Fighting the Darkness

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.

Italics are for Hebrew.

Chapter 10: Bad Day (Part 2)

McGee was sitting by his desk working, occasionally chuckling to himself when the happy giggles of little Abigail, who was watching Finding Nemo with Palmer, reached him, but then the elevator pinged and the doors opened letting Gibbs, Ziva and Carpino into the squad room. Carpino felt considerably better after waking up and puking on Gibbs shoes but, in return, it made the already grumpy ex-marine very pissed off. He wasn't in a good mood and the resisting man didn't make anything to help and suddenly Carpino found himself pressed up against the wall with Gibbs' face just inches away from his.

"Keep it up, you son of a bitch…" He told him with such an intense gaze that the man shut up immediately. "You give me just one damn reason to shoot you and I'll do it." Gibbs continued staring at the man daring him when something else caught his attention.

Abigail had jumped up from her chair and run to Ziva with big frightened eyes. And for the first time she was speaking… she seemed to be repeating one thing over and over again while pulling Ziva's arm to make sure that the woman paid attention to her… but no one seemed to understand her… except for Ziva… While Palmer and McGee remained in the background observing the events and looking at each other with confused eyes and Gibbs loosened his grip on Carpino just enough to be able to turn towards the girl, Ziva kneeled down in front of the little girl and began to speak to her in a soothing voice, seemingly not at all taken aback by the little girl's outburst.

As the team watched on the scene in front of them, it became clear for them that Ziva was speaking on her native language.

After awhile Gibbs lost his patience that had been already running low.

"What the hell is going on here?" He asked Ziva in a tone, which made McGee and Palmer froze. They didn't think that anybody could ever hear Gibbs using that tone when addressing the Israeli woman. But he really couldn't help his tone. It wasn't enough that that son of a bitch had pissed him off big time but now he had a girl who hadn't spoken a word since they found her and now she was speaking fluent Hebrew. And Ziva didn't seem one bit surprised. What the hell did he miss?

"Get him out of here!" Reacting to Gibbs harsh tone, Ziva commanded with a hard expression as she stood up and pulled Abby closer to her. "Get him out of here!" She repeated herself after realizing that the first time she had spoken in Hebrew. "He is scaring her. She saw him killing the Major."

Gibbs all but pushed Carpino into the hands of an another agent, who just happened to be passing by, ordering him to take the suspect into an interrogation room then turned back to his team. Taking in Gibbs' tensed features, Palmer wisely opted for leaving so he silently, and very quickly, made his way to the elevator. McGee felt so small under his boss' stern gaze that he hadn't felt since high school but Ziva stood her ground and didn't even blink when Gibbs' gaze fell on her.

"Did I do something wrong?" Abby whispered in a teary voice while she looked up at Ziva.

"No, my angel, you have not done anything wrong." Ziva stroked her hair soothingly.

"McGee, pull up the girl's personal file from Social Services." His eyes not leaving Ziva, Gibbs barked at his agent, who was by his computer in a second. While McGee was typing furiously on his keyboard, the two Gibbses stood motionless. Gibbs' grumpiness and impatience was quickly making Ziva pissed, too. And one pissed off Gibbs was bad enough, not to mention two…

"Uhm, Boss… I can't find anything under the name of Abigail Green."

"What do you mean you can't find anything?" Gibbs snapped as he went to stand behind the younger man.

Meanwhile, Ziva slowly led Abby to her desk and sat her down. As she was crouching in front of the somewhat frightened girl, gently stroking her cheek, she was furiously trying to put together the pieces. As her brain worked, everything, even Gibbs' unreasonable outburst, seemed to fade into the background. All she could think about was her baby girl.

Then Abigail spoke up in a hardly audible voice.

"My name is not Abigail. Only Mrs. Wilson calls me that." Suddenly tears flooded Ziva's eyes as she looked at the girl and when she whispered her real name in awe, Avigail just nodded slightly.

The other two men seemed completely unaware of the scene playing out in the background. McGee was trying his hardest not anger his boss even more and Gibbs was too frustrated to pay any attention to anything else other than finding out who that girl was.

