Disclaimer: NCIS is not mine.
Tony stood up, and walked by the window. He watched the city beneath him go on, business as usual. He wondered about the last time he'd been like that. It seemed like a lifetime ago. "What exactly do you expect me to do?"
"Kill Ziva David."
The diner was almost empty when Ziva arrived, but it was expected. It was, after all, way past lunch time but still too early for late afternoon snacks. She chose the seat farthest from the window, a secluded area hidden from view by a very nondescript potted plant. She hadn't been seated long when she heard the bell on the door ring, signalling the entry of another customer.
For someone living all the way across town, arriving when he did was an incredible feat.
Ziva gave him a small smile when their eyes met. Given the short notice, she had not anticipated him to arrive this early. She had not even had the time to prepare the words to say to him. But then again, she should have not expected anything less. Since the day they met, she could count on her fingers the number of times he had been late—most of them due to matters dealing with life or death.
He smiled back. "Have you waited long?"
"No." She replied with a small shake of her head, gesturing him to take a seat across her. "How are you doing, McGee?"
"I'm good." He shrugged. "I wish you'd come back to work though. Abby misses you."
A bitter smile crossed her face, but the waitress interrupted them with her presence before Tim had a chance to comment on it.
"Uh, excuse me." The waitress said, handing out the menu to her two new customers. "What are you guys having for today?"
"I'll have a cup of coffee, please," McGee told her politely.
Ziva did not even give the menu a glance. "I will have the same."
"That all?" The waitress looked disappointed with scarcity of their orders. People these days do take much pleasure in choosing their food. Always in a hurry to leave. Would it set their butts aflame to sit an hour and wait for a decent meal? It is always coffee, coffee, coffee nowadays. "Do you want some bagels to go with it?"
"No, thank you." McGee answered.
When the waitress left, Ziva let out a chuckle. "She does not look so happy."
"Yes she does. So…" McGee began, an ever present smile lingering on his lips as he geared himself towards a change of topic. Better get to it now than waste time dancing around its edges. He could not bear the churning sensation in his gut a moment more. He believed he'd been patient enough not to ask her over the phone right then and there when she called. "Where've you been all this time?
Ziva was taken aback by the blatancy of Tim's tone. From a timid agent she had met years ago, he had grown a lot.
"Is everything alright, Ziva?" McGee asked slowly. Judging by the scrutinizing gaze he's been giving her, he did not even need to ask. It was clear something was up.
She wanted to say no, she really did, but what good would that bring him? Taking a calming breath, crossed her arms and spoke, "I have a favour to ask."
"Okay, sure." Tim replied carefully, watching her face for any signs of distress. Seeing none (at least, it seemed that way), he asked, "What is it?"
"Promise me first that you will tell no one about this. Not even Gibbs. Or Tony." Especially not Tony.
Tim shifted on his seat, suddenly uncomfortable. He shot her a nervous look. He felt like he's having a déjà vu. "I'm not doing this again."
"Tim, please hear me out."
He averted his gaze from her pleading eyes. The first time she came to him for help, he was not able to say no because she did that exact same thing. And honestly, though they were able to stop Bodnar in the end, all the shit that followed was clearly not worth the risk. Not to mention the disappointment and hurt he saw in Tony's eyes when the truth came out. Keeping his voice firm, he spoke, "If do not want to tell the others, then I can't help you."
"Trust me." Ziva told him. "I know what I am doing."
McGee shook his head once more, relatively more sure of his decision than he was less than a minute ago. "I know that, but my answer is still no."
"I can always find somebody else to do it for me, but—" She began, her mind already running all other possible ways to execute her plan, sans McGee's help.
She's driving a very hard bargain, McGee thought to himself. She does not actually think that he would let her do her plan alone now that he knew that the said 'plan' existed, does she? He frowned. "Okay, let me ask you this. Hypothetically, if ever I would agree helping you, will your life be at risk?"
"It would be less risky if you could help me." She sounded more like a child to him than a seasoned former assassin. McGee's could literally feel his resolve wavering.
