Tony made a quick stop to a pharmacy near the Palace to drop off the prescriptions and then met the other back at headquarters. Everyone was scrambling, Kono and Graham trying to follow the SUV on CCTV footage, Chin trying to match the plates based on the information they already had, Steve and Danny were standing together by the computer table, discussing god knows what, Johnson was looking deeper into Taylors records and Palowunu was still at the scene of the arrest dealing with the media crews that refused to leave without a story.

Tony himself had just gotten off a video call with SecNav to update him on their progress. He'd held off on mentioning the Mossad, wanting more concrete information as to why they were on American Soil before deciding how to proceed. He was pinching the bridge of his nose again, hoping against hope it'd relieve some of the pressure building in his head.

Steve and Danny's conversation seemed to get more heated, though still quiet, causing Chin to look over at the pair more than once. They finally seemed to reach a conclusion and turned to head in his direction, Chin following them with his eyes and an uncertain expression on his face.

"So are you going ta meet this guy or what?" Danny asked, blunt as always with his hands tucked deep into his pockets. Steve crossed his own arms and kept silent, clearly taking on an observant roll over an active one in the conversation.

Tony glanced down at his watch and nodded tiredly. His residual anger from earlier had faded with time, and fatigue had settled back into his bones. He felt a little foolish at how dramatic he'd been that afternoon and a part of him wished he could just reset the day and start over.

He already had a pretty good idea of why the other man was there- Mossad agents were some of the absolute best fighters in the world. If this Fight Club ring was really as powerful as it was shaping up to be, it would stand to reason that the slavers would want one to play with. Still, it'd be years since he last saw the other man, and he'd need to be on his toes, despite their tentative friendship.

"You ready to get wired up, then?" The short man asked, crossing his burly arms.

"Excuse me?" Tony asked, still kind of distracted and not entirely sure if he'd heard him right.

Danny glanced over at Steve and then back at Tony. "I said, are you ready to get wired up?"

"I'm not wearing a wire." Tony stated calmly, leaning back further in his borrowed chair to look at the standing men more directly.

"Yes, you are." Steve said, speaking up for the first time. "And we're gonna have you under surveillance. We've already got an officer stationed inside the restaurant as a customer, and we're going to have another one be in the kitchen."

"No you're not, and you're going to recall the one inside."

Steve looked at him in disbelief, while Danny seemed to puff up in size. "What the hell's the matter with you?!" He demanded. "Of course you're going to be under surveillance. Are you crazy?"

Tony shook his head, annoyance that had sparked so easily to life just hours before fizzled out. "Do you have any idea who this guy is?" He asked calmly, tiredly.

They traded another look. "Why don't you fill us in." Steve said.

"His name is Malachi Ben-Gidon, and he's the team leader of the Kidon Unit of the Mossad. He was Ziva's superior officer, once upon a time." He said, directing the last directly to Steve, who'd had the displeasure of meeting the woman once before.

"Look, he's dangerous and he's proud. Despite our history, it wouldn't be too hard to offend him. He's intelligent, and he's observant; he'll probably notice the wire, and he'll definitely notice the UCs. If he thinks I'm trying to trick or trap him somehow, or if he questions my motivations at all, he'll disappear. We won't be able to find him again if he doesn't want to be found. Trust me, he's not someone you want running around as a loose cannon."

"Okay, we need to talk. In private." Steve demanded quietly, turning and striding angrily into his office. Danny did not follow and Tony tried to ignore the looks he could see being shot their way through the mostly open blinds. The situation felt early reminiscent of the one earlier in the day.

"So let me get this straight." Steve began as soon as the door had closed behind them. "You're going to sit there and tell me how dangerous this guy is, in order to explain why would should be going in without any surveillance or backup. How exactly does that make sense to you?!" He demanded, arms crossed and muscles flexing in his agitation.

"Would you lower your voice?" Tony said, slightly louder than he'd been before. Steve reared back as if struck, face going calm and stony and body going tense in an instant. Tony hesitated for a second, but pushed forward. "Look, I know Malachi, I've worked with him a few times before. He's an arrogant asshole, but he's not a bad guy. I think I know why he's here, and I think I can get him to work with us."

