I think some people are just inexplicably bonded. Drawn by forces beyond their own comprehension, they have no choice but to gravitate toward one another. Destined by fate to keep crossing paths until they finally get it right.
-L.B. Simmons, The Resurrection of Aubrey Miller
Senior Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo Junior let out a laugh as he eliminated another line of bricks on his cell phone game. At the desk next to him sat his partner, Special Agent Timothy McGee. Or as Tony called him, "Probie". While the older agent had his feet up on his desk, enjoying the rare lull between cases, his partner was typing away on the computer.
"What're you doing over there McGee?" Tony called as he took down another brick line on the game.
"Typing up your case report." McGee shot back and Tony grinned. Tony had bet his partner last week that the wife had been the one to kill the petty officer. Unfortunately for Tim, Tony had been right.
"Case reports can wait." Tony dropped his feet to the floor as their boss, Special Agent Leroy Jethro Gibbs strode into the bullpen.
"Where we goin' boss?" Tony asked as he stood from his chair.
"Home. Go pack a bag. Meet me at Dulles in an hour."
"Where are we going from Dulles?" McGee asked, now on his feet.
Gibbs took a sip of his coffee. "Israel."
-.-.-.-
They arrived just minutes before the C1-30 was set to take off. Tony had forced McGee to take him to his apartment, which was in the opposite direction of his.
"I'm just saying Tony, if we had gone separately we would have been here in time!" McGee yelled over the plane engines as they walked up the C-130 ramp.
"We made it in plenty of time McGoo!" Tony shouted back, then dropped his pack on the floor. He lowered himself into a seat and buckled himself in.
McGee decided not to comment and sat down a few feet from his partner. He looked across the plane at their boss. "So why are we going to Israel?" He shouted as the wind blew through the plane, the back ramp being raised.
"Missing officer from the USS Alaska." Gibbs replied.
McGee glanced at Tony. "Don't they have a team that's closer?" He knew NCIS had teams stationed in Europe.
"Special request from the Mossad Director." Gibbs told them then threw a folder that was paper clipped together at McGee. McGee handed Tony a copy and they both started to read the files as the plane began to take off from the tarmac.
McGee only lasted a few hours before he became sick. Tony cringed as he listened to his partner empty the contents of his stomach into a bucket at the back of the plane. He looked over to Gibbs, who was sound asleep.
How does he do that? Tony thought then looked up to see McGee stumbling back to his seat.
"Stay away from me McSickness." He snarked as he handed the agent a water bottle. McGee took it and let out a sigh. "You know, for someone who works for the Navy, you sure do get motion sick a lot." McGee simply glared at Tony before resting his head against the metal of the plane.
Somehow Tony was able to fall asleep for a couple of hours before a shrill dinging noise woke him from his slumber. When he opened his eyes he found McGee had pulled his computer out and was IMing with someone.
"Who in the hell are you talking to?" Tony asked as he stifled a yawn.
"Abby," McGee replied and Tony smiled thinking of their Goth forensic scientist. "You know how she gets when we leave for extended periods of time." He sure did. Abby loved each member of the team dearly. She got worried any time they left town or the country.
Tony shifted in his seat. "You two still sneaking around?"
"We were never sneaking around." McGee looked at him. "And you know that she and I ended that a while ago. Things just got too complicated with work."
"Rule number 12." Tony muttered then glanced at their still sleeping boss. McGee nodded silently, still typing away on the laptop. "You seeing anyone else?"
"Why do you care all of a sudden?"
Tony shrugged. "Just curious. I'm a curious person McGee." McGee snorted and Tony shifted in his seat again. "How much longer till we get there?"
"About eight more hours." McGee told him and Tony sighed. He was about to stand up when McGee thrusted the computer at him. "Here, she wants to talk to you."
Tony nodded and reluctantly took the laptop from him. He loved Abby, but her worrying drove him up the wall at times. At least this would help him get through another hour on the plane.
Once they had each reassured Abby that they were almost there and that they would call when they landed, McGee shut down his computer. The two of them spent the rest of the flight talking about a myriad of things as well as taking short naps.
