"Oh my God. Oh my God," Abby cried as she solitarily walked into the hospital, an insane amount of de ja vu washing over her from this moment. It was different this time. No one had been blown up, no one would retire, at least she was pretty sure of that fact. McGee had called her as soon as Gibbs and Ziva were in the ambulances and on their way to the hospital. He had barely gotten out the words of "Gibbs" and "Shot" before she started becoming hysterical. She had practically driven like Gibbs in her haste to get down to the hospital. She hated visiting hospitals. They meant that someone was sick or hurt. Abby could not stand it when someone in her family had been injured. You never know when an injury can turn to death and that thought scared her more than any other possibility. Unfortunately she had lived through her biggest fear more than once. "Tony!" she yells throwing her arms around him, feeling relief even though his body was tense. "How's Gibbs? Where's McGee? Is Ziva okay?" she needed to know about all three, all right now.

"They're both fine, Abbs. McGee went to get some latte crap," he told her the weariness evident in his voice.

"But he said Gibbs was shot!" she exclaims. That wasn't, by any extent of the imagination, fine.

"He was. Nothing major though. He's getting bandaged up and he'll be just fine." Tired, weak, so much more. Where was Probie when you needed him?

"No, he's not he has a bullet hole in him!" she protested but then her mind flashed to someone else on the team. "What about Ziva? Where's she?"

"X-Rays. A lot of 'em." Tony's own thoughts were so far from the conversation, just as they had been for so long now. That hadn't changed. He still had too many questions, and he really wished Gibbs would be finished soon. He wasn't completely sure of what they were saying had happened and how and why the director of Mossad had been killed by NCIS. Explaining it to Vance was not going to be simple...They could very possibly all lose their jobs and what would Ziva do about the liason position at NCIS? Who was taking over her father's position? Not to mention that he didn't think he'd slept in well over two days. They may have terminated the biggest threat, their lives may no longer be at a constant danger, however this was not over. Perhaps it never would be.

"Is she okay though?"

He knew she was asking about the physical attributes, not the emotional. "Far as I know." That was rather true, no one had bothered to tell him much of anything since they'd gotten to the hospital. She was sure to have some bumps and bruises, hell she's Ziva David she always does, but the rest of her had seemed rather okay. Functioning at the very least. He had seen the indecision in her eyes, the regret, the pain. He could not blame her. Never should the life, or death, of her father been thrusted into her undertaking. It was never supposed to be her job. She was supposed to distract, to follow her father's instructions perfectly on the morning of her appointed death and help them by using some of the code words. It was their job, his, Gibbs and McGee's, to take them out. Never her's, it never should have been. He felt bad that the task had fallen on her shoulders, guilty she was trapped into taking her father's life.

"Where's Hannah?" Tony asks. Last he knew Ducky had to go get the bodies at the warehouse and Palmer was helping...That left Vance and strangers. She'd better not be with either.

"Jimmy stayed behind while Ducky got the bodies. That way Hannah could sleep," she informs him.

"You left her with the autopsy gremlin?" Great, just great. "She wakes up in the night a lot, gets worried easily."

"She'll be fine, Tony," Abby promises him. She didn't expect to ever see Tony attached to a child like this. He'd never been big with kids but Hannah had seemed nearly instantly attached to him and vice versa. "It's nearly morning anyway."

"Maybe I'll run down to NCIS really quick and pick her up," he pondered the idea to himself aloud. He'd feel better and so would she. Palmer wasn't exactly capable of comforting small children. Putting his foot in his mouth, most certainly. Providing security for a small, helpless and scared girl , not even close.

"I can call Jimmy," she offered seeing that it was inevitable that Hannah would get here one way or another. This way Tony wouldn't have to leave. "He's just waiting back at NCIS."

Tony was torn for a second but saw Ziva walk to the reception desk. They must finally be done with her. She had bandages wrapped around both of her wrists and was carrying a piece of paper, most likely a prescription. "Yeah, Abby. Thanks," he tells her and walks away. Probie was walking down the hall, returning from his coffee run, so she'd have someone to keep her company, and help when she started hyperventilating. He approaches Ziva, her eyes move slightly from the paper she is writing on to confirm her suspicion on who was next to her. "You okay?"

She takes a breath, releasing it slowly, before answering. "Not," she pauses for a split second as she sees Abby, who had just hung up the phone, coming towards her. "Really," she finishes before being engulfed in a hug.

"I was so worried," Abby explains as though Ziva could not already tell by the resisting arms around her. "Are you okay? He didn't hurt you right?" she questions and finally lets go of Ziva.

"No, Abby. I am fine," she did not want to worry anyone else too much more. She already knew she looked like a wreck which made everyone concerned enough. She did not feel like dealing with that at the moment though. She was tired, weak, numb. However she would keep herself together, for them she would hold her head up for a little while longer. She would be fine, she knew she would, they knew she would, but time was something that would be necessary in the equation of her healing. Until then she would just do her best to pretend. She had been trained for that, it would not be hard.

"I'm so sorry, Ziva."

