NCIS Headquarters

Jen offers a friendly smile seeing the frustration on Gibbs' face. It mirrors her own. The idea of attaching a Mossad liaison to NCIS had done nothing to enhance her reputation. Choosing the Mossad Director's daughter to fill the position sealed her fate in the eyes of those who already viewed a female NCIS Director as a monumental mistake and started a round of heavy betting on her resignation date. Ziva's reassignment is equivalent to a failure no matter what the reason. Sudden recalls of foreign operatives seldom represent anything positive, more often, signaling impropriety of some kind. "You weren't surprised."

Gibbs considers retreating back to Abby's lab before reluctantly stepping into the elevator, "About what?"

"You have a great poker face Jethro but you were never very good at playing dumb." The two had spent too much time together to fool each other especially in these situations.

"I knew she was going to the embassy." Even if he wanted to tell Jenny what happened, Gibbs is determined not to break Ziva's confidence. He will take her secret to his grave and live knowing that he bears some responsibility for her reassignment.

Dissatisfied Jen reaches across Gibbs to flip the emergency switch, "Do you know why she was reassigned?"

Gibbs quickly looks at her then looks away, "No"

Eyes to the ceiling, Jenny's instincts scream at her that he knows more than he is saying. That's the way it always is with Gibbs. Having worked with Ziva for several years, she had a good idea of the depth of her loyalties and any secret shared by the two of them has the potential to stay hidden forever. "It is quite the coincidence that the Mossad hit is squashed the same day that Ziva is reassigned."

Gibbs continues to look straight ahead feeling that Jenny's gaze is now fixed on him, "I don't believe in coincidences."

"Which is exactly why I am not sure why you're not more interested . I'm going to ask again. Do you know why Ziva was reassigned?" This is not the man she is used to. The man she knows would be raising hell, yelling at her and anyone else he thought could get his officer back to NCIS. That is the reaction she expected. This reaction worries her.

Gibbs turns towards the redhead this time maintaining eye contact, "No. You?"

"Yes," she steps closer searching for the truth in his eyes.

Gibbs' face remains stoic. He is unconvinced that she knows but is trying to respect Ziva's wishes by letting it go, by letting her go without a fight.

"Officially, due to increasing tensions in the Middle East region, she along with several other Mossad agents were being reassigned."

Not as relieved as he should be that Jen does not know the truth, Gibbs looks at her in annoyed disbelief, "Officially that's crap. Unofficially?"

"Her personal ties to NCIS were viewed by Mossad as too close. They assessed that her relationships were a threat to Israeli security." As she speaks, she smiles at the contradiction. Mossad and personal ties. Ziva is not your typical Mossad operative. This is one of the reasons Jenny agreed to have her join Gibbs' team. She knew she would fit in and Gibbs would be able to see that she was more than a Mossad officer. Gibbs would see her loyalty because of how much he valued it. This morning it made her sad realizing the reason that she was such a good fit is one of the reasons Ziva is now in Israel.

Gibbs flips the switch restarting the elevator, "Isn't that what spies are supposed to do?"

Jen laughs, "I guess she did it too well. I told you she was good."

Staring at the numbers atop the elevator doors, Gibbs is worried regretting his decision to let Ziva go to the embassy without him, "For her sake, I hope you underestimated her."

Ziva's apartment

Pulling into the parking spot next to the red Mini, Tony is relieved to see her car still there. He can't help but smile thinking how he always feels a sense of relief each time he sees it parked. Of all the things he knows about Ziva, her driving is what scares him the most. Since hearing the news, he's been racking his brain to figure out how she could just walk away from the team without talking to anyone. How come she didn't answer her phone last night? She wasn't cold. She can appear cold but that isn't who she is. Cold people don't try to get people to like them, bring flowers, offer to give piano lessons and take you to dinner after a break up. Cold people don't try to boost your confidence or keep using English idioms that they get wrong every other time. He's certain that she is not the type of person who simply walks away.

As they leave the car, McGee studies Tony's face unnerved by his clenched jaw. The ride to Ziva's was quiet with Tony speaking only in response to McGee's questions. Gone was that man from this morning making fun of him for being concerned about Ziva being late. Here is a partner full of concern for his teammate. His mind wanders to Kate as they walk up the stairs. Ziva isn't dead but even McGee is starting to accept that she's probably not coming back.

Reaching Ziva's apartment, Tony opens the door with a key from his pocket as McGee eyes him up.

"You'll never know Probie." He and Ziva had become close in the short time he'd known her. It surprised him. He and Kate were close but it was different. Ziva got to him in a different way. When she made fun of him he wondered if she meant it. He cared if she meant it. There was something about her that was different, that was free. He looked forward to seeing her in the morning, to their battles throughout the day. He liked that there always seemed to be something new to know about her.

