Disclaimer: I don't own anything, NCIS' characters are not my property, I only intended to have fun writing about them.

A/N: This story is not edited and corrected by a Beta, so forgive me for my grammar mistakes. English is not my first language. Mi primer idioma es español, en caso que quieran saber (My first language is Spanish, in case you want to know).

Ch. 10: Who loves, who lies and who has your back

With the help of the screen, Kasie showed them, Sergeant Karin McElroy. So they learned that she was on both tours of Afghanistan with Lewis and Burrows and that the three were great friends.

- Thank you so much, Kasie. You are an angel of information.

- You're very welcome, Tony. And I know that I am the scientist and you are the federal agents, but how on earth we didn't know about Sargeant McElroy before? Apparently, she was glued to them.

- That's the million dollars question, Kasie - Tony replied.

- That also means that we didn't do our job well - Ziva sentenced.

They all gave her a questioning look at the same time. Tony even had his facial expression of outrage, except for Gibbs who smiled.

- What?! - Ziva replied in defense - You all know that I am right. We are investigators, TRAINED investigators and we've been working on this case late hours, and we didn't know about her until now! - she snorted in exasperation and ran a hand over her face in a clear sign of frustration - We need to bring her here, but first we need to dig into her life, we need to know her.

When Ziva saw Sergeant McElroy's picture, she knew that something wasn't right. She felt something, and without having evidence against her, Ziva knew that she was hiding something. It was her gut talking.

At that moment she met Gibbs's gaze, he nodded and approached her. She was still looking at the photo of the Sergeant on display.

- She is hiding something - Ziva muttered -. I know we don't know her, but something tells me that she is not an angel… I know that we need evidence, but it's my gut, Gibbs, I can't ignore it, it has saved my life countless times.

Gibbs smirked proudly in response.

- And what are you going to do about it?

Ziva smiled mischievously.

- Finding whatever she is hiding, and then accusing her of it … Perhaps we must talk to sergeant Burrows again, and find out why he didn't say a word about his friend.

Tony heard that sentence, got up from his chair in a heartbeat, and approached them.

- What do you say about you and me interrogating the Sergeant, sweet cheeks?

Ziva kept staring at the screen.

- I'd love to, Tony, but I don't think it's a good idea - Tony frowned.

- Yeah, he's not going to talk to you. The last time you saw him, you handcuffed him to a chair.

Ziva smiled slightly, turned around, and looked at Tony.

- I know that Tony - she said as she looked at Gibbs -. But I really think he won't lie to a Marine, it's against his beliefs.

- You are an incredible woman - Tony said and kissed Ziva's cheek.

They stared at Gibbs, Tony had his "annoying" grin and Ziva had a soft look, he couldn't say no to her. Gibbs started walking.

- Are you coming, Ziver?

Ziva walked two steps, Tony followed her and she stopped.

- Where do you think you are going?

He looked at her with confusion on his face.

- I'm coming to the observation room.

- No, you are not - Ziva said with a serious voice and Tony began to laugh -. Why are you laughing? I'm not kidding you, Tony. Eleanor and Nicholas aren't here, and McGee needs help to find data about Sergeant McElroy's life.

Tony was speechless, he tried to talk but he couldn't. Ziva saw that in his eyes, and she pecked his lips.

- I need to do this.

Tony looked into his fianceé's eyes, and he understood. He got close to her lips, but he didn't kiss her.

- And why are you still here ninja?

She grinned in response and ran to the observation room.

- You okay?

- Yeah, McWorried, everything is fine… She looks so hot when she focuses, I am so lucky.

McGee snorted uncomfortably, and Tony sat back in his chair biting his lower lip.

- What happened? - McGee snorted again.

- Ziva is like a sister to me, Tony, so I am not very comfortable when you say those things about her.

Tony laughed heartily and patted McGee on the shoulder.

- You have kids and you're still such a puritan, McTangle.

