A/N: Hello, peoples! I think I ran out of characters for the special guests, and I really don't feel like it right now. Please just be grateful I was able to give you another chapter within a reasonable amount of time. However, if you have any suggestions for characters you would like to see, I'll be open to use them if you review.
Disclaimer: Two words: I wish.
"Come on, Ziva! Hurry up! I gotta pee!" Nudge called back to the agent, who chuckled lightly.
"I am coming! I am coming!" she assured the young girl, who was watching her carefully and impatiently as she squeezed through the throng of shoppers blocking the path to the ladies' restroom. Nudge wondered how it could take one person so long just to cross the thirty stinkin' feet to the bathroom, so her friend could relieve her bladder. For a moment, she was surprised by herself, thinking of this woman as a friend. It really was crazy, considering they had only known each other for less than a week. It was true though, she guessed. The connection the whole Flock shared with these people was strange and amazing at the same time. Finally, Nudge thought as Ziva reached her, using the hand she had subconsciously placed on the door to push it open hastily. After she had "done her business", Nudge exited the bathroom stall, realizing how completely disgusting public restrooms were. I guess it beats a hole in the middle of the woods, though. She smiled at her own internal joke as she washed her hands, keeping one eye trained instinctively on her NCIS escort, noting the drooping of her eyes, which carried heavy purple bags under them, the frown set deep into her naturally pretty lips, and the slight disarray of her shiny brown hair. At that moment, Nudge noticed two things: Agent David was exceptionally tired, as well as exceptionally pretty. Huh. I'm usually the one who notices these things first. I guess that's why Tony likes her so much. That, she had noticed before, when she first saw the two together. It was quite obvious, really. Then another thought came to her in the form of a sneaky worm of an idea. That idea grew and developed in her genetically engineered mutant head and went on to form a totally devious plan.
"Hey, Ziva, are you and Tony dating?" she asked so sweetly and innocently that anyone would think it was a totally spontaneous question, which was probably how it came across to Ziva. Surprise bloomed across her features, lighting up her face with a delightful pink color. This is exactly what Nudge had been hoping for, of course.
"No. Absolutely not. Tony is quite a lady's man, with no time for a real commitment. I would not date him… ever." This response was expected. It's exactly how she would react to such a question.
"Do you… ya know, like him?" Nudge tipped her head to the side now, still working the innocent puppy look. Ziva sighed.
"Being with someone is not so much as 'liking' them, you know. Besides, Gibbs has a very specific rule against dating a coworker." She didn't sound very happy about said rule. Nudge was going to go digging for more.
"But he loves you. Angel told me so. The way he looks at you… I wish somebody would look at me like that one day. Anyway, my point is if he loves you and you love him, doesn't it makes sense that you two should be together? It doesn't matter what Gibbs says. He's not cupid, though he has had a mysteriously large number of wives." Tony had told her this when she'd asked some time earlier. Ziva laughed a little, but she still seemed nervous.
"Come on. We should probably go back to the others. Max will have a fit if she doesn't see us soon, and I've known Tony for six years. If there's one thing I've learned about him in that time, it's that he's is what you call a 'worry mole'," she commented. Confused, the girl stared at her for a second before realizing what she had meant to say.
"Do you mean worry wart? And btw, I think it's really sweet that he worries about you like you say he does." Nudge couldn't resist the temptation at weaseling in that little blow. Ziva's face was stubbornly blank, so her companion braced herself for a comeback or maybe an insult or two. However, Ziva smiled mischievously after a moment of deep thought.
"Is it the same way that your blind friend worries about you? Or have I misinterpreted the way you blush like a schoolgirl whenever he says your name?" she retorted. Nudge gaped at her, not believing her own ears. Not yet decided on what to say, she frowned at the woman, folding her arms and furrowing her brows.
"I am very angry with you for saying that," she announced indignantly, sticking her chin up like a five year old. Ziva, not catching Nudge's joking air, lost her smile, replacing it with a look of apology.
"I am sorry that I offended you, Nudge, but you kind of set yourself up for it," she said, in an attempt of a quick apology. She seemed surprised when Nudge laughed, shaking her head.
"I'm just kidding!" she told her, exaggerating her enthusiasm to prove her point.
They both laughed light-heartedly at the little joke, but their joviality only lasted for so long before the younger girl froze, a large shape catching the corner of her eye. Seeing her tension, Ziva's eyes narrowed.
"Nudge, are you-" she started, but was interrupted by the other's exaggerated gasp.
