The sky outside was bright. The sun was shining brightly and there were no clouds in the sky. It was going to be a wonderful day. At least it was for everyone except Ziva David.
Ziva had gotten home late and had only had two hours of sleep when she had been called by Gibbs. He had told her to come back to work since they were low on agents at NCIS.
So, Ziva had gotten out of bed, dressed and headed back to work. She was exhausted since she had worked for forty-eight hours straight.
When Ziva had arrived at work, she had been tasked with thoroughly looking through files from the case that the team had been working on since Monday. It was now Friday.
"Hey Ziva," Gibbs had said. He had been tired but had only been working for around twenty hours. "I'm sorry to call you back. I know you've been working hard and I promise you can have a week off once we close the case."
Ziva was still daydreaming when Tony sat on the edge of her desk.
"Hi Tony," said Ziva as she yawned.
"Hi. Honey, you need to sleep," replied Tony. He was Ziva's boyfriend.
"I can't. I have to look through these files for anything to link the suspect to the victim."
"I'll do it for you. Get some rest babe. You don't need to collapse from exhaustion."
"I'll be okay Tony."
Tony knew Ziva was lying but he didn't want to push it. He decided to talk to Gibbs instead. Standing up, Tony kissed Ziva's head and left.
***
It wasn't long before Tony found Gibbs in the men's room.
"What's wrong DiNozzo?" asked Gibbs.
"I know we need all the help we can get on this case boss, but can you make Ziva get some rest? She's exhausted, she's been working for more than forty-eight hours straight, and she's about to collapse from exhaustion," answered Tony.
"I know Tony. I'm waiting for a few agents from the LA office and then Ziva can take some time off. It shouldn't be much longer. Is she still looking through files?"
"Yes."
"Okay. Swap with her and make sure she goes home. If she wants to come back tomorrow, she can. But, I want her to sleep today."
"Alright."
***
Ziva dropped onto her bed as soon as she got home. She normally checked her locks after a break-in that had happened a month ago, but she was so exhausted that her mind didn't process anything she was seeing. She didn't feel someone tying her hands and feet. She didn't feel herself being dragged out of her bathroom window and she didn't feel herself being shoved into a car trunk.
When Ziva did wake up an hour later, she found herself in a warehouse. Her hands were still tied up but her feet were now free so Ziva stood up and looked around. There were boxes everywhere and Ziva decided that, should she need to, they would provide protection and hiding spots. She opened a box that was next to her and gasped. The box was full of missiles. Ziva realised that she had found the link they needed for their case.
After replacing the lid, Ziva had an idea. She started rubbing the rope around her wrists on the edge of the box. Within a few minutes, she had freed herself and was wondering around the warehouse.
A sudden noise got Ziva's attention. She looked up to find a man heading towards her. Immediately, Ziva dropped down behind a box and crawled around until she found a place to hide.
Eventually, the man's footsteps receded and Ziva checked her pockets. She found her phone in an inside pocket of her jacket. Thanking her lucky stars, and glad that she had fallen asleep straight away, Ziva dialed Gibbs' number.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Ziva has been working for more than two days with no break. When she finally has a break, she is kidnapped and hunted in a warehouse. But, during the hunt, she discovers a clue that could help solve the case.