This chapter takes place right where the season 10 finale, 'Damned If You Do', left off. This story is my solution to the mystery. On the show, this happens 'Four Months Later' (from the time when Tony, Ziva, and McGee resigned). In my story, well…you can obviously all read by this point. So, this is from the time that they resigned, not since the last chapter.

One Month Later:

Gibbs rushed to Captain Wayne. They hadn't expected Hydar to have his own men protecting him. There were only two, at least they hoped. Gibbs took out one, and Wayne the other. Gibbs stepped over one of the bodies to get to Wayne, who'd been injured in the process.

Gibbs put pressure on the wound. Wayne had been stabbed in his side.

"Do it." Wayne urged him. "Do it." He urged again.

Gibbs positioned Wayne's own hand over the wound. It wasn't life threatening. But it certainly wasn't painless, or an injury to take lightly.

Gibbs made his way to the window. He took position behind his sniper rifle. He looked through the sight and immediately found Fornell's chest in the crosshairs. If he'd been 10 seconds later he'd have missed his chance. He pulled the trigger. Fornell took the hit dead center and fell back into the open door of the town car. Gibbs pulled his rifle into the building so it wouldn't be spotted. FBI emergency protocol went into play.

"Wayne, are you okay?" Gibbs yelled. He scrambled back to the man's side.

"Did you do it?" Wayne asked.

"Yes." Gibbs assured him.

Wayne breathed out a sigh of relief and even managed a weak smile. "Then I'm fine. Get out of here."

"No."

"My people will take care of this. They're on standby waiting for my call. You need to get out of here and finish this."

"I'm not leaving until I know they're in route." Gibbs was adamant.

Wayne tried moving to reach his phone in his pocket. He grimaced in pain.

"Now aren't you glad I stayed?" Gibbs reached in to the man's pocket and took out his cell phone. "What number?"

"Two."

Gibbs dialed the second speed dial number. He held the phone to Wayne's ear. Wayne spoke into his phone. "It's me. It's done. I'm injured. Two dead. I need a team. Bye." Gibbs took the phone away and hung up. "Now get out of here." He yelled at Gibbs.

Gibbs nodded at the man once, and left.

As soon as Fornell was shot emergency protocol was put into play. There were two town cars to transfer the asset. The first car held Fornell, Hydar, and a driver. The second car was backup; with a driver and two additional agents. FBI emergency protocol instructed the agents to provide cover, and get the car with the asset safely away from the scene. Once that car was secured and clear of danger, they would receive instructions. In the event of an emergency, both cars would receive instructions via their onboard navigation system directing them to a safe house. The safe house would only be assigned to them after they called in the threatening incident. This way there was no possibility that it could be compromised in advance.

"Shooter!" Fornell yelled. The other FBI agents drew their weapons looking up at the empty windows of the nearby buildings. Gibbs was too far away, and they couldn't find where the shots came from.

Two agents rushed to Fornell. One provided cover as the other stuffed Fornell back into the car. He slammed the door and banged on the side of the car yelling, 'drive'. The two agents kept their guns drawn, providing cover, until the first car had driven away.

McGee sat in a public park taking advantage of the free wireless service in a small café. It wasn't even a hard hack. He'd already taken over both FBI cars. He disabled the GPS so that neither car could be traced by the FBI. He activated the signal jammers he'd earlier attached to each car so that the agents wouldn't be able to immediately call for help. And now he was in control of the navigation systems in both cars. He sent the second car to a random location at the opposite side of town. And the car holding Fornell and Hydar was sent to an empty parking garage.

The FBI car pulled into an empty garage. Tony and Ziva were waiting out of sight. As soon as the driver got out of the car they ambushed and knocked him out. They were both masked so the agent wouldn't be able to identify them later. Tony took out a syringe and injected the contents into the agent's arm. He would be out for hours. They knocked Hydar out too, just to be sure and a little bit because they just wanted to do it. They grabbed what they'd come for and took off in their own waiting car.