"I mean there's nothing. She doesn't exist." McGee told his boss carefully. Gibbs punched his fist on the desk frustrated. McGee jumped visibly.

"What the hell is going on?" The team leader cried out.

"Tim, try Avigail Grinberg." Ziva told gently, after she had wiped away her tears trying to take up a professional attitude, as she walked up to her friend's desk. That would make sense, in a twisted and completely disgusting way. Rebecca Grinberg. She was working close to Eli David in Tel Aviv. She wasn't working on the field. She was more like a secretary, a person to whom Eli David went if he wanted to take care of something in a more subtle way than usual. If something was about paperwork, Rebecca could do anything. Ziva had already known that her father had known about her daughter and now it didn't seem such a farfetched idea that he had something to do with all of this.

McGee did as Ziva had told him to do but, again, there was nothing.

"Try Greenberg." Ziva offered while Gibbs regarded her with narrowed eyes. There was something about her he couldn't place. She looked fidgety as if she was nervous, or more exactly, impatient. But why? He felt totally out of the loop and he hated it.

"Here it is. Avigail Greenberg." McGee seemed visibly relieved that he had managed to find what Gibbs had been looking for. "She's from Israel, Boss. He father died there and she came to the US with her mother, Rebecca Greenberg, about a year and a half ago." Gibbs could hear Ziva's sharp intake of breath when the woman's picture appeared on the screen, supporting her theory, but he let McGee continue. "The mother died shortly after emigrating. Poor girl. She doesn't have any relatives in Israel so she stayed here and got into the system."

Only after McGee had finished his report, did Gibbs turn to Ziva, who was staring at the picture of Rebecca Greenberg.

"Ziva." Gibbs tried to get her attention. "If there's something you want to share, it's the time for it."

The woman slowly tore her gaze away from the picture and looked at the still very annoyed team leader then she looked back at the little girl, who was observing the events with furrowed brows and wrinkled nose. Ziva gave her a little smile then turned back to Gibbs.

"I know, or I knew Rebecca Greenberg. Back in Israel." She began in a low voice so Abby couldn't hear her. "Her real name is Rebecca Grinberg. She was a close friend of Ari but after a time they lost contact. I have not even seen her in years. She mostly worked for Eli…"

"Ziva." Gibbs interrupted her impatiently. "Your point?"

"My point?" Ziva stepped closer to the man and met her annoyed gaze with an angry one. "My point is that she is not Abigail's mother."

"Really?" Gibbs also took a step closer. "And you know that because?"

"Because I am her mother." She stepped even closer so they were standing face to face.

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"She is my daughter, Jethro." Her voice became gentler as she made her declaration but she kept her stance. She didn't want to tell him that way but it was out now and she waited for her husband's reaction with tense anticipation.

"And when did you plan to share it with me?" Gibbs spat at her and Ziva involuntarily took a step back as if Gibbs had just hit her.

"What?" That was all she could manage in her sudden shock. She wasn't sure what she had expected from Gibbs but surely she hadn't expected him to snap like that and definitely not in front of the whole squad room.

"I asked when you intended to share this information with me, Agent David." His tone was measured and for a moment plain hurt could be seen on Ziva's face but almost immediately her jaw clenched in anger. So that was it. She was Agent David. If Gibbs wanted to play it that way, so be it.

"I did not deem this information important concerning our case, Agent Gibbs." Her professional, cold voice seemed to snap Gibbs out of his anger induced state but it was too late. "And I think it is still not important, yes? The case is closed. I believe that you do not need me to get Carpino's confession. That is unless you want his neck snapped." She didn't bother to hide her anger at the man who was standing in front of her. She turned her back on a speechless Gibbs and walked back to her desk to gather her things and Avigail.

"And where the hell do you think you are going?" Gibbs called after her.

"Home. You will get my report tomorrow morning." She didn't even stop while answering.

McGee sat by his desk visibly stunned while Gibbs stared after his wife. What the hell had just happened? He couldn't fully comprehend the scene that had played out between Ziva and him but one thing was for sure. He screwed up, and he screwed up big time.

