So here we have Gibbs POV, McGee's and Ziva's. I haven't touched upon Tony's yet because I know it has to be in depth and probably with Melanie to get the extent of what he is feeling.
Disclaimer: Everything here is own by CBS except for my creation of Melanie Fischer!
Washington D.C.
Leroy Jethro Gibbs sighed as he hung up the phone with his former Agent, Melanie Fischer, who over the years resided under the name Melissa Codwell. The former marine would never have broken the code of trust he held with the red head but desperate times called for desperate measures. Even if it meant bringing in one of the most deadly and wanted assassins back to NCIS.
One of those desperate reasons to bring her back was to smack some sense into the now depressed and resigned Anthony Dinozzo and throw off the Director of Mossad of what he had planned. He knew that bringing Melanie into the picture gave them an advantage with the information she had gathered over the years. Or so Gibbs hoped it would.
Melanie Fischer had once been a successful New York detective and NCIS agent until one NCIS agent betrayed her in an undercover assignment by obtaining vital information to the mission and turning it over the enemy. From there she resigned, only on reserve status if she was ever needed in desperate times, and formed her own version of an intelligence operation. Melanie fled from Washington DC and the East Coast in general, taking an inheritance from her grandfather and built her own secure ranch in the Wyoming Mountains. Gibbs knew that she fled not only because she couldn't trust her own agency but also because of a falling out with her then boyfriend, Detective Don Flack of the NYPD.
Gibbs, Dinozzo and Mac Taylor of the New York Crime Lab were the only three people Melanie completely trusted and gave them contact information to keep in touch and if they ever needed her or her resources.
The time had finally come when Gibbs had realized he may have lost, and could win with Vance in charge and close to Director David. He knew Ziva was in trouble and he could do absolutely nothing about it.
The silver hair man looked down at his empty glass of scotch, grumpily slamming back on his workbench. He then realized that Tony was still in his house and carefully went up the wooden stairs that ended in his laundry room of his house.
The entire situation with Tony was delicate and both men knew it. When Gibbs had suggested they bring Melanie in, Tony was unsure about it. Then he realized that for them to get Ziva back they needed not only her in person, but her expertise and information.
Gibbs looked at the sullen Italian sitting on his couch, staring vacantly at the wall. Gibbs cleared his throat, startling Tony out of his reverie. His saddened blue eyes met his, and as soon as they met he looked away.
"She on her way?" Tony asked quietly.
"Should be on her way within the next four hours." Gibbs replied, still standing glaring at Tony. His senior field agent either ignored the fact Gibbs wanted to talk or blatantly ignored it.
"You figured out where she is staying?" Tony asked, finally turning toward his boss.
"Yeah. With you." Gibbs simply stated, causing Tony's eyes to widen.
"Come on Boss. She probably can find better places to live than with me." Tony replied, giving Gibbs one of his famous looks. "That and if I remain in confined space with her, we are more than likely to kill each other. Melanie killing me more likely than the other way around."
Gibbs shook his head in disbelief. Despite Melanie trusting Tony, there would always be a rift between the former partners and a lack of trust. More so on Tony's part than Melanie's. "First point, Ziva's father still might send someone after you, even with Ziva on his is the best person to protect you. Secondly, it would be healthy for you to rebuild at least one relationship while Ziva is gone. She is going to be your partner Dinozzo, live with it."
The two men, with a relationship of father and son, a relationship that Vance couldn't even break, stared at each other, waiting for one to break. Tony was the first one to , with a resigned sigh as his shoulders slumped, probably taking in the realization that the woman he loved was gone.
Gibbs finally sat next to the aging man, someone he considered part of his family, putting a hand on his shoulder. "We will get her back, Tony." He said, softly, causing Tony to look back at him. "If I have anything to do about it."
"What about Vance?" Tony asked, as Gibbs started to smile.
"Leave him to me."
"What about Director David?"
"Leave him to Melanie." Gibbs replied, as some of the old Tony came to life.
"What about Ziva?" Tony asked hesitantly.
Gibbs thought for a moment. "I would leave that for Melanie too." He replied as Tony looked down dejectedly.
"What are you going to leave to me?" Tony asked, looking straight at Gibbs.
"McGee." Tony looked at Gibbs incredulously, trying to gauge a reaction from him.