Hydar sat bound to a chair in Gibbs remote cabin. When he came to, Gibbs was waiting. "Zamir Hydar. You are a difficult man to find."

Hydar shook his head to fend off unconsciousness and comprehend his situation. "I am under the protection of your government." He stated with confidence. "If anything happens to me there will be serious consequences." It was an automatic statement that was meant to get him out of any and all jams.

"Serious consequences. Uh oh, that's scary." Gibbs snorted out a laugh.

"What do you want?" Hydar snarled.

"What do I want?" Gibbs repeated casually. He pulled a chair up to Hydar and took a seat a few feet in front of him. He leaned over, resting his elbows on his knees, until his face was inched from Hydar. His blue eyes narrowed and iced over. His next words held such venom that all the color drained from Hydar's face. "What I want," Gibbs spat, "cannot be replaced. But I'll take the next best thing. I'll take you." One corner of his mouth pulled back into a half-smile. If Gibbs had fangs he'd be flashing them now.

A knock sounded at the door and drew Gibbs away from a now terrified Hydar. "Come in." Gibbs called. He turned back to Hydar. "I have someone here who wants to talk to you."

Hydar's eyes widened as Ziva and Tony came into the cabin.

Gibbs laughed as he watched Hydar's eyes recognize Ziva. "I think you already know Ziva David. This is Tony. He's the man who loves her. Word on the street is that Adam's involvement was your idea." He stood up from the chair. "I think I'll let you three talk for a bit." He nodded at Tony and Ziva, and left them alone with Hydar.

Gibbs left the cabin and made his way to the car. Tobias sat on the hood rubbing his sore chest. "Dammit Jethro. You said it would barely hurt."

"In the spectrum of being shot, that was rather painless." Gibbs smiled. "Buck up. You even had padding underneath. Kate took a shot point-blank to that same spot and stood right up without complaining."

The mention of Kate's name quieted both men. Gibbs hadn't intentionally spoken of her. But now that he'd said the words, the parallels couldn't be ignored. Less than 30 seconds after Kate had taken that shot in her vest, she was dead. Fornell carried a great deal of guilt for her death. Fornell hadn't believed Gibbs back then when he insisted that Ari was dangerous. He'd followed orders, trusted, and protected Ari as he was told. And Kate had paid with her life. A little of his guilt lifted. He'd done right this time. He could never make up for her death, but he could honor her by never making that same mistake again. And he'd done right by her today.

"You did good, Fornell." Gibbs told his friend.

"There's McGee." Gibbs jutted his chin towards a car that headed towards the cabin. "He'll drop you off with your car. I really think it would sell it more if you looked a little roughed up." His suggestion came with a sly smile.

"I think letting you shoot and drug me is enough for one day." Fornell quipped back. "Don't get greedy. How's Wayne?"

"He's in the hospital. He's probably in surgery right now. He'll be out for a few months, but he'll be fine."

"Good. I like that guy." Fornell laughed to himself. "The fucking cowboy hat. Classic."

Back inside the cabin, Ziva circled Hydar like a hawk marking her prey. The man followed her movements with his eyes like he was afraid she would pounce at any second and slit his throat. He'd obviously been told of the many talents that Ziva David possessed.

"Are you going to kill me?" He eyed Ziva nervously.

She stopped moving, standing behind Hydar in his blind spot. "Tony," she asked over to Hydar, "am I going to kill him?" She spoke in an innocent sing-songing voice. Hydar strained and tried to turn to see her, but Ziva remained out of sight behind him.

"No." Tony responded with a laugh. He leaned casually up against the wall of the cabin like he had all the time in the world. "Ziva's retired. We had a retirement party and everything. Who else was there, Z?" He called back to her.

Ziva snuck up behind Hydar and spoke into his ear. "Adam was there."

