Chapter Text
The sound of a belt buckle turns her stomach, not daring to look at the man before her, not after that . She swallows hard, clearing the vomit that’s pushing up into her throat. The man, no, the monster doesn’t say anything to her as he does the final zip of his pants and turns towards the door. The door opens before he steps up to it, he walks out without looking back.
She stifles her sobs with the slam of the door. A sweat drop rolls down her back, soaking into the dirt floor behind her, the perspiration leaving a clean trail from the dusting of dirt and blood along her spine. She winces as the sweat soaks into her fresh cuts. Her body shakes as she tries to hold her emotions to herself.
‘You could have died.’ The concern in his voice causes her to flinch, her eyes squeezing tight to block out the little amount of light from the sun. ‘Why did you do it? Did you think risking your life would make him like you?’ His tone bit her, hard.
“I- I did not have anything to live for.” She whispers, her throat raspy from the desert sand. He steps out of the shadows, walking towards her. She opens her eyes, staring at the italian shoes before her knees.
‘Did you think a fight would stop me from being your friend?’
Another drop of sweat rolls down her body, rolling over her bare chest and dripping to her thigh. “It always ends like that.” She sighs leaning forward for her ties that are anchored to the floor to not tug on her wrist, her mind racing back to the last encounter she had with the man in front of her. Even the last ones leading up to the week of her leaving him and all her friends behind.
He smirks, kneeling down before her, staring into her eyes. ‘I would never stop being your friend Ziva.’
A lump grows in her throat as tears form in her eyes. She looks away, overwhelming shame in her heart. “You would not want me now. I am too.. Too broken.” A tear rolls down her cheek. He rests his hand on her cheek, a tingle raises her skin where he touches, causing a shudder run down her pained spine. She squeezes her eyes as she holds in her pain.
‘I wish I can take away all your pain, Ziva.’ His voice echoes around her, the setting sun freeing her from the heat. ‘You don’t deserve to suffer. No one ever deserves to suffer this way, to feel the way you feel.’ A sob escapes her lips, some saliva slipping out of the corner of her lips. ‘You are the strongest person I have ever known. You will not die down here.’
She whimpers as she tries to hold in a second sob, struggling to be as strong as she had been taught. “How do you know, To-ny?” Her voice breaks. “I- I have-” Her mind flashes back to the unbearable memory, acid rising back into her throat and burning the back of her tongue. “I have no way out.” She opens her eyes over so slightly, glancing over her bruised and battered body.
A shiver runs up her arms as he places his hands over hers. ‘Trust me.’ She raises her eyes back to meet his, his charming smile making his way into her heart.