Fifteen

Three days and countless nightmares later, Tony and Ziva were jolted awake when Ziva's cell phone rang.

Ziva sat bolt upright and looked over at Tony, who looked a bit surprised, but not quite scared. She reached out to run her hand over his shoulder while her other hand reached for the phone.

She picked it up and looked at the caller ID.

"McGee." She told Tony.

Tony rolled his eyes. "It's seven in the morning! And we barely slept!"

Ziva nodded. "I know." She said as she flipped open her phone. "Is everything alright McGee?"

"We just thought you should know that we got a match on one of the DNA samples from Tony's SANE kit." McGee told her.

"Who?" Ziva asked, squeezing Tony's hand.

"Petty Officer Second Class Ethan Marshall." McGee said.

Ziva lowered her voice. "It was a sailor?"

"One of them was at least." McGee confirmed.

"What color is his hair?" Tony asked.

"Did you hear that McGee?" Ziva asked.

McGee nodded. "Blonde hair, blue eyes, birthmark on the neck and jaw."

Ziva turned to look at Tony. "Blonde, he has the birthmark."

Tony took a deep breath. "What about the other one? The one with brown hair, he was the one who…" Tony trailed off.

"Any news about the other attacker McGee?" Ziva asked.

"Nothing yet, sorry Ziva." McGee said. "Listen, uh, we're on our way to pick Marshall up now, we thought maybe you would want to be there when we did."

Ziva bit her lip, thinking for a moment as she watched Tony. He was sitting up against the headboard of the bed with his knees pulled up to his chest. One arm was wrapped around his legs and the other held Ziva's hand tightly.

Ziva shook her head. "Call me when you find the other one. I want in on that one." She told McGee firmly.

McGee nodded. "Will do. Also, we might need Tony to come in to ID them once we get them both in here."

Ziva nodded. "We will burn that bridge when we get to it McGee."

"Cross." Tony and McGee said simultaneously.

Ziva chuckled lightly at the surround sound. "Cross." She repeated.

"I'll talk to you later Ziva, and tell Tony we will get both of them." McGee told her.

Ziva nodded. "I will. Be safe."

McGee nodded and hung up the phone.

Ziva closed her phone and put it back on the nightstand. She turned to look at Tony.

"Do you want to know his name?" She asked.

Tony nodded squeezing Ziva's hand tightly. Ziva sat back against the headboard and opened her arms to Tony. He leaned into her gratefully.

"He is a sailor. Petty Officer Second Class Ethan Marshall." Ziva told him. "Gibbs and McGee are on their way to pick him up right now."

Tony nodded. "That's good."

Ziva brought her hand up to run through his hair. "Are you alright?" She asked. She knew it was a stupid question, clearly he wasn't alright, but what else could she really say?

Tony shrugged. "I don't know."

Ziva kissed the top of his head softly. "You are scared." She stated.

Tony nodded. "Marshall was the one who held me down, the other one… the one they haven't caught yet raped me…" He said slowly. "I don't feel safe with him still out there."

Ziva nodded. "That is perfectly understandable Tony." She told him. "But I want you to know that I will do everything in my power to protect you. No one will harm you while I am around."

Tony looked up at her. "You can't promise that."

"I can promise that I will take care of you, to the best of my abilities. Maybe not against everything, but I will protect you." Ziva told him firmly.

Tony nodded silently against her chest. "I want to press charges, but I don't want to have to testify." He told her.

Ziva sighed. "That is your choice Tony, but if you are asked to testify… you are the proof that it happened. Only you have the other side of the story."

Tony nodded. "I know…" He whispered. "Can I ask you something?" He asked.

Ziva nodded. "Of course."

"What would you do if you were me?" Tony asked.

Ziva took a deep breath. "I would press charges, and if I was asked, I would testify. I wouldn't want anybody else to get hurt the way I was." She told him honestly.

Tony nodded. "Is it bad that I was hoping you would say you wouldn't testify?"

Ziva smiled softly. "You will have a bit of time to figure things out and get your thoughts together before the trial is even scheduled. And I will be with you the whole time."