Tim continued typing on his computer, while Tony began to turn on his computer.

- Are you thinking about more kids, Tony?

The former SFA sighed and looked at his friend.

- As the matter of fact, yes, Tim, we will expand our family soon, but I'm not sure if I should talk about this, but what the hell! You are my best friend. We just talked about this 2 nights ago, and it went well, we agreed to try for another baby, but no rush, Probie-Wan-Kenobi.

A big wide smile formed on Tim's face. He loves to hear Tali and Victoria calling him "Uncle Tim", and he would love to be called that by another Palmer or DiNozzo.

Tony walked over to McGee's desk and whispered:

- Actually, we talked about moving here to DC.

McGee's eyes widened in surprise, and his smile widened even more. Having another DiNozzo calling him "Uncle Tim" was one thing, but having them around after so many years was another. He was really glad to be alive, he was really glad to have Tony as a best friend, he was really glad to have Ziva as a sister, and he was really glad to have Tali as a niece.

- Are you kidding me?! - he whispered with emotion in his voice and Tony smirked.

- No, McExcited, I'm serious here. And if you don't stop getting excited every time I tell you something, I'll end up blushing, probie.

- I'd usually say something like " In your dreams, Tony, " but now it's more important that you guys are moving here, so spill it out, DiNozzo.

Tony smiled proudly, he was so proud of his friend. First Probie, then Special Agent and now Senior Field Agent, husband, and more importantly, he is his best friend with small muscles, but with a big brain and a lion heart, and they are still virtually unstoppable.

Tim has always been a brain person, but with an enormous heart. He always treated him well, especially when he was a pain in the ass. He welcomed Ziva with open arms when she returned from the dead, and Tim has always considered her as a sister. Besides Tim is Tali's favorite uncle, and she is her favorite niece even living an ocean away. Tim definitely has a giant heart.

- Well, since you insist, we discussed it and decided that we will spend part of our time here looking for a house.

- That is incredible! Delilah could help you with that. She has a contact in real estate, actually, we are also looking for a bigger place to live. The twins are not so small anymore and we need more space.

- Thanks, Tim. And you don't need to justify yourself to me McDaddy, I know kids need space, I have a 6-year-old and we are living in a two-bedroom apartment, and it's a nightmare! I can't imagine what it's like with twins in that little space, don't you worry about that.

Tim nodded in response.

- Maybe we could be neighbors.

- Even better, maybe we could try to find houses in Palmer's neighborhood.

- I don't know if you are being ironic now, but I like that idea.

- I'm not being ironic, I mean, I was, you know me well, Probie. But after saying that out loud I think it's a good idea. The kids could go to the same school, we could have barbecues and I'll be more relaxed coming to work while Ziva is pregnant.

Tim took a few seconds to analyze what Tony told him, as he watched him closely. He finally got it.

- Coming, like coming here to NCIS?

- Yeah, probie, but in another position, actually that's another reason why we are here, the director offered us a job at the international department. Yeah, Tim, us as Ziva and I, she will do her magic with the 12 languages she knows, and I will do my magic with my charm. I'm sure about taking the job, but Ziva isn't, she says she wants to spend more time with Tali.

- And what did the director say?

- We haven't talked to him about the job yet, but I'll say yes. I will drop off Tali at school every morning and be home every day for dinner with my wife and daughter. We will be fine.

Tim's wide smile didn't fit his face. It will be so good to have them around, although he knew that while Tony was in the same building as him, he will never leave him alone, he was more than willing to live with it if that's what it takes to live near them again.

They started to dig into Sergeant McElroy's life.

After long minutes of typing for McGee and phone calls for Tony, he got up and came back with a NutterButter for his friend and a chocolate bar for his fiancée.

Tim was surprised at first, but he was enjoying this time. He thanked Tony and opened the cookie package. He was leaning back in his chair while daydreaming when the elevator rang.

