Chapter 7

After about three hours a doctor came to the sisters and Tony, who has just awoken again. The doctor only spoke Hebrew and Tony didn't understand a word. When the man in the white overall walked away, Caroline translated.

'Ziva survived the operation but she is still weak. She cannot be visited yet. He told us to return tomorrow morning.'

That way easy to say as Tony didn't know where to spend the night. 'What do you think happened to the Arabic group?' he asked.

'Killed. We can't return to the house because the ones who are still alive will betray each other' Caroline said.

'And-?'

'But we knew before' she interrupted him.

'We knew that the Arabic wouldn't win anything against the full equipped Intelligence service building in Tel Aviv' Katarina explained.

'And you did…what?' he asked astonished.

'We parked the car of Hama, this Arabic man, a few streets away so that we could easily flee in an emergency situation.'

'I assume this is one.'

'We need to drive with this agent's car to our car and destroy it as all cars from intelligence service can easily be located. Then we have this other car, come back to the hospital and spend the night here hoping that nobody of Mossad will get the idea that Ziva is here. Unfortunately, this is the only hospital for more than fifty miles and they knew how injured Ziva was.'

'They will come here' Tony feared the worst.

'If they do, we will take Ziva and escape with the car hoping that her conditions are good enough.'

Tony nodded.

Sounded like a plan.


Gibbs cursed himself. He had no clue where Tony and the Montebello sisters were and what exactly they planned. He had found out that they were abroad and he suspected Israel as destination but he saw no reason why the sisters should help Tony. McGee felt himself suffering under his boss' bad mood and was glad when he finally decided to return to Washington.

Gibbs didn't say a word throughout the whole flight and McGee also preferred it to keep silence. Back in the building, where they went immediately, they were awaited by Ducky, Abby and Jimmy but McGee only nodded while Gibbs went out to grab another coffee. 'What happened?' Abby asked carefully when McGee sat down at his desk. Ducky looked up and saw Vance's glance on them.

He was sure that the director wanted a word with Gibbs.

'He's abroad, together with the Montebello sisters' McGee declared shortly.

'Oh dear, they are so deadly' Ducky said.

'What?' Palmer asked. He couldn't know how dangerous those two criminals were.

'Why did he ask them?' Abby ignored Palmer's question.

'No idea. But I don't think they would accept that easily' McGee answered and started his computer. 'I have no idea but it drives Gibbs crazy.'


They were back in the hospital. The agent's car was still burning in any side-street and their escape car stood ready at the hospital parking lot. The three weren't allowed to visit Ziva but she was unconscious anyway.

So Tony, Caroline and Katarina sat down in an abandoned corridor where no one would disturb them. It wasn't one of the best and clean hospitals and it was empty this night so nobody took any notice of them.

'Tony' Katarina woke him up.

'What?' he asked and sat up.

'Look over there.'

He followed her glance. There were two men in black suits walking through the corridor and turning into the one where Ziva's room was.

Tony stood up. 'Where's your sis?' he asked.

'Toilet' Katarina answered and followed the two men who she just saw stopping in front of Ziva's room. They walked in and Tony and Katarina followed.

Tony looked inside and saw one of the men taking out an injection.

'Hey' Tony said and walked in pulling out his gun. 'What do you think are you doing?' he asked.

Katarina followed him.

'You won't do anything' the man said in broken English.

'I'm sorry but I am the one with the gun in the hand' Tony reminded him.

'Hell would break out if a gunshot was fired in here' the man said but suddenly he just fell down to the floor. Tony looked aside and back to the body of the floor. It seemed as the other man was as puzzled as he and unable to move.

A knife was vertically in the dead man's chest. 'You…-' Tony wasn't able to speak.

That had been four meters and Katarina had directly targeted and hit the man's chest. 'Yes' she said and pulled out a second knife. 'You won't. I'm already out of here' the other Israeli man stammered and walked toward the door. But when he passed the woman she just stabbed him her knife in his back. He shortly screamed and she turned the knife around in his flesh.

Blood drowned out of the huge wound. She pulled the knife out and cleaned it on the man's suit. Without a word she walked over to the second body and did the same. She put both knifes back into her jacket.

'You-how did you…?' Tony stammered. She was a bloody good knife-thrower. 'Where did you learn this?' he asked.

'Edoardo. He taught me' she answered smilingly obviously remembering great moment with her boyfriend.

Caroline came in. 'Hey, I just knocked out to Israeli agents. We need to-' she stopped looking at the two corpses on the floor.