All Gibbs heard was a one word sarcastic answer from Tony.
"Great."
And from that point on, Gibbs knew that somewhere the Anthony Dinozzo he knew, that everyone knew was deep down inside that agent. And he would leave it up to Tony to get that back too.
The Naval Yard
Timothy McGee sat at his desk, staring at the computer screen in front of him for hours as if it was going to tell him something important any minute. Except for the fact, it was blank and McGee was lost in his thoughts about Ziva not returning with Vance, Tony and Gibbs.
He hadn't realized how much it hurt to know that Ziva wanted to stay in Israel, after all the team had been through. The pang hit deep inside remembering Caitlin Todd's death and replaying those memories hurt him even more. As soon as Tony said that Ziva was coming back, McGee assumed the worst, thinking Ziva was hurt or dead even.
No, just that Gibbs let her stay. Gibbs of all people, let one of his agents, someone he fought long and hard the previous year to keep when Vance had split the team up, go. McGee had never felt so betrayed by his boss ever.
His thoughts were shaken by the ringing of his cell phone, and as he looked down he didn't want to answer it. However if he didn't he would get a year worth of head slaps the very next day.
"Yes Boss." McGee answered, trying not to sound as hurt as he felt.
"Please not you too." Gibbs muttered, as Tim figured out that he sounded exactly as he felt. "Look, can you meet Tony and me at his place in say about.. an hour."
McGee knew better that Gibbs was actually asking something, more like it was an order. "Sure boss. Anything else?"
"Yeah. Be prepared to meet a new member of your team." Gibbs said, as McGee carefully got up from his desk and stretch. It was getting dark outside and the bullpen was a ghost town .
"Boss… does Vance know?" McGee asked, grabbing his gun out his drawer and backpack off the floor.
"He will. But right now we need you here." He heard keys in the background, so he assumed the two men were already at Tony's apartment. He thought of one person that might need to know, however Gibbs already seemed to have an answer for his already forming question.
"No worries McGee, Abby is already on her way." Gibbs said, as McGee cursed his boss for having the innate ability to read people's minds.
"Ok boss, I am leaving shortly." McGee said, as his boss abruptly ended the call. McGee silently cursed again his boss and partner for getting them into the trouble they were in. If it wasn't for Tony killing Michael Rivkin, they probably wouldn't be in this mess.
Even though Tony and him grated on each other's nerves every chance they had, Tim considered Tony a brother, someone that saw the same horrors he did every day. Tony had saved his ass many times, and now it was McGee's turn to reciprocate the turn of events.
McGee knew, despite everything that Tony loved Ziva and would do anything to get her back, even if it met his job and even his life.
And he hoped deep down inside that it would not come to that.
North Africa
Ziva David looked at her captor with the one eye she could see with defiantly as he stripped her of her necklace on her neck. She had been betrayed not only by NCIS but her father as well, when the crew she was infiltrating turned on her, torturing her for information.
The man, dressed in fatigues grabbed her by her chin so she could look at him. She had been beaten badly, her cheekbone broken, a split lip and good shiner that was her left eye, and bound to a chair. Her captors apparently thought she was going to break, putting her through this torture.
"Tell me everything you know about NCIS." The man holding his chin roughly asked, a cigarette in his mouth, smoking blowing in her face. Ziva just looked at him, practically begging him to beat her. "You think this is a joke? I promise you this is not the end of this until you tell me what I want!"
"I will never betray them like that." Ziva spat back, spitting in his face. The Arabic yanked her hair painfully, as he took a step behind her, taking her head with him.
"You will tell me what I need to know Ziva David." He said, as her neck protested against the painful position it was in. However Ziva David did not break easily. She was taught better than that, her own morals would not allow her to betray her team. Even if they betrayed her in some ways, she felt the obligation to keep them safe.
She would not break, she was stronger than that.
"You want it rough. Fine. I will kill your beloved Americans one by one if you don't." he said, letting go of her head, letting her tired body relax for a moment before he began his torture. He knelt down to her level. "I promise you I will."
It was that instant that Ziva began to struggle against her restraints. No one threatened her family, her team, like that. However once she realized the effort was useless, she sat back tired. The lanky man smiled. He knew he reached the breaking point of Ziva David and she even knew it.
She looked at him tiredly. "What do you want to know?"