Gibbs woke up right as they landed in Israel. Tony and McGee stood, both stiff from their 13 hour trip. As the ramp lowered the agents spotted a black SUV parked on the tarmac. Two Mossad officers, both dressed in black, met the group a few feet from the car.
"Agent Gibbs, Officer Malachi Ben-Gidon." The male officer said as he stuck out his hand to shake Gibbs'. "This is my partner, Officer Ziva David." Gibbs shook her hand them pointed to his agents.
"Agents Tony DiNozzo and Tim McGee."
Ziva nodded her head at them. "Shalom, welcome to Israel."
Tony studied Ziva with a smile. She was pretty, in a simple, somewhat exotic way.
Once the bags were stowed and everyone was in the car, Malachi turned to Gibbs. "Normally we would take you to headquarters, but we have been told you want to go directly to the Navy ship." Gibbs nodded silently.
Noticing that Ziva would be the one driving, Tony couldn't help but make a remark. "Not a fan of driving, Officer Ben-Gidon?" Ziva smirked then hit the gas. Tony gave a yelp as he tumbled into McGee.
Malachi chuckled. "You will soon see that Ziva is one of our more, intense drivers, Agent DiNozzo."
"Where we come from, we call that road rage!" Tony yelled from the back of the car. Both Mossad officers laughed.
As they exited the car, Tony once again studied Ziva. "They always start Mossad officers out so young?" He quipped. She couldn't be more than 25.
Ziva smirked at Tony, her eyes glittering with mirth. "We have to. Most are dead by your age."
Tony's mouth fell open as McGee let out a laugh. "Just how old do you think I am?" Tony shouted as they all followed Malachi towards the Navy ship. "Because I'm not that old," He told her as they walked up the ramp to the ship.
"Is this where I am supposed to ask just how old you are, knowing you will probably lie?" She called over her shoulder.
Before he could respond McGee jumped into the conversation. "He's 34."
Tony's head whipped around. "Was she talking to you Probie?" McGee simply smiled at his partner.
"Well, luckily for you, I am ok with dating men ten years older than me." They stopped a few feet from Malachi and Gibbs, who were already speaking to the Captain. Tony's mouth dropped open a second time and Ziva chuckled.
Their flirtation now over, they turned their attention to the Navy Captain who was telling Gibbs and Malachi how the missing petty officer had last been seen when the crew was dismissed for weekend shore leave.
"You're sure he left the ship?" Gibbs asked.
"Yes sir, every crew member who leaves has their ID scanned."
"Does the officer who runs the log know every sailor?" Gibbs asked.
"Well, no Agent Gibbs. It's a large ship. We have a crew of several hundred. You think he might still be on board?"
"It's a possibility." He said as he wrote something down on a notepad. "DiNozzo,"
"Start questioning those he directly worked with. On it Boss!"
"McGee,"
"I'll establish a satellite link with Abby and start combing through the crew log." Gibbs nodded.
"Anything we can do, Agent Gibbs?" Ziva asked. Tony and McGee stopped to see what their boss would say.
Gibbs looked at the Mossad officer and studied her for a second. "Yeah. Your agency have dogs?"
"Of course."
"Make a call. We need search and cadaver."
Ziva nodded. "Right away." She brushed past Tony, her phone already at her ear.
"You think he's dead?" The Captain exclaimed.
"It's a possibility, Captain." Gibbs studied the man. "Don't worry, we'll figure this out." He and Malachi then turned and made their way back to the deck of the ship.
"Ziva has experience working with the search dogs," Malachi told Gibbs as they stood outside. "She can lead the search if you would like." Gibbs nodded. "Do you think he's dead?" Malachi asked.
"Maybe. That or he abandoned his crew."
"Deserters are dealt with heavily in Mossad." Malachi said off handedly. The two of them turned as Ziva walked up to them.
"They are twenty minutes out."
Gibbs nodded. "Malachi says you've worked with the search and rescue dogs."
"Yes," Ziva said as she nodded. "It was one of my first assignments."
"You'll head up the search team. When Tony gets done questioning the crew, he'll come with you."
-.-.-.-
Tony expected Officer David to simply follow the search team through the ship, because that's what he would have done. So when the search team arrived and Ziva took the leash of one of the dogs, he was a bit surprised. When Ziva saw Tony standing several feet away from the dogs she called him over.
