A/N Sorry it took so long, real life takes over sometimes.
Ziva didn't fall for his pathetic attempt to distract her. She kept her gun level with his heart. He smiled condescendingly at her, but she just kept her eyes trained on his.
"Daddy didn't tell you how young Talli died?" he sneered, dark features not sharing the amusement in his voice.
"Ziva-," her father started.
"Shut up," Ziva snapped. "Everyone shut up!" The man circled her, maliciously grinning. She moved with him, keeping her gun pointed.
"I-" he started.
"Don't want to talk," Ziva finished, throwing a sudden kick his way. The gun in his hand clattered to the ground. She heard her team spring into action behind her. She knocked the man to the floor but he managed a kick to her face. She flew backwards, landing on the ground. The man dashed by her, hitting the side of her head with the butt of his gun as he went. Ziva's vision swam. The last thing she saw was Tony's blurry face entering her line of sight.
"Son of a bitch," she swore before passing out.
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Ziva's nose twitched at the familiar sanitary smell that assaulted her. She was in a hospital. Again. Great. She forced her eyes open at the feel of her hair being stroked. Tony came into view, staring out the window while absentmindedly playing with her hair. She leaned her head over and gently bit his hand. Well, not too gently. Tony jumped and jerked his hand back. Ziva laughed then pushed her hands to the sides of her head when the action caused her blinding pain.
"Eurgh," she muttered, rubbing her temple around the gauze that covered the wound from the butt of the gun.
"It hurt badly?" Tony asked, peering over from a relatively safe distance. She shot a 'no shit' look his way.
"How long?" she asked.
"Almost a day," Tony said, wincing as she flew up from the hospital bed.
"Where's Gibbs?" Ziva demanded.
"You plan on going somewhere, Officer David?" Gibbs asked, walking in. McGee followed.
"Yes, to see my father," Ziva said, walking around the room in search of her clothes.
"He's fine," Gibbs promised. He put his hands on her shoulders. "Normally, I'd make you stay here and heal, but your father is absolutely insisting on seeing you now." Gibbs thrust a bag of clothes at her. "So here."
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"You're doing pretty good for a lady with a concussion who just got hit in the side of the head," Tony commented as he escorted her to the Director's office. McGee and Gibbs has gone ahead to talk with the Mossad agents handling the case, leaving Tony and Ziva to deal with the messy hospital release papers.
"I have had concussion before, Tony," she said in the elevator. Ziva was still seething that the head bad guy has gotten away. The underlings were in custody, handled by Gibbs, Tony and McGee. But the guy in charge had gotten away. She wasn't mad at her team, she was mad at herself.
"It wasn't your fault," Tony said, as if reading her mind. She didn't even look at him.
"He and I fought. He got the better of me and he got away. How exactly is that not my fault?" she asked. Tony walked over, to comfort her, she assumed. She put a hand up between them and glanced around the elevator. "At Mossad, the walls have eyes and ears," she said.
He nodded but his hand twitched with the urge to take hers. She noticed and twitched hers in response, smiling slightly. The exchange was cut off as the opened to reveal the waiting room in front of Ziva's father's office. The crowd of people outside grumbled as Ziva pushed her way through them and entered the Director's office, Tony at her heels. Her father looked up as they burst in. He was sitting at his desk, arm in a sling.
"Ziva," he said, relieved. He came around the desk but Ziva stuck her hand out to stop him from coming any closer. He faltered, confused. "Ziva? Are you all right?" he asked.
"I am fine," Ziva said curtly. Tony backed away slowly as if he would slip out the door. "No Tony," she said, pointing a finger behind herself at him. "Stay." Tony froze on the spot. Director David looked at Ziva with confused and cautious eyes.
"What is it, Ziva?" he asked. Ziva paced widely in front of him, passing Tony multiple times. His hand twitched again as if to take hers. Her father didn't notice. Just like he never noticed. For being the Director of Mossad, he was shockingly unaware when it came to what Ziva wanted or felt.
"I have something to ask you and I want a straight answer. Do not dance around the issue like you always do," Ziva said. Her father glanced at Tony.
"Are you sure you want to do this in English?" he asked, looking back at her.
"Yes, I do," Ziva said firmly. "Who was that man?"
"He goes by many names," he said, sitting down wearily. "Most recently I suppose it is Benjamin, that's what his associates called him. Or the 'King', that's his codename." The disgust showed in his voice. Ziva stopped pacing and stood a few feet in front of Tony.
