Cool water dripped down from Tony's face as he stared at his bloodshot eyes in the mirror. His skin felt raw after having used some of the cheap hand soap from the dispenser to scrub at his face. If someone saw him now, they would immediately suspect that he had been crying. So, instead of exiting, he paced the floor, waiting for his walls to be built back up.

"This is bullshit," he muttered, hearing the door to the men's washroom swing open and close, the lock clicking without hesitation.

Ziva

The sound of a paper towel tearing interrupted the loaded silence and Tony turned around to stare at the other man. Pressed against the smooth counter and with his jaw clenched, he accepted the disposable piece of paper gratefully. He took his time to mop up the moisture on his face, trying to hide all emotion shining from his eyes but knowing that it wouldn't work. If anyone could see right through him, it would be this guy.

DiNozzo shook his head, defeated, "Don't tell me I'm not a failure as a husband; an agent, for not finding her yet."

"You're not."

"Boss, it's been two days. Who the hell knows what that- that pervert has done to her by now."

"We'll find her. We're all working on it."

Though Gibbs' statement should have given him encouragement, it did the opposite. His boss didn't shoot down his fears about Amasai harming his wife again and it didn't go unnoticed. Tony knew that his boss' gut was telling him exactly what his own gut felt; if they didn't get to Ziva soon, irreversible damage could be done and when they got there, it might be too late.

Her captor's hands were what brought Ziva back to the present. Gagging as he caressed her cheek, she breathed through her mouth and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Keep your eyes open," Joacim commanded. However, when she did not comply, he gave her a hard slap, leaving a red imprint of his hand on her cheek. The special agent willed herself not to react but could feel her hands shaking. He got up then, grabbing a plate and bowl that she had not seen from off the floor.

Throwing the bowl of water at her, he spat, "How dare you disobey the one who feeds you!"

The coldness of the room seemed to increase as the water came into contact with her skin. She shivered as the man crouched in front of her, holding the plate containing a piece of bread in his hand.

"Ichli! Eat!"

Ziva's fingers itched to grab the food. Under normal circumstances, she could have gone without it but she wasn't under normal circumstances. Ziva was pregnant and in order for her baby to get enough nutrients, she had to eat. Slowly, the chunk of grain product made its way into her mouth. It was dry and had no taste but it was something for her baby. And that was all that mattered.

It was five hours later when Gibbs and his team finally got something more to work with. A glimpse of a man walking past a supermarket's security camera. The video sent to NCIS was not even five seconds long. But it was just enough. After running facial recognition, they now knew that Ziva's kidnapper had not left the area, but they needed to work fast. He could leave at any time.

Turning to DiNozzo with a pen poised in his hand and eyebrows furrowed, Timothy McGee asked, "Does he want us to find her? They could have been in New York by now.."

"Gee, I don't know, McGenius," the senior field agent snapped, his angry glare meeting his co-worker's gaze, "Maybe if you weren't yapping, she'd be here right now!"

"DiNozzo!"

"What?!"

Gibbs had entered the bullpen after hearing the exchange and now he stood in front of Tony, shooting daggers at him from his icy blue eyes. Pointing at Tim, he said, "He's doing the best he can. If you don't stop yappin', I'll send you home."

"You can't do that. She's my wife," came his speedy protest. But Gibbs didn't react. He took a seat at his desk and when Tony, ashamed, apologized a little while later to Tim, the silver haired man didn't bat an eye. Some rules had to be broken.

"Hakol yihyeh beseder, motek. Everything will be okay, sweetheart." Ziva whispered for the hundredth time as her finger tips grazed her stomach. After finishing her bread, she had been left alone again, sitting in the dark, frigid room. It felt like days to the Israeli-born woman and she spent the time murmuring promises of safety to her child, though deep down she wasn't so sure should could keep them. Each time she thought about Amasai harming her and her husband's treasure, rage filled her and she longed to kill the man. That terror. Her child molester. But there wasn't enough strength to carry out her plans.

Whatever drugs he had injected her with still had Ziva uncoordinated and his presence affected her in ways that her Mossad training could have never trained her for. Little things that he did would cause her hands to shake or make bile rise in her throat. She had lied to herself years ago and for that, she was angry. What had happened to her as a child could not have been cast away from her mind. The memories which plagued her were not just memories that she could have dealt with on her own. If she had gotten professional help when she first considered it, she would have barely flinched when Joacim showed up at her door. That was what Ziva believed. That was her regret.

A/N: Why, hello again. Thank you to the handful of you who are still reading this story and those of you who choose to review. You being here is greatly appreciated. Yes, I know it's been what, seven months since I updated? I'm sorry for that but life is pretty busy and writing fanfiction is hard when you have no motivation to do it. Writing, to me, should be enjoyable and shouldn't feel like a task. Hope y'all enjoyed the chapter and I hope I can update sooner. Also, I tried using some Hebrew but I don't speak the language. If anyone does though, be free to let me know if it's written correctly and if you know any more Hebrew terms.

Love always xx