"Where is Adir now? Because I would gladly chop him up into pieces for you." Tony asked, his heart smouldering with resentment.

"Count me in." McGee piped up.

Ziva chuckled. "Thanks guys. But I would not worry about that. I think he has already been taken care of.

"What?" Tony said.

"Why?" McGee echoed at the same time.

"He just dropped off the face of the Earth."

Flashback

"Who is there?" Ziva called out into the sunset when she heard the ruffling of leaves behind her.

"Who else would know where you like to hide?" A deep male voice replied.

"Ari?" Ziva was hopeful.

"That is my name." He said playfully as he perched himself on a sturdy branch opposite Ziva.

Ari didn't allow anybody to call him by his first name. To most, he was Haswari. Only to a select few was he affectionately known as Ari. Ziva, Tali and Uziel were included. He never ever revealed his soft side to anybody except to the people he loved and trusted. And Ziva liked this brotherly side of him the best.

"You are back!" Ziva smiled so widely, as she missed her half-brother so much.

It didn't matter to them that they didn't share the same mother. They treated each other like they were real brother and sister. "Yes I am. I knew I would find you up here." He gestured to the tree they were on.

"It is our tree." Ziva said as she tested the sturdiness of her brother's branch with her shoe, and settled herself beside him.

"It is. It has been a long time since I have been here." He hugged her to his side.

They used to climb up this tree to get some peace when they were young. It had been Ziva's secret place ever since. Whenever she disappeared somewhere, nobody would think about looking in the trees. Ziva snuggled into her brother's dependable being, breathing in his brotherly scent she missed so much ever since their father asked him to study abroad.

"How is Uziel?"

"He is good. He is like my second brother when you are not here."

"I knew I saw good in him for a reason."

"So my dear Ziva, what are you doing up here?" He continued, looking down at her slightly troubled face.

"Thinking."

"What about?"

"Things."

"Does it have anything to do with what Uziel wanted so much to tell me?"

"Don't tell Papa about Adir." She replied almost too quickly.

"What? What about Adir?"

"Shit. Did Uziel tell you anything?"

"No he did not say anything. He said that he promised you not to say anything. But he was trying very hard to keep it to himself."

"Me and my big mouth." Ziva groaned.

"What did Adir do? We are talking about the same Adir? Adir Brahm?"

Ziva sighed. Why did she jump the gun? Now she didn't really have much of a choice but to tell Ari about what happened just a few days ago.

She whispered the series of events into Ari's ears. His hand on her arm tightened as he heard more. As she came to an end, she buried her face in her hands in shame.

"I tried. But he was very strong."

"Do not be ashamed Ziva. Adir is indeed very strong. You have nothing to be ashamed of." He comforted her by rubbing her back.

Ari felt like a volcano of emotions had erupted inside of him. Hate. Resentment. Fury. Sadness. There were many more things he was feeling at the moment, but he pushed it down as he held his sister.

"I will take care of it. I know for a fact Eli would not do anything even if he knew." Ari said calmly, letting his distaste for their father show.

"What are you going to do?"

"You do not need to worry. I can take care of myself, okay?"

"Okay."

"Head on home then, Ziva."

"What about you?"

"I have things to take care of."

"Will I see you in the morning?"

"You can find me up here before sunrise."

"Promise?"

"I promise." He smiled encouragingly, as he looked into her brown orbs.

Ziva looked at her brother in contemplation for a while, before engulfing him with a tight hug. "I am glad you are back."

"Me too, Ziva." He wrapped his strong arms around his sister's tone but still petite figure.

"I love you Ari." She said into her brother's shirt.

"I love you too, little one." He said truthfully, resting his cheek on her head.

He felt sorry for his baby sister, as his distaste for Eli grew stronger. Building him to be a killer was bad enough, but why Ziva? The poor girl had already been through a lot in her fourteen years. He didn't want this kind of life for Ziva. But there wasn't anything he could do. What he could do, was to try and be her big brother. To be there if she needed him. She still held some of the innocence that he used to have, and he hoped she would be able to keep it for as long as possible, despite the low chances. In his heart he knew, by the time Eli David was done with Ziva, she wouldn't be the girl hugging him and telling him 'I love you' anymore.

The next morning, Ziva climbed up her secret tree to find Ari and Uziel hanging out on the branches, legs dangling beneath them.

"You told him about the tree?" Ziva looked at Ari.

"So this is where you always vanish to! By the way, I am sitting right here Ziva. I can actually hear you." Uziel exclaimed.

"Were you not the one who told me Uziel was like your second brother when I am not around?" Ari smirked.

"Aw Ziva. I am touched." Uziel touched his chest jokingly.

Ziva glared at her partner. "Come here." Uziel patted the space beside him on the thick branch.

Ziva huffed as she sat down beside him. She didn't mind Uziel up here actually. He was pretty close to her, and he should be let in on her secret place.

"Look. If you do not want me up here, I understand. It is between you and Ari. But I am very honoured to know this about you." Uziel offered.

Uziel and his glib tongue always got her. He was like Ari. "I guess this tree is ours now." Ziva cracked a smile, gesturing to all three of them.

Uziel grinned widely in return and gave her a one-armed hug. He did love being like a brother to Ziva.

"So where did you go yesterday, Ari?" Ziva asked.

"I did some stuff."

"Is it the same stuff you were doing Uziel? Because I could not find you both yesterday." Ziva directed the question to her partner.

Uziel threw a look at Ari.