Hydar jumped, straining against his restraints. His eyes bulged out of his head, desperate to get Ziva away from his neck. She laughed and walked back around into his line of sight. She swapped places with Tony; she leaned against the wall, and Tony began to slowly circle Hydar.

Tony spoke obviously. "Oh yeah. How could I forget? Adam didn't have such a great time." He took a few steps toward Hydar and placed his hand on the back of the chair Gibbs had left. His voice flipped from casual to predatory. He leaned over towards Hydar and spoke with venom. "She's definitely not going to kill you. But I might." He wiggled his eyebrows at Hydar a few times before standing back up straight. He stood up tall and cracked his neck, letting out a content sigh as it popped a few times.

"I am under the protection of the US Government." Hydar insisted, though with less confidence than before. He was no longer able to hide the futile desperation in his voice.

"Sweet cheeks." Tony turned and called to her. "Do you work for the government?"

Ziva pretended to think for a moment. "I do not." She studied her nails as she leaned against the cabin wall. "Tony, do you work for the government?" she asked back.

Tony turned back to Hydar. He tapped his cheek a few times with his finger while he thought. He snapped his fingers as if realization had suddenly struck. "I had almost forgotten," he dripped sarcasm, "I don't work for the government anymore." He took a seat in the chair left in front of Hydar and leaned in close. "It's almost like I don't have anything left to lose." He narrowed his eyes and glared at Hydar.

"Tony, that is not true." Ziva purred to him. She came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She nuzzled her face into his neck and playfully kissed up and down.

Tony moaned. He grabbed Ziva and pulled her around and onto his lap. Ziva wove her hands around him and attached her lips to his neck, putting on a show. "Oh yeah." Tony half moaned, half declared, as Ziva devoured him. "I have everything to lose." He snapped. "Ziva, baby, let's talk to the crazy terrorist for a minute." She pouted, but removed her mouth from Tony's neck, and sat up to look at Hydar.

"You see," Tony continued, "I almost lost everything. I almost lost her." He blew Ziva a little kiss. She caught in her hand with flourish and a playful smile. Tony took a few seconds to simply smile adoringly at Ziva. He loved it when she was playful, and she looked so adorable with her hand still clasped around his imaginary kiss.

He turned back to Hydar and his loving eyes snapped dark. "There are a few things that can send a man over the edge. And this woman is it for me. We had a nice talk with Adam at Ziva's party. He told us that you had quite a hand in all her troubles. It seems like you're always trying to kill her. Now how would you feel if some random person, on the other side of the world kept trying to kill you?" He waited for a few seconds while Hydar sat in silence. "Come on Hydar, we're sharing." He mocked him. "Now, how would you feel if someone you didn't even know was trying to kill you?" He glared at Hydar, waiting for him to answer.

Hydar looked around nervously. "Not good." He said quietly.

"Yes." Tony praised him. "Now we're sharing. This is good. And what would you do to this person who's trying to kill you." Hydar looked back at Tony with large eyes. "Hydar!" Tony threatened.

"I would turn them into the authorities." Hydar answered.

Tony threw his head back and bellowed laughter to the ceiling. "Hydar, you're funny." He smiled. Then, as quickly as this bout of joking had started, he ended it. Tony's smile turned upside down and his eyes flashed dark. "Now tell me why shouldn't I should shoot you in the head right now?" He snapped.

Hydar sat frozen in fear. His eyes were large, his mouth was wide, and his skin was ghostly white.

"Tony," Ziva purred on his lap, "I am bored. Can we please just finish him off and go home?"

"Why the rush? I love this part." He flashed Hydar a menacing glare.

"I want you…now." Ziva purred into his ear and then nipped his neck.

"I'm sorry for ignoring you. Come here." He squeezed Ziva into his body and pressed his lips again hers. Ziva attacked his mouth, snaking her arms around his head and plunging her tongue into Tony's mouth. Watching this display scared Hydar exponentially.

