Broken Inside

They'll Never Know

"Boss, we have a problem". Tony said urgently as he called Gibbs on his cell.

"Yeah?"

"It's Ziva. She's having some sort of mental breakdown". Tony explained.

"Try to calm her down. I'm on my way". Gibbs hung up.

.
Tony sighed and turned his attention back to the quivering, whimpering body on the bathroom floor.

"Ziva". He softly called out to her.

"Leave, Tony. You don't deserve this". Ziva sobbed.

"C'mon Ziva". Tony walked closer to Ziva. "I want to help you. Let me help you".

Ziva cried harder. "Please Tony".

.
Hush, baby don't cry.
Just get through the night.
.

Tony crouched down next to Ziva, and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. She shrieked and recoiled closer to the bathroom wall. She looked up at him with terrified eyes.

"God Ziva. What happened to you?" Tony asked softly.
.

'Cause all that you are
Is broken inside.
But they'll never know,
They'll never know.

.
"Ziva. You better tell me what is going on, because I need to know. I want to help you! You almost committed suicide! If I didn't come here sooner, you would have been dead".

Tony was referring to Ziva's attempted suicide. He had burst into her apartment, to find Ziva with a thankfully full bottle of sleeping pills. He had wrestled the bottle out of Ziva's hands, and that's when she cracked. She screamed and sobbed, and rushed to the bathroom. Where she collapsed on the floor in tears.

.
Don't you cry tonight.
Rest your weary eyes.
.

Tony moved even closer to Ziva. Ziva's eyes grew wide, and she curled up into a ball.

"Ziva, I'm going to touch your shoulder. I won't hurt you, okay?" Tony said.

He sat on the floor next to her, and placed his hand on her shoulder. Ziva flinched, but then relaxed under his touch.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" Tony asked. "I want to help you. I care about you".

Ziva cried even harder. "Why? Why why why?" She asked in hysterics.

"Why what?" Tony asked desperately. "You have to tell me".

"Why am I such a failure? Why can't I do anything right? I am a disappointment and... ." Ziva tried to say before Tony interrupted her.

"Ziva stop. You are not!" Tony said sternly.

"Gibbs. I'm such a disappointment to him". Ziva explained through sobs.

Tony sighed. Damn Gibbs. He should have never lost his temper on Ziva.

Ziva had failed to contact a suspected murderer to take him into questioning. Because of that, the suspect murdered his wife and two children. Gibbs had gone berserk. He cornered Ziva in the bullpen, and stared down at her with a furious glare. He didn't yell, but his quietness seemed louder than his yelling as he harshly scolded her.

Tony couldn't forget the look of petrified fear on Ziva's eyes. He almost had to yank Gibbs away from her. Ziva had a haunting look to her. She locked eyes with Tony for a split-second, and then ran out of the building. Tony tore after her, and followed her to her apartment. That was when he burst inside, and wrestled the bottle of sleeping pills away from Ziva.