The sound of a blaring alarm jolted Tony out of his deep but short sleep. He ran a hand over his face as he blinked, trying to get his bearings. As his feet hit the floor of his room he could hear people running outside in the hallway. Finally he stood, making his way to the door. Opening it he found members of Mossad, some in full uniform with guns, dashing up and down the hall.

"This can't be good…" he muttered to himself.

He was about to close the door when Ziva appeared in the hall. "DiNozzo!"

"Ziva, what's going on?"

Ziva stopped in front of his door and Tony couldn't help notice that while she wasn't in uniform, she had her weapons on her body. "There has been an attack."

"Attack? Where?"

"Outside of Tel Aviv. That alarm means everyone must report to the courtyard." He stared at her for a moment, his brain still fuzzy with sleep. "Go! Get dressed!" She snapped, slamming the door as he backed into his room. Minutes later he made his way back out and followed her down the hall.

"Do we know what happened?" He asked as he buckled his holster.

She shook her head. "No, the Director will not say anything until everyone is present." She began to pick up her pace and he quickly followed her through the halls.

Eventually they arrived in the main courtyard. There had to be at least a hundred people present. Some were in full uniform, some in camo. Others were in black and khaki, an outfit he had noticed they preferred when they were on duty. Then there were those who worked in the office and of course, new officers like him.

He followed Ziva as she weaved past people, eventually stopping next to Malachi. "Your Father is about to speak." He whispered and she nodded.

Director Eli David exited through one of the doors that led to the courtyard. Though he was in the presence of fellow Mossad members, four of the Kidon officers flanked him as he walked. The man never failed to intimidate Tony. No matter how many times he saw him.

The crowd became silent as he stood in front of them. Tony noticed that he twisted a ring on his right hand as he began to talk. "As some of you have heard, there has been an attack in Tel Aviv. Dozens are dead, even more so are injured. We believe, that Saleem Ulman is behind this." Murmurs began to rise from everyone.

"Who's Saleem?" Tony whispered to Ziva. She didn't reply, but shook her head at him.

"This act will not be tolerated. We will be sending a team to hunt Saleem down. Those who have been chosen have already been notified. That is all." He turned around and the courtyard filled with chatter.

Tony watched as Ziva pushed her way through the crowd to her Father. "Director!" If he heard her, he didn't make it known. Tony followed a few feet behind as Ziva continued to shout. "Abba!" This time Eli stopped and turned to look at his daughter.

"Ziva." He glanced at Tony who stood behind her.

"Abba, let me go." Tony's face twisted in confusion as Eli looked at his daughter.

"No Ziva."

"Why?"

"I need you here." He turned to walk away but she darted in front of him. Tony watched as the Kidon officers shifted, studying her. He knew they wouldn't touch her, but it still made him nervous.

"I deserve to be assigned to this. You know that."

Eli sighed. "Why do you want to go Ziva?"

"You know why." She said and a look passed over Eli's face. Tony turned to see Malachi stop next to him.

"Ziva, I will not send you on a revenge mission."

"How is sending me revenge and sending the others is not?" She hissed.

"Ziva," before he could continue Malachi stepped forward.

"Excuse me Director."

Eli turned to look at Malachi. "What is it?"

"If it would help matters I can go as well." Tony watched as Eli studied Malachi and Ziva's eyes darted between the two of them.

"Please Abba," Ziva whispered. "For Tali."

Though he didn't know the person Ziva spoke of, Tony knew they were important when Eli's shoulders sagged.

"Fine." Eli said and turned to Malachi then Ziva. "Both of you will go." Malachi nodded and stepped back as Ziva thanked her Father. Eli leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "Be careful my daughter."

Ziva nodded and the three of them watched as Eli made his way back inside. Malachi and Ziva spoke in hushed tones before separating. "What was all that about?" Tony asked, once again following her.

"What do you mean?"

"Who's Tali?" Ziva stopped short at his words and turned to face him, her face tense. At first he thought she was going to strike him. But after a few seconds her face relaxed.

She glanced around at the people near them. "Follow me." She jerked her head and he did as he was told. She led him down several hallways, eventually stopping at the door to her quarters. After they entered she motioned for him to join her on the couch.

"My little sister Tali, was killed in a Hamas suicide bombing when she was 16." Tony didn't say anything, knowing there was no point. "After years of investigation and several…interviews, Mossad concluded that the man behind the attack was Saleem Ulman."

"The man your Father spoke about today." She nodded.

"I vowed to get revenge some day. And now, my chance is here." When he didn't respond she looked at him. "I hope you do not think less of me." She said shaking her head.

Tony furrowed his brow. "Why would I?"

"The desire for revenge is not exactly the best trait one can have." She said, studying her hands.

"You don't have to explain." He told her softly. "My first mission was a revenge mission."

She nodded, remembering the night he had come to her, bloodied and bruised. As they sat in silence she studied him. When he had first arrived at Mossad, she had been convinced he would not make it. But somehow, he had proved her and the others wrong.

-.-.-.-

The night they left, Ziva came to tell Tony goodbye. Never before had she been this nervous. This thing between them, whatever it was, was nothing like the relations she had had with other men. They had seen one another naked, and yet they had not slept together. It was different. A good different, but different none the less.

They were both silent as he opened the door to his quarters and she stepped inside. Her bag made a small thud as she set it on the floor. He studied her for so long that she began to fidget.

"How long?" His voice came out soft, and with a slight break in it.

"A few days, maybe a week. If all goes according to plan." She studied the wall behind him, reluctant to look at him. She was afraid if she did, she would loose her desire to go. That instead, she would want to stay with him here, in this room. That feeling scared her more than the mission.

