"Tell me everything about NCIS,"
At those words, Ziva forgot her injuries. Her mind awakened and a fresh sense of betrayal settled into her stomach, knocking out the old bitter resentment toward Gibbs.
"Why do you want to know about a little known agency such as NCIS? You must realize who I am…my father….is…." Her breath hitched and she swallowed hard. Bile rising high into her throat – threatening to choke her. "Tell him if he doesn't trust me, to kill me already. I am tired of playing his games."
The terrorist laughed and backed toward the door, "Miss David, you are a clever one." He sneered before exiting the room.
Ziva closed her good eye and called up every ounce of training to push back her emotions. Anger and resentment bubbled dangerously to the surface – threatening to engulf her forever in the hot waves of despair. She had no one, perhaps she never did, but she was sure that she had essentially pushed away the only person – the only people – who ever really cared about her and whether she lived or died. Sighing, she almost gave into her exhaustion, for only a brief second before allowing the anger to cool into determination. She would survive, if only to prove that she could, but she would not die in this stinking hellhole at the hands of the man who killed her family. She began formulating her escape; breaking her bonds as if a cub scout had tied them, and crept toward the door when gunfire erupted outside.
"I assure, you, I said nothing to her." The terrorist, Ansar, leaned away from the webcam. "What should we do now?"
"We?" Director David smiled, showing all of his teeth. "We shall do nothing." He nodded toward the camera, and before Ansar could react, one of his guards snapped his neck. "Your services are no longer needed."
"Director?" The guard leaned into the camera.
"Leave no body breathing," The screen faded to black. Outside, a fireball roared toward the sun as Mossad officers made short work of dismantling the nest.
Hadar was heading into one of the buildings when he felt someone creep up behind him. Making no effort to evade, he spoke quietly, "Ziva, should have known that you would not lie still for long."
"I will not insult either one of us and ask what is going on." She whispered into his ear. "We both know my father no longer trusts me. What a pity, I would have been good to have on his side."
"From the moment you shot Ari, you were no longer on his side." Hadar hissed through clenched teeth.
Ziva gave a short, snarky laugh before responded, "Yes, unfortunately, I forgot who I could trust. It won't happen again. " She tightened her grip momentarily.
"Ziva, don't. We both know you will not get out alive."
"Apparently, Ziva David died alongside her brother." Letting Hadar's body fall to the ground, Ziva used his knife to cut off her ponytail. It was surprisingly easy to blend in with the rest of the Mossad agents, and Ziva soon found herself on an Israeli bound ship. During the cruise, she hid and recuperated. By the time the ship ported, fading bruises were all that remained of her ordeal. Her first instinct was to surprise her father, but her gut warned her against a still fresh revenge. Instead, she waited and she planned.
DC
"Gibbs, I need to see you in MTAC." Vance called as he climbed the steps leading to his office.
Gibbs looked over at McGee, "Tim, see if Abby has the DNA results and if Ducky has completed the autopsy on the second gunman."
"On it, Boss."
As Gibbs crossed between the two empty desks, he felt a nagging tug in his gut that as badly as things were now, they had yet to hit rock bottom. He shot a glance at Tony's old desk and then at Ziva's and hoped that rock bottom at least brought a resolve to his two lost agents.
When Gibbs entered MTAC he did not let his surprise at being greeted by Director David show. He only issued a curt nod toward the screen. Silence stretched for an agonizing minute before Vance finally spoke.
"Eli, we need to brief Gibbs. He will be instrumental in bringing Ziva home." Leon ignored Gibbs sharp, penetrating glare.
"Agent Gibbs, three days ago Mossad attempted to invade a terrorist cell in Africa. Unfortunately, our Intel was bad. Most of our officers were killed but one was left as a hostage…."
"Ziva" Gibbs barked.
"Yes." Vance and David spoke together, but Eli nodded at Vance to continue.
"Director David wants you and me to meet him in Tel Aviv. There, we will be further briefed before attempting an extraction."
