Prologue
September 2008
Director Leon Vance and Agent Gibbs stood near the railing on the mezzanine looking down at the cubicles where agents sat. There configured in a mini-squad room was the bullpen and Gibbs' team, Agent McGee, Officer David, Forensic Scientist Abby Scuito, Dr. Mallard, and Jimmy Palmer. They were gathered around Special Agent Tony DiNozzo, former team SFA and now agent afloat. Vance and Gibbs watched them talk and laugh with DiNozzo being the charismatic center of attention.
"He belongs here with the team," said Gibbs.
"I've arrange for a transport flight to take him Washington tomorrow. He can pick up the Stennis at the Naval Base Kitsap," said Vance.
"He's been punished enough," said Gibbs. "Let him back on the team."
"He's an agent afloat until I say so, Gibbs, and I haven't said so," said Vance.
"You are punishing him for what happened to Jenny. It wasn't his fault. She was determined to meet her end the way she did. We should be glad she didn't take Tony and Ziva along with her," said Gibbs.
"He goes back to be an agent afloat," Vance said then he stared into the cold blue eyes of Leroy Jethro Gibbs. "He doesn't come back to Washington unless I want him back and I don't want him back right now."
"My team needs him," said Gibbs.
"Find a new SFA."
Vance walked away leaving Gibbs to stew in anger. He wanted DiNozzo back for several reasons. The first reason was that he was the best senior field agent he'd ever had. Gibbs' MCRT had the highest closure rate because of Gibbs and DiNozzo as a team not just because of Gibbs. The second reason was he owed DiNozzo, who had gotten involved in Jenny's machinations and chew up. He should have protected him from Jenny, but he was in Mexico taking a hiatus. Finally, Tony DiNozzo was family to him. Gibbs did not want to fail family, but he had with Tony.
Tony laughed as Abby went on to tell them about Sister Roslita and bowling. His eyes drifted over to Ziva David, Mossad officer and liaison officer. Dark haired, bronze skinned and beautiful, he had missed her during his time at sea. His mind was pulled back to the night before she returned to Israel and he was shipped off to the Ronald Reagan. They had shared a night of passion, scalding hot passion. It was the most intense night of sex he had in his life, so much so he started to think that night was actually making love not just sex.
Abby had stopped talking and everyone was laughing, so Tony started to laugh, even though he hadn't a clue to why. His hazel green eyes caught Ziva's chocolate brown eyes for a moment, and he once again felt a spark between them. She quickly turned away. Gibbs appeared out of nowhere and joined them in the bullpen. From his expression, Tony knew he didn't have good news.
"Hey, Boss, you talk to Vance," said Tony.
Gibbs nodded slightly, "Your transport leaves tomorrow for Washington where you are picking up the Stennis."
"Gibbs, you can't let Vance do this. Tony belongs here with us," cried Abby.
Tony looked at the Goth scientist and smiled at her.
"Calm down, Abs. There's nothing that can be done. If Vance doesn't want me here then I'm gone," said Tony.
"It isn't fair," complained Abby. "Gibbs, do something."
Gibbs turned and looked at her. He was about to speak when Tony stopped him.
"Can I stay at your place tonight, boss?" he asked. "My place is a sublet now."
"Grab your stuff," said Gibbs. "I'll drive you to Edwards in the morning."
"Thanks, boss," Tony said.
He stood up from where he was leaning on his old desk. First he shook Ducky's hand.
"Please, keep in touch with this old man. It would make me happy," said Ducky.
"I will, Ducky."
Next was Jimmy. They shook hands then Tony slapped him on the shoulder. McGee came after Jimmy. They shook hands.
"Protect the boss' six, Tim," said Tony.
"I will, Tony."
Next, came Abby, who already had tears clouding her green eyes. Tony brought her into a big hug. She wrapped her arms around him and squeezed. For a change, he didn't complain about her squeezing too hard. Finally, they broke apart and he kissed her forehead.
"Tony," she said in a sad, broken voice.
"I'll keep in touch, Abs. Don't worry," he said.
"Okay," she tried to smile.
Finally, it came to Ziva. They looked into each other's eyes for a moment. She remembered their night together, too, even though she tried to forget it. Mossad had taught her that regrets were useless. Plus, she was now dating a fellow Mossad agent, Michael Rifkin. That night they shared was a mistake, but it was a mistake she couldn't forget.
"Officer David," he said.
"Tony."
"Stay out of trouble," he said.
"Stay in touch," she replied.
He grabbed his gear then looked at Gibbs.
"Come on. I have beer at my house and I can make us a steak to eat," said Gibbs.
"Sounds good, boss," Tony said.
