And Then One Night I Had A Dream Chapter 16: The Final Step - Resolution?, a ncis fanfic

Hello everyone! Happy New Year 2018! I hope that you all had a great Christmas and I wish you all the best and happiness in this new year! :)

I had originally planned to have this section at the end of the previous chapter, but that chapter ended up being so long and I felt that I wasn't doing this part justice. I ended up just rushing this part, which is the most important part. So, I gave it a chapter of its own and I'm much happier about that than before. (25 pages later…!) This was so horrible to revisit this episode and make the characters relive this. I still can't believe that Ziva would have hidden Tali from Tony. Her character wouldn't have done so.

Thank you to everyone who has read this story and to all of you who have favourited and followed and everyone that has ever reviewed this story. You're all the best! I hope you enjoy this chapter and have a fab day

Previously…

"Well… Scott assumed that you could lead him to the files, so he had planned to go to Israel to find you. We also found that his blood didn't match the blood on Dresser's clothes. He didn't kill him. And Scott's fingerprints at the other crime scenes were too perfect: someone had used his file to make a fake print. It won't shock you to hear that Kort was behind it all. He had been fired from the CIA, killed Dresser, paid Kane to tell him what NCIS was doing and sold secrets to the Russians. Scott and Razin were set up to take the fall but Kane didn't know that Kort was going to kill her. We let Scott go and found Kort's phone at the zoo, but not Kort. McGee was about to call Interpol and the Israeli Embassy but he saw a breaking news headline. We all froze when the news showed that an Israeli farmhouse that had been owned by Eli David had been bombed in a terrorist attack. And it was the farmhouse where you'd been staying…"

Ziva could feel that her heart was racing. She was completely dreading the next part of this conversation. Having to deal with the aftermath of the explosion. This was going to be really tough for both of them to talk about. The hardest part of their catch-up conversation was now approaching…

Chapter 16 – The Final Step – Reconciliation? Resolution?

Friday 27th May 2016 Parisian Apartment, France 1am

The two of them sat facing each other on the couch, knowing how important this conversation was. It was tough for them to maintain their eye-contact while talking about this, but they wanted to do this properly and work all of this out. They needed to get rid of that huge elephant in the room and move forwards together.

"Mossad confirmed what we all thought and dreaded: that you had still been living at the farmhouse. We tried so many different ways, but we just couldn't get a hold of you. We couldn't find or get in contact with Kort. And those things scared me. A lot. Finally, I managed to contact your old pal, Adam Eshel. He told me you guys hadn't spoken in about a year but he believed you still lived at the farmhouse. Which didn't spell good news."

Ziva was surprised, yet not surprised. Tony had reached out to Adam. Again. Adam was still a bit of sore spot for them both. She knew Tony did not like Adam at all and never would, but he had put his differences aside for the second time to try to track her down. And yes, Ziva had seen Adam a year before and she would explain that situation to Tony, but later. They needed to finish this story first.

"We were working to find out what had happened to your farmhouse. How, who… all these different variables. Well, I say we." Tony trailed off before he nervously scoffed. Who was he kidding, he had been trying to hold himself together. Something that he was still finding it hard to do at this moment in time. "I tried, but I couldn't work. Couldn't focus. I just found myself standing there, in front of the plasma, watching the live news coverage from Israel. I… I had your necklace in my hand. It had stayