I wanted to say thank you to everyone who reviewed the last chapter. Yes, it was a very difficult chapter to write. Make sure you don't forget Luke ... you'll be seeing him again ...

I also want to acknowledge everyone who is reading, but may not have reviewed. I appreciate you sticking with the story. We still have a long way to go. As always, I welcome all thoughts and any constructive criticism.

NCIS does not belong to me ... but, oh, if it did ...

DiNozzo trotted back to where he had separated from Gibbs and Ziva. He saw Ari rocking a sleeping Tim. He came closer, found a large rock and plopped down on it. He wanted to lash out in anger again but found he was running out of energy. Instead he took out the coin and flipped it between each of his fingers ... from one hand to the other ... then back.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

Tony lifted his head. Ari was looking at him with none of the snark or angst that he usually did. "How come?"

He nudged his head to the figures behind Tony.

DiNozzo looked over his shoulder and noticed that the souls were closing in, staring at the coin. He quickly put it in his pocket. "I thought they weren't paying any attention to us."

"They are more aware than you think."

Once Tony had put the coin away, the souls started thinning out again. He stared at Ari then let his eyes drift to Tim. "Gibbs thinks the reason he falls asleep is because he's not really ..." he paused, remembering Jim's warning, "... well, you know."

Ari gave a half grin. He must have gotten advise from someone, and he's actually listening, amazing. "It's a possibility."

"You don't know?"

"Like I've said, just because I'm here, doesn't mean I am an expert."

Tony sighed and ran his hands through his hair. He didn't have anything else to say, so he leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees and clasp his hands together then just sat there.

To Tony, it felt like he had sat there for days. The only reason that he didn't get off his butt to find Gibbs or Ziva was because Tim never woke up. He had a feeling that Tim wouldn't sleep for days, plus it just felt wrong to have Ari be the only one there once Tim woke up after reliving such a horrible memory. Even though Tim hadn't recognized him yet, Tony hoped his friend knew he was there on some level.

Lost in thought, Tony leapt off of his rock and grabbed for where his gun usually is when someone put a hand on his shoulder. "Shit Ziva!"

She forced a smile to him. "Being contemplative does not suit you."

Grabbing his heart he looked at her incredulously. "I don't care what you think I look like!" He took a few calming breaths and took the time to study Ziva. She had a disturbed look in her eyes and he realized she was trying to have some normalcy in this crazy place. He soften his next words to her. "You're going to need to teach me those ninja moves one of these days."

The plastered smile never wavered from Ziva's face. "Did you get one?"

"Yeah." DiNozzo started to take it out, but remember the previous reaction, so he just patted the outside of his jean pocket.

Ziva nodded. Her eyes finally moved from his as she looked to her brother. "Has he been awake at all?"

Ari just shook his head.

She made her way over to them. "May I hold him?"

Ari's arms tightened around the sleeping figure. He looked down at the child. I have become too attached. He looked back up to his sister. "Yes, of course."

Ziva slid her arms around Tim and lifted him very gently away from Ari. She sat down on the rock that DiNozzo had been sitting on before. She very carefully readjusted Tim. She mirrored her brother's actions and rocked the boy.

Tim never even so much as twitched during the entire switch off.

Ziva began to softly speak in Hebrew to the child in her arms.

Tony wondered what had happened to Ziva to bother her so much. She was usually unflappable but he could tell something had really shook her to her core. If we ever get out of here I'll have to ask her about it. He sat down by Ari and suddenly had a question he needed answered. "So, how come you can use contractions and she can't?"

Taken by surprise by the question, Ari just blinked at DiNozzo, the he couldn't help himself, he laughed. It was a strong true laugh, not colored by any negativity.

Tony and Ziva couldn't believe what they were hearing. The two teammates looked at each other then to Ari.

"I guess that I've always been better at languages than she has." A light teasing tone in his voice.

Ziva couldn't believe her brother was being so ... normal. No trace of hate or anger. His tone was playful, not the mocking sound that was his usual, so she decided to play along. "That is not true! I speak more languages than you."

"Ah, but not as well as I do."

"I know!" Tony decided to jump into the fun. "Why don't you guys talk in Spanish and I'll decided who's better."

"Why Spanish?" Ari asked.

"Because it is the only other language he knows." Ziva turned to her partner. "Your Spanish is rusty, how do I know you will not cheat?"

"Cheat? Me?" Tony took on an affronted air.

Ziva went to respond when she saw Gibbs come out of the crowd of souls.

He was now sporting a black eye, a bruised cheek and other various scrapes and cuts. He stalked over to the group then grabbed his sleeping bag, rolled it out, laid down, turned his back to all of them and closed his eyes.

