Chapter 36

Isaac

Jen stood in the dining area, waiting for the others to come on. She was alone in the room, as she had requested the others to stay out of this conversation. This was her first time meeting her father's best friend and she already knew that they had an ex-wife in common.

Finally the screen popped up and the five men came on screen.

"Good to see you again, Ellison," she said immediately. "Jarvis. Vance."

"Good morning, Gibbs," the three said in unison.

"You must be Tobias Fornell?" Jen asked. "I'm Jennifer Ann Gibbs. It is a pleasure to meet you."

"Yes, absolutely wonderful," he said with a hard face on. "Gibbs failed to mention that he had a living and breathing daughter."

"You should know by now that he's a quiet and personal person," Jen said with a smile on her face. "You should also know by now that he didn't actually know if I was living and breathing until a short time ago. I know you were supposed to meet him, but he is out at the moment, rescuing someone."

"Of course, he's playing the hero again," Vance said shaking his head.

"I ordered it, Vance," Jen said.

"I thought you would go to get him," Ellison questioned.

"Rule ten, Ellison. Never get personally involved in a case," Jen said. "I intend to not do that, although it is all personal from here on for at least one of us at a time. But, in this case the personal feelings would have gotten in the way. That is why I requested another person for the case, although that fell under a different rule."

"How are things on your end?" Vance asked.

"I need permission to hack into the CIA, Mossad, and the Somali terror cell," Jen said. "I need this permission to cover my own ass a little more. Without this permission it is illegal and I get into more trouble. Which I have no problem with, but then I have to do it on my own in a place where the others can't know the information and since the CIA is involved the charges against me are greater. I really have no wish to go against Parsons, but I'm assuming that he's not far from where you are now?"

"He's in my office," Vance replied. "He has been asking where Ducky and Abby are. Please tell me you are making some progress."

"We've only made us much as we can without hacking," Jen said.

"Then permission is granted," Vance said.

"What are you doing?" A.J. asked. "You're only going to get yourself into trouble Vance."

"Vance has immunity A.J.," Jen said. "He signed a waver of cooperation with Parsons. As long as he is cooperating to the best of his ability, or making it look like he is, then Parsons can't touch him. We'll deal with him later."

"You're going to need a hell of a strong lawyer," A.J. said. "I know a couple that'll be able to help you."

"As long as Parsons doesn't cross the lines," Jen said. "I do have permission to terminate if necessary."

"From who?"

"Ellison, Vance, Jarvis… isn't that enough?"

"I guess so," A.J. said with his eyes narrowing at the young girl.

She laughed.

"That smile doesn't come from your father does it?" Fornell asked.

"Nope," she said smiling again. "Shannon."

"Well, what can you tell us?"

"That Ray Cruz is a mole. Orli Elbaz is a spy. And Hassein Ulman is a terrorist," Jen said. "All things you suspected. But they are the truth of the matter. Hassein should have been taken care of earlier and I have a personal stake on him."

"What about rule whatever that was?"

"Trust me, Ellison," Jen said. "This is one case where personally involved means I know the suspect better than others. I also intend to personally catch Ilan and make him pay for everything."

"Everything, being?"

"My business for the moment, Vance," Jen said. "I think the meeting is over until I can get more information and enough to build a case. You do realize that these three will need to be shot, which may finally break ties from the US and Israel?"

"It won't. You will manage to make it look like a Mossad hit. Which means you clean it well."

"I did learn from the best," Jen said with a smile. "I'm sure that Ziva and Isaac will be able to help me with that."

"So, he's found?" Ellison asked.

"Not as of the last I knew."

"I still can't believe that ass left us!" Tony nearly shouted into the silence of the hotel room.

Tonight was the night before they were going to finally go get Isaac David back. He was being held in a basement in Haifa. They were currently in a hotel on the outskirts of Tel Aviv. None of them had slept much. With the fact that Gibbs had woken to find Tony holding Ziva and with Ziva waking up from nightmares and the fact that Gibbs paced when he couldn't sleep. It was turning into a long mission. But now, Gibbs was smiling.

"You didn't catch that hint, did you DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked.

"And apparently I missed it, too," Ziva said. "What was the hint?"

"Jen ordered him to not stay, Ziva," Gibbs said. "He said that he would escort us here. She said nothing about staying or going back. You need to learn Gibbs speak."

"Well, hell!" Tony shouted. "I was not expecting Gibbs talk from someone other than you, boss! She's just a girl with your last name and stare and rules and eyes!"

"That's my daughter so watch yourself, DiNozzo," Gibbs said.

"Not saying anything against it," Tony defended himself. "She's got Shannon in her too, though. Because that hair and that smile is definitely not yours. No offense, meant, boss. I just didn't think she could be so much like you. And, for the record boss, I would defend her with my life, so therefore I think I have the right to make fun."

"Take that up with her fiancée," Gibbs said bitterly. "Can't believe my youngest baby is alive, grown up, and engaged."

"To my brother," Ziva said in the same disbelief.

Tony had been tortured with this since the very beginning. They were definitely getting on each other's nerves, but they always worked through it afterwards. When it was the three of them they always annoyed each other. He just never expected Ziva and Gibbs to have many of the same emotions from such different points of view. He shook his head and decided not to get in the middle.

"What no movie reference, DiNozzo," Gibbs said, trying to bring him into this too. "No joke or childish remark?"

"Not tonight, boss," Tony said, feeling very resigned. He sat down and held his head in his hands. "I think it's time for bed."

