Thanks as always for the great reviews, although not as many as usual. Blame it on Labor Day, I hope. Hate to think some of you have given up on this story. Anywho…a few notes for this chapter: The time stamp for Paris, Tel Aviv and DC is to show these things are happening simultaneously, and in the instance of Tel Aviv and DC it will be obvious any way. Second, I know everyone is chomping at the bit for Tony and Ziva to be together. Patience, my friends.
He got some satisfaction at recalling it was him who forced the admission out of Eli, but that satisfaction evaporated as Tony recalled the subsequent events and a sudden horrifying thought came to him: had Eli sent Ziva on that doomed mission that almost killed her because Tony had revealed his true nature to his daughter? He got up again and turned quickly away, a sudden impulse to burst into tears threatening to overtake him. Orli frowned at his actions, not understanding what he was going through at the moment.
"Are you alright, Tony? You seem…distressed." Tony turned to her, the pain in his face evident.
"Was it my fault Eli sent Ziva to her death? Was it my fault that he…and Mossad…made no effort to rescue her. Was that all because I made him show his hand and reveal the truth about Rivkin?"
Disclaimer: Should be mine, but aren't
Hiding In Plain Sight - Chapter Nine
Sorbonne, Paris, France- 7 p.m.
Ziva sat and watched the throng of students and visitors accessing the free computer banks offered at the university, amazed at the sheer number of laptops available. As she waited for a spot to open she looked over her notes, not wanting to waste her one-hour privilege. Finally, it was her turn and she strode quickly to the available cubicle before someone else thought it should be theirs and looked over the computer, familiarizing herself with the keyboard. It was a Windows operating system, which made her sag in disappointment. She could use Windows but she was much more comfortable with the Mac system in use by Mossad. Taking a deep breath, she found a search engine she was familiar with and typed in her first query: Jenny Shepard.
The multitude of articles that came up in the search startled Ziva, thinking an undercover NCIS agent should not have so much notoriety. After scanning some of the headlines, she realized her mistake: Jenny Shepard had left the field and became the first woman Director of NCIS. Ziva smiled wide at her friend's accomplishment, a goal she had voiced in confidence to Ziva during their time together. She felt an enormous sense of relief that Jenny was alive and had survived that horrible explosion in Cairo. Wait…what is this?
Ziva's hand shook as she clicked on the video, showing a burning edifice in Georgetown. She listened without emotion as the newscaster describe the scene, noting that the home belonged to NCIS Director Jennifer Shepard and that her body had been found in the ruins. Ziva frowned at the now paused image of the flame-engulfed townhouse, shaking her head in denial.
"That is not how Jenny died." She looked around, startled that she had spoken the words out loud. How did she know that? How did she know that Jenny was in fact dead and had not faked her death? Suddenly images flashed through her mind, so many that she was almost overcome by the enormity of what she was visualizing:
Ziva looked down at Jenny's bullet ridden body, calling out "Tony" so softly she almost didn't hear herself speak. Tony came beside her and followed her gaze. The guilt and sorrow on his face was heartbreaking…
Ziva yanked open her front door and was confronted by Tony raising his gun, pointed at her. Next to him was another man, lying face down on her floor…
Ziva entered the home, coming face to face with Tony. His expression was intense and troubled. "No…." she moaned as she turned to her left, seeing what she feared yet knew to be true: her father's body sitting slumped on the floor, his dead eyes unseeing. "ABBA," she screamed, bursting into tears…
"ABBA!" Ziva sat upright, tears streaming down her face. She could feel hands on her shoulders, anxious voices coming at her.
"Vous êtes bien?" (Are you alright?)
"Puis-je t'aider?" (Can I help you?)
"Avez-vous besoin d'un médecin?" (Do you need a doctor?)
Ziva startled, seeing the strangers hovering over her anxiously. She didn't realize she had shouted out in her anguish. "Merci, merci. Je vais bien." (Thank you, thank you. I am fine.) She quickly grabbed her things and rushed from the building, her heart pounding and her head feeling as if it would explode. She ran as far as she could, finally collapsing on a bench at the edge of the Luxembourg Gardens. She held her head in her hands, willing her breathing to come under control and for the agonizing pain in her head to cease. After about fifteen minutes, Ziva could feel the tension in her body dissipating, her breathing more even and the headache subsiding. She sat back in exhaustion, overcome by what she had learned, and then recalled from the recesses of her memory.
