What a great story. This is the second one I have read and I just had to compliment your writing skills. What a treat to be able to read without replacing wrong words with the right ones. I miss Tony and Ziva like crazy, so thank you for the memories.

Love that intense talk between Tony and Catherine. This kind of deep analysis is exactly what's missing in the show!

Catherine was a terrific character. The final chapter was wonderful! Thanks!

Awesome! Tiva forever.

THANK YOU. I searched high and low for a fanfic that actually seems realistic after Ziva was rescued, and I have succeeded. Also, thank you for spelling words in an understandable manner.

a very well thought out fic, thank you, good Ziva characterisation

and a well rounded Oc also:)

I think it's rare to find authors who get into the head of each team member without playing a favourite/favourites - I very much like your even handed approach

it's nice to see a Gibbs who knows himself and thinks

interesting start

Ok, let’s start with Catherine. I love the idea of a Catherine. His female counterpart, a woman with whom he can connect on that level, and share things that he wouldn’t normally share with anyone, man or woman, getting the understanding of someone like him, while also receiving feminine… care. This might sound stereotypical (perhaps it is) but it kind of make sense. And you portrayed her so well. From her demeanor, her seriousness when needed, and her jokingly behavior while reconnecting with him, to her pregnancy, everything adds up and make her real. Yes, I love this character and would like to see more of her :)
I agree with you about why Saleem kept Ziva alive. Any woman would have served the purpose, but an Israeli, Jewish fighter? Yeah… Not only they had a prisoner upon who to inflict any and every perverse and psychopathic torture, they also got to do it “earning” their place in paradise… Yeah… rape, repeated and brutal, undoubtedly.
I also agree with Catherine when she says that Ziva’s anger is directed to Tony because he’s the one she trusts the most, because he’s the one who will always have her back, even at his own expense. She knows it, and she appreciates it (perhaps she also resents it a bit?). He will stay by her side no matter what and *what*, in this case, is the not constant but surely permanent mistreatment.
It’s wise from Catherine not to build Tony’s expectations regarding a possible romantic relationship with Ziva up. It’s a fine equilibrium between preparing him for rejection and encouraging him to follow his feelings and trusting his instincts. And her assessment of his feelings for Ziva is flawless :) I think she believes they will end up together and that makes me happy :)
That’s not all, but it’s all I can articulate right now.
allthatisevil
PS: I had to look some word up while reading. It doesn’t happen often, so thank you for helping me to widen my vocabulary.

I have no words. I love it. I sat here, in front of the computer, curled up, anxious, nervous, but calmly reading, letting the story pull me into its pace. And I loved it, every bit of it.
Love it, love it, love it. You are good. You’re very, very good.
I’m sorry for this crappy review. I am too tired to articulate thoughts. Still, from the bottom of my heart, I truly, completely love it.
allthatisevil

Oh, so good, so good.

When did they turn into Gibbs, indeed… I guess when they discovered that hiding from a situation is easier than facing it. It is not, of course, but it takes more courage than sitting on ones behind and hoping that it goes away or it magically fixes itself.

I like that it’s an outsider’s perspective what forces McGee to face the facts. His sister assumed Ziva was raped because there is no other choice. Rape is a common torture tactic (isn’t it sickening that “common torture tactic” exists as a concept?) In Ziva’s case, taking who she is and who her captors are into account, “brutally” and “repeatedly” are more than just probably accurate. Yes, Ziva was trained, and she can probably rationalize it, but it is her body, and bodies suck at rationalizing, and sex itself is a very private matter, intertwine that with torture and objectification and what you have is a damn mess, and there is, as horrible as it is, a stigmatization of rape victims, and Ziva is supposed to be *Ziva*, almighty, strong Ziva, so yeah, in her shoes, who would gingerly admit that she was passed around as an object of satisfaction by a bunch of freaking sadists? (Sorry, I got carried away.)On the other hand, since she is *Ziva almighty* I can see the team assuming she was magically spared that part of torture. Maybe this team works like that, anointing each member with an indisputable characteristic that shall never be question, revised or challenged. Therefore, Ziva is *Ziva*, Gibbs is infallible, Tony is resilient and so on. And, by the same principle, things fix themselves with time. (Sorry, off track again, I’ll try to refrain myself.)

Tim’s anger towards Gibbs is a great development. He should be angry. He should question Gibbs’ decisions. I am glad he has. I am also glad that he is finally seeing that Ziva’s teasing has turned into anger driven battering. And I am immensely proud of him taking action.

I love how you write Tony’s inner voice. Tony is so… concerned, sweet, heartbroken. So considerate.
I also love the fact that McGee was honest about everything he had realized.

I find particularly interesting and I applaud you for doing it, that they actually *talk* about Gibbs’ shortcomings. The taboo has been faced. Awesome.

Thank you for sticking to reality. If they talk to Ziva or Gibbs, they must report it. Reporting it would mean taking Ziva off the field and right now, her job is the only thing from life before Saleem, and because of that, the only thing grounding her. Once again, awesome!

I am really enjoying this story. Congratulations on writing a well developed, balanced story, keeping characters in character and doing it with a beautiful style. So good, so, so good :)

allthatisevil

HELL, YEAH!

I don’t know if it’s been done before, I don’t know how many after Somalia stories are there, I don’t care. This, exactly THIS, is what I wanted to read. I cannot stress that enough. I cannot tell you how many times I wondered about this particular issue.

Everything you said, everything, everything, everything is… dead on.

God, I can’t even pinpoint each thing, because it’s just, everything. Rule 12, Ziva’s reaction to J. Benoit, then Rivkin, the mere presence of Rivkin and Tony’s reaction to the whole relationship, and EVERYTHING! What if, what if? Gibbs thinking about these things, because (in my head, at least) he must have thought about it! There is no way he didn’t. God, this is sooooo goooooooood!

That was emotional me, now rational me. I love your attention to detail. That bit about Tony’s mixing up the rules was priceless. And I love, love, love that (unlike others) did stress the fact that it was a suicidal, revenge driven mission. And I do agree that McGee’s attachment to the mission was a kind of insurance so Tony wouldn’t just actually throw his life out the window, so he would be just daring enough to accomplish the mission without getting himself and McGee killed.

So, yeah, this is rocking, and rocking hard (I’m sort of punkish, as you may or may not have noticed).

Your style is flawless and the flow of their thoughts is just wonderful.

Awesome. Rock on!

allthatisevil

PS: Really, I am completely and utterly enjoying the story and the fact that, apparently, you and I have very similar points of view about the characters and the situations.

Loved it. Sequel please.