NCIS HEADQUARTERS
It is late and the floor empty as she sits at her desk unsure what will remain of her career and her life at the end of the night. It had been a long, difficult week for everyone at NCIS but for Ziva David life is about to get much harder. Trained as a spy since she was a young girl and living her life on the Mossad fast track, she has always known her path in life until tonight.
"You're late." Gibbs comes down the stairs wondering why his Mossad liaison is sitting in the dark. It's not the first time he's found her like this but tonight he knows she has somewhere else to be.
"Yes." Ziva has not spoken to her father for months, and, two days ago he arrived in the US for the first time since her assignment to NCIS. Obtaining a spot on his calendar had been a harder task than she anticipated but they are scheduled to meet tonight and if she doesn't leave soon she will miss her opportunity. Director David is not a man who waits, not even for the daughter he hadn't seen in two years.
Gibbs stops in front of the officer's desk, "Then why are you still sitting here?"
"Waiting to say goodbye." The innocence of her statement is contradicted by the seriousness in her dark eyes.
"Don't be stupid Ziva." Watching his agent stand up with her gear, Gibbs slowly shakes his head.
Ziva stands in front of Gibbs smiling. Before coming to NCIS, she woke up everyday believing that it would probably be her last on earth. Her profession and her family tree had convinced her long ago that a young death was her destiny. It took her time to understand and accept being part of a team where death was possible but not probable. Not for her, not for anyone. At NCIS, death was the enemy not the destiny. Standing by while assassins took aim at Gibbs had been too much for her conscience to bear and it was clear what needed to be done.
"We agreed that this is not an option." They had discussed this so many times that the others were becoming suspicious of their private conversations. In the past week, there had been two attempts on Gibbs' life and the pressure was weighing heavily on Ziva. Today, a bullet grazed McGee's head during a gunfight that ended with one Mossad agent dead.
With defiance burning bright in her eyes she listens to him, the guilt wearing on her soul. Before Ari, before NCIS she had not had any regrets. Ziva was raised in a country, a lifestyle that allowed no time for such things. Things are different now. Some nights her dreams were haunted by images of Ari, some nights Gibbs, and sometimes both. Always dead. By death or by duty she has left too many places, too many people to remember. She is a person used to not saying goodbye, does not care to say goodbye. She waited for him so she could say at least one but is just realizing how hard even one can be, "It's time Gibbs."
"This is a mistake." Gibbs searches his mind for a way to stop what is happening. In the short time he's known Ziva, this will be the second time she's choosing to sacrifice herself and her family to save his life. In spite of her smile, he can see the fear that she will never admit hidden in the eyes that avoid his own. He knows the attachment she has developed with her team at NCIS. She trusts them, relies on them as much as they depend on her.
Brushing her hair off of her forehead, Ziva takes a deep breath. She is scared but certain and she is fueled by Israeli blood full of so much loyalty and determination that even Jethro Gibbs cannot stop it, "It is the only way. More will come."
"And we'll stop them." His words match her determination but Gibbs knows that he is on the losing end of this battle. He knows that Ziva is right.
The Mossad liaison now stands eye to eye with Gibbs, "The cost is too great. How many people do we let die for our lie? You, McGee, Tony, Jenny? How many Israelis? They will not stop until you are dead. It is an order from the highest level. My father is ordering your assassination for revenge and revenge knows no limits."
"You don't know that." Gibbs' voice makes it clear that he too is not ready to back down. The Director of Mossad believed he was the reason for his son's death and the price would be high. His son was his glory, his key to unraveling Hamas. For Ziva's sake, he doesn't want to believe that it's true. He does not want to believe that the person he has grown to trust and care about has to live with the knowledge that her father is a cold blooded killer.
"He will kill you without question." Looking away, Ziva's heart aches admitting out loud that her father is responsible for the order to kill her friend, her mentor. It is a glaring reminder of her own betrayal, of what is yet to come, of her own destiny which she has foolishly tried to forget existed.
"Now what?"
Ziva flashes him a confident, playful smile, "I tell the truth."
"We can straighten this out." There are few times in his life that Gibbs can remember feeling so desperate to find a solution.
She smiles, touched to see the honor in the man she admires more than her own father, "It's too late. It's gone too far."
"I'm not letting you do this alone. You have no idea what your father will do. You could end up in that embassy without anyone watching your six." Gibbs does not want her to die and knows her actions will be viewed as treason.
Ziva is struck by how much she already misses the Americans, "Perhaps, but my odds are still better than yours. Once a spy always a spy. It's what I was born to do."
At one time he would've believed that statement but not now. They'd been through too much, and, he's seen her prove herself too many times when she did not need to; do things that were not required of a liaison officer. She is as much NCIS as she is Mossad. He slaps the back of her head, "That's crap and you know it."
Ziva laughs, "It's the only way Gibbs. We both know it. I appreciate everything."
"I still owe you."
With the softest sniffle, Ziva kisses him once on each cheek, "And now I wish to collect."
Gibbs raises an eyebrow at her as she walks away unsure of what she means.
The Israeli turns her back to him summoning her control to stop the tears threatening to betray her mask. As much as she missed Israel, she had fallen head over heels with America, with NCIS, with investigations. By letting her stay they had given her a second chance. A chance to be the officer she'd wanted. To show the best of Israel. Being a spy was her duty, an investigator she enjoyed. She knows it will be difficult for her to transition to the rigid Mossad lifestyle. She was born into it but even she had to admit that she was not looking forward to returning to it. It could be lonely, isolating and the truth is that Ziva David likes people. They are interesting to her beyond their tactical significance. Life is different, she is different. She's choosing to leave because it will keep her friends safe, and, hopes they will understand because they know her even though they will not know her reason. It will be the ultimate test of their trust in her. It was nice to have people know her. Nobody knows a spy.
Ziva turns, her words shaky as they exit her mouth, "Don't let them believe it was all a lie."
Gibbs nods knowing it may be the last time he sees her and understanding the speculation that will follow if she does not return to work. At that moment, he is reminded just how special she is, and, the strength of her commitment to NCIS. Jenny was right that Ziva is one of the best agents he would work with. He often wondered how the young Mossad officer maintained her spirit and the truth in a world full of lies. She was nothing like Ari or their father. Gibbs forces a smile as he watches her walk away, "Don't be late tomorrow, Officer David."
Stepping into the elevator, Ziva returns his smile as the doors close. In many ways it was a simple choice. Her team at NCIS had been more of a family than her own, Gibbs more of a father than her own. They had embraced her, trusted her when they had every reason not to. Even more surprising to Ziva, they had been honest with her. She tried her best to return that yet something stood between them. She never spoke of her father but he was always there lurking in the back of her mind. As far back as she can remember, she worked to do whatever it took to make him proud hoping to earn his praise and attention. Tonight, she is preparing herself to withstand the attention she is about to receive from him, knowing he will have no praise for her actions.