Title: Picking up the Pieces and Filling in the Gaps
Author: ChelseaDaggerCinderella
Summary: Tony and Ziva spend the four months between 'Hiatus' and 'Shalom' strengthening their partnership…and their relationship, but Tony still winds up working undercover for the Director, and Ziva has demons of her own to deal with. Can they come together to make everything alright again?
Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS, although I'd like to. No infringement intended, Mr. Bellisario.
Author's Note:
I know this was a long while between updates but to make up for it I've done some tinkering on youtube. At the end of this chapter you'll find two links: one is to a Previously on NCIS, which is accurate up until the start of this fic—I had originally made it for my family (because they don't watch NCIS), but I figured that I'd put it out there for you all as well; and the second is my interpretation of Ziva's Nightmare back in chapter three, which may or may not make a repeat appearance later on. Check them out and let me know.
The teams separated. Bravo team along with Gibbs and McGee were escorting La Grenouille back to D.C. in a small air-craft outfitted for prisoner transport while the Director, Ziva, Tony, and their prisoner, Charles Harrow, flew back separately so as to maintain Ducky's cover.
"Really, Director," a very frazzled Ducky began, "Was that really necessary? I feel as if I've been left tied to a Polo field."
"We have to maintain your cover, Ducky. We couldn't have anyone on that plane, or especially La Grenouille thinking that you're anyone other than a treasonous ex-computer programmer," the Director explained.
"At least, not yet," Ziva added.
Tony laughed a little bitterly. "Well, now that that's settled, would someone like to fill me in on the portion of this program I seem to be missing?" Silence. He turned to Jenny. "Director?"
Jenny looked at Ziva and then at Tony, and finally, she send a pointed look Ducky's way. "Not here, Agent DiNozzo."
Tony sighed, but nodded.
Grenouille was kept unconscious for the length of the transport, and then dumped in an interrogation room, groggy, and unsure as to his whereabouts—a rather effective technique.
Gibbs and McGee were watching him from observation, Gibbs looking for signs of weaknesses or flaws that he could exploit during interrogation—provided that the Director ever let him begin the interrogation. The moment they'd gotten back, she'd ordered Grenouille to be put in interrogation and observed until she gave further orders—then she'd disappeared into MTAC with Tony and Ziva; something that Gibbs was not taking kindly to.
"What do you think is going on up there, boss?" McGee asked.
Gibbs just turned his head to stare at McGee with a withering look.
Meanwhile, Tony had a really bad feeling. The three of them were playing with fire, and the flames had a name—Gibbs. Tony had worked with him long enough to know that the three of them were setting themselves up to push Gibbs over the edge with their actions—and the cliff-side was quickly approaching.
MTAC was a fury of activity as the Director stalked in; calling for the tele-conference she had requested en-route from Quebec. "The feed from Tel-Aviv is coming in now, Director," Danielle said, looking nervously at Jenny as she marched to the center of the room with fire in her eyes.
Ziva was right behind her and they seemed to be wearing matching looks of fury as they took their powerful stances before the screen that would soon add Ziva's father into the mix. Tony had never met the man—never heard anything about him really, other than the information that had come to them freely through the course of their interactions with Mossad and more specifically, Ari.
As far as Tony was concerned, he knew three things about Deputy Director David: one, he was the Deputy Director of Mossad; two, he had three children (Ari, Ziva, and Tali—the sister who had, as Ziva had told him, died at 16, a victim of a Hamas suicide bomber); and three, he was currently the target of the wrath of two of the most pissed off females Anthony DiNozzo had ever had the…pleasure…of coming into contact with.
Heaven help him, Tony thought, sarcastically, as the man of the hour appeared before them on the huge MTAC plasma. eHeavenHjk
"Two calls in twenty-four hours, daughter; I am flattered," he began smugly. Ziva ground her teeth together hard so as to not say something that could worsen the situation. She was positive that her father had information that NCIS needed badly—and Ziva was even more sure that he had withheld it on purpose; she just didn't know what for.
"I'm afraid you'll have to save the flattery for another time, Director," Jenny began, that hard edged tone leaving absolutely no room for uncertainty as to her current demeanor.
Tony straightened even further as he stood firmly behind Ziva and the Director, his arms folded professionally in front of him. Ziva's body language, however, was less professional, and more, well—angry daughter. She faced her father head-on, with icy words. "You deliberately withheld information vital to an on-going NCIS investigation, Director," she snarled.
Director David was eerily calm as he sat at his desk and accepted the accusation. "This supposedly vital information being?" he asked.
"Trent Kort's communication with the CIA is not exactly as coincidental as you led us to believe."
"You mean about Kort being CIA himself?" he asked, enjoying the look on Director Shepard's face as she processed this unknown fact. He chuckled. "Or perhaps you had yet to discover that fact…"
"You knew Kort was CIA and yet you said nothing?" Ziva demanded.
"I hardly said nothing, daughter."
Ziva advanced on the screen, "You led us to believe that Kort had random interactions with the CIA and that they were furthermore isolated to the purchasing of ARES! NCIS needs any and all information that Mossad possesses regarding Trent Kort, his involvement with the CIA, and with the arms dealer known as La Grenouille."
