The car ride to the store was short, there was no need for chit chat, and it was not long enough for things to be awkward between the two women. In fact, they wouldn't have needed to bring Ray's car at all if not for the dinner ingredients they would be bringing back with them.
"Ray's house is lovely," EJ commented as Ziva peered suspiciously at some lettuce.
"Mm," she agreed, though not really paying any attention.
"It's very kind of him to let Tony and I stay," she continued. This time Ziva didn't answer. The store was quiet, almost empty except for a middle-aged man who appeared to be purchasing canned soup in massed quantities, an old couple browsing the different varieties of milk and a pregnant mother with two little kids—a boy and a girl—hanging from her shopping cart excitedly.
"Ziva?" EJ asked, still not getting an answer.
"Hm?" she turned around, as if EJ had not been waiting for a reply.
"Never mind."
Ziva finally chose a lettuce and threw it into her basket and continued to walk along the aisle.
"So how are you things going with you and Tony?" Ziva asked curiously, hoping she wasn't prying. She looked at the other woman, and realised she was notably shorter than her, and Ziva wasn't exactly tall.
"Fine, fine," EJ answered, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "Really good, actually."
Ziva smiled, though it felt somehow forced. "I'm glad."
EJ was quiet for a few moments, and then said, "He talks about you, you know. Sometimes."
Ziva raised her eyebrows amusedly. "Really? And what exactly does he say?"
"Oh, nothing really. Old team stories, old cases, stuff like that."
Ziva chewed her lip. This vague information wasn't enough. What had Tony said? Did he talk about their simple day-to-day cases, or did he go more personal? Somalia? Jeanne? Their undercover assignment? Did he talk about Kate? About Jenny, and Ari, and Michelle Lee? Her mind was racing, but this time she decided to keep her mouth shut.
…
The late afternoon sun warmed Tony's skin as he walked with Ray along the beach. There were still people out: a few teens, some surfers, a couple of families, but the pier was empty. The pier was one of Ray's favourite places. He would sometimes have a beer and a fish with his buddies, but they were all away on vacation with their families. Tonight, Tony was his only companion.
They cast their rods into the water, and they heard the tiny, distant splash from the sinker. For a few minutes, all was peaceful. No bites, no sounds, just the gentle whisper of the waves as the lapped against the shore and the sun grew lower and lower in the sky.
Then something seized Ray's rod, and he easily reeled in a decent-sized fish. He smiled proudly, and dropped it in the bucket beside him, put some fresh bait on his hook, and cast his line into the water once more.
"Do you know why I invited you here, Tony?" he asked all of a sudden.
"Because without my presence no vacation is complete?" Tony answered sarcastically, but chuckled.
"When Ziva introduced me to the team, you seemed the most…" he searched for the right word.
"Handsome? Talented?" Tony supplied, not taking things seriously as usual.
"Resistant," Ray chose, and Tony's jovial smile faded. "I didn't know whether it was me who was the problem or Ziva."
"I know you're a good guy," Tony said honestly. "You treat her right, when you can. You're what she needs. I'm just protective."
"No kidding," Ray laughed. "Look, I get it. She's your partner; I understand the need to feel protective."
Tony bit the inside of his cheek and nodded, staring down at the dark water. Ray watched him.
"Do you really think of her the way she thinks of you?" Ray asked, and Tony's pulse sped up a little. "As a sibling?"
"I never really thought about it," Tony muttered.
"You seemed disappointed when I told you."
Tony tried to joke. "Look I knew her brother. Not exactly the best guy to be compared to, huh?"
Ray's brows furrowed. "What do you mean you 'knew' him?"
Tony's jaw almost dropped. He doesn't know about Ari. What about Tali? Rivkin? Somalia?
"He, uh, he died, six years ago."
"Ziva never told me that," he said, sounding hurt, almost.
"Look, don't take it personally. Ziva's not a very open person and—"
"She told you."
"I've known her for six years. She'll tell you when she's ready."
Ray sighed. "I guess you're right."
"I may not have liked the guy—in fact I hated him—but I gotta thank him in death. If it weren't for him I never would've met Ziva. God knows where I'd be."
"Why'd you hate him so much?" Ray asked, narrowing his eyes in confusion.
"I…It's really not my story to tell…"
"Tony, please," Ray begged. "I just wanna know. I won't mention it to Ziva."
Tony watched his eyes. They were honest. He loved Ziva. It couldn't hurt, could it?
"He infiltrated NCIS in a body bag. After that, he held the ME, his assistant and one of our agents, hostage. We didn't know who he was, but he shot the ME's assistant in the shoulder, took some evidence and got away. It was more than a year before we managed to track down the bastard. Gibbs went nuts over it because…he killed my partner. Her name was Kate. Kate Todd."
"Kate Todd? Didn't she used to work for the Secret Service?" Ray asked, and Tony nodded. "I remember her death. I'm sorry."
"It's OK. These things happen in our line of work. Guess we're the idiots who sign up for it."
"What happened to Ziva's brother?"
"I really shouldn't…"
"Tony!"
"He was shot."
"By who?"
Tony tried to speak, but no words would come out of his mouth.
"Who killed Ziva's brother?"
Tony looked down, feeling like he was betraying his partner, and whispered, almost inaudibly, "Ziva."
Ray was stunned. No, more than stunned, absolutely speechless. "Ziva…killed her own brother? Why?"
"He was about to shoot Gibbs. They lied in the report but one night Ziva let it slip. Said she and Gibbs were the only two people who had known about it up till then. Well, now so do you."
"She...she always seemed so sweet-natured. I guess everyone has a dark side."
"Our new Director appointed her as liaison between NCIS and Mossad. She resigned from Mossad two years ago and became and NCIS Agent. Guess she found her place."
Ray smiled. "Tell me Tony, was this man Ziva's only brother, or do they all have stories like this?"
"No more brothers," Tony answered, and they fell back into silence.
In a way, Tony felt like he had an advantage over Ray. Ziva had known him for months, and didn't know about her family. Yet Tony heard Tali's story the very first night they met. It's interesting how things pan out.
A/N: Not only did you get two updates in one day but this is your longest chapter yet! You are welcome :) Reviews would be greatly appreciated :)
