A/N: Hey, to all you NCIS fans out there, if you're a Tony/Ziva lover, there's really nothing against him. I loved that pairing too, and I still do, but I saw Outlaws and In-Laws and went, hmmm... now THERE is a guy Ziva can fight for--and with! Review if you like it and seriously, feel free to suggest something for the future chapters. Flamers, be doomed to Tartarus. :D Much love! ~Kasha

"Ziva? Is that you?"

The name above her shocked her out of the bomb-created daze she'd been under. Looking up, she saw one man-considerably larger than the others in terms of build- crouching right in front if her.

"Damon?"

A smile grew as he took off his mask. Though the hair was much longer than it had been last time they had met, she remembered that face instantly.

Tony craned his head up to look from her to the man standing a few feet away. "Wait a second, you know this guy?"

"Corporal Damon Worth, USMC, dishonorably discharged."

"Oh yeah," Tony said looking almost as if he were drugged.

A mercenary came behind Tony and roughly grabbed his arms behind his back. "Gimme your hands." Ziva could tell he was of African descent by the accent and the way what little skin she could see beneath his mask was a dark brown, natural.

Damon leaned closer to her, worry in his eyes, though he tried to hide it. "What are you doing here?" he asked softly.

"This is Gibbs's living room," she looked for a second at the damages done. It had been a living room.

Tony gave a lopsided grin as he was jerked roughly by the man tying his wrists. "What're you doing here?"

Damon looked from Tony to Ziva, looking unsure, but... there was an odd look as his eyes met hers, as if he wanted her to believe what he was saying. "Rescuing a kidnapped little girl and her mother..."

Ziva nodded understandingly, but held his gaze. "I'm sorry to tell you, but you're actually abducting them."

"Hey, Worth," Tony's bondman said abruptly, cutting off their unspoken words. "Cut the chit-chat, just secure the prisoners."

Damon leaned his head back and looked up at the ceiling, a smile that showed how much he was warring inside, his loyalties at odds. "I can't. We're making a mistake."

The other man went toe to toe with Worth, anger written across his features. "Boss's got a lotta money ridin on this job; we're gonna finish with or without-"

The man never saw it coming, and honestly neither did Ziva. One minute he was still and looked troubled, confused, the next he had launched himself at the man, swinging a hard arm into his head and snapping it to the side. The man crumpled heavily. Before he had even hit the ground Damon was turning to his right, pivoting. Ziva saw one man behind the marine raising his weapon and shot upwards, bringing her knee into a sensitive place and then spinning to bring her heel down on his collar bone, effectively bringing him down. She heard a metallic crash and spun, only to find Damon looking around him in disbelief. He obviously had not thought this night would turn out so differently from the rest.

"I think we should hear them out, don't you?" He looked up at her and smiled, a small, 'What do I do now?' smile that tugged at her heart. She found herself smiling back, wanting to console him more, but unable to.

"Come on, Worth-y," Tony said amicably, patting the man's shoulder as he carefully maneuvered through the floor strewn with unconscious men. "Let's round up the troops and go catch the bad guy!"