"Thank you, but it is not necessary." It really was not. She did not want apologies, they would change nothing. Not now, now it was over. As was Ari's death and that moment was still alive and painfully memorable. It was not over, never forgotten, forever a memory just like the others. It could not be buried, could not be erased, that moment would not leave. It would be there, like cooking with her Ima, playing with Tali, the praise from her Aba when she did something correctly, Ari's hugs. Such as watching the building Tali was in explode, hearing of her mother's death, losing the child she never got to know or see, feeling her finger pulling the trigger on her brother. She could try and forget but they would always be there. This was just one more. She had recovered from the rest, she would from this as well. Her entire family, gone, wiped out. All except for her. Her father had killed half and she the other. It made her sick to think about.

"What can I do to help?" she asks frantically. Ziva was not okay, not even close.

"Go and see Gibbs," she replies. It was a distraction for Abby which would give Ziva at least a good twenty minutes to recollect herself. "He is still being bandaged but the doctor said you two could go back and see him."

Abby did not immediately run out as expected but stayed for a minute to hug Ziva again. "I'm glad you're safe," she said sincerely. "Come on, McGee," and McGee follows Abby as she pushes the heavy door open and disappears behind it.

"How's Gibbs?" Tony questions both for his and Ziva's sake.

"He will be fine. Stuck at his desk for a couple months, but no permanent damage was done."

"Course not. He's Gibbs," Tony states plainly, as though the answer had been obvious from the beginning. The boss was always fine, it never completely made the worry go away though. Cats get nine lives, how many did Gibbs get? One day he wasn't gonna make it...Well, actually probably not but it was still a concern. Ziva turns and walks towards the waiting room, Tony following behind, and takes a seat, resting her head back on the wall. "Hannah will be here soon," he tells her. Another distraction, both wanted to avoid a rather inevitable conversation. He wanted to get her mind off of the whole thing, in fact.

"And we are telling her?" Ziva questions. So many things the needed to know, so many plans they had to map out. Where did things go from here? Was she still a liason officer? Would she be forced back into Mossad? Did they have to lie about what had happened? If so to who? Vance? Hannah? Mossad? Everyone? Would it be believed? Did they have a story for others to believe yet? Would she still be accompanying Director Vance to the dinner tomorrow? Was the threat completely removed? Had they gotten all of her father's men? Where was the bomb? How would they explain the crime scene? Would all of their careers be in danger? Could this possibly still affect those she had strived so hard to protect?

What about Hannah? Could she protect her? Was she supposed to raise her? Was she even capable of doing so? Did Hannah even want her to? What would happen if Ziva did have to return to Israel? She did not want Hannah back there. From what she had heard the circumstances had been horrible for her there. Ziva did not want that. She wanted love and care and tenderness to be felt in Hannah's life. She did not want even a resemblance of her childhood to be such as Hannah's anymore. She had not known of her before and therefore could not protect her. She knew now. She would help now. She would love her as much as she could now, that would be an easy task, however. A few hours and Hannah had managed to make Ziva's heart melt. She hoped that a lifetime would continue with getting to know her and love her even more.

"She already knew things were bad, like I told you. I don't know what we're telling anyone right now," Tony admits trying to force his eyes to stay open and his mind to function correctly. A bed sounded so good right now. A shower was probably in order as well considering how bad he most likely smelled. In curiosity he took a whiff of his shirt, definitely should be marked as a nuclear weapon. "You okay?" he asks again as they sat in silence.

Ziva lifts her head from the wall, it was just hurting her already sore neck. "I am not even sure yet. Everything is so crazy, there are so many thoughts and questions. I have not had the chance to be...Upset yet," she answers truthfully. That was her goal, to be truthful. She wanted to admit her insecurities and stop hiding behind her Mossad assassin tactics. Tony deserved the truth and she really wanted him to have it. He had gained her trust, she would prove that to him.

"You look tired," he tells her, taking in her recked appearance. The hair that had been straight before her second disappearance had regained its curl and her clothes were rumpled and bloody. Dark circles formed under her eyes, all traces of the makeup she had used to cover her exhausted expression gone.

In response Ziva slowly lowers her head down onto his shoulder. She was tired. Sure she had slept due to the influence of the drug but it was not the right kind of sleep. She needed the rest and peace. Her body begged for honest rest, desired to shut off both physically and mentally. She closed her eyes and breathed in deeply, calm. Just for a second, a passing moment of serenity, but it was there and she treasured it, clung to the sweet feeling. "I do not think I even remember the last time I ate," she says randomly, to him, but it made sense as felt the obvious feeling of hunger in the pit of her stomach.

"Want to get something to eat?"

"Hannah," she reminds him. "I want to wait for Hannah." Her eyes stayed closed and she did not bother to work up the energy to continue on anymore. She allowed her body to relax, her muscles to release the tight contracting feeling they had held, as though before they were preparing to fight. Now they were settling in for rest, the threat was gone for now. What seemed like only the shortest moment later she felt her shoulder being poked lightly.

"Hey," Tony whispers, hating to wake her up but knowing it was necessary.

"Mm?" That was close to "What?" or at least as close as she would be getting right now.

"Some one's wanting to talk to you," he tells her as Hannah stands in front of them, watching with question in her eyes. Why did they look so bad? How comes there was blood on their close? It made her worried.

