AN: There seems to be something really binding about the words "I love you" don't you think? Just a random thought I was having a moment ago before starting on this chapter.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, letting them lie to you like this?" Ray demanded. His dark brown eyes burned like two furious embers, riled up for action. Ziva helplessly gazed at him, feeling almost magically bound to listen to his every demand.
"Why do you insist NCIS is an enemy? It's our job to protect, not harm," Ray shook his head, staring at something Ziva couldn't see.
"You wouldn't understand…and that's not the point! Just stay away, I don't want to lose you!"
"But-Tony-" she protested.
"But nothing!" Ray yelled. "Tony's not yours and he will never be, and all because he's some player. Don't listen to his sweet talk that he uses on dozens of other girls." Her heart was beginning to shatter at this fresh piece of news. He truly…lied? Then the scene shifted, and she was alone in the crypt. Blood rained down on her face and arms as she looked up in confusion.
"Why did you kill us?"
"They're lying to you!"
"I've always loved you…"
"Nobody cares,"
All the conflicting thoughts caused her head to hurt, and it was all getting to be too much. Where was this blood coming from? Before Ziva could make any sense of it, the scene changed again and she found herself sitting at her own desk in the all too familiar bullpen. Tony was there, kissing another girl. And she watched, feeling more alone than ever, He pulled away and looked at her.
"I thought you said you wanted to wait…so I got back together with Jeanne."
Ziva jolted awake, just as there was a knock at the door. Trying to forget about her dream, she opened the door and was greatly surprised to see Ducky standing there.
"May I come in?" She nodded and let him into the darkened apartment. Ziva had fallen asleep earlier, planning to take a nap but it seemed she had been asleep for quite some time. It was well past sunset now, and Ariel was playing with her Barbies in her room. The only signs of life from that room were the occasional smothered snickers that echoed faintly down the hall.
"Is something wrong?" Ziva asked cautiously, thinking of Tony.
"Palmer pointed out something very interesting in Kelantan's autopsy that I had missed entirely. There were cobwebs under his fingernails. I don't know for certain if he was in that crypt, I'll need Abby to identify it all…it's a shame that Ray is no longer alive. He has a lot of withheld information that would be useful to the case." Ziva listened to all of this in silence. Then she had a thought that interested her and terrified her at the same time.
"Maybe he's not dead," she said. "After all I never bothered to check whether his suicide was a success. Perhaps someone found him, nursed him back to health…and he could be in hiding now."
"Assuming that is true, why would Kelantan be hiding in that terrible place that has given you such nightmares?" Ziva stared at him, feeling guarded all of the sudden.
"I heard you moaning from the other side of the door." Ducky sat onto the couch Ziva had fallen asleep on just hours ago. She looked away, feeling ashamed. She was also sitting on the couch, but scarcely aware of it. Ducky took her hands, feeling sorry that this woman had to still go through all of this undeserved suffering.
"It's only natural, my dear, that you would be going through such night terrors after all you have suffered so far," he said softly. Ziva switched her gaze back to him, and was comforted by his kind sky blue eyes, not nearly intense as someone else's…Tony. Oh, God. Tony. What if her dream had come true and he was-she shook her head furiously. Where do these thoughts come from?
"So, we should investigate the crypt with Abby tomorrow," Ziva decided finally, changing the subject. She gently pulled her hands away from him and laid them in her lap.
"Are you alright?" The question almost made her burst into tears, but she swallowed the lump in her throat with difficulty.
"I…I will be," she said honestly. Ducky gave her a small smile of encouragement.
"You are one of the most strong willed people I know, Ziva. You'll find a way to pick yourself up again and come out a better person than you were five years ago."
"Thank you, Ducky. That means a lot to me." Ariel came out, holding a Ken doll in one hand and a Barbie doll in the other.
"Mommy, my friend at school was telling me how babies were made!" she exclaimed. Ziva and Ducky exchanged a glance.
"Really?" Ziva said, thinking that this could not end well at all.
"Yeah, he said when a mommy and daddy love each other very much, they go somewhere special and-"
"I think it's time for you to get to bed," Ziva said a little too loudly, cutting off Ariel's eager chatter at once.
"I best get going as well, Ziva," Ducky said, heading for the door.
"See you tomorrow, then," He smiled and left the apartment. Ariel barely glanced at him.
"Can I take a bath tonight? With bubbles? And can I do it all by myself?" Ariel's questions came tumbling out one after another, leaving Ziva no room to reply until she stopped to breathe.
"Of course, just be careful. Call for me if you need help," Ariel ran out of the room, her grin hidden by the shrouded darkness of the apartment.
Waiting…always waiting. But the time had come to make himself known to them again. He remained crouched in his hiding spot. It was cramped here, but he wasn't about to move. The risk was too high. And the Voice instructed that this was necessary to the plan. Always…always the plan. The plan was important. The door banged open. Ariel stepped into the bathroom, still in her clothes. Just a few more seconds…she closed the door and locked it. Perfect. He eyed the window which lead to the outside. He was lucky that Ziva decided to have a place with a good view. His gaze flickered back to the girl, who was starting up a bath at the moment. He tumbled out from under the sink cabinet, needle hidden in his pocket. The Voice said it had made a mistake in letting Ziva go. It helped him live, knowing he still needed some things to get done before he expired for real. Ariel did not turn, too lost in her own little world. The shadowy figure crept up behind her, needle in hand now. Ariel turned off the water. The needle plunged into soft skin. Ariel let out a cry of pain and crumpled to the floor, half landing into the tub. Water splashed onto cream colored tiles, nearly getting him wet. The unknown figure leapt up and crawled out the window, needle forgotten. It was only mistake in the plan. Ray scampered off into the night. Deed completed, all he had to do was resume his waiting.
