"There's got to be something." Starting at the beginning of the files again, Tony struggled to find a missing clue. Gibbs finally laid his hand over Tony, stopping the frantic turning of the pages. Tony sagged, dropping his head down until it was resting on the back of Gibbs' hand. "Damn it. This one time, why in the hell couldn't Mossad stay out of it?"

"Whatever Malik knew about them was too important to let get out."

Tony straightened up to look him in the eye. "Are we sure they're not lying to us?"

It was a real possibility, but Gibbs had demanded proof. Several images had arrived less than an hour ago. The FBI lab said they weren't doctored, so there was one more step in proving it. "Ziva is the only one on our side that can visually ID him. We're having her brought back in."

"She really thought she was just kidnapping Eva?"

"Looks that way. Bishop figures that Malik was onto Ziva the entire time. Holding Eva or killing Eva, either way he could control or destroy Ziva and get his final revenge on Eli."

"God, what a twisted mess."

That was the understatement of the century, Gibbs was sure of that. "You're Eva's father and the closest to McGee's spouse as we can get. The final decision is yours, Tony."

"Can I have some time to think about it?"

Gibbs had something to do first, anyway. "Sure."

-NCIS-

Seeing Ziva in orange coveralls was disconcerting but all Gibbs had to do was to remember what she'd set into motion. "Need you to look at something for us." He turned toward the two way mirror and nodded. A few seconds later the TV up in the corner turned on, showing a palatial home in the desert.

"Is that Malik's home?"

"One of them, it is his most private home. Where did you get this from?"

Gibbs didn't say anything as they watched several missiles rain down, laying waste to the estate. Ziva jumped slightly at the resulting explosion, but she didn't say anything at first. He waited and eventually she looked at him.

"He may not have been there."

A folder was placed on the table, but Gibbs didn't open it yet. "Got pictures of the bodies they pulled out."

Eventually, slowly, Ziva reached out and took the folder. Opening it, she spread the photos out. Several showed just piles of burnt and mangled flesh, but three had bodies intact enough to see the features. The first one was a woman, judging from the clothing. "This was Hala, his housekeeper."

The second one showed a younger man, his legs blown off at mid-thigh. "His driver, I never knew his name."

"Didn't associate with the hired help much?"

She didn't respond to the dig, instead she was staring at the picture of the third body. Gibbs studied her reaction for a moment, then pushed. "Is that him?"

"Yes." She continued to stare, shaking her head. "All these years, I have wished and prayed for him to be dead, and now I feel nothing. Nothing."

-NCIS-

There was no easy answer, but watching from the observation room, Tony made his decision. A quick phone call up to legal and what he needed would be ready for him in fifteen minutes. It was enough time to call Abby and check on his family.

The phone rang three times and Tony could imagine the ring tone. Finally she picked up.

Hey, Tony, guess what?

She sounded perky, but not ecstatic. McGee couldn't be conscious yet, then. "What?"

Eva bit the doctor with her brand new tooth.

It took a second for the impact of that statement to make sense. "She was cutting a tooth? Does that mean her fever..."

Totally gone. With no other sign of infection, you should get to take her home tomorrow morning.

He sagged, dropping heavily into a chair. "Thanks, Abs."

Don't thank me. Eva did all the work.

"You know what I mean. How's... is there any change with Tim?"

Ducky said his vitals were a little stronger.

Tony felt the air whoosh out of his lungs. It wasn't Earth-shattering, but it was finally a step in the right direction. "Thank God."

I know.

Ending the call, Tony went to get the papers from Legal.

-NCIS-

Gibbs gave him a nod, but didn't offer to go in with him. Tony was fine with that, this was something that needed to happen between he and Ziva. She didn't look up when he entered interrogation, not even when he sat down across from her.

"You gave up your US citizenship when you rejoined Mossad." A nod, but at least she was listening. "Of course, now that you've been caught, they've disavowed any knowledge of what you were doing."

If that surprised her, she didn't show it, but he suspected that she knew it was coming. The international fallout would be too great if their agency had been implicated in any way in using the child of an American to trap a ruthless terrorist.

"Malik is dead, he can't be charged. That leaves you." Rubbing his mouth, Tony studied Ziva, her posture, her refusal to look up. He'd always known she had secrets, but he'd never dreamed that her guilt and anger over Tali's death was so overwhelming. "How did it get so out of control, Ziva?"

