Disclaimer—I do not own NCIS, the characters or much anything else for that matter. What I do have are my dreams and my imagination, and they are priceless. Spoiler Warnings for the entire show from beginning to this season's end. I also firmly believe in a writers claim to artistic freedom. I have tried to stick to what I know is canon in these stories, but sometimes in order for the story to really work I will need a little wiggle room. So I won't ask forgiveness, just patience and a little understanding. Please see the Prologue for other explanations.

WARNING – This chapter contains description of torture, but nothing that you didn't see in the season finale. Please give it a chance.

The 23rd Psalms of NCIS; Verse Three – Ziva David

He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.

She listens to the sound of the approaching footsteps praying that this time they will kill her instead of torturing her any further. She has been trained her entire life to endure several different types of torture without disclosing information. Her training has served her well in Mossad and she has never given up information in any of the situations she has found herself in over the years. She knows that she will not give up information on her NCIS family, no matter what it costs her.

She knows that she can handle much more pain and torture emotionally and mentally. Her soul is the strongest part of her being. When they had ripped off her necklace a week before she thought she felt a piece of her soul leave. She rarely removed it on her own. She had denied her faith at times and even felt that she has been deserted and forgotten; still in her heart, in her soul she knows differently. Ziva knows her faith will sustain her until the end of her life. It is just physically she is worried that the men will kill her before they realize that she will not say anything to them.

She hears the footsteps stop behind her this time the small voice of doubt creeps into her thoughts. 'Why am I holding out anyway? No one cares about me anymore.'

A gloved hand touches her cheek and a low voice says her name. 'Everyone that I have ever loved or cared about is either dead or has betrayed me.'

The ropes that are holding her legs are cut away from the chair. 'Tali is dead, my mother is dead, I killed Ari, my father has betrayed me, Michael betrayed me, Tony killed Michael and Jethro chose Tony over me and left me behind.'

She can't see out of her swollen eyes so she goes by sound and feel, which are impaired as well. She is carried out of the room by two people and laid on a softer surface. Ziva finally starts to panic. 'Why do I do this? Why do I hold on to these beliefs and disciplines I have been taught? Who am I fighting for anymore?'

"Stop struggling, you will just hurt yourself worse." She feels water hit her mouth and tries to spit it out. Suddenly the voice of doubt and despair is replaced with the restored will to live 'I will not break. What I do is for a reason. I will uphold what I believe and what I have been taught.'

A second set of hands now hold her legs. She can hear their voices yelling at her but she withdraws within herself and starts struggling harder. 'Jethro I forgive you. Tony I forgive you. Abby I will always miss you. Tim I wish I had never given you a hard time over your writing.'

The voices call louder to her and hold her down harder. 'I do not know why you have led me down this path Lord. I trust that it has been for your service and somehow some good will come out of this. Please make this quick Lord.'

A single voice makes it through her haze of pain, "Ziver please stop struggling." 'Ziver? Only one person calls me Ziver.'

A damp rag gently loosens the blood over her eyes. As Ziva slowly opens her eyes she chokes back a sob. "Gibbs, Tony how?"

"No time to explain now Ziva the evac helo will be here in one minute." Gibbs says cutting off the ropes on her hands.

"Tony I, I have to tell you."

"Later Ziva, we will talk later after you recover." Tony says helping Gibbs carry Ziva to the top of the building. She sees several men with their throats slit or necks broken lying on the floor along the way.

After three weeks of healing at a military hospital overseas, Ziva walks into the NCIS office. Abby runs toward her only to stop short and give her a gentle hug without touching the cast covering Ziva's broken arm. Ziva gently hugs Abby also, for the first time ever.

"Tim I read your latest book while I was recovering. I think it is going to flare up the charts." Ziva says walking carefully over to Tim's desk.

"Thanks Ziva, I think you mean zoom but I'll take flare. You've never liked my books." Tim says giving Ziva a gentle hug which she returns.

"I like this one Tim. Gibbs" Ziva says as she walks over to her boss's desk. Looking him straight in the eyes she says, "I understand that you had no choice because I left you no choice."

Ziva walks back over to Tony who has stood and walked around his desk, Ziva looks straight into his eyes, "I forgive you Tony and I love you too."

"Ziva what has changed?" Gibbs asks in amazement.

"The path that I was forced to follow made me realize what was truly important in my life." Ziva says looking around the bullpen, "The thoughts of my faith and my real family are the only things that kept me going when I left and then when I was captured and tortured. I have realized how much I love all of you. I will never take anything for granted again."

A/N – I just had to fix that finale. I also had a harder time writing this than any other of this series. I just hope y'all like it. Please let me know.