Chapter One
AU. This starts in season ten immediately after Shabbat Shalom. Ziva and Tony go to Israel to bury her father. Ilan Bodnar is in Israel and has taken over as Director of Mossad. A sixteen year old girl is on the run with top secret government information that could hurt Israel. Now Ziva has to find her father's killer and the sixteen year old. The only problem is that Ziva's not the only one looking for the sixteen year old and she doesn't want to be found. Eventual Tiva.
She woke up suddenly and was instantly on high alert. It was still dark outside. She lay absolutely still for a moment, waiting and listening. She could feel the warm presence of her bodyguard and boyfriend next to her and hear him snoring, but she also heard something else. There were footsteps on the stairs.
Her room was the first at the top of the stairs on the second story. In a matter of seconds, whoever it was would be just outside her bedroom door.
There was only one other person currently in the country that knew the gate code for the mechanical wrought iron entrance gate, and he would also know that her grandfather was out of the country.
That left everyone else. It could be anyone. Well, anyone who was willing to scale the stone wall surrounding the entire property.
Her grandfather was Director of Mossad, Eli David. He had a long list of enemies that included assassins, terrorists, anti-Mossad groups, and rebel forces. Any of them would scale the wall if they thought the Director of Mossad would be on the other side.
Of course, if Eli had been there, they never would have made it past the front door. Armed guards would have been patrolling the property, inside and out. But Eli wasn't there and the only guard still on the property was asleep.
"Daniel," she hissed, and he woke up right away. "Someone's here."
She grabbed her Smith & Wesson 340 PD from under her pillow and jumped to her feet in a firing stance. Daniel drew his own gun and pressed against the wall immediately to the left of the door, where he could take the intruder out from behind.
The door opened and the intruder entered.
"Ariella, you can put down your gun. It's just me," he said in a voice that was instantly recognizable to both Ariella and Daniel.
It was Deputy Director of Mossad, Ilan Bodnar. He was the only person in Israel who wouldn't have had to scale the wall to get in, though she didn't know why he would want to get in when Eli wasn't there. He didn't like Ariella. He was always civil to her in front of her grandfather, but she was good at reading people and she had known he didn't like her from the very first time they met.
He seemed amused by the sixteen-year-old girl aiming a gun at him, and that made her mad.
She did look funny at the moment, her wavy hair tousled from sleep, wearing a t-shirt that was big on her slim agile body and pink pajama pants, and holding a gun. This particular sixteen-year-old girl knew how to use the gun. Eli gave her shooting lessons starting when she was nine. After seven years of lessons from the Director of Mossad himself, Ariella could hit a target dead center from a distance. If she had fired at point blank range, Ilan wouldn't be standing there laughing at her. He would be dead.
"Ilan. You might be my grandfather's protégé, but this is not your home. You should have knocked," Ariella said, holding her gun casually at her side. "I almost shot you." The corners of her mouth twitched, but she didn't smile, though the idea of shooting Ilan held some appeal.
"Forgive me. I thought you would be asleep," Ilan said unrepentantly, smirking slightly at her pajamas. The pink was very girly for someone who carried a gun.
"I was asleep until someone broke into the house." Ariella looked at him pointedly.
That annoyed him. He was the Deputy Director of Mossad and an honorary son of Eli David. Ariella should treat him with respect, though he shouldn't be surprised by her lack of respect considering who her father was.
"I did not break in. Your grandfather gave me the code, but you know this already," Ilan said impatiently. He had never been a patient man, and he had no patience with her.
"And you know my grandfather is not here," Ariella countered.
"Yes, I know. Are you alone? Where are the guards?" Ilan asked in a show of false concern.
The complete one-eighty from irritated and impatient to concerned nagged at Ariella. They both knew he was only pretending to be concerned for her. Who was he pretending for? Not for Daniel. He hadn't even seen Daniel. And certainly not for her grandfather, who was thousands of miles away.
It had been over a month since Ilan had been to the house. She sensed that he was not as close to her grandfather as he used to be. She didn't know why he was there now, on one of the few nights that her grandfather wasn't there, and at a late hour. It was very strange.
So when she saw Daniel step out from behind the door out of the corner of her eye, Ariella locked eyes with him for a brief moment and shook her head ever so slightly.
