A/N: Thank you for your comments and follows. I really appreciate them. I'm at the point of deciding where and how to end this. I'm torn and juggling a few ideas. I am not an expert on child custody. I've worked on a few cases through my work as a paralegal, but I wouldn't even know where to start in this particular case. Does Tony even have standing? Who has jurisdiction? Not sure where we will end up, but I hope to find a resolution everyone can live with.

This chapter contains a lot of dialogue, which is NOT my strong suit. These conversations are necessary to set up the next chapter as we work to resolve some issues.

Disclaimer: I do not own any recognizable characters or places. I am making no money from this work of fiction, and no copyright infringement is intended.

Warning: No beta, so all mistakes are mine.

Gibbs needed to prepare Tony for the coming storm. He knew that Tony was already on edge with Senior and Tali's imminent arrival. All he could do was stand by and offer his support. Tony wanted everything to be perfect and had spent the weekend cleaning and polishing anything that would stand still. Gibbs' home furnishings were spartan and outdated but in relatively good condition. They would definitely need to go furniture shopping. Tony teased Gibbs about needing an extreme home makeover. Gibbs in turn challenged Tony to redecorate on a strict budget. Challenge accepted, as soon as the current crisis passed.

The woodwork gleamed and the windows sparkled. Rugs had been vacuumed and the kitchen and bathroom tile grout had been scrubbed until it was back to its original white. Tony was near exhaustion by the time he finished cleaning every fixture and fitting. Gibbs stayed out of his way and let him burn off nervous energy while he tidied up his workbench in the basement. For the first time in many years, his entire house would likely pass a military style white glove test.

After pulling into the Starbucks drive-thru on the way home for an afternoon venti dark roast Jamaican blend, Gibbs called Tony to let him know to expect company for dinner. Tony sounded calm, which worried Gibbs. Knowing how skilled Tony was at masking his feelings, it could go either way if a confrontation with Ziva became volatile.

When the call ended, Tony took a deep breath to calm himself. Instead of trying to distract himself by cooking, he picked up the phone and doubled the Chinese order he had placed earlier.

Ziva. Good God, a confrontation with her was bound to get nasty. Tony knew that Gibbs would be fully on his side, he always had been where Ziva was concerned, but Vance was a wildcard. Would his past pseudo friendship with Eli David in any way cloud his judgment or sway his opinion? Vance knew as well as anyone that Ziva could be a loose cannon. She was back in the grasp of Mossad and tangentially tied to Israeli military, so was Vance going to be there to prevent a personal matter between two former NCIS agents from turning into a geopolitical nightmare that he'd be called to explain on the Hill?

As Gibbs pulled into the driveway, he wondered if he should have stopped by the liquor store on his way home. He walked in and tossed his keys onto the entryway table and found Tony pacing the living room floor nearly frantic and out of breath. Tony didn't hear him call out, "Hey Tony, I'm home!" Tony was gesticulating wildly while in a mumbled debate with himself. Not wanting to startle him, Gibbs cleared his throat. Tony stopped pacing and looked at Gibbs with panic in his eyes. Gibbs made a beeline and pulled Tony into a protective hug.

"Calm down. It's gonna be okay. I got 'ya."

The words washed over Tony who clung tightly to Gibbs like his life depended on it.

"Gibbs, we're here," boomed Vance's voice from the entryway.

"You ready?" Gibbs asked Tony, who nodded in the affirmative. "Be there in a minute," Gibbs called out from the kitchen.

Tony managed a weak smile. "You go. I'll set the table or something. I just need a minute."

"Sure, whenever you're ready," Gibbs assured.

Upon Gibbs stepping into the living room, Ziva demanded, "Where is Tony? I would like to get this, whatever this is, over with."

Vance shook his head ruefully, while Gibbs heard Tony groan from the dining room behind him.

"He's setting the table. We got Chinese for dinner. Hope no one minds? Come on, we'll eat then figure out a few things," Gibbs offered.

"I am not hungry. As I said, I would like to get this over with, if you do not mind," Ziva stated with cool detachment.