The two men headed off to the elevator bank. Gibbs pressed the button and the doors opened. They got into the elevator then the doors closed.
"I'm going to miss it here, boss," Tony remarked.
"I'll stay on Vance, Tony. You'll come home eventually," he said.
"I hope so."
NCISNCIS
September 2009
True to his nature Gibbs was working in his basement. Besides nursing a mason jar of bourbon, he was making wooden trains and other toys for kids. He had sandpaper in his hand and was in the process of smoothing the wood, when he heard footsteps. He knew who they belonged to, so he took a sip of his bourbon.
Coming down the stairs was Ziva. When she reached the bottom, Gibbs stopped sanding and then grabbed another mason jar and poured her a drink. He offered it to her. She walked up to him and took it from him then took a swig of the bourbon.
"I resigned from Mossad," she stated.
"Why?"
"Because I cannot trust my father. He sent Michael on a suicide mission. He did it without second thought and he did it without caring what I thought or felt. The only one to survive was Malachi. Everyone else on the mission is dead. They are being given heroes burials, but they are dead. I can't work for him any longer, Gibbs. My father cares nothing about me or family. He only cares about Israel and how to protect it. I don't want to work for him," she said.
He sighed.
"What do you want, Ziver?" he asked.
"I want to stay at NCIS," she said. "I want to stay here. I feel like I have family here."
Gibbs looked at her with affection. Like Abby, she had become his replacement daughter. If she wanted to stay, he'd help her find a way to stay.
"We'll talk to Vance. I know he values you," he said. "You'll have to become a US citizen in order to become an NCIS agent."
"Then I will become an American citizen," she said defiantly.
Gibbs smiled. He knew she was in pain because she thought she loved Rifkin, yet there she stood in front of him being strong and defiant.
"We'll fix this, Ziva. You're staying here and you're working for NCIS. I'm not losing you like I lost Tony," he said.
Hearing Tony's name mention caused Ziva's heart to beat just a bit faster. This annoyed her. It had been a year since Tony was sent away. She missed him more than she was willing to admit. They had a connection that neither one of them ever got to explore.
"I'll do whatever that needs to be done to stay here, Gibbs," she said.
"I know, Ziver. We'll fix this."
Gibbs took a sip of his bourbon.
"Did you love Michael?" he asked her.
"I could have, Gibbs, but my father took any chance of that away from me."
Chapter One
November 2011
It was a balmy 83 degrees outside, but the air conditioning kept the mall a chilly 68 degrees. The Bahrain Mall was a West-style shopping mall on steroids in Manama. From a supermarket with gourmet food to clothing stores with everything from Donna Karan to Armani and a food court that sold slices of pizza, it would not have been out of place in Manhattan, except for the number of women wearing burkas, people speaking Arabic more than English, and the food was Halal and not Kosher. The escalators were designed to allow people to take their shopping carts on them. Tony thought this was a great idea and wondered why he never saw a mall back in the states with escalators like this.
"Now I know what this place reminds me of. This is right our something like Futureworld," said Tony.
"Futureworld?" asked Special Agent James Morse.
"Yeah, you know the sequel to the movie Westworld."
"I haven't a clue to what you are talking about, ASAC DiNozzo," said Morse.
"One of these days I have to give you a class in cinema," sighed Tony.
The two men had become close friends over the last six months. He was Tony's preferred bodyguard when he went into the field, which was more than SAC Caulfield liked. The only reason Caulfield allowed it was because he was at his best in the field.
"I'm hungry," whined Special Agent Morse.
Tony wore cargo pants, a light olive colored Bush shirt, and a black blazer. Morse was dressed similarly. As the Assistant Special Agent in Charge of the Bahrain office, Tony was supposed to travel with at least one agent. Since Morse was a former Force Recon Marine, he chose him as his personal bodyguard. He trusted Marines.
"I'll buy you a slice of pizza," Tony said then grinned.
"How about we pick up a whole pie?" said Morse.
"Maybe. Now I promised Deputy Director Craig that I'd pick him up vitamin D. He is all out and he is due to fly out in two days to Singapore," said Tony.
"Why doesn't he just stand out in the sun for half hour?" groused Morse.
Tony glared at Morse, who chuckled. They got off the escalator and headed for a vitamin store. As they approached the store Tony's instincts started to go on high alert. There were three Arabic men, who didn't look like your average shoppers standing by the entrance of the vitamin shop. Tony stopped walking. Morse stopped by his side.
"I see them, boss," said Morse.
"Besides Craig and his detail, who knew that we were coming here?" asked Tony.
"The new secretary for SAC Caulfield," said Morse.
"I think we have a mole," said Tony.
