Gibbs sighed, rolling his neck as he sat at his desk and gazed out over the empty bullpen. The past few days had passed in a blur, but their effects still lingered. Jenny was still dead, lying on a cold metal table down in the morgue. Tony was still hurting, plagued with guilt and regret. Ziva was still a rock, impassive and strong, acting as a support for her partner. Gibbs knew that she was just as affected as he himself was, and he fully expected that they would spend the night comforting each other and reminiscing about their friend.

McGee seemed a bit out of place as his teammates mourned. He had never had as much contact with the Director as the others, but he had felt the loss all the same. The whole agency felt the loss, the confusion over Jenny's death. Gibbs and his team had hidden the true nature of her death from everyone, even the new Director. They had fed them and the media a story about a gas leak in the Shepard family home, causing an explosion that killed the Director.

Most of the agency was still in mourning, and his team was no exception. Tony had long disappeared, not telling anyone where he was going. However, Ziva had guessed his destination, following him a short time later. Gibbs let her go, knowing that it was something she needed to do, despite his desire to keep her close. McGee had gone down to Abby's lab to comfort the Goth, who was shocked at the death of yet another of their NCIS family. Gibbs remembered a time when she had equated Jen and himself to the mother and father of their dysfunctional family.

Shutting off his computer, Gibbs gathered up his belongings and stood. He made his way toward the elevator, intent on getting home and waiting for Ziva to join him. They needed each other tonight, to remember the extraordinary woman who had unwittingly brought them together.

He was sanding his boat several hours later when Ziva finally arrived. He looked up as she stepped silently down the wooden steps. She stopped at the bottom, facing him. Her posture was stiff, guarded, but her eyes were filled with sadness. Without a word he set aside the tool in his hand. She walked towards and into his waiting arms. They stayed that way for several minutes, each of them both giving and receiving comfort.

"How's Tony?" he asked finally, not releasing his hold on her.

"He will recover," she replied. "He will not ever fully heal, not from this. But he will recover." Gibbs had assumed as much, but it still surprised him how perceptive she was.

"What about you?" he asked. She pulled back slightly with a mirthless smile.

"I am not sharing first," she said. "You knew her before I did, and I know you still cared for her." He sighed, and disengaged from their embrace. He moved to sit under the stairs, pulling her over to join him. Soon he was leaning against the wall and she on him. The resulting space insulated them from the rest of the world, and for a short time, it was just the two of them.

"What are you feeling?" Ziva asked, her voice curious as she traced the outline of his hand with a slender finger.

"Guilt. Anger. Grief." He didn't bother to hide his emotions from her. They were past all that.

"Why?"

"Guilt, because I should have been there. I should have protected her. She may have become my boss, but she was still my partner. And she died to protect me. She knew they would go after me next, so she did all she could to stop them." Ziva nodded in understanding, but remained silent to give him a chance to continue. "I'm angry because she lied to me. She kept her medical condition from me, and I could have helped her. She didn't have to die like that; like she didn't have any other way out. She also ordered you to take the day off. She was protecting you from the situation, but she did it knowing what state she would be leaving you in when you found her." He sighed. "And grief, because despite all that, I miss her. And she's not coming back."

"I understand why she did it." Ziva's tone was matter-of-fact.

"What?"

"She was protecting you, Jethro. I would not hesitate to do the same." She shifted, wrapping her arms around him. "And she went down fighting. If I had a choice between that or wasting away to some disease, counting down the days as my body shut down…" Her voice trailed off.

"Really? You wouldn't want to have a chance to prepare? Or to say good bye to your friends and family? To get some of your bucket list done?"

"What is a bucket list?" she asked.

"The list of things you want to do before you die."

"Oh. No. We are trained to think in the here and now. Only those with families make arrangements for when they die. The rest of us are always ready for the possibility of dying on a mission. It is foolish to act otherwise. Even now, the idea of growing old seems... a luxury."

Gibbs could understand it, even if he could not exercise such a lifestyle. After Shannon and Kelly, his deepest desire was to grow old with Shannon and watch Kelly mature and start her own family. After they died, he wanted to join them, but he slowly recovered from that state of mind. And now, after being with Ziva, he found himself once again looking to the future.

"Jenny vouched for you, you know," he said. Ziva nodded into his chest. "She said something happened in Cairo." At that, the dark-haired beauty raised her head to look at him.