"Ziva! Turn... around... very... slowly," Nudge advised, taking a long pause between every word. As she spoke, the shape became more distinct, and as much as she wished she was mistaken, her suspicions were confirmed. She saw the gruesome, contorted, hideous face of an Eraser. The original model, without the creepy dog wings. When Ziva did as she was told, Nudge grimaced and allowed herself only a second's curiosity to wonder how her new friend would react. She heard a gasp from Ziva when the agent realized what a dangerous situation they were in. The grotesque creature grinned wickedly, enjoying the fear emanating from both of his intended victims. Or her. Nudge could never quite tell with Erasers. I guess gender really didn't matter when you were being hunted by them or they were slashing your heart out, Nudge thought. She almost smiled at her internal wittiness but refrained from showing any emotion on her sweet, girlish face which, admittedly, was hard for her. It was times like this that she asked herself, What would Max do? Well, Nudge, Max probably wouldn't be in this situation, but if she were, she would probably talk her way out with smart-ass remarks and pray to whoever's listening. Hard. "So we meet again. You know, this is a public place, uglies. No dogs allowed. Who sent you? Itex?" she asked, trying to be icy cold and strong as black coffee. Like Max. She sent up at least fifty silent prayers that the Erasers didn't have a new talent of mind reading or sensing other people's emotions, because right then she was as scared as she was talkative. If they knew that, they had something over her, and Max wouldn't let that happen. No, she had to be fearless. Right now, that was the difference between life and death.
"You don't sound surprised, little duckling. It's almost as if you knew we were coming." The voice was male, unemotional, and smug. "You are right though. Itex is back. We are stronger than ever, and you and your new little government agent buddies will never be able to stand against us. How's your father after he left you, huh, Zee? Can I call you that?" The Eraser leaned in close to Ziva's face, his tangled, stringy fur brushing up against her smooth cheek. She gasped but stayed absolutely still, not even allowing herself to flinch. Nudge knew that, as a Mossad officer, she was trained for situations like this (well, maybe not exactly like this), but she couldn't help but bring her hand up to protect her new friend.
"No!" she gasped, her now curled fist swinging upward toward the Eraser's wolfish face, but it was too fast for her and grabbed her hand right in front of its intended target, bringing it level to its eyes, examining it closely.
"So the rumors were true, little duckling. You're hiding behind the guns and badges. I wouldn't have expected little Maxie to have agreed to something like this. Stubborn girl. It's too bad, isn't it? That she would have put you all in danger like that. But I guess their whole family is unpredictable. Baby Ari with his daring rescue back at Itex, throwing a wrench in our entire operation. And for what? His family? Love? Ha. He loved no one. Oh, and Batchelder, the newest mess up of that family, just ran off with his little darling baby. What a wimp. If it was up to me they'd all be-" Nudge couldn't take it anymore.
"Stop! Stop it! What- what do you want? What could possibly be important enough to hunt us down for in a public mall? I thought Itex was all about being secretive. Why the sudden change in character?"
"Don't try to be smart with me, or I swear I'll kill you right now. We're looking for the infant, and we came here to collect her." Nudge ignored him, as she usually did to people when she was going off on a rant.
"Were you trying to surprise us? I don't see how you would, you big hairy, useless lumps of-" She shrieked in pain as a big hairy claw raked across her cheek, leaving a long, bloody gash. The next two minutes happened so quickly that Nudge found it hard to follow what was going on anymore and let herself fall into the motions of punching and kicking and scratching and fighting for her life that she hadn't had to use in a long, long time. Before the chaos had started, Nudge had had time to catch Ziva making the first move, striking out against the Eraser that had slapped Nudge with expert speed and accuracy. After that, nothing made sense. Once the fighting was over, she found her foot at the neck of the Eraser that had talked the whole time. She froze. Time stopped. She had never been in this kind of situation before with someone else's life in her hands, just one step away from throwing this soul like a rag doll off of the face of the earth. Come on, Nudge! What would Max do? She stepped back, releasing the disgusting creature from her hold on his mortality. An exaggerated gasp, followed by wet, gargling coughing, followed. "We are not to be played with. Tell your friends, ugly." For good measure, she spat right in his face, frowning as she turned to Ziva.
"You handled that well," the agent commented. Nudge lost her control, all of her resolve, and her fearlessness at that moment and without warning, broke into sobs, tears dripping from her eyes and flowing down her face. She ran to Ziva and hugged her tight, who rubbed her back awkwardly but gently in return. "Come on. We have to warn the others." Nudge followed her, pushing through the crowds absently, trying to be brave, but something just didn't seem right about something the Eraser said, about Jeb, running away with his kid. Jeb's baby, she thought. O My God. Jeb's baby.
A/N: Thanks for reading! This one is fairly long, I think. I'd really appreciate if you reviewed!