Thanks for taking interest in my new story and thank you for your lovely reviews.

This story is really just beginning with this chapter and Tony won't be in any of the next few chapters, but don't worry there'll be enough of him in later ones.

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

Chapter 1

Tel Aviv, 3 years later

Ziva sat in the visitor room of Mossad. The room hadn't changed since her days at Mossad, it was still cold and poorly furnished. It consisted just of a table and four chairs, no windows, no plants and no water donator. Nothing that could make the wait more pleasant.

She sat worriedly on her chair. Ziva had been sitting there for a half an hour, waiting on Deputy Director Elbaz. She had been picked up because of urgent matters, but since he had to wait so long, those matters couldn't be as urgent as they told her. She had always refused to go to Mossad since she left the US. For the last six months, Mossad tried to recruit her again but not as an officer. They tried to get her as a trainer.

Ziva always turned down the offer as soon as it had been stated. She wanted to start a new life, had left her family in D.C. for this new chance. She wouldn't just throw it away by going back to Mossad, inviting in pain and loss again and she really had been happy in the last three and a half years. She had wanted a peaceful and quite life and she got it. It had been difficult at the beginning, she had nothing and was on her own. She had never thought that a new beginning could be that hard. There hadn't been one day she hadn't missed her American friends and even if it had become less over the years, she still thought daily about them.

Now she had been working at a little local school for the last two years. Those kids had her full attention and she taught them to how to read and write, she played with them and hugged them close to her if they were sad. When she had been still an agent, she'd have never thought that she'd work with children one day. Not that she didn't like kids, it was just difficult for her. But meanwhile her uneasiness around them was gone and she was happy about every day she could spend with them.

Today she wouldn't see those little angles. This morning she had been rudely woken up by Adam. She hadn't seen him in a long time and she already thought that Mossad had sent him to talk her into coming back. Before he could have even said anything to her, she told him that she'd still had no interest of coming back and that he could just leave again. He had just stared at her before he shook his head and told her, nearly whispering it, that she should come with him, that it hadn't nothing to do with the standing job offer.

Her immediate response had been to decline again. She didn't want to go with him, didn't evenwant to be anywhere near the building in which Mossad planned their missions. However, something seemed to depress him, had something on him she couldn't place. He knew something that he didn't want to tell her yet or wasn't authorized to tell her. In his eyes had flickered something that looked like pity. Just for a moment, but it was enough for Ziva's resolve to break. Whatever it was that he or Mossad wanted with her, it had nothing to do with a job offer. Silently he went back to the car and waited for her while she called her colleague from the local school to tell her that she couldn't come in today.

Adam was a friend. He'd never interfere with her life just to try to get her to do something she didn't want to do. That had probably been the reason why they had sent him and also the reason why she had accompanied with him back to Mossad. It was about something else than a job offer.

On the drive to Mossad he did not once say a word and when they had arrived, he led her to the visitor room in which she had been since then and nobody seemed to dare coming in to tell her what was going on.

When the door finally opened she actually had expected it to be Adam who took mercy on her, but she didn't know the man that entered the room. He was rather young, had short black hair, a striking face and brown eyes. She assumed that he hadn't been long with Mossad yet.

"Miss David." greeted the stranger her politely, but she had enough off the games Mossad was playing. She wanted answers. Now.

"Why am I here?"

"The deputy director would like to speak to you."

"And where is she then? I was told it was urgent and now I have been waiting for her for the last thirty minutes without one person coming in and telling me what is going on."

"I'm terribly sorry for the long wait. I just know that it concerns some private matters. Deputy Director Elbaz will talk to you soon. The meeting she is in at the moment is taking longer than planned. But you're authorized to wait in the gardens if you want to. The deputy director thought that you would rather want to wait outside than in this visitor room."

Ziva rolled her eyes. Authorized to wait outside. Nice. First she had been awoken in the wee hours just to be sitting now at Mossad, waiting for the time Elbaz would find suitable to speak to her. Ziva grabbed her little bag and left the room. Even if she didn't want to admit it, but Elbaz was right, she'd rather wait outside than in this room. She had never liked this room, not even in her days as an officer.

As she stepped out of the building, she breathed in as much fresh air as she could. She spent a lot of time outside and enjoyed every minute of it. This place had always been her favorite one. Although it was just a little garden, not many people came out here which made it something like a quiet and peaceful sanctuary. She had been always able to recharge her energy while planning missions and to collect and sort out her thoughts before opening those thick doors again, walking straight back towards chaos, death and pain.

She walked a few steps as she noticed a movement behind her. When she turned around she saw the young officer standing by the doors, keeping an eye on her. It didn't surprise her. She was here as a guest and guest were always under observation. He'd be with her as long as she waited for Elbaz to show.

She wasn't disconcerted by his presence as she strode down the small path between flower beds, followed by the officer. On both sides were planted roses in all kind of variations. She decided that roses were next to be planted in her garden.

Before she could walk any further down the path, the doors opened and Elbaz entered the small place. Ziva watched as she sent away the officer before walking up to where she stood waiting impatiently for her.

Elbaz smiled apologetic. "I'm sorry for letting you wait. I wanted to come earlier, but a video conference was preventing me to do so."

Since she didn't want to cause a scene, she smiled and swallowed down her annoyance. "I am sure it had been something important that couldn't wait."

"That's right. There are times I don't know what to do first."

"Well, now you are here. Care to elaborate why I am here?" She didn't want to waste any more time at Mossad.

"Of course. You had to wait long enough. I brought you here because there is something you need to know and I didn't want to tell you over the phone. If I'd be in your position, I wouldn't want to get to know this over the phone."

Ziva had no idea what Elbaz was trying to say to her, which led her to not knowing if she should be irritated or nervous. After a short break Elbaz continued. "It's about your former partner, Agent DiNozzo. He was undercover on a freighter, which had been used for smuggling. He had been a member of the crew for one month, before the ship got caught up in a bad storm and sunk."

Ziva was shocked. She couldn't believe what she just heard. Had he made it? Had he been admitted in a hospital? Was he alright? So many questions and she had no answers to them. Not yet. "Is he alright?"

"Ziva, that had been three years ago. He is missing ever since. Until yesterday, that is."

Ziva looked hopefully at Elbaz. She was as eager to hear the news as much as she was scared of them. She had absolutely no idea if Elbaz had good new or bad ones, her face showed no signs of which one it could be. Her heart pondered in her chest while she waited.

"I'm sorry, Ziva. The search has been canceled yesterday and as of today, Special Agent DiNozzo had been officially stated as dead."

She had never thought that just one sentence was able to shatter her life into little pieces. She had always feared that one of the few people close to her could get hurt and now the man who may be closest to her had been declared dead. Ziva downright hear how the remaining pieces of her life clattered to the ground and everything else was faded out. Her heart hammered so strong in her chest that she had the feeling it would burst out.

I hope you liked it. I wish you all a nice week :)