Tony turned to her. "Ziva, this is what Monique was warning you about! You are no longer Mossad, no longer an Israeli citizen. Your allegiance is to the United States. If you knowingly compromise any intelligence operation in a way that will benefit a foreign country, you could be charged with treason!"

Ziva opened her mouth, and then closed it. This was a million times worse than she had imagined.

"Which brings us back to the CIA's demand that you be recalled: I don't know what their operation is, or why they are doing it, but they are concerned that you are going to interfere, and possibly endanger their operatives. These are very serious issues to consider." Vance reiterated.

Ziva put her head in her hands, her body shaking as she tried to control her emotions. She had been promised that she could seek closure, that she could find the man responsible for her father's death. And now, they wanted to break that promise.

Vignette Eleven: Part Nineteen

"Ziva?" Gibbs spoke softly. No one had spoken for several tense moments, but he could hear the distressed breathing on the other line.

"DiNozzo, talk to me!" Gibbs ordered.

Tony had his arm around Ziva, trying to get her to calm down, and to think rationally. He saw the hurt and betrayal in her face. His lips pressed together in a thin line of anger.

"Why did you give us the go-ahead? To call us back now is worse than not letting Ziva go in the first place!" Tony's anger in behalf of his partner was not lost on Vance or Gibbs.

Gibbs eyed Leon, weighing his options. Making a decision, he cocked his head, silently asking the Director to vacate his office and leave him alone with his agents.

Vance nodded and stood. He looked back once at Gibbs before he opened the door. He tried to smile, but he couldn't make it come. He knew what Gibbs was about to do, and he wasn't really sure how it felt about it. But he couldn't hear the words; he couldn't be held liable. Sighing, he escaped to his own safety, seemingly oblivious to the coming storm.

"I'm sorry, Ziva. And you know how I feel about apologies. Vance finally told me that he had been working with you from the beginning." Gibbs rubbed his forehead, trying to stop the headache he felt pulsing in his brain.

Tony and Ziva looked at each other in surprise, and then felt remorse. "I wish we could have said something, Boss, but he wouldn't let us." Tony began to explain.

Gibbs stopped him before he could continue. "I know, DiNozzo, you don't need to paint a picture. But I do. There are some things that you don't know."

Ziva stood and started pacing. "What do you mean, Gibbs?"

"What I mean is that you two were never meant to succeed in your task. Homeland Security gave us Paris as the location for Bodnar. It was a ruse. They wanted you occupied and out of the way while they continued with whatever their real operation concerning Bodnar is."

Ziva stopped pacing, staring in disbelief at Tony. "They…lied to us? This has all been a lie?" Her voice was shaking in anger.

"As far as letting you catch Bodnar? Yes, I think so. They didn't consider what would happen when you started getting your own intelligence, as I expected you would. And for the record, I just found out about this, today. I didn't send you on a wild goose chase." Gibbs was disgusted with the whole mess. He looked at the empty Director's chair, wondering if Vance felt any remorse.

"But we have found Bodnar, Boss." Tony spoke up, looking carefully at Ziva, measuring his words. "I don't want us to lose our jobs, but he murdered Ziva's father and Vance's wife. That has to count for something!" He was getting angry as well.

Who in the hell did Homeland think they were? He understood not wanting NCIS or FBI or whoever to be mucking up one of their operations. All they had to do was say there was a conflict, or something. Not once had he or Ziva been warned of any negative consequences toward themselves should they chose to embark on this journey.

Tony looked at Ziva's face, her jaw set in defiance at being used. "Another betrayal." Tony thought. As he watched her tear apart a napkin with her nervous energy, he realized ruefully that even if they had been told that the CIA had an operation going on that they would be interfering with, Ziva would have still insisted on going forward. They hadn't exactly been successful had they? Tony couldn't fault that line of reasoning.

"What do you want us to do, Boss?" Tony finally asked, glancing again at Ziva's tense posture.

"Tony, Ziva: I'm not going to order you to come home. If you want to continue with your search, I will back you all the way. I can't guarantee what the outcome will be. We may all very well lose our careers over this. But sometimes you have to take a stand. I will say this to you, however; you're mission now is to find and escort back the killer of Jackie Vance. That is the only way NCIS can have any legitimate jurisdiction of this matter. It's your decision. Do you understand Ziva?" Gibbs held his breath, hoping this was enough, that his Agent wouldn't throw everything away.

Tony sat quietly, absorbing what Gibbs had just said to them. He just realized that he hadn't heard Vance speak in the last five minutes. He rubbed the back of his neck, realizing he had left the office so he could be blissfully ignorant of whatever Gibbs was going to say to his Agents. They were being hung out to dry.

