Hey all-disclaimer's in the first chapter and if you haven't read
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Ziva was about to come. She braced herself, forearms against the shower wall, legs wide, letting Tony have his way with her. She arched her back as he sought her out with his fingers. A scream erupted from deep with in and she began to howl. Abruptly Tony stopped, removing his hand and stepping out of the shower.
"What are you doing? Keep going!" She begged.
"I don't think so sweet cheeks. Payback's a bitch isn't it?"
Ziva woke with a start It was just a dream. Her eyes opened to darkness so deep she was blinded. Where am I? Groggily she took in her surroundings. Her cheek lay against something firm and warm.She smelled dank, stale, dust clogged air. Unyielding concrete vibrated ever so slightly under her abused body. A low droning rumble permeated the background. She stretched and grunted in pain. Her right hand was attached to something on the floor. She shook her arm and heard chain clink.
"Awake?" came Tony's voice. The warm and firm thing was his lap. He rested his hand on her hair for a moment before helping her sit up.
"Yes."
"Have a nice dream?"
"I wasn't dreaming."
"Hmm. Something about 'don't stop you bastard!' and some groaning? You went unfulfilled didn't you sweet cheeks?" He teased.
"Don't call me that." She snapped. She felt cranky. Her body ached miserably and her cracked ribs brought tears to her eyes. She was grateful Tony couldn't see her cry.
"Fine. You were dreaming my little howler monkey."
Don't egg him on. Ignore him. "How long have I been out?" She rubbed her head
"Long enough that I was starting to forget I was mad." Tony reached out and touched her face. He noticed the dampness and but didn't comment. It'd only make her mad.
"Do you know where we are?" Ziva asked.
"I have no idea. But where ever we are we're handcuffed to the floor." He said.
With her unchained arm Ziva felt out her surroundings. Her hand skimmed over a filthy, greasy floor and came to rest on a metal ring. Both she and Tony were attached to it each with a separate pair of handcuffs. I can pick these. I just need a hairpin.
"Have you seen our captors yet?" Ziva put her hand to her head only to find her hair down. Whoever had subdued them had relieved her of their means of escape. She checked her scalp hoping a pin had been overlooked. Nothing.
"Nope. But there is good news." Tony said with a little lilt to his voice.
"And that is?"
"Our naughty bits still line up."
"This is not the time Tony." She smacked him. "Hey, do you smell that?"
Tony sniffed the air. "It smells like gasoline."
"Not just any gas. Jet fuel. The droning. The vibrations. I think we're in an airplane hanger." Ziva said excitedly.
"Jet fuel. That's a little specific don't you think?"
"I went with a pilot once." She said. Tony couldn't see her face but still heard her smirk.
"Went where?"
"For a ride, what do you think?" She said, her mouth close to his ear.
"Shh. I hear someone."
Ziva clamped her mouth shut. Together they listened in silence. Delicate footsteps moved up metallic stairs. Suddenly the lights flicked on. Ziva and Tony pushed their eyelids shut against the painful assault.
Click Clack.
Ziva had her back to the door but she knew the walk. Impossible. She spun and found herself facing none other than her former sister-in-law, Hannah. Hannah had been Ari's wife.
"Shalom Ziva." Hannah squatted in front of them, resting lightly on the balls of her feet. In her right hand she clutched Tony's Sig Sauer. She tipped her head to the side and honed in on Ziva. She smiled and her eyes showed cold and hollow.
"You always thought you were better than me. Didn't you Ziva? You never saw me the night I followed you. The night you murdered my husband." She paused for a moment, delighting in Ziva trying to hide her surprise.
Tsk tsk Hannah clicked her tongue. "You have some cracked ribs I hear? Too bad." She rose and leveled a swift kick into Ziva's chest. Ziva grunted and fell back against Tony. She wouldn't give Hannah the satisfaction of her scream. Instead she bit her tongue and tasted blood.
Hannah sighed, a low contented sound. "You were perfect, you know? I was going to kill you back in your apartment that night we fought-but then I saw lover boy here and I thought- let her find the love of her life –again-and then make her bury him. It'd be almost like what you'd done to me."
Ziva lay against Tony, wheezing and winded. Tony clasped her shoulders. He was afraid she'd do something stupid and go after Hannah and she was in no condition to win.
Taking advantage of Hannah's of focus on Ziva, Tony surveyed the room. It was a big concrete and steel box lit by halogen lights. There was one window on the far wall equipped with an internal screen and bars. Beside it what stood looked to be a vertical vent covered with metal slats.
"So where does my brother Adam come into this?" Ziva asked. Was that name of the guy who tried to kill me? I'm not sure now.
"He was with me the night you shot Ari. He wanted to kill you right then and frame Gibbs but I said no. Wait." She laughed. She lifted the Sig and traced the outline of Ziva's body with its barrel. "He always hated you. You might have a lousy father, but at least he acknowledges your existence. Adam isn't –wasn't- even a blip on his radar. He was just a jealous bastard I guess." Hannah chuckled at her inadvertent joke. "I took advantage of his anger and we got together for a little revenge and I thought, why not make a business out of it?"
She watched Ziva struggle to regain her breath and smiled. "Only the idiot messed up. He was supposed to wait to kill you until this one met his maker but he just couldn't wait." She said, using the gun to point at Tony.
"What do you want with us?" Ziva asked annoyed.
"Just to have a little fun. Make you pay." Hannah looked at Tony, making sure he recognized his own gun. "I think you'll like this."
