Welcome
There's nothing complicated
About the way we live
We all live for each other
Happy to give
As Tony, McGee, and Abby marched steadily forward, they felt the wind change. Then change again. It shifted rapidly back and forth, like a tug-of-war between two spirits. Leaves were ripped from trees. Even small plants were uprooted. Dirt and snow lifted into the air and stung his cheeks. Before long, Tony the bear was crawling on his belly and the two moose had likewise hunkered down as low as they could, bracing against each other when the wind spiked.
Then, Tony heard the roar of another bear. He saw the shining black creature standing tall just beyond the windstorm. It threw itself forward and roared again, this time sending a faint rainbow burst toward them, and the storm vanished. Tony felt his energy restored.
Thankful, he smiled at the black bear and his grin grew larger when he recognized her eyes. Breaking into a run, he tackled her with an enormous hug and the two bears tumbled down the hill and into the stream—laughing.
"I'm so glad to see you, Ziva," Tony managed when he could speak again.
"Really? After that greeting, I was not entirely sure," Ziva said, grinning back at him.
"Ziva!" Catching on themselves, Abby and McGee trotted down the hill to the bank of the Salmon Run. Flashing a happy glance at each other, the pair stood beside Gibbs to watch their friends' long awaited reunion. Though they too had missed Ziva, the moose understood that what they felt could not compare to the misery those two had felt when parted.
Ziva's gaze lingered on Tony, even when she moved to greet the rest of the team her eyes darted back to his almost magnetically. She could feel the magic thrumming in her blood so ferociously that for a moment she wondered if it might explode out of her in an enormous fireball, absent all control. Maybe she really had become stronger than she realized.
"Abby, McGee," Ziva said, ignoring the water dripping down the fur on her chin. "It is good to see you."
"What's with the bears?" Tony asked.
"I do not know," Ziva admitted. "Other than when I made this place, I was hoping to conjure some place quiet. Apparently that place is Alaska."
"You made this place?" Abby looked around, clearly marveling over the design.
"Bears and moose are powerful animals," Tony commented. "Probably the strongest in Alaska, at least. You wanted us ready to fight if we had to."
"Able to defend yourselves, yes," Ziva said. "Why Gibbs became a hunter while you are all animals, I cannot say."
"Kate have any ideas?" McGee asked.
"Kate!" Ziva shouted over her shoulder.
The little bear cub came running, abandoning the salmon she had been munching on at the edge of the stream. "Yes?"
"Not exactly combat ready, is she?" Abby whispered.
"I'd say not," McGee agreed. "How long does it take to recharge?"
"Not much longer," Ziva assured. "Kate thinks she should be back to full strength in a matter of weeks."
"Weeks?" Tony grimaced. "It's been—"
"I know. And it does no good to worry about it." Bowing her head, Ziva met Kate's eyes. "Do you know anything about why they would be animals instead of human?"
"You want to know the answer to that question?" Kate asked.
"We wouldn't have asked if we didn't," Tony said.
"When I put you in certain roles, it's because of what I want each of you to see. Abby and McGee are likely moose for the same reason you made Tony a bear. You expect them to work together, just as you expect Tony to be your primary partner when the final battle comes," Kate picked at her claws. "Well, him and me, really. Now, Gibbs being human…especially a hunter in a land ruled almost entirely by animals. That part is most likely you trying to put him in an authoritarian role."
"You want me to kill Ari, even though this has to be your fight." Gibbs rubbed his chin, smirking slightly into his hand. "Or you want me to help you in some other way."
Out there. Ziva nodded. She wished he could save her, as he had so many times before, and even though she knew it to be impossible she could not deny the desire.
And suddenly the truth felt like it might rip her apart from the inside out. Ziva wanted to shriek as the pain of remembered terrors bled into the dreamscape from where her body lay dirty, blood-crusted, and trembling in the real world. Flinching, Ziva looked away and shut her eyes until she could catch her breath.
When she opened them, Ziva could see the whole team staring at her with concern.
"Kate, I need to speak with Tony alone. Can you tell the others about the plan?" Ziva asked.
"Of course," Kate nodded. "Take all the time you need."