"Damn it!" He hit his fist into the first thing that came into his way then left.

McGee just kept sitting by his desk his mouth hanging open and that was the way how Tony and Lora found him some time later.

Ziva was standing down in the basement chatting silently with Avigail who was sitting crossed legged on the working counter. After storming out of the NCIS building, she brought her girl home. They had had a lot of things to talk about but before she'd have sat her down to talk to her, Ziva had called Abby to ask her to run a DNA test. The Goth agreed without hesitation and without further questions, but Ziva almost broke down nonetheless while talking with her friend.

At the moment they were looking at those photographs, which were hung on the wall. Avigail was a very clever little girl and she took the news very well. At first, after telling her that she was her mother, Ziva got worried because Avigail got silent but then she could feel the relief wash over her when the little girl stood up and stepped to her to snake her little arms around her neck. At first Ziva just sat frozen not sure what the girl was about to do but when she felt her arms tighten around her neck and she could feel her soft curls under her chin, she let out a laugh that was mixed with a sob. She didn't know what to do so she laughed and cried at the same time while she hugged her little girl close to her.

Ziva was in the middle of an explanation about Shannon and Kelly, whose pictures were now in her hands, when she heard some one walking upstairs. For a moment she tensed. She wasn't ready to face Gibbs, not yet. He had hurt her. He had promised that he would be there for her. He had promised that there was nothing in her past that would make him question her. And yet, he had been treated her like a suspect. She was angry at him and what hurt her the most, she was disappointed in him.

A little smile appeared on her face when she heard Lora's giggling and not long after that she could see Tony coming down the stairs with the little girl in his arms. When they reached the bottom, he put the toddler on the floor, and she happily ran to the Israeli woman.

"Hey, angel." She scooped up the little girl. "What are you doing here?"

"We just saw that the lights were on, so we thought that we'd pop in and say hi." Tony supplied as he walked up to the girls.

"The lights are on?" Ziva frowned and Tony rolled his eyes. Avigail chuckled.

"So you do know English." Tony turned to the girl who nodded.

"Actually she understands most of the things. She just does not speak so well." Ziva explained as she stroked her daughter's cheek proudly.

"Can I take Lora up to play?"

"Of course, angel." Ziva replied as she put Lora down. Avigail jumped from the counter and after grabbing the younger girl's hand, they made their way towards the stairs. Ziva waited for them to reach the top then she turned to Tony.

"Shall we go up?" Tony nodded then watched Ziva as she wordlessly pinned the photo of Gibbs' late family back to the wall among the others. His gaze roamed around the pictures on the wall and his eyes rested for a while on the one that was taken years before. He smiled gently as he regarded Kate's laughing form but then he turned his attention back to the woman next to him.

Without any words they made their way up and settled down by the dining table watching the girls playing in the living room.

"He knows that he screwed up." Tony stated after a long time of silence, his eyes not leaving the girls. Though, he wasn't there when all hell broke loose but he heard about everything and he didn't like it one bit. And when Abby told him that Ziva was on the verge of crying when she had called her, Tony needed all of his self-control not to go to Gibbs and punch him in the face. He was angry at him for hurting Ziva like that but he would be damned if he let his friends destroy everything they had managed to build up. So instead of beating up his boss, Tony decided on a more tactful approach. "I'm sure he didn't mean to hurt you the way he did."

"He might not." Ziva snapped her head towards Tony. Her gaze was angry. "But he did nonetheless."

"Ziva…"

"No, Tony. There is nothing to say here. He made me a promise. I was ready to leave him… to ignore everything I feel because I knew that we would get to this point. But he promised me. He promised me that no matter what, he would not judge me… he would be there for me. That was the time for him to be there for me and what did he do? He treated me like a suspect… he questioned me. He did not even have the decency to talk to me in private… to hear me out. I had to disappoint in him… and at the moment I do not know how to deal with it."

