Author's Note: Chapter 26, 80+ reviews, 13,000 views, I cannot believe it. I don't want this story to end! But soon it must, I plan on wrapping it up soon in the next few chapters. When I return from Africa I may write a sequel, but I need to finish it before I leave as I doubt there is great wifi over there! To those interested, I'm going for 10 weeks to help start a new HIV and Aids testing and awareness project in Malawi. I can't wait, in just over a month I will be there! Anyway enough about me, how about Tina? I really want to know what you guys think of the character, I never meant for her to play such a big part but I couldn't stop writing her. She's in this chapter quite a bit too, and I hope you like the scenes. Please let me know in the reviews!

Chapter Twenty Six

'It's my job to protect you' the words circled round Tony's head, he'd said it before. In many different ways, at different times. At times she'd questioned it, 'For some reason you thought it was your job to protect me?' she has spat angrily in Israel. He wanted to say yes at that moment. Even then he had some feelings for her, whether reciprocated or not. It was more than his job, it was his life. In the beginning having her back was his job, his loyalty as an agent, to cover any sister with the badge. Just like with Bishop or Kate. Now, it would always be his job, badge or no badge.
"It's my job to protect you." Tony repeated out loud. "Ziva, I want to do this. It's the best way."
"No! I won't let you." Ziva said crossing her arms. "Please Tony, think about this…" She pleaded quietly, but with loud eye contact.
"You know it will work, otherwise you wouldn't be begging me not to. If it will keep you and Tina safe-"
"It won't keep you safe." Ziva stated bluntly trying to keep herself calm. He was frustrating her a lot but they needed to talk about this properly. 'Ani lo rotza le'abed gam otah' she thought, the same thing she had once told Ari, I don't want to lose you too.

"Ziva I'm going to do this and you can't stop me." He leaned back against the elevator wall. They had been in there having the same conversation for almost twenty minutes going in circles. He took decisive action, caring more for her life than her wishes, and pressed the up button on the elevator. He strode briskly from the elevator straight to Gibbs and Ziva trailed behind slowly like a sulking child.

"I think I have an idea to apprehend Dina Bashan." Tony said strongly, there was no uncertainty in her voice, and no room to question it.
"All ears DiNozzo." Gibbs said sipping his coffee at his desk he glanced over at Ziva who seemed to be waiting also.
"If she is after people Ziva cares about, we can lure her out with someone." Tony said turning his head to look at Ziva again for reassurance. She glared.
"Not Tina?" Gibbs said disapprovingly. "No way."
"I meant me." Gibbs raised his eyebrows at Tony's comment. "Listen, we should've been honest with you since day one. Me and Ziva are still together. I love her and I hope that she feels the same." Ziva smiled and nodded.
"I know." Gibbs said quietly, smirking a little.
"Look I know you have rule- wait what? You knew? Of course you did." Gibbs knew everything. "Dina knows this, when I was looking for Ziva in Israel she lied to me claiming she wouldn't let Ziva have the man she loved when she took hers from her. I'm the ideal bait. You know it will work." Tony said trying to convince the aging agent who was furrowing his brow.
"Gibbs don't let him do this. I won't let anyone get hurt for me." Ziva said stepping closer until she was shoulder to shoulder with Tony. Her hand inches from his, she wanted to reach out, grab it, pull him away from this stupidity.

"Ziva we can do this, and still keep Tony safe. He's right, it could work." Gibbs tried to reason, much like Tony it failed and she was shaking her head.
"She killed Monique! Don't you understand she's dangerous? When we were young we both went to the same defence classes, she's a skilled martial arts fighter. Just because she doesn't look like much, or she's not Mossad, it doesn't mean she isn't a killer." Ziva said sighing at the two idiots before her. "Monique was a good agent, I could barely believe it myself but Dina is more than she seems, please trust me on this Gibbs. Don't let Tony do this."
"It's not my decision. It's his." Gibbs said pushing his chair from his desk and standing up, looking towards Vance's office. "You need to ask the Director." He added walking towards the lift determined to stay out of a fight. Domestics in the office? No way would he be involved, there was a reason for rule twelve.

"Director, Tony is not thinking this thro-" Ziva said standing on the other side of Leon's desk.
"It is not up to you Agent David. And whilst there are no rules, official rules, about Agent's seeing each other outside of work, I am not happy about this." Vance said shifting papers.
"We proved we could keep it professional at work." Tony said arguing.
"Well you're not now, you two need to keep feelings distant at work. And David, you can't be on this case anyway. It is Agent DiNozzo's decision if he wants to do this, and you know that we will put every measure in place to keep him safe." He stapled the papers he had been organising and looked back at them.
"I'm off the case?! Are you kidding me?" Ziva was annoyed, it showed in her tone, the edge and the loudness to it. "Like with my father, that worked well didn't it? I caught Bodner, Director."
"Yes, which I didn't give permission for. Ziva David, you are an agent and you hold yourselves to the standards and procedures of this agency. Just because you went rogue, and it worked out once, doesn't make it acceptable." Ziva nodded, he was right. Though she had gone rogue more than once...and most of the time it had worked out okay.
"Thank you Director." Tony said at least Ziva would be protected from the case this way.
"Not so fast DiNozzo. I want a word with you alone, Agent David?" Ziva nodded and left the room, once the door had shut behind her she kicked the plant pot in frustration.
"Le'azazel!" She grunted as her foot connected with the pottery. "Sorry…" She added as she noticed this disapproving assistant staring.

