A Call in MTAC

It was a couple more days in North Carolina before the case was solved and the suspect was caught and brought back to NCIS headquarters in Washington, DC. Tony, Gibbs, and Ziva returned and finished filing their paperwork before Gibbs sent them home.

"DiNozzo, just a minute before you go," Gibbs said.

Tony nearly groaned, he was dying to go home, because it had already been a long day. It was nine at night and they had started their work that morning at six. He looked at Ziva. Since it was only those three in the squad room he decided it was safe to talk to her openly.

"I'll meet you there," he said quietly, planting a kiss on her cheek before walking over to Gibbs.

Gibbs was smirking. "I'm going to call Tel Aviv tomorrow at seven in the morning. I expect you to be here and ready to go. I've sent for McGee and Ziva to be here at that time also, that way you don't have to leave her early," he explained. "And, thank you for talking to Vance today. What did he say?"

"He said that it's fine as long as it's fine with you," Tony said. "But, you already knew he was going to say that. He was disappointed that we didn't share sooner, but he saw the reasoning behind it."

"Good. See you first thing in the morning."

It was, of course, an enjoyable night as ever with Ziva and then they arrived at work early for a change. Ziva was curious as to his sudden change of heart on how soon or late they arrived at work, but she didn't mention it. Just like she was curious about his talk with Gibbs only a few days ago and then yesterday, though she didn't mention them.

Tony entered MTAC to find Gibbs there, waiting for him.

"Okay, make the call," Gibbs said, as Tony came to stand next to him. Next moment the face of Eli David was in front of them. He looked impatient, confused, and a little agitated at the interruption in whatever he was doing.

"Whatever this call is about, it better be good, Agent Gibbs," Eli said, ignoring the fact that Tony was standing right there looking extremely nervous, though Eli could definitely see it and comprehend perfectly what he was feeling.

"I'm not the one making the call today, Eli," Gibbs said. "But, I do think it's important. Not case-related though, if that's what you mean."

"Then, why call in your MTAC? Why go to all that trouble? You could have just left me a message with my secretary, you know," Eli said, sounding a little angry now.

"Oh, no," Gibbs said, shaking his head and chuckling. "This isn't a message you want to get from a secretary, Eli. Trust me. I'm not the one calling, either. Special Agent DiNozzo has something he would like to share with you."

"Is that so?" Eli asked with an entertained smile. "Something he would like to share that should not be left with a secretary? This should be entertaining."

"Depends on how you look at it, I suppose," Gibbs said with a half smile and pushed Tony forward a little, so he was the center of the image now and Eli could see him fully and clearly.

"Hi," Tony said nervously. "I wanted to tell you myself. Ziva and I have been dating for over a year. I love her with everything I have and she loves me. We're happy together. We've been through hell and back together and we've survived. I've gone to the ends of the Earth to save her and would do it all over again. I plan on asking her to marry me."

"No! Absolutely not!" Eli said instantly. "You are nothing but a cheating chatterbox, Special Agent DiNozzo. I will not allow you to do this. This is not your place. Go find some blonde to date. I refuse to allow Ziva to marry a non-Jewish man and especially one such as yourself!"

"You see, Eli, I wasn't asking your permission, exactly," Tony retorted with a smile. "I was more telling you what was going to happen. Ziva is an independent woman. If she says no, then that's how it will be. But, I wont' let you decide her future for her, not anymore. That decision is up to her and not you. I'm not who you seem to think I am. Sure, I went through a time in my life, which was rather juvenile and not exactly respectable, but I'm not that person anymore. I love Ziva and would never do anything to hurt her. I want her to be happy and that's not too much to ask, but I'm not asking your permission on this. I'm going to ask her to marry me and leave the decision up to her."

"You are not good for my Ziva!" Eli nearly shouted, going red in the face with anger. "You are not good for any respectable woman!"

"Now, Eli," Gibbs said unhappily, stepping forward. "I might be the man's boss, but I'm not blind either. Tony and Ziva are perfect for each other, and I distinctly heard Tony say he wasn't asking for your permission. Honestly, I'm the one who suggested this call, since he thought it would be right to tell you what was going on. Now, you will accept that gracefully and be happy for your daughter, or I will personally make sure you don't get an invitation to the wedding."

Eli frowned heavily and sighed. He was concerned. He had no choice in this and he had never been put in such a position when it came to his daughter. He looked and Tony and could definitely see that he cared about Ziva.

"Could I have a word with Ziva?" he asked.

"She doesn't know what Tony's planning," Gibbs warned him.

"I will not ruin that surprise for you, DiNozzo, but I would like to talk to her a moment," Eli said.

"I'll get her, boss," Tony offered quietly and left MTAC.

A/N – Well, that could have gone better, but it could have gone worse, too. But, hey, what did we expect out of Eli, instant approval? I don't think so. Next up will be him having a small heart-to-heart with his daughter, who he hasn't seen since his visit to the states when Tony and Ziva's relationship was still fairly new. Review and tell me what you think!