"Why?"

"Think about it, Steve. We know these people have ties all over the world. Do you really think American Soldiers are the only one's they'd be interested in?"

"No, I guess not." Steve said, frowning slightly in thought. "You think he's here because a Mossad agent was taken?"

"I'd put money on it." Tony replied surely. "Think about." Tony said again. "You said he had ties internationally, and the Mossad have ties to all three of the countries you named. If they are getting ready for a big show down, or to leave the island, where will they go? Where'd they come from? They can't have been here the whole time, the soldiers have only been going missing for the last few months. I think it jumps from country to country, place to place. They probably have established locations they rotate through, because they'd need a secure place for their fighters to be held constantly. It wouldn't be hard to imagine a Mossad agent being taken along the way."

"Okay, so say that's true. Knowing his agenda is similar to ours doesn't automatically mean we should work with the guy. It doesn't make him any less dangerous."

"Doesn't it?" Tony shook his head. "He's not going to do anything to me. Especially in a public venue. You're being paranoid. Me going in alone is the best plan."

"That's not going to happen. I've dealt with the Mossad before too, and there's no way in hell I'm letting you walk into that situation with one of them on your own."

"Steve, I've been alone with him plenty of times before. Like I said, we've worked together a few different times. This is my contact, I should have say in how he's handled." Tony argued stubbornly.

"Your director turned the case over to Five-O, we've got primary lead. If you think he has some connection with this case, then that makes this my decision." Tony stiffened and drew back slightly. Steve shook his head and scrubbed a hand harshly over his face.

"It might not even have anything to do with the case. I could be wrong."

They both knew that was unlikely, and the look Steve shot Tony clearly told him how he felt about the attempted turnabout. He sighed heavily through his nose and sat down on the edge of his desk. "Look at this from my perspective: We're working a case that likely involves at minimum fourteen missing Americans. These people have global ties and more money than a small nation. This guy just happens to show up, out of the blue, at the exact time we make contact with our first suspect. Now he wants you to meet him, alone, across the city. It's my job to ensure everyone under my command operates safely, especially with how much about his we still don't know. Right now, that includes you."

Tony frowned at him, wanting to argue on principle but knowing the other man was right. If the same situation was occurring to one of their team members, Tony would be suspicious as well. He realized then that he might be being argumentative more due to how awful he felt than for a justifiable reason.

Steve saw the hesitation and pounced on it. "Wear a wire, Tony, please." More emotion leaked into the request than he'd been showing for the remainder of their conversation, and Tony's chest throbbed seemingly as a result.

Tony sagged slightly in place, running a tired hand through his hair. When he didn't respond immediately, Steve continued. "Look, I don't know what's up with you, or why you're pushing me away. If I did something, I'm sorry," he proclaimed. "Truly, but you can't ask me to stand by and watch you walk into a dangerous situation, with no communication and no backup."

"What? No, Steve you didn't do anything." Tony sighed heavily through his nose, pinching its bridge once again. "This is, it's," he sighed again as Steve continued to watch him stoically. "Okay. We need to have a conversation, but right now, I need to focus on the case. I promise, once it's over, we can talk."

It didn't seem to reassure Steve, and if anything he seemed to close off further. He drew himself up, shoulders tense and jaw clenched. Tony realized how it might have come across and grimaced again. He started to speak up again, to fix his wording, but Steve did before he could.

"Fine. After the case. But I still want you to wear a wire." He stated neutrally, and Tony found he couldn't read his expression.

"It's that important to you?" At Steve's nod, he signed again, quieter. "Fine, I'll wear a wire. But I still don't think it's a good idea."

"Thank you." Steve said, ignoring the last part. He turned to leave his office, but Tony stopped him with a discrete hand on his arm. He couldn't let the conversation end like that, or he'd be on edge until they resolved it.

"How long's it been since you went home?" Tony questioned softly, taking in the tired lines etched into Steve's own face, and the circles that were taking root under his eyes.

