Conclude

Her eyes were wide with surprise as she eyeballed the person at the controller. The woman was in her early 40's and had bushy black hair which fell messily on her scalp. It was Taylah's mother. Her aunt Cassandra.

"Zivula." the woman hissed then darted her eyes to Ziva's weapon in her hand.

"I would not hurt you aunty." Ziva said softly in Hebrew. "Just as I know you would not hurt me. Who is controlling you like this?"

The woman laughed and tossed back her head and screamed one word which shook Ziva's soul with dread.

"Eli!"

She shook her head confused.

"He must feel what I felt!" She yelled "He took my child, I take his!"

"Taylah? You left her!" Ziva replied angrily in English

"Not that child! Taylah was a mere mistake! My first child from my first love. Kariyl!"

"You had a son?" Ziva approached her aunt.

"Put that damn gun down!" the woman screeched, again in Hebrew.

Ziva lowered the gun and kicked it away with her eyes over the orange button which her aunt's finger was hovering over. The ignition to blow.

"I was 16. When big brother Eli sent him away! His father was Jarryd." the woman grinned at Ziva's frown "Yes! The same Jarryd who hated Jews and tried to kill your father."

"The child?" Ziva asked, fearing the answer.

"Killed. In a road side bomb. He was 8 years only." the woman hissed.

Ziva retched in horror and reached out to her aunt.

"No filthy girl!" Her aunt backed off toward the console. "You must be killed. Just as little Kariyl was and if need be me also."

The woman spotted Ziva's gun and she picked it up and pointed it at Ziva. She then beckoned Siva so she was kneeling at her feet and held the gun up to Ziva's willing temple as the heavily trained special agent stared her killer in the eyes.

"Perhaps it would just be better to kill you." the woman hissed

"Just answer me this. Why kill so many? Why not come just after me directly?"

"It must be bloody. Innocent people would not have stopped Eli." Cassandra lowered her head and then looked Ziva in the eyes.

"Goodbye Ziv-"

"ZIVA!"

Tony sprung out of the stair well next to the woman and knocked the gun from her grip. She was quick willed though and she kicked Ziva away in the stomach and took Tony's gun in a struggle which caused it to go off and alert Gibbs who has just arrived in the level below.

A kick in the face and Tony was pushed away. The woman pointed the gun at Tony ready to shoot when the knife flew through the air and landed in her chest. A perfect shot from Ziva's own hand and in to her aunts chest. The woman fell a couple of feet away from Tony. Gibbs arrived just in the nick of time and ran to the motionless Tony's side. He couldn't feel a proper pulse because his hands were shaking with concern for him and Ziva who was pulling herself up. Tony turned over and brushed Gibbs away as he searched for Ziva safe.

Gibbs looked at the woman and then stood to help Tony to his feet.

Ziva faced him and looked on for a few minutes. She impatiently ran a hand through her hair. She was trying to find something to do other then look at the questioning Gibbs.

"Ziva, calm down." Tony finally mumbled through his bleeding lip.

She looked up at Tony the at the body lying a few meters away from her and then at Gibbs. Her eyes pricked with tears and she was violently trembling. She could not break down in front of them. It would pull down the facade she had set.

"Ziva..." Tony approached her slowly.

"No..." she whispered to push him away but he enclosed her in his arms as she continued to refuse.

Tony kept her close and slowly she allowed her hands to grip the stained front of his shirt as she trembled with tears. He looked across at his mentor and shook his head once defiantly.

Gibbs closed his mouth slowly then nodded and pointed to the door. Get her out of here. He thought. Get her safe.

It was only when Tony had half carried Ziva from the room when he let himself show emotion. He bit his lip hard and furrowed his brow with worry and allowed himself to fall on the wall with relief that the two were not dead.

Ziva was still shaking when the ambulance arrived. Tony didn't let her go the whole time and once in the ambulance on the way to ER Ziva kept her arms around him and her eyes fixed on nothing.

He didn't have to know it all nor did he particularly want to, but Gibbs did and Ziva did, and didn't he love her so much anyway. He would have taken that damn bullet any day if it meant she was safe.

After being patched up the two of then sat in clean oversized clothes on an unmade hospital bed, both lost in their own thoughts. Gibbs entered with coffee and a paper; he discarded both and sat across from the two.

"Ziva?" he asked

She shook her head and looked pleadingly at Tony who nodded and began to speak.

"That woman was Ziva's aunt. She had a kid with a Jew hater when she was 16. Eli David took away the kid and then the boy was killed in a bombing. She wants Eli's child for hers. She hired those guys as puppets. She has been trying to kill Ziva."

Ziva nodded at his summary and looked at Gibbs. He saw the pain in her eyes and decided he knew all he needed and nodded then stood.

"Gibbs I-"

"Ziva?"

"I broke your rules. I broke 3, 8 and 15."

He laughed at her good memory and moved close to her.