"Stop calling me Probie. Why are we here again?" Walking into the apartment, McGee raises an eyebrow. As usual he's beginning to regret following Tony's lead.

Tony scans the interior with a sense of urgency, "We need to find out what spy girl did to piss off her father."

"How do you know she did something? Maybe she was just reassigned." McGee looks around more casually, randomly picking up items in the kitchen. It is not the first time he's been to Ziva's but he is not nearly as comfortable or suspicious as Tony who is looking through her drawers.

"Think about it. Last night she sees the old man for the first time in two years and before morning she's on a plane back to Israel. She didn't ask to go. She would've said something if she wanted to go." Ziva is full of secrets but this is not about secrets and Tony knows it. He's no stranger to punishment from a powerful parent. He can smell it a mile away.

McGee is examining the collection on her bookshelf, "You don't know that. She is a Mossad spy? Do you really think you know her that well?"

Irritated Tony immediately closes the distance between he and McGee so that they are nose to nose, "Do you have any idea what the life expectancy of a female Mossad officer in Iraq is?"

"No." Realizing his error in judgment, McGee stands straight and swallows hard.

Tony's voice is low and serious, "It's slightly better than the goldfish you win at the carnival."

"Ziva can take care of herself. She's going to kick your six when she finds out you said that about her." McGee rolls his eyes sure that Tony is exaggerating and believing that he's mad Ziva didn't tell him she was leaving.

"If that gets her back here she can do whatever she wants with my six McGee." No matter how much Tony believes in Ziva's ability to take care of herself, some things even she can't control. He's always thought it was strange that they trusted her from the beginning. They had every reason not to yet no reason at all. She was a Mossad officer but she proved herself to be as much NCIS as any of them. Only Abby was suspicious of her. She accepted that Gibbs killed Ari in self defense and still wanted to be part of their NCIS team. He respected that the truth was important to her.

McGee isn't sure what to make of the situation. Tony never misses an opportunity to make a joke in every situation and he just passed on his own joke about Ziva and his six.

"She didn't take her back up weapons. She would have taken her back up weapons."

"Back up weapons?" McGee can't imagine how many more weapons Ziva could have. On a daily basis she had two guns and a knife. How many more does a person need? He shakes his head remembering who he's talking about.

"She has three that I know about and all three are here. Who knows what else she has hidden in this place?"

"This is disturbing. She has guns in her house like people have televisions." As much as he likes Ziva, she is one person McGee would not want to see in a dark alley with his worst enemy.

"I think she keeps one more in her bathroom," Tony heads into the direction of the bedroom, "Uh McGee."

Walking into the room, the younger agent is greeted by the sight of an overturned dresser, broken lamp and a bloodstained carpet, "This isn't good."

"You think?" Tony draws his gun before walking into the adjoining bathroom.

McGee checks the walk-in closet, "This doesn't make any sense. Ziva's not here."

"No but her knife is."

In the bathroom, McGee sees two men in the bathtub. One with Ziva's knife sticking out of his chest and underneath of him a man with a gunshot wound to the head. "Two corpses and no Ziva. Do you think she's okay?"

Satisfied that whoever stacked the bodies in the bathtub is long gone, Tony make a call, "I have no idea."

"Where are you DiNozzo?" Gibbs is yelling on the other end finally able to vent his anger at someone.

Tony holds the phone away from his ear wincing, "Ziva's apartment Boss."

"Why?" His voice lower with an edge, the senior agent knows exactly what he's doing and is proud of him for it. He would've liked to have done it himself just to make sure.

"Boss, really it's what not why. We found something." Tony is used to the Boss yelling at him but right now he wishes he'd stop and listen.

"We? Is McGee with you?"

"Yes"

"What you're about to tell me better be good DiNozzo or the two of you are going to be cleaning toilets. Make it quick DiNozzo." While appreciating their commitment to Ziva, Gibbs did not find it amusing that they left work without telling him. They still have a job to do and he will be the last person to let them forget it.

"Two dead bodies and no Ziva."

Gibbs is shocked, "Who killed them DiNozzo?"

"Looks like Ziva took out one. The other a bullet of unknown origin. Neither dead guy has any ID on him. There's blood from the bedroom to the bathroom but nowhere else."

"Drop your weapons." Tony and McGee look at each other as three men stand with guns pointed at them.

Hearing the other voices Gibbs is immediately concerned. He cannot afford to lose two more agents today, "What's going on DiNozzo?"

"Probie, why weren't you watching the door?" Tony drops his weapon then slaps McGee on the back of the head as he stands up.

McGee looks at him annoyed as he drops his weapon wondering how he could get his hands on one of Ziva's.

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs' blood pressure is rising with each second he goes without a response from Tony.

Two of the men step forward as one yells, "Drop the phone!"

"Uh Boss I'm gonna have to call you back." Tony smiles closing his cell phone, "How you doing?"