"He's not in the system, Boss." McGee said, looking at his fingerprint scanner.
"Why does that not surprise me?" Tony snarled in Kort's direction.
"His name is Malik Al-Fath, formerly, Maurice Kilgore." Kort reluctantly said, "We erased all traces of him from the system, we didn't want anyone else picking him up."
"Typical Agency bullshit."
"Ahh, Du-Nozzo, you should be thanking me."
"For letting terrorists run amuck in America? I think I'll pass."
"It's better to have a few dead, then a million."
Tony walked up to Kort, "Is that right?"
Kort stepped forward, he and Tony were nose to nose, "Everytime, Du-Nozzo."
Tony raised his chin slightly, clinching his jaw.
Ziva placed her hand on Tony's chest pushing him back, shaking her head no.
Kort softly chuckled, "What's wrong, Du-Nozzo, can't fight without your girlfriend around?"
Ziva spun around towards Kort, vigorisly pointing towards the cabin, "Go!"
Kort spread his arms and slowly backed away.
Ziva swung back to Tony, a large black SUV was pulling up just outside of the woods, the door opened, Director Vance stepped out, "Tony, the Director is here." She said, pointing at Director Vance.
Tony was still glaring at Kort.
Ziva pressed her hand back against Tony's chest and started rubbing it, she lifted her cell phone with her left hand and clicked a button, raising it to her ear, "Gibbs."
Tony's eyes moved to Ziva.
"Can you put Sarah on the phone." Ziva held out her phone to Tony and smiled.
Tony took the phone from Ziva, raising it to his ear, "Thanks." He smiled back. "Sarah?...You played what?...Heh. Yeah, I remember that game." He turned walking towards Vance, taking his time, "No, not yet, what did you have?"
"Tim." Ziva said, "Go with him."
McGee nodded and jogged to catch up with Tony.
Tony stopped in front of Vance, "I gotta go, okay?...Yeah, we can play some Wii when I get home...Heh. You probably will...Okay, bye-bye, Sarah." He snapped the phone closed.
"What the hell happened, DiNozzo?" Vance angrily said.
"We arrived at the scene, all of Kort's men were dead, we searched the cabin, Grimes was inside, he ran for it and Kort shot him. When Agent David and I caught up with them, Kort was screaming and pointing his gun at him. We raised our weapons at Kort and that is when he said that Grimes was in fact Parker's Al-Qaeda contact. He started to argue and the man slipped himself some kind of poison and committed suicide."
Vance ran his hand over his forehead, "Who is this Grimes then?"
"Malik Al-Fath, formerly, Maurice Kilgore." McGee answered, looking at his iPhone.
"I'll take care of Norfolk." Vance said, "Is the site clean?"
"The geiger counters didn't pick up anything, Director Vance." McGee answered.
"Where's Kort? I want to know how damn good his intel IS."
Tony turned around, "Where's Ziva?"
"She told me to go with you, Boss."
"Shit!" Tony pivoted his foot hard and dashed back towards the cabin.
Kort was squatting over the dead body of Malik Al-Fath, digging into the man's pockets. He pulled a blood-soaked notebook out, flicking blood from it to the ground below.
"What are you doing?" Ziva asked.
Kort peered over his shoulder at Ziva, "None of your business."
"What is your problem?"
Kort rose to his feet, turning towards her as he slid the bloody notebook into his jacket pocket, "I loath amateurs."
"Amateurs? What the hell are you talking about?"
"Do you know that his father is a con man?" Kort asked.
"What does that have to do with anything?"
"The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."
"So, you're telling me Tony is con man, that he's conning me?"
"No." Kort tilted his head away from Ziva, then back to her, "I'm talking about you."
Ziva annoyingly laughed, "You are pathetic."
"Oh, am I? Aren't you the one who's fucking the man you nearly killed."
"What?"
"Tel Aviv, you tossed him to the ground, pressed your weapon to his chest, leg...and for what? Because he was protecting you? You're the one who's pathetic."
A confused Ziva stared at Kort, not knowing how'd he know those things.
