A.N. See, I did update pretty quickly so I'm pretty proud of myself! Okay, the main delays as of two weeks ago is school (exams coming soon), dance (big end of year concert coming soon, music (exams coming soon), cadets, hot weather (so BEACH!!) and many many other things that you probably don't care about =)

So here it is- it's kinda based on the song I Bruise Easily by Natasha Beddingfield but once again kinda based on it.

SPOILERS: Season 7: Episode 1

disclaimer: I don't own any NCIS characters or the song.

I Bruise Easily

I didn't mean to walk in on her.

I didn't want to walk in on her.

I knew she must still be hurting on the inside but Somalia was so long ago now I could just push it to the back of my head.

Until I saw the scars that is.

-

I was running an errand for Gibbs down to autopsy; a whole stack of papers for Ducky to sign. I strode in calling out to the Duck Man when what I saw sitting on one of his autopsy tables made me stop dead in my tracks.

It was Ziva dressed in the way I had only seen in my imagination. Small, plain black panties and a matching bra but the rest of her was nothing like I had thought about.

People said that physical scars heal the quickest. Why then, were there scars and bruises covering her body. Some a faded pink that were almost healed and other still angry red weeping scars that must have hurt her so much more than it hurt me to see them; and that was hurting a lot.

"Ziva," I mumbled and her dark eyes jumped over to mine, meeting my gaze with a fear I had never seen her show, her arms moving across to try and cover herself but it didn't matter. I had already seen enough to haunt me.

I walked over to her slowly, my eyes roaming over her bare, bruised body, committing the horrible sight to memory even though a part of me just wanted to run and never think of it again.

I couldn't though because her body, her scars and her eyes had captivated me and as she hopped off the autopsy table to stand in front of me I couldn't stop staring, not at her exposed body with the scars that marred it but into her dark eyes which were telling me so much, expressing so many emotions silently I couldn't register half of it.

"Ziva," I whispered, my voice breaking at the end and I could have hit myself for showing so much weakness.

I couldn't stare into her eyes any longer; they were just as broken as her body so I took a step back, my eyes roaming once again over the woman in front of me.

My hand seemed to reach out of my own accord and I traced the twisted, pink scar that was cut into her perfect stomach. Goose bumps erupted where I touched and I heard her breathing pick up, whether from fear or something else I didn't know.

My fingers kept on moving, ghosting over her marred skin, tracing all of the imperfections that made her so perfect. They travelled over her shoulder to her tanned strong back that had deep welts cut into them and the sight was so painful my fingers stopped their roaming and my eyes met hers once again.

My hungry eyes ran over her face, committing it all to detail for the thousandth time but since Somalia there was some new scars and I leant in slowly, watching her reaction carefully before I pressed the gentlest kiss to the thin pink scar just above her eyebrow.

With a whoosh and surprised "Oh my," Ducky entered and the connection I had undoubtedly felt just then was broken and with a blush I almost ran out of autopsy, Ziva's dark, hurt eyes following me the whole way.

Review! And I will update ASAP. Hope you enjoyed it and even if you didn't, you can review anyway =)

Jules.