Two weeks after the final group assignment Ziva was called to her Father's office. Before she could sit, Eli handed her a packet of papers. "These are DiNozzo's orders." As she flipped through them her stomach clinched. She had always known he had come to Mossad for a reason. Now she knew why. "You will be his control officer." Ziva looked up, not saying anything. "He is to only contact you if he needs to be extracted. Understood?"

She nodded. "Yes sir."

"Ziva," She stopped at the door, her hand on the doorknob. "Can he do this?" He scanned her face for any sign of what her answer would be.

"Yes Abba. He can do this." Her voice was firm. Eli nodded and Ziva pulled the door open to exit the office.

-.-.-.-

She tells him to meet her in the courtyard. He could tell whatever it is, is serious from the expression on her face when he sits down.

Ziva slid the packet across the table. Tony took it, scanning through the papers quickly. "Any questions?" She sat straight, her hands folded on the table.

He looked at her and shook his head. "Nope."

"This is what you wanted, yes? This is why you came here?"

He stares at her and she looks away. "Something you wanna say?"

"Once your mission is complete, do you…plan to stay?" Her voice was quiet. He set the papers down.

"Where else would I go?"

She shrugged. "Back to America?" She looked at him now, and he could see the uncertainty in her eyes.

"I'm not leaving Ziva. That was never part of the plan."

She nodded and glanced around, pulling her mental shields back up. They both had jobs to do. They couldn't afford to let emotions get in the way right now. She slid a phone across the table. "Your burner." He pocketed it into his pants. "Only use it to contact me if you need help."

He nodded his head. "I understand."

He stood, and she opened her mouth. "Tony I…" He paused to look at her. He doesn't say anything, but his eyebrows rose in question. She shook her head. "B'hatzlacha." He gave her a smile, then left the courtyard.

-.-.-.-

A week later Ziva awoke to the sound of footsteps in her apartment. Instinct made her reach for the gun under her pillow. As the sounds got louder, she sighed once she recognized them.

The door creaked open and she sat up, turning on the lamp beside her bed. Tony stood in the doorway, an overwhelmed look on his face. Though it was dark she could see he was covered in dirt, sweat and blood.

A part of her swelled with pride. His mission was over. He was officially a member of Mossad.

She climbed out of the bed and made her way to him. She wrapped a hand around his wrist and slowly led him to her bathroom. He stood there silently as she undressed him, only moving when she needed him to raise an arm or leg.

Turning on the shower she guided him into the water then stripped her own clothing off. After a few moments he began to move, washing the night's events from his skin. Standing behind him, she wrapped her arms around him. Eventually he turned, pulling her to his chest.

His voice came out, low in his throat. "Does it get any easier?"

She glanced up at him, water dripping onto her face. "Eventually…yes." He nodded as they continued to stand under the water.

-.-.-.-

Tony watched his wife pace along the wall of the conference room. He could hear Eli's voice coming through the phone. While he knew Hebrew, it wouldn't be hard for someone who didn't, to know how upset Eli was.

"Abba the mission can still be completed. It," Ziva sighed as she was once again interrupted. "No longer a priority? Abba!" She stopped again, this time biting her lip and nodding. "Yes sir, I understand. Yes. Shalom." She snapped the phone shut and turned to face Tony.

"How bad?" Ziva didn't say anything as she made her way to a chair. "Ah, that bad."

Ziva sat down. "He is sending Malachi and Liat." She said, making a face.

"What!? He's benching us?"

"Tony, the mission must be completed."

"So because we get framed and aren't allowed to leave this building, they get our mission?"

Ziva pulled her hair up into a ponytail. "I do not like it either Tony."

"This is ridiculous! We're only one away from," He stopped as Agent Todd entered the room and Ziva glared at him.

"One away from what?" Kate asked.

Ziva glanced at the agent. "From 100."

"100." She looked back and forth at them. "100 kills?" Her voice rose.

Ziva smirked. "We are assassins, agent Todd."

"Since you became officers, you've killed close to 100 people?" She sat down at the end of the table.

Tony and Ziva looked at one another and began to chuckle. "Together, we have completed 99 missions. DC would have been our 100th." Ziva replied.

"So you've killed more separately?"

Tony gave a shrug then looked at his wife, who simply smirked. "If it makes you feel better, they were mostly terrorists." She said. "People bent on destroying Israel and in some cases the US." Kate opened her mouth then closed it again. "It is ok if you do not agree with it, Agent Todd. We do not expect you to."

"It's just here they teach us to kill only if we have to."

"We had to." Ziva said softly. Tony kept his eyes on his wife. "My first kill, was a man who was planning on bombing the local market. I was 16." She looked at Kate. "If I had not done it, innocent people would have died. I have lost friends, officers, family. I have nearly lost Tony more than once."

"And I've nearly lost you as well." Tony said softy. Ziva raised her eyes and they shared a look.

"Things are different in America. Here you are safe. Things happen yes, but it is rare. In Israel, you are more likely to die from a bomb than you are a car accident. Here you can afford to be young and carefree. There, you must grow up. Fast."

-.-.-.-

B'hatzlacha - Good luck