers instinctively slackened over the trigger and he felt the sig being taken out of his hand.

"Over there." Adina said snidely and pushed him over to where Tim was. Gibbs dropped next to the chair that his lover was tied to and reached out to grasp his hand.

"Tim, you okay?"

"No." Tim said succinctly and looked up at Jethro. "Waters broke. J, don't let them hurt our son. Please, whatever happens save him."

Tim's desperate plea to save the baby that they had made together broke Jethro's heart. "I plan to save both of you. How far apart?"

"Leroy, he's been having contractions every ten minutes or so." Jackson replied but got a back handed slap across the face for his trouble.

"Enough. I do not have the time or patience for this. Now, I am presuming that since you are here, Ziva is too. You managed to corrupt my sister and she murdered my beloved brother, Ari. I want her to watch you all die and I want her to feel the pain I felt…I still feel. Where is she?"

Jethro shook his head. "Don't know, don't care. Your brother was a bastard who killed people in cold blood. You honestly think that's right?"

"I do. He did what he believed in and followed his heart. Mossad wasn't for him or me for that matter. Ziva was the only one of us that stuck by my father and the Agency until Jenny Sheppard pulled her away. Liason officer. That's what my father called her, but I knew she was a deserter. Something that was confirmed when she bought Ari home in a coffin and told us what happened."

"Naftali, surely you do not believe in what you are saying." Ziva's strong voice carried through the room. "You did all of this because you wanted me to feel pain? Surely you didn't have to do this. You already caused me pain by what you made me do to Tony."

Naftali turned and faced his sister with a leering grin. "But what fun would that be? And you call that pain? No, I didn't want you to feel physical pain, dear sister. Just the mental anguish of losing what is so dear to you and unfortunately, the loss of a lover was nothing compared to the loss of an entire family. You tore us apart and now it is you and father. Tali doesn't want to know and father…" Naftali laughed torridly. "Well let's just say I have been disowned. Ari was dear to me and you took him away. He was the only person that shared my passion and my beliefs, so surely it is only fair."

"An eye for an eye? Is that what you think God would want?" Ziva questioned. "Look at you. What have you become? You are not the kind, loving brother I once knew."

"I have become a warrior of God; of Mossad renegades, and when I have completed the final stage of this mission I will return to Israel to overturn our dear old father. He has had his day ruling over Mossad and now a new dawn shall break and the people of Israel will get the protection that they truly deserve."

"What happened to you? I remember playing with you, Ari and Tali when we were younger. We were so close and full of life that…that's in the past now, is it not? Have we truly lost that closeness?"

"YOU CHOSE TO THROW THAT AWAY WHEN YOU MURDERED OUR BROTHER!" Naftali screamed before laughing dryly. "And now I must take away what you love. I must remove everything that you have." He raised the gun and pointed it towards Tim's head. "Starting with that."

"NO!" Ziva shouted out and watched with horror as Jethro pushed Adina backwards so he could jump in front of the trajectory of the bullet. Ziva ran forward and rammed into her brother as he pulled the trigger, sending the shot wide and into the far wall of the living room. "You will not hurt them!"

"Are you going to stop me little sister? I did all of this and you can't even admire my work!" Naftali grunted when Ziva kneed him in the stomach before turning him round and wrapping her smaller arms around his neck; effectively putting him in a firm headlock. She squeezed with all that she had but was thrown off balance by her brother rearing up and shoving her into the wall behind them.

"NCIS! Put down the weapon!" Tony charged into the room and aimed his gun at Adina while his eyes shot between the ensuing struggle and the suspect at large. He caught sight of Jethro kneeling in front of Tim before focusing souly on Naftali's henchwoman. "Put it down, sweetheart. I don't wanna hurt you."

"No. I cannot go to prison. Don't you understand? He promised me his love and hand in marriage. It is because of that, that I must do what I have to do." The weapon that had started to drop, raised once again and aimed towards Tony. Before she could get a shot off, the senior agent pulled the trigger and hit his mark making Adina drop her gun as she fell backwards. The bullet tore through her shoulder rendering her useless and in pain. Tony shot forward and turned the injured woman over harshly before dragging her arms behind her back and cuffing her.

"Arrghh….please…my shoulder…"

"Sweetheart, after what you have done, your shoulder is the least of your worries." Tony spat back and sat back on his haunches.

"ADINA." Naftali screamed like a bored bull and managed to turn the tables on Ziva as she let her concentration slip at the sound of gunfire. "You hurt my love." With the last reserve of strength he had, he wrapped both hands around his sisters neck and shoved her against the wall hard, his grip strengthening until Ziva couldn't pull a breath.

Ziva felt the strong hands tighten around her neck and knew that fate had dealt her its revenge for what she did to Ari. She felt no remorse for killing their brother, but deep down she had known that it was a penance that she must pay with her life. Just as the edges of her consciousness started to fade, she heard a gun being fired before her brothers eyes seemed to dim and he dropped her like a hot rock as he fell to the ground dead. She fell to her knees and coughed loudly as she tried desperately to pull oxygen into her lungs.

"Zee." She looked up to see Tony kneeling next to her looking worried. "How're you doing my little ninja chick? Come on, you gotta try and breathe."

"Tony…." The tears that she didn't want to fall, fell in rivulets down her face as she collapsed into Tony's strong arms gulping in air now that the coughing had stopped.

"It's alright. It's over, Zee. It's over. Just concentrate on breathing."

"Tony! Ziva! You two okay?" Jethro shouted over from where he was kneeling down beside Tim.

"Yeah, we're fine Boss." Tony pulled away from Ziva and helped her stand.

"Well then get your asses over here and help me!"

They both turned and watched as Tim breathed and groaned through another contraction whilst tied to the chair. His head was resting on Jethro's shoulder but the position didn't look comfortable and certainly wasn't conducive to a laboring person.

"DiNozzo, get my Dad free. Da'vid, come over here and cut these fucking bonds off of him. Did anyone call the EMT's."

"I called em, Boss. They're on their way. I asked for two buses."

"Good thinking, Tony. Dad, you okay?"

"Leroy, I'm fine. You see to our boy there." Jack was busy rubbing his wrists, but it was plain to see the worry in the older mans face.

"Tim, I am going to cut you free. Move your arms slowly because they will be stiff." Tim nodded against his lovers shoulder and felt the pressure on his arms give way. He moved them forward slowly and started to rub his abdomen to try and soothe the pain away that still pooled there.

"Hey." Jethro gently placed both his hands on Tim's face and lifted it up so he could look Tim directly in the eyes. "I love you and I'm proud of you. It won't be long before you're in the hospital and we get to meet our son."

Tim nodded and felt the tear that had fallen down his face being brushed away by his partner. "I'm scared, J. this isn't how I wanted it to be."

"I know, but it's the only way we got, Timmy. We've just gotta work with it." Tim nodded and dropped his head back onto Jethro's shoulder.

"Boss, the EMT's are outside now." Tony interrupted.

"Go and get them, Tony. Tell em we've got three to go to Bethesda. Ziva, you go with him and get that neck seen too." Jethro noticed the livid bruises that were starting to form on the delicate neck of his probationary agent and cringed. "No arguments! Go! Send in the second crew for Tim and my Dad and we'll meet you there."

Ziva stood up and walked over to where Tony was waiting and let herself be supported out of the house.

"We're having our baby, J." Tim whispered into Jethro's neck. His lover was rubbing up and down his arms to try and get the circulation going again. Tim couldn't help but smile when he felt Jethro's lips gently graze his head.

"Yeah. We are, Tim. We really are."