"Tomorrow," she slurs the word out. Tired, peaceful sleep, she was not letting go of this until she absolutely had to.

"Technically it is..."

"Ziva?" Hannah asks quietly, the small voice bringing Ziva clearly back into reality.

She forces her eyes open and unwillingly lifts her head. The terror in the child's eyes makes her realize just how horrific she must look. The eyes quickly shade to a different expression, one she had seen much too often and was rather surprised to see in someone so small and young, concern. She should know by now that Hannah would always surprise her. She was clearly intelligent beyond her years.

Hannah takes a tentative step forward and Ziva automatically opens her arms. It was such an easy and warm gesture. Ziva was not much of a hugger but she happily wrapped her arms around the small girl, pulling her into her lap.

"Ma shlom ech?" Hannah was happy to use her home language. The words always rolled so easily off of her tongue, she did not have to think so hard before speaking. It was effortless, simple.

"Lo ko cha tov," Ziva replies and Tony smiles at the words. He had no clue what they meant, but they sounded so pretty and fluid.

Hannah runs her fingers over the bandages that were wrapped around Ziva's wrists. "Do they hurt?" she asks, switching over to English.

"Not so much anymore," in fact Ziva had not really noticed much of the physical pain. Too much to sort through, too much to deal with. Again. Still.

Once again Hannah had seemed to easily fit into another's life, become such a huge importance in such a small amount of time. This was the first chance Ziva had really had of talking to her. Sure she had watched a movie with her but that was mostly watching Hannah and Tony interact. That and worrying about all that was going on. Now it was like the end of a race. You had trained for months and worked hard to get to a certain goal, now its over, finished. You're winded and exhausted and maybe you've reached your goal or perhaps you fell short. It was over though, all that work and practice, done. It was a relief but in the same way not. It was like you were too busy recollecting your thoughts to know what it was like.

"I am sorry," Hannah says guiltily. She yawns, lack of sleep catching up to her as well. The last time she had slept through the night...Well it'd been a while. Plus she was up until late and awake early. She would not worry about herself right now though. Ziva was not good and Hannah wanted to help her. She would make Ziva feel better first and then she could sleep.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Hannah," Tony immediately intercepts, feeling a little bad for getting in between the two but he knew that Hannah had a tendency to blame herself for mistakes that were not hers. Then the girl's tenacity made it rather difficult to convince her otherwise.

"I make you sad," she states as though it were obvious.

"Where did you get that idea?" Ziva asks, beating Tony to the punch.

"I can see yous are sad, and I listen more. When I listen, I learned."

"Not any of this, not even the slightest bit, is your fault," Ziva corrects her. If only she knew how much she meant, how important she had become to both her and Tony. "Nor has a single thing to do with you made me sad. You have made us very happy."

"I am no good," she persists, trying to convince them that she was the bad guy. "I am tipesh. I do no right."

"Hannah," Tony says, reaching his arms out. She pulls herself from Ziva's arms and settles in to Tony's lap. He always let her rest her head, it made it so much harder to stay awake. "You're very important to me," he stops not quite sure where to go from there. For one he was terrible at this sort of thing, always had been, and two he didn't want to screw it up. Say the wrong thing or make her get the wrong idea. She'd become his daughter, that was the easiest and most simple way to put it. In a short amount of time she had become his little girl. One he would fight for, go to the ends of the earth to prove that he cared about her. "And you are very smart. Smarter than me I think," he says and laughs a little at the memory of the many times this little girl had blown his mind with how wise she was. "I love spending time with you and hearing what you have to say. You are very, very special to me and to many others."

"Ani rah me'od," she continues. Stubborn child.

"I love you very much," he tells her.

"Why are you sending me way then?"

"What?" Tony asks her, the word following from Ziva before he had finished. "Who told you that?"

"I listen. 'Member? I always hear truths when I listen with none knowing. When they knowing they lie lots."

"Do you believe I'll tell you the truth?" Tony asks and Hannah nods in confirmation.

"You never lies to me. I trust you."

"Well good because I need to tell you something you aren't going to know you can believe," he lets her know. Perhaps warning her that she's gonna be stubborn would make it easier. "Can you trust me?" She nods again, lifting her head and giving him a very questioning look. "You're staying here, with me. No matter what happens or whatever anyone else says. Got it?"

"Why?"

"Why what, Hannah?"

"Why do you want me?" The sadness is apparent in her voice. She had never had anyone want her before had she?

"As long as you want, I'll be here."

"Promise?" she asks carefully, measuring the word heavily.

He remembered when she had asked the same thing, in Hebrew that time. Making him promise to come back. Now he would promise not to leave her, to be her aba for many years to come. The word held a much different meaning this time. "Promise."

NCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCISNCIS

Sorry there was a bit of a wait on this one guys. Thank you all so so much for your reviews! I was really happy to see how many there actually were so thank you guys so very much. It means a lot! Hopefully the chapter was okay, there are still a couple left. Don't worry I'm not going to leave any lose ends that shouldn't be there. Please keep up the reviews they made me so happy :) Have a great week!