Jenny was dead. Although it seemed she just learned of her friend's fate, she felt a sadness but understood that she had already mourned her death and had come to terms with it. There was more to her death, she knew that; but that was not of importance at the moment.
The second image was confusing to her. She did not recognize the unconscious, perhaps dead man on her living room floor…how she knew it was her living room and not someone else's she just accepted…but the man pointing the gun at her: she recognized those eyes. And he was there with her when Jenny died. And when her father…
Ziva took in a deep breath. In her heart, Ziva knew that her father was most likely dead. Her inability to contact him was as much a death pronouncement. Still, to realize that she was witness to her father's death, if not the actual event, was troubling. She didn't recognize where they were and again, there was that man who haunted her memories. Except in none of these memories did he have that wide handsome smile and twinkling hazel green eyes, which would have been inappropriate given each circumstance. Still, she recognized him as the same man, a man who now had a name.
Tony.
In her memory flashes he did not speak, so she was not certain of his origins. Was he Mossad? Was he NCIS, or was he part of some other agency? It was clear that he was in the same business as she was, and at least in Jenny's case they worked together. She felt let down at that revelation, as her previous glimpses of him seemed to be of a more personal nature. With a name like Tony, she doubted he was Mossad and he didn't look Israeli anyway. She sighed in frustration, feeling as if her world was on the tip of her tongue.
The key was this Tony person. She needed to find Tony.
Ben Yehuda Apartments, Tel Aviv- 8 p.m.
Orli quickly rose and went to Tony's side. "Tony, you must never take the blame for Eli's actions. He blamed Ziva for everything. She was not sent to her death, although I cannot believe that Eli did not know that would be the likely outcome. It was a test for Ziva to prove her true allegiance; an allegiance that no longer centered on Eli and Mossad. In her heart, Ziva knew that Rivkin had been assigned to her at her father's orders to get to her, to poison her against you and NCIS, even if she was unwilling to accept it for so long. Daughters always want to believe the best about their fathers." She paused, taking a deep breath as she recalled the facts of that harrowing time, and how her own perception and feelings about Eli David were forever changed. "Ziva challenged him, questioned his motives, yes…even his love for her. And for that, for that betrayal; Eli punished her most severely." Orli gripped Tony's arm, forcing him to look at her. "No, do not ever believe you are at fault, Tony. You saved Ziva's life. And for that I will be eternally grateful."
Tony's shoulders slumped. He didn't need Orli's thanks, but he needed to hear the words right then. That period was the most dark and traumatic in his life, until this moment; he didn't want to think about that time, the pain was too much to bear. He groaned and fell into the sofa, his head falling back against the soft cushions.
"It's all too much, you know?" He croaked out. "Ziva, Tali…what you're telling me about Eli and this woman. How do you live like this, because I sure as hell can't!" Realizing that he may have just insulted his invited guest, he sat up and held up one of his hands, to stave off any furious retort. "I'm sorry, that didn't really come out the way I intended." Fortunately, Orli looked more amused than offended.
"It is difficult. Life is difficult, Tony. We live in a difficult world. There are some things we cannot change, even though we keep trying. Eli kept trying. He was afraid that Ziva would choose you over him; that was his greatest fear. That was why he feared you, above all others; He saw how important you were becoming to Ziva, and that she was important to you. Yes. Eli feared you because only you would be the impetus for Ziva to leave his world, her world. And in the end, he failed and his greatest fear came to pass. For Ziva did choose you, Tony. In the end, she chose only you. I hope you believe that." Orli looked at him, her eyes dark and intense.
Tony looked at Tali, blissfully unaware of the drama unfolding around her. He rubbed his face, absently noting the growing bristles that would need attention. "I do now, Orli. Now that I have Ziva's letters, I do know how much she loved me, even if she couldn't be with me at the time."
