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"EVERYTHING"

Chapter II - Wills & Beliefs

Tony pushed Tali in the stroller as they were escorted through the familiar halls of Mossad headquarters and up to Orli's office. The officer who led them to their destination opened the door and motioned for Tony to enter. When he did, the officer closed the door behind them, leaving them alone with a pleasant looking Mossad Director and another man in whom Tony was not familiar with.

"Please, Tony, have a seat", Orli motioned towards a chair as she showed a gracious smile towards him and a once again napping Tali. "Welcome and thank you for coming on such short notice."

"Didn't really have a choice", he mumbled as his attention locked on the man sitting on the other side of the room.

Orli noticed the tension in his face, "I do believe introductions are in order, yes? Anthony DiNozzo, this is Mr. Dubin, he is a lawyer and the executor of both Eli and Ziva David's wills. Mr. Dubin, this is Anthony DiNozzo, the father of that little sleeping angel, Tali DiNozzo."

Both men shook hands silently, then Mr. Dubin stepped back over to where he was sitting as Tony's thoughts started going a mile a minute.

Great, I did NOT want to have to deal with a lawyer today. Why would Orli make me come here? Wait, if Ziva had time to make a will then she must have known something was coming. Why didn't she just come home with me? Why did I leave her here alone? I can't do this. This is too much. I have to get out of here.

Before he could announce his decision to leave, Orli went on to explain the nature of her needing him there. "Tony, I am not sure if you knew but, when Eli passed he left Ziva to be the sole heir of his estate and fortune. The amount of things she inherited was quite substantial, including the monetary inheritance of five million dollars."

Tony's eyes bulged out of his head as soon as he heard the amount of money his former partner, now deceased love of his life, had inherited. Why the hell didn't she tell me that!? Five million!? What the hell!? He stifled a cough while trying to hold himself together and focus. After a few more moments of silence, he waved his hand casually for Orli to continue.

"Most of the properties Ziva received in her inheritance were placed on the market to be rented out as per her instruction since she felt that she would never use them. Ziva also entrusted me to oversee the account to which the rents from those properties go into on a monthly basis. The cars she received are at a parking facility right outside of Tel Aviv. There is also a yacht and private plane which are both stored at their respective place at a private dock at the Eliezer Peri 14 Marina and a private hanger at Sde Dov Airport. The payment for each of those storage spaces is paid automatically from the same account I oversee with the rental properties. It has been our arrangement since Eli was buried, that I take care of things on this end while Ziva continued to enjoy her new life in America. When she returned to Israel, she continued to allow me to take care of the logistics pertaining to her father's estate. All, except for the farmhouse, which you know is now gone and a few other properties to which she was still very unsure about renting, selling, or keeping."

She paused and Tony nodded as he asked, "Okay so, why have you called me here? I mean, you could have told me all of this back in DC or even over the phone. Ziva never once mentioned any of this. I don't see why I need to know about it now. Can't you just keep taking care of everything?"

"I can, but that is based on what you want, Tony. That is why I have called you here. After Tali's first birthday, Ziva prepared a will with the help of myself and Mr. Dubin here. She left her inheritance to you and Tali, as well as a classifed file concerning a private savings she kept. She also changed the names on the untouched account which holds the money Eli left her. The account is in both her name and yours, with Tali named as a beneficiary in the event that anything should happen to either you or Ziva."

Tony let out an exasperated sigh as he rubbed his head and tried to wrap his mind around all the information he had just been told. "So, let me get this straight, Ziva was basically a multimillionaire this whole time and never had to want for anything but still decided to risk her life daily back in DC for a job and country she really owed nothing to, nor did she need?"

His aggravation was starting to show with a mix of his confusion as he stood and started to pace the floor, "She never told me about any of this! Now she's dead and I'm finding out that I've got five mill just sitting in an Israeli bank because she added my name to some account? Plus, I'm the guy she decides to give all the rest of her stuff to without ever even giving me any knowledge of it to begin with? Not to mention, and I'm just repeating what you said on the phone, I'm meant to use it for the future needs of the daughter we share in whom I just learned about and met a few days ago ... Am I getting all this right!?"

Orli nodded, "I know it is all a lot to take in Tony, but this is what Ziva wanted. Now please, try to calm down and take your seat. We do not want to wake sweet Tali as we still have more business to speak about."

He looked down at his peacefully sleeping daughter and took a deep breathe, exhaling as he sat down. "Fine, I now know what Eli left to her and I'm okay with keeping the same agreement she had with you about overseeing the accounts and keeping up with logistics. The account that's still in my name, it can remain untouched. I have enough saved to take care of myself and Tali. If it ever comes to needing it for an emergency before Tali goes to college, then I'll just come to you and get the information for it. Until then, it won't be necessary."

"Tony, are you sure? That money is yours to do as you wish. I do not doubt that you have a nest egg that could help you for now, but you are no longer a government agent working in the US. You are a single father who is unemployed. Eventually, you may need to use the funds that are rightfully yours and Tali's."

