Chapter 2: Flashback
June and July 2013
After Ziva's appointment with the Ob/Gyn in early June for the follow up from her miscarriage, she had started feeling restless. With neither she nor Tony working, they spent most of their time at the apartment, sometimes watching movies for the entire day. They talked and shared with each other about their loss, helping each other grieve. They had agreed that they would not tell anyone other than Ducky, who already knew, about losing the baby.
On 17 June, Ziva had a call from the lawyer in Tel Aviv who was helping settle Eli's estate. Ziva was the sole heir, and even she was surprised at how many properties Eli had owned in various places around the world as well as properties in Israel. There were several documents that Ziva needed to sign and have witnessed for the execution of the will. Tony suggested that Ziva go to Israel to take care of what needed to be done and he would join her near the beginning of July.
Tony took Ziva to Dulles on 19 June for her flight with an evening departure to Tel Aviv. He would join her in Israel on his birthday and they would make plans from there. Both were thinking of a month long vacation in Ziva's birth land before heading back to DC. While they were apart, they agreed to text and call, with Ziva initiating any calls since she had to work around lawyer appointments.
Less than forty eight hours after SecNav had been murdered and Tony's apartment shot up, the first indication of trouble came on 1 July when Ziva did not send her usual good morning text to Tony. He sent her a text but it was several hours before he received a reply of just two words: 'Be careful'. He was anxious to get to Ziva to make sure she was safe, but Vance and Gibbs wanted Tony to stay at the Navy Yard for his safety. What worried him the most was the lack of contact from Ziva. Only one cryptic message about SecNav had come through.
After Tony threatened to escape and catch his scheduled flight on 7 July, Gibbs relented and convinced Leon to have a security detail take Tony to the airport. Tony boarded his flight to Israel with apprehension and a bit of trepidation. He had not heard from Ziva in almost a week, nothing had been determined about who shot up his apartment nor about who shot SecNav. He worried that Ziva had been captured or injured. He had sent her a text that his flight was on time and as they had planned, but she had not responded.
As the flight took off, he 'saw' his ninja, "We will be okay, Tony." He sighed at the hopefulness in his heart but his mind was telling him differently. He should have never let her go to Israel alone; he should have been by her side the whole time.
When the flight landed in Tel Aviv, Tony headed to baggage claim, hoping to spot the familiar head of wild curls awaiting him. Instead, several Mossad officers had come up beside him as he grabbed his bag and guided him to a waiting vehicle.
On the drive to Mossad headquarters, no one spoke. Once at Mossad, Adam Eschel and Orli Elbaz explained about the attack on Eli's safe house in Yavne'el and that Ziva may have left a message for Tony. Orli gave him further details and indicated that Ziva had probably been injured in a fight as some of the blood at the scene of the attack had matched to Ziva's. Thus began the trek across the Middle East, with Tony feeling that he was a step behind his love for the entire journey from Tel Aviv to Haifa to Amman to Cairo to Yemen to Be'er Sheva and back to Tel Aviv. Ziva's childhood friend Deena Bashan had first told Tony that she had not seen Ziva, but when he figured out that she had lied to him, he had returned to confront her.
The words she spat at him stung, "Why should she have the man she loves when she took that from me? Had it been anyone else, I would have told them the truth about Ziva. But you, I could not and would not."
Tony had stormed into Mossad headquarters next, demanding to see Orli immediately. He asked her what she knew and she replied in her usual non-answer manner. But she did indicate that several items were in an envelope which she handed to him before wishing him well in his search for Ziva. "You and I both know that if Ziva David does not want to be found, she will not be."
Tony said nothing, but thought to himself that he would show Orli and the rest of them that he would indeed find Ziva. He knew her better than anyone. As he opened the envelope, he realized that she had left him clues. Her Star of David necklace was one of them. The pictures of her with Ari and Tali and the picture of Eli and a very pregnant Rivka were two more. He recognized the Be'er Sheva house in the picture of the siblings, having just been there himself. He had been close to Ziva; he felt her presence at the house and the food in the fridge had indicated her recent occupancy of the dwelling.
The house in the picture of Ziva's parents was unknown to Tony at first. When he went through the list of properties from the lawyer, he immediately recognized the remote farm house north of Tel Aviv.
He had returned to the Be'er Sheva house for the night to review the information from Orli and the lawyers. Where oh where was his Ziva? She had seemed to trace a backwards journey through her life over the past month. He plotted every place he had been in the trek to find her on a map and connected the dots as he thought about how he could catch up to her. As he connected the path he had followed her, he came to a sudden realization.