"I will continue, but Tony will go home." Ziva spoke up. Tony whipped his head up at that and started shaking it "NO" vigorously. Ziva turned to him, her eyes pleading.

"No, Tony listening to me. This is my fight. I cannot allow you to potentially throw away everything you love. It isn't fair to you. Gibbs will need you when this is through." She looked down, not able to say anymore.

Tony stood up and walked over to her. Taking her hands, he spoke with resolve and urgency. "This is not your fight, Ziva. Didn't you hear what Gibbs said? We are looking for Jackie Vance's killer. If it is just you, no one will believe that this isn't just a personal vendetta. And I'm not about to throw you away. Why would you even suggest that I leave? I'm in this for the duration, whatever happens."

Ziva's eyes were pools of emotion. She desperately wanted Tony to stay, but she was terrified of the consequences. He had so much more to lose than she did, at least from her point of view. She should have known he wouldn't leave her; their new relationship demanded otherwise. She lowered her head and leaned against his chest.

Tony stroked her hair, and then remembered Gibbs was still on the phone. "We're staying, Boss." He said quietly.

Gibbs didn't realize he had been holding his breath, so when he expelled it in a "whoosh" it caught him by surprise. "Ok, I'll being heading your way in the next day or so. The excuse is to bring you home. Ziva, use any resources you have, just stay away from the CIA." They talked logistics for a few minutes longer, and then Gibbs ended the call.

He put his head in his hands.

Berlin, Germany: The next day

Tony and Ziva sat quietly, waiting to hear back from Malachi. They had agreed to meet at an outdoor café, crowded with people. As they settled into their seats, peering around for Malachi, a deep voice interrupted their musings.

"You look well, Agent David." Ziva whipped her head around to see a young handsome man sitting next to her. She frowned.

"I am sorry; you have mistaken me for someone else." She looked warily at Tony, signaling him that they should leave.

"Then Director Elbaz will be very disappointed. I was instructed to help you eliminate Bodnar." The unknown man spoke again.

Tony looked closely at him. This was certainly not going to plan; Malachi was to be their contact. As if reading his mind, the Mossad Officer inclined his head. "I understand your reticence. Officer Ben-Gidon is well-known to be acquainted with you. It was decided that it would be best if I should assist you instead."

Ziva clenched her hands, rubbing her left absently. "Who are you?" She asked bluntly.

"My name is Adam Eshel. I have infiltrated Bodnar's group, as has Ben-Gidon. He knows you are here. He will try to contact you shortly." Eshel smiled with confidence.

Ziva really frowned this time. "We have been informed that you work for the CIA, not Mossad." She got right to the point, hoping to throw him off balance, play his hand.

Eshel looked genuinely surprised and then chuckled. "I am insulted. Your informant is wrong. I am not CIA, but there is a CIA presence around Bodnar. Do you want my help or not?" Eshel was tired of the distrust. He had expected to be welcomed with open arms. He had been told that Ziva was ready to take revenge for her father's death.

Adam Esher did not know Ziva personally, but he knew of her. The woman sitting across from him bore little resemblance to the Mossad Kidon Officer he had been briefed about. She looked soft, hesitant, unsure.

Ziva held her breath. She knew they had been told to keep away, but if Bodnar contacted her, what was she supposed to do? As she sat there debating, her laptop dinged, indicating she had a video conference waiting for her. Tony stood up, looking over her shoulder.

Licking her lips, she clicked on the icon and sucked in her breath at the image of Ilan Bodnar, looking at her.

"Ziva, we meet again. I told you that I could always find you. I just did not expect to find you here." He looked well-kempt, and calm.

Ziva's eyes flashed in anger. "Where did you expect me to be, Ilan? At home living my life as if nothing happened? Maybe you are a heartless monster, but I am not!"

Tony and Adam were on their cell phones, each to their own agencies trying to get a fix on the lap top signal. They knew he had to be nearby. Tony quickly talked to McGee, while encouraging Ziva to keep him online.

"It was a sad but necessary incident, Ziva. You know it was for the best. You are better off without Eli, as am I. He did nothing for you, or me." Ilan smiled as if that explained everything.

"It was not necessary and you will pay!" Ziva spat at him. As Tony held on while McGee worked his magic, he could see the shutters start to come down on Ziva's eyes, her expression and demeanor retreating into that waste hole of existence called Mossad. Inside, he was panicking, knowing he was losing her right in front of his eyes.

"Ah, Ziva. Vendetta's lead to nothing but heartache. You must rid yourself of this insane desire and stop what you are doing." Ilan spoke quietly.

