Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS. If you're on this site, you probably know that already.
A/N: I'm sorry this has taken so long. I had writer's block.
A/N2: All mistakes are mine alone. If you tell me, I will fix them. I'm a perfectionist.
Gibbs left everyone else after they had cleared security at NCIS, Gdynia. McGee and Ziva had started to follow him, and Lucas, Tash and Jamey had made to follow McGee, but a look had conveyed to Ziva and McGee the logic of letting him go alone. Now he rode the elevator, his fingers itching to hit the emergency stop for no good reason other than the fact he hadn't done it for a while. He laughed at his own attempt to think about anything other than the fact he was about to try to explain to Tony that Ziva had been alive all this time. The doors opened, and he strode confidently into the bullpen, in time to hear Tony spouting a stream of Polish at some passer-by who rushed away, looking scared.
"Fluent, DiNozzo?"
Tony spun around and Gibbs watched as he looked for Ziva. Satisfied that she wasn't there, he answered,
"Well, boss, I've been here for a while."
"You have, Tony. I just forget."
He smiled.
"Me too."
Kathy looked at Fabian.
"Did he just . . ."
Fabian looked on, a hint of curiosity in his expression.
"This must be the infamous Gibbs."
Gibbs looked up, amused.
"Infamous?"
Fabian nearly smiled.
"With the infamous Gibbs hearing."
"Infamous Gibbs?" asked Kathy.
"Well, the Gudek's mentioned him less by name during your time here, Kathy."
"Gudek?" asked Gibbs.
"Means boss, boss," explained Tony.
"Right. Tony – conference room."
"Boss, this isn't D.C."
"It has an emergency stop, DiNozzo."
"Right, of course, boss."
The pair began to walk to the elevator. Kathy looked at Fabian, mouthing,
"That was weird."
Fabian nodded once, waiting until the doors of the elevator closed before conceding,
"It was, a little."
"She's alive, Tony."
Tony shook his head,
"No . . . how could she be?"
"We never knew she was dead. We just assumed . . ."
"That she would contact us if she were alive?!?!"
"Tony, she's Mossad."
"So what, Gibbs? She's still one of us."
"Maybe, Tony, but her life is different to ours. You cannot begin to imagine . . ."
"And you can?!"
"No, DiNozzo, I can't! I can't and McGee can't but we can forgive her!"
"It's not the same!" Tony yelled, then looked shocked at his own outburst before quietly continuing, "Ziva and I, we were close, boss, we were partners, and she betrayed me."
"You think Ziva and I weren't close, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked softly. "She felt betrayed too, when you didn't tell her about Jeanne. And before you say it – no, she didn't think you were dead then and it's not the same situation at all, I know. But she doesn't want you to be dead, which is probably why she didn't make contact, along with being amazingly busy, not wanting to think about NCIS, and living someone else's life for years!"
"Someone else's life?"
"Deep cover, DiNozzo? You think it was bad with Jeanne Benoit? People can stay in deep cover for decades."
Tony nodded slowly.
"Wait, back up, boss. You and Ziva were close?"
"We shared experiences, Tony. And secrets."
"Secrets?"
"She knew about Shannon and Kelly. She found out for Ari."
"That's one secret, boss," Tony's face began to cloud with confusion, "You trusted her – implicitly – when no one else did – at all."
"She killed Ari to save me."
That had always been the best way with Tony. Quick. Gibbs desperately wanted to say 'and he was her half-brother' but he kept the secret. He always would.
"She killed . . ." Tony trailed off, "Boss – you didn't tell me this," he accused. "You didn't tell me about your wife and daughter. You have to start telling me things."
"Okay."
"Okay?!"
"Okay. We're here for a man called Isaac Daniels . . .
Ziva paced up and down the lobby impatiently. Tash and Lucas were sitting side-by-side, heads bent together in conversation. Jamey had a pencil poised above her sketchpad, and McGee tapped on the keys of his laptop. And Ziva paced. The elevator doors opened and everyone span around. Gibbs and Tony stepped out, and Gibbs signalled toward Ziva with his head. Tony began to walk forward uncertainly. Ziva smiled widely, a look of pure relief gracing her face as she ran the last few steps between them and flung her arms around his neck. He held her tightly against himself and simply said,
"You're alive."
"Kathy?"
Kathy looked up in shock. Fabian never initiated conversation.
"Fabian?"
"Turn around, Kathy."
She turned slowly, worried. Out of the elevator stepped Gibbs, Tony, Ziva and McGee.
"Who are the other two?" she asked.
"I don't know," he replied.
She noticed his slight change of expression.