'Get out of here?' Tony proposed an ending to her sentence and walked over to Ziva's bed.

'We can drive the bed to the emergency department where we have parked our car' Katarina said and no sooner said than done. When they once have finished putting Ziva in the car Tony stepped next to her on the back seat when they heard police sirens.

'Do you think they're here because of us?' he asked.

'I don't wanna stay here to find out' Caroline said and the sisters took their seats. This time Katarina was driving but her style also reminded Tony of a harder and riskier Gibbs-version.


After twenty minutes when they were sure not to be followed, Tony asked: 'By the way, where are we driving right now?'

'So far I didn't have a plan' Katarina admitted. 'But right now I'm searching a good friend from whom I know that he is in Tel Aviv currently' she explained and there was silent for the rest of the car drive.

Tony looked at Ziva's face and touched her soft and warm cheek. She was cleaned now, not so much blood and she wore typical hospital clothes.

The car stopped. 'Stay inside' Katarina whispered and stepped out of the car.

'Where's she going?' he asked Caroline who also stayed inside.

'Explain later' she said shortly and watched the shillouette of her sister meeting a man at the corner of the strip club. It was early morning so the club was empty as were the streets. After a little while Katarina came back and nodded.

Caroline helped Tony to carry Ziva and they walked back to the building. 'Tony, may I introduce you to Federico Bertani, the brother of Edoardo I have told you about' she smiled at him and Federico nodded and led them inside.

It was empty except for the barkeeper, a few stripper and Israeli and Italian men. He led them through a back door into a little room.

Caroline and Tony put Ziva on the couch.

'So what exactly are you doing here?' Federico asked and told them to sit down on the other couch. He went to the desk, picked up four glasses and a bottle of unidentified liquid, obviously strong alcohol.

'This' Tony nodded to Ziva 'is my fiancée. We wanted to marry but her own father had kidnapped and abducted her to Tel Aviv.'

'A failed wedding? That's…sad' he said looking at Katarina and took a seat next to her. He filled in the alcohol into the glasses.

'Try it. It is strong' he said and the four took the glasses.

'You know what I'm talking about, right?' he murmured to Katarina and put his other arm around her waist.

'Did you get revenge?' he suddenly asked Tony.

He coughed, wow, whatever this was, it really was strong. 'Yes, I shot her father. I…had to' he explained.

Federico nodded. 'That is good. You don't wanna know what happens to someone who doesn't get the chance of revenge' he said with a side-look on Katarina.

Tony was confused.

'Well, a lot of people died' she tried to emphasize that she was so angry that she went out at night to do real bloody massacres.

She lay her head on Federico's shoulder. He fondled her head.

Wow, they seem to get around really well, Tony thought.

'Ziva' he said out loud. He saw her suddenly moving.

She opened her eyes. 'What happened?' she asked.

'Oh my god, Ziva' he muttered and went to the couch where she lay.

'How do you feel?' he asked nervously. She didn't look very good.

'I got a terrible headache.' She tried to sit up. 'Ah' she screamed silently and felt her stomach.

The shot wound hurt as hell as did the several stab wounds.

'You need time to recover' Federico stood up. 'It is too risky for you now to leave Israel. I know a little building where you two can stay' he said and nodded to one of the guards at the door. 'Tommaso will bring you there.' Tommaso, the guard, came over to help Ziva walk.

Federico spoke a few words Italian with him which Tony didn't understand. The sisters watched Tony and his fiancée leaving the room.

'So, do you have what I asked you for?' Federico asked speaking Italian.

'Of course' Katarina said and pulled out the tiny USB-Stick and gave it to him.

'With the best wishes of FBI' she smiled.

He looked at the white and yellow 8GB-stick. 'How did you get it?'

'Oh, with the right means it is easy to persuade a mole inside FBI' Caroline said.

'I am sure that my friends will like this' Federico said. 'I haven't seen you quite a while. How are you two?'

The sisters reported what they have been through the latest months. 'How's your brother?' Katarina asked.

'Oh, Alessio is fine. He is doing big jobs, especially trade with South France Mafia', he explained. 'You two can always come back' he offered them. 'We both miss you since…Edoardo…'

She hugged him. 'I know.'

Silent tears ran down Katarina's cheek. She wanted to wipe them away but he held her hand back.

'Don't. Edoardo liked your weaknesses' he whispered and hugged her stronger.