"I was protecting a Mossad asset, Ziva. Surely you can understand that." He turned his attention to Director Shepard, "As I'm sure you can also understand, Director."
Ziva turned her back to the screen as she made her way back towards the Director and Tony, all-the-while cursing in Hebrew under her breath.
Jenny's tone was lethal as she took up where Ziva left off, "What I understand, Director," she spat with venom, "is that your misinformation jeopardized my operation, endangered my team—your daughter included—and impeded a United States Federal Investigation."
"Contrary to what you would like to believe, NCIS is not as intimidating as it makes itself out to be."
The muscles in Tony's neck tightened as he did his best to stay back and let the situation progress through professional channels—i.e. the Director and the Mossad Liaison—but the Director's last statement was like throwing a 'yo mamma' across the ocean. "Director David," Tony began, surprising himself and the two women in front of him, "I'm sure we can all appreciate your need to protect this asset of yours, just as I'm equally sure that Mossad can appreciate our need to protect our investigation."
"Ah," the Director said, a new emotion plaguing his voice—distain? "You must be Anthony DiNozzo," he said, rather smugly. Ziva's stomach lurched and Tony tried not to look as surprised as was. Well, that's interesting, he thought.
"Director David," Jenny began, sensing danger and wanting desperately to return to the topic at hand. "If you could help me to understand how sharing this necessary intel could possibly endanger your asset then I can assure you that NCIS will do everything within its power to prevent any possible repercussions."
The Director guffawed. "I hardly see the feasibility of that plan of action, Madame Director. I suppose it is my own fault for being so…obtuse in my earlier statement. It is not possible harm to my asset that I seek to prevent but rather the continued harm."
Jenny lifted her head, "I'm afraid you've lost me, Director. Perhaps you could enlighten us as to the harm NCIS has seemingly already inflicted on this asset of yours?"
"I speak, of course, of my daughter," he said plainly, not realizing the depth of shock to which he had brought upon the inhabitants of the room. "As it stands now Trent Kort is a traitorous double-agent now on the run from your government, playing both sides in order to further his own benefits."
"This would be new information, Director," Tony began, but was silenced by an irate Ziva.
Jenny and Ziva spoke at the same time. "Is there any other information you'd like to share, Director?" Jenny asked icily, leaving no room for a real option to do otherwise.
But at the same time, Ziva's anger had gotten the better of her. "How could this possibly be construed as harming me, father?" she asked, forgetting her formality in lieu of her flaring temper.
"As for information on Kort, I recommend you speak with your FBI and see if they can further enlighten you," he sighed. "…as I tire of playing informant for an agency that cannot keep its agents in line," he shot at the Director. He ignored Ziva's comment—only fueling her fire all the more.
"I assure you, Deputy Director David, that my agency is kept fully and wholly in line—just as much as you keep yours in check," Jenny fired back, having abandoned the kid-gloves somewhere around yo mamma.
"And I can assure you, Madame Director that any agency that remains unaware of the risk posed to national security when your agent" he yelled, gesturing to Tony, "…becomes romantically entangled with the daughter of the subject in your long-term Federal investigation, is no agency that remains a benign influence on my agent. Good day, Director!" And he was gone.
Ziva turned around to look at Tony, whose face had gone ashen. He looked at her with guilty eyes as he felt his stomach clench in dread. And the hits just keep on coming!
As soon as the screen flashed back to color pattern, Jenny began barking orders to the various MTAC minions about Gibbs, the CIA, and the FBI. She wanted live feed of the interrogation routed to MTAC and a number of other things that seemed to bleed into the background as Tony and Ziva stood rooted to the spot, staring at each other. Ziva took a step toward him and lowered her voice so only she could hear him. "What is he talking about, Tony?" He didn't answer her. "Is it true?" she asked a little more forcefully, taking another step closer.
His eyes flashed for a moment and jerked to Jenny where she stood behind Ziva, her arms folded and her demeanor dangerous. "DiNozzo, David; my office, now!" Tony held Ziva's stare until she broke it to follow the director out of MTAC and down the hall, eventually trailing behind them as well.
They filed into Jenny's office slowly. The Director immediately took up her position behind her desk and motioned for Tony to close the door and for both of them to sit at the conference table before her. They both sat stiffly; rigid from the tension and the anger and the frustration. "Officer David," Jenny began. "The information you just heard is need to know only. You are not to discuss it with anyone outside this room, is that understood?"
Ziva nodded stiffly, "Yes, Director."
Then Jenny turned her fire to Tony. "DiNozzo!" she barked.
"Ma'am?" he asked, very well aware that now was most likely the best time for formality.
"Any ideas on how Mossad came across this information?"
"No ma'am. Though I'd imagine if they were investigating Kort they most likely followed the trail back through La Grenouille and stumbled upon my…" he swallow and stretched his neck, "…assignment."
