Revelations

A/N: Is a contraction one or two words?

Also, sorry for any unrealisticness. I can definitively say I have never been *spoiler deleted*.

Ch7

**** NCIS Forensics Lab

McGee held Abby to his chest, looking a bit overwhelmed. Abby had all ready caused him to change shirts- twice!- since Tony had left three days ago to rescue Ziva.

"Abby, I'm sure he is okay! Tony can take care of himself." McGee repeated the mantra he had been saying for three days.

The forensic scientist looked up, her eyes red and puffy. "No, he's not! He's Tony! Tony has not been safe for the past five days! You got shot because of Tony's not safeness, Timmy!"

"Abby, relax." He did not want to admit, even to himself, that she had a point.

"Timmy, how can I relax?" Abby pushed McGee into a chair, curling herself in his lap.

McGee did not intend to object, but it was a little strange. "Abby, what are you doing?"

"What do you think, McGee?"

"Uh… sitting in my lap for no apparent reason?"

"I can see that, McGee." Gibbs set a Caf-Pow! on the table, turning to face his temporary partner. (Since the rest of the team was out of the country.)

McGee scrambled up, dumping Abby onto the forensics lab floor.

"Oww, Timmy!" she said indignantly, standing up and brushing off her lab coat.

"Abs, what have you got for me?" Gibbs glared a moment at the two, then focused on the forensics expert.

Abby sighed. "The same thing as yesterday. Plain rounds, nothing special about them. The sniper could have shot from a building across the street, but Smith's old team checked the scene and found nothing. Right now I am running a diagnostic to identify a strange particle I found on one of the bullets."

"Get it done, Abs!" Gibbs called as he left the lab.

**** Somalia

Tony stared, not sure if he was silent because he was awestruck or dumbstruck. He knew his mouth would be hanging open, and after a moment of thought managed to close it. God, how long he had been waiting to hear those words from her lips!

But… No.

Instead of saying what he wished he could, he said the hardest three words of his life.

"Don't say that." He looked sadly at the beautiful woman.

She flinched at the refusal. "Tony…"

Tony shook his head, now. "Ziva, I know. But I made a promise. If you say that, it will only be harder for me- for us- to do what we have to." It was Tony's turn to avoid his partner's dark brown gaze.

A harsh laugh diverted the partners' attentions, and Tony's chair was yanked to the far wall.

"So sweet," crowed the torturer. "I am a nice guy, no? I let your love bond with you, no?" he whispered in Ziva's ear. "But I do not think he wanted you, Ziva David."

Ziva tried not to hear, but the words wormed their way into her mind. She tried to keep her words impersonal as Tony's jacket and dress shirt were stripped off, and he was chained, struggling, to the wall.

The Arab torturer smiled, placing his hand on Ziva's cheek as the goonies who chained up Tony left. Ziva flinched away from his touch, her eyes never leaving Tony… as well as, she had to admit, his well-muscled chest. Tony had stopped fighting the chains that held him at the ankles and wrists to the wall.

The Arab followed Ziva's gaze again, and spoke quietly in her ear.

"I am going to ask you some questions, Ziva David. For every question you do not answer, DiNozzo will receive a painful shock." He held a stun gun before Ziva's face, and let the electrical current click for a few long seconds.

Ziva David let herself turn into stone. If she could withstand pain, so could DiNozzo. And both she and Tony knew the importance of staying silent.

The interrogator walked with a rolling gait over to Tony, and turned back to Ziva.

"How long have you been with NCIS, Ziva?"

The simplicity of the question startled Ziva. Where were the questions about Navy defense? Somewhere in her mind Ziva knew this was a standard interrogation technique, if more original than what she had so far endured; she supposed that the bright lights and constant pain, and interruptions of sleep must be clouding her thoughts.

She worked slowly through the question, though the torturer took her silence as a refusal to answer. He held the active stun gun to Tony's bare chest, grinning.

Tony's face contorted with pain, but he did not scream. He refused to give this man the satisfaction of that. Finally Tony released his breath, once the frustrated terrorist released the stun gun. Sweat beaded on his forehead all ready, and his breath came heavy.