Bishop and Torres arrived at their desks in a hurry, sharing a sigh of relief when they didn't see their boss at his desk.

- Well, good morning to you, did you two have a pleasant night?- Tony teased as Bishop's cheeks turned red.

- Let them be, Tony, will you ever stop being so gossip? - Ziva sentenced while she sat on her chair with a grin on her face.

- Never, my ninja, but that doesn't matter now - he said as he reached her desk -. What really matters is you are smiling, so, what did you and the bossman get? Did he cry? Did he beg for his life?

Ziva gave him a mischievous smile and took a few seconds to talk. When she did it, everyone was looking at her. She told them everything that happened in that interrogation room.

As Ziva said, Sargent Burrows didn't lie to a Marine. Gibbs talked to him in a "friendly" way, and after pushing his buttons little by little, he confessed that Sargeant McElroy was involved in this tragedy because she was in love with Petty Officer Lewis, and he also said that he didn't kill his friend.

Everyone took a few seconds to process everything. What kind of alliance did McElroy and Burrows have that they didn't confess the murder of Petty Officer Lewis? Why was Burrows so loyal to McElroy? Did she have something against him and Burrows didn't want that to come out? Perhaps Burrows didn't kill his friend, but did he help hide his body? What was his degree of participation in the crime?

Tony looked deep into Ziva's eyes. Those beautiful orbs that he will never tire of looking at, those very same eyes with which he loves to wake up every day, the same ones that gave him back his hope when her eyes met his own in Cairo. They speak like always, only with their eyes, without words. He loves her because of it, they didn't need words, they have connected at such a deep level that words were not necessary sometimes. He understood right away that Ziva believed the Sargent was telling the truth, and to be honest, he smelled something bad when they saw Sargent McElroy's picture.

- We need to talk to her - Tony sentenced and Ziva nodded in response.

- And we need to look through her belongings - Ellie added while she took her backpack -. Are you coming with me?

- Sure - Nick said as he took his backpack.

- Don't, I mean, I wasn't talking to you, Nick - confusion was written all over Nick's face as Tony laughed out loud, Ziva punched him on the arm and McGee sighed loudly -, I need uhm… I need to talk with Ziva now.

- Of course, Ellie, do you mind driving?

The blonde nodded and waited for her in the elevator. Ziva kissed Tony and she was reunited with Ellie. They came out of the bullpen with Tony's laughter in the background.

- OMG, I can't, Oh boy, this is hilarious - Tony said as he kept laughing and wiping tears from his eyes -. Your expression is priceless.

- You don't have any respect, bro, I'm on unfamiliar ground here- Nick sentenced -. Aren't you going to say something?

- No - McGee said as he sat on his chair -. I'm done with this. I'm done with being the third wheel here. Just… just don't make her suffer, she doesn't deserve it, and no matter what happens in your life, Nick, don't push her away. Bishop is a wonderful woman, and she deserves to be happy.

There was a moment of silence in the squad room.

Tony chuckled. He was witnessing again how much his probie has grown up. He was so proud.

Nick felt the weight of McGee's words. He knew Ellie's story, and he knew that he wouldn't hurt her. He would never hurt her because Nick Torres doesn't hurt the people he loves. And Nick Torres loves Eleanor Bishop with all his heart.

- That's wise advice, well, gentlemen, do you mind joining me? We need to bring Sargeant McElroy here. My gorgeous fiancée has her deadly look, and that means she wants to meet her ASAP.

- Are you sure Ziva's "deadly" look is not because of you, Tony?

- JA, JA, JA - Tony said sarcastically while Nick laughed out loud -. Very funny, McClown, you are going in the back seat.

- You are a child, Tony, I'm pretty sure that Tali is more mature than you.

- And sometimes she is, McUncle.

By the time Ellie and Ziva got back to the office, the guys hadn't yet arrived.

Ellie had been uncommunicative the entire time. Even though Ellie had asked to go with her because she wanted to talk, Ziva decided not to pressure her.