Gibbs opened the door and stuck his head into the cabin. He saw Ziva on Tony's lap with her tongue thrust down his throat. It was one of the most graphic displays of affection he'd ever seen with clothing still on. "Hey. You two." He yelled at them. "Get a room."

Tony spun his head around to both sides studying the walls of the cabin. "This looks like a room to me. Look," he pointed towards Gibbs' small cot in the corner, "it even has a bed. What do you think Ziva?"

"I believe this does count as a room." She agreed. She and Tony were on the exact same page. They spoke in harmony without missing a beat.

"Good point. Carry on." Gibbs closed the door and left them alone with Hydar. The DiNozzo method might be unorthodox, but it got the job done. And judging by Hydar's terrified face, their tactics were proving very effective.

"You are all insane." Hydar looked at them with fear clear in his eyes.

"Yeah we are." Tony agreed. "This summer has been very up and down. Right baby?" Ziva pursed her lips and nodded for him. "You see, all we want to do is get on with our lives. Right baby?" Ziva nodded again. "All we want go away for the summer and you keep dragging us back. It all keeps coming back to you. What reason do I have to keep you alive?"

Tony heard a car pull up. "Why don't you give that question some thought. Excuse me, Z I'll be right back. You two play nice." He smiled and left.

"Did everything go okay?" Gibbs asked McGee.

"Yes Boss. We're on track." McGee reported.

Tony jogged up to them from the cabin, flushed from his show with Ziva. "What happened? What you find?" He asked.

McGee relayed what he'd found. "It was just like you thought, Boss. He had a small cell here in D.C. They were in an apartment in Anacostia. Hydar kept records of everything, and it was all on his computer. I sent in a tip from his e-mail account to the feds with the apartment address and enough incriminating information to give it credibility. The FBI already raided the place. There were 5 men, and they were all killed."

"What about the cell in Iran?" Gibbs asked.

"I have his hard drive. All his communications overseas are encrypted. I'm hopeful that I can find something, but it will take me some time."

"Good job McGee." Gibbs gave credit where it was due.

"I need to get Fornell back to the car." McGee reminded them.

The plan was to drop Fornell back in the parking garage where they'd left the other FBI agent with the car. McGee would administer a much smaller dose of the same sedative they'd used on the driver. Fornell would wake up soon, but his blood test would come back positive for the drug. McGee would enable the GPS on the car and the FBI would find them in minutes. The plot would look like Hydar's own men had taken him out.

"Is it a good idea to leave her alone in there with him?" McGee asked Tony. Not that he would have cared if Ziva off'd Hydar, but that wasn't part of the plan.

"Ziva is retired from that." Tony told him confidently.

Just then a wailing howl came from inside the cabin. "Help! Get this woman away from me." Hydar screeched.

"Well, maybe it will be a bit of a process." Tony deadpanned back to them. "I should probably go check on that."

"Ya, think?" Gibbs added. The shadow of a smile played at his lips. He obviously didn't care either if Ziva roughed Hydar up a bit either.

Just as Tony turned to head back to the cabin, Ziva opened the door and emerged from the cabin. She casually walked over to them and leaned in to Tony's side as if she didn't have a care in the world. Everyone was looking at her with nervous and questioning stares.

"What?" She asked innocently. "I just told him a story. He is being a baby."

"And…?" Gibbs asked.

"We can turn him." She said with confidence. "He is not a true believer. He wants to be famous. It was all about fame. I am certain that we can turn him." She asserted again.

"Can we go for part two?" Tony asked.

"We're sure as hell going to try. Part two it is." Gibbs confirmed back. He spoke to Tony and Ziva. "You two get back in there. I'll give you five more minutes to play with him." Ziva smiled and headed back to Hydar with Tony close behind.

Tony took a seat back in the chair in front of Hydar. Ziva around the cabin studying its contents. She completely ignored Hydar.

As she wandered behind his line of sight, Hydar's eyes bulged. "She's crazy!" He yelled to Tony.