Tony sighed. He figured Gibbs's way to vent would be to pick a fight. He smiled at his team leader's back. Only Gibbs could come to the underworld and kick ass. He shook his head at his thought, then he got up and followed Gibbs' lead, rolling out his own sleeping bag.

Ziva knew she needed to get the protection barrier going, but she hated to move. Suddenly, Tim shifted, he opened his big sleepy green eyes, smiled at her, then snuggled closer into her. He fell back to sleep immediately.

"I think that it could mean something that he didn't wake up until all three of you were back."

Ari's voice startled her. "Really?"

Ari shrugged. "Like I told loverboy over there, just because I'm dead, doesn't mean I'm an expert. Just telling you what I notice."

She looked down at the child soundly sleeping in her arms. Brushing his hair away from his eyes, she smiled. "I will bet that he knows, on some level, that we are all here." She looked up to her brother. "Would you mind holding him while I set up the barrier?"

Ari smiled back and opened his arms wide. When she laid the boy in his arms, Ari spoke very softly to her. "Just make sure to take him with you, inside the barrier."

Ziva nodded then went to work on laying the stones and casting the required spell. When she was done, she collected Tim from her brother. He once again awoke briefly, whispering her name.

"Shhhh. Go back to sleep."

"K."

For the second time, Ziva settled down, holding the child close to her as she drifted off to sleep.

XXXX

This time when she awoke, Tim was still in her arms. She ran her hand over his head and kissed the top of it. "Well, hello there."

"Hi." He smiled brightly at her. They untangled themselves and he mimicked her as she stretched and popped her back. When she stood to roll up her sleeping bag, it seemed as though Tim paused as if he was looking at Tony and Gibbs, but then he turned away quickly and ran to Ari before any of them could be sure.

Once the three had broke camp, Gibbs stormed over to Ari. "You! Stay here!"

"And where do you expect me to go?" The mocking tone back in his voice.

Gibbs glared at him. "Just stay put." He walked back to his team, grabbing each one by an elbow as he walked by. They didn't go far, just enough to be out of ear shot.

"Ziva, are you sure that you can't summon a different guide?" Gibbs face barely masking the anger that he was feeling.

She nodded as she spoke. "Yes, Gibbs. The instructions were very clear. Why?"

"Because ..." He snapped, then paused to reign himself in. "Because, I'm not going to chance Tim even remotely having to relive that nightmare of a memory. We need to find another way to get through this land."

She sighed. "I have been thinking the same thing. Maybe I could get Ari to draw us a map."

"Guys, I don't want Tim to relive that any more than you do, but I don't think just a map is going to cut it."

Gibbs turned an icy gaze to DiNozzo and hissed, "So what the hell do you suggest."

Before Tony could plead his case, he noticed a small figure standing behind Ziva. He caught her eye and nudged his head.

She looked over her shoulder and down to Tim, a worried look on his face. She turned to him and knelt down. "Are you alright?"

He looked up at her sadly. "Are you?"

She thought about trying to hide what she was feeling, but then thought better of it. If I am going to keep his trust, I must be as honest as I can with him. "I am sad."

"Why? Is it because of me?" His huge eyes swelled with tears.

Ziva reach out and cupped his face between both of her hands. "No, not at all. Don't ever think that. You are not at fault."

"Then, why ..."

She let one hand rest on his shoulder, while the other brushed the top of his head before coming back to cup his face again. "I am sad because I did something very bad to a good friend of mine. Then I lost him before I could say I was sorry. I was hoping that my ... that Ari would be able to guide me to him."

"But because of me, he can't."

The other hand that was cupping his face, reached around and gave him a very gentle Gibbs-slap. "Did I not just say this was not your fault."

Tim rubbed the back of his head, but he was supporting a very small, shy smile. "Yeah."

"Very good."

"But ..."

She held up a finger to him, just as Ari had done before and Tim quieted. "You see, my friend was the type of person who would not want anyone to be harmed for his sake. So, we ... I'll find another way."

The two stared into each other eyes for a long time. Then Tim nodded and ran back to Ari.

Ziva stood watching him, took a deep breath, then turned back to her team. "Tony, why do you think a map will not work?"

Surprised by suddenly being address, it took a moment for him to get his thoughts together. "Well, because, a map might be a good guideline, but how many times have you followed a map but needed the help of a local to find your way ... or where to find the best eatery ... or what place to avoid ... that kind of stuff doesn't show-up on a maps."

Both Ziva and Gibbs were intently listening. When he paused, Gibbs gave a nod of understanding.

Tony continued. "Ari himself says that he's no expert, but well, I'm sure there are things he knows about this place that he just can't put on a map."