"I was home this morning." Steve replied blandly, still tense and frowning at the shorter man.

"To sleep or to shower?" Steve shot him a sharp look and kept his silence and Tony dropped the line of questioning, feel a sick pit churn in his stomach. It felt like things were spinning out of control, and he didn't know how to right it. Steve was like a blank wall and Tony knew it was his fault, but it didn't make the frosty reception feel any better.

He needed to tell Steve about his lungs, he acknowledged that, if only to himself. Steve obviously knew there was something Tony was keeping from him, and it was putting heavy strain on their relationship. Steve had just as many trust issues as Tony, so of course he'd react strongly to his significant other suddenly keeping a secret.

But it had to wait, he couldn't allow anything to get in the way of solving the case as soon as physically possible. And at that moment, after days of dead end after dead end, he felt hopeful at the way things were finally moving. He was certain talking to Malachi would gain them new insight and he knew he needed to head out soon.

"Okay." Tony said softy, turning his body so that it was blocking most of Steve's own from view. He reached out and ran a hand lightly down Steves side in a move familiar to them both. The other man softened, just the tiniest amount. "How about this," he began, voice quiet and almost wheedling. Steve frowned at him slightly, but not as darkly as he had been before. "I'm gonna go talk to Malachi. I will wear a wire, and you can keep one UC in the kitchen, but not in the dining room. We'll see what he has to say, and then I'll stop for Loco Moco on my way back, and we can all take a break while we eat. And we'll agree that if he don't have any new leads by nine tonight, we'll send everyone home to sleep, and start fresh in the morning."

Steve looked at him contemplatively. "Alright." He agreed after a pause. "But you have to come back to mine tonight." He bargained.

"Okay." He agreed, only pausing slightly. "I'll come back to yours." He wasn't sure if it was a good idea, but if things came out at least they'd be in the open and they could deal with it. Steve smiled at him, just for a second, but it was an honest smile and Tony felt an optimistic feeling surge through him. They'd be okay, they just needed to break the case and move on.

With their new agreement in place, they rejoined the rest of the agents out in the main part of the room. "Kono, we're ready for that wire." Steve said, speaking up.

"Sure thing." She replied readily, moving across the room towards them. "I need you to unbutton your shirt." She told Tony, shooting him a playful look. The light moment drew a real, if short, grin from him and he shook his head even as he moved to comply.

He took his suit jacket and tie off completely, wanting to look less obviously like a fed for the next couple of hours. It left him in a pair of black pants and a deep purple shirt. He unbuttoned the shirt, allowing her to tape the contraption into place. "Hey, watch the hair." He told, pouting as she taped right over it.

"Oh, don't be a baby." She rebuked, continuing unheeded. When she was finished, he rebuttoned the shirt, sans the top two buttons, and then rolled his sleeves up for a more casual look.

"How do I look?" He directed at her.

"Smokin." She replied with a grin

"Alright, let's get this show on the road." He said, patting himself down to make sure he had his cell and wallet.

"We'll be monitoring you the whole time." Chin said, speaking up for the first time in a while. "If things go south, we'll pull you out."

"Guys, despite what you seem to think, this isn't an op, okay? Everything is going to be fine and I'll be back in a couple of hours. Oh! Speaking of, when did the hospital say we'd be able to talk to our suspect?"

"He's in surgery to remove the bullet now, Boss." Johnson spoke up. "They're not gonna let us talk to him until morning." Tony nodded, frowning slightly.

"Alright. See you in a bit." He made eye contact with Steve once more before turning to leave the building. He was half way down the stairs when the other man caught up to him. He started walking beside him silently, but Tony could feel him shooting sideways looks at him.

When they reached his car, Tony turned to face him directly. "What's up?"

"I don't know, I just have a bad feeling. Be careful, okay?"

Tony frowned, searching his face. He felt a pit in his stomach for the first time and shook his head to try and shake it off.

"Steve, really, everything's going to be fine."

"Yeah, probably. Just, be careful."