"I do not know."

Words, but not an answer. Still, it was a start. He decided to change his approach. "Tim's a good man, the best. He was your friend, Ziva. He didn't deserve to be gunned down like an animal. They shot him in the back, you know. After he'd run out of bullets he put himself between those shooters and Eva, so the bullets would hit him before they got to her. He did everything humanly possible to protect her. In fact, the one that hit her went through him first."

Still silent and staring down at the table, Ziva curled in on herself but Tony saw a tear land on the metal surface so he continued.

"Someday Eva is going to wonder why she has a scar on her leg. How do I explain that her own birth mother had her shot?" More tears landed on the tabletop and Ziva's shoulders started to shake. Tony forced himself to continue, keeping his voice even and low. "How do I tell her that the reason Papa limps and has trouble breathing is because he was protecting her?"

That finally got a reaction and her head snapped up. "Papa?"

Finally able to look her in the eye, Tony nodded. "Yeah. Tim was the one that told me I was a dad. He was the one that kept my head on straight when I started to panic. He was there the first time I held her. Every step of the way, every doctor's appointment, every sleepless night he's been there for me and Eva. Along the way, we've become a family and I love him."

"You're not gay, Tony."

"No, I guess I'm Bi. Tim is, he had a husband that was killed when the Towers were hit. You didn't know that, did you?" She shook her head and he kept going, finally opening the folder he'd brought with him. "And with any luck, when I ask him, he's going to say yes. I hope someday you'll be happy for us and for the life we're going to give Eva. At least that someday you'll accept us."

Tony waited until she finally looked up at him again. "You know that we've got enough to convict you as a terrorist. With Malik dead, there's no way to prove that it wasn't you calling the shots. Mossad's hung you out to dry to save their own skins." She didn't say anything, but he could see the answer in her eyes.

He took a deep breath as he paused, making his final decision. "Someday, when Eva asks where you are and why you're not a part of her life, I'd really rather tell her that you were misguided instead of telling her that you were an international terrorist." Tony slid the paper over in front of her. "It's a onetime offer, Ziva. Plead guilty to attempted kidnapping and attempted murder and the terrorism charges get taken off the table. Twenty-five year minimum sentence, but it's better than the option."

She stared at the page for a long time before she picked up the pen and signed the plea deal. Tony watched her and finally had to ask. "That last day in Israel, before you put me on that plane, you said that you had to start over – that you had to let go of everything or you would be pulled back to where you started. What happened? How did you get from wanting a totally fresh start to this?"

"I saw him. On my way back from the airport, I saw Kamaal and it all came rushing back, the smell of the blast, finding my sister's body. By the time I accepted that I was pregnant, having my revenge had taken over everything else."

"Eva was never real to you, was she? That was how you were able to walk away so easily."

"In Mossad, we learned to lock our feelings away. What you would call checking your humanity at the dock."

"Door."

"Yes, door. It was the best way to not let the war destroy us."

"That's not living, Ziva."

"I know."

Tony couldn't be a hundred percent sure, but she seemed remorseful. "Was there ever a moment when you questioned what you were doing?"

She didn't have to think about it, which surprised him. "The day of the visitation. I saw how good you were with her and I could not help but think what it would have been like if I had gotten on that plane with you. If we still could have a chance even then."

"Why didn't you stop this then? We could have helped you."

"Because deep down I already knew I was past saving, Tony."

Anything he could have said about that dried up in his throat. "I'm sorry, Ziva."

"As am I, Tony."

Done, Tony placed the signed document back in the folder and stood to leave. Ziva reached out and grabbed his hand. "Do one thing for me, Tony."

His heart had almost leaped out of his chest at the sudden contact, but she wasn't attacking and he was proud of how calm his voice still sounded. "What?"

"Let her dance."

To anyone else, it might have been an odd comment, especially about a child that might never walk, but Tony understood what she was saying. "Tim and I will give her the best life possible, Ziva, and she'll never look out into an audience and see an empty chair. I give you my word."

a/n - Short chapter, but it needed to stand alone. Heading out the door to work the food truck grill. You ever see the animated movies Box Trolls or Coraline? We're cooking for that studio today. Kinda cool, right? It's a nice break from the stress of the last couple of weeks. Also nice were the wonderful birthday wishes. Thank you, all.