The three men started walking towards them. As they did each one started to reach for a weapon under their jacket. Morse and Tony went for their sidearms. A gun battle broke out in the middle of the mall.
NCISNCIS
Special Agent Chad Dunham along with three other Special Agents was given intel that a terrorist named Saleem Ulman was staying in Kabul at a hotel by the airport. From the intel, Ulman was supposed to be getting a flight out of Afghanistan to Lebanon and from there to Canada. It would be easier for him and his people to enter Canada then the US, but his final destination was the United States.
Ulman had been an active terrorist the past few years. He was not only a thorn in the Israeli's side, but he had become major target for NCIS. A Seal Team was sent after him a year ago but once the gunfire was done, the team found that Saleem Ulman was gone. He was smart, aware of American tendencies, and deadly.
Chad and his men entered the second rate hotel and headed up the staircase to the fourth floor and Ulman's room. According to their spotter, he had been seen entering the hotel last night along with two other men. He had not been seen exiting it as of yet.
Once they reached the fourth floor, Chad and his men brought their PDW's out. Chad preferred the Heckler and Hoch MP7. It was compact but it carried a kick. He nodded and they exited the stairwell and headed down the hallway quietly. They reached hotel room. One of his men put his ear to the door and heard some voices. He nodded to Chad.
Chad lifted his right hand and showed them three fingers. He then counted down with the fingers and when he reached a fist, he kicked the door open. There was no one in the room, but there was a recording device playing whispered voices.
"Oh, shit," Chad said just before the room exploded taking out most of the fourth floor of the hotel.
NCISNCIS
The bullpen was quiet since it had been a week without hot case. McGee sat at Tony's old desk having taken on the role of SFA. He was checking up on paperwork, while Ziva and their Probie Nikki Jardine, who was an intelligence analyst turned field agent, worked on cold cases. Gibbs' desk was empty, as he had left to get his fourth coffee of a long slow morning. Tim looked up at Ziva and saw that she was suppressing a yawn.
"Late night, Ziva?" he asked.
She smiled, "Joe took me to Kennedy Center to see a play."
"What did you see?"
"The Washington National Opera performed Salome," she said. "We sat in a box."
"Figures. You get seats like that when you date a top aide of the SecDef," sighed McGee.
"You are a bestselling author, McGee, you can get good seats, too," Ziva said.
"I need to finish a second book, Ziva, and I haven't had the time since I became Gibbs' SFA. Between paperwork, reports, and cases, I don't have any time. I don't know how Tony did it," admitted McGee.
"He worked smarter not harder," said Gibbs quoting DiNozzo, as he walked into the bullpen wearing his overcoat and holding a fresh coffee.
Gibbs placed his coffee on his desk then he took off his overcoat and tossed it behind his desk then he sat down.
"You should try it, McGee," growled Gibbs.
"Yes, boss," said McGee.
It had been over three years, and still Gibbs seemed to miss Tony as his SFA. After two more months on board carrier, Tony transferred to an investigation team in Bahrain. For several months Gibbs kept up with his former SFA career hoping to find a reason to pull him from the Middle East and bringing him back to DC, but he never found the opportunity and Vance liked DiNozzo where he was.
"Gibbs, are you coming to Ducky's tomorrow for Thanksgiving? Since he is selling his home with his mother's death, it will be his last thanksgiving there. He wants to make it special," said Ziva.
"I'll be bringing Leyla and Amira," said Gibbs.
"That is nice," said Ziva. "I miss Mike."
"Yeah, I do, too," said Gibbs.
Vance appeared on the mezzanine balcony. He looked down into the bullpen and caught Gibbs' eye. Gibbs looked up at him. Vance motioned him to join him. Gibbs got up from his desk and headed up the stairs to the mezzanine.
"Maybe we finally have a new case," said McGee.
"I hope not," said Ziva. "We don't want to ruin Ducky's thanksgiving."
"No, I guess not. I'm just sick of paperwork," sighed McGee.
For a moment Ziva's mind drifted back to the memory of the night she spent with Tony. She was starting to fall in love with Joe Stanton, yet the memory of that night stayed with her. Suddenly, a whistle from Gibbs broke her out of her reverie.
She looked up to the balcony and saw Gibbs staring down at them.
"McGee, David, Jardine, MTAC now," he barked.
The three of them got up from their desks and headed up the stairs to join Vance and Gibbs in MTAC. Vance stuck his eye in front of the retinal scanner and the door unlocked. They entered.
Already up on the screen was Special Agent in Charge Tyler Caulfield from Bahrain. He looked upset and older than his fifty years of age. Sitting beside him was the well groomed and nervous looking Deputy Director Jerome Craig.
"SAC Caulfield, Deputy Director Craig, this is Gibbs' MCRT. I want them in on this meeting," said Vance.