"Now, I will ask you again, Miss David. How long have you been associated with NCIS?"

Such a simple question. It deserved a simple answer.

The confused, battered, and bruised Ziva fought to clear her mind and find that elusive answer.

Was it not… Had it not been four years since that first trip to D.C.? A little less since she had gotten her liaison position?

Just before she spoke, the rational part of her mind stopped her. Why give these people anything?

But Tony! argued another, love struck part.

Tony is strong.

The rational part won out, and Ziva remained silent.

//// Switch

Electrical convulsions racked his body, and Tony could not help but let out a pained yell. He screamed when he felt his left arm re break. It had hurt enough the first time!

When the shock let up, Tony spoke between breaths. "Since I am the one actually in NCIS, shouldn't you be asking me this stuff?"

The terrorist leaned in. "Soon. Very soon, DiNozzo." Then he pressed the stun gun to Tony again.

Tony watched the man walk over to Ziva. He pulled her head back by the hair, looked her in the eyes, and held the stun gun to her ribs.

"How long have you been with NCIS?" he asked again, to Ziva still. Tony's ninja remained silent.

Before the Arab could turn on the stun gun, Tony blurted, "Four years."

The terrorist looked over at DiNozzo, chained to the wall. "How long?"

Tony hated himself for giving in. "A little less than four years, now. I don't know how long for Mossad, though."

"It is good I asked for NCIS, then, not Mossad. Thank you, Agent DiNozzo." The torturer straightened up. "I have all the time in the world. Just one question a day, until I have all the information I require. Then, you shall get out of this place."

He leaned in. "I can guarantee that."

Tony did not doubt that. It looked like the only way he was getting out of here was in a body bag. Ziva, he could help. "Could you at least sit me back in a chair?" Tony asked, mind whirling.

The Arab considered. "No."

Tony's plots came crashing down, until the terrorist added, "But I may let you down."

"How?"

Tony's question was answered when the two goons who had chained him up, came in and took him down. Too weak to stand on his own, Tony was dragged down the hall to an empty closet. They threw him in.

Before they closed the door, the terrorist called to him, "This is not to punish you, but rather your girlfriend."

Then the door was closed and locked.

It was not so bad until he heard the rats.

//// Switch

What was DiNozzo thinking?

What on earth possessed Tony to give that evil man the information?

Reluctantly, she supposed Tony had been protecting her.

But did he not know it hurt more to watch the electricity convulse his body?

Did he not know how his bleeding, his pain, cut into her soul?

Did he not know how she felt?

But…

Maybe it had been a dream.

Maybe she had never told Tony those three words.

Maybe she had dreamed his rejection.

That would be best, she supposed.

To pretend it had never happened, except in her hurting mind.

Maybe it had not been real.

Maybe her mind had magnified her feelings, latched onto the good side of Tony to get her through the long, sleepless days.

Maybe…

Just keep telling yourself that, Ziva. Then maybe it will be true.

//// Switch

The cell phone's glow illuminated his face in the dimly lit space, highlighting his broken and bloody body. Tony glanced around occasionally, nervous of the large rats sharing the closet with him.

Tony pressed SEND, watching Ziva's last hope go flitting off into cyberspace.

He just hoped the phone had enough battery left to finish sending.

**** NCIS Forensics Lab

McGee was about to call Gibbs. Abby had identified the foreign particle on the bullet as a speck of dirt specific to one region in Somalia.

Then his phone buzzed, to let him know he had a text message. Tony was the only one who ever sent him texts.

"Hey Abby, I just got a text from Tony!" McGee called, causing the eager scientist to rush over.

"What does it say? What does it say? Open it, McGee!" Abby bounced up and down eagerly.

"Hang on, Abby!" McGee opened the text message, and dropped his phone, a shocked look evident on his visage.

Slowly he bent down, picked up the phone again, and called Gibbs.

"Boss?"

"McGee."

"I just got a text from Tony."

"Where are you?"

"Abby's lab."

Click.