Daniel looked confused, but stepped back behind the door without being seen by Ilan. From his position, he could hear everything that was going on, but Ilan couldn't see him.
If Ilan was up to something, now was the time to do it. He thought he was alone in the house, with only Ariella. But they weren't alone. Daniel's presence was both comforting and reassuring.
"My grandfather is not here. The guards were unnecessary. I told them to go home," Ariella said, her tone a cross between haughty and dismissive.
"You shouldn't be alone," Ilan said.
Ariella rolled her eyes. "I am perfectly capable of protecting myself."
"Ariella, your grandfather is dead. He was killed in America," Ilan said with regret that might have been genuine. "I'm sorry. He was a great man."
Ariella stared at him, trying to process the fact that the Director of Mossad, a highly trained, highly skilled killer, was dead. She had always thought him invincible.
"Was it Ziva?" Ariella asked eventually.
Eli went to America under the guise of seeing Ziva, and she certainly had the skill to kill Eli. After all, he trained her, and she was his best officer. It was a logical conclusion.
Ilan seemed surprised by the question at first. He cocked his head, considering. He knew for a fact that it wasn't Ziva, but Ariella didn't know that.
"I do not know," Ilan lied easily. He wanted to keep Ziva and Ariella apart, and that would be easier if Ariella thought Ziva was Eli's killer.
Ariella didn't know what to say or how to feel. She couldn't get over the initial shock that her grandfather was dead.
"You shouldn't be alone. It's not safe for you here. Come with me." Ilan turned to the door.
"Where?" Ariella said, not moving.
"A safe house, of course," Ilan replied, trying not to act too irritated with her.
Ariella nodded. "Wait outside. I will get dressed."
Satisfied that she was going to cooperate, at least as much as Ariella ever cooperated, Ilan left, closing the door behind him.
Everything was going according to plan. In the morning, the world would know that Eli David was dead and he would be the new Director of Mossad. He just needed to tie up a few loose ends.
In her room, Ariella held a finger to her lips, signaling for Daniel to be quiet. She didn't think it was as strange for Ilan to come uninvited in the middle of the night now that she knew why he had come, but she had already lied and Daniel went along with it.
Once they were in the closet with the door shut, Daniel spoke up in a low voice so they wouldn't be overheard. "Why did you tell him you were alone?"
"I do not like him and I do not trust him," Ariella said quietly, putting a pair of jeans on. "When I lied, I did not know why he was here."
"Your grandfather trusted him," Daniel whispered.
Ariella let out a short laugh. "My grandfather did not trust anyone."
"Who does that sound like?" Daniel said with mild amusement.
Ariella ignored what he was insinuating and pulled a black t-shirt over her head. She didn't trust anyone, and with good reason. Everyone she had ever trusted had hurt her.
"It does not matter now. I lied and you went along with it. If he sees you, you will get in trouble. Stay here until we are gone," Ariella said as she tied her running shoes.
"I should go to the safe house with you," Daniel protested.
"No. I do not want you to get in trouble because of me," Ariella said firmly.
Ariella quickly packed a duffel bag with a few changes of clothes and a clean pair of pajamas. She dashed into her bathroom, knowing she only had so much time before what little patience Ilan possessed ran out. She pulled her thick black hair into a ponytail, brushed her teeth, and washed her face. She threw her toothbrush, a tube of toothpaste, and her hairbrush into her duffel bag. She kissed Daniel before she left.
Ariella found Ilan snooping around in her grandfather's office. Eli's home office was on the first floor in the room immediately to the right of the entryway. It was the room where Eli spent most of his time. Ariella realized that she would never again go into his office to say goodnight.
"What are you doing?" Ariella demanded from the doorway.
Ilan looked up. "I'm cleaning out your grandfather's desk. We need to protect our country's secrets."
Ariella raised her eyebrows. "Oh? Protect them from who?"
"There is a faction in Mossad," Ilan began.
"No one can get in but you and me," Ariella said.
"And Ziva," Ilan said, adjusting his tactics based on her response.
Ariella shook her head. "Ziva has not come here once in the entire time I have lived here."
"She will come to bury your grandfather," Ilan said.
Ariella looked at him skeptically. "Even if she is the one who killed him?"
"She came to bury Ari," Ilan said.
Ariella nodded. She remembered the funeral. It was the last time she had seen Ziva. She was nine at the time.