"No", he shook his head adamantly, "those funds were Ziva's, and my name being on that account was an afterthought. That money is not mine, maybe it's Tali's, but definitely not mine. We'll be fine. You can setup something so that Tali inherits it when she comes to a certain age."

Orli persisted, "I advise and insist that you at least give yourself a little time to think about it Tony. Despite not telling you about a lot of things, it was Ziva's wish to make sure that you all lived a comfortable life when the time came. She really was working towards returning to you before Trent Kort happened. I hope you understand how much her love for you made her make all of these decisions. Her greatest desire in those decisions— having a real family."

"Yeah, well, she never gave me a chance to be part of that with her and now it's too late." He paused to pick up Tali's stuffed dog Kalev and place it back in the stroller as it dropped from the toddler shifting in her sleep. Then, he looked up again and let out a slightly defeated sigh, "I'll take a few days to think about the money, but I'm pretty sure my answer will be the same. Now, that brings us to the other thing you mentioned in Ziva's will."

"Yes, the classified document concerning Ziva's personal savings. That is something Ziva made nonnegotiable in what you decide to take on as your responsibility in this matter." She took a moment to wait for Tony to say something as he let out a disbelieving sacarstic grunt that told of his obvious feelings towards being told it was 'nonnegotiable'. When he didn't speak his mind, but rather stared are her intently, Orli continued explaining, "While it is okay for you to have me oversee certain things as Ziva and I had previously arranged, Ziva added this document only a couple of weeks ago and made sure to add a clause that enforces that you are the only one to have access to its contents. Neither I nor Mr. Dubin know all of what it entails."

Tony huffed, "so what exactly do you know about it then?"

"It was Ms. David's savings", Mr. Dubin finally chimed in, causing Tony to look at him with a weird expression as he had forgotten the lawyer was even in the room.

"What kind of savings? More things she decided to hide from me", Tony asked with a harsh tone.

Mr. Dubin ignored the tone and went on speaking calmly, "From what she said, it is a guide to her insurance policy. It is supposed to serve as some sort of contingency in the event that she ever needed to leave the country on short notice. Ms. David was not clear on where the savings was located or how much money the policy was worth. Against my advisement, she insisted that no one but you read the full document to assess where the savings may be and go to access it."

"Great", Tony remarked sarcastically. "So neither of you know where this so called savings is located and I'm just supposed to what, read this mysterious document and figure it out?" Immediately he got upset again. Raising his voice slightly, "I have a daughter to raise on my own now! Need I remind you again, a two year old that I just met a few days ago!? I barely know how to be a father! I don't have time to chase down clues and leads. That's exactly why I left NCIS! I'm done trying to solve cases! So no, I'm not taking on the case of finding Ziva's hidden insurance policy! You can keep that document and everything else she wants to pass along! I don't care about her nonnegotiable clause, she's dead okay!? DEAD! She's not gonna know!" His nose flared as he finished his rant. His chest heaved as he panted, the raw mix of emotions evident on his face. He was scared, hurt, troubled, and angry ... Yeah, definitely angry.

Orli, however, was unfazed by the outburst. Seeing it only helped solidify in her mind that she would tell Tony the reason she wanted to speak to him, beyond just having him come to settle the will. She calmly cleared her throat and looked towards the surprised lawyer, "Mr. Dubin, could you excuse us? I will have the paperwork you need signed and sent to your office by this week's end." The man gave her a questioning look of protest but she insisted, "Please, I assure you, I will handle everything. Your presence is not needed just for a few signatures. I am sorry to have bothered you to come all the way here for it. There is now a seriously personal matter I need to discuss with Mr. DiNozzo that requires our privacy."

With reluctance, Mr. Dubin nodded and made his exit quietly. Tony looked behind him at the closed door then back at Orli, "I'm pretty sure we're done here. I really don't want to hear anything else. Tali will wake up soon anyway and is going to want to eat. I need to get back to my hotel."

He stood to prepare to leave but Orli spoke with authority against it. "Tony, we are not finished. Now you will take your seat and listen to what I have to say!"

"Last I checked, I'm a grown ass man and not one of your Mossad lackeys", Tony countered with a heavy attitude as he scoffed. "You don't give me orders!"

"I do when you are in my country, at my agency, in my office. NOW SIT!"

It surely wasn't her tone that made him sit back down like a child that had just been scolded by their mother. No, it was something else. Maybe the way her eyes did not reflect her authoritative stance. They much rather pleaded with him in sincerity to hear her out and it left him instantly intrigued. He titled his head and raised his eyebrow to signal for her to speak.

"You asked me something the other day when we were in Director Vance's office. Something I did not get to answer." Orli's voice was now uncharacteristically timid. In a small hushed tone. As if she was almost completely afraid to tell him what she wanted to say. The change in tone now matched her pleading eyes that looked at him for reassurance that it was the right thing to speak. Tony nodded after she fell silent for a moment, giving her the reassurance she needed. "You asked if I was sure that Ziva is dead? I would like to answer that question now."