"Yeah, Ziver, I do mind. Have a seat. Eat or not, I don't care, but we're eating first. Join us if you want. Director?"

"Hell, I haven't eaten all day! I'm not proud. Let's do this," Vance replied as he shouldered his way past Ziva. Gibbs grinned then followed him, leaving Ziva standing in the middle of his living room alone.

Tony, Vance and Gibbs loaded up their plates with an assortment of food from containers passed around the table. They were laughing at Gibbs' question of "Just how much of the menu did you order?" and Tony's reply of "Just the hits." They were joined by Ziva a few moments later. Tony handed her a plate and told her to help herself.

The weather, past cases, and picking on McGee in absentia were safe topics of dinner conversation as long as there was no talk about events of the past year. Landmines were everywhere, so they mostly ate in silence. After dinner, the four settled in for what promised to be a long and painful conversation. Gibbs poured generous tumblers of his good bourbon for himself and Vance while Tony and Ziva sipped on glasses of wine. Vance took a seat in Gibbs' big arm chair. Tony and Ziva sat on opposite ends of Gibbs' couch, leaving Gibbs to take up a guard position in the archway to the dining room.

The silence was painful and awkward. Reading body language and listening to her gut as Gibbs had taught her had Ziva sensing that some serious revelations were about to be made. For his part, Vance just sat back and observed. He had learned long ago that anything was possible with this group and it was usually best to let things play out. His job was to step in only if absolutely necessary; mostly to keep Ziva from killing anyone.

"All right, I guess I will start. Tony, if you are here, who is taking care of Tali?" Ziva asked.

"Uh, my dad, who else. And why do you care? You're never around," Tony barked.

"Steady, DiNozzo," Gibbs cautioned.

"I have been told that you are looking for members of my family to take Tali. Is this true? And if so, why? Also, you cannot. It is not your place. She is my daughter," Ziva stated.

Tony stood and approached Ziva until they were toe to toe. His eyes flashed as she stood defiant. He laughed.

"What do you mean not my place? You damn well made it my place! You made sure she ended up with me when you decided to play dead. I've been her only real family for the last year, well, me and my dad. Hell Ziva, she barely knows you. What happens any time you show up? That's right; she runs to me or my dad or hides in her room. She feels safe with us. You are a stranger to her. You blow into town for a few days here and there and expect her to trust you then you're gone again to who knows where, you won't tell me, for God knows how long. When she asks who you are and I tell her, she looks at me like I'm crazy. She doesn't understand all of this cloak and dagger shit you've got going on. All she knows is me and my dad and Paris. She's not some asset you can manipulate. She's an innocent little kid."

Vance moved to separate Ziva and Tony since they looked close to coming to blows. "Both of you calm down! Let's talk this out. Gibbs, get over here and sit between these two. Okay David, tell me - why did you let Mossad pawn her off and play dead all this time?

"You thought Tony was her father, at least that's your claim. If that's true, how could you keep her from him for 3 years?" Gibbs asked in his so familiar calm voice as he sat closer to Tony than was probably wise. No one commented.

"Yeah, Ziva - tell us! Why the big secret? If you truly cared about her, you never would have dumped her on me of all people. You know how I am around kids. Then when we found out that you were not actually dead, you just showed up in Paris and said you couldn't talk about it. Well, now you better start talking about it."

Ziva's frustration was beginning to show.

"I had to make sure we were safe. We got away days before our home was bombed. I had to let everyone believe that I was dead … to save her and the mission. Tali was never in any real danger."

"How the fuck can you say that? Her home was blown to hell by terrorists with a freaking missile! Then strangers, scary Mossad strangers, snatched her up, told her you were dead, then dragged her halfway around the world before handing her off to me … another stranger. She just got passed around and scared out of her little mind. Why, so you wouldn't blow your damn cover? Are you kidding me right now? The mission was more important than your own daughter? What the fuck happened to you, Ziva?"

Tony put his head in his hands and tried to make sense of the situation. Gibbs squeezing his shoulder in a show of support was just the thing he needed to regain his composure.

Ziva took a deep breath.

