19 Rota Naval Station will be open

McGee and Abby are still outside ICU. Abby has been using her cellphone to record the reunion and she's uploading. "Becks is awesome," Ziva says. "She's such a little Tony-Ziva. She breaks windows and rocks out the pink mules. She's going to be the greatest NCIS agent ever someday. I got your interrogation, too, Gibbs."

McGee says, "Um, boss, Allen and Burns canvassed the drop area. No, cameras, but they found Tony's car. It's being towed in. We'll get on it ASAP."

"Of course they found the car. Now that the girl's back, the perp will probably walk in and surrender. Make sure they bring that ransom money with them. And Abs, don't forget to check the carseat for prints. I need some real coffee. I'll meet you up with you in the office."

Gibbs asks one of the MPs where he can find coffee. He takes a walk through early morning Rota, finds good strong-smelling coffee, and has some breakfast. He gets another coffee to go. He deliberately doesn't think about the case, all the dangling ends, all the leads that still must be followed up, all the things that just don't make sense.

He pauses at the main gate of the base, looking over the MPs in their boxes, the jumble of low-slung, undistinguished-looking buildings. There's no place on earth that you're as likely to find order as on a base like this, here and in the harbor beyond where even now great ships and large crews are at work, pulling into line and dropping anchor in the lee of the Bay of Cadiz. The apparent disorder and the underlying harmony, the hugeness of the effort and the predictability of the result, are familiar and calming.

And then he heads back to the office. He looks straight ahead, neither to the left nor the right, hoping that the thing at the corner of his eye will show itself cleanly at last.

McGee and Abby go back to the office and take Ducky, promising him the couch in Tony's office. They are alone now but for the MPs outside the door. Becks sleeps, Tony dozes, but Ziva can't yet relax. One hand keeps Becks close against her shoulder; the other is entwined in Tony's. They are all together at last, but the agent in her, and the frightened wife-mother as well, knows that this is not finished.

Eventually, Tony wakes. "Ziva. Could you switch to the other side?"

"Of course." She takes up her position on the left side of the bed. "Is your other hand tired?"

"Of you? Never. But I need your cellphone. I'll be filling out requisition forms for a month before Vance gives me another one."

"Tony. Are you mad? A few hours ago you were dying. You are not going to work."

"I'm not dying now. I don't have the nerve to die in front of you two. And there are a few things that I have to get done."

"Others can do it. Gibbs is here, and McGee, and Abby. And our people have done so well, Tony."

"But they don't know what needs to happen today. I do. Please."

"No."

"Ziva. Ziva." He sighs and takes her hand. "For a little while, I need you to let me pretend that this hasn't happened, that everything's still all right. Just a little while."

She thinks: so he worries too, that somehow it is all gone, ruined. "All right," she says. "But only for a little while." And she gives him the phone.

He calls Sarah Cosgrove. "I bet Gibbs is running you ragged. But you still work for me, and I need three things from you. Text me Director Vance's personal cell number. Send it to Ziva's cell. Text me the number for Major Stein at the MP office. And tell everyone I need them here in an hour. No, um, we'll call it a morning huddle. And then you can get back to learning Gibbs's rules."

Vance still isn't much on pleasantries. "Agent David, I told you to not interfere in this investigation."

"It's DiNozzo, sir. I've lost my phone, my car, my daughter, and apparently all sense of the time difference."

"Let me remind you: it's seven hours."

"My apologies."

"Not dead yet?"

"No, but still pining for the fjords."

"In that case this had better not be a long squawk."

"Good come back, sir, and it's nice to know you're a fan."

"Where is your daughter, Tony?"

"About three feet away."

"They took the ransom money?"

"No, she assures me that she engineered her own daring escape."

"Try and be serious."

"I don't know, sir. I suspect it was a Ransom of Red Chief situation."

"What the hell is going on there?"

"I'll let Agent Gibbs bring you up to date on the investigation of my near-death experience. I just want to assure you that Rota Naval Station will be open today as expected for the call of the carrier fleet."

"You sure about that?"

"Yes, director."

"If anything changes, call me. But if you call before noon your time, someone's hair better be on fire."

"Understood, sir. Is there any chance you could FedEx me a new phone?"

"Fill out the forms. And Tony. I'm happy to hear about your daughter."

"Thank you, sir, but not as happy as I am."

"Look on the bright side of life, DiNozzo."

Tony closes the phone. "That man is good." He looks at Ziva. "What else was I going to do?"

"You were going to close your eyes and rest a bit."

"Good plan." But first he pulls out a lock of Ziva's hair and lays it over a lock of Becks's. "Exact same color." He closes his eyes. "Don't go running off to the dentist."