Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS and its characters, if I did I would be much happier, they're all D.P Bellisario's.

My heart goes out to the US East coasters, I hope you will be alright and that Hurricane Irene will leave you alone.

A/N: I know, I know, another one but as it's usually the case it wouldn't leave my head and I decided to share it with you.

This one has absolutely nothing to do with the Implicit rule/Train wreck universe.

The prologue and the next two chapters are introductory, setting the context and giving you some answers to understand what the hell is going on.

It's post JD, just after the end of the whole mess with Agent Lee. Hope you enjoy ;-D.


Prologue: Dreamland


January 27th, 2009 02:00 am

American Hospital of Paris, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France

He was dazed, he didn't know what to do. He couldn't let go of her hand, he couldn't take his eyes off her. He had lost track of time hours ago, as he was watching her sleep. The future was awaiting him, for them when she would wake up, but he couldn't go and meet it just yet. He was afraid if he did, he would be the one to wake up and realize it was all a dream - that he had imagined the whole thing, that there was nothing waiting for him outside that room and that the woman lying on the bed wasn't asleep but dead.

He didn't know what to do. So, for now, he would stay there and watch her sleep, count her breaths and wait for her to wake up. That way, they would meet the future together.

And if it was really a dream, then he didn't want to wake up.


Two months prior

November 25th, 2008 1:00 pm

Avenue des Champs Elysées, 8e arrondissement, Paris, France

Former Mossad Officer Ziva David had learned very early to rely on her instincts, her training had only reinforced this. As she was waiting at the terrace of a bistrot for Tony to come back from 'seeing the sights' and finally get their witness to take their plane back to D.C, she could feel something was about to happen, something important. It was in the air. She couldn't put her finger on it, but she knew.

She would never admit it but she had enjoyed spending time here with Tony. She had been in Paris a few times, and it held both good and bad memories for her. This trip had a particular taste because, right now, she associated Paris with Gibbs and Jenny and thinking about her former partner was painful. Tony's presence had help, even if she knew he had been thinking about it too and was still feeling guilty.

She was lost in thought, watching the people around her without really seeing them, when a woman walked slowly past her. She was talking on the phone in French but the accent was easily detected by Ziva's trained ear. But more than the accent, it was the voice that grabbed her attention. A voice she had heard so many times in the past six years, a voice she could recognize anywhere, whether its owner was talking in English, in French or in Hebrew.

Shocked, she was rooted in place for a moment but then she sprung up and followed the woman. Her own phone was vibrating in her pocket but she ignored it. The hair color was wrong, it was longer than what she remembered but then she had seen her with very different hairstyles over the years. It didn't mean anything and the voice couldn't be a coincidence; only she didn't believe in coincidence.

She put a little more distance between them to be sure the woman wouldn't notice her. She was slower than she had ever seen her be. It was strange. In all the years they had known each other, her American partner had always walked so fast it was sometimes difficult to follow her, even in ten-inches heels. Her eyes widened when she understood that the reason for the slowness was a very pregnant-looking belly. They crossed the street and arrived on the Rue Galilée. Ziva was hearing more clearly what the other woman was saying.

"Je vais bien, je ne fais que des demi-journées maintenant. Je vais me reposer cet après-midi et je serais prête pour ce soir. Ne t'inquiète pas. Oui, à tout à l'heure. Moi aussi," she hung up and entered an apartement building.

Ziva had just enough time to take a few pictures of her before the woman disappeared inside.

Heading back to the bistrot, she dialed an almost forgotten number and waited for her contact to pick up.

"You remember this favor you owned me. Well, I am calling it in. I am sending you some pictures. I need you to find everything you can on the woman, it is really important. Thank you," the conversation was brief and to the point.

Ziva had hoped Tony wouldn't be there yet and wouldn't question her whereabouts but it had been in vain. She lied to him without really lying, telling him she had seen someone she thought she knew. She needed more information before announcing to her team that there was a chance Jenny Shepard wasn't dead.


Translation:

"I'm fine, I'm only working half-days now. I'm going to rest this afternoon and I will be ready for tonight. Don't worry. Yes, I will see you very soon. Me too."

So what did you think? Please review. I will post the next one Wednesday if you liked this one.