"He is in the Bahnhof!" Adam blurted out. Almost before the words were out of his mouth, Ziva had slammed the laptop close, put it in her bag and took off.

"Shit!" Tony exclaimed, running after her and Adam. He had new appreciation of Ziva's Mossad skills, as her training kicked into overdrive. She plowed through visitors and tourists milling about the ticketing area and the train platforms.

Ziva's heart was racing. She thought nothing, felt nothing. The people around her were blurs, her eyes searching for the elusive face of Ilan Bodnar. Nothing else mattered, no one else mattered…

Tony stopped to catch his breath, peering around a corner. He could see Esher but not Ziva. Esher had slowed down, his gun out, his stance alert.

"McGee, start tracking Ziva's disk now! I don't give a shit about Bodnar. I've lost Ziva!"

"NO!" Ziva yelled out. The train was pulling away. Up ahead, she could see Ilan looking out of one of the window, grinning maliciously. She fired into the train, expecting it to stop but of 'course it didn't. Travelers screamed and ran for cover.

Tony's heart stopped when he heard the gunshots. "Ziva…" He cried under his breath. He ran as fast as his legs would carry him to the platform, to see Ziva on her knees and surrounded by several Bundespolizei.

"Federal Agent!" Tony called out, and then realized he didn't have his badge. Adam was already showing his credentials to the officers, explaining in rapid German that they were hunting for a terrorist and he had boarded the train.

After a few tense moments, Ziva was allowed to rise. Tony rushed to her side and grabbed her face. Her eyes were vacant, and she didn't register his presence.

"Don't do this, Ziva." Tony whispered in a rush. "Don't you leave me."

Ziva jerked slightly, and then her eyes became unglazed. She looked at Tony in surprise, then at the German police surrounding her. Adam touched his arm. "We are free to go, but we have been warned to leave the city by morning."

Tony looked at their new ally and nodded. Putting his arm around Ziva, he forced her to follow him back to the hotel, back to failure.

Once they had arrived at the hotel, Tony made Ziva lie down. It wasn't very private but at least she could decompress for a bit. Tony sat cautiously with Adam, sizing him up as he drank his tea. Tony decided to not tell him about the new developments from their end: it was none of his business, and he couldn't do anything about it anyway. He also chose to say nothing about Monique.

"How long have you been with Bodnar's little group?" Tony asked, trying to get a feel for this guy. It took a long time for him to be cordial with Malachi, but his relationship with Ziva had been fraught with lies and betrayal.

This Officer had never worked with Ziva and in fact had never actually met her. After discussing it with Gibbs, they seriously considered not using Malachi at all. They didn't want any involvement by Israel in case this went south. They finally decided that they would take information from Malachi, but would not instruct him in any way, thereby keeping any thought that they used a foreign nation to work against a CIA intelligence operation.

Now that was thrown out the window. Tony sighed as he waited for Adam to reply to his query.

NCIS

Mossad Director Orlie Elbaz sat herself at the Director's table, intent on presenting her views regarding the search for Bodnar. She had come to Washington after one of her Officers had been killed. NCIS was convinced his death had to do with Bodnar, but hadn't been able to find the person who had killed Officer Amir Mantel.

As they sat there, Vance received a call from the Berlin authorities. He listened with growing alarm as the official described the scene at the train station.

"I understand, yes. They are my Agents. Yes, there are there searching for a terrorist, but they are under strict orders to apprehend only. Yes, thank you." Vance slammed the phone down and glared at Elbaz.

"It would appear my Agents were approached by Mossad to join forces and take out Bodnar." He said angrily.

Gibbs looked heavenward, groaning inwardly. This was exactly what he didn't want to happen. "What happened, Director?"

"I don't know the particulars, but Agent David and Officer…" He looked down at his notes. "Officer Eshel chased Bodnar down in the train station. Agent David fired several shots at a train Bodnar had boarded, before it left." He glared at Gibbs this time.

Gibbs paled and rubbed his face. "Ziva took shots at a train? What was happening over there?"

Director Elbaz looked at them both with authority. "I instructed Officer Esher to contact your Agents and assist them in finding Bodnar. Was this not the plan? When I spoke to Ziva she indicated that this was why she had come: to exact revenge on her father's killer. I have two Officers who have infiltrated Bodnar's group. We could have taken him out at any time. We believed it to be Ziva's right."

Vance looked angry. "Well, it's not so easy for us over here. We have other Agencies that have been tasked with the Bodnar problem. We can't just take off and do what we want, unlike Mossad apparently."

Elbaz was adamant. "If we act together, we are stronger! Why can you not see that? Use our resources, use our operatives. They will end this nightmare now."