The silence in the room as the two regarded each other was suddenly interrupted by the chime on Tony's laptop, causing both of them to startle. Tony looked at Orli, slightly panicked. "I haven't had a chance to discuss this with you, this call I was hoping to get from Vance about Ziva's code." Orli looked confused and glanced at the computer.
"Ziva's code?" She asked blankly. "What are you talking about?" Tony waved her back over to the table, as he settled himself. Taking a deep breath, he accepted the call and waited for the screen to activate. He checked his watch, noting that it was 1 p.m. in DC.
"Apparently an old code of Ziva's was discovered. No one knew who it was from or what it meant. I mentioned the code to McGee in passing and he said everyone was trying to figure out one just like it, and…Director Vance! Thank you for calling me. I know you can't share anything with me, but if there's anything I can do to help I will." Tony switched from filling in Orli as Vance's face filled the screen. The Director smiled slightly at Tony's efforts to appear perfectly happy to be left out of the loop, and didn't believe it for one second. Vance pulled back to reveal Gibbs and McGee standing nearby.
"DiNozzo, good to see you." Vance nodded. "McGee tells us you may have some insight into this mysterious code that just showed up." If Tony was disappointed that Vance got right down to business and didn't even try to exchange pleasantries, he didn't show it. He opened his mouth to speak, but Orli beat him to it.
"Excuse me, Director Vance. I am not sure that you know I am present." She didn't want any breaks in protocol or security, and Vance nodded at her reminder.
"Director Elbaz." He greeted her formally. "I was informed that you would visiting this evening. I take it then that you were not aware of this call?" Vance looked at Tony and gave him what he considered to be the stink eye. Tony grimaced slightly and ran his hand through his hair.
"I was just explaining to her about the note when you called…"
"Forget it, DiNozzo. Tell us what you know." Tony snapped his mouth shut at Gibbs' interruption, and gave the DC assemblage a puzzled look.
"Well, I don't actually know anything. I was describing to McGee a code Ziva used when she was working with Jenny and he got all excited about it. I don't know about this message you are referring to." Tony felt his nerve endings tingling and spread his fingers out on the table, as if to ground him.
"Is this the message that was found in Paris? Is that what this is about?" Orli looked at Tony and then Vance. "That can't possibly have anything to do with Ziva, you know that."
Vance turned to McGee and whispered something. Tony could see McGee in the background fiddling with something. He saw a thumb's up and Vance turned his attention back to his overseas audience. "We're going to show you a copy of the message that was recently found, DiNozzo." Tony looked surprised but tried to hide it, shrugging his shoulders.
"Yeah, ok." The image came up on the screen and Tony fought to keep his breathing under control. He traced the drawings with his finger, lingering on the lettering. His hand stopped at the sun, with its inverted triangle, rubbing it slightly. "That's it. That's the message Ziva showed me." Tony's voice was hoarse with emotion. "It's her handwriting, her note to Jenny. How did you get this?"
The silence from his former colleagues as they conversed offside was distracting. Vance cut the sound as he discussed this new data with Gibbs and McGee regarding Tony's response, all taken aback. "That's what was so familiar about the message; Ziva's handwriting. I should have recognized it right away!" McGee broke in as soon as they went radio silent.
"Could it possibly be? She's dead. By all accounts, she's dead." Vance spoke without emotion but inside his gut was churning. He looked at his agents, still slightly shell-shocked by this new development.
"Director, we can't give DiNozzo false hope, that Ziva is still alive. The last thing we want is him running all over Paris searching for her, when it may not even be true." Gibbs broke in.
"We can't keep this from Tony." McGee argued, undeterred by the look Gibbs gave him. "If Ziva is still alive, Tony has the right to know!" Vance nodded and looked at Gibbs. Gibbs stared him down, and then backed off, nodding his head in acquiescence. Vance looked at the technician and the sound resumed.
"Sorry, DiNozzo. We had to talk offline, security reasons." Vance apologized, which worried Tony far more than anything else. He had no security clearance, so he was owed nothing regarding his being kept from such things.