"But if you would not help me, I would not hold it against you." Ziva told him, trying her best to muster a smile.
"At least let me tell Gibbs." McGee bargained.
Ziva shook her head. "Forget it." She stood up. "I trust you would not tell anyone of this conversation, yes?"
Her brown orbs stared at him beseechingly, making it very difficult for him to refuse her request. She was near the door when a panicked voice cut her off her tracks. "Wait!"
She turned.
McGee closed his eyes and braced himself for what he was about to say. "Fine."
Ziva gave him a confused look. She walked back to the booth and sat. "Fine?"
"Fine, I'll help you." McGee explained. The reluctance in his voice too prominent to miss. But hell, what else is there to do? He will be regretting whatever he chooses anyway. "But the moment I sense something is wrong, no matter how minor it is, I'm telling Gibbs."
Ziva processed his words for a beat, then nodded. "Fair enough."
He took a deep breath. "Okay. What do you need me for?"
Her features tensed minutely. McGee would've probably missed it if he was not actively trying to find a chink in her iron clad poker face. "This may be a little more complicated than last time…"
Upon hearing those words, Tony was torn between laughing out loud, and punching the daylights out of his Israeli face. "Bullshit." He was seriously considering if his Israeli comrade has already gone nachos. But before Adam could mutter any sort of response, Tony held out a hand, silencing him. "Look, dude, I appreciate your enthusiasm when it comes to Ziva's welfare and all, but I think that sounded a bit counterproductive. Killing her, I mean, come on!"
Adam's reaction was a non reaction. Tony could not say he wasn't expecting it, because Ziva does that all the time, too. He wondered if that's a part of Israeli customs, or a mere spy thing.
"Right." Tony muttered, trying his best to hold back his chuckles. "Serious business. Sure, let's kill her. What's the catch?"
"We fake her death, the real person who wanted her dead gets sloppy, then we get him."
"Are we talking about the same bad guy here? We are both talking about Ilan's old man, right?" Tony asked. "The man who can kill a high ranking official of a huge network of spies without breaking a sweat."
"It is the only way to keep the target off her back while I find him, or whoever else is planning to hurt her. And to do that, I have to let that person think he had succeeded." Adam reasoned.
"You?" Tony's features were filled with utter disbelief. He also did not miss the fact that Adam referred to their mystery suspect as a 'he'. "And how do you plan to execute your masterplan?"
"That is beyond your concern." The Israeli responded nonchalantly. "All you have to do is to make sure Ziva will not do anything to interfere with my arrangement, and she will be safe."
Tony snorted. "You had definitely lost your marbles Adam."
"If there is anyone I know who can deal with this, it is you." Adam told him.
Tony scanned the Israeli's face for any signs of deception. There wasn't any. "You mean deal with her? Great." Sarcasm was brimming in Tony's words. "Ziva would definitely love that. Honestly, I'd rather grapple with a deranged tiger."
"She does not have to like it." Adam replied. "What's important is that she will be safe."
"I can't exactly chain her to my leg, can I?"
Adam grinned. Good luck with that, he thought. "If that's what it takes, then be my guest."
"If it were up to her, she'd rather run, guns blazing, into her enemy's place and end it all herself."
"That is the exact thing Bodnar would expect her to do." Adam lit a cigarette and took a long drag. "He'll be ready for her, and I cannot let that happen. I'm sure you feel the same."
"If she puts her mind into something, no one can stop her." He reasoned. "Not even me."
Adam chuckled. "You do not give yourself enough credit. I know Ziva. She'll listen to you."
"Okay, let's say I do make her listen to me." Tony said, still not convinced. "What happens next?"
"Do your part, then I'll do mine." Adam responded. "Ziva lives to see another day; I put a man back where he belongs. We both get what we want. It is a fair deal."
Tony seriously doubted that, but he kept his reservations to himself. That's a topic for another day. He sat back down onto the kitchen stool. "I think I'll be needing that coffee after all."