Disclaimer: I don't own anything, but you already guessed that.
A/N: My take on what I don't want to see happening in the season's première.
And yeah, I already know they have revealed the mystery photograph to be of a man, but I don't care. I won't see any of it for months to come anyway. The disadvantage of living in Europe.
The moment of truth
For the millionth time he looked back at the picture. His heart broke when he first opened the file SecNav had given him.
'No. No. Not her.' It sounded in his head over and over again. Why would he have to do this?
Now he sat here. At home, in front of his computer. The cursed file lay beside it.
If it had been any other agent he might have put off working on it immediately, but now he had not been able to do that. He had called Vance, told him he would work from home. He had called Gibbs, told him he was sick and needed some time. And now, after nearly 48 hours of working almost without a pause, he crashed.
No. This not what he had wanted to find. He had hoped it was all a mistake, a gap in the communication between two agencies... That she was allowed to give away the information. He had hoped to proof her innocence.
But instead of finding evidence of that... He could proof it: she had sold information. He did not want to know, he did not want to tell anyone about what he had found. And he knew he would have to.
Anthony DiNozzo was not one to cry easily. Tonight he cried. For the tiredness he felt. For the betrayal she played. For the hurt he felt.
In the morning he was capable to pick up the phone.
He phoned SecNav. Report on your desk at noon.
He phoned Vance. Same message.
He phoned her. Be at your desk, elven forty-five exact.
"Boss." Gibbs looked up, DiNozzo stood in front of his desk looking completely distressed.
"I thought you were on sick-leave." He said.
"You look like you need it." He added.
"I... I need to talk to you." The way Tony looked around, making sure no one was listening along made clear this was something important.
"My office." Gibbs offered. After the elevator doors shut with the familiar ding, and the cart had come to a stop at some unknown level, Gibbs looked back at his agent, who was currently very busy eying the ceiling. As if he felt Gibbs' look on him, he started talking.
"It's Ziva. I... I have been fulfilling an assignment for SecNav."
"You what! SecNav?" Gibbs looked ready to smack him.
"Boss... Please?" Looking more closely to his agent's face Gibbs noticed he looked ready to cry. With a hand motion he told Tony to continue.
"The day of Frank's funeral I received a call, the new SecNav, asking me if I was willing to do some Internal Affairs-business. I agreed. That evening he shove a picture of Ziva under my face. She was my point of interest." He swallowed, but the moment he continued the tears he was holding back came anyway.
"She has been selling information, for money. She betrayed us, B-Boss." The tears were of exhaustion and being completely out of control, being powerless.
"The moment she sets another foot in this building she should be arrested." Tony stole a glance at the man next to him, the look of on his face was one of utter disbelieve.
"If they grant my request, we may tell her and she gets the change to walk away and be arrested outside the agency."
"DiNozzo... No one knows where she is. She has not been here for two days. Hell, she wasn't even at Mike's funeral! What makes you think she will come back here?" Gibbs managed to say, after he replaced his mask.
"I called her." Tony replied. He leaned forward and set the elevator back into motion.
When they got out of the elevator Gibbs was surprised to see Ziva actually sitting at her desk. He glanced at Tony. How the hell had he gotten that done?
It was then that he realized that every chair in the bullpen was already filled. Abby, Ducky and Palmer had come up and McGee had reappeared as well. From the corner of his eye he saw SecNav leaning against the railing above them. The team already knew, he had been the last to be told. Ziva had come to say goodbye, one last time.
When he stepped in front of the desk she rose. Tear streaks were present on her cheeks.
"I am sorry, Gibbs." She said. And for a second his memory took him back to his basement, where she had said the same thing, barely two years ago.
Even with all the betrayal he felt, he pulled her into a close hug. Within seconds Abby joined them. Quietly he held the two crying women, emotionless eying SecNav, who looked back. Untouched.
When they finally let go, Ziva silently went through the process of receiving the silent hugs from the others. There was nothing to be said.
With one last look around the bullpen she walked away, pressing the button of the elevator one more time.
The ding of the opening doors, made the whole watching team cringe. Without looking back Ziva David stepped in, letting the doors close behind her, hiding her from view.
No one in the bullpen had heard the arriving of Director Vance, until he cleared his throat. All looked up at him.
"I just got word from Tel Aviv." He said.
"Eli David is dead." With shock written all over his face Tony turned towards Gibbs.
"She paid for it." Everyone turned their attention to Tony, questioning what he meant.
"Ziva. She transferred all the money she made from giving out the intel into an account of what I found to be the one of a known hit man in the Middle East, last night." The silence surrounding them was deafening.
"She killed her father." For minutes no one moved. Then Gibbs asked the question voiced in every team member's mind.
"Did she, Leon? Did she really betray her country?"
Have fun, watching tonight's première...
xx MNMmie