"Where is your grandfather's laptop?" Ilan asked her.
So that was what he wanted. Well, it wasn't in her grandfather's office.
Ariella didn't know what she should do, but she knew she had to decide fast. Ilan was her grandfather's protégé and was next in line for the Director position. But he was also a snake.
She didn't like him and she didn't trust him. She decided she didn't necessarily have to tell him everything she knew.
"Perhaps he took it with him," Ariella said, her face unreadable. She was a good liar. She knew her tells and knew she had to be in control of her body when she lied. She didn't hesitate and she kept her hands perfectly still.
"He didn't." Ilan scanned the room, his eyes stopping on Eli's safe. "What is the combination to the safe?"
Her grandfather gave her the combination when he left this time. It was the first time he had trusted her with it. There was money in the safe for emergencies only. Ariella was the only person in the world that knew the combination and she knew not to give the combination to anyone else.
"I do not know," Ariella said, playing dumb.
She was looking him straight in the eye. Her hands were too still. It was almost unnatural. Eli had taught her well. Only another student of Eli's would think she was telling anything but the truth.
Ilan smiled. "You're lying."
Ariella was taken aback. "I am not."
"You know I can make you talk," Ilan said casually.
"Is that a threat?" Ariella knew a threat when she heard one.
"I don't make idle threats. I can make you talk and I will," Ilan said, his voice smooth and cold.
He was dropping all pretenses that he was there as a family friend. Ariella knew exactly how Mossad officers made people talk.
If she didn't tell him the combination, he would torture her and then kill her. If she told him, he would kill her. Either way, she was dead. Ariella was a loose end.
Knowing the combination to the safe when he didn't was the only reason she was alive. How long she stayed alive depended on her.
The safe was virtually impenetrable. It had a composite hardplate with embedded tungsten carbide chips designed to shatter the cutting tips of a drill. And then there was a thin sheet of tempered glass that, if broken by a drill or torch, would release spring-loaded bolts, jamming the lock. Finally there was a thermal sensor inside the safe that would jam the lock the second the safe was breached.
Ilan needed the combination.
He grabbed her hard enough to bruise and muscled her over to the safe. "Come now, Ariella. Your grandfather always said you were smart. Open the safe."
"All right. Since you asked so nicely." Ariella slowly and deliberately turned the dial on the safe once with her right hand while simultaneously elbowing Ilan in the face with her left elbow. Blood trickled down from his nose.
Ilan took a step back, and Ariella spun around to face him. This time he was prepared and blocked the kick to his groin with practiced ease.
They were now engaged in serious hand-to-hand combat. They circled each other like rabid animals, executing their attacks, defenses, and counter-attacks with an odd combination of ferocity and sharpness. Neither was able to deliver a decisive blow for the first few minutes, but it felt like longer. With Ariella's intensive combat training and Ilan's years of experience, they were both equally skilled. Her speed and agility made up for her smaller size.
Frustrated when Ariella blocked yet another blow, Eli lunged at her. The force sent her flying backward. The back of her head hit the wall hard and she sank to the ground with a heavy thud, pictures rattling in their frames on the wall.
It came as no surprise to Ariella that he kicked her while she was down. His foot connected with her midsection. Before he could kick her a second time, Ariella swept her right leg out, knocking his feet out from under him. He lost his balance and fell facedown.
What had started as hand-to-hand combat turned into a wrestling match on the floor. Ilan was on top of her. It was not a position she wanted to be in. He was almost a foot taller than her and outweighed her by about seventy pounds. Her struggling did nothing but anger him further. He struck her hard across the face. The blow echoed throughout the room.
Daniel came running in with his gun drawn. He must have heard all the noise.
Daniel took a second to ascertain their positions and then whacked a surprised Ilan across the back of the head with the barrel of his gun, knocking him out cold.
"Are you okay?" Daniel asked, holding his hand out to Ariella. She was lying on the floor, trying to catch her breath.
"I am fine," Ariella said, taking his hand. She stood up slowly. Her pride was injured more than anything else. Ariella knew Ilan would have won if Daniel hadn't come in when he did.
"What happened?" Daniel asked, looking her up and down. Her cheek was red from the blow and her arm was already turning purple where Ilan grabbed her.
"Ilan happened," Ariella muttered, and Daniel gave her a look. "I would not give him the combination to the safe."