"I am surprised she mentioned that," she said, laying her head back down after a moment.

"You want to tell me?"

"Not much to tell."

"She said you saved her life."

"I may have." She paused, and then her tone turned dark. "They say that once you save someone's life, you are forever responsible for keeping them safe. I do not know if that is true, but in this case, I think it may apply. I was assigned to protect her."

She retreated from her position on top of him. She sat up, running a hand through her thick hair. He straightened as well, rubbing a hand down her back in comforting motions. "I knew something was wrong," she said. "My instincts were telling me something was off, and I ignored it. It was at Tony's encouragement, but ultimately, it is my fault that we did not pursue her in time. I did not protect her, and it was my one job in LA. I should know better… Tony did not, but I did. And I still ignored it in favor of relaxation. And now Jenny is dead." Gibbs continued to rub circles on her back.

"She ordered you to leave, Ziva. She knew exactly what she was doing. You followed orders from your Director."

"She was more than a Director to me too," Ziva said. "And I know that she manipulated us, but I should have known better." She relaxed into his touch, returning to lie against his chest once more.

"We both should have known better," Gibbs said, draping an arm around Ziva's shoulders. "But Jenny made her decisions, knowing full well what she was doing. It was what she wanted."

"I am going to miss her."

"Me too, Ziver," he said. "Me too."

Gibbs led the way into Jen's—no. Into Director Leon Vance's office. His team filed in behind him, all clad in black from the funeral they had just been to. All three of them were withdrawn, subdued. Vance, on the other, looked like he considered it just another day in the office. As soon as they were all congregated in front of his desk, the new Director began to speak. His first words made Gibbs' heart lurch painfully.

"Officer David. The liaison position with NCIS has been terminated." Gibbs' eyes shot to Mossad agent. Her shock was evident, her eyes dancing back and forth between Vance and Gibbs. "You're going home." Alarm shot through Gibbs as he saw the lost look in her eyes. Suddenly, the loss he had felt for Jenny was eclipsed by the fear that he was losing someone else just as permanently. He barely heard the rest of Vance's words as he disbanded the rest of his team. "Agent Gibbs," he said. "Meet your new team."

Ziva hefted her bag onto her soldier as she waited in the hangar to board her plane. Gibbs knew she was nervous, grief-stricken, and also in the process of detaching herself from the situation. She had been distant last night, even as they held each other, as if she was barely able to process the situation. The survival tactic was easily recognizable to Gibbs. But his next words managed to yield a reaction from her.

"Your father doesn't know," he said, in whisper. Her head whipped around to face him. He looked into her eyes, and found the slightest relief at his revelation. The Marine remembered how he had acquired the information.

He hadn't even realized the Director had finished speaking until Ziva finally met his gaze for a split second before turning to leave. Her two teammates had quickly followed her, nearly overcome with the shock of the blow they had been dealt. Somehow, Gibbs had had the presence of mind to hesitate before turning back to Vance. When he opened his mouth, the voice that issued forth was low, but strong and intense.

"Who terminated the liaison position, Leon?" he asked. "You, or Mossad?" Vance stared at him for a moment, as if debating whether or not he should answer.

"I did," he said finally. He had clearly expected Gibbs to bite his head off. However, Gibbs merely nodded, then turned and left. As he passed through the door, he nodded towards Cynthia, who was also dressed in the all-too-familiar black of mourning. He managed to somehow disguise his relief at Vance's relief. As soon as his mind had registered the termination of Ziva's position, he had flashed back to the conversation they had months ago. He would recall me back to Israel, and then send me on a suicide mission. Suddenly, he had been terrified that her father had finally discovered Gibbs' deception. But Vance had simply sent her back. He and Ziva would be separated by an ocean, but at least she would be safe.

"I will fix this, Ziva," he said, stepping forward. "I promi—" He was silenced by a finger on his lips.

"Please, Jethro," she had said. "I have trusted you since the day we met, because you have never lied to me." She withdrew her hand. "Please do not start now by making promises you cannot keep." She paused. And then she shook his hand cordially; the Marine's keen eyes noticed two men standing next to the small prop chop that would take her to Israel. Both had their eyes on them. He returned the handshake. "Goodbye, Agents Gibbs." And then she was gone, and he was watching the plane disappear into the sky.

"I promise, Ziva."