Gibbs deflated, knowing his senior agent was right, but hating it at the same time. "There has to be some other way we can do this." He ran his hands through his hair in frustration, closed his eyes and lifted his face towards the sky. He stayed still, as if he had been turned into a statue. When he finally spoke, it made his two subordinates jump. "Damn it! Didn't I tell you to stay put." He brought his head back down and glared at Ari.

The Israeli man didn't flinch. Tim was by his side, holding his hand. "Neri says that he is ready to cross the river."

Ziva looked at the boy who was hiding his face. "Why?" When she saw him flinch at her words, she lowered herself to his level and spoke very calmly. "Tim, this is not your responsibility. You do not need to do this."

Tim stared at his shoes for a moment, the lifted his head. His green eyes were full of determination. It so reminded Ziva of the man she had called her friend, that she gasped and held her breath.

"Your friend sounds like a nice man ... and ... and we're friends. I think he would want me to help you."

The three agents were stunned. Tim had no idea that he was actually helping himself, his drive to help others had stayed with him through all of the horrors he was reliving. They stared at him in awe.

I bet Mother Teresa or Gandi didn't have as big a heart as he does. Tony thought.

Ziva was having similar thoughts and they brought tears to her eyes. "Are you sure?" The yes she received was confident and full of conviction. Ziva couldn't help herself, she started crying.

This time, it was Tim who reach out to her. He wrapped his little arms around her head and kissed the top of it. No words were needed.

Tony and Gibbs watched on, their eyes suspiciously wet.

When Ziva gain control of her self, she gently pulled back from Tim, kissed his forehead and stood. "I am ready when you are."

He nodded to her, then went back to Ari, grabbing his hand again.

"Make sure you stay close and keep your coins hidden until we are ready to get on the ferry." Ari looked each of them in the eyes to make sure they understood. When he got the affirmative nods from each of them, he turned and lead the way through the crowd.

As they made their way, the sound of waves grew again. They all watched as Tim stiffened, then paused. They looked around waiting to see if the memory would start again. Instead, Tim tightened his gripped on Ari's hand and starting moving, almost leading the way himself.

They all noticed that the souls became much more aware as they drew inward. There was no segregation by time period. They passed someone who was dressed as a cowboy, then someone in a toga, then one in modern day clothing.

"I guess it's not a first come first severed kinda place." Tony remarked.

In front of them, Ari shook his head. "Some souls will always remain lost. Others find awareness. however it could take decades or centuries. It all depends on the soul."

Finally the small wooden dock came into view, however there was no ferry in sight. There were several souls already standing on the dock and a line formed behind them.

A fight broke out as a soul that was still in the crowd tried to take a coin from someone in line. A blond woman wearing a 1920's dress charged an ancient Egyptian man. It ended quickly, with the winner being the challenger. The woman now stood in line while the man had been swallowed by the crowd.

Ari raised an arm and halted them. He took a moment to count the souls both on the dock and in line. Then he got them moving again, but didn't say another word until the were in line. He turned to the team and spoke quickly and quietly. "The ferryman will only take ten souls at a time. Keep alert for any soul paying too much attention to you, that means they are thinking of stealing your coin. Once we get on the dock, we will be okay. The only way to get thrown off the dock is to not have a coin. However, instead of throwing you back into the crowd, you get thrown into the River of Blood, to drown for all eternity."

Gibbs, Tony, and Ziva all nodded their understanding. Ari went to turn around but paused, then turned back to them. "Also, once we are on the dock, there is to be no talking and no reaching out to each other. This is considered to be a journey that each soul must do on their own. No type of help or encouragement will be allowed." He looked down at Tim, then back up to the team. "No matter what you may feel or see, no one can comfort another soul until we have landed on the other side. Understood?"

Once again, he received three nods of understanding. He then turned to face front while waiting their turn. In line, Tim was first, followed by Ari, Ziva, Tony and Gibbs bringing up the rear. They stood in silence while the crowd surged around them.

There were more fights. Sometimes ahead of them, sometimes behind, but so far no one had bothered to even look at them.

Burning with curiosity, Tony had a question. "Ari. how are the souls getting coins? I know in ancient times people were buried with a coin over each eye, but no one does that any more."

Ari turned around surprised that the question had come from Tony. He waited to answer until after the line had stopped moving forward. He nodded to DiNozzo. "You're right. In ancient times, coins were abundant. Especially since you only need one coin to cross and many souls were sent with two."

"What happened?" Ziva questioned, also now curious

Ari shrugged. "Time, development, the death rate. As the coins got more infrequent, the souls started to build up. So at some point, Hates decided to start leaving the coins scattered around the land. I mean, after all, what was he going to do with all those coins."

"Tons of money and no where to spend it." Tony commented.

Ari smirked at the comment. Then he turned to face front stopping anything else that could be said.

They all fell into silence as they scanned the crowd for any danger.