She pulled Ziva roughly to her knees and pressed the muzzle of Tony's gun to her side. "Enjoy." She said and pressed the trigger. Ziva howled and crashed backwards into Tony. The sound of her scream tore through him like shrapnel.
Satisfied with herself Hannah left. Pausing in the doorway she called over her shoulder. "I'll be back in a bit. I'm still deciding who to shoot where." She shut the door and they were plunged into darkness.
Tony pressed his hand to Ziva's side as she lay in the fetal position on the floor. He felt warm sticky blood flow through his fingers. It wouldn't be a fatal wound. Hannah had nicked her. She had only wanted to cause her debilitating pain. Only. He thought. Nut job. I thought my family was bad.
"We have got to get out of here now." He said.
"I know." Ziva said. Breathe deeply. Control yourself. You can flip out when we get out of here if you want.
"I found you something Houdini." Tony sought her hand in the darkness and pressed a hairpin into it. "When Hannah was busy with you I found this on the floor.
Ziva sat up. "I'll pick the cuffs and we'll be ready for her when she comes back."
"Why wait? When the lights were on I saw a vent. I think we could get through it and get outside. You're in no shape to fight Hannah off. We don't even know how many people she has with her."
Ziva paused and for a moment Tony thought she was going to start a fight with him. "Good plan." She said. "Hold my side? I need both hands for this." Careful not to drop their pin Ziva felt her way down Tony's arm to his cuffs.
"Sweet Cheeks, do your own first." He said.
"Uh huh." Ziva ignored him and stuck the flimsy metal pin in the lock of his cuffs. She twisted and poked until she freed the pins and tumblers with a small click!
Tony was free. Quickly he put his released hand over her wound. The blood seeped out, but at least it wasn't gushing. Still, the sooner they escaped the better.
"Oh no." Ziva breathed.
"What?"
"The pin's broken. It broke off in your lock. Maybe you can break out and come back for me?"
"I am not leaving you. Hannah's just going to toy with you until she kills you."
"You could still go." She insisted. She knew she loved him but she was a practical person. There was no reason for him to stay.
"No." he said forcefully.
Think! Think! Think!. As she had done many times before Ziva envisioned herself achieving her goal and asked herself How did I get there? In her minds eye she saw them breathing free air and she had it. "There's one thing left to try but it's going to make me throw up so stand back." She cautioned.
Ziva pulled her right hand against the handcuff with all her might. With her left she reached out and dislocated her thumb. It hurt worse than the gunshot. She muffled a scream and pulled her hand free of the handcuff. Shaking she lay on her side and threw up acidic bile. Now all they had to do was get out of the room.
Tony didn't know what to say to her. Nothing really seemed appropriate to say to woman who'd just dislocated her own thumb on purpose. He grabbed her arm and led her in the direction of the vent.
He ran his hands over the wall until he came in contact with the metal fins of the vent. He felt along the edges. How am I going to open this? He tugged on it and a corner gave way in his hands. "This must be our lucky day my little howler monkey because this is loose." He said. He sank his fingers into the grate pulled. It popped out with a squeak. Weak light filtered into the room. They blinked. "You first." He said.
Ziva stuck her head through saw hard black tarmac one storey below. "I see why no one cared it was loose. We're on the second floor. Don't worry. I can jump it." She said. She stuck one leg out in preparation for the drop.
"Not so fast." Tony pulled her back from the opening. "I'll go first and I'll catch you."
"You're going to catch me?"
"I'm gonna try real hard."
Ziva thought about arguing and decided against it. Tony had a point. He was in better shape than she was and chances were they'd still have to run when they broke out.
"Hey." Tony pressed a quick kiss to her lips before stepping out into space. He fell and hit the pavement, rolling to absorb the shock as much as he could. The force of the impact shot through the soles of his feet up his legs into his back. He caught his breath and held his arms up to her. Ziva closed her eyes and jumped. He caught her with and OOF! and set her on the ground.
In the pearly grey morning light they each sucked in a lungful of fresh air. It was then that Tony saw Ziva clearly for the first time. Her olive skin was as pale as Abby's. Dark eye circles marked her face. She was running on adrenaline and anger. He knew she'd be able to keep it together, but for how long? She was stronger than most people he knew but she was still human.
Unaware of his worry Ziva studied their surroundings. They had indeed been in some sort of hanger. As far as she could see left and right airplane hangers like square metals bugs stretched out in a grid. "Let's go left," she said. It might not be the right direction but she wanted to put as much space between them and Hannah as possible.
"Okay." Tony grabbed her hand and tugged her along.
They skirted along the backs of the buildings as noiselessly as possible. Several minutes later Ziva had to stop to catch her breath, leaning against the wall of the hanger for support.
"I can carry you."
"No need. See that?" She pointed down one of the rows. At the far end stood a gate. Beyond it she could see two-lane highway and morning rush hour traffic.
They set off in direction of the highway. Ziva walked quickly. The end was near. Soon she'd be able to rest. What seemed like an eternity later they came to a stop by the side of the road. "Now all we have to do is flag down a car." She said.
"Yeah. The easy part's over." Tony wrapped an arm around her shoulders, holding her up.
"I know. Now we get to have the talk with Gibbs." She said sullenly.
He laughed. "Don't worry Sweet Cheeks. It's worth it."
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So, ya saw that one coming didn't you? One or two chappies more. Fluffy stuff though (mostly) you'll like it. Don't forget to review. BTW If you didn't read Pack your gear you ought to-it explains a lot. I would have put it up front but I didn't want to spoil anything- Jeanne