"I will." Tony promised and took a step closer. His hand came up to cup the back of Steve's head and he pulled the other man into a chaste kiss. "I'll see you soon."

Steve returned the kiss, and Tony could feel his disgruntlement with the situation in the tenseness of his frame. He pulled away and turned to get into his car. Steve stepped back out of the way of his door, and remained standing there until Tony disappeared from sight.

When he arrived at his destination, Malachi was already seated at a table in the restaurant, his back to a small corner, but leaving his two open pathways immediately from the table. Two cups sat full on the table, and his companion was calmly watching the other patrons in the room.

"I hope you do not mind, I have ordered for us already." He said when Tony approached. He gestured to the other chair. "Sit, please."

Tony did as directed, reaching forward for the waiting cup. "So." Tony said after a second of silence. "Want to tell me what brings you to our fair country this time?"

"You've not figured it out yet?" a dark brow arched.

"I have an idea, but I'd like confirmation."

The other man looked down and took a slow sip. "The men who observe us. You trust them?" He asked Tony.

Tony's mouth curled into a crooked smile. He knew the other man would know, but at least he didn't seem upset about it. "I do." He responded, not trying to deny their presence.

"But you do not trust me?"

"Should I? You still haven't answered my question."

They both quieted as a waiter brought over their food and did not speak again until he walked away.

"You did not follow my request to come alone." Malachi stated when they were alone again.

"Yeah, sorry about that. My team didn't really like your vibe." He said glibly. Malachi smiled slightly in amusement.

"Well, I suppose I can not blame them for that."

Tony smiled back and then and then sobered. "Why are you here?" He asked a final time.

"This case you are working, your soldiers are being taken, yes?" Malachi responded.

"Yes." Tony acknowledged, not bothering to beat around the bush.

"One of my agents were taken." He said, dabbing his mouth lightly with a napkin. "I have tracked them here. But you already suspected as much, did you not?"

"I did." Tony replied and then looked down at his plate. "This is delicious, by the way. What is it?"

"It is a mushroom and potato knish."

"Huh. Anyway. Yes, I did suspect that. What are you planning to do about it?"

"Is it not obvious?" Malachi frowned at him. "I will retrieve him."

"How are you going to do that. Do you know where he's being held?"

"I do."

"Where?" Tony asked, leaning forward. "Are they all being held in the same place?"

"They are."

"Where?" Tony asked again.

"I will tell you their location once my agent has been released."

"How about you tell me now."

"So you can prevent me from completing my mission? I don't think so."

"We can come up with a plan together. You breaking out your agent might tip them off. We can't risk that happening before we make our move."

"That is not my concern."

"Then why even let me know you're here? I know I wouldn't have seen you if you didn't want me to. What was the point?"

"I wanted to know how you like your new home." He stated carelessly. "I can see why you moved here. This is a beautiful place."

"More beautiful than Israel?"

"Bah! How would you even remember, it's been so long since you were there. You never did make it to Jerusalem."

"Yeah, sorry about that."

Malachi shrugged elegantly. "It is your loss, my friend."

"How's Liat? You guys still 'not anything serious?'"

Malachi smiled slightly. "We are still sleeping together, if that is what you mean."

"Nothing more than that? Really? After all these years?"

"I am her superior officer. It would be inappropriate to be in a relationship with a subordinate."

"But it's okay to sleep with one?"

He shrugged. "So long as there remains no emotional connection."

"If you say so." Tony said, shooting him an strange look. He took another bite of his food and chewed thoughtfully. Once he swallowed he opened with, "Work with us."

Malachi shook his head immediately. "It would not be working with you. It would be working under NCIS jurisdiction. The last time I agreed to do so, one of my men were killed. Why should I do so again?"

Tony's eyes dropped to the table. "You know I'm sorry about Hadar. We never meant for that to happen."

"It is not intent that matters though, is it?"

"No, I guess not." Tony frowned slightly, deep in though. "What if you weren't under NCIS jurisdiction?"

"How do you mean?" He looked the tiniest bit intrigued.