"Those are more guide lines Ziva.

You saved DiNozzo. You saved yourself." he smiled and kissed her head. "I am proud."

Gibbs left, closing the door quietly. Ziva's lip quivered and her eyes welled up with moister. Tony snaked an arm around her and pulled her close to his side. She buried her face in to his chest. She was so tired. It had been such an ordeal and Tony's solid warm figure was all she wanted to fall asleep on that moment. So she did. Tony held her closer and lay her down on the bed. Right beside him. Together they slept. They slept for so long and remained so still. The moon light from the window shone on their entwined figures and presently a nurse graced them by throwing a blanket over the two.

Ziva's dreams were peppered with faces of those she loved. Taylah and her father and her aunts faces swam before her and Tony's face came more that once. Then the dream became solid and she saw Ari and her Aunt staring at her. Ari had a bullet hole in him and her dead aunt sported a knife in the breast. Then a 16 year old girl entered her vision. She was crying and reaching for Ziva. It was her little sister Tony appeared with a stony face. He looked from Ari to her. She knew what he meant. She wanted to scream no. But the voice wouldn't come out. She felt arms constricting around her and she cried out in her sleep.

"Ziva!"

She opened her eyes and turned to face Tony's. His face was right up close to hers and he could see the fresh tears on her face.

"Tony!" she sobbed and pulled herself closer to him. "I-I-I killed-"

"Shhhhh Ziva, it's alright." Tony whispered to her, hugging her close.

"No. No! I killed another family member. Just the same as when i killed Ari!" she whispered in Hebrew.

"What?" he asked in confusion.

She sat up as he did also. They faced each other and Ziva knew the time had come.

"Gibbs did not shoot Ari. I did. I killed my brother." she said in English. "I killed Ari. Just like I killed my Aunt."

Tony was silent and Ziva couldn't see his expression in the dark.

"Tony? Tony please say something!" she cried, taking his hands pleadingly.

He put a hand to her cheek and looked in to her glistening eyes. She was shaking again and clinging to his remaining hand as if it were a life line. He wanted so badly to kiss her sweet sad lips but he restrained himself, feeling that it would be cruel to take advantage of her.

"Ziva," he sighed and pressed his lips to her head. "Ziva. I think you are so brave."

She blinked at him in amazement.

"I can't help being in love with you." he whispered to her under his breath. "You are an amazing woman."

She laughed in the midst of her confused tears and pressed her forehead to his. "Tony. There are no words. I love you also. But I am a monster to you."

"No. You're not. Not to me." he whispered to her.

He pulled her gently on to his lap and she wrapped her arms around his neck. He took her chin and touched her nose with his. Together at last.

She pulled on his neck and lightly brushed her lips on his. He reacted slowly and surely and then they were clinging together with their lips locked and arms around each other. Minutes past as the two held each other. She was the first to pull away. She climbed to the side of the bed and held her hair aside and sighed several times.

Tony closed his eyes and lay back on the bed. He really thought this would bring them together but it seemed she would never be ready or ever decide that this was right.

"Ziva," he sighed and pulled himself to sit by her "It's over."

"I know. Tony I know." Ziva replied quietly and weakly. She seemed fed up and exhausted. "We are all wrong for each other. I have this huge guilt for killing all those I love."

"No not me. Ziva I am here for you. Always have been. For you."

She was trying to stay strong in front of him. She didn't want to seem weak even if he had already seen her completely break down. She didn't want to let those walls fall away and show her for her true self to him. Not yet. Not now. Perhaps not ever. If she continued to push him he may never pull back. This could be it. He might let go and leave her alone and she would have no one to blame but herself.

This was strange that now they both wanted each other and had both voiced it. Things could never be the same now he knew she loved him so. But did he know quite how much she loved him. He may just see their relationship as physical attraction while she felt this gut wrenching pain when ever they were sliced apart. She hated the pain and wanted it to be over. But she was unsettled with him or without him. She didn't know how she could possibly let him know this. Now the distractions had gone they had nothing to fear but their committed feelings to each other. That scared the hell out of her.

"Ziva? Are you in there?" he brushed his fingertips over her arms in the hope she would look at him. But still her eyes were stuck to the wall and beyond in her thoughts.

"I wish we had more time." she voiced desperately.

"Ziva David. We have all the time in the world. I have waited for you all my life. I am not losing you know." he whispered this to her while stoking her hair. "Now I will take you back to your place. I will then go to my house and then tomorrow I will bring you coffee and then go to work with you. Like everything is normal."

"Thank you. Tony." she smiled at him for the first time in a while. She kissed his forehead gently.

"Forever Ziva. Until you grow to love me. As I love you." his eyes were neither pleading nor desperate. They were calm and soft and a shade of green she had never seen in them. He didn't let the moment go forever though. He took her hand and led her out of the room and out the door.

It's not over yet.