"Why do you need us?" Gibbs spoke directly to Eli. "Surely, your Mossad has agents trained for this type of thing."
"Of course we do, Agent Gibbs, but I am beginning to realize that even I cannot trust my officers any longer." Director David smiled sardonically. "I want my daughter home, safely – despite what you may believe."
"No one is accusing you of anything, Director." Vance shot a warning glare at Gibbs. "Is there anything else you need for us to do?"
Eli seemed to think the question over before responding, "Yes, I require the presence of your Agent Dinozzo, as well."
"That will be hard to do seeing as how he no longer works for our agency." Gibbs said folding his arms across his chest. "He resigned shortly after we came home."
"What a shame, he was a formidable….opponent to your enemies, I am sure, but, I am also sure, you can persuade him to accompany you, especially when he learns of Ziva's precarious situation." He nodded at both men, "I look forward to your help." The screen went black before either could respond.
"What the hell is going on, Leon?" Gibbs questioned after staring at the dark screen for only a moment.
"I know you still don't trust me and that you trust Director David less, but if you want your team back, you are going to have to try and have faith."
"If either one comes home in a body bag…"
"Jethro, find Dinozzo, sober him up if you have to, and get to the airfield by 1500."
**********************************************************************************
During the drive to Tony's apartment, Gibbs reflected over the past month and a half.
"I guess she will call when she is ready." Tony closed his phone.
"Give her time." Gibbs stated quietly. "In the meantime, go home, and get some sleep. You look like the walking dead." Even though he was almost to his desk, Gibbs still heard Tony's quiet reply.
"Perhaps, it would be better for all of us…." Tony let the comment hang as he gathered his gear. He couldn't hide the wince as his still healing arm protested any movement.
"Do you need help?"
"Thanks, Tim, but I can handle it alone." Tony wouldn't look either in the eyes as he bid good night.
"Somehow, Boss, I think we may be down two men." Tim spoke after a few minute.
"We'll get 'em back." Even as he said the words, Gibbs felt his gut telling him a happy ending may not be possible. "Go home. Tomorrow is new day."
Tony was right when he told Tim he could handle it alone; he kept everything bottled up. He didn't call or visit the entire two weeks he was on sick leave. Abby and Tim went to his apartment with pizza and a movie, but Tony didn't even come to the door. After the first week and several times calming a distraught Abby, Gibbs tried, but he found an empty apartment.
"Tony?" Gibbs questioned when he saw his senior field agent sitting at his desk.
"Ducky cleared me." Tony said without looking up.
"I know. He told me yesterday."
Tony remained silent and stiff.
"Desk duty for another week, and then he can recheck you."
"Fine."
The days moved slowly. Tony's mood fluctuated between quiet, sullen, angry, and obnoxious. After he snapped at Abby for the third time, she banned him from the lab. McGee tried to smooth the ruffled feathers, but he only ended up making a bigger mess of things.
"Tony isn't the only one who lost someone! I mean, we were a family, and we are all hurting over Ziva. At first I wanted, and I tried damn hard, to cheer Tony up, but I can't take his attitude anymore!" Abby's pigtails bounced angrily. "Keep him away from me!"
"Abs, come on. He feels guilty…."
"Well, maybe he should. If he had only trusted Ziva…or even let Gibbs know before he went to Ziva's…"
The sound of a large caf-pow being dropped on the floor kept Abby from continuing. Gibbs and Tony stood in the lab doorway. Shock and hurt clearly written in Tony's eyes before being replaced with a cool distant expression that chilled Abby and Tim deep into their souls. He didn't say a word, just turned and walked away.
"Shit, Timmy, why weren't you watching!" Abby ran after Tony, and managed to catch up to him in front of the elevator. "Tony, I…I..didn't mean…."
"What's done is done, what's been said has been said, and what was decided can't be changed. Time to move on Abby." Tony's voice was barely a whisper and he didn't look at her. He just left her gaping at him as he entered the elevator. Gibbs came up behind her.