Vance and Tony moved over to the conference table in his office, to sit and talk as men.
"You really want to do this DiNozzo?" Vance asked for what seemed like the hundredth time.
"Yes Director, whatever it takes to keep her and Tina safe." Tony intertwined his fingers and rested his hands on the desk. "I know it might not work, and I know if it does there is a lot that could go wrong but god knows Ziva has saved my ass so many times, Director." He regretted his informality and tried to correct it. "She has served this agency for years, yes she hasn't always been here and it's not been long she returned, but NCIS owes her all the protection we can give. And if that means, setting a trap for Dina with me to catch her, then we do that. Right?" Vance nodded, Ziva had served the agency well and she deserved their help.
"Yes Agent DiNozzo, and you understand that we will have you covered at all times? Good. Go sort it out with Gibbs, but tell him I want to be kept in the loop." Vance stood up and held the door open for him. Ziva was waiting tapping her foot impatiently when they saw her.
"So?" Ziva said bluntly.
"Agent David, due to your connection to the case you will be confined to desk work for your own safety. Agent DiNozzo will use your relationship as a device to lure out Bashan, when Bashan confronts him NCIS will arrest her." Vance said decisively in a tone that Ziva didn't want to argue with.
"Fine." She said walking off in a huff, before she left she nodded to Vance. "Director." It was purely a formality and she said it in such a tone that it meant for nothing.
"Well that went well…" Tony said and Vance smirked a little.

"Is this a mass spectrometer?!' Tina said excitedly eyeing up Major Mass-spec.
"Yes, how do you know that?" Abby said surprised at the teens knowledge, as she gave her the tour.
"I watch too many cop shows, though their forensic scientists are not as cool as you." Tina said laughing looking at the giant platforms the goth was wearing.
"Aw, sweet. I gotta ask this, what's Ziva like as a mom?" Abby smiled excitedly as she led Tina towards the ballistics lab.
"I erm...we've not really used that word but as a parent she's great. I don't know how she does it, with work and everything. I think Ziva is a very maternal person, and when she had kids of her own she'll be a great mom!" Tina said watching Abby clean one of the machines. "She didn't have to take me in, she could've just found me a foster placement or a kid's home. But she didn't. Despite everything, she took me in, and gave me a home which I've never really had before."
"She cares a lot about you too, you know that right?" Abby said looking at the kid. "A hell of a lot. You may not be related, but she already sees you as her daughter, even if you don't call her 'mom', you are family." Abby's wise words gave Tina a lot to think about, it was to awkward to call Ziva mom, it wasn't natural. But she was starting to see Ziva as a mother, she'd even been thinking about the perfect gift for Ziva's birthday as a thank you for all that she had done for her.
"You're right Abs. Thanks." Tina said giving Abby another hug.

"She usually is." Gibbs said strolling in from nowhere.
"Wow you really do that…" Tina said laughing with Abby at his phantom appearance.
"Good to see you again, Tina." Gibbs said smiling, a rare occurrence. The last time she'd seen Gibbs had not been the best of circumstances. She had almost forgotten she had already met the team, well she had tried to forget that night, but it was still always at the back of her mind.
"You too. I never really got a chance to say thanks to you guys. Without your evidence, and catching him he'd still be-" Tina stopped halfway through, it wasn't the easiest thing to say. "Anyway, I just wanted to say thank you for that." Gibbs nodded he had no idea how to respond, Abby hugged her again.
"It's no problem, I'm just glad you're doing okay." He said hoping that was the truth, he hadn't really spoken to the girl at all until now. All he knew was what he heard from Ziva.
"I am Agent Gibbs honestly." She said looking at his concerned eyes. Gibbs chuckled a little at her addressing him as Agent.
"Just Gibbs." He corrected her and she laughed too.
"Gibbs." Tina repeated smiling and Abby watched as the two of them bonded a little. It was good to have a chance to finally meet Tina in better circumstances. "So Gibbs, is there a vending machine here?" Tina said laughing and from behind his back he pulled out a jumbo Caff-Pow in one hand, and a Mini-Pow in another. Ziva would probably kill them if Tina was hyped on caffeine when she went home. All three of them laughed as Abby started telling work stories, at one point Tina almost snorted some of the caff-pow from laughing so hard. Ziva stood quietly, unnoticed at the door frame, watching them all laughing. Tina fit in perfectly, she was young, and yet wise beyond her years in the same way. Gibbs wasn't talking to her like a kid, but an equal, and Abby the same. Tina seemed to be the sort of person that could make friends with anyone, she'd seen it when she first started at the restaurant. Even though she was much older than the teen, it had been Tina who showed her the ropes and made her feel welcome. Tina was very special, and though she'd not properly said it out loud, she truly loved that child regardless of biology, she was her daughter.