They were going in the elevator on their way to the laboratory carrying some boxes of evidence. Ziva couldn't take it anymore and stopped the elevator.

Ellie looked at her briefly, then her eyes stared at the ground.

Ziva sighed heavily.

- I know that I am not an authority on expressing feelings, but I am your friend, and I am a mom, that means I have a sixth sense - Ziva approached her -. I'm worried about you, Ellie. You said you wanted to talk with me, and I didn't want to push you before, but I can't wait anymore, and neither can you.

Ellie looked at her. She was feeling guilty because she didn't want to bring more anxiety to Ziva's life. But at the same time, she was scared, and she is not the kind of person who acknowledges her fears in front of others.

She breathed loudly.

- I'm scared.

Ziva stared at her, she knew that was Ellie's time.

- I love Nick, but I'm scared. My first marriage ended up with a divorce because my husband cheated on me, then I fell in love again, somebody shot him and he died.

Tears gathered in Ellie's eyes as she spoke, and her heart was clenched. She felt like she was going to explode.

Ellie felt Ziva's embrace and started crying. She didn't want to cry, but she couldn't help it. She talked to a couple of her friends about her feelings after the end of her marriage, and after Qasim died, but Ellie never showed them how heartbroken she was.

- I'm sorry, I didn't want to bring more troubles and anxiety to your life - Ellie murmured against Ziva's chest, she snuggled her a little more between her arms.

- Shhh, Ellie, I'm here for you. You're safe, and you can keep crying if you want, I'm not going anywhere.

Ellie laughed against her chest and tightened her hug a little more. Ziva was like a big sister to her, the big sister she never had. A couple of tears kept rolling down her face.

Ziva couldn't help but remember her sister. She knew she would never be able to hug and comfort her own sister, but right now, hugging Ellie, she felt like a big sister, and she was thrilled to be that kind of person to her biggest secret keeper.

- Are you feeling better?

- Yes, thank you - Ellie responded after a few seconds -. But, can we stay like this for a little longer? I really needed this hug.

- We can stay like this as long as you want, and if you want, I can call Tony and he could spray the anti-monster formula under your bed to give you sweet dreams.

Ellie smirked and snuggled a little closer to her chest.

- Yeah, that would be helpful… About that, while you stay here I can babysit Tali if you want.

- That's really thoughtful, thank you, Ellie. I will talk with Tony and I will get back to you.

- Perhaps it's because you are a mom, but your hugs have superpowers - Ziva smirked against Ellie's hair.

- Yeah, my daughter and my fiancé agree with you. Tali usually says "There are no better hugs than Ima's," and Tony usually says "I could stay like this forever." The funny thing here is I am not a hugger, but I like to support the people I love, so if they want a hug, I will give them a hug.

Ellie turned on the elevator a few minutes later. She felt her heart decompress, and her head stopped creating so many parallel universes. She was glad to have Ziva by her side, if someone could understand her, that could be Ziva David.

- You know, I don't have any sister, I only have brothers, and I have always wanted a sister.

Ziva bit her lip and smiled wistfully in her eyes, she was remembering Tali David.

- As you know I had a brother and a sister. Tali was the best of us and she was in love with the Opera and Puccini, so you can imagine that we were pretty different, but I've always loved her, no matter what… When my sister died, I joined Mossad as a volunteer because I wanted revenge, and honestly, I felt I had nothing to lose, Hamás took from me the person who was the light of my life. And when I was hugging you I remembered her, I even heard her laugh, her lovely and musical laugh. Tali will always be my sister, and I will be glad to be a big sister figure to you, my loyal secret keeper.

Ellie grinned in response and nodded.

- I like that very much, Ziva.

Ellie said when the elevator rang. They had reached the laboratory.

They handed the evidence to Kasie, and after some greetings and small talk, they went back to the bullpen.

