But Gibbs knew that was only because Jenny had her eyes on the prize; cohabitation with Gibbs was secondary to everything else. He knew DiNozzo would like his own team, but was content to wait for Gibbs to retire. Ziva had expressed no desire for advancement, but that didn't mean she didn't have aspirations, it only meant he wasn't aware of them.
He thought Ziva would make an excellent Assistant Director, with her background. But she was also of the same ilk as Gibbs, being too hot-tempered and blunt to be "politically correct". For that matter, Tony would also make an excellent Assistant Director and had the schmooze to pull it off.
He was pulled from his musings by his phone ringing. "Blocked Number". Gibbs smiled, wondering if their ears were burning.
Vignette Eleven- Part Seven
"Gibbs." He looked around the bullpen to see who was nearby.
"Hi, Dad, how's the family?" Ziva made the call this time. She and Tony had gone back to their original hotel room after they ate some breakfast, and decided to call from there. Ziva had the phone on speaker.
"Oh, we're somehow managing to limp along without you." Gibbs said sarcastically, still not wanting his Agents to feel comfortable with what they were doing. "Let me get to a secured location."
Gibbs went upstairs and into one of the Director's conference rooms. He pulled McGee up with him, to take notes if necessary.
He put the phone on speaker. "Ok, we can talk now. Did you pick up the envelope?"
"Yes we did. Did you know what Interpol was planning?" Tony was talking now.
Gibbs looked at McGee, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm not sure I understand what you mean. Vance and I, Secretary Jarvis, requested assistance with weapons and other supplies you might need. Did you not get any of that?"
"Oh, we got an embarrassment of riches, Boss. You wouldn't believe what they have given us. It's almost too good to be true." Tony's tone was unmistakable.
Gibbs looked disturbed. "Are you saying you think this is a set-up?"
"Not necessarily, but we are being cautious. In addition to weapons, we were given an iPad that has on it every database of wanted terrorists, which is very helpful. But Tony is a little wary because within one hour of getting this stuff, we found a member of the First Wave group. You remember them, yes?" Ziva responded.
McGee sat up. "Who did you find?"
"Oh, hey! His name is Matim Haddad. He was sitting at the restaurant where we were having dinner. I put a tracer on him, and then we called it in to Interpol as instructed. We will be sending you an email with his picture when we get to the Library." Tony smiled when he heard McGee's voice.
"It is interesting that we find a member of the same terrorist group known to have wanted to kill the Director of Mossad so quickly." Ziva commented.
Gibbs noticed she used the word "interesting" and referred to her father as the "Director of Mossad". This told him she was also a little bothered by their quick success and perhaps worried they were being monitored.
"How much does this guy know about us?" Tony asked.
Gibbs rubbed his face. "Not much, only that we sent a team undercover. So he knows you are NCIS but not who you are. He also knows our focus of interest is Ilan Bodnar, which would make sense given he has been named as the major suspect in the attack that killed the wife of the Director of NCIS, which again is why we sent you."
Tony and Ziva looked at each other. That was a very plausible reason for NCIS to send a team, totally eliminating the ties to Ziva's father as the purpose of the mission.
Gibbs cleared his throat. "I can tell you that he is personally known to the SecNav and he was instrumental in setting this up."
Tony raised his eyebrows at that. "Well, that probably explains their generosity then. They gave us an apartment, and all sorts of neat gadgets including these dissolvable tracking disks."
"What was that?" McGee looked at Gibbs, his interest peaked.
"I can't really explain how they work, except they are absorbed in the skin. Abby would probably know how they work. Each disk has a tracking number, so I guess that works the same way as with other devices. Enter the disk number into the tracking software to activate it."
"Do you also have the tracking software?" Tim asked.
Tony and Ziva looked at each other. "I don't know. Ziva is checking out the iPad right now to see." The line went quiet and Gibbs and McGee could hear background noise as Ziva looked through the software that had been downloaded onto the tablet.
"Yes, I think we do." Ziva responded. She opened it up. "Yes, it has a place to put the disk number." She looked at Tony. This was an unexpected prize. They could use it to track their own suspects, without Interpol.
"Ziva, can you send me the manufacturer information regarding this software? I can see if I can get a copy and then we can also track whoever you tag; assuming distance is not an issue. Not that we can do much from here, unless they travel to the U.S. Any idea how long the disk works?"
"Not a clue." Tony answered. "These things are seriously cool, but the downside is that you do have to touch the person you want to track. It would help us to know how long they are active. I would like to see Haddam stationary in a cell. I can mail you one. Abby can experiment with it."
Gibbs smirked at that. "Send us the picture and the software information as soon as you can. The next time we talk to D'Arcy, I will not mention this conversation. I will also wait for him to bring up that you located a wanted terrorist."
"Is your gut telling you something, Boss?" Tony looked warily at Ziva.