Ari crossed over to the branch where his sister and friend sat. He gently sat down beside Ziva, leaving her in the middle of her two protective guys. "I told you I would take care of it." Ari said.

"And I told you that he would get what he deserved." Uziel revealed.

They each put an arm across Ziva's shoulder, as she smiled in appreciation. The three sat there peacefully, watching the sun rise above the horizon.

"Hey guys?" Ziva asked.

"Yes?" Both brotherly figures answered.

"Someone better get off this branch before it breaks." She said seriously.

The other two burst into rare laughter. "Come on Ziva. I have not gone to relief myself since yesterday. Let us go together." Ari joked.

"Uziel! You told him about our peeing arrangement? Which was not true by the way, Ari. I did not go pee with him." Ziva got her words out through bouts of laughter.

Uziel escaped her swatting hand and smiled back sheepishly.

And that was just one fading good memory Ziva had of Ari.

End Of Flashback

Ziva smiled softly at the beautiful memory. Tony and McGee were looking at her weirdly.

"You were saying?" McGee snapped her out of her reverie.

"Oh yes. My umm...brother came back from Edinburgh." Ziva said, as Tony's face tensed.

"I let slip the incident. And I think he and Uziel took really good care of Adir. Because I could not find either of them one evening. The next day, it was announced that Adir vanished off Mossad radar." She continued.

"I was grateful. I loved both of them very much back then. Uziel was the best partner I ever had in Mossad." Ziva revealed, at which Tony's shoulders straightened.

"And contrary to popular belief, Ari was a good man. He was the best brother." Ziva said sadly.

She missed her brother Ari. Not terrorist Ari.

Tony felt sad for his partner too. She had to shoot the brother she loved. His impression of the Ari that killed Kate was improved by that very little bit. The fact that he murdered Kate was still standing though.

"So, where is Uziel now?" Tony tried to change the subject and lift the atmosphere.

He didn't want to think or talk about Ari anymore. It would just make them upset. Instead, he diverted his attention to what Ziva had implied earlier. She said he was the best partner she had. He couldn't deny the hurt and jealousy that rose within him.

"Here." She replied.

"What do you mean 'here'? Did you finally make him your boyfriend? Because I distinctly remember hearing you say you loved him." Tony laughed uncharacteristically.

"No. Wow where did you get that idea? He is like a big brother." Ziva's brows furrowed.

"Then why would he be here in America?"

"He is here for only a few days. He came to visit." Ziva laughed slightly.

McGee stifled a laugh at Tony's behaviour.

"By the way Tony, you do not have to be jealous." Ziva informed.

"What, me? Jealous? No way."

"I saw your reaction when I said Uziel was the best partner I had in Mossad. Well, he was indeed. But you are the best partner I have here." Ziva grinned.

Tony was warmed by her words, and he grinned in return.

"Uhh hi there." McGee greeted.

"Hi." A handsome man with dark blue eyes appeared from the elevator.

He crossed his arms and walked over to Ziva's desk. "How long did you want me to wait?" His accented voice asked.

"You are too impatient Uziel." Ziva beamed and threw herself into his now outstretched hands.

She wrapped her hands tightly around his torso, as he stroked her head. "Hey too tight. Too tight." He guffawed.

"Tony, McGee, this is-" Ziva introduced, speaking into Uziel's jacket until McGee cut her off.

"Uziel."

"Pleasure." Uziel nodded at McGee and Tony.

"Nice to meet you too. Anthony DiNozzo." Tony extended his hand, walking towards Uziel.

Uziel tried to extract his arm from Ziva's vice grip. "Ziva I need my hand." He laughed, patting her head.

Tony and McGee looked on with soft eyes. Ziva didn't seem much like a touchy-feely person, and so when they saw her acting like that, they figured that the two must have gone way back. They had to be extremely close.

Ziva released her ex-partner as he took Tony's hand. "So that geek over there is obviously McGee." Tony gestured to McGee.

"Ah yes. You are a funny man." Uziel chuckled.

"That's what they all say." Tony joked, flicking his wrists.

"Come on Ziva. I am hungry." Uziel complained.

"Okay hang on. I need to hit the restroom."

That successfully sparked a memory in Uziel's head. "Hey I think you are forgetting something."

"What? No I am not."

Uziel gestured to his whole being, eyebrows raised in amusement. Recognition flickered across Ziva's face as she suddenly burst out in hearty laughter. "No. We are not peeing together."

"Aw come on." Uziel followed her anyway.

Tony and McGee looked at each other inquisitively, clearly intrigued with their conversation.

"Okay never mind let us just go eat." Ziva changed her direction.

"Spoilsport."

"Bye guys." Ziva waved at her fellow agents.

"See you sometime." Uziel bade as he put his hands on Ziva's shoulders, pushing her towards the elevator.

"It's nice to see that someone out there other than us can make Ziva laugh." McGee told Tony.

"Yeah. I think I like that Uziel guy. Sure, I don't like it when there's someone more awesome than yours truly, but yeah. I think it's the start of a beautiful friendship between me and him."

"You probably won't see him again Tony." McGee deadpanned.

"Let a guy dream, can you?"

It was frankly nice to see the more affectionate and childish side of Ziva. And apparently Uziel was one that could bring it out.

On another note, maybe what Kate told Gibbs wasn't totally untrue. She said she saw kindness in Ari's eyes. Maybe she was right.

Aww I like this character. Haha tell me what you think (: