Chapter 23

Ziva was still weak the next day, she could tell that Tony was worried about how fragile she was, but there was nothing she could do about that, she knew she was weak and she knew the only way to get stronger was to give her body everything it needed to get back the nutrients and things that it had lost when she had been held captive. She knew her body was battered and she wondered, if Tony was looking at her like a weak little girl who could no longer take care of herself or protect herself. She hated that her family, and there was no mistaking that Gibbs, Tony, Abby, Ducky and McGee were her family, had seen her in that weak and vulnerable state. She knew what they had seen, they had seen a broken woman who had not been able to protect herself from a madman who was intent on making her life miserable. She had no idea who had actually gotten one of her worst enemy's to kidnap her and keep her alive like that. She was grateful that the LA NCIS team had managed to find a way to offer him a better deal for her, so they could get closer and in a position to get her out of there and take that, jerk into custody. She knew why he had done what he had done, but he had taken a lot from her in revenge, like her sister.

Ziva looked up when she felt someone staring at her and saw that Tony was leaning against the doorjamb and was watching her wearily, worry in his eyes showing that he was scared that she wouldn't be all right. She was so grateful that he cared so much about her but she was also worried that he would never ever be able to trust her to watch his back on future cases, it was also possible that he wouldn't be able to work with her or trust her to take care of herself in the field when she was finally able to go back to work and they had caught the guy behind all of this.

"Are you ever going to be able to trust me again?" Ziva finally asked softly.

"I have always trusted you, Ziva." Tony said confused as he walked fully into the room and sat down on the bed.

"I don't mean like that. Are you going to be able to trust me to have your back when we are in danger or working cases? Are you ever going to be able to go undercover with me and know that I can take care of myself like you used to?" Ziva asked softly. She knew she didn't sound like her old self, but how could she sound like the old Ziva when she didn't think anyone would ever view her in the same light again?

"Ziva, there is nothing anyone could say or do that would ever make me doubt that you could take care of yourself. You're my ninja partner." Tony said with a mock serious face that actually made Ziva laugh out loud. "I bet you could have been in those Jet Lee or Jackie Chan movies." Tony said seriously.

Ziva was shaking her head, trying not to laugh anymore because it did cause some pain still. When Tony finally smiled a soft smile meant to put her at ease she realized that he knew there would always be a time when someone got their hands on one of them, and each of them would go through a bad experience, it was how they handled themselves afterwards and how they acted that made all the difference. If Ziva acted like a scared little girl and didn't try to fight back, then that was how they would treat her. If she acted like someone who was tough and didn't have any problems with what happened to her, then they wouldn't believe her. She had to be honest, she had to admit that she was still scared but not so scared that she wanted to just lie down and take it. She had to fight back, she had to make it clear she wanted to help them take out this guy and make sure that he never hurt another soul, otherwise she would never have a normal and happy life with Tony, she wouldn't be able to have babies with him, now knowing there was someone out there who really wanted to kill her, more than a normal cop hater.


His anger was flashing through his eyes as he threw the knife at her picture on the wall. He couldn't believe that man had double crossed him, and stupidly tried selling Ziva David off to federal agents. It served him right what had happened to him. It angered him worse that she was right there, almost his, and now she was gone again. She had been so close and he had almost had his hands on her, but now he would have to start all over again. He had seen the way she was nearly broken, he had seen the way she had known death was coming in her eyes. He had always admired how much Ziva could tell when things were bad, and how she could stay calm and not break out in tears like most women he knew. He had always known that Ziva David would be the one woman he wanted more than anything and when he couldn't have her, he was going to make sure no one else could either. Maybe it was time to try a different tactic? He could try and get to her through her relationships, maybe if he broke apart her engagement to Anthony DiNozzo or made sure she thought her friends hated her, maybe, just maybe, he could make her leave them and go off somewhere alone so he could have his chance to get to her.

He was not letting another chance at getting Ziva David to be his pass by him. He had lost her once when she had told him she could never ever had those types of feelings for him, he had even seen the horror on her face when she had watched him break the neck of his own fiancée when he had decided he no longer loved her but loved Ziva instead, and now it was time for her to learn that no one ever told him no and lived to tell about it.

"Soon my Ziva, soon." He said as he smiled that evil smug smile he loved to show off so much.