"This is already a joint case between my team and the Five-O task force. Five-O technically has lead, so you wouldn't be working under NCIS, you'd be working under a Task Force. Completely different rulebook."

Malachi tilted his head, studying him. "NCIS or Five-O, we are on American soil and we would be under American jurisdiction. I do not think your government would be accepting of my team operating here without permission."

"Let me worry about that."

"You are asking me to put the life on my agent in the hands of strangers."

"And you're asking me to put the lives of fourteen Americans on the promise that you're not going to fuck up your extraction. Come on, Mal. Even you have to admit that sometimes, things just go wrong. You can't prepare for every eventuality. I know what kind of man you are, and I know you wouldn't take that big of a risk while knowing there is a more promising option available."

"I do not work with people I do not trust, and I do not trust those whom I do not know."

"You didn't know me the first time you worked with me."

"No, but I knew of you." Amusement flashed over his features once again.

"I'm not asking you to trust them. I'm asking you to trust me."

"I will tell you what. I will hear what you have to say and then decide if I am willing to work jointly with you.

Tony smiled at him charmingly. "I'm sure we can come up with a plan we're all happy with." His smile faded. "Do you have any other orders pertaining to this op, or anything else to do with you being on American soil that we should be aware of ahead of time?"

"Not so long as we succeed."

"And if we don't?"

Malachi met his eyes squarely and took a long moment before he spoke. "If extraction is impossible than my mission becomes one of elimination."

Tony didn't flinch. He'd been expecting something along those lines when he'd probed. He knew how brutal and merciless the Mossad could be, knew they wouldn't allow an agent to remain in a position of which they, or their knowledge of the Mossad and its operations, could be exploited. And he knew how seriously the other man took his orders and his position as the leader of the Kidon. It didn't matter whether or not he liked the orders he'd been given, he would see them through regardless. So Tony didn't try to argue, or try and convince him that was too extreme a measure. Instead, he shook his head slightly enough that it was more of a jerk than a true shake, and stated "It's not going to come to that."

"I hope not." Malachi replied somberly.

The two men finished their meal, more or less in silence, though they did exchange some small talk in between bites. It might have felt awkward or stifling to some, but Tony had always felt a sense of kinship with the darker man, from the first time they met in Israel. Though Malachi was more stoic and less openly expressive in his expressions, he and Tony shared a very similar sense of humor and demeanor. They'd formed something of a bond that first time they worked together, and, as tentative as it was, it had survived working together again despite the loss of Hadar.

He was banking on that kinship to keep the Mossad team working with them. He knew if Malachi didn't like what they had to say, he would disappear and resume operating on his own. He also knew that with as huge as this slave fighting ring was shaping up to be, they'd stand a better chance of succeeding if they worked together. They'd agreed to meet first thing in the morning to discuss their strategy and parted ways.

Once Tony was back in his car, he pulled out his phone and dialed Steve. The other man answered immediately. "See, nothing to worry about." Tony told him after they exchanged greetings.

"Yeah, alright." Steve acknowledged. "You on your way back, then?"

"Yeah, just gonna stop and get food for everyone and I'll be there."

"Alright, see you in a few."

"See you."

He hung up the phone and dialed the restaurant so they could start preparing his large order while he drove. He pulled into the parking lot of the pharmacy and ran inside to pick up his prescriptions. He had the small bag in his hand and was unlocking the door of his car when he noticed the reflection of a man in his car window coming towards him. He didn't pay it any attention at first, the man being a few spaces away still.

His phone rang again in his pocket. He let go of the keys to pull the phone free, cursing quietly as the corner of it got stuck on his pocket. At the same time, he used the hand holding the bag to reach forward and pull the keys free and opened the door. He tossed the bag down on the seat and finally got his phone out.

"Brad Pitt." Flashed on the screen and he frowned in confusion. His finger hovered over the 'accept' button as he debated on whether or not he wanted to take the call. Before he could decide, he noticed the man who had been approaching was now right behind him. He started to turn to see what he needed when he saw a blur of motion and felt a sharp pain split over the back of his head.

