A little background on Ziva in this chapter. Only about two more chapters left! D: A little longer chapter guys!

Disclaimer still applies

Gibbs had full intentions of just walking into Ziva's room when he heard laughter. "Maybe, I should wait," Gibbs thought. No. He had to know what was going on... for the good of the team. Gibbs knocked on the door.

"Come on in Gibbs," Abby said. And she thought he had mindreader powers. He walked in and saw Abby sitting on Ziva's bed calming her down from their little laugh.

"Hello Gibbs," Ziva said calming down almost immediately.

"Didn't mean to spoil the moment," Gibbs told them.

"It is okay Gibbs."

"Yeah Gibbs. We were just talking about tears and endorphins," Abby informed him.

"Well I'm glad you two are bonding better," Gibbs said, "but unfortunately, Abby, I think you're need at NCIS. It's not our case, but Pacchi and his team are in need of your assistance."

"Okay, Gibbs," Abby said. She gave Ziva a hug and left. Gibbs sat down in the chair he had been stationed in when Ziva woke up.

"You have something bothering you, yes?" Ziva said.

"Only if you're ready to talk," Gibbs told her.

"I believe that Abby should be here if we were to talk to you. It is our problem we are still speaking of right?" Ziva asked.

"Yeah," was all Gibbs said. He then stood up and walked over to her. He leaned down and gave her a hug before saying, "if it affects the work my team does, I have to know, Z."

"You will know in time," Ziva told him. He walked out of the door and Ziva was, again, left alone.

Tony was sitting at home, completely hungover, when his phone rang. "Hello?" he answered.

"You sound awful," Ziva told him.

"Thanks," Tony said with mock hurt. Ziva laughed. There was silence for a minute. "You called?" Tony said, minutely annoyed... but not much.

"I told you I would call, but I now do not know what to discuss with you... does this remind you of any movies?" Ziva suggested.

"You said you would call?" Tony asked, completely oblivious to his drunk dial the night before.

"You called me last night... drunk. To get you to sleep I told you I would call in the morning," she reminded him.

"Oh," he said as he glanced at the clock, "you know... it's not morning anymore."

"I got a little, uh, tied up," she told him.

"Where are you? There is an incessant beeping noise and it's making me head throb," he said, very irritated by the sound.

"I'm... at the hospital," she confessed.

"What? What happened?" he asked, concerned for his friend.

"I was running and got a little dehydrated... not a big deal," she said dismissively.

"Do- do you want some company?" he asked, feeling bad.

"That would be most appreciated," she told him, relieved that she wouldn't be alone for long.

Tony arrived at Bethesda forty minutes after he and Ziva had said their goodbyes. He knocked on her door. "Come on in Tony," Ziva called.

"Hey Z," he said. They sat there staring at each other for a few minutes. "So..." Tony said with discomfort.

"Well go ahead and sit," Tony did as he was told, "why don't you tell me about your last big vacation." Tony went into a long explanation of how he took a nice trip to Maine. Ziva listened intently, glad to on a better subject than her life.

"So, how about you? Ever had a real vacation?" Tony asked.

Ziva thought back. Then she suddenly remembered.

The beautiful Israeli was leading two children though the forest.

"Mama, I'm tired," Rivka's youngest child, Talia, complained.

"I know baby," the obviously distraught mother cooed. Her eldest, Ziva, sensing the importance of silence reached over and pulled her sister close.

"Hush אחות (sister). Mama is taking us to a nice place," Ziva then spent the rest of the journey discussing with her sister all the possible places they could be going. The Israeli woman was clearly relieved that her eldest had taken her sister on as a responsibility. The trio then found themselves on a beach. It was dark, but the mystique of the area was beautifully overwhelming. "I told you, Tali," Ziva said, glad that her mother had actually taken them to a nice place.

Ziva smiled. She told Tony all about the beach... and all the other places she and her sister had discussed. Ziva was glad to relive that moment... but it was bittersweet. That morning had been straight out of a nightmare.

Ziva awoke with a start. There was moisture all around. She turned and immediately regretted it. He mother lay there... lifeless. She was sitting in the middle of a blood puddle. She then realized she had been awakened by someone walking around the area. Suddenly a man grabbed her. She struggled to loosen his grip and look around wildly for her sister. Tali was in the clutches of another thug. Ziva bit the man and was dropped to the sand below with a sickening thud. She limped away and found a stick that she hit the other man with. He instantly dropped her sister. Tali ran to her and they escaped into the woods. The thugs, having finished their duty, ran off in the opposite direction. Ziva led them to the closest establishment and begged the owner to let her use the phone. She dialed the well-known number.

"Hello?" Eli David answered.

"אבא! (Father!)" Ziva sobbed. She then explained the whole situation to her father and he came and got the two girls.

Ziva came back to the present and realized Tony was staring at her.

"Who's Tali?" he asked.

"Uh, my sister. Sorry," she apologized.

"It's okay," Tony said, placing his hand on her shoulder.

Ziva was suddenly very glad Tony was there with her.

So? What'd ya think? What's to happen next? Reviews are wonderful! :D