Vance stood up and placed himself in front of the Mossad Director. "Director, you may plan whatever operation you like. Hell, kill the Bastard! I won't lose any sleep over that and maybe, finally, I will get a good night's rest. But you call your Officers off. I've got two Agents abroad working without a playbook. From what I just heard, Agent David has already reverted back to her old Mossad ways."

"Excellent! That is what she needs to do to be successful. She cannot bring him in. Bodnar will kill her first."

Gibbs stood at that. This was getting out of hand. Vance leaned down slightly and stared at Director Elbaz. "I have already decided that I am recalling Agents David and DiNozzo. Game ends now." They stared each other down, neither willing to look away.

Director Elbaz finally ended the standoff, sitting back in her chair. "Director Vance, I can assure you that this is not a game. But you do what you must. Ilan Bodnar had the Director of Mossad assassinated. We will find him and we will bring him to justice."

Vance set his mouth in a grim line. "That is your prerogative. Just keep away from my Agents."

Director Elbaz frowned. "I know you and Eli had a cordial working relationship. Having his daughter work for you gave you another connection, beyond your previous interactions."

Vance stiffened, realizing she knew about his past with Eli. "Yes, we were friends and colleagues. We respected each other and the job each of us had to do with our own Agencies."

"Yes," Elbaz nodded. "The job each of us has to do. I had hoped that Mossad and NCIS could continue with the same relationship that was present under the leadership of Eli David. Am I mistaken that this will happen?"

Vance looked startled at the question. "It is my sincere hope that NCIS and Mossad will continue to work together, toward common goals. This does not change that."

"Very well. It is my desire as well. I will contact my Officers, Director Vance, and instruct them to continue on their own."

"Thank you, Director Elbaz. Your cooperation in this matter is greatly appreciated. And we will let you know the minute we have a suspect." He gently reminded her of her fallen Officer.

She lowered her head and closed her eyes. "Thank you. I must take your leave now. It has been a pleasure to finally meet you both. Director Vance, Special Agent Gibbs." Elbaz left the office, and met up with her escort.

Vance shut his door. "What in the hell is David thinking, shooting her gun at a train? This is becoming a political nightmare. You go bring them home, Gibbs. Now!"

Gibbs pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to wrap his head around how fucked up everything was. A soft knock on Vance's door prevented him from answering.

Vance snarled "come in!" and McGee reluctantly opened the door.

"Am I interrupting?" He looked nervous.

"What is it, McGee?" Gibbs asked, exhausted by the events of the meeting with Elbaz.

"I wanted to let you know that Tony called me to put a tracer on Ziva's laptop. Bodnar contacted her via video messaging." Vance and Gibbs both looked up at that.

"When did this happen, McGee?" Vance asked.

McGee looked sheepish. "About an hour ago. I meant to tell you sooner, but you were in a meeting with…"

"Yeah, ok McGee, I get it." Gibbs interrupted. "Did you find him?"

"Yeah, but someone else did before I did. I heard someone yell 'He's in the Bahnhof' and then a lot of commotion. Tony stayed on the line and I could tell he was running. After about two minutes he asked me to track Ziva's disk. He lost her, Boss." McGee looked devastated, having to give this report.

"I've tried to get in touch with him, but I don't have a number. I'm sorry, Gibbs."

Gibbs was quiet, thinking how glad he was that Tony had convinced Ziva to place one of those tracking disks on her wrist. He hadn't considered the possibilities, but he realized now that he would find them.

Vance cocked his head. "McGee, Agent DiNozzo told you that Bodnar had contacted Agent David?"

McGee looked surprised at the question, but nodded. "Yes, a video email." Gibbs looked at Vance.

"He was baiting her. That explains a lot, Leon." Gibbs said quietly.

"It doesn't explain her shooting up a train, Gibbs! She could have hit an innocent bystander." Vance was still livid about the incident.

McGee's eyes bugged out. "Wait…what? Ziva shot up a train? How do you know that? Why would she do something like that?"

Gibbs turned to McGee. "They were chasing after Bodnar. He boarded the train. I can only assume Ziva thought by firing her weapon the train wouldn't leave the platform."

"Enough of this, Gibbs. We all know what assuming does. I for one do not intend to be made an ass of. Go to Germany. You bring their asses back."

All I can say is WOW at the new promo for "Berlin". I hope what they showed wasn't the entire dance sequence. I knew from a Tweet MW posted that they ended up in bed, but I figured they would share a bed anyway, as they have done it before. Whether or not anything happens or not…I doubt we will see anything overt, but it may be implied, which is fine with me. I just hope they don't ruin the TIVA moments like they did in "Chasing Ghosts". Thanks as always for your great support. Only four more eps left in the Season. Unbelievable!