Disclaimer: I do not own anything of, having to do with, or relating to NCIS, its characters, or its past plot/story lines.
"There isn't a huge threat yet." McGee clarified. "Other than the murders of Eli David and Jackie Vance, there is no reason to believe that this is actually going on."
"Except when 3,000 more people die in plane crashes, right, McGee?" Gibbs asked.
"I don't know what they have planned, Boss. They've been planning this since 1945. It must be pretty intelligent and skilled by now. It's our worst nightmare. All of our enemies are coming together to declare war, and we can't specifically prove it until something bad happens."
"Then let something bad happen." Ziva finally said. They all looked at her in disbelief, so she elaborated. "Give Bodnar what he wants: me. Once he starts torturing me for the secrets, you'll know he is trying to find the last pieces of the puzzle, the last information they need to start this war. Then you can prove it." She explained to them. "Just let Bodnar have what he wants. It's the least we can do before we kill him." She said with a smile that reassured the others.
"Hey, Malachi?" Judah whispered to him on the ground floor.
"What, Judah?" Malachi whispered right back.
"Do you want to have some fun?"
"What kind of fun?" Malachi asked in return.
"You saw a little bit of the old Ziva up there, right?" Judah asked, making sure he was not the only one who noticed it.
"Yes, I did. It felt good seeing a little bit of fire in her eyes that used to be there all the time. I thought America had gotten rid of it."
"Not America, Somalia." Judah corrected. "She hasn't been the same since then. No one really knows what happened there. All I know is what happened for her to get there and back. No one knows the during."
"So how do you want to have a little fun?"
"That fiery Ziva was good to see. I would like to see more of her. What do you say to purposefully feeding that small fire to turn into a wildfire, and you know what happens during a wildfire, Malachi?"
"Every tree gets burned."
"Even the NCIS ones." Judah clarified.
"Especially the NCIS ones. I understand your point."
"What was that at breakfast, Malachi? You didn't even give me one warning. Why did you take her side? I can't believe you handcuffed me to the staircase. The only person who has ever gotten away with that is Ari."
"Yeah, well, Ari's dead, and we have to remind Ziva about that. We have to remind her that she is mourning the loss of the man who would beat her for information, torture her for her siblings, make her sleep with eleven men at the age of fifteen, make her wear a black, lace corset on stage, and she killed the one man who consoled her all of her life, and I don't even think that she shed one tear for him." Malachi explained.
"What are you getting at?"
"She's still looking for a man to console her and not betray her. She's being a little more careful, but that's what she's doing. I need to be that man. I need her trust, and right now, you're the bad guy. I have to swoop in and kill you, so she'll come running to me." Judah smiled.
"I believe the Americans call it, 'Good Cop, Bad Cop'."
"And that's how we'll break her."
"How do you intend to do this, Malachi?"
"Firstly, by saving her from a hit that I put out on her." He whispered.
"You put a hit out on Ziva?" Judah whispered even more quietly, afraid that anything would hear them. Judah was entirely in disbelief. "Aren't you in love with her still?" he emphasized.
"It's not a real hit, Judah. It's just supposed to look like it, and when her beloved NCIS agents can't save her and I can, she will reevaluate us."
"Are you still in love with her?"
"It's so easy. You are you lucky that you are her cousin. You can't fall in love with her." Judah sighed.
"Just don't let it blind you. Ziva's good at getting what she wants. Just make sure that if you try to use her, she doesn't find out. She will use you right back, and it will hurt a lot more. I've seen it done, and it's not pretty."
"Are you worrying about me, Judah?"
"Of course not."
"Do you hate Ziva?"
"I hate this woman she has turned into which is why I need your help to discover the Ziva that I know and love is still in there. That argument upstairs gave me hope. If we talk about her past, that Ziva we raised is in there with those memories."
"How do we know the Americans won't defend her?"
"Once they find out her true colors, they won't want anything to do with her. That's how it always is. People leave her because they are afraid of her."
"They didn't leave when they found out she killed Ari." Malachi reminded him.
"With everything else we know about her, trust me, Malachi, they will begin to run back to America. They won't wait for a plane." Judah laughed, and Malachi soon joined him.
"You want to set yourself up, Ziver?" Gibbs asked.
"Yes, Gibbs. He's not going to kill until he gets what he wants from me. We don't even know what that is exactly until we decode these letters. I have to count on you guys for that while I'm being held by Bodnar." Ziva instructed.
"I don't think it's a good idea." Tony added his thoughts. All eyes were now on him. Of course, they were all worried about Ziva, except Ziva. In Gibbs's mind, he was trying to think of every other possible way to get out of handing Ziva over. He really didn't want to do that, but he also didn't want to be responsible for World War III.
"Tony, it's the only thing we can do."
"No, there has to be another way, Ziva. We can figure something out."
"It's not a puzzle, Tony. It's not even that complicated."
"It is a bit like a puzzle, Ziva, with the letters from your father. We still have no idea what the secrets are and where they are. That's the puzzle part. It could take months before we actually decode anything." McGee told her.
"And besides, David, doesn't Bodnar know how much NCIS cares about you, especially us?" Vance questioned. "Wouldn't he bit a bit suspicious that we finally decide to just hand you over and be done with you?"
"If I go to Berlin on my own, he will have no reason to suspect that NCIS is even involved. He knows me as someone who doesn't like to ask for help. He wouldn't suspect that I'd come in with backup, especially since my pride has been ruined enough, crying for my father."
"I still don't think it's a good idea." Tony repeated.
"Let's decode a couple of letters first. Once we do, you can go to Berlin with backup, just not in contact with you." Gibbs decided.
"Bodnar will know. If this has been going on since the end of WWII, then there must be spies everywhere, Gibbs." Ziva argued.
"Ziva, this is not a debate."
"I'm not putting you in danger."
"And we're not putting you in danger."
"It's the only way, Gibbs."
"I know." He said, much to everyone's surprise.
Gibbs is on board. There will be more to come tonight, so keep checking. Please. I can't believe my story is now at 21 chapters. You're My Safety is now legally able to drink. I bet it's pretty happy right now. At least, I know I'm happy, and I hope you're happy with the story as well. Please review! I get a wheelchair today, and I appreciate all reviews. Thank you to all my 15,000 viewers so far.