Disclaimer: I don't own.

Sorry for the slow update. I had exams and other school related annoying stuff. Also, I've been sick and sleeping like 15 hours a day. Sigh.

I think this chapter's kinda rough and I don't know... You be the judge.

Anyway, enjoy.

And please review!

"I do not know anything about NCIS's plans! They are highly confidential. Nothing is more important to them than national security!" She was sick of the tedious questioning, and somehow just snapped. Realising her outburst, she closed her mouth quickly.

The man shook his head and took a step toward her battered body, his footsteps echoing ominously in her concrete cell. "Not America's security. Israel and the middle east."

Despite herself, curiosity and frustration got the better of her. "What?"

"Tell me what they would do to respond on an attack on Israel or the Middle East."

Her stomach dropped. "You want to bomb Israel?"

"Very good. Now," he began, twisting the knife in his grip. "Tell me about their plans."

Her swollen lips curved upward. "You have said those words so many times now they have lost all meaning." She tilted her head; only slightly, as any farther pained her. "This must be frustrating for you."

Instead of reacting as she'd had thought he would have- lashing out violently- the man gave a throaty laugh, still caressing the knife. "I have been wondering," he said, "what is it that is holding you back. Do you think you have a chance?"

"No," she answered truthfully. "But I see no reason to give you information if I am going to die anyway."

"What if I said I would let you live?"

"I would say you were a liar." Her words were laced with malice.

He shoved his face to hers. "What are you trying to do here? Make your daddy proud?"

If the words had any effect on her she didn't show it. Instead, she shut her mouth and turned her head away.

"Ah," he said.

She resisted the urge to say anything.

He continued. "So it is them that are holding you back."

She couldn't help the confused quirk of her eyebrows.

"Oh we know all about your little team over there. I hear you're quite close with them." He gave a smile; his teeth were rotten and yellow, his breath fetid.

She shook her head with some effort, ignoring her heart hammering in her chest. "I do not know what you are talking about."

"Oh?" Feigned surprise. "Well I guess that doesn't really matter anyway. They've been paid a visit."

"Visit?"

"Yes." Another horrible attempt at a smile. "Let's just say I don't think they will be bothering us now."

The door closed; her horrified expression was the last thing visible.

Forensic Scientist Abby Scuito stood over her bench, examining the evidence Harvey and his team had brought back from the bombed house. She'd sifted through only a small amount when she found the source of the explosion. As she picked it up with gloved hands, she felt a growing sense of dread. It couldn't be...

Walking over to her phone, she dialled the director's office. After a few moments of assuring his assistant that this was urgent, she was finally put through.

"Director," she said.

"Scuito, I told my assistant that I wasn't to be interrupted."

She opened her mouth to speak, but he continued,

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do-"

"Director!" Abby cut in. "You do not want to hang up on me."

There was a moment of silence, then a heavy sigh. "I'm listening."

Abby began to speak, pacing around her lab. "Okay, so I was going over the evidence from the explosion and guess what I found."

Silence.

"Okay, not in a guessing mood. Think 'salami roll wrapped in smores'," she said, waiting for the penny to drop.

It took only a second. "It was ignited the same way as Ziva's apartment was?"

"Yes," Abby said. Then there was a beep. "And this just in..." She made a few clicks, eyes widening as she looked over the screen. "Woah."

"Talk to me, Scuito."

"The blood on the necklace... It's not hers." Her eyes were still fixed on the screen. "It doesn't match her blood type. It's not Ziva's."

Vance didn't have a chance to speak before Abby continued,

"Which means someone wants us to believe she's caught, but she's not, right?"

Vance drew his mouth into a thin line. "Don't get your hopes up just yet," he said. "Keep those results to yourself. There's someone I have to talk to."

He hung up and slowly pulled the phone from his ear. Fingering the receiver thoughtfully, he leant back in his chair.

It seemed trust is a virtue far too hard to come by these days.

"I can't believe I'm doing this." Tony grunted as he eased Gibbs out of the bed and helped him to stand. While considerably stronger than the previous day, the older agent still wasn't in peak condition. "You do realise I don't condone this in any way, shape or form-"

"DiNozzo?" Gibbs cut in as he walked, albeit slowly, over to the overnight bag Abby had packed for him.

"Yeah?"

Gibbs picked up the bag and stepped into bathroom, closing the door behind him. "Shut up or I'll shoot you," he yelled through the door.

Tony shook his head as a nurse stepped into the room with a clipboard.

"Sir?" she said.

"Hmmm?"

The nurse held the clipboard out to him. "Your friend needs to sign this. It's an AMA form. It basically just states that he's leaving against medical advice and anything that should happen to him as a result of that is not the hospital's responsibility."

Tony took the forms. "Hear that, boss?"

"Yeah," came the reply through the door.

Tony turned back to the nurse. "Hey," he said, "he is alright to leave, isn't he?"

The nurse gave a small shrug. "The tests all came back okay, so there's nothing critically wrong," she said, "however; he is going to be in a world of pain over the next few days so he needs to watch it. Take it easy, you know."

Tony nodded, somehow feeling that Gibbs was going to be doing anything but that. He held up the clipboard. "I'll get this signed and bring it up to the nurse's station on our way out."

"Sure," she said as she left the room, sparing one last disapproving look for Tony.

Tony sighed and turned to his boss as he stepped out of the bathroom, now dressed in civvies.

"You sure about this, boss?"

Gibbs pinned him with a glare.

"What about McGee?"

"We can't take him," Gibbs said. "He'll understand later."

Tony just sighed and grabbed Gibbs' bag from his hand. When Gibbs scowled and tried to grab it back Tony handed him the clipboard.

"Sign."

Gibbs signed the form and put his hand out for the bag once again. Tony held it out of his grip and made for the door. "Let's go."

Gibbs scowled again and followed sullenly.

A/N: So the blood isn't Ziva's, but Ziva's still captured. The house was blown up Mossad style, but the terrorist people did it. The terrorists want info on how the Navy'd respond to an attack on Israel or the Middle East and Ziva thinks the team are all dead. Gibbs isn't better, but is leaving the hospital (and McGee) anyway. And it seems trust is just a little too hard to come by.

Confused?

Muhahaha. Never fear. All will be explained eventually..

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