This is the second part of my One Voice universe. You MUST read One Voice before you read this story!
I don't own NCIS or the characters.
Please read and review! (Personally, it's always a bit disappointing when you get hundreds of follows and one review.)
The air was cool and dry. Recycled. Ziva licked her lips as her eyes opened slowly to the harsh airplane lighting. Her body ached, her brain foggy with questions and drugs, her senses dull, yet running in overtime to try to ground herself. She remembered the wedding, their wedding night, leaving for their honeymoon, their night of passion, and waking up to go running...then nothing. Struggling to sit up, she glanced around, spotting a man wearing a straight suit and a severe expression sitting on the other side of the jet.
"W-Wha…" Ziva started to mutter, her mouth full of grit and pain.
Silently he opened a bottle of water and passed it over to her. She took a small sip before glaring at him. "What the fuck, Uziel?" Ziva demanded, stretching her muscles out, her hand swiftly checking for her knife, which was missing.
"Do you really think that I would leave you armed, Ziva?" Uziel asked, lowering his dark glasses. "I am following the orders of Director David." He replied simply, picking up his drink and sipping it slowly. There was no rush to his movements, each calm and calculated. "He needs you."
Her eyes were dark and dangerous. "I need to call my husband." She enunciated the final word, the syllables rolling off her tongue.
Uziel shook his head. "You do nothing until you see Director David."
"I have children, Uziel. I need to tell them I'm safe." She rose gingerly, her muscles still taught and stiff from the sedative.
"I am following your father's orders, Ziva." He replied in Hebrew. "There is no communication until we get to Israel."
Her body shook as she took a bold step towards her. His eyes rose and he opened his jacket, the briefest glance of the sig in its holster before it disappeared back under his jacket. "Now Ziva, just relax until we get to Israel." He went back to reading his newspaper as she slumped over on the seat, a new rush of drugs flowing through her veins. Uziel sighed and sipped his coffee. At least it would be a quiet trip.
Her side of the bed was cold when he woke up. His hand groped blindly around on the bed before opening his eyes and spotting the empty place. With a heavy yawn, Tony glanced at the clock. 9:08. He sat up quickly, his eyes darting around. 9:08 was late. Really late. Really really late. Throwing on a pair of shorts and a tshirt, Tony shoved his feet in his shoes and headed for the door, grabbing his cellphone and keycard with him. His finger kept hitting the redial on his phone. Nothing. Thankfully he knew that Ziva was a fan of Mapmyrun and he followed her run, his feet trudging through the sand. The wind and the tide had washed away her footsteps, his heart racing. Stopping in the now busy street, his trained eyes darted around wildly before he slumped against the building, the rough bricks scratching his back as he slid. With shaking fingers he pulled out his phone and dialled.
"Boss? Y-yeah. You gotta come here. Ziva. She's gone."
The reply he got was unexpected. "Don't touch anything Tony, but come back."
"But boss…" He started.
"Call the authorities, both LEOs and the FBI., then get the hell back." Gibbs said, waving over McGee.
"'I'll stay here and start taking pictures of our room and talk to the LEOs, send out some BOLOs from here…"
"TONY." Gibbs's voice had a weight to it that he hadn't heard before. A knowing and understanding, with an innate sadness that weighed it down. "Tony, you have to come back. Daniela and Jacob can't be here...alone." He said softly. "McGee and I will handle everything. Just come back."
Sighing heavily, Tony rested his head against the brick wall and closed his eyes. Daniela and Jacob. "Got it boss." Tony said weakly. "Got it."
When Ziva awoke the second time, the air was hot and dry, the scent of sunlight and sea hanging on the wind. She awoke slowly, her body sluggish and slow to react, fighting against the drugs that were fed into her body. This time there was more than just Uziel around her, four extra sets of eyes on her. Her hands were bound this time, multiple zipties used to keep her subdued. Glancing outside, Ziva spotted the dark SUV on the tarmac and she exhaled softly. Back on Israeli soil, back to whatever life she had before Daniela and Jacob, before Tony, before NCIS.
She followed the five men out to the vehicle and they surrounded her as she slid into the back seat. She could smell him before she saw him. "Papa." She said stiffly.
"Ziva."
The men disappeared. They were alone.
"I told you that you would come back," he said, a smugness in his voice. "I need my best agent, my Ziva, for this mission."
She stared at him incredulous, the coppery taste of blood filling her mouth as she bit down on the side of her cheek.
"One last mission, my Ziva." Eli said quietly, his stare penetrating and stiff. "Then you may go back and be a mother." He said, venom dripping in his voice. His daughter, a mother. He had raised her to be better than that, to be more than that. And to raise children that didn't have David blood running through their veins...and with a gentile.
"Yes, I am a mother." Ziva said stiffly. "And that bothers you. What bothers you the most?" She asked, leaning forward and waiting for her father to cut the zip ties that bound her wrists. "Is it that I am a mother, that I did not not give birth to them, or that I am choosing to raise them with Tony?" She asked as her father cut her plastic binds. She rubbed her wrists and stared at her father. "Whether you like it or not Father, those are my children. They are mine and Tony's children." She flexed her wrists and hands and leaned back against the leather seat.
"One last mission, Ziva." Eli said pulling out his phone and flipping through it nonchalantly.
They knew who had taken her, it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure that one out. Director Vance had confirmed their suspicions with a quick and easy call to Israel and Eli David. Gibbs doubted that Ziva had even touched down in Israel yet. But the Israelis were always efficient. He sighed and picked up Jacob, pressing his lips to his hair as they waited in the airport. Jenny sat with Daniela, talking quietly to the young girl. They had told Daniela and Jacob that Tony was coming home, but they didn't say the reason why, or mentioned Ziva.
Tony walked down the stairs, his go bag over his shoulder, a look of desperation on his face. Jacob noticed him first and he wiggled and tugged on Gibb's shirt. "I see Papa." He announced. "Please put me down."
Obliging, Gibbs placed the boy on the ground and he took off running towards Tony. His senior field agent knelt down and scooped up his son, burying his face in his shoulder. "Hey bud." He whispered, his voice catching in his throat. Daniela came up alongside and cuddled up against them.
"Mummy's…" She looked up at Tony and pressed her face into his side.
His fingers raked through her curls as he felt her hot tears soak into his shirt. "I know." He whispered. "But we're going to get her back."
"Promise?"
He looked up and met the steely gaze of his mentor and he nodded. "Promise."