"So he attacked you?" Daniel demanded.
"He's a Mossad officer. I would not tell him what he wanted to know. You cannot be surprised." Ariella knew she wasn't.
She walked over to the safe and opened it with the combination. She put the money in her duffel bag. She thought this qualified as an emergency.
The only other thing in the safe was a flash drive. She put it in her pocket, knowing it was important even if she didn't know why.
She left the safe open as a message for Ilan.
"Stay here. Watch him," Ariella said to Daniel.
She went upstairs to her grandfather's room. Her grandfather's laptop was under his dresser. She took it into her room, where she dumped the contents of her backpack out on the floor and put the laptop in her backpack.
Leaving the folders, notebooks, pens and pencils on the floor, Ariella headed to the safe room, a fortified bunker beneath the property with enough guns and ammunition for a small army. She grabbed anything she thought she might need and threw it in her backpack.
All of this took maybe five minutes.
Daniel was waiting in Eli's office, his gun trained on Ilan, who was still lying on the floor unconscious.
"We need to go," Ariella told Daniel.
"What about the Deputy Director?" Daniel said, looking down at Ilan.
Ariella knew what her grandfather would do. He would kill Ilan. If she didn't kill him, Ilan would search the globe for her, and he would have the full resources of Mossad at his disposal. Ilan Bodnar was the Director now. Or he would be soon.
The sixteen year old had been trained to kill, but she hadn't actually killed anyone yet. She drew her gun and pointed it directly at Ilan's head, her finger on the trigger. She regarded him for a long moment and then sighed, lowering her gun. Ariella felt odd about killing him when he was in his current, unconscious condition.
Ariella had always thought that the people she would kill in her future career as a Mossad officer would be terrible people. Terrorists who had slaughtered innocent Israelis like lambs. She never imagined that she would have to kill a Mossad officer, a colleague of her grandfather's that had been a regular guest in her home. She didn't like him, but he certainly wasn't a terrorist. She couldn't kill him. It was very different to think about killing someone and to actually do it. Daniel would do it for her, but she wouldn't ask him to.
"He's the Director now," Ariella said. "We need to go. Now."
When he came to in Eli's home office, Ilan was confused at first. He took inventory of his situation. He had a headache and his nose was probably broken. He sincerely hoped he'd broken a few of Ariella's ribs.
The safe was wide open and completely empty. He got the message loud and clear. Ariella had known the combination the whole time. She cleaned the safe out and took off.
It was 8:30 PM on Friday in Washington D.C. and 3:30 AM on Saturday in Tel Aviv when Ilan arrived at Eli's property. Eli David hadn't even been dead for an hour. By 4:00 AM, Ilan had the two Mossad officers he trusted most looking for Ariella and Officer Daniel Serafin.
Ilan methodically searched the entire property for anything Ariella might have missed. He opened drawers, went through closets, and checked under furniture. It didn't require a lot of thought and gave him time to calm down and come up with a new plan.
He had to find Ariella. When he found her, he would make her pay dearly.
She should have just told him what he wanted to know. He would have played the part of family friend and taken her to a safe house. Of course, the safe house would have blown up with her in it. It would have been a quick death. Now it wouldn't be.
Unfortunately for him, the two officers he had looking for Ariella reported back that there was no sign of her or Officer Serafin. She had been trained by Eli David to disappear and that was exactly what she did. Her cell phone was off. She hadn't used her credit card. She'd avoided traffic cameras and security cameras. He would find her, but it would take time and that was something he didn't have.
Ziva could arrive in Tel Aviv at any moment.
Twenty-four hours later Ziva and Tony arrived in Tel Aviv. About eight hours had been spent waiting for Ducky to release Eli's body and the flight from Washington D.C. to Tel Aviv was just over fourteen hours.
They knew that the man who killed Eli David was a Swedish mercenary, but they didn't know who had hired him. It could be anyone. Eli had a long and colorful list of enemies that included assassins, terrorists, and anti-Mossad groups. Ziva wouldn't stop until she found out who was behind it.
A Mossad officer in a black Mercedes ML was waiting for them at the airport.
Tony glanced at Ziva. "Did you tell Mossad you were coming?"
"No," Ziva said, narrowing her eyes at the Mercedes.
"Officer David," the Mossad officer said.
"It's Agent," Ziva corrected him, and Tony smiled.