The entire path had created a large spiral inward to one place; the farm house! He now knew where she was heading if she was not already there. Tomorrow, he would surveille the farm house property and determine if she were present. After that he would make his move and attempt contact with the only woman who mattered in his life.
The picture of her parents must be from when Rivka was pregnant with Ziva; of course! Her ROOTS, the place where she was brought to life… she may have been born in Be'er Sheva, but he was certain that she had been conceived at the farm house now. She had completed the journey to home; to her beginning.
In the morning, he had driven to the farm house driveway and parked the rental car. He walked onto the property but not up the driveway. From a position in the orchard, he had observed Ziva sitting on the porch of the house. She was not agitated nor was she relaxed. He could tell she was deep in thought, but also troubled from the expression on her face. All he wanted to do at that point was run to her and wrap her in his arms. Something held him back though and he just observed.
When Ziva went into the house, he headed back to the rental car and drove to Be'er Sheva to collect his belongings and make a plan. He would return the rental car, and then get a ride to drop him at the end of the driveway. He would walk to the house, his bags in hand, and hope for the best. In Tel Aviv, once Tony had returned the rental, he called Adam Eschel.
"Hey, I found Ziva, and I need your help," Tony began.
"If anyone could have found her, it had to be you," Adam had seen the couple together in Berlin. "I will be there in fifteen minutes."
Tony waited for Adam; he debated calling Ziva and letting her know he was near. He decided against calling, not wanting her to go on the run again. He NEEDED to see her, to hold her, to be with her. He needed her to be with him.
Adam dropped Tony at the end of the drive, "I wish you luck, Tony. If anyone can get Ziva to open up and be able to help her, it is you."
"Thank you, Adam. You are a true friend." Tony shook hands with the Shin Bet officer, one of the few Israelis he trusted with his life. He took his bag out of the back seat and slung his backpack over his shoulder. He waved to Adam and turned for the trek up the mile long driveway in the growing twilight.
At the house, he noticed that Ziva was neither on the porch nor outside anywhere visible. He climbed the steps to the front door, stopping in front of the door before knocking. He took a deep breath and rapped on the wood door. He waited but there was no answer. He knocked again.
"Ziva, it's me, Tony. It's okay to open the door!" he called out. He barely had time to register that the door had been opened when he was yanked inside and the door slammed behind him. As his eyes adjusted to the darkness inside the house, Ziva flung herself into his arms.
"You should not have come," she hissed, but her voice betrayed the emotion at seeing her lover for the first time in nearly two months. "You should have stayed in DC…" She was cut off by Tony fusing his lips to hers.
The couple broke the kiss for air; Tony caressed Ziva's face with his hands. "Oh, Zi, it's okay; I'm here now…" He brushed tears from her cheeks and softly brushed his lips on hers, making eye contact.
She fixed her gaze on his, stroking his face and lightly wiping the tears on his cheeks. "Tony, I… I am sorry. I have hurt you yet again. All this pain, the center of it is me…" she trailed off as he placed a finger on her lips.
"Not now, Zi… we will talk, but right now I just want to hold you in my arms, please?" He drew her to him, rubbing a hand on her back to soothe her. He felt her sobbing on his shoulder and his heart broke for her.
She cried in his arms for several minutes as he guided her to the sofa and they sat together. He stroked her face and hair as she leaned into him. No words were needed; they both needed the touch of the other the most at the moment.
"I do not deserve you, Tony," she whispered.
"Hey, you deserve anything you want. Ani ohev otach, Zi, ALWAYS. There is nothing you can do to make me not love you, ever." Tony tried to comfort Ziva, but he was afraid his words would not do. He helped her up and led her to her room, motioning for her to lie on the bed. "Sleep sweet cheeks, I am here to keep you safe." He turned to find himself a place to sleep in another room.
"Stay with me, Tony, please?" She moved over on the bed and patted the space next to her.
He lay down and wrapped his arms around her, "Shh, sleep; I have you…" He rubbed her back with his hand and listened as her breathing evened out. She snuggled into his arms and he too fell asleep.
Ten hours later, Tony awoke before Ziva. She was spooned into his embrace, sleeping soundly. He figured it was the most sleep she had in a long time. He softly kissed her neck and head, her familiar scent his comfort and soothing. He inched closer to her, savoring every inch of her contact with his body. She felt so right in his arms. He vowed to himself to do whatever she needed. Nothing was out of his reach if it was for her.