"What…" she asked and hesitated, before pushing forward. "What did he mean when he was talking about Talli?" Director David slightly paled then swept around the desk, yanking Ziva's hands into his. He didn't notice when she visibly stiffened.
"Ziva, he is trying to tear us apart! There is nothing to this-"
"If there is nothing to what he said, then answer my questions," she demanded. "As soon as Talli died, you never spoke of her again. It was as if she no longer existed, why is that?"
"Because she died Ziva! In a bombing!" he said, shaking her hands.
"For once!" Ziva yelled. "For once tell me the truth! Did he have anything to do with Talli's death?"
"You sister died tragically," he said stiffly.
"And how was that?" she asked. "Nothing added up after Talli died. You showed no emotion at her death, you never acknowledged she was gone until…until weeks later!" Ziva gathered herself, anger growing. "What happened in those weeks? Answer me! What did this Benjamin do?"
"I had no choice!" Director David yelled angrily. "He kidnapped your sister! His demands for her return were too great, so they killed her. The leader was Benjamin, the 'King'. You know we do not give in to terrorists like him, I wasn't about to start."
"So you told us she blew up?" Ziva asked, horror struck." Before they even killed her?!"
"I told you that to protect you! I didn't want you to live knowing-"
"Knowing what a monster my father is?" she hissed as he walked towards her. Ziva started breathing heavily and turned, walking as fast as possible without running from the room. Tony followed, shocked into silence.
The took the stairs. Ziva knew that is she stood still, she would start to think too hard and start screaming and not stop until she passed out. They ran down the stairs and over a mile to the lavish hotel that Mossad was paying for the team to stay at. Ziva and Tony were silent the entire way. Ziva was trying to get to her room as fast as possible, hoping to avoid a public breakdown. And she knew she was going to break down.
She barely made it to the hotel room before she collapsed to her knees on the ground. She went to all fours, sobs wracking her body. Tony was a second behind her. He heard her anguished scream and wasted no time. He kicked the door closed behind them and kneeled behind Ziva. He wrapped himself around her, cradling the back of her body to the front of his.
"Talli!" Ziva managed to choke out before screaming wordlessly. Tony rocked her back and forth, running his hand over her forehead and moving her hair out of her face. Still wrapped around Ziva, Tony leaned forward, resting the side of his face against hers. Her cheek was wet.
After a few minutes of heart wrenching agony, Ziva in unexplainable pain for her sister and Tony in anguish for being able to do nothing for her, Ziva's sobbing slowed. Eventually, the dry sobs and silent tears flowing down her face stopped. Tony gently pulled her up, turning her to face him. He pulled her to him in a giant enveloping hug. She pressed her face into his chest and shuddered.
"My sister," she rasped out. "My father is responsible for my little sister's death." Her voice sounded hollow, like someone has drained her of her essence. Tony rubbed her back in circles with one hand, while keeping the other securely around her waits.
"She was all I had," she moaned. The level of pure searing horror and grief burned through Tony, bringing unwanted tears to his eyes. "She was all I had and she is gone, killed by my father…he didn't even try to save her!" Tony rested his cheek on top of her head as a new wave of tears started.
"What were her last moments like? Knowing that the 'King' was negotiating with our father for weeks, and then realizing that he isn't coming? What would her last seconds in life have been like knowing the father she loved didn't care if she died?" Her horrible sorrow washed over her and she cried again. Their phones rang three times each before Tony finally pulled his out of his pocket.
"This isn't a good time," Tony said softly into his phone.
"Is Ziva all right?" came Gibbs' worried voice.
"In body," Tony said. "I'll call you in an hour." He hung up before Gibbs could say anything.
"I am going to find him," Ziva said, the hollow quality of her voice giving away slightly to pure anger. "I will find him and I will kill him."
"I know," Tony said, still rubbing circles on her back.
"By the time I have finished with him, he will wish I has just killed him outright."
Tony pulled her ever closer, not sure what to say.
"You think I am a monster," Ziva said, trying to pull away. Tony locked his arms and looked down at her.
"No," he said, shaking his head. "No, never. You're not a monster. If I was in your position, I'd do the same thing. I think anyone would."
"So what now?" Ziva asked. Tony finally released her but kept his fingers entwined with hers.
"Now where figure out where this 'King' guy is and deal with him," Tony answered.
