A/N: This is kind of a dark chapter. Just a warning. Also, I'm aware there was an issue with the updating, thank you to everyone who informed me about it, I'm really sorry. Clearly the website was having a bit of an issue. Apparently it's resolved now. When it wasn't working I tried uploading this chapter twice, so chapter 12 actually hasn't been written yet.

Chapter 11 –

Ziva's heart began to race and she started to panic. The last call had been a half hour ago – what was he going to do?

Should she call? Reconcile? Forget this whole thing ever even happened?

She thought of Tony. She thought of Tali. She thought of everything she had convinced herself of over these past few days – she was better than all of this, and deserved more, and that she was in control of her own life.

When a threat is presented, no matter how great, it must be faced. Ignoring something does not always make it go away, especially in this case.

...

By three, Tony had wandered away from the precinct, with only Ziva on his mind. Being in the same room as Raimey was too distracting – he'd just kept pestering until they knew about the job. He gave himself a "long lunch" and took a wander. Not all that surprisingly, he had ended up at her building.

His hands were stuffed into his jacket pockets – the day was still cold, and the streets were still wet from the earlier rain. His mind flashed back to a few hours ago. They watched it rain. She held his hand. He remembered the feeling perfectly. Somehow his own numb-from-the-cold fingers were not the same.

He thought of her, dwelling shamelessly on her perfect features and long silky hair. Those eyes that drew you in, those lips that were oh-so tantalising. And her heart, her good heart. She had an unbelievable capacity to love. He knew that much of her. It was so easy to feel these things about her.

And yet, feeling these things about her was not his job, and it was not right of him. A constant, he told himself for the millionth time, was what she needed. And maybe there'd never be room for him in that big heart of hers. He needed to accept that.

But, God, how he loved to think about her.

Was he kidding himself? He wondered if this would ever be more than a simple indulgence.

The best things, he had learned, take the longest.

He was about to round the corner back to the police station when he heard someone else behind him. A man on a phone, talking quite loudly. He looked Middle Eastern but he spoke with a British accent, and he was walking very briskly along the street and towards Ziva's building.

Tony reached for his holster, feeling for his gun. It was empty. He cursed inwardly, remembering that he'd left it in his backpack, with his badge. That was a rookie mistake. Even though he'd only intended to stand outside the building and not walk the block.. . .there was no excuse, that was completely stupid of him. He knew thinking about Ziva was indulgent, but he had had no idea that it could potentially be dangerous.

"What the hell do you think you're playing at, ignoring my calls?!" the man demanded, Tony was close enough to him now that he could hear defense from the other end of the line. "I won't give you more money, Ziva, if that's what you're after. Someone's got to put you in your place."

Tony realised who it was. It was Ziva's manager, coming to confront her.

Abandoning all other thought, Tony whipped around and grabbed the man's forearm to stop him from going any closer to the building.

The man, who had a scorpion tattooed on the inside of his wrist, hung up the phone and gave Tony a menacing look. He was taller than Tony. Much taller, with long arms and big, bony fists.

"Don't go up there," Tony warned. "Ziva's done with you."

The man with the scorpion tattoo smirked. "Nobody is done with me. Scorpion's girls stick by him." He seemed calm about the situation, like he came across it often; girls trying to escape from him.

"Well, Scorpion, she's not one of your girls anymore," Tony spat.

"You know, I don't appreciate my best dancer being taken from me," Scorpion said, and pushed up his sleeve. In a second, he swung for Tony's face, but he ducked just in time. Scorpion delivered a knee to Tony's stomach and he fell to his knees in pain, where Scorpion landed a punch to the eye and kicked him in the ribs. His long fingers curled around Tony's forearm.

"You wanna try that again?" Scorpion whispered sinisterly. Tony was fuming but he stayed silent. He was even more furious with himself than ever. "Now, go tell Ziva deary to buzz you in, will you? I have a feeling she won't want me up there. And just in case you get any ideas. . ." Scorpion pulled out a small gun. Small, but deadly.

Tony struggled to his feet, biting back endless amounts of curse words. He thought of telling Scorpion that he was a cop, but on second thought, that'd probably increase the likelihood of him actually getting shot. He pressed the button and heard the buzzer.

"Ziva, it's me," he said, waves of guilt crashing over him. He didn't want to lie to her, but this guy was holding a gun and could physically overpower him –what choice did he have? "Would you buzz me in."