"You know more than you're telling me."
"Theory."
"Care to share?"
"Ziva David and Timothy McGee."
Kathy rolled her eyes. She kept hearing these names that meant nothing to her.
"You're useless!"
"Thanks," he said dryly, "Gudek's old team. From Washington D.C."
"I thought you said Ziva David was a Mossad Control Officer earlier."
"She is. A Mossad Officer who's meant to be dead."
"What?!"
"Never mind, Kathy."
Lucas, Tash and Jamey appeared in the stairwell.
"Okay," said Kathy, "so the other lot are really confusing. Who are they?"
Fabian said nothing. She took it to mean he didn't know. The seven people approached the bullpen. Tony addressed his team,
"Fab, Kathy, this is Gibbs, Ziva, and McGee," he gestured to each person in turn, "and this is McGoogle's team, Lucas Logan, Natasha Paul and Jamey Mulgrew. Guys, this is my team, Fabian Sawicki and Kathryn Paris. Oh, and Fabian?"
"Yes, Gudek?"
"Cancel that call to Director David."
Fabian wanted to ask, but forced himself not to, quickly making a call and going back to standing still. Kathy stepped forward.
"Kathy," she said, correcting her boss.
"Tash."
"Jamey."
"Lucas," he said, shooting her a blinding smile.
Tony hit Lucas' head.
"Don't," he warned sternly. He turned to Kathy. "And don't you dare, either."
"Don't what, Gudek?" she protested innocently.
He stared her down.
"Of course not, Gudek."
While Kathy familiarised herself with everyone, Lucas approached Fabian cautiously, as if he were a valuable museum exhibit. This behaviour was soon explained as he waved his hand in front of Fabian's face, provoking no reaction.
"What is he, like a statue or something?"
Tash punched Lucas in the arm, and addressed Fabian,
"Sorry. Try hitting him, Agent Sawicki. I find it helps."
The corner of his mouth twitched. Lucas jumped back in false shock.
"Movement!"
The twitch died. Fabian resolutely ignored Lucas and turned to Tash saying courteously,
"Please, call me Fabian. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Tash," she smiled, reaching to shake his hand.
Tony slapped his hand theatrically to his forehead. Gibbs rested his hand on Tony's shoulder.
"There's no way to stop them DiNozzo. Trust me, I had to deal with you."
"Ouch, boss."
After a while they sorted everything out. Ziva, McGee, Lucas and Tash took desks in the bullpen and looked for leads, while Gibbs, Tony, Fabian, Kathy and Jamey headed down to interrogation.
"Do you want to do the honours, Gibbs?" asked Tony.
"I think I'll see how you handle these things in Poland, Tony."
"Okay. Observation's just through that door," having said that Tony strode through the next door along into the interrogation room.
Gibbs, Kathy and Jamey filed into Observation. Fabian leaned against the wall outside.
"What is he doing?" questioned Jamey.
Kathy smirked,
"Wait and see, Jamey. It's really quite something."
The two girls began to whisper together.
"So what do you do? Like, your place in your team?" enquired Kathy.
"Um, well, I do all the computers stuff, I do profiling, sort of. I mean, I have a degree in psychology, and I sketch. But in my team – I'm the probie."
"Yeah, I guess I am too. Gudek and Fabian, they've been together since the beginning – for eight years. I've only been here for two."
"Must be tough."
"Well, Fabian knew all about Gibbs and Ziva and McGee – I'd never heard of them."
They stopped talking as Gibbs glared at them, and watched as Tony ranted melodramatically at the guy in interrogation. He spoke in English, attempting to make the man more uncomfortable. Suddenly he stopped, leaned forward to the uncooperative man and they could just hear as he whispered,
"I'm sorry. I didn't want to have to do this."
Tony left the room, nodding to Fabian as he left. Fabian entered, sitting down directly opposite the Nazi and staring into his eyes harshly.
After five minutes of no-one moving as the rather small, insignificant looking man tried not to crumble in this silent contest with the imposing figure of Fabian, Jamey said lowly,
"What's he going to do?"
Kathy grinned, replying,
"He's doing it."
A trickle of sweat ran down the man's face. Another five minutes passed. The man was beginning to hyperventilate. Fabian hadn't moved. About two more minutes passed. At this point Kathy and Jamey had stopped talking, caught up in the suspense. The man began to shake, then jolted upwards and yelled in English, taking his cue from Tony,
"Okay! What do you want to know?!"
Okay, thanks to HandOverFist, and Tiva4evaxxx who have all been very patient with me. I really appreciate it.
Please, please, please review. I have no pride. I am begging..