Kort took a step towards her, "But that's not the first time you've nearly killed him, is it?"
Ziva rapidly shook her head, "Why are you doing..."
"They would've just been a causality of war, their deaths just side notes in the newspaper, but it would've greased a much larger fish to do my bidding."
"Who are you talking about?"
"Du-Nozzo and Miss Tadpole herself, Miss Benoit." Kort replied, Ziva looked at Kort even more confused. He laughed, "Wow, you didn't know." He laughed harder.
"Know what?"
"Mossad blew up his car."
"You lie!"
"Do you know what makes it better?" Kort smugly smiled, "The intel, it partially came from you."
"No, no, no, no, no." Ziva lowered her head, clenching her fist tightly.
"Your jealousy and wiliness to do whatever it took to make your father love you even just a little nearly got him killed. You found out Miss Benoit's name months before and it was you who destroyed his cover, YOU!"
Ziva wildly attacked Kort, leaping into him, throwing punching and kicks in every directions. He knocked away her anger-filled assault, grabbing her by the throat.
Kort smiled as he stared into her eyes, he began to squeeze harder, "Can't breath, love?"
Ziva smiled back through her discomfort, "Vacuum." She uttered.
Kort looked at her oddly and let go of her throat, backhanding Ziva to the ground. He looked down at her, straightening his suit, "I'm former SAS, know who you're fuckin' with!"
Ziva turned over, looking up at him, she swallowed hard, lifting her fingers to her throat, then to her swollen, bloody lip.
Kort smiled down lovingly at his work.
"Ziva!" Tony yelled.
"Get up or I will tell him everything." Kort threatened.
Ziva slowly started to get up.
The group came running around the corner, seeing Ziva getting to her feet. She raised her hand out to Tony, giving him an indication that she was fine, "What the hell is going on here?" Vance demanded.
"She slipped." Kort replied, rubbing his hands together, "I hate when that happens."
"He hit me." Ziva strained to get out.
Kort looked back at Ziva and just as he rotated his head back, Tony's fist sent Kort crumbling to the ground. He felt cold steel against the back of his head, he slightly tilted his head back, coughing and spitting blood, along with two teeth.
Tony cocked his firearm, pressing the muzzle hard, forcing Kort's face into the mud.
"DiNozzo!" Vance yelled out.
Tony pressed harder, cutting into Kort's head with the muzzle of the handgun.
Ziva caressed Tony's cheek with her hand, "I am fine, Tony." She whispered, placing her other hand on his weapon, she carefully took it from him. He rose to meet her, he lifted his fingers to her lip, but didn't touch it. His eyes shot back to Kort, but Ziva guided his face back to her, staring into his hazel eyes, "I love you." He opened his lips and she kissed him. She pulled away, taking his hand in hers and escorting him away from the area.
"Thank god for Ziva." McGee said, "He was going to kill him."
"Why do you say that, McGee?" Vance asked."
"Tony didn't say anything, no smart ass remarks, nothing. That's when you worry about Tony. When he's quiet." McGee stated.
Sarah stood between Tony's legs at he sat up on the couch, his arms wrapped around her, holding a Wii-remote. He flicked his wrist. She gnawed on a piece of pizza looking at the television, "Eagle!" The game announced.
Sarah turned around, smiling, pizza sauce all over her face, "You've been practing."
"Maybe." Tony smiled back.
"Want some pizza?" Sarah offered, holding it up to Tony's mouth.
Tony took a bite of pizza, letting out a playful grunt as he munched on it.
"You're silly." Sarah giggled.
"Heh. Thanks."
Ziva watched them from the kitchen doorway, smiling. She reached into her pocket, pulling out the bloody book she had taken from Kort in their struggle. She held it up. Tony saw it and mouthed the word, "Tomorrow." Waving her over.
Sarah turned to her, "He's cheating, Ziva."
"I am not!" Tony grabbed Sarah and started tickling her.
Sarah giggled, "He got an eagle!"
"He is cheating!" Ziva laughed.
Author Note #1 - Brush your teeth, kiddies. Learn from me, it hurts like a bitch.