"Not a fan of dogs, Agent DiNozzo?"
Tony slowly approached her, keeping an eye on the German Shepard that sat at her feet. "Oh I love dogs. But they uh, don't seem to be too fond of me."
Ziva looked down at the dog then back to Tony. "Interesting." She reached down and rubbed the dog's head. "This is Zeus. He was my partner when I worked with the canine unit."
"Must be nice to have a partner who doesn't talk back."
"True, but they do bite." Tony took a step back and Ziva laughed. Malachi joined them, handing Ziva a shirt they had collected from the sailor's quarters. Ziva leaned down, allowing Zeus to sniff the article of clothing. "Zeus, baqash!" Zeus shot forward, leading Tony and Ziva back into the ship.
"So how long have you been with Mossad?" Tony asked as they followed Zeus through the ship's corridors.
"Eight years."
"You joined when you were 16?" Ziva could hear the surprise in his voice.
"I told you we start young here." She replied as Zeus started to move faster.
"That's pretty young. What made you want to join?"
Though she was a few steps ahead of him, he could hear her clear her throat. "My Father. He uh..he was the Deputy Director at the time."
They walked up and down the ship's corridors for thirty minutes, tossing questions back and forth to one another. They had just rounded a corner when Zeus suddenly stopped and Tony rocked back on his heels to keep from running into Ziva. "Where's your Father now?" Tony asked, returning to one of the first things she had told him.
She looked up at him and he suddenly became aware of how close they were to one another. "Now he is the Director." Tony's eyes widened and Ziva turned towards Zeus. "He has found something."
Tony turned see the dog scratching at a door. "This isn't anywhere near the sailor's post." Tony commented as he looked up and down the hall.
"So?"
"So, on a ship this large, you don't usually go exploring. It's easy to get lost." Tony pulled his gun from his holster and motioned for Ziva to move aside. She jerked on Zeus' leash, moving him away from the door and pulling out her own gun. Tony slowly turned the knob then thrust the door open, pointing his gun into the room. "Well…looks like Gibbs was right." Ziva peered into the room to see the missing sailor laying dead on the floor.
The NCIS team watched as the Mossad corner collected the body. Once the body was on a stretcher, Gibbs spoke to him, telling him how to contact Ducky so they could do a joint autopsy.
Gibbs then turned to his team. "What do we got?"
"We have two sailors in custody," McGee told Gibbs. "There's reports in their files stating that they had several altercations with our dead sailor. Both of them even threatened to kill him."
Gibbs nodded. "Let's go talk to them." Everyone followed him into the mess hall, where the sailors were being held under the supervision of two other Mossad officers.
Within a few hours the team had time of death, giving them proof that the first crew member they spoke to didn't do it. He was on his communications shift during the window of time the killer had to commit the murder.
That left the second crew member. The group watched as Gibbs sat down, using every trick in his book to try to get the sailor to talk. After an hour, it was clear he wasn't going to talk. Gibbs stood and motioned for his team, and the Mossad officers to follow him out into the hall.
Tony looked at Gibbs as they stood in a circle in the hall. "What're you thinking Boss?"
Gibbs was silent for a moment, then looked at Malachi. "You think you could get him to talk?"
Malachi nodded. "I could, but…" He turned to look at Ziva. "She is more skilled at interrogation."
Ziva tilted her head, a smirk on her lips. "You do realize I have never conducted an interrogation without inflicting some form of bodily harm?" She said to Malachi. Tony and McGee stared at her, both of their mouths agape.
"Just don't kill him." Gibbs said and started to walk down the hall.
"Boss? Where you goin?" Tony called.
"To get some coffee. Keep an eye on Officer David."
-.-.-.-
Tony, McGee and Malachi all followed Ziva into the room. Tony watched as Ziva jerked her head at the two other officers, silently telling them to leave. The three of them stood along the wall as she silently walked in circles around the table.
The sailor shifted in his seat, watching her move around him. "The old man gave up so they send a girl to question me?" He snarked.