Tony rolled his eyes. "I know." He said flippantly. "That's why I love her." He blew Ziva another kiss.

Ziva began to hum as she meandered around behind Hydar. She had a beautiful tone, and soon Tony was hypnotized by the tune. "Ziva, that's a beautiful song. What is it?" Tony asked.

She gracefully made her way to Tony, humming all the way, until she stood over him. "It is a song my father used to sing." She leaned down, pecking Tony on the lips, and then began to wander the cabin again, humming the same tune.

Tony watched her work. She reminded him of a cat, all grace and stealth and beauty. He smiled. Oh, and how cats loved to play with their food. Hydar was growing more and more uneasy as Ziva stalked behind him. Whatever she was doing was working so well that Tony just sat back and watched. It gave him a thrill to think that while Hydar was scared for his life, he was simply turned on by her show.

Gibbs knocked on the door. He poked his head into the cabin. Glad to see Ziva free from Tony's lap, he came in. "We're done let's go." He told them.

"That was easy. How many were there?" Tony asked Gibbs.

"Only 5 in the apartment. Two are dead, the others are in custody."

"Where was it?" Ziva asked casually.

"A little apartment in Anacostia." Reported Gibbs.

Hydar couldn't hide his reaction. He knew they were talking about his cell in D.C. If they'd found 5 of his men that only left 2 still out there who would come looking to save him. "If anything happens to me there will be consequences." His empty threat was obvious.

Gibbs laughed. "Let me know how that goes for you."

"My people have the original immunity agreement. Your own government granted me full immunity. If anything should happen to me, it will be released. Your country will be linked to anything that happens."

"Good." Gibbs said with a snort. "You turned on your own people. You sent in a tip from your own e-mail account about an hour ago. You really should be more careful with your security. It only took our guy a few minutes to get everything he needed off your cell and computer."

"I did not do that." Hydar was furious. This was a man who wasn't used to being played.

"Prove it." Gibbs challenged him. "I'm guessing you taught your people to shoot first and ask questions later. I think they're pretty mad at you."

Tony laughed. "We also told your 'friends' back in Iran that you've double-crossed them. Misinformation can go a long way. And right now it's not us you need to fear. It's them." He let out another singing laugh before turning away from Hydar. "Is anyone else hungry?" Tony asked. "There's a great little place we just discovered. They have the absolute best fries I have ever had."

"Sounds good to me." Ziva said.

"Let's go." Gibbs agreed.

"You still need me." Hydar screamed after them.

"No, we don't." Tony smiled and laughed. "We don't care what happens to you anymore. You turned in your own cell. Our government looks like geniuses for signing that agreement with you. It looks like you were working for us the whole time. Your own people will be hunting you as a traitor. You're screwed." Tony laughed maniacally at him.

Realization dawned on Hydar as he realized exactly how screwed he truly was. He had other people here in the US, and they wouldn't be coming to save him. They would be hunting him now. His standing order was to kill all traitors as soon as they were suspected. They would never listen to his side of the story. The cell in D.C. was is own personal guard. He was the only one who knew their location. If they'd been turned into the authorities, he was the only one who could have done it. He was royally fucked.

"I have other information. I want to make a new deal." Hydar cried.

"No." Gibbs said bluntly. "You already have your deal. You have immunity."

"You can't leave me here. I won't get back alive."

"Yeah. Duh. That's the plan." Tony added. "This guy's a bit slow." He whispered out the side of his mouth.

They all turned and started to leave.

"Wait! I'll tell you how to find the cell in Iran right now if you take me to your authorities." Hydar begged.

"I don't know. " Tony mused. "We only have one car and Ziva doesn't like to share the backseat. Maybe next time." He offered.

"Shotgun." Ziva called proudly. She smiled and pointed to the car that was now visible through the cabin door. "You choose if you would like to share." She continued out the door and left. She was done with Hydar.

"You had better make this worth my while." Tony said with a smile.