Jenny sighed and her tone softened a bit. "Right now our priority is La Grenouille, Kort, and this mystery with the CIA, but it is very important that we ascertain how exactly Mossad came by this information—if for no other reason than I do not like being taken by surprise when it comes to my own operations. Is that understood?"
"Yes, ma'am," they both chorused.
Twenty minutes later Tony and Ziva hadn't said so much as one word to each other, La Grenouille was still in interrogation, and FBI Agent Tobias Fornell was paying a visit to NCIS, his reputation as a grumpy bastard safely unthreatened.
"Trent Kort," Fornell began, bringing the well-known photo up on the plasma in the center of the squad room. "British National; joined the Agency eleven years ago. Eighteen months ago he was put in position to join the international arms dealer known as La Grenouille and since then he's been providing varying degrees of useful information on shipments, quantity, and buyers."
"That explains why I didn't get any hits off the photo I took eight weeks ago," Tony commented.
"But not why we suddenly got one two days ago, DiNozzo," Gibbs remarked. He looked to Fornell. "Tobias?"
Fornell grunted and brought up more files on the plasma. "About two months back the Agency started getting bad intelligence from Kort leading to more than a few mission failures. The higher-ups created a joint task-force to retrace every move and every piece of information Kort had ever provided us in an effort to suss out whether or not Kort had been compromised."
"Great, a rogue CIA agent handling one of the most formidable arms dealers in the world," Tony commented dryly.
Fornell gave him a quick look and then changed the screen once again. He sighed heavily. "Ten days ago Mossad provided the Bureau with intercepted communications between Kort and an Iranian Intelligence agent they'd been keeping tabs on. During these communications, which are all inadmissible, by the way," he added looking around the room, "Kort made arrangements to sell them the Navy's missile system—"
"ARES," they all chorused.
"…ARES, yes."
"And the Bureau didn't see fit to inform NCIS that the Navy's top technological asset was up for sale to the highest bidder?" Jenny snarled viciously.
"There was no need; ARES was never in danger."
"It was a set-up," Gibbs surmised. "To test Kort…"
"And he failed."
"And Mossad?" Ziva asked, the first she'd spoken since leaving Jenny's office.
Fornell shook his head. "Mossad knew nothing of the investigation…"
"So when Goliath popped up in D.C," Tony began, "Mossad thought they were doing the US a favor by passing along that intel because Goliath could get us to the bottom of the ARES sale."
"Unable to risk compromising our investigation, or tipping off Kort, the Bureau had no choice but to allow NCIS to continue on with its charade once you managed to kill our undercover operative."
"And without ARES," McGee said with the hollowed out voice of a man who realized the magnitude of the problem, "we can't prove Kort's true intention to sell ARES to the Iranians…"
"And therefore can't prove that he's a traitor," Fornell finished.
"But Grenouille can…" Jenny said sadly, knowing what was coming next.
"Which bring us back around to my visit, and your prisoner," Fornell said with the smug smile of a SOB who knew he was getting what he wanted.
"I can't believe they're going to make a deal with him," Tony said as the team watched Fornell inside the interrogation room with La Grenouille.
"No choice, DiNozzo," Gibbs said without blinking. "The Frog'll still be out of business and the Bureau gets to put away a traitorous double-agent…"
"…who had no problem selling out the Iranians," Ziva finished.
"In a nutshell," Gibbs sighed, exiting the observation room and entering Interrogation to join Fornell as planned.
Tony sighed. This is worse than a frickin' soap opera, he decided bitterly. Join us next week, he moderated in his inner announcer voice, as very stupid Agent DiNozzo arrests his girlfriend's father on charges of terrorism, leverages him to nab a super-evil super-secret agent, and then breaks the heart of his fake girlfriend, who, by the way, he's moronically developed a 'thing' for, while he deals with the betrayal he perpetrated against his partner and ex-lover; correction, ex-secret-lover. Tony wanted to scream, to punch something, to shoot someone—anything to relieve this feeling that he couldn't identify. This is so frustrating! He had about a dozen problems and no answers and he had a feeling in his gut that things were only going to get worse before they got better—if they got better.
Ziva and Tony spied each other simultaneously from their peripheral vision and Ziva flashed back to a scene three and a half months ago. The doors opened and Ziva walked out, stopping at Tony's voice behind her. It was strong and loud. "Cuz in the end, you'll know that it was the job all along..." She had had a little time to put things together…but she wasn't sure how she felt yet. She had so many questions and very few answers. She had a burning desire to know everything but at the same time she'd get a sinking feeling in her gut at the thought of being told things she'd rather not know anything about. She was conflicted and unfocused—and she hated it. Just another weakness, David…way to go.
"What a mess," McGee commented, oblivious to the tension between Tony and Ziva.
Ziva shook herself out of her thoughts and locked eyes with Tony. "You can say that again, McGee," she whispered.
Previously on NCIS : /watch?vX8Zpz6b47FM
Ziva's Nightmare: /watch?vfazvhWTrS2A
So, what do you think? I'll let you all in on a secret: get me past 115 reviews and it may put me into a writing-mania! Imagine the possibilities! So? Go review!!