Ellie asked if she thinks that Tony mocked Nick when she left him out. Ziva answered with an "Of course he did that, and he will never forget it." They reached the bullpen very quickly while they kept laughing, and they were surprised to find Gibbs at his desk.

- I'm glad that you decided to leave the elevator.

Ziva smirked in response.

- I learned that from you, it's a very private and practical space.

- You bet, Ziver…

Gibbs asked them what they found at McElroy's place. Ellie told him about a couple of printed emails, and letters, "Very old school" she muttered and swallowed hard because Gibbs prefers letters to any type of email. Ziva told him that the sergeant's place was full of photographs, mostly of her navy life, so she had a lot of pictures with Petty Officer Lewis and Sergeant Burrows, especially with Lewis.

- We picked up a lot of photographs and the printed emails and letters, also a laptop. I think we need to check her things at work.

- Yeah, DiNozzo, McGee, and Torres are already on it. They are also bringing her here, are you with me on that?

- Of course - Ziva replied with a big smile on her face -. I don't like her, Gibbs, I'm sure that she is hiding something.

Nick, Tim, and Tony brought the Sergeant to the interrogation room.

Ziva saw her for the first time when Tony, McGee, and Nicholas arrived at the bullpen with her. And Ziva studied her from head to toe. Her sixth sense and McElroy's body language told her she was rolled over by Tony and McGee, but especially by Tony. Ziva also noticed she was avoiding Nicholas. But Ziva sensed something else the first time the two of them exchanged a quick look, McElroy looked at her with curiosity and confidence, like she was her ally. At that moment Ziva laughed internally, she had found her sweet spot, and she is going to use it.

- What's on your mind? - Gibbs asked as soon McElroy left the room.

- She thinks I like her, we must use that against her. I can't interrogate her first, that will ruin everything. But she was rolled over by Tony and McGee.

- So they need to talk to her first - Bishop concluded.

- Okay then, the observation room it is.

The observation room was full, but nobody seemed to care about that.

Tony and McGee received the instruction from Nick that they will lead the interrogation. They started with the routine questions, but she never answered any question because she was too busy flirting with Tim and Tony.

In the past, Tony would take advantage of that situation, but now he was tired and uncomfortable, that woman was so irritating! Tim wasn't happy either, but it was his work.

After several minutes they all ran out of patience, and Gibbs decided to lead the interrogation.

More than fifteen minutes passed and she kept avoiding Gibbs's questions. Instead, she started asking about Tony and McGee, especially Tony since she had noticed that he was not wearing any wedding ring.

Tony felt his stomach turn as he listened to the Sergeant, and Ziva had a wicked grin on her face, as now she had one more reason to distrust her.

Tim was exasperated so he left the observation room, he needed to get some air and distance from that exhausting woman. Tony would have followed his friend, but he didn't want to leave Ziva in that room, he knew that Ziva didn't believe a word from the sergeant, and neither did he.

Two more minutes passed, and Tony felt the urge to run out of there, he could no longer bear Sergeant McElroy's cynicism.

Gibbs looked through the mirror at Ziva's direction and nodded, she smirked and nodded back.

- C´mon, Tony, we need to bring Sargeant Burrows here.

- Oh, I see, that was what the boss told you with his cold and mysterious eyes, I got it. Also, I'm so grateful, that woman is irritating! - Tony exclaimed as they walked down the hallways.

- She is… Are you ready?

- Yes, I'm ready to break rule number one: "Never let the suspects stay together."

They both smiled as Ziva opened the door where Sergeant Burrows were.

A/N: First of all, thank you very much for each review, favorite and author alert; You are the best. It's been a while ... Things improve in my country (in relation to the virus), and in my city we are not in confinement anymore. I am in the beginning of the new stage of the second semester at the university and everything is a bit chaotic at the moment. I'm also a little nervous about going back to campus partially to do the labs., but I'll be fine. I'm going to update as soon as I can. You are amazing.

I hope everyone is safe.

Greetings. C.