Ziva's hand flew out, smacking him in the head. "It is Officer David." Her voice came out in a snarl and Tony found himself smiling. She pulled the chair on the opposite side of the table out, setting it down a few feet from where it had been. She sat down and placed her elbows on her knees.
"If this was a Mossad case she would have broken his arm by now." Malachi whispered to Tony.
"So Officer Williams, what was it that you did not like about Petty Officer Brian?"
"I need a reason?"
"Everyone has reasons for hating people. Even idiots like you." Ziva growled.
Williams laughed. "The bastard had it coming."
"So what did he do? Report you for something? Start a rumor about you? Steal your girlfriend?" The sailor stiffened and Ziva raised her eyebrows. "Ah, of course. Why is it men can never control themselves when it comes to women?" She asked him, her head tilted to the right.
"He shoulda kept his nose out of," He stopped, realizing he was about to give something away.
"Out of what?" Ziva stood and began to walk around the table again. "I think, Petty Officer Brian saw something he wasn't supposed to." Tony's eyes were glued to Ziva as she paced. "Perhaps he saw you with a women who was not your girlfriend? It can be hard being at sea for months, away from those you care about." Williams turned his gaze to the ceiling, his lips in a line. "When you last made port, you thought, 'I'll do it just this once. No one will know.'" She stopped abruptly at the sailors side. "But then Brian saw you. He said he would tell your girlfriend. So you had no other option, right?" When he didn't answer, she slammed her hand to the table. "Right!?"
The sailor exploded. "What gave him the right to tell her I was with another woman? It wasn't any of his damn business!"
"And that is cause for murdering him!?" She shouted back. Tony moved from his place on the wall as Williams jumped up.
"Jerk got what was coming to him." He snarled. "If it wasn't me, it would have been someone else."
There was fire in Ziva's eyes. "Where I come from, we watch one another's backs. Not stab them. So much for brothers in arms!" As her words left her mouth the sailor lunged across the table, hands grappling for a piece of her. Tony rushed forward but by the time he got there, Ziva had Williams in a head lock, his body pinned to the table.
Tony slapped a pair of handcuffs on him, passing him off to McGee. He turned to Ziva, who was breathing heavily, her eyes still hard. He heard her mutter something in Hebrew under her breathe as Malachi handed her gun back to her.
"You ok?" Tony asked as they made their way into the hall.
Ziva nodded her head. "Fine. I just do not like people who betray their oath."
"You should come to America, plenty of those there." Ziva stayed silent as they exited the ship and made their way down the ramp where Gibbs was. "Open and shut case, huh boss?" Gibbs didn't say anything as the agents and officers gathered around him.
"Now what?" McGee asked.
"Get some sleep, we leave in the morning."
Malachi drove them to the hotel they would be staying at. As he, Gibbs and McGee walked off, Ziva touched Tony's arm.
He looked down at her. "Officer David?"
She tilted her head, her eyes dark. "Up for a drink?"
She watched as he glanced at the hotel entrance, then back to her. "Sure."
-.-.-.-
After a drink at a bar near by, Ziva invited Tony back to her apartment. They spent the next several hours drinking and talking. He had never been this comfortable with someone he had just met. But there was something about Ziva that made him feel at ease.
They shared stories about their childhoods, bonding over how both of them grew up without a Mother, with a Father who always had other priorities. They talked about their jobs, how he had gone from Baltimore Police to NCIS and how she had never had a choice in joining Mossad. She told him about the countries she had been to, mostly for Mossad and he told her about growing up in boarding school.
As they drank and talked, the personal space between them closed, until their arms were touching and her legs were across his lap. He brushed a piece of hair out of her face and was about to say something when his phone buzzed. He groaned and his head fell onto her shoulder. She reached towards the coffee table where their phones sat. She took a drink of her wine as he opened his phone, reading the message.
It was from McGee, telling him they would be leaving at 0800. Tony replied, telling him he was out and would meet them at the airfield. He set the phone down and turned back to the woman beside him.
Ziva had been silently studying Tony. From the moment the met, she felt as if she knew him. She could tell he could be trusted, which was unusual for her since she rarely trusted those she did not know. There was something about him that made her feel safe. She liked that feeling, as it had been too long since she had felt safe around anyone.