"Yes, Director," said Craig.
"SAC Caulfield, fill us in on what has happened," said Vance.
"There has been a well-planned and well executed attack on NCIS agents by a known terrorist Saleem Ulman," he stated.
Ziva gasped at the name. Killing Saleem Ulman was the suicide mission that Michael had been sent on. The bastard was still alive.
"Special Agent Chad Dunham and three other agents were given intel about Ulman. When they showed up at the hotel to grab him, the room blew up killing them. Around the same time three of Ulman's men tried to take out my ASAC and his bodyguard at a public shopping mall in Bahrain. They are dead and my ASAC is at a hospital getting a minor gunshot wound treated. We are lucky he is alive," said Caulfield. "My ASAC and Dunham were the two most experts in Ulman. The bastard is up to something big, if he wanted to get rid of them."
"Tell me about this Ulman," said Vance.
"He is a graduate of Yale. He's not religious, but he is a fanatic to the cause of Jihad against the West," said Caulfield. "So far his targets have been mainly in Israel, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Somalia, but we are afraid he is about to branch out and take his skills to the United States."
Vance exhaled deeply then looked at Gibbs, whose expression was cold and hard.
"There was a mole in this office," said Craig. "She has been arrested and is being interviewed."
"I want all the intel you have on Ulman ASAP. I'll let the SecNav and SecDef know that a highly deadly terrorist is headed to our country," said Vance.
"I recommend that all agencies be brought into this," said Craig. "Ulman has proven to be smart as well as deadly."
"I also recommend that if you put together a task force that my ASAC either heads or is the second on it. He is now the expert on Ulman. He came close twice to getting the man," said Caulfield.
"I'll keep that in mind," said Vance.
Vance made the kill sign to his tech manager. The screen went blank. He turned and looked at Gibbs and his team.
"I recommend that you enjoy this long holiday weekend coming up because when you come to work you'll be part of the task force that will be set up to hunt down Saleem Ulman," said Vance.
"Who'll lead it, Leon?" asked Gibbs.
"That is to be decided by the SecDef and SecNav, but if I have anything to do with it, we will take the lead."
"Chad was a good man," said Gibbs.
"I know, Gibbs. I want this Ulman before he has a chance to do some serious damage," said Vance.
NCIS
Tony arrived at the sand colored building that housed NCIS along with Morse and another agent. Caulfield was waiting for him in his office. Before entering Tony took off the sling that the doctor had insist he wear for his left arm. He tossed it into a nearby garbage receptacle then he entered the office.
"Damn it, DiNozzo, you can't stay out of trouble, can you?" said Caulfield. "You're lucky that the Kingdom of Bahrain doesn't eject you and Morse for having a gunfight in the middle of one of their most popular malls."
"Sorry, sir," said Tony, as he sat down on the small sofa in the office.
Caulfield looked at his assistant special agent in charge. He knew him well enough to know that he was in some pain. According to the report he received the bullet grazed his left arm leaving him with fifteen stitches. It was a hell of a graze.
"How's the arm?"
"It'll heal," he replied.
"They give you painkillers?" he asked.
Instead of answering Tony rolled his eyes, which made Caulfield laugh.
"Yeah, I don't want you on painkillers, either. The last time you gave me a lecture on the movies of Tom Cruise," chuckled Caulfield. "From Taps to Knight and Day I had to hear about each and every film. I was never so happy to have someone pass out on me."
"I didn't pass out; I fell asleep," Tony corrected him.
"You passed out."
"I take it the three shooters were identified," Tony said changing the subject back to something important and less embarrassing.
"Ulman's men."
"Shit," mumbled Tony.
"Ulman missed you but he didn't miss Chad. He and some men were blown to bits by an Ulman bomb. We think he is now headed to the States," said Caulfield.
"Chad, huh?" said Tony then he took a moment to suppress his anger. "I want this bastard, Tyler. I know him better than anyone else. Get me the okay and a team and I'll track his ass down."
"I know, Tony. I told Vance that you were the right man for the job," said Caulfield.
"I've never been one of his favorites," said Tony.
"He's no idiot, Tony. He's seen your performance evals over the years. You're an assistant special agent in charge. If he didn't think you were capable or deserved it, he could have squashed that promotion," said Caulfield.
"Sure, I guess you're right," said Tony.
The old memories of Vance sending him back to be an agent afloat and banishing him from DC, his team, and his titular family still stung.
"If he does tap you to go after Ulman, it means a trip back to the states and DC," said Caulfield.
"Jesus, it's been over three years since I've been home. It feels longer."
"Long time," said Caulfield.
"Yeah, a life time ago."