A double murder has been committed – an Israeli navy captain and an American petty officer killed in haste in an air hangar in Tel Aviv. Ziva's in a very bad position as she hides the killer… and what else has she been hiding? Tiva-friends-with-benefits evolving into true Tiva.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of NCIS.

Prologue

He had to get her out. This much he knew. He had to take her and run. She was his world, his everything and no man on a mission would take her away.

There was one safe place they could go, one person he could trust to keep him safe until the storm had passed. The only problem? She was a twenty-hour flight away, across the ocean in America, and he had no way to forewarn her of his arrival.

He could take no more chances with her life. He had to go to America, and he had no time to wait for his visitor's visa to arrive.

27-year-old Ziva David yawned and stretched languorously, eliciting a soft growl from the man lying next to her.

"That was my face, David."

A slight smile emerging, she turned over and murmured into his ear, "Oh, I am sorry, Tony…" Perhaps tonight, if he asked her to stay until morning…

"No, you're not," 39-year-old Tony DiNozzo mumbled, pulling the blankets in tighter. "Goodbye."

Sighing, Ziva rolled away from him, redressing quickly and taking her bag and keys. "See you at work," she said quietly.

She frowned when she reached her apartment to find the door ajar. Pulling her gun out, she advanced cautiously inside. "Federal agent, come out with your hands up!" she called.

There was movement from the living room, and Ziva whirled in that direction. "Identify yourself!"

"Ziva," a shaking voice pleaded in Arabic. "Please, Ziva, help me."

Ziva lowered her gun. "Khalil?" she asked incredulously. "Khalil, what are you doing here? How did you even find me? Where's Ashira?"

"I… I'm in some trouble, Ziva," the young man whispered in shame. "I need your help."

"Where's Ashira, Khalil?" Ziva repeated, gesturing for him to sit down.

"I don't know… I lost her at the airport when we arrived this evening…"

"You lost Ashira?!" Ziva exclaimed, making him jump.

"I don't know where to look for her, Ziva," Khalil begged, "and I can't ask the authorities to help me. I'm not here legally…"

Ziva ran her hand through her hair. What a perfect ending to a night like this. "What are you doing here, Khalil?" she asked, dialling the police on her phone.

"Hiding," he replied quietly. "Who are you calling?"

"The police," she replied. "Hello, I need to report a missing child. She is 3. She went missing at Dulles International Airport approximately three hours ago. Well, I have relatives visiting from Israel and they speak no English. Her father could not make himself understood. Khalil, what was Ashira wearing?"

"She has a white dress and her blue sweater," Khalil said, "and she's wearing a white and blue hijab."

Ziva rolled her eyes. "She's 3 and you have her wearing a hijab. Very nice, Khalil." She relayed that information on to the officer, who promised to call as soon as they found her. Hanging up, she turned back to Khalil. "Now why are you hiding in my apartment?"

Khalil took a deep, calming breath. "We're being targeted by Mossad and Hamas. I don't know why. And when we were on our way out of the country…" he stopped, voice dropping to a whisper. "There were two military officers at the hangar where we were stowing away. I had Ashira hidden on the plane already, but they'd seen me. I couldn't leave Ashira alone on an overseas cargo plane, Ziva, I had to do it – "

"Oh, dear God, Khalil, tell me you didn't kill them," Ziva groaned, dropping into a kitchen chair as he nodded. Ziva groaned again and dropped her head into her hands as she tried to figure out a course of action. "Khalil…"

"Please, Ziva, you're the only one I trust…" he begged.

"Khalil, I can't help you," she said quietly. "You killed two men."

"Please, Ziva…"

She shook her head. "No, Khalil. I can't."

"You can make it disappear, Ziva, I know you can. You can make us disappear."

"Khalil, stop!" Ziva exclaimed. "I can't help you! God help me, I love you like a brother, my sister thought the world of you and you are Ashira's father, but you killed two soldiers!"

"At least let me stay, Ziva, just for a while," he pleaded. "And keep Ashira safe…"

Ziva sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Fine. But when they come for you, Khalil, I won't stop them."