"Tony, can you tell us what the message means?" Gibbs broke in, wanting to get some more information before they dropped a potential bomb shell on their unsuspecting former colleague.
"Yeah, sure." Tony eyed the message. "Well, the first drawing…what McGee described to me as a candy cane…that's a shepherd's crook. It was the symbol used for Director, I mean, Jenny Shepard. If you look at it upside down, it's a 'J'." Vance had the image inverted, revealing the mirror-image initial. "Yep, there you go. You can see the bottom loop of the 'J' is backward. That means there's a problem, the note's a warning." Tony took a swallow of his iced tea, needing to relieve the dryness of his mouth. It was so strange to be talking about this, after so many years. "The sun is Ziva's emblem. She either had an upright or inverted triangle in the middle. Up for good to go, down for all hell's broken loose."
"What's the significance of the triangle?" Vance asked, watching McGee as he took quick notes.
Tony smiled grimly. "The triangle. When combined together they make the Star of David."
Orli gasped slightly at that, looking at the message with new eyes. "We of' course were also asked about this message, to see if we could decipher it. This is not a Mossad code. I never knew Ziva used anything like this." Tony looked at her in surprise. She knew about the code? Well, of' course she did if all agencies around the world were sent a copy to identify it. Tony gave himself a mental slap on the back of the head.
"What about the message, Tony. Any idea what that means?" McGee asked, looking up from his notes. Tony peered closely at the text, clearly in his love's handwriting but rushed as if panicked. His heart panged as he thought of the duress she was under when she wrote that message. Ziva hadn't given too many details of her op with Jenny, except that it had been harrowing.
"Oh, sure. 'RB loves that smile': Right Bank, the Louvre, Mona Lisa." Tony responded easily. Ziva had rendered a version of this note to him, explaining each detail, so he knew right away what it meant. He watched the other's again go through their silent conference. McGee was typing furiously. He felt Orli tense beside him, but he was too busy watching the screen to question her change in demeanor.
As soon as the group turned back, Orli cut in. "No, you are mistaken. It is not possible. I was there that night. I was there! Ziva could not have survived. You are wrong." Tony slowly turned his head toward Orli, shock and disbelief on his face. He then gazed back to his former colleagues, who all looked vaguely uncomfortable.
"What aren't you telling me?" Tony demanded. "I get that I haven't got any security clearance any more, but you asked for my help. Now help me here."
Vance looked at both Gibbs and McGee, getting their silent support. "DiNozzo, this note was just found, actually it was found on May 16th. The drop is monitored weekly. It wasn't there the week prior." Vance let that sink in, as Tony digested this new piece of information.
Tony visibly startled, his hands shaking slightly. "What are you saying? Are you saying Ziva left this note? Sometime between the 9th and the 16th? She wasn't even there on the 9th, or the 10th. She was in Israel; she was at the farmhouse…" He stopped and looked at Orli, who shook her head at him.
"No, it is not possible." She repeated adamantly. "I was at the farmhouse that night…yes, I know I did not say that when I was in DC delivering Tali to her father. It is too much to explain right now, but you must believe me when I tell you that I was there. I was just down the road when the explosion occurred. I went back to the farmhouse. Ziva was not there. She did not survive." Orli's voice was authoritative and sharp. Tony winced at her death pronouncement, feeling the wounds open again, just when they were starting to heal.
"Director Elbaz, what can you tell us about the op Ziva and Jenny Shepard had in 2004?" Gibbs' question, seemingly out of left field, drew a puzzled frown from the Mossad Director.
"Nothing! I can tell you nothing! You should know that, Agent Gibbs!" She hissed, clearly upset by the conversation at hand.
Vance held up his hand is appeasement. "Director, we aren't asking for details of the op itself. We can look at our internal files for the report Director Shepard gave." Orli sighed in irritation.
"Then what is it you want from me? You know probably more than I do. I can certainly access our files as you can. I do not know what more I can tell you."
