Disclaimers disclaimed.

Chapter XII - Too Late


Just get to the door Tal, get to the door.

Tali's mission was clear.

Get to the door.

She didn't care what might be on the other side. She had no clue what or who would be waiting for her there. But she was determined to fight at any cost.

Get to the door.

Fight for her life. Fight for her freedom. Fight for her family.

Get to the door.

Her heart was racing. Her adrenaline was pumping.

Get to the door.

There were only two options left: stay and give in to Lucifer's psychotic lust, or run and fight like hell. She wasn't going to lay and take it anymore. She couldn't.

Get to the door.


"Thank you Paza, I owe you", she chuckled, "yes I know, add it to the list. Shalom." Ziva ended the call and looked up as Tony entered his office.

"Got something", he asked.

"Yes, that was a friend from Mossad".

Tony walked up to her slightly puzzled and moved a stray hair from her face, "Didn't think you still had friends at Mossad, Mrs. Dinozzo."

Ziva smiled and pecked his lips. "Just one, Paza, she was my friend long before either of us were Mossad and you know that. Do not act as if you do not remember how Paza helped us in that past, my love", she said as she pulled away. She walked over to Tony's computer to pull up a file. After a few clicks, several images popped up on the plasma mounted in the office. Ziva continued with the information, "Paza's first assignment at Mossad was a covert op to take out a terrorist cell making weapons trades all across the globe. The cell was trading with many of Israel's enemies, so Mossad had chosen to take it upon themselves to shut it down before an attack could be made. When they finally closed in on the cell they had tracked their leader to South Africa. I was brought on towards the end of that mission to provide backup during the raid to take them down. When we entered the bunker the cell was staying in, we found eleven of the twelve men already dead. The only one left standing was their leader, a young man by the name of Adolf Benjamin." She clicked the remote to pull up his photo.

Immediately Tony recognized the tattoo that Ziva had pointed out the day before in MTAC. "That's the same tattoo, he has to be the guy in the video, but the face is no where near the same."

"Clearly the face is different now but I put the cuffs on him myself, that's why I remembered the tattoo. Somehow, Benjamin escaped from an Israeli prison that he had been transferred to three years ago. In that time, he must have had his appearance altered but he is definitely the one who has Hunter and Tali. I can feel it."

"I'm confused Zi", he looked at her with a mix of concern and irritation.

"Paza says that it is likely that his reason for kidnapping Tali and Hunter is as you feared, that he may be trying to reset the war so that it comes to American soil. Prior to my reaching out to her, Mossad had already reopened the case file from the op to try to retrack Benjamin. I mentioned Johanson to her and she knew of both Deeter and Marko. They are in fact brothers. Deeter was just starting out in the sale of bombs when Benjamin made his first play in the weapons trade. They worked together, but after Benjamin was taken down by Mossad, Deeter went unground. It wasn't until we had that MAH case that Mossad started to look back into him and put his brother on an internal watchlist."

Tony rubbed his head in frustration, "That's a whole lot of information you and your Mossad buddies have been sitting on".

"Sarcasm isn't going to help us right now Tony. I'm only relaying everything the Paza told me. I know it's a lot but..."

"Ya think Ziva?!"

She was taken back by his tone, "is there a problem?"

"Are you really asking me that?"

"Huh, are you really choosing to be an asshole right now", she snapped back.

He threw up his hands in a dramatic sign of confusion. "I don't know, maybe I am! This whole thing sounds a little crazy for me Ziva! And how did you forget such a case? Seems like you should have remembered Deeter's connection with this bastard and that Mossad already had ties to him way back when we worked the MAH case."

"Tony, the only intel I had on the op were the people directly within the cell. Johanson was never in the file I had."

"Oh, how convenient", his sarcasm was pissing her off and he knew it, but he was starting to get even more agitated as the confusion kept weighing on him. He wanted answers. "So you mean to tell me that twenty something years ago you cuffed the bastard that now has our daughter? And now, suddenly after twenty something years, you're receiving new intel on the very case you worked?"

"Tony, I already explained that I was only read in on who the targets where for the raid. Anything prior to that point was not my concern. It was need to know, and I didn't need to know back then."

"I find it hard to believe that you didn't know, you were Eli's daughter, the proverbial face of Mossad."

She scoffed, "what is it that you are insinuating Tony?" All too well she knew her husband. He was about to jump off the ledge and scream. She anticipated him to fly off the handle at any second.

"I want answers", he spoke sternly, "and I want them now!"

Ziva shook her head and tried to control her own emotions. There was no use in them both exploding. She spoke calmly, "Tony, I have told you what I know. I've told you everything my contact could provide. What else would you like me to tell you?"

"How the hell does this asshole escape from an Israeli prison?" Tony nearly yelled at the top of his lungs, "and since when does Mossad put cuffs on people? You're a trained assassin! Why not kill the son of bitch right then and there!?"

She took a deep breath and tried to calm him, "Tony please, I can explain that if you just relax."

She placed her hand on his cheek but he pulled away. "No Ziva! You can't possibly explain", his voice elevated more. Anger now the main emotion driving his speech. "You had a chance to take out this fucking bastard years ago but instead you cuffed him and put him in some rinky dink Israeli jail! Had you killed him when you had the chance my daughter wouldn't be locked up somewhere scared for her life!"

Ziva looked at him with pained eyes. "Are you saying that Tali being kidnapped is my fault", the brokenness in her voice matched the look on her face.

"Well let's see", he spoke sarcastically again blinded by his anger. "My daughter is probably out there being tortured by this fucking monster and you ... you're the one who could have prevented it long before she was even born! You could have protected her! Hell, how do I even know you're not in on this too since you still seem to be connected with Mossad!? All these years and you're still keeping things from me! You're the one who said you knew him before we even got this intel from your little Mossad friends. So yeah, MY daughter being held captive is your fucking fault Officer David!"

An echo bounced off the walls as Ziva's open hand made contact with Tony's cheek. Almost perfectly creating a handprint on his face. Ziva's breathing was labored as she tried to speak through the sudden rush of tears, "OUR daughter Tony! How dare you even accuse me of being part of this ..."

"You're not exactly denying it either", he interrupted. Ziva went to slap him again but he caught her by her wrist, "And apparently now we've resorted to violence in our relationship."

"Let me go", she warned.

"How about you tell me the truth", Tony's grip tightened. "Are you part of this?"

"Tony, I am warning you", she hissed. "You have lost your mind."

"Answer the goddamn question Ziva", his nose flared. Eyes glazed over with desperation and fury. What the hell is happening? Part of him knew he was wrong but the other half, the desperate, irrational, and sleep deprived half, was overpowering his better logic. He kept his eyes fixed on Ziva, but released his grip on her.

She rubbed her wrist, "You need to sleep whatever this is off so you can focus on saving OUR daughter. Anthony and I will stay in Abby's lab tonight."

"No, my son can stay with me."

Ziva shook her head in disbelief, "I'm not going to fight you. Goodnight Director Dinozzo." She turned to leave.

"Mmhm, yeah, goodnight Officer David", he quipped back.

Stopping at the second use of her maiden name, she turned to look at Tony. Her tear filled eyes spoke something that words could not do justice. It was only then that something triggered in Tony. Something that pulled him back to logic and reasoning.

He sighed, "Zi, I'm sor ...".

The wave of her finger made him stop his apology. It was clear that she felt a range of emotions that all led to the ultimate feeling of betrayal. Shit. Suddenly, Tony's world was crushed and it was no one's fault but his own. He watched as Ziva left slamming the door. Apologizing wouldn't work now, the damage was already done— too late.