'What happened?' Ziva asked again when they arrived in the basement of this tiny building on the other side of the city and they finally were alone. Tony explained everything that had happened since her abduction.

'Oh, Tony! I can't-'

He put her finger on the mouth. 'It's unimportant. The only important thing is that we're together. And that we'll get out of here together.'

He smiled at her. 'We will be able to return to America and have a nice live at NCIS.' He sat down next to her on the bed.

'Tony' she said.

'Yeah, what's up?' He seemed to be full of new enthusiasm. 'I need to tell you something. I found out the evening before the wedding. Abby helped me but…'

'Tell me, Ziva.'

'I think that I was pregnant.'

'You were?' he asked astonished.

'My dad…shot me in the stomach, they all stabbed me there several times, I don't think that it…he or she…survived.' She burst out in tears unable to speak a single further word.

Tony hugged her.

Trying to calm her and himself down.


It was the next morning and Tony hasn't had any sleep for the whole night. He was totally exhausted and tired. Ziva woke up when the door to their bedroom was opened. Caroline went in.

'I'm sorry to disturb you but Federico found a pilot who is willing to smuggle three passengers over the border.'

'Three?' Tony asked.

'Katarina will stay here for a while, together with Federico. She will return later to Hawai'i…well, that's the plan' she explained and nodded to the pair to follow her. They walked out of the building and stepped into a car where Caroline's younger sister and Federico already awaited them. Katarina drove them far into the desert and after a three hours drive they got to a more or less flat area where a small plane waited.

'You sure that thing can fly?' Tony asked when he left the car.

'Doesn't seem too confident' Caroline agreed.

The pilot went out of the plane. 'I don't have time all day' he said with Hebrew accent.

'Thanks for everything' Tony and Ziva thanked Katarina and Federico.

Caroline hugged Federico and her sister. 'Be careful' she told her.

'I can watch myself' she reassured her nicely. 'And I do have a babysitter here' she said and nodded to Federico. He hugged her from behind. 'I make sure nothing happens to your sister, Caroline, I promise' he smiled.

With these words the three went to the airplane which started up into the sky only two minutes later.

Federico and Katarina watched the plane getting smaller. 'Another plane will fly them from Jordan to Washington?' she asked.

He nodded. 'And then your sister to Hawaii. You like it there?'

'It's warm. And not as hot as here.' He smiled. The plane had to fly crossover Israel and wasn't registered. But the pilot was experienced and therefore Federico and Katarina were sure that they would make it over the border.


'Thank you so much for everything' Tony and Ziva thanked again, this time to Caroline.

'It was a pleasure, as always. I wish you the best for your wedding' she hugged Ziva and Tony. 'Perhaps we'll see again, one day' she smiled.

'I need to catch up my next flight' she added.

'Good-bye' they all said and left each other. Caroline took the next plane to Hawaii.

Tony and Ziva walked out of the airport building arm in arm and looked at the streets. 'Somehow I missed this traffic and this Washington coldness' Tony admitted.

'Then let's stay here forever' Ziva proposed and laughed.

They walked over to the Taxi station. The sky was bright yellow because of the setting sun. Another beautiful sundown to watch. Before Tony and Ziva could decide for a Taxi a black car stopped in front of them.

'Need a Taxi?' the door opened and Fornell stepped out. 'I would really like to hear your version of the story.'

'Which story?' Tony asked innocently.

'The story how the director of Tel Aviv Mossad was shot and about thirty Arabic Extremists stormed the Intelligence agency building.'

'Oh, I thought you wanted to hear the story how an American citizen was saved of an illegal abduction by Israeli Intelligence people'

Tony said and passed. 'And no thank you. I think we'll take one of these taxis here' he added and stepped with Ziva into the next cab.

Fornell sighed and got into his car again. Ziva lay his head on Tony's shoulder and smiled.

She was happy.

As happy as she hasn't been for such a long time in her life. Too long, she thought and kissed her fiancée.

Soon he will be my husband, she thought and kissed him deeply, intensively and very, very long.


Only two weeks later an anonymous postcard from Israel arrived wishing the new married couple the best of luck.

Tony pinned it on the refrigerator, exactly between two postcards from Hawai'i, the old one and a new one, also wishing them nice years together.

So Tony and Ziva got married and only ten months later received their first child. Happy end! ;)

Please review this stori(es)! (My stories 'Scar', 'Hell' and 'Betrayed' are pretty similar to this one so if you're interested...) :)

I really liked writing this story.