"I screwed the pooch, huh." Abby hung her head.
"Yeah, we are all guilty of that, lately."
Gibbs and Tim quietly entered the bullpen a few minutes later, and both were relieved to see Tony at his desk working. After two hours of uncomfortable, tension, filled silence, Gibbs sent Tim to follow up with Ducky on some evidence.
"Tony…."
"Don't say it."
"Don't say what?"
"You know, I know, Hell, even Tim and Abby know!"
"Know what, Dinozzo?"
"The reason she is gone."
Gibbs cocked his head, "It had nothing to do with..."
"It had everything to do with me!" Tony hissed through clenched teeth, finally meeting his boss's gaze.
"Whatever you think you know…"
"Come on, Gibbs, I may act like an idiot, but I am not one! She gave you an ultimatum, me or her."
"You're mad that I chose you?" Gibbs walked over to stand in front of Tony. "You don't think I made the right choice?"
"Seriously? I don't know if you agree with your choice either."
"Why?"
"She trusted you, and only you. I know that you must feel like you let her down…like you couldn't protect her." Tony stood up with his back to Gibbs. "Besides, everyone knows that Dinozzo always lands on his feet." He turned to face his boss and thrust a sheet of paper at him, "Here, now you can call her and bring her home." When Gibbs didn't take the paper, Tony laid it on Gibbs' desk and then walked out without a glance backward. Sighing Gibbs wondered just when everything went to hell in a hand basket.
This would be the first meeting between the two men since that fateful day when Tony left Gibbs standing alone in the bullpen. Gibbs knew Tony hadn't moved yet – he drove by the apartment building every night on his way home – but he was not expecting what he found.
"Tobias."
"Jethro…fancy meeting you here." Agent Fornell opened the door wider allowing Gibbs entry into the apartment.
"I could say the same to you."
"Just briefing Agent Dinozzo on tomorrow's schedule."
"You F.B.I now, Tony?"
"Had to pay the bills somehow." Tony's smile didn't reach his eyes. "What can I do for you?"
Gibbs glared at Fornell, "I need to talk to you alone."
Tony turned to his new boss, but he didn't have to say anything. "See you in the morning, Dinutso."
Gibbs spoke quietly after Tobias had left, "Ziva is being held by terrorists. Director David is requesting our help in her rescue."
"I'm sure she will be safe with you."
"Damnit, Tony. She's in trouble…she may even be dead!"
"I guess you made the wrong decision…"
Angrily, Gibbs grabbed the front of Tony's shirt and shoved him against the wall. "What the hell is your problem?"
"What do you want from me?" Tony's face was impassive but his eyes were full of guilt. "I'm the cause of this mess. I should have let Rivkin…"
"Let Rivkin do what? Kill you? Would that have solved this whole issue? Kept anything bad from happening?" Jethro released his hold on Tony. Not for the first time, Gibbs noticed how ragged Tony looked. Dark shadows under his eyes, emphasized the sickly pallor of his skin, and his clothes hung loosely. "How do you know it would have stopped there? Maybe he would have killed Ziva, Tim, Abby, or me..."
Tony just shrugged, "We go and rescue her; you think she can just forget about what I did or about being left on that tarmac?"
"I don't know, Anthony, but I certainly want to give her the chance to forget."
Tony bowed his head – almost leaning it against Gibbs' shoulder. "When do we leave?"
"Now." At Tony's questioning glance Gibbs continued, "Don't worry about Tobias; I'll get Ducky to call him."
The ride to the airfield was quiet, and as soon as the plane was at cruising altitude, Tony relaxed enough to fall asleep.
"He looks like death warmed over."
"I think he's spent the last 6 weeks wishing he was dead, Leon." Gibbs' comment was sarcastic but both knew truthful as well. Sensing what Vance was thinking, Gibbs said, "He won't be a liability. I trust him."
"Does he trust himself?"
"That, I doubt, but he still trusts me and that is enough for him."
"I hope you are right." Vance closed his eyes.
"Have a little faith, Leon."