This chapter turned out to be extraordinary long and took me two nights to write it since I was pretty emotional over it.
However I hope you like this chapter since I have to admit I a struggled a little in the beginning.
Your reviews always make me happy and with that I'm off again!

"To love life, to love it even

when you have no stomach for it

and everything you've held dear

crumbles like burnt paper in your hands,

your throat filled with the silt of it.

When grief sits with you, its tropical heat

thickening the air, heavy as water

more fit for gills than lungs;

when grief weights you like your own flesh

only more of it, an obesity of grief,

you think, How can a body withstand this?

Then you hold life like a face

between your palms, a plain face,

no charming smile, no violet eyes,

and you say, yes, I will take you

I will love you, again."

― Ellen Bass

The evening came quick since they soon got lost in a conversation about Tali and other happy memories of Ziva's past. Tony had thrown in some of his memories every now and then to keep the mood light, hoping it would relax her a little.
He was also the one who suggested watching a movie before bed to distract her for a while.
She had gladly agreed and soon found herself curled up against his side seeking for comfort.
Tony didn't comment on it though and simply pulled her a little closer while they got lost in the movie playing in front of them.
When the end credits showed up on screen Ziva had already fallen asleep next to Tony and he decided to carefully carry her to her bedroom knowing that she couldn't stay like that throughout the entire night.

Once he had lifted up her body she immediately curled up against his chest again and let out a deep sigh but didn't wake up.
It was a little difficult to shuffle the covers aside before lying her down but he somehow managed it and gently tucked her in before placing a small kiss on her forehead.

He was already about to leave when he heard her mumbling slightly.
"Don't go." If he hadn't listened closely he could've easily overheard it and for a moment he was hesitant.
It could be a bad idea to sleep in bed with her and he wasn't sure if she was aware of what she had just said since she was on the edge of sleep.
"Tony" She now whimpered slightly and the sound washed away any concerns he had only moments ago.
He quietly got out of his jeans and slipped in next to her, careful to keep some distance between them just to be safe.
"I'm here Zi, don't worry. Go back to sleep." With that he rolled onto his side and faced her backside wondering if she was already asleep again.
Apparently he was wrong when he noticed her shuffling closer to him and pressing her back into his chest.
For a moment he stopped breathing and waited until she adjusted to their new position. It was only then that he carefully wrapped his arm around her waist and allowed himself to fall asleep as well.

Throughout the night she repeatedly whimpered in her sleep but never woke up and Tony tried his best to comfort her when he noticed that she had another nightmare.
He knew waking her up wouldn't help since she would probably start fighting him off and wouldn't be able to find her way back into reality.

When the alarm went off they were both not quite well rested but knew they had to get up since Ziva had an appointment with her therapist at 8 am.
They quietly got ready for the day, neither of them addressing the last night or the upcoming appointment.
He knew she wasn't too keen on having to see the therapist but he also knew that it was important for her recovery.
She had agreed that he would drive her and was glad that she didn't have to concentrate on the road.

They entered the office in silence, neither of them sure how to handle the situation. Tony could tell she was nervous and tried to calm her down before the therapist would call her in.
"Hey, it's alright Ziva. I will wait for you and if anything happens I'm here, ok?" He tried to reassure her and she nodded shyly.

"Miss David?" A woman entered the waiting room and looked at Tony and Ziva.
"Yes?" Ziva replied hesitantly.
"I'm Emily Parker, your therapist. Would you like to come with me?" She smiled at her and waited until Ziva got up.
Tony reassuringly squeezed her hand one more time and with that she was gone and he hoped that everything would went well.

His prayers however seemed to remain unheard and about half an hour later re-entered the waiting room and went straight towards him.
"Tony? I think Ziva needs you. She is devastated right now and the only thing she said was your name." Worry crossed her face and Tony immediately jumped up and went down the hall to Ziva.
She was curled up on a chair and her body was violently trembling while she couldn't stop sobbing and crying.

He quickly crossed the small room and hunched down next to her and quietly spoke up.
"Ziva? Zi, it's me, please don't be scared. I'm going to touch you now, alright?" He was still afraid that she would start fighting him off again like she did back then, but he nevertheless tried to carefully lift her out of the chair to pull her onto his lap and into his embrace.
Seemingly soothed by his voice she didn't struggle against his touch and remained curled up while he started rocking back and forth to calm her down.

When the sobbing slightly subsided he spoke up again. "What happened Ziva?" His voice came out in barely above a whisper and Ziva vehemently shook her head as if trying to wash away the memories.
"Hey, you can trust me Zi. Just let it out." was now looking at him and nodding, silently telling him that he was doing the right thing.

"Can tell me what you two talked about?" Tony sensed that she wasn't quite able to talk right now but hoped that someone would enlighten him a little.
Now she was finally nodding and Tony shot a questioningly look at Ziva's therapist who now sat down across from them.

"We were talking about the relationship with her father and the time she was held captive. She was just telling me about her father's involvement in all of this. We didn't get to talk about the details though, before…" She now trailed off and Tony was already focusing on Ziva again.

"Hey, listen to me Zi. None of this was your fault. We should have never left you behind in Israel. But your father can't hurt you anymore and I'm sorry that I didn't sense anything earlier." His hands were now trailing up and down her back as he soothingly talked to her.
Something he had said must've calmed Ziva because she was now taking a deep breath before looking up at him.

"Tony?" now spoke up again. He looked in her direction and gave her a sign to continue talking.
"It seems like you know Ziva pretty well and I wondered if it would be ok if you come in with her when she has her next appointment? Only if it's ok for the both of you though, but I think it could help a lot." She now questioningly looked at the both of them, giving them some time to consider the option.

"What do you think? Would that be ok for you?" Tony asked her seriously and hoped she wouldn't feel pressured.
"I think that would be good. But you don't have to do this Tony." A few tears made it's way down her cheek again and Tony quickly wiped them away.
"There's nothing I wouldn't do for you Ziva. I just want you to feel better." It was a recurring subject in their rather complicated relationship and he would reassure her over and over again that he would be there for her, hoping that maybe one day she wouldn't question it anymore.

"I take it you both agree on the idea?" The two of them simply nodded.
"Well then I would say we end this session a little earlier and you come back in two days at the same time, alright?" Now Ziva was the one who nodded in reply.

"And Ziva? Rest a little. I know that these sessions can be quite exhausting, so take it easy." With that she released the two of them and they both went out of the office in silence.
This morning had showed them that there was a lot of work ahead, but it also showed Tony that she trusted him after all.
It was a good sign and enough for both of them to still have hope.

Recovery is a tough thing, I've been and still go through it myself and I treat it as respectful as possible and you can always tell me if something is bothering you!