He fell forward against his car with an 'umph.' His vision immediately went dark and he tried to stay conscious, tried to fight through the blackness overtaking his vision, but then he felt a needle in his neck and lost the struggle.

~*~*~*~ Approximately one hour later, at Five-O headquarters ~*~*~*~

Steve glanced down at his phone for the third time in a minute.

"Man, he's probably just stuck in traffic or something. Would you quit worrying so much?" Danny's voice came from the door of his office. Steve glanced up at his partner, frown etched into his face.

"Something doesn't feel right, Danny." Steve said seriously. "He should have been here by now. And it's almost nine on a Tuesday night. How much traffic could there be?"

"So call him."

"I did, he didn't answer."

"So maybe he left his phone in the car while he ran in to get the food."

"Tony doesn't ever leave his phone."

"Maybe he forgot it."

"He doesn't forget." Steve argued stubbornly. "There's two thing Tony always has on him, his phone and a knife. It's something is old boss drilled into him, always be reachable. And while we're working a case? No. He wouldn't have left his phone, and even if he had, he would have called me back by now."

"So call him again."

"I will." Steve picked up the phone and hit speed dial once again. It rang and rang, and then went to voicemail. "He's still not answering. Something's wrong." He pushed himself up out of his chair and ducked past the man in the doorway. "Kono, I need you to trace Tony's phone."

"Uh," The woman looked up at him wide eyed. The other NCIS agents eyed him as well, various expressions on their faces. "Is something wrong?" She asked, frowning slightly.

"Tony should have been back at least thirty minutes ago, and he's not answering his phone."

"Well, maybe he's stuck in traffic and his phone died."

"No." Steve denied, growing more frustrated. "It's not going straight to voicemail, it's ringing first. Just run his phone, I'm not asking, Kono."

"Okay," She responded and began typing on the computer table, eyes looking up to meet both Danny's and Chin's. A map popped up on the screen mounted to the wall. "He's in a side parking lot at 'Long's Drugs?' On South King Street. That's only a mile from here boss."

"He's not moving." Steve said after a minute of watching the screen. "I'm driving over there."

"I'll come with you." Danny said, and Steve didn't argue. The made the drive in record time and were soon pulling into an empty spot next to Tony's car. Steve got out immediately and went over to the black mustang.

Tony wasn't in the car, but Steve approached the driver door and peered down into it. A generic white paper bag was tossed haphazardly down on the driver seat, Tony's phone and keys next to it. Steve reached out and gently tugged on the door handle. It opened easily at his touch and he exchanged a quick look with Danny.

He reached in and picked up the familiar phone. The screen flashed '4 missed calls,' and 'New Voicemail.' He'd only called Tony three times, so he went into the call log to see when the first missed call had occurred. He frowned down at the screen and then tilted it towards Danny to see. The last three calls had been Steve's. The forth one was interestingly from a 'Brad Pitt.'

"Tony knows Brad Pitt?" Danny questioned, voice odd and brow raised.

Steve's head tilted. "Not that I know of." The missed call had come in at 7:42, and the one before that had been the conversation he'd had with Steve while leaving the restaurant at 7:23. His eyes darted to the clock on the corner of the screen. It read 8:54.

Next, he reached for the pharmacy bag, feeling like he was invading the other mans privacy as he pulled out the receipt and scanned for the timestamp. Without really meaning to, the names 'Formoterol,' and 'Azithromycin' caught his eye. Though he recognized the 'mycin, as an antibiotic, he didn't know what either of them would be used for, and he didn't pull the boxes out to investigate further. The time stamp on the receipt read '7:39.'

Steve shook his head, straightening to meet Danny's eyes. "He picked this up at seven thirty-nine. That was an hour and fifteen minutes ago. Where the hell is he, Danny?"

~*~ TBC ~*~

AN: I had this story posted originally on AO3. I wasn't going to post here, since I no longer really use this site, but I decided to anyway. That's the reason for the quick posting of the first chapters, and it will be updated as I write. I am hoping to post at least one chapter a week. Let me know what you think!