Gibbs shrugged. "Jarvis has been fooled by his "friends" before." Gibbs replied, thinking of Sean Latham and that whole Watcher Fleet fiasco. "But I don't have a bad feeling about D'Arcy. Just being careful. I don't know him. I don't trust anyone I don't know."
Gibbs took a breath. "I didn't tell you this the last time we spoke, but D'Arcy did say they caught Favreau selling crates of high caliber, fully automatic weapons to a Dieter Sanger, a member of the 'Hamburg Cell'. Sanger gave up info regarding his terrorist organization. They both admitted to knowing Bodnar. This deal was supposedly not tied to him, but Favreau did admit to recent contact. Interpol is still extracting information from him."
Tony and Ziva looked at each other after hearing this bit of news. Tony took Ziva's hand, knowing that she was feeling anger now at this "nice little old man".
"Well, we have a way of verifying that information, Boss." Tony said quietly.
Gibbs nodded grimly. "Be careful when you go back to the Antiques Shop. I know you think there is no reason to tie you to the bust, assuming it actually happened."
Tony nodded, and Ziva sighed. "We'll let you know immediately if anything is out of the ordinary." Tony meant finding Favreau back behind the counter in his shop.
"You better, or I'll come there myself and slap your head into tomorrow." Gibbs growled.
Tony and Ziva smiled, glad Gibbs was watching their backs. "Ok." Tony commented. "We're going to head out and find some free computer we can use to send the email and picture. We have email on this iPad, but I would rather not use it since D'Arcy can probably monitor who we send and receive emails from. The less eyes, the better."
Gibbs nodded in agreement. "Ok, sounds like a plan." Gibbs hung up the phone.
Tony gave Ziva the burn phone to dismantle and took the iPad from her. He downloaded the photo and the tracking software onto a flash drive. He wrote down the essential information regarding the software to add to the email in case McGee was unable to open the download.
Once he was done with that, he got a satchel and placed the reward money inside. He picked up the brooch and ran his finger over it. Sighing, he put it in his pocket. He turned and watched Ziva finish with the phone. She grabbed a new one, and entered D'Arcy's number in the contacts.
"Ready? Tony asked.
Ziva looked around. They had packed the few belonging they still had at the hotel. After talking to Gibbs, she felt better about their current situation, but she was on alert.
Seeing that they had left nothing behind, she nodded. "I am ready. You can check us out of the hotel, I will wait outside."
They took the elevator to the lobby and Tony proceeded to check out. The front desk was very unhappy to see them go, but Tony smiled widely. "Oh, we'll be back some day. We are going to travel, Germany or Austria. We haven't quite decided yet."
The desk manager nodded in understanding. "Well, then I wish you a most delightful holiday. We hope to see you soon."
"Merci." Tony nodded and headed outside. Ziva was waiting at the end of the block. He strode quickly toward her, and took one of the bags she was holding.
They walked back to their apartment and dropped off the bags. Double checking to make sure they had what they needed, they headed out again, in search for a free computer. They went to the student center at the Sorbonne and found a bank of computers that was free for the public to use.
Tony quickly signed into their email account and uploaded the photo and software and sent it to Tim. He quickly closed out, and then took Ziva's hand. They took their time, watching their surroundings, making sure they weren't being followed.
They stopped at a Pâtisserie and got some croissants and coffee and sat at a small table outside to enjoy their treat and people watch. Tony took numerous pictures, mostly of Ziva much to her annoyance.
"Hey, we're on our honeymoon! This is what people do on their honeymoon." Tony grinned.
"First of all, Thomas, how would you know what people do on their honeymoon? And second, this is not what I will do on my honeymoon."
Tony stopped mid-bite. "Oohh…tell me what you'll do. No don't. Ok, tell me."
Ziva just smiled at him. "You are a child."
"Yeah, I know. That's why you love me." Tony grinned.
"Is that the reason? I was not sure…" Ziva teased him. She checked her watch. "We need to get to the bank. They close early here."
Tony smiled, pleased that Ziva actually admitted she expected to have a honeymoon someday. He hadn't really made any plans beyond the idea of them living together. Now that they were on the run, and "married", even if it was their aliases, he was finding he liked the idea more and more.
Ziva had already said that they would remain together, unless he did something stupid that is. He made a vow to never piss her off, if he could avoid it.
"Tony?" He looked up to see Ziva regarding him, puzzled. "Are you ok?" She asked, unsure.
He kissed her. "I have never been better." He finished his pastry and nodded. He collected their plates and threw them away. "I'll go in and take care of this." Tony lifted the small bag.
Ziva linked her arm through his. "I will miss being here. The last time I was here, it was not a pleasant time."
Tony frowned. "Were you here some other time after we came here to pick up that witness?"
Ziva looked at him puzzled. "Oh, I was thinking of long term, that was just an overnight visit." She kissed his cheek. "That was very pleasant."
Tony smiled, and kissed her back. "I thought you enjoyed yourself, despite your protests to the contrary. Ah, here we are. I'll be right back."
