Tony sighed. He opened up his arms to envelop Ziva in his embrace. To his surprise, she accepted the gesture. She sobbed and cried and wailed in his arms. He pulled her apart from him and forced her to look up at his eyes.
"Your father?" He asked.
She hesitated.
"Yes." She sobbed.
"Don't do this. Ziva."
She sniffed.
"We're all here for you. The worst thing you could do to everyone who loves you would be to hurt yourself. We... I can't stand the thought of losing you. We've lost you before. I can't stand the thought of losing you again but forever."
"Is there something else you're not telling me?" He continued.
"Maybe." She said bluntly.
"Do tell."
"I- I miss my family. My mother, sister... Brother. You may not agree with me but I miss Ari."
"It's ok Ziva. I understand." He reassured.
"He was not the monster he turned out to be Tony. He was my brother. He loved Tali and myself more than anyone else in the world. I have not been able to mourn him because you are all still mourning over Agent Todd. I do not want to offend you. I miss them. Tony." She explained.
Tony led her to sit down at the couch. She was crying like Tony had never seen before. He felt so bad for the Mossad ninja assassin beauty.
"Hey Ziva. It's ok." He whispered stroking her soft hair.
"I killed him... Tony." She whispered almost inaudibly.
He pulled her away from his embrace again. "What? I thought-"
"No Tony. I killed him!" She sobbed rather loudly.
"Oh Ziva." Tony knew better than to ask for more details. He just wrapped his arms around her petite body again and tried to comfort her through her woe. But Ziva detailed the story anyways.
"I did not know that Ari was the monster he became. I did not want to believe that Ari killed Kate. I couldn't believe it." She said the last statement quietly.
"I was suspicious but he convinced me that he did not do it. I believed him. I took the assignment to protect him while he was in America but my father wanted me to kill him. I could not obey that order. When I came to visit Gibbs at his home. Then I heard my brother's voice in Gibbs' basement. He was talking to Gibbs. And that is when I heard that he did in fact kill Kate in retaliation to Gibbs because he reminded him too much of our father. He started with killing all the women that he worked with in an attempt to get Gibbs to commit suicide but he did not. He was about to kill Gibbs. I got him first." She cried through the whole explanation.
Tony really didn't know what to say.
"Then, all of this is happening and I don't know what to do. I do not want my father to hurt more and more people just because I will not go back home. But as soon as I step back on Israeli soil, my father will curse the rest of my life and forbid me from coming back. I want to be free. I have never been free to do what I want because my father is always there to say I cannot do it. Now my father keeps on calling me to order me back. Even though he cannot do it anymore, he always has a way to make me go back with no other choice." She got up and opened her fridge. She pulled out an entire bottle of wine and popped the lid off.
Tony bolted up to her and snatched the bottle away before she had a sip.
"Oh no no no. You will not drown your sorrows in alcohol ok? It's not good for you." He put the cork back on and put the bottle back in the fridge.
"Thank you for always watching my back Tony." She gave him a miserable smile.
"Ziva. You need to rest."
"No. I need to go back to work." She wiped her eyes and began to make her way to the door.
"No. I'm sure Gibbs will understand when I tell him you're not ok."
"Tony, you can not tell anyone except for Gibbs about this ok?"
"My lips are sealed." He smiled.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
"McGee. Where the hell are DiNozzo and David?"
"Um. Ziva's father called her many times. She got kind of upset and went home."
"Ah Hell. Eli David is the worst father I've ever heard of." He whispered to himself.
"DiNozzo? Where is he?"
"He went to go see Ziva I think."
Gibbs sighed. Both Agents have been through enough haven't they?
Gibbs knew that Tony knew what he was doing. Especially around Ziva.
Right at that moment, Gibbs' flip phone started to ring and vibrate.
"Yeah, Gibbs." He answered.
"Boss?"
"DiNozzo. What the hell is going on?"
"Can you go to the elevator?"
Gibbs walked to the elevator and went in.
"Speak of the devil." McGee sighed to himself.
OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo
Gibbs waited for the elevator to go down and then he flicked the switch.
"Yeah DiNozzo. I'm in private now."
"Well Gibbs. Ziva's a wreck."
"Figures."
"No I mean a real wreck. Her father called her a number of times when we were throwing ideas about the case in the break room. She freaked out and ran off to her apartment. When I went to check up on her, I had to convince her to open the door and when I came in she cried like I've never seen her cry before."
"Two words for ya DiNozzo. Eli David."
"Gibbs. It was more than that. She missed her family. She said she misses her mother, sister and... her brother. Ari. She told me that- She told me that she-"
"She did." He sighed.
"Really? Is it really tru-"
"Yes. DiNozzo. She killed her own brother to save me." He said sadly.
"But she said she wished that her father would leave her alone too. She was considering- Considering taking her own life." Tony explained.
"And did she."
"No. I got there right on time."
"Thank God. Where is she now?"
"She's sleeping. I told her to take it easy."
"She listened to you?"
"Without protest." he said proudly.
Gibbs smiled. Hell. There is chemistry between those two.
"You stay with her Tony."
"I will." And I won't go anywhere.