Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS
A/N: This story takes place in season 7 after Good Cop Bad Cop
A month after the team brought Ziva back from Somalia, they started to see a glimmer of hope. It had taken her a while to stop jumping at noises, tensing up when a man stood too close. But now she was starting to look and act more like the Ziva they knew: she was wearing make up, smiling more, and even cracking jokes. She had applied earlier in the week to become an NCIS agent, having emailed her resignation to her father. All was good, until Vance interrupted their morning banter with seven words.
"Ziva, Director David in MTAC for you," he called.
Tony and McGee turned to stare at Ziva, who had paled, and stood shakily, putting on her "Mossad" face, no emotion, just determination. They were frozen, watching her as she climbed the stairs. Once the door closed, Gibbs walked in.
"Got a dead Petty Officer, grab your gear," he barked, finishing off his coffee. When neither of them moved, he raised his voice. "DiNozzo, McGee!" he said sharply. They jumped at his voice, and he continued. "Where's David, we've got a case?"
"Boss, Ziva's, uh, in MTAC with Director David," Tim said.
"What?" Gibbs asked, then sighed. He should have known that the director of Mossad wouldn't let go of his best agent so easily. But they had other matters to attend to . "Alright, they'll probably be in their for a while. McGee, you're with me. Tony, wait here for Ziva. If she's okay to come to the scene, bring her right away. If you don't think she can handle it, call me. Got it? Let's go," he ordered without waiting for a reply. As he and McGee left for the scene, he thought of Ziva. He knew that she was as stubborn as they come, never took time off for injuries, never talked about her problems. She was a lot like him, and he wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. But then they got to the scene and he knew it was time to focus.
Back at NCIS, Tony was trying to finish up some paperwork, but his mind was on his partner. Alone with two Directors would make anyone sweat. But she would be fine, he tried to convince himself. An hour after McGee and Gibbs left, he heard a door slam, and Ziva walked quickly back to her desk, eyes bright and mouth grim.
"Vance said we have a case?" she asked, grabbing her bag and gun.
"Yeah, you okay to go?" he asked, concerned.
"I am fine," she said in a clipped tone.
"Okay, let me call Gibbs and get the address," he said.
Ziva just nodded, still shaking. She was in shock at her father's words and intended actions, but she knew that she had to focus. If she wanted to become a true NCIS agent, she had to prove that she was worthy.
"Hey, boss. Ziva and I are leaving now, where we headed? Really? Okay, boss," Tony said, closing his phone. He looked up at the Israeli. "Gibbs and McGee are finishing up, they'd be done before we got there. So McGee's going to send us the info so we can get started."
Ziva just nodded, dropping her bag and putting her gun away as she got back to work.
Gibbs and McGee got back about half an hour later. "What do we got?" Gibbs asked.
Ziva stood. "We have Petty Officer Drake Kent, 24. Last scene with his girlfriend at a club in Virginia. He drove home, she took a taxi."
They continued to gather evidence until it was time to go home. McGee and Tony left at the same time, leaving Ziva and Gibbs alone. Ziva stayed at her desk, working hard until she felt a hand on her shoulder. She jumped slightly, then turned to look at Gibbs.
"Boss?" she asked, confused.
"What are you still doing here? Go home, get some rest," he said.
"I am fine, Gibbs, just catching up on some paperwork."
"If you say so. I'm going out for coffee. Want one?"
"Thank you, that would be nice," she said, surprised at the offer.
Gibbs just nodded and left, headed for his favorite coffee place. He was still worried about her. She'd had that same look in her eyes that he saw through his scope in Somalia; hopelessness and despair. Whatever her father had said to her today, it wasn't good. He paid for the drinks, and went back to NCIS. When he got close to Ziva's desk, he heard her talking furiously in Hebrew on the telephone He paused, then jumped in shock when she stood, shouted into the phone, then slammed it down. About to walk over to her, she started punching her desk. Red flag, Gibbs though.
"Ziva," he said softly, setting the drinks on Tony's desk before standing in front of her. When she didn't respond, he barked "David!" using his 'boss' voice. Sure enough, she stopped and looked up at him. He stared at her, then realized she looked like a cornered animal, searching for a way out. Then the fire went out, and she collapsed onto her chair. He went around to the other side of the desk, and sat next to her. "Ziva, what's going on?" he asked. She shook her head, so he put a finger under her chin and forced her to look at him, then asked thequestion that had been plaguing him all day. "Ziver, what happened in MTAC today with your father?"