"Director Bodnar wants to speak with you," the Mossad officer told her.
Ziva raised her eyebrows. "Director?"
The Mossad officer lowered his gaze. "I'm sorry about your father."
"I am driving," Ziva said, snatching the keys from the officer's hand.
Tony had only been to Mossad headquarters once before and had no desire whatsoever to go back. With Ziva's driving, they got there much faster than he would have liked. The Mossad officer escorted them to the Director's office.
Ilan was sitting behind Eli's desk. His hair was perfectly coiffed and he was wearing a perfectly pressed grey suit. He stood up to greet Ziva, playing the role of family friend well. "Ziva!"
He completely ignored Tony, who was standing right next to Ziva.
"Ilan," Ziva said without any warmth in her voice.
"I'm Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo," Tony said.
"This is Ilan Bodnar, Mossad Deputy Director," Ziva said, stressing his title.
"It's Director now." Ilan shook Tony's hand harder than necessary. "Why did you come here for answers? Eli David was killed in America."
If they were there to investigate Eli's death, NCIS believed someone in Israel was behind it. Ilan took it as a good sign that Ziva hadn't attacked him yet. He just had to keep them from finding out who in Israel had hired the mercenary that killed Eli David.
"I had such a good time last time I was here, I just had to come back," Tony said, though no one was listening.
"I'm here to bury my father," Ziva said.
"And Agent DiNozzo? I didn't know he and your father were friends." In fact, Ilan knew Eli did not like Ziva's American partner.
"I'm here for Ziva," Tony said.
Ilan raised his eyebrows slightly. "He's here to insure your protection?"
The idea that the American NCIS agent was there for Ziva's protection was laughable. Ilan thought all Americans were soft.
"I am perfectly capable of protecting myself," Ziva said, unknowingly repeating Ariella's words.
"Are you worried about your safety in our country?" Ilan asked, watching her carefully to gauge her reaction.
"I am not worried," Ziva said.
Her answer seemed to satisfy Ilan, but it only made Tony more worried. He was worried any time Ziva went back to Israel. And he was really worried any time Mossad was involved. They sent her on a suicide mission. They framed her for murder.
"Why? Should she be?" Tony demanded.
"Of course not," Ilan said, narrowing his eyes.
"Why are we here?" Ziva finally asked.
Ilan studied her. "Your father is dead. You shouldn't bear this alone."
"She's not alone," Tony said.
Ilan decided not to even dignify that with a response. "Your father was a great man. My own father, he never had time for me. Not Eli. He always made time."
"He was fond of you," Ziva said, her tone neutral.
"And of you. So proud. Always boasting of his American daughter," Ilan said, trying to keep the tone of the conversation friendly. He did not want to make an enemy out of Ziva.
"I will see you at the funeral," Ziva said. She was obviously trying to end the conversation.
"Where are you staying?" Ilan asked conversationally. He was not finished with her yet.
Ziva hesitated a moment before answering. "My father's house."
Ilan thought that was what she would say. He had strategically placed cameras and bugs in Eli's home.
"I was there earlier," Ilan began.
"You have been in my father's home?" Ziva demanded.
"To tell Ariella about your father face to face," Ilan continued calmly.
Tony frowned. "Who's Ariella?"
"Ariella? What was she doing there?" Ziva said, her voice rising slightly.
"She wasn't there. There are signs of a struggle in your father's office. The safe is empty," Ilan told her.
There had been a struggle in the office. Ilan just left out the fact that he was involved.
"It was probably not Ariella. She barely knew my father. Why would she be there?" Ziva said.
Ilan smirked slightly. "She lived with your father."
"No," Ziva said slowly. "She lives with Rachel."
Ilan looked her in the eye. "Rachel is not family. Your father thought she should be with family."
"With him," Ziva said.
She wanted to yell and scream at her father, but he was dead.
"We will find her and insure her safety," Ilan assured her.
They would find her anyway.
"She is my niece. I will find her," Ziva said.
Tony stared at her in shock. "Your niece?"
"Yes, Tony. My niece. Ari's daughter," Ziva said.
"You should stay away from her. She knows you killed Ari. Your father has been training her. She has a gun." Ilan paused, giving Ziva a moment to think about the implications. He didn't think Ariella would actually shoot Ziva, but Ziva didn't know what Ariella would do. "We will find her."