Tony shifted uncomfortably in his chair. All he had wanted to hear in the last few days was that Ziva was still alive. A small piece of hope started to glimmer before him— but only a small piece. He made sure not to read too much into it before she spoke further. The grieving former agent just couldn't afford to be fully hopeful only to hear a death confirmation again. Taking a deep breath, he nodded, "okay, what's the verdict?"

"There were no remains found at the David farmhouse", Orli started out slowly. "There was nothing found in the testing we've done on the ashes to show any signs of their being a human burnt within that house. Nothing at all. We have searched everything and ran every possible test. I, and my people, have concluded that her body just is not there."

"What are you trying to say?" He slid forward so he was sitting at the edge of the chair, absentmindedly grabbing the hand of his napping baby.

"What I am saying, Tony, is that I am not sure that Ziva is actually dead. Gone? Yes. But as for her being dead, I do not know for sure. Every part of me says she is alive." Orli paused to hand him a tissue as unexpected tears began to fall from his eyes. She sighed, "I have a question for you Tony and I would like you to take a moment to think before you answer."

Tony nodded to acknowledge that he would think before he gave his answer and Orli continued, "Two weeks ago, when Ziva came with the classified document, she said something that peaked my curiosity but I decided not to question her. Maybe I should have questioned the motive behind the statement, but from my past experience with you, I knew it to be the truth. She said that you would always know how to find her. Then she made me promise that I would get this document to you at any cost following what was to come. I felt as if she was expecting her life to be in jeopardy soon. That day, she also made me promise to make sure Tali was brought to you by me with a specific bag in which she would keep packed for when the time came that you needed it. I gave that bag to you when we were in Washington. She said it would benefit you more than Tali. I am not sure Tony, but to me, it sounded like Ziva knew about the threat coming before any of us did and she was planning an escape. I believe that she is too skilled and also too prepared to just be blindsided and killed in that fire. Especially with Tali being in her life. You have no idea how motherhood heightened her sense of awareness and sensitivity to know when danger was lurking."

"I still haven't heard you ask a question Orli", he spoke through his tears as they kept coming. He was getting impatient while hope kept pulling at his heart strings.

"Why did you come to Israel, Tony? Was it to continue raising Tali in her homeland? Or was it for something else?"

He was about to say he didn't know, but then he remembered Orli's request to think so he did. After giving it a few minutes of thought, drying his eyes, and getting his breathing level, he finally responded. "I came here to find answers. No one else seems to be looking for them and neither Ziva nor Tali deserve to be kept in the dark. There has to be something at the farmhouse that you and your people have overlooked. I need to find it so I can give her peace."

"Give who peace, Ziva or Tali? Because you speak now as if you believe Ziva is still alive. As if your search for answers is more about finding Ziva than it is about bringing peace to Tali. It is quite a change from a few minutes ago. There is a confidence in you again, or maybe it is hope. So, what is it? What has changed your demeanor?"

"Hope. You said you haven't found her body. You said Ziva was too skilled and prepared. It just reminded me of why I even left DC in the first place", he answered honestly. "You gotta believe what you gotta believe, and I believe that Ziva's alive somewhere out there. Like you said, gone but not dead. She can't be dead. Not when Tali needs her. Not when I ... when I need her. Not when I never got the chance to tell her how much I truly loved her ... how much I STILL love her. My heart won't let it go. Hell, my soul won't let her go. And if my soul won't let go, then she has to be alive!"

"Good, if that is what you believe, then I need you do what she said you knew how to do. I need you to find her, Tony. You have neutralized the threat. If she is out there hiding, then maybe she does not know that it is safe and is expecting you to find her." Orli spoke with unexpected desperation in her voice which took them both by surprise. "Please Tony, you have to do it! Check that bag I gave you. There may be a message or something. And take the document with you to read as well. I think that what the classified part of her will contains is a way for you to track her. A way in which only you could follow. I am not entirely sure, but I have this nagging feeling that that is what it is."

"Why are you helping me with this?" His returned reservation was warranted after he really caught up to what was actually being asked of him. "Why do you want me to find her so badly? It's almost like your more hopeful than I am that she's alive, although I doubt that's really possible."

Orli smiled softly, "You are right, I am quite hopeful ... Because I do not want to believe that the young woman, who I could see as my own daughter at times, is really dead. Not with the way things happened. Just as you have a feeling in your heart and soul, so do I. And, like you said, I am choosing to believe what I have to believe. My belief is that she alive and in hiding. But, you know as well as I, that tracking down Ziva is nearly impossible when she goes off the grid. Actually it IS impossible, except for when you are looking for her." She stood and walked around her desk. Placing a reassuring hand on Tony's shoulder, she looked deeply in his eyes so he could clearly see the truth she was about to speak. "I know how much she loves you and, now, I know how much you truly love her. Both of you have endured enough and deserve happiness and family— together. I want to see that for my beloved Eli's daughter. Just as it was one of his last wishes, it is my wish for her as well. Please, take what Ziva has left you and use it to give Tali her mother back. Use it to get the love of your life back. I never got that chance with Eli, but you have your chance now, Tony. Take it."

So, how ya'll feeling so far? Let me know your thoughts.

P.S. — I like writing Orli as someone positive and proTIVA =)

- Chide