"Jenny said Ziva saved her life in Cairo. Is that true?" Gibbs' voice was soft, almost sad as he recalled his conversation with his former lover about this unknown Mossad entity who had been forced upon him. Tony looked surprised at that, as Ziva had talked about working with Jenny but had not shared that small tidbit. He looked sideways at Orli, to get her reaction. Orli stared hard at Gibbs, struggling internally with a desire to help Ziva but doubting she ever could. She finally sighed and sat back slightly.
"Yes, there was an explosion in the camp they were in, in Cairo. Ziva found the explosive and jumped in front of Shepard to shield her from the blast." Tony looked shocked at this revelation, as did his three former colleagues in DC.
"How did she survive?" Tony whispered, feeling sick as he thought of the trauma that must have been inflicted on her. He knew she didn't suffer any burns, as he would have seen the scars on her body. Gibbs looked thoughtful and cocked his head, causing Tony's nerves to jangle with anxiety.
"What are you thinking, Gibbs?" he asked, not sure if he really wanted to know.
"Yes, what do you hope to accomplish with this line of questioning? What does it matter what Ziva did twelve years ago? It has no bearing on today, and will still not alter the fact that Ziva is dead!" She glanced apologetically at Tony, who visibly blanched.
"Ziva was injured in the blast." Gibbs stated as fact. "What happened to her?" Orli rolled her eyes in exasperation at his tenacity.
"Yes, Ziva was severely injured. She suffered a hairline fracture to her skull as well as some other broken bones. She was in hospital for three weeks, and on desk duty for another two months after that. She was lucky she wasn't killed." Tony had to get up and refresh his drink, his hand shaking so much he slopped the beverage all over the counter. Orli glanced over her shoulder at him, and then addressed the screen, lowering her voice. "I do not see what you intend to prove with these questions."
"Sometimes…" Gibbs began hesitantly, causing Vance and McGee to look at him curiously. "Sometimes when someone has already had severe head trauma, a similar injury can cause a change in perception, confusion. Alter your reality." Tony stopped at the refrigerator as he was filling up his glass again, suddenly understanding what Gibbs was getting at. He rushed to his seat, and sat down without finesse.
"Pin Pin Pula." Tony said, nodding as Gibbs smiled grimly back at him.
Orli looked at Tony and then back to the trio across the Atlantic. "Who or what is a Pin Pin Pula?"
"Gibbs was blown up by Pin Pin Pula on the Turkish ship 'Bakir Kamir'. He, he was in a coma for a while." Tony offered in explanation to Orli, who looked appropriately concerned.
"I am glad to see that you clearly recovered from your injury, Agent Gibbs." She added unnecessarily. Gibbs took it for what it was worth.
"When I regained consciousness, I was not Gibbs in 2006; I thought I had just been injured in a blast while fighting in Desert Storm." He let that sink in while Orli frowned. Tony sat up straighter, starting to get agitated.
"Wait a minute! Are you suggesting…" Gibbs held up his hand to stop Tony from crashing and burning.
"We don't know anything just yet, Tony. But my experience after being in an explosion: with amnesia regarding the present, but only remembering facts of the past; Director, is it possible that Ziva was not killed but was actually injured in the blast and has been on the run this whole time?"
Orli gasped, covering her mouth. She shook her head, unwilling to believe it. "She was not there, I tell you. Ziva could not have been inside the farmhouse and survived. If she was outside I would have found her. I…I am sure I would have found her." Orli faltered a bit. "Besides, if Ziva is alive why hasn't she contacted me or Tony? She would never be without Tali!"
"Not if she doesn't remember her." Tony choked out, finally seeing a glimmer of hope. A hope that his living nightmare may have an ending in sight and he and Tali might actually be reunited with Ziva. "If she suffered another head injury…" Tony shuddered a bit at that thought. "Given what Gibbs' has been through it is possible that she has no memory since…" He looked up, doing the math in his head. "Since…2004? She may think she is still on the op with Jenny."
Vance looked alert at that, and noted Orli's tense posture as well. "That would explain the sudden appearance of the note. Ziva may have actually left it." They all stopped talking and considered the consequences of what they were proposing. Tony's mind was in a whirlwind, trying to digest this new, incredible possibility.