"Now is not the best time, Tony," she said from her end of the line, her voice crackly through the old speakers.

Scorpion jabbed him with the barrel of the gun, ensuring that he persist.

"Please, Ziva, it's important."

The door opened for them.

...

Ziva heard three slow, deliberate knocks at her door, and got to her feet.

"Tony, I. . . " she began to say, but stopped when she saw his face, swollen and bruise and bleeding from the cut from Scorpion's signet ring. His eyes, though, they looked almost apologetic. Like he had done something wrong. "What happened to your face?" she reached out to touch it, but then Tony was shoved aside and Scorpion pushed his way past both of them. Ziva let out a gasp. He still held the gun.

"I found your boyfriend outside," he said. "He was trying to protect you."

Ziva said nothing. She was paralysed with fear.

"But you don't need protecting, do you Ziva?" His voice was heavy with threatening tone. "I'd hate to think you'd been ignoring my calls. I'm sure it was just a misunderstanding."

He sounded calm but the vein in his forehead was visibly throbbing and his fists were clenched again. Tony didn't know what to do. If she said the wrong thing he could kill her.

Still, Ziva said nothing. That was probably just as dangerous.

Suddenly, Scorpion extended his arm and grabbed her wrist and twisted and she yelped in pain.

"GET OFF HER!" Tony yelled, but the gun was still held towards him, cocked and loaded. He couldn't move.

"ANSWER ME," Scorpion demanded with incredible domination.

"It was a misunderstanding!" Ziva cried, giving in, tears streaming down her face from the pain. Tony couldn't hide his disappointment, and Ziva looked at him with pleading eyes as she clutched her wrist.

Scorpion stepped back, looking somewhat satisfied. "I'm glad. I'll see you tonight then."

She looked utterly torn and defeated. Her hair fell in front of her eyes as she looked down in complete self-disgust. "A party?" she asked. They were the only words she seemed to be able to get out.

"Nope," he replied. "My place. You'll pay for this one. And, if I were you, I'd show, otherwise your boyfriend here will have more to account for than a black eye."

Terror ripped through Ziva. She had never realised how bad this situation truly was until she'd tried to get out of it. And now, she was well and truly stuck.

Footsteps sounded down the hall and Scorpion stuffed his gun into his jacket. "Don't go anywhere, pretty boy," he told Tony.

Tali appeared in the doorway. "Hi, Ziva," she said before stopping and staring at the room, more crowded than usual. She focused mostly on Scorpion, whose dark eyebrows and high cheekbones and pointy chin gave him a very unpleasant appearance.

"Who are you?" Tali asked, looking uncertain.

Scorpion gave Ziva a look, instructing her to stay where she was. He then bent down on one knee in front of Tali. "Hello, deary," he said in a dark, slick voice. Tony felt like he was going to be sick.

"Grab her," Ziva whispered to Tony.

"What?"

"Grab. Her. Now."

Tony pulled Tali out of the way just in time for Ziva to kick Scorpion in the back with her heels. He let out a yell and rolled over, but she was too quick. She kicked his gun out of his hand and it tumbled across the carpet.

"DON'T TOUCH MY SISTER!" Ziva screamed as she threw punches to his chest, liberating herself, finally. For every hit he'd taken on her, she was returning one.

"Ziva, stop!" Tony called, coming up behind her and seizing her arms. She spun around to try and push him away but their eyes locked and she realised just what she was doing. She looked over Tony's shoulder at Tali, who was cowering on the far side of the room.

"He was a bad man, Talia," she tried to explain. "And he will not see us again. I am so sorry that you saw that."

Tali just shook her head and disappeared into her bedroom.

"What am I going to do?" Ziva asked, sounding more hopeless than ever. She fell into his arms and he held her tight until her heart began to slow.

On the floor, Scorpion began to stir. Tony released Ziva, whispering to her to stay still, and retrieved his gun. He removed the bullets before handing it over.

"If you call the cops they will know what you did to me, Stephen. Me and all the other girls," Ziva said, trying to keep a steady voice.

"Don't think about coming back here, Scorpion," Tony said. "She's finished."

Scorpion wiped his mouth, blood smudging across his cheek. "You're damn right she's finished." He reached for his flask and staggered out the door, which Tony shut and locked behind him.

"He's not gonna come back, Ziva. It's over now."

Tears threatened to escape Ziva's eyes again and she nodded, wrapping her arms around him again and turning her head away from the light. He gently stroked her hair.

"You can stop fighting."