"I'd wish you luck, but I know you won't need it." She gave a nervous laugh. Tony finally moved, making his way closer to her. She watched as he wrapped a arm around her waist, pulling her to him. She gave him a slight smile as she wrapped her own arm around his waist. "We have a saying in America…no news is good news." She watched as he swallowed. "Though I'm not sure if it would work in this situation." He forced out a smile.

"Probably not." She scanned his face, forcing herself to memorize it. Just in case. "I have to go." She told him, her voice low. He nodded. "I will…see you later."

"I will be right here." He leaned down and pressed a kiss to her lips then watched as she picked up her bag and walked out, not looking back.

-.-.-.-

A week went by. Then two. Tony was getting anxious. He trusted Ziva's skills. But that didn't stop his gut from telling him something was wrong. On the 16th day Malachi and Aviv arrived back at Mossad. Both of them were bloodied and bruised. Malachi had a broken clavicle. Aviv had a broken wrist. When word reached Tony, he headed straight to the infirmary. When he arrived he felt as if someone had punched him in the stomach. Ziva wasn't with them.

-.-.-.-

Tony paced outside of Director David's office. He knew what he was about to request was insane. There was no way the Director would let him go. He was a new officer. A probie. But he had to try. It was Ziva after all. He had to try.

Finally the Director's assistant motioned him to follow her. Tony took a breathe and strode into the office.

"Officer DiNozzo, what can I do for you?"

"I would like your permission to form a team to retrieve Officer David, sir."

Eli studied the young man before him. Much like his daughter, Eli had not been sure Tony would survive the Mossad training. But he had. And now he stood before him, requesting to put himself in harms way for a fellow officer.

"I am afraid that is not possible." Eli said and moved to pour himself a drink.

"Sir, from what I've been told, we have a limited window of opportunity here. If we do not move quickly, we will loose it." Tony said, his voice filled with urgency.

"We do not have confirmation that she is alive. Her likelihood of survival has gone down drastically since they took her captive." Eli told him and Tony stared at him, his eyes filled with a combination of shock and anger." Ziva knew the risks when she asked to go. Two of our officers were injured during the mission, two more were killed. We cannot risk any more lives."

"Sir, with all due respect, she's your daughter."

Eli slammed his hand on his desk and stood up. "I am well aware of that fact Officer DiNozzo! You should also remember that I am the Director of Mossad and I cannot allow my feelings to dictate my actions. We cannot send anyone after her." He sat back down. "That is the end of this discussion."

Tony stared at Eli for a few seconds, then stormed out of the office, not looking back.

-.-.-.-

He comes for her in the dead of night. His Mossad training fresh in his mind, he moves silently through the camp. Though he has a gun, he uses a knife given to him by Malachi, along with his hands to disarm those he encounters. Before he knows it he's at the entrance to the building. He slips in through the cracked door and begins to make his way down the hall. He stops for a few seconds to listen for any sounds that will tell him where she is. As he's about to turn a corner he hears a voice.

It's Saleem and from the sounds of it, he's with one other person. He takes a breath. He knows it will be quicker to search the cells himself. But there's a knot in his stomach, a gnawing feeling telling him that if he doesn't kill this man, he will regret it. He moves quickly, and the second man is on the ground before Saleem has time to react. Tony pulls his gun, as a stream of moonlight slips in through a high window.

"Who are you?" Saleem asks, his hands in the air. "FBI? CIA?"

Tony simply smirks. "Ziva David, where is she?"

"Who?"

Tony presses the gun to Saleem's forehead and watches as he gulps. "The Mossad officer you took captive. Where is she?"

"You don't look like Mossad."

"New recruiting system." He snarks. "Take me to her."

He follows Saleem down a hallway much darker than the others. Tony glances over his shoulder, expecting to see reinforcements appear. They stop at a wooden door and Saleem pulls out a key to unlock it. When they enter he sees Ziva strapped to a chair. Her head is hanging forward and her hair is hiding her face from his view.

"Face the wall." Saleem turns and Tony grabs his hands, then feet, tying them together with zip ties. "On the ground." Saleem moves to his knees as Tony backs away, gun once again pointed at him.

He kneels in front of Ziva, slipping a hand through her hair to check her pulse. It's weak, but it's there. It's when he begins to cut her ties that she starts to stir. He stops, speaking low. "Ziva." She lets out a groan as her head rolls backward. "Ziva, I need you to say something."

"You won't get anything from her." Saleem says from his corner. "She's drugged." Tony glances at him before continuing to cut her free.

As the last tie snaps, it's as if something has clicked in her brain. Her eyes open and she begins to twist, attempting to get away from whatever is in front of her. Tony latches onto her arms, doing his best not to hurt her. "Ziva, it's me! It's Tony!" She continues to thrash, an animalistic sound coming from her mouth. Saleem chuckles to himself as Tony attempts to calm her.

In a ditch effort, Tony grabs her face between his hands. "ZI!" She stills and her eyes begin to focus on his face. "It's me Ziva, it's me."

"Tony?"

He lets out a sigh. "Yeah honey, it's me." The term of endearment slips from his mouth without a second thought.

She shakes her head, her mind cloudy from the drugs. "What…what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to take you home." Hearing the last word, her eyes begin to fill with tears. "Ok?" He asks and she nods. He stands and places a kiss on her head, then turns to look at Saleem.

"And now you're going to kill me." Tony doesn't say anything as he makes his way to the man, kneels down and plunges his knife into his heart. Ziva watches as Saleem's body falls, the knife still in his chest.

Tony stands and makes his way back to her. He scoops her into his arms, smiling when she rests her face in the crook of his neck. "Let's go home Sweetcheeks."

-.-.-.-

Hope you enjoyed! We'll get back to the current day story line soon, I promise!