"I need to get to Paris! I knew I would find the answer in Paris!" He practically jumped out of his chair, but Orli put her hand on his arm, to settle him.
"Even if this were true, and I sincerely hope it is; Tony, where do you propose to find her? Paris is a large city. And who do you expect to find? If she is the Ziva of 2004 she would just as easily kill you as kiss you." That stopped Tony for a second, his face losing a bit of color. He mentally chastised himself for thinking he would just get off of a plane and expect Ziva to rush into his and Tali's arms. Orli turned to Vance.
"We need to first confirm that Ziva is indeed alive and the one who left this note. She will have realized by now that it was not delivered to the right person, and Shepard did not contact her." She pursed her lips in thought. "Ziva's next act would have been to contact her handler. If that failed, which it should have as any number Ziva had in 2004 is no longer active; then the officer is to lay low until they are reached by Mossad. It has been now, almost three weeks since the note? I cannot imagine what Ziva must be thinking. It is possible she thinks she has been cut off from Mossad, that she is, how you say…black listed?" Orli shook her head. "Even if she was desperate enough to try to contact her father she would not be successful."
Once again, both rooms went silent as the enormity of situation became evident. Tony finally cleared his throat to get everyone's attention. "I get that I am no longer an agent, and am considered to be at a disadvantage and not the number one choice to go find a Mossad Officer/NCIS Agent that has gone off the grid. But she is also a mother. That is still inside her. We just need to get her back, get our Ziva back. Only I can do that." Tony crossed his arms in front of his chest, not willing to take no for an answer. And in reality, he didn't need anyone's permission to pack up his and Tali's bags and head off to Paris and begin his own search. But he also realized the truth of what Orli said. A head injury was not something to be taken lightly. Even if they found Ziva, there was the horrible possibility that she would never get her memory back, and all of those missing years would remain…missing.
"First things first, DiNozzo." Gibbs voice sounding jarring against the silence. "McGee was able to secure the video feeds from the Louvre, that's what he did earlier when you interpreted the message. We'll have Abby review them tomorrow to see what she can find. She…"
"Tomorrow? What about right now!" Tony cut in harshly, and then backed off. He didn't have any say in how the resources of NCIS were being used and while this was of the utmost importance to him, finding Ziva may not be that high on the list for NCIS, which caused Tony some inner turmoil.
Gibbs sighed and mumbled an "Ah, DiNozzo" which Tony understood to be his way of saying "what in the hell is wrong with you." He used it enough the past three years that Tony felt a rebuke every time it was uttered, and he felt that rebuke now. McGee broke in, sensing the tension in the room and knowing how Tony was probably feeling at the moment.
"Tony, Abby isn't here right now. She's at a conference but she'll be back tomorrow morning. I promise I'll make sure she gets these tapes asap, ok?" Tony collapsed back into his chair, once again his Probie having his back. Tony rubbed the back of his neck and nodded at Tim.
"Ok, thanks Tim. I appreciate your help." Tony didn't try to emphasize the word "your" but the raised eyebrow and slightly confused expression of Gibbs indicated the message had been sent loud and clear. Vance cleared his throat and addressed Orli.
"Director Elbaz, you've mentioned several times that you were present when the farmhouse was destroyed. Would you care now to explain yourself?" This time the rebuke was hurled from the other side, and Orli dipped her head in acceptance. As she repeated the same story she had relayed to Tony to her new audience, Tony's mind was in turmoil thinking of the possibility of Ziva actually being alive. He looked again at his sleeping daughter, and fretted over how to handle this news with her…or maybe he shouldn't say anything until they actually found Ziva alive and in the present.
There you go, happy Labor Day. Hope you enjoy it. A few more notes: early in the series, Ziva complained about the operating system used by NCIS, that Mossad used a "different operating system". I decided they used Mac computers, no basis in fact. Also, I have used the Sorbonne in other stories, but I have no idea if they actually have a bank of free computers available for public use, call it poetic license. Also, MW spent a brief time at the Sorbonne. And now, Ziva knows Tony's name but not who he is. Gibbs in my "Life" series is wonderful and caring. In this story he is an ass.
