A/N: I believe that Ziva would almost never normally cry, even in this situation. However, I do believe that all the pain killer drugs she has been taken has reduced her defenses coupled with situation.

Chapter 5

Ziva began hobbling around on her crutches pulling away from Tony's arm. She hobbled into her bedroom every piece of clothing she owned was strewn across the room most had been purposely ripped or slashed. She felt anger growing like a ball in her stomach. Tony came up behind her "let's get out of here" shakily in her ear. Ziva shook her head no and once again pulled away from him. They could hear Gibbs yelling at someone over the phone in the other room.

Ziva looked at her night stand drawer flipped over in front of her. Not think about her broken leg she kicked it with her casted leg it flipped over; but she could not control the gasp that escaped her mouth as the pain ran up her body.

"Zi… stop" Tony hissed coming up behind her slipping his arms around her waist. For the first time she relax into him and he tighten his grip around her waist trying to relief some of the weight on her good leg. They stood there quietly for a few moments. Ziva was allowing Tony to pretty much hold her up acknowledging to her and to him that she needed him.

"Tony, if this is a robbery, would they have not taken my gun?" Ziva questioned him looking down at gun lying before them. Her eyes began to critical look at her room. "They did not take my earrings either." Pointing to two the diamond studs lying off to the right on the floor.

"This was personal Zi" He had already figured that out while clearing the room and seeing all her clothes torn up.

She nodded.

"Can I take you out of here now?" he asked quietly kissing the top of her head.

She nodded again. Feelings of sadness rush through her, she fought to contain it but the drugs were still working against her.

When Ziva and Tony entered the living room Gibbs looked up at her and was shocked to see sadness radiated from her face. He nodded at them.

Ziva again surveyed the room before her this time her eyes fell upon her lock box that had been forced open and now was lying askew in front of the fireplace. Panic hit Ziva with force of a punch in the stomach her audible gasps pulled both DiNozzo and Gibbs attention closer on her.

This time Ziva not knowing how to gracefully get to the floor simply let the knee of good leg go and let go of the crutches. Tony reached out to catch Ziva falling but he was not quite fast enough as she pulled herself forward into a crawl.

"Ziva!" Tony cried trying to catch her.

Ziva suddenly began to talk animatedly in Hebrew as she was pushing books and debris around her with hands.

"David" Gibbs looked worried he had never really seen her emotional like this. "What are looking for?" Ziva started yelling as if answering but it was in Hebrew. "In English, Ziva"

Ziva's brain snapped back to English "My cigar box in was in the lock box" without turning around to face them. Tony instantly went and moved a large piece of furniture out of Ziva way before hitting the ground himself looking for the items he remembered seeing in the box she called her family.

He knew that box held the only pictures she had of her mother, Talia, Ari, and even her father. It was an old cigar case she had snuck from her father's office when she was eight years old it still had old Cuban cigar in it and her mother's wedding ring. Tony remembered when she had showed him one night after a movie and a couple glass of wine years ago he had only seen it once. It was the first time he felt she had actually let him in then he had started up with Jeanne and he had never seen it again.

It suddenly struck Tony as he was searching for the items that heat was emanating from the fireplace he felt his stomach knot. He looked at her frantically pushing items around looking for the pieces her past. He saw the blood seeping from her hand where she had cut it on some glass. She looked up at the fireplace and then at him in horror.

"What is going on?"Gibbs bellowed trying figure out why two of his agents were crawling around on the ground in the middle of a crime scene. Ziva lunged toward the fireplace but this time Tony was quicker and caught her.

"I will look Ziva" He hissed at her knowing in this state she was likely to burn herself without a second thought. He looked up to Gibbs "Take her".

Gibbs walked over and picked her carefully up off the floor. Then gently but forcefully set her down on barstool. For the first time since he met Ziva 4 years ago, he honestly felt as though she might break down right here in front of them both. He bent over so that she could not avoid him and looked into her eyes. "What is in the box?" he asked again.

"All I have left of them." she replied softly tears brimming in her eyes.

"Who?" Gibbs pushed. Tony began picking through the fireplaces smoldering remains.

"My family" she looked past him to see if Tony had found what she feared.

His heart sank when he saw the claps for the cigar box. Ziva saw Tony's face and the tears that were brimming in her eyes began to fall. She fell into Gibbs' arm.

Tony and Ziva were now driving in silence to Tony's apartment. At some point Tony had picked her up and carried her out to the car. She remembered him actually putting her seatbelt on for her. She watched as Tony and Gibbs had spoken dramatically outside the car before they had left but she had not heard a word of it.

"I am sorry" she said quietly but in the silence of the car it sounded so loud to her ears.

Tony looked stunned.

"I should have not lost control like that" she continued feel very guilty. "It was very unprofessional of me."

"Ziva, I know you like to think so but there is no rule book to how you are supposed feel or express those feelings." He said quietly. "I know those pictures and things were probably the most important possessions you had plus I don't think you are thinking that strait with all the pain killer running through your body, those thing tend to wreak havoc on people's emotional state"

She reached out and took his hand in hers. They continued the drive in a comfortable silence for awhile.

"So now this has become personal, first they try to kill me now they try to hurt me is that not a little backwards?" she mused out loud. She felt him squeeze her hand. "I do not get it."

"Neither do I." Tony agreed. Amazed still at the level of access Ziva was giving to him to what she was feeling.

"I am more equipped to handle them trying to kill me then this" she started quietly. "Between the leg and the box I feel weak" she said tentatively wondering what Tony reaction would be to afraid to look at him she just stared ahead. He squeezed her hand.

Tony felt his heart break and his blood begin to boil in angry at these people who would hurt her.

He still had not said anything to her confession Ziva started to think about why she had told him those things. When she had told him she loved him there was no admission back to her. She started to feel stupid and began to pull her hand away from him. He held on to it tighter pulling towards him.

He stopped the car outside his apartment. Then and only then did he turn to talk to her. Ziva kept looking straight ahead as if she was now afraid to look into his eyes. With his other hand he pulled her chin to face him.

"Look at me" he whispered carefully. "There has never been a moment were I have seen you be weak. You Ziva are one of the strongest people I have ever known. Showing your feeling with two people you would trust your life with does not make you weak. I love you Ziva David and you have never been weak." With that he pulled her into a passionate kiss that she instantly returned.

"Now would you like a piggy back ride in" He grinned at her loving the sound of her laughter.