Wow, three chapters in three days! It's not often I get that chance! Thanks ya'll for reading the story so far! I hope you keep enjoying it!
"Did Ziva snore obnoxiously?" Michael asked Tony as they drove down the highway. They were comparing undercover operations they had been on, while Ziva was asleep in the back seat.
"It was horrible," Tony groaned. "Does she really snore that bad?" he asked form the driver's seat.
"Only on missions such as that. It is a defensive mechanism she picked up on. An intruder would be so distracted by the snoring that they would not hear her grabbing her gun," Michael explained.
"Wanna tell me where we are going?" Tony asked, changing to a serious note.
"I have a house just north of Nashville. It's in the middle of nowhere, no neighbors within two miles. Anna and I bought it as an escape. We were planning on moving here and leaving Mossad."
"Who's taking care of your daughter?" Tony asked, remembering him meeting her earlier.
"Ziva's mother watches her when I am on missions," Michael explained.
Gibbs' house
Gibbs sat in his basement thinking about the events of the day. His team was in danger, and he could not help them.
"I heard about two of your agents being on the run," Gibbs heard from the top of the stairs.
"I hear that, too," Gibbs said, taking a drink of his bourbon.
"Figured you might want to see this," the man said, handing Gibbs a folder.
"I thought I said we were even, Kort," Gibbs said.
"You may not trust me, but I guarantee there is nothing for me to gain from this," Kort told the agent. "We received intel that someone is using the Deputy Director of Mossad as a puppet. However, we have been unable to find out who," Kort explained. "They want your Officer David dead."
"How does this benefit you?" Gibbs asked.
"It doesn't," Kort replied. "I've put your team through hell. It's high time I did something right."
NCIS Headquarters
Gibbs stood using an empty autopsy table as his desk. Ducky stood next to him reading the papers spread out.
"He does an excellent job of staying undetected," Ducky pointed out. "He is either a close friend or family member of Director David or skillful at manipulation."
"How do we solve a case that we have no jurisdiction on, Ducky," Gibbs asked the doctor.
"You can't," Ducky answered simply. "All you can do is find out everything you can and give Tony and Ziva your support. Find a way to contact them without endangering them. They are the only chance to solve this," Ducky explained to his old friend.
A Few Days Later
Ziva and Tony lounged around the living room waiting for Michael to return from getting groceries. Tony flipped through the channels for a fifth time while Ziva cleaned her gun for a sixth.
"I do not like sitting around here waiting," Ziva sighed impatiently. "We are sitting geese here."
"Duck, Zee-vah," Tony corrected her. "You know we are leaving at the end of the week," he told her, recrossing his legs on the coffee table.
"You will lose your job," Ziva stated.
"My job is to protect my partner," Tony sighed. "I'm doing my job by sitting here. Why don't you put that gun down and enjoy America's favorite pastime," he offered, gesturing at the seat beside him.
"Something does not feel right, Tony," Ziva sighed, walking over to sit beside him. "My gut tells me that something is about to happen."
"And what would that be?" Tony asked, slouching back against the couch.
"I do not know," Ziva said, staring ahead of her. "Michael should have been back by now," she wondered aloud.
"Maybe he ran into Faith Hill in the cereal aisle," Tony suggested.
"Who?" Ziva asked confused.
"Country singer, very sexy. You really should get out more, Zee-vah," Tony sighed.
The front door being slammed open kept Ziva from replying. The two looked up to see Michael stumble into the house.
"What happened?" Ziva asked, noticing Michael holding his right side.
"They found us," he gasped, latching the bolt lock. "You have to get out of here," he told the two.
"What about you?" Ziva asked as she and Tony jumped into gear.
"I will hold them off for as long as I can. You do not need me slowing you down," Michael explained, showing the two the wound in his side. "Go to the basement, there is a door under the carpet in front of the cabinet in the southwest corner. Behind the door is a tunnel that will lead you a mile from the house. It comes out at an old abandoned homestead. You will find a motorcycle in the barn behind a pile of hay. Use it to get out of here," he told the two.
"You have to come," Ziva insisted. "What about Alia?"
"I want you to take her. You are a good mom for her. You will keep her safe," Michael grimaced. "Hurry, they are getting closer!"
"Ziva, come on," Tony said quietly. "We have to go."
Ziva looked at Michael for a slight moment before stepping into gear. She hurried to her room to grab her bag.
"Tony, take care of her," Michael told Tony. "I can see you care for her more than either of you are willing to admit. She is no longer the emotionless assassin her father trained, even if she keeps that persona. She relies on you more than she lets on."
"I won't let anything happen to her," Tony promised. "Give 'em hell," he said before following after Ziva.
Just as Ziva and Tony opened the trapdoor, they hear gunshots ring out above their heads. Ziva hesitated slightly, but Tony grabbed her arm. When she looked up at him, he shook his head, "It'll do no good for you to go back up there. He is giving you a chance." Ziva nodded her head in understanding and jumped into the tunnel.
Later That Night
Ziva and Tony had driven to a rundown road side motel on the south side of Nashville. It was getting late and the motorcycle needed gasoline before they went any further. Ziva had been unusually quiet, and Tony knew she was thinking about Michael. He was the only link to her past that she had left, and she had just lost that.
"You want pizza?" Tony asked, looking through the phonebook.
"I am not hungry," Ziva said not looking at him.
"Zee-vah, it's okay to cry you know," Tony said solemnly.
"I am fine, Tony," Ziva insisted, tossing her bag onto her bed.
"No you aren't. Someone you were close to was just killed protecting you. There is no way you are fine," Tony retorted. "I learned that it's not safe to keep your emotions bottled up."
"I am not like you, Tony," Ziva shot back. "I have had many of my friends die and this is no different. I am FINE!" she emphasized.
"Whatever," Tony said, plopping down onto the bed. "I'm here if you want to talk," he added quietly a moment later.
Ziva sat in the chair next to the bed, her mind reeling. She knew Tony was right, but she could not allow herself to be weak. Weakness meant her guard was down, and left her vulnerable. She needed her guard to be ready for anything.
Tony ordered pizza for the two, even after Ziva insisted she was not hungry. After his persistent urging, Ziva gave in and ate a couple slices. The two spent the next couple hours watching boring shows on the room's basic cable, until they decided to turn in for the night.
Tony jerked awake in the middle of the night. Lying there silently, Tony finally heard what had woken him. He could hear, and feel, Ziva crying as silently as possible. Reaching over, Tony rolled her over, and held her against him. Gently soothing her, Tony let Ziva cry herself to sleep. When she finally fell asleep, Tony felt her snuggle further against him. This felt strangely comfortable to Tony. It was almost natural, he thought as he allowed himself to drift back asleep.
NCIS Headquarters
"Two of the fingerprints you brought me matched Tony and Ziva. I searched through every database possible, Gibbs. I couldn't find a match to the remaining fingerprints," Abby said. "I'm failing them, Gibbs. I'll try again. Maybe I didn't hit every database. There's bound to be something I missed," she rambled, hurrying back to her lab.
"Abby, wait," Gibbs called after her. "I didn't expect you to find a hit. They're Mossad," he explained to her. "I need you to do me a favor," he said, explaining his plan to the forensic scientist who grinned.
What's Gibbs' plan? I'm sure you hate me right now! But just wait, you will find out soon enough. Just BE PATIENT! I know, I always hated it when my parent's told me that!
Oh, and I'm sorry I did what I did to Michael, but it helped the story. He died keeping the only other important person in his life (Beside his daughter) safe. He knew there was no other way out.
Please review, tell me what you think!