"Do you have to go?" She asked, her brown eyes growing dark.
Tony tossed the phone, which he had silenced after he hung up, back onto the table. "Nope, I'm all yours."
Ziva felt a heat pool in her stomach at his words. She slowly moved her hands towards his until their fingers were laced together. This was unlike her. She usually jumped into things, even situations with men. But she had a feeling that she needed to take this slow and enjoy it.
Tony must have felt the same thing, because he too was making every move slowly, watching her to see how she would react. After several minutes the space between them closed and their lips met.
After several heated kisses she slowly stood, her hand wrapped around his wrist. He grinned as she led him to her bedroom. He had to force himself to control his breathing as her hands slipped under his shirt, brushing his skin before slowly pulling it over his head. He boasted to McGee all the time about his dates, but the truth was he hadn't been with a woman in several months.
"I'm not sure if this is what our agencies would consider diplomatic relations." Tony told her after he had moved in for another kiss.
"It could be worse," She said as his kisses moved to her neck. "You could be sleeping with the enemy."
Tony stopped and looked down at her. She smiled, catching her bottom lip between her teeth. "You have an interesting sense of humor, Ms. David."
She backed up to the bed, tossing her shirt into a corner before pulling him down with her. Fingers roamed over skin. Hair was pulled. Kisses were placed in areas unseen to others. Eventually they became one, moving together before collapsing, their chests heaving up and down.
Ziva looked down at him, a satisfied grin forming on her face. Tony's eyes slowly opened and he was greeted with a wild mess of curls and Ziva's smile. He raised his hand, brushing the curls out of the way so he could see her face. They studied one another before laughter bubbled out of them. She leaned down and pressed her lips to his, her laughter now a soft chuckle.
"I wish you did not have to go." She said softly, her fingers dancing on his chest.
"Me either." He glanced down at her, wondering if she could feel his heart thumping in his chest. "You should come visit sometime." She slowly sat up, the covers falling from her shoulders. His eyes roamed over her body. "I think you'd find America entertaining."
They continued their coupling into the early morning, stopping to rest or to talk about whatever topic popped into their minds. At 0700, Ziva pushed him towards the bathroom, ordering him to shower.
When he exited she was sitting on the bed, a coffee mug in her hands for him. As he leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips he couldn't help but think how normal this felt, how right. They drank their coffee in silence, both not wanting to admit what was going to happen when they left her apartment.
At the tarmac she put the car in park and turned to him, a sad smile on her lips. He wrapped her hand in his before looking at her. "Well, this is it." She nodded silently, refusing to allow the emotions she was feeling to spill out. "Shalom, Ziva."
She reached forward and cupped his cheek. "Shalom, Tony." Their lips met one more time and then he was gone. She stayed until the plane took off and was a distant speck in the sky.
-.-.-.-
The usual talkative agent had been quiet since they returned to NCIS, something his partner quickly picked up on. "You ok Tony?" McGee asked as they walked into the bullpen Friday morning. "You've been quiet this past week."
"Fine. Our trip to Israel wore me out is all." He placed his gun in his desk drawer.
"Maybe you need servicing." The voice that came from behind him made him freeze. When he looked up he blinked, thinking he had to be dreaming. Standing at the edge of their office space was Ziva. She was dressed in cargo pants and a black t-shirt with a scarf covering her hair. it was simple, but Tony was sure he had never seen anyone more beautiful.
"Officer David, this is a surprise!" McGee exclaimed, breaking through Tony's thoughts. Ziva gave him a smile before turning her gaze back to Tony.
Finally finding his voice, the Senior field agent spoke. "Hi."
"Hello."
"What're you doing here?" His head tilted slightly in question.
"I have been assigned as the new Mossad liaison officer." As she spoke Gibbs rounded the corner. Tony held his breathe, wondering how their boss would react.
He stopped in front of Ziva. "Officer David, you're just in time." Ziva's eyes lit up at his friendly greeting. Gibbs looked at his agents. "Grab your gear, we've got a dead petty officer."
As they followed Gibbs to the elevator Tony and Ziva shared a look and Tony felt the dark cloud that had been over him since he left Israel disappear.
