Chapter One

The Bullpen

"Stop looking at me Tony!" McGee said as he logged the last file of the case.

For the past month it seemed that every case they got was open and shut in one day; which was not bad because they were down an agent, but McGee started to get bored with his job. He missed the long nights, helping Abby in the lab, the stakeouts, the chases, hacking into other networks, what used to be his job.

"Sorry Probie. I am tired of staring at this wall so you're going to be stuck with me looking at you for a while."

Special Agent DiNozzo was not bothered by the boring cases. In fact, it made his life simpler. His schedule was the same everyday.

5:00 a.m.: Go for an eight mile run

6:00 a.m.: Get ready for work

7:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.: Work

6:00- 9:00 p.m.: Grab dinner on the way home

Eat Dinner with a large amount of alcohol.

Watch and old movie

Fall asleep on the couch

That had been his life since they got back. No girls. No clubs. Just boring ol' DiNozzo.

"And why can't you just stare at your computer screen?" McGee said who stopped typing just to see what Tony was doing.

As Tony fumbled with a paper clip, he replied with "Because if I look at my computer screen then through my peripheral vision I can still see Ziva's-"

'Oh no' He thought. 'I said her name. Great here comes the flashback.'

Flashback:

"One short?" He asked the question he all ready knew the answer to. The guy closing the door stopped, but Gibbs had him continue with "Good to go."

'You couldn't even turn to look at her could you Tony? The woman you love, you couldn't be like a hero in the movies and jump out of the airplane just to tell her you want her to come back because you are in love with her.' He was so mad at himself. He missed her like crazy. He avoided saying her name or even thinking about it because he knew he would just have a flashback.

"Ziva's… what?"

'Dang it Probie! Why did you have to say her name?'

"Are you jealous?" She asked him.

Gibbs walks in and head slaps him. "Snap out of it DiNozzo.'

"Sorry boss."

Gibbs was some what bored with the cases they'd been getting but he just got so used to doing his job. Just then his phone rang.

"Yeah, Gibbs. Be right there." The phone slammed shut. "Gear up. We got a dead petty officer." The team quickly grabs their gear, but just as they were heading to the elevator Vance was coming down the stairs.

"Not so fast. All of you my office. Now."

"We got a dead pet-"

"I don't care Gibbs. My office. Let's go."

The team angrily put their stuff back on the desks before heading upstairs. When they walked in Vance was standing behind his desk. Gibbs stood about 2 feet behind the desk. Tony and McGee stood a foot behind Gibbs on opposite sides of him. The door shut.

"It has been a month that you have been down an agent."

"And Leon?" Gibbs gave him the glare.

"And I want you to choose a new agent now."

"I told you I want a few months."

"I have given you one. Now choose."

"No."

"I thought you might say that" He pushed a button on the phone. "Cynthia send her in please."

Just as the team turned around, in walked a twenty seven year old woman. She was 5'5" with straight dark brown hair that went to the middle of her back, light skin, and beautiful green eyes. She was wearing black peep toe pumps, a very tight gray tweed skirt, and a red silk shirt that showed just enough cleavage to make heads turn. She was stunningly beautiful. Her eyeliner was all smeared though as if she had been crying.

"Special Agent Gibbs, McGee, and Dinozzo, meet Special Agent Jessica Matthews, the newest member of your team." Leon Vance said with a smirk on his face.

She extended one hand to Gibbs while wiping her eye with the other.

"Hi. Sorry I am a mess."

Gibbs just glared at her with his arms crossed.

"The petty officer whose death you are about to investigate, is her brother." Vance added.

Gibbs then half turned and glared at Vance.

-North Africa-

"It is time for your daily reminder of how long you have been here." The man said with a chuckle.

'Today is the thirtieth day I have been here.' Ziva thought. Just then she felt the blade on her arm. They had been making small superficial cuts on her arm to mark how many days she had held out.

'It is as if they are leaving skid marks on me'

'Tally, Ziva, Tally' She heard Tony say in her head.

'Ugh Tony' She was instantly angered. She hated him for killing Michael. For not trusting her. For being jealous.

Thinking and having flashbacks were the only things she was doing these days, well besides being tortured. At first they just got bored with her silence. They would beat her but not badly, and never below the waist. It was as if they had been instructed not to. After a month though, they were agitated by her silence. They began hitting her harder and harder, sometimes the chair she was strapped to would fall over, they would twist her arm, hold her up by her hair, but she was never hit below the waist.

"And now for your daily food and water"

The man threw water in her face and then forced her to drink the rest of it. Then he shoved a piece of bread in her mouth. She spit it out and he slapped her. It was not that she was not hungry. She just could no longer chew due to the broken cheek bone. That was not the only thing that had been broken either. Most of her left arm had been compromised, her shoulder was dislocated, upper arm was broken. She had broken ribs. Her lips were swollen.

"I'll be back so we can have one of our nice chats about NCIS." He said as he walked out the door, it slammed behind him.