"I agree," Ziva said and crawled under her covers and turned off her light. Tony lay down on the bed also and rolled away from her and Gibbs sighed. He decided to get into bed as well and turn out the remaining light. He smiled to himself when he heard the other two shift to hold onto one another through the night. He realized that Ziva hardly had any nightmares when that was how they slept.

They arrived on the beach in Haifa. They moved slowly and carefully. They were also silent, using only their eyes to communicate. Ziva was in front since she was more familiar with the area. She glanced back and Tony. Gibbs was on a hill with a sniper rifle set up, just in case. That's the house, she was communicating as she tilted her head toward it.

Tony gave a nod as they approached quietly. I'll get your six, he told her with his eyes.

They made it to the front door of the house and Ziva pulled out a paperclip and glanced around one last time to make sure she was covered. Tony was at her back and looking around vigilantly. Soon the door clicked and she pushed it open quietly. She crept into the house and stood with Tony at her back and her gun raised.

They heard a noise below them and Ziva turned to share a glance with Tony and then looked at the floor. He's down there. Tony nodded and tilted his head in the direction of the stairs that led downward. I'll take the lead, follow me. She nodded in reply.

Both of their guns were raised without saying a word to each other. The ground floor of the house was clear and they headed down the stairs together and each looked one way. Tony glanced back at Ziva and shook his head again, his eyes narrowed. Clear over here, he was telling her. She nodded in reply and indicating her direction, this time. Follow.

They moved along to find Isaac sleeping and chained on his back to a couch. Ziva tipped her head toward the couch and then toward the room on the other side. Let's check it. Tony nodded and squinted his eyes. Follow my lead, watch your back.

She followed him and watched their backs. "Clear," Tony whispered and turned around.

Ziva pulled out her paperclip and undid the lock on the chain and then woke Isaac up. He jumped as Ziva covered his mouth so that he wouldn't yell. Tony stood back.

"Ziva!" he hissed quietly with shock on his face. "How did you find me? And, where have you been all these years?"

"Long story, Isaac," she said. "We need to move."

"Wait, no one knew I was taken," Isaac said.

"Jen knew," Tony said.

Isaac stood up and pulled a gun. "Who are you?" he demanded.

Ziva knocked the gun out of his hands and pushed his back into a wall. "You pull a gun on my partner again and I will hurt you just bad enough," she warned.

He gulped and put his hands up in surrender.

"There's another and if you pull a gun on him, you're probably not going to get a warning," Tony said. "Ziva was really nice about this. But, Gibbs is not so forgiving."

"If this is Ziva nice, I hate to see her pissed off," Isaac said. "She used to be sweet to me."

Ziva looked at Tony with an apology in her eye. Her emotions had finally gotten in the way, but at least it was with Isaac and everything could be explained to him later. They led him out of the building and soon found Gibbs.

"Isaac, this is Leroy Jethro Gibbs, our boss," Ziva introduced.

"Gibbs?" he asked. "Like… wow!"

"Yes, like Jennifer's father," he said sternly. "Come with us."

"How do I know you guys aren't CIA?" he asked.

"No trust," Ziva told Tony as she dragged her brother along by the wrist and Tony took the other one to assist. "He's never had much. But, that was because of what Eli did to all of us. He was constantly lying and manipulating. It affected him worst of all when Ari turned. Except maybe Jen. She was crushed. Ari was her comfort when she had to do a mission at a young age. But, then he turned and she tried to hide her nightmares from us. She didn't want to seem weak in case Ari ever came back."

"I can see that he has no trust," Tony said. "That was you not too long ago. You wouldn't have told me that a year ago."

"Nope, you're right," Ziva said. "Things change. America is good for me."

"Yes, absolutely," Tony said. "Maybe after the mission is over he'll stop serving countries and he'll be able to relax a little."

"Well, from what I've seen in Jen, top secret and classified is not the way she wants her life. She just wants to be a person," Ziva said.

"And she can turn down the promotion if she so chooses," Gibbs said. "But that means her severance pay is also lower as well, which is probably why she hasn't turned one down yet. I think the only thing that will stop her is a job offer from somewhere. I know there are a bunch of agencies lined up. Plane leaves in two days."

"We're stuck in that room for another two days, boss?" Tony asked.

"Yea. Quality time with my girl's fiancée," Gibbs said with a smirk. "I'd love to see how he'd do with a father with interrogation skills that don't involve torture."

"What kind of interrogation is that?" Isaac asked.

"An American one," Ziva said with a laugh. "Tony do you remember my first interrogation by myself?"

"Yea, with that guy on PcP?" he asked. "That was interesting. You had no idea what was okay to do and what was not. He was literally going to attack you and you just sat there, glancing back at the window as though asking for help. You looked like a child that had no idea what was coming at her."

Gibbs, Tony, and Ziva all laughed. Isaac was very confused and shaking his head.

"What happened to you, Ziva?" Isaac asked.

The others laughed again but no one answered.

"Just cooperate, Isaac," Ziva said. "You'll see your beloved fiancée in a while. But, she is busy and if you get in the way of this Gibbs will come down hard on you."

"Rule twelve," Gibbs said.

"You know her rules too?"

"They're my rules," Gibbs said. "She borrowed them. Or rather, she was given those rules by her mother."

"I knew that," he said. "But I didn't realize that they weren't hers… that they were her father's. She missed you, you know. I still wish to know what agency you work for."

"In good time," Tony said. "I'm going to warn you on behalf of the three of us and a few others. If you hurt Jen you will pay for it."

"I'm fully aware of that, thanks," he said. "But I can see that she has gained family members in my absence."

"It was necessary."