Ziva David's eyes fluttered open wearily and took a good 5 minutes to adjust to the light. Her head was throbbing painfully as she ran her hands through her hair, sitting up slowly.
She had no idea where she was, and didn't remember much apart from going to the Watson's family home, getting into a fight and then somehow losing consciousness during it. She cursed inwardly: she shouldn't have lost control in a fight like that- she'd lead the enemy to victory and left her partner to fend for himself.
Tony.
The fallen agent scrambled for something to hold onto before hoisting herself up and onto her feet, surveying the scene in front of her. Ziva appeared to be in some sort of carriage- of a train perhaps. It looked like it had been deserted for possibly years, and, when she looked outside, the train yard seemed to be deserted as well. She fumbled at her belt and breathed a sigh of relief when she found her cell phone and badge still on her; her sig was the only one of her possessions unaccounted for. Swiftly but groggily, she unlocked her phone and dialled Gibbs' number.
It only took two rings before her boss picked up. "Ziver, what happened?" The man sounded equally frustrated and concerned.
"Get McGee to trace my phone, and then come and pick me up from my location. The mission was compromised, either she knew we would come and hired a crew to attack us, or she's been attacked too."
"You say 'me'," Gibbs mused, "Where's DiNozzo?"
"I don't know- they got him."
3 Days Earlier…
Tony's eyes opened slowly, adjusting to his surroundings wearily. When his surroundings weren't familiar, he jolted upright with a start, his hand reaching for the gun at his belt and not finding one. In fact, he had nothing at his belt: no badge, no gun. His suit jacket that contained his phone was missing, and his shoes were gone too. Confused, he peered around the room that he was in.
He was sat on a black couch in what seemed to be an ordinary lounge. Opposite him was another couch, identical to his, but empty. The walls were painted cream, and the carpet was a neutral colour. Beside him was a large mirror, his battered figure reflected clearly in it. He raised a hand to the top of his head, wincing where his fingers touched the bruised skin (from where he was knocked out). The room was overall plain, but a couple of oil paintings were hung on the walls, and a piano was sat in the corner.
Just then, the door opened and a young woman walked in, instantly closing and locking it behind her.
The young woman was actually more of a teenager, he noticed, with honey blonde hair that tumbled in a tangled mess half way down her back. She had a round face set with a pair of wild, dangerous looking blue eyes that were glassy and senseless. Tony recognised her as Sandy Watson, the previously innocent little blind girl who he'd helped to save from her own father's actions.
"Agent DiNozzo," she smirked, walking over to sit on the couch opposite him, inspecting him closely, "You're awake."
"Sandy?" He wondered out loud.
"That's right," her smirk widened as she replied.
"What happened?"
"I had you kidnapped," the girl stated matter-of-factly, "I had you kidnapped and brought here."
"Where's my partner?" He questioned harshly, remembering Ziva being knocked out shortly before him. "Where's Agent David?"
Sandy waved a hand carelessly. "She's fine. My men dropped her off somewhere safe, somewhere where Agent Gibbs will be able to find her easily."
"Why do you want me so badly then?" Tony wondered, confused.
"You are a part of my plan to get inside of Agent Gibbs' mind, to wind him up a bit, to drive him insane and mad, just like he did to me and my family. The bloodbath at the Pentagon was another piece in that plan. The people who corrupted him and then replaced him, letting him die in a jail cell deserved that."
"And why me?" The agent asked, now trying to leak information out of the girl.
"Because you are the person on Gibbs' dream team that has been there the longest, and you going missing will push his buttons more because he cares for you like the son he never had." Sandy's smirk grew wider and wider, causing her to look even more crazy.
Tony glanced around the room rapidly, remembering that the girl was blind. There was a window, but it was sealed shut, and the door was locked. As if she was sensing him looking for an exit, Sandy spoke.
"You won't get hurt, Agent DiNozzo, unless you try to escape. Well, not that badly anyway," her smile grew devilish as she stood up and headed for the door.
"Don't bother trying to call Agent Gibbs," she said, unlocking the door and standing in the doorway, "He'll find out where you are in good time." Then, she stepped outside, locking him in the room by himself.
Later that day, Sandy came to visit him once again, this time bringing a small plate of food with her. It was early afternoon, and he was hungry, but he didn't trust the food or her one bit, so he watched in silence from his couch as she walked over to the piano and placed it on top of it. Although she was blind, she certainly knew her way around without having to feel for one. It made him slightly uncomfortable, though he didn't show it.
"I hope you're hungry Tony," Sandy teased, knowing full well that he wasn't going to touch the food, even if it meant starving to death.
"I have a rule," Tony replied snappily, "And it's that you don't take food from people who knock you out with a gun on the back of your head and then kidnap you."
Sandy chuckled darkly, "Suit yourself then." She left the plate where it was and wandered over to sit beside him on the couch.
"You're partner, Agent David, is nothing like your old one, is she?" Sandy suggested.
Tony's heart tightened at the tiny mention of Kate. He couldn't help it- even years after her death, he still felt responsible for it. She had been there to help him through the plague, but he hadn't been able to help her on that rooftop. What kind of friend and partner was he? Still, he sat in silence, hoping that she'd change the subject for him.
Instead, he winced almost unnoticeably as the teenager striked him hard across the face with her palm. He felt his lip split, hot blood trickling down his chin. He still didn't speak.
"You will make this whole situation a lot easier," Sandy hissed threateningly, "if you talk to me, Agent DiNozzo."
"No," Tony seethed reluctantly, avoiding eye contact with Sandy, "Ziva is nothing like Kate."
Without hesitation, he stood up and paced over to stand in front of the window, surveying the busy streets below him. He was in a multi-storied apartment building, and could see over the city of Washington D.C. clearly. Suddenly, he felt a hand clamp down on his shoulder, and shifted his eyes to the side to see Sandy stood beside him, staring up at him in curiosity.
"Agent Todd was so nice to me." She stated, "Motherly, perhaps- she was gentle and kind, and I could tell, even at the age of 8 that she cared deeply about getting me and my parents out of such a tricky deal safely. Whatever happened to her?"
Tony sighed, "She was murdered- a one shot kill; right through her forehead. She was gone before she hit the ground, and had no chance of walking out alive before she even stepped inside the building. Her death was planned, but it on my hands, and that's a feeling that I will never be able to get over."
Sandy rubbed his shoulder sympathetically. "You loved her, didn't you?" She murmured.
After hesitating for a moment, Tony replied honestly- there was no point in lying. No harm could possibly be done- Kate was dead. Dead. Gone forever. "Yeah, I guess I did."
"I bet she was one in a million," Sandy whispered, leaning right up to his ear so that he could hear her clearly.
"She was. She was something really special."
Sandy unlocked another door and walked in purposefully.
Her other hostage was standing by the window in exactly the same spot that she'd left Tony in, hands running up and down her face in stress; she had heard every word that he had said through the overhead speakers. The woman was smart, she knew that Tony DiNozzo's confession had put him in a weak spot where he could easily be manipulated, and was muttering to herself under her breath in disbelief and shock. She couldn't believe that he would give up so easily.
She whirled around to face Sandy as she walked in, her eyes glistening with frustration, relief and disappointment.
All Sandy could do was laugh.
"Agent Gibbs isn't going to know what hit him!" She cackled, extremely happy with the information that she'd been given- information that she could use to break several people simultaneously. "The fun starts now, Caitlin Todd!"
A/N: Hello everybody! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, I'm sorry it's taken me so long to get it to you, but I quite like how it's turned out with all the different cuts in the story!
Be sure to favourite and follow if you want more!
Louise :)