"Maybe… I don't know. I know what I should do, but…"

Ziva nodded. "It's alright Tony. You don't have to decide now."

Tony looked up at her. "Thank you." He said softly.

Ziva kissed him softly. "You do not have to thank me. I want to be here."

Tony smiled. "You know, I was planning on asking you to go on a date with me before all of this happened… I was nervous, but at least now I know you would've said yes."

Ziva smirked, looking down at him. "And how do you know that?"

Tony laughed. "Gee, I don't know, maybe because I'm lying in your bed with you, and you just kissed me… I figured that was a good tip off."

Ziva chuckled. "Fair enough. I definitely would have said yes, by the way." She told him.

Tony kissed her jaw softly. "I'm glad."

Ziva smiled, running her hand along his arm softly. "How are you feeling?"

Tony shrugged. "Sore, sad, scared… Nothing new." He told her.

Ziva nodded. "Do you want breakfast?" She asked.

Tony nodded. "Yeah, I guess. Can't really do much else."

XXXXX

Tony handed Ziva her phone when it vibrated on the coffee table.

"It's a text from McGee." She told him, flipping her phone open. She pressed the button to open the message"

'Open your e-mail, need Tony's confirmation on the suspect.'

"Sit up Tony." Ziva said softly.

Tony sat up, watching her reach for her laptop. "What's up?" He asked.

Ziva opened her laptop and logged into her email account. She opened a new e-mail from McGee and a picture that looked like it had been taken through the window between the observation and interrogation rooms, with the message "Gibbs is interrogating him now." Attached to it.

She turned her computer toward Tony. "McGee needs you to look at this photo."

Tony shifted on the couch and tilted the laptop screen, so he could look at the picture.

"That's him." He said.

Ziva held his hand. "Are you sure?"

Tony nodded. "I'm sure."

Ziva squeezed his hand before she picked her phone up to send a text back to McGee.

'Tony says it's him.'

She hit send and closed her phone. She looked back up at Tony, who was still holding the laptop, looking at the picture on the screen.

"Tony." She said softly, reaching out to him.

Tony ignored her.

Ziva moved to sit right beside him. She ran her hand down his back gently. "Talk to me Tony." She said softly.

"I hate this." He whispered.

Ziva reached out and took the laptop off his lap. She exited her e-mail and closed the laptop and put it down on the coffee table. She moved to sit behind Tony, so one leg was on either side of his body. She wrapped her arms around Tony, hugging him from behind. She kissed his neck softly.

"I do too." She told him.

Tony leaned back into her slightly. He rested his hands on top of hers. They had fallen into a sort of routine in the week that Tony had been staying with her. They woke up, Ziva always holding him because of a nightmare - either hers or his, it didn't matter, - they ate something small for breakfast, whatever Ziva could entice Tony to eat, they showered every other day, Ziva helped Tony less and less each day, she was mostly there for his hair washing now, Ziva would rub aloe into Tony's bruises, and they rested on the couch, either watching a movie or talking about the most random things, and they went to bed.

She liked it because it was the first time in a very long time that she had a break. She didn't take one after Vance sent her back to Israel the first time, or after Saleem, and it seemed like this was the straw that broke the camel's back. She was exhausted, and somehow even though she was supposed to be the one taking care of Tony, and helping him, he was helping her just as much.

"Can we do something tomorrow?" Tony asked suddenly.

Ziva nodded. "What did you have in mind?" She asked.

Tony laughed lightly. "You know the food truck on the Navy Yard?"

Ziva nodded again. "Yes."

"Can we go get breakfast burritos tomorrow?" Tony asked.

Ziva smiled. "If you want to, I don't see why not."

Tony smiled. "Alright."

Ziva sat back against the couch, looking at the bruises on Tony's back. "How do these feel?" She asked, running her fingers over them lightly. They had faded from a dark purple to a blue-greenish color.

Tony shrugged. "Not too bad. The neck still hurts the most."

Ziva nodded. "Aloe?" She asked simply.

Tony nodded. "Yes please."

Ziva leaned forward, kissing his shoulder blade lightly. "I will be right back. Get comfy."