"I understand you, Ziva, really. But promise me something." Tony's gaze was so intense, so serious as he was looking into Ziva's angry eyes that Ziva found her anger disappear in her surprise. After all the years, she still found it difficult to deal with a serious and all grown up Tony Dinozzo. She wasn't really used to this side of her friend and the fact that only really serious events were able to bring out this responsible side of him, made her stomach twist in fear. What if that was it and there was no way back for them? The possibility of losing her husband scared her, even though at the moment she didn't even want to see him.

"What do you want, Tony?" As the anger left her eyes, the pain and anguish in them became clearly visible.

"I want you to talk to him. Don't send him away when he comes to talk to you." Ziva scoffed and moved to stand up but Tony quickly grabbed her arm. "I don't want to tell you how to deal with this whole mess but promise me that you'll hear him out. Just give the old man a chance."

For a few seconds Ziva was just staring into his blue eyes. She could see that it was very important for him. He cared about both of them.

"You are a good friend, Tony." She cupped his cheek with her free hand, as Tony was still holding to her arm, and looked at him affectionately.

"Promise me." Tony insisted.

"I promise." She didn't know how she'd do that but she would try… for Tony's sake... for their own sake.

They watched the girls for a little longer without any further conversation but when Ziva glanced at Tony, she saw something that made her concerned. There was something else other than her fallout with Gibbs that bothered the man.

"What is bothering you, Tony?" She inquired gently but Tony just shrugged.

"Nothing."

"Come on, Tony. Talk to me. You are not the only one here who can poke into somebody else's business, you know. So?"

"Social Services will pick up Lora tomorrow." Tony began with a heavy sigh then looked at Ziva and gave her a smile that was between sad and embarrassed. "I'll miss her, you know. These few days, I know that I complained a lot, but it was an incredible experience. I'll miss all of this. I'll miss my little girl." He looked back at Lora for a few seconds then he turned back to Ziva who was smiling at him teasingly. "What?"

"Nothing. It is just strange to see you like that. You are growing up, Tony."

Tony turned away from her once again and this time his laugh was clearly embarrassed.

"Yeah, a little girl looking up at you with her innocent eyes and calling you Dada does that." Ziva raised her eyebrows at that then she reached for his hand that was lying on the table.

"Tony, look at me." Her voice was gentle and she waited patiently for Tony to comply. "I have already promised you something, now, you promise me something." Tony nodded solemnly and Ziva squeezed his hand. "Do not let her go."

"Are you serious?" Tony laughed up but the insincerity of his laugh and the look in his eyes made Ziva think that he had already thought about it. "Do you really think that she would have a good place with me?"

"Are you asking me if you made a good father?" Now Ziva had a serious sense of déjà vu. What was up with the team? "Tony, if you did not make a good father, Lora would not have trusted you. And she would definitely not refer you as her dad. Tony, if you let your fear take over you, you will let a once in a lifetime opportunity slip out of your hands. Not to mention that Lora would go to a new foster family. Do you really want that?"

"No, I don't."

"Then grow a pair already and do something about it." Ziva nudged him at which Tony gave her a strange look.

"What?" She asked.

"You are using quite a colourful language there, Zeevah." Tony told her and Ziva shrugged happy to see that the old bantering Tony was back. "Come here." Tony told her while he stood up and offered her his hand. Ziva accepted it without hesitation and in the next instant she was enveloped in a bear hug. "I love you, ninja girl." Ziva laughed into his chest.

"I love you, too, Tony." She tightened her hold on him. "Everything will be alright, yes?"

"Yes, everything will be alright." He told her then they just stood there in silence content to have their friends' support. "Ziva?" Tony spoke up first and loosened his grip a little.

"Yes?" Ziva looked up at him.

"Can you look after Lora for a little while?"

A huge grin appeared on Ziva's face as she nodded. Tony quickly let her go and after placing a kiss on her forehead, he said goodbye to the girls then left in a hurry. After all, he had a lot of things to take care of… and a lot of favors to ask…

Ziva looked after her friend with a smile, which then quickly disappeared and she looked back at the girls worried. What would happen to Avigail?

TBC

If you feel confused, don't worry, hopefully there will be some answers in the next chapter.

Thanks for reading!