Ziva took the camera and started taking pictures. Tony went inside and had no problems accessing the safety deposit box. He placed the reward money and the brooch inside and got out of there.
Jerusalem, Israel
Mossad Officer Samuel Rivkin listened intently as Deputy Director Bodnar gave him instructions. He nodded, smiling as the phone call neared its end.
Finally, he was being activated and had a mission. He was so proud to have the trust of Director Bodnar. Rivkin recognized him as the true heir of the title and referred to him as such. Maybe he was not the legal Director of Mossad, but he was Rivkin's Director.
"Understood, Sir. I will meet you there." Rivkin tried to contain his excitement. He could control his emotions. But he would be lying if he denied the elation that was coursing through his veins, knowing the trust Bodnar had just endowed him with.
"An eye for an eye." Samuel Rivkin smiled in anticipation. He would at last exact revenge on the murder of his brother, Michael. He envisioned the look of surprise on Agent DiNozzo's face when he showed up at his apartment.
Of'course, the stupid American Agent would be relaxing and not expecting a Mossad Assassin to show up undetected. It would be painfully easy. Rivkin considered the many ways he could kill Agent DiNozzo. He knew he would get directions when he was given his mission details, but he thought he should kill DiNozzo the way he saw fit. A glass shard in the side, then multiple gun shots.
Paris, France
Tony and Ziva strolled arm in arm down the side street toward the Antiques Shop. As they got closer, they could see the sign in the window: Fermé. Closed.
Tony took a deep breath and looked in through the window. "Yeah, it looks pretty empty." He looked back at Ziva, who had stayed away from the windows.
He walked toward her. "This is good news, Lisa. At least we know they acted on our Intel."
Ziva nodded. "I still think we should leave and continue on our own. We can check out the contacts we know about in Spain and Italy."
Tony looked at Ziva, concerned. He nodded reluctantly. "Ok, but we maintain close contact with Gibbs. Now that they know what we are doing and seem to be on board, we can use all the help we can get."
Ziva took his hand and started walking. Once they got down the street, she spoke. "You are worried. Do you not want to leave?" She asked conversationally.
Tony winced. He didn't want to seem to be unsure of this whole thing, and hoped she didn't mean by that question that he didn't want to leave with her. There was no way he was letting her take off without him.
"Of'course I don't. I want to stay here and play "married couple on their honeymoon". I want to enjoy being with you and being able to show the world how much I love you."
Ziva gasped and squeezed his hand. She pulled him over and leaned against a building. She grabbed his face and pulled him to her. Tony grinned and happily complied, kissing Ziva with as much passion as he considered appropriate given they were in a public place.
They touched foreheads, taking deep breaths. "I love you so much, Tony." Ziva whispered. "I know you are afraid that I will take off, or go off my chair. But I will not leave you. I will stay with you. If you do not think we should leave Paris right now, I am fine with that."
Tony grinned at Ziva's "off my chair" knowing she meant "rocker". He looked surprised at her saying she would hold off leaving Paris if he felt it wasn't time. Or maybe she was saying she wouldn't mind playing married couple for a while longer.
He caressed her cheek. "I would be lying if I said I wasn't crazy about leaving our cozy nest here. I'm starting to get comfortable here, living with you and spending time in this fabulous city." Tony sighed.
"But I know Bodnar is not going to come to us, we have to go find him. Which is preferable but that doesn't make it any less nerve-wracking. Look, I know you used to thrive on this way of life. I guess I don't want you to decide that you want to go back to it, because…"
"Because it is not something you want to do, and that would mean we would not be together. I know your heart, Thomas. And mine is yours. Do not worry needlessly. Yes, I am comfortable doing this, but I made my choice years ago." She punctuated her statement with another kiss.
Tony smiled wide. "Ok, I'm on board with whatever you want to do. Let's just…can we be normal people for the rest of the day?"
Ziva laughed. "I am not sure we will ever be 'normal people', but yes. I would like to play for the rest of the day. Everything else can wait, until tomorrow."
Tony grabbed her hand and they headed off, in the general direction of the Louvre.
NCIS
McGee got into work early. He went to a library the evening before and checked his email and downloaded the attachments Tony and Ziva had sent him. He was anxious to learn about this new tracking device and software.
He signed into his computer and attached the flash drive. He waited impatiently for the software to download. Finally it came up. Tim looked through it, fascinated by its sophistication.
He looked at the email again and entered the tracking number of the New Wave terrorist that Tony had been able to place a tracking disk on. To his surprise a map of Paris came up and a red dot started pulsing.
"Oh, my God, it works from here." He started to call Gibbs, but he walked in just then. "Boss, you aren't going to believe this. I got the email from Tony and Ziva with the tracking software. Here, look."
Gibbs came around McGee's desk and looked at his computer. He was just as surprised to see that not only did the software work on their computer but they could use it to track a suspect from such a distance.
Gibbs looked at McGee. "We need to show this to the Director. Come on."
Thanks as always for the great reviews!