"You do not understand. You have never been able to understand. My country has never known peace or security. We are constantly under attack. It is my duty to help protect Israel - my homeland."

Vance sat forward and looked straight into Ziva's eyes.

"But you became a United States citizen. Quite a few years ago, if memory serves. Part of that process was renouncing your Israeli citizenship and swearing an oath to protect and defend the United States. That became your duty; protecting the US. Now you're bringing the bad guys here. Why?"

"It is my job," Ziva said softly.

Before Gibbs could stop him, Tony jumped up.

"Your job? No, Ziva. Your job is being a mother. That's what happens when you have a kid. It stops being about you. Tali is the only thing that you need to be protecting. She's the only thing that should matter. I'm not going to sit here and let you turn her into your Mini Me. I'd rather quit my new job and raise her here, with me, then let you take her and ruin her life."

Ziva is stunned: "New job? What are you talking about?"

Gibbs stands by Tony and smiles at him.

"Tony has a new job right here in D.C. For reasons we'll try to explain in a minute, coming back to NCIS wasn't really an option. Metro PD, FLETC, and even the FBI wanted him. But, he's decided on taking a job with the U.S. Marshals Service."

Vance walks over with a smile on his face and his hand extended.

"Agent DiNozzo, this is the first I'm hearing about your new position. Congratulations! Fine organization and I'm sure you'll do a great job. I'm a bit curious about why NCIS wasn't an option. We do have a few Special Agent openings. Could have worked it out for you to have your own team."

Tony chuckles.

"Thank you, Director, but it wouldn't be the same. I had a great career there, but now it's time to move on."

Ziva's patience is at an end. She shoulders past Vance and turns to face her former teammates.

"All right then, I will ask. What do you need to explain, Gibbs?"

Vance asked,"Is there something you gentlemen need to tell us? Something that might explain all of this secrecy?

Tony looks at Gibbs who shrugged.

"It's your call, Tony."

Suddenly feeling brave, Tony grabs Gibbs' hand and says, "Okay then, go. I'm ready if you are. Might as well get it over with."

Gibbs, honored by the show of trust in him, squeezed Tony's hand, squared his shoulders and stated, "Tony and I have always been close. That's never been a secret. We always trusted each other on the job. Since he's been back, we've talked - a lot - and well you see, it's like this …"

Ziva is stunned speechless as the nature of their relationship comes to light.

Vance's eyebrows shoot up, but his only comment to the news is a flat, "Well I will be damned."

Gibbs starts to stammer, so Tony interrupts.

"We've decided we want to be together, as a couple. At least we think we do, now that I've decided to move back for good and take this new job. We obviously never planned this. If we had, I never would have left, at least not like I did. But I trust Gibbs, Ziva. I trust him to always be there for me. No bullshit, no secret agent crap, no being around only part-time. I want that with someone, and I guess I want that with him."

Ziva is incredulous: "And just what are you going to tell your father, and Tali? How are you going to explain … this? And I can assure you, there is no way I will allow my daughter to be raised by …". She gestures at Tony and Gibbs.

Tony cocks his head. "By what, Ziva? You turning all homophobic now?" Tony's eyes blazed with contempt.

Ziva pulled up to her full height in a show of defiance. "It is not normal. I don't care what you do, but two men together as boyfriends and lovers raising a child. It is a mortal sin, is it not?"

Gibbs huffs out a laugh. "Yeah, leave it to a born assassin to skip right over the "Thou Shalt Not Kill" part."

Ziva appears ready to explode. To diffuse the tense situation, Gibbs suggests a divide and conquer approach.

"Ziver. Step outside with me. Please? I think we all need to put a pin in it and calm down. Tony, fill Vance in on whatever you want to say. We'll just be a few minutes," Gibbs says as he directs Ziva toward the front door.

Tony and Vance watch the theatrics play out on the front lawn through the front picture window. Gibbs stands his ground and lets Ziva unload in every language she knows. He sits and leans against the big silver maple tree he planted when he first bought the house and patted on the ground for Ziva to join him.

Inside the house, Vance turns to Tony and says, "Well, I can honestly say I was not expecting this little announcement, but I guess I should have been. Yeah, I know you two have always been close, I just didn't know how close. I just hope you know what you're getting yourselves into. Might be a lot of blowback, but I'm sure you've considered that."

Tony lets out a long, relieved sigh.

"Um, Director Vance, just so you know. Yeah, we've always been close, but not that close, not how you think anyway. I never let on how I felt about Gibbs for fear of being shot, but he's already been my longest relationship. And we all know that I don't have a great track record with committed relationships, so I think we're good. He's good for me, and yes, we've thought about everything. That's one of the reasons why I couldn't even consider going back to NCIS. I loved my job, but too much has changed now. I don't care what anyone has to say about any of it. Who I've been with in the past has never affected my ability to do my job, and this is no different. I respect Gibbs too much to make any trouble for him. We're taking things slow, really slow, one day at a time while we figure things out."

Vance offers his hand, and Tony shakes it.

Shaking his head, Vance states, "Well, you have always been full of surprises. Okay, I understand and respect what you're saying. Anything I can do to make this transition easier, with the job, the kid, or Gibbs, just say the word. I wish you all the best of luck. Now, let's sit and you can tell me all about this new job of yours."

Both men take their seats. Tony takes a deep breath.

"Well, I think I can do some good. I'm joining a unit that focuses on returning kids to their parents. Bringing back runaways, missing kids, getting them back from dirt bag traffickers … it will really mean something, you know?"

A timeless hour passes when Gibbs and a relatively calmer Ziva step back into the living room. From past experience, Ziva may look calm and collected but by the look in her eyes, Tony could see she was still seething. Keeping her rage simmering just below the surface was one of her more deadly traits when weaponized into action.

"Everything okay now?" Tony asked as he walked over to Gibbs. Ziva shot him a look but took Tony's place on the couch.

"Oh no. I explained about us and about you moving back here. I told her a little bit about your new job. Not my place to get into it about Tali," Gibbs said. He was unfazed by the calming hand running up and down his back.

Tony cracked a smile at Gibbs and added a wink. "Yeah, that's about as far as we got, too."

He turned his attention to Ziva, with a smug look on display.

"Just so you know, Z, my dad and Tali will be here tomorrow. We'll explain everything then, at least as much as she'll understand. My dad already knows I've been looking for a new job here. He may freak out about the me and Gibbs part for about five minutes, but he'll get over it. And now that we all know that I am not Tali's father, tell me, who is? I think I have a right to know. Was it that guy who showed up at your place my last night there? Yeah, my memories about all of that are a little fuzzy, but they're coming back. Or is Tali's father some random mark or an old Mossad boyfriend, maybe? Or, and this is my favorite one, is it CI Ray? Wouldn't that be interesting if you two hooked up again - the assassin and the murdering rogue CIA agent?

Ziva stood tall and stated, "What does it matter who her father is? I am her mother and that is all that matters."

"Sorry, wrong answer," Tony announced. "It matters a lot because for the last year I have raised her as my daughter. I let your handlers con me into believing she was mine. I quit my job and left my life here. I moved, with my dad of all people, all the way to Paris. It was all based on a giant lie. Now she's a year older and I'm a year wiser. I don't know what your plans are, but I plan to do everything I can to keep her safe."

"Even though she is not your child? Any family you find to take her will be within my reach. You will not be able to keep her from me."

Gibbs steps up into Ziva's personal space and growls, "Is that a threat?"

Ziva, still defiant, swallows hard.

"No, it is not, but it is the truth. A Jewish family will never keep a child from their mother. If you truly wish to see her raised properly, it will be up to me."

In the face of Ziva's defiance, Vance chimed in.

Vance had tried his best to stay neutral. This wasn't his fight, but there was the life and future of a child at stake. He'd never been one of Tony's biggest fans, but he was impressed and moved by his impassioned pleas. Ziva had always presented her fair share of challenges. Vance weighed his past friendship with Eli David against his continued respect of Gibbs.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea at all. Gibbs, DiNozzo, I have contacts with Immigration. I'd be happy to place some calls or meet with them and see what we can work out. You could apply for temporary protected status on Tali's behalf. I'd be happy to come forward as a sponsor if need be. That would keep her here and buy you some time. You just say the word."

Tony gaped.

"Sir? You'd do that?"

Vance nodded.

"Yes, yes I would. You're right; she's just an innocent child. She didn't ask for any of this. No matter what, it's gonna be tough for her to understand. Ms. David may not know it, but our intelligence agencies are as good at compiling dossiers as Mossad ever was. She has a lot of explaining to do, about a great many things. I won't hesitate to play that card if necessary. Gibbs, you've got a lot to deal with. If you need to take some time, by all means take it. Your team could use a break anyway. Lord knows you are way overdue for a vacation. For now, it's getting late and I have kids to get home to. Ziva, I can drop you off wherever you are staying."

Gibbs, his eyes never leaving Tony's pleading gaze, replied, "I'll get back to you on that. Yeah, we've got a lot to deal with. Thanks … Leon."

With nothing resolved, Vance and Ziva took their leave.

Ziva shot Tony a cold, defiant look.

"What time shall I be here to see Tali tomorrow? I am her mother and I have rights."

Tony looks at her in utter disbelief.

"Flight gets into Dulles around 5:00," Tony lied.

He shot Gibbs a conspiratorial look. Gibbs grinned back. He knew that Tali and Senior's flight from Paris was scheduled to arrive at Reagan National at 3:15. Anything to keep Ziva at bay for a little while.

Gibbs held the door open and gave Vance a parting handshake. Tony blocked Ziva's exit and whispered, "Let's just give her a few days before we hit her with everything, okay? Telling her about my new job is going to be rough enough. The rest of it, me and Gibbs, moving here, who she's going to live with - if we ever figure that out - is going to be a lot for her to deal with. Plus, I have the added pleasure of dealing with my dad. That's a whole new level of drama I'm not looking forward to."

Ziva replied with a curt nod and stepped away.

"I will stay in town. Yes, we need to settle some things. I suggest you and I talk again soon. How about lunch tomorrow? I will call you. Is that okay with you, Gibbs?" she asked.

Gibbs' eyebrows shot up.

"Is what okay with me? You and Tony talking over lunch? He doesn't need my permission. You both need to figure out where things stand and how you are going to do right by that little girl. And you better figure it out fast. Tony knows he has my full support, no matter what he decides to do. Just remember that before you start making trouble. I've known you too long, Ziva, and I know what you're capable of. Don't ever forget that," Gibbs warned.

"Good night, Director. Night, Ziva," Gibbs and Tony said in unison. Vance returned the sentiment with a wave; Ziva left with only a parting glare. Gibbs pushed the front door shut with more force than necessary, the sound of the door hitting the jamb giving him a bit of satisfaction.

Gibbs turned and looked at Tony. His expression morphed into one of concern.

"You okay, DiNozzo?" he asked.

Tony shrugged.

"I honestly don't know. Only thing I do know is that Ziva is pissed. What she's capable of, I have no idea," Tony said with a pronounced sigh.

Gibbs turned him and gently pushed Tony toward the stairs.

"Well, Vance and Ziva know about us. That's a start. Glad to have Vance on our side. Tony, he's not going to let Ziva make trouble, for us or for Tali. I know you two aren't each other's biggest fan, but you've seen him go to bat for kids. He won't play around. Now, tomorrow you and Ziva can meet and talk alone, and maybe work something out without any other distractions around. Just do me a favor and go somewhere public. I don't trust her," Gibbs requested.

"With what? Killing me, or seducing me?" Tony asked with a teasing smirk in place.

"Both, actually. Now, why don't you head up and get ready for bed. I'll be up in a minute. We still have a few things to talk about before Senior and Tali get her tomorrow. Go on up; I'll lock up and be there in a minute," Gibbs said.

Gibbs handed Tony his go bag that had been sitting at the foot of the stairs and swatted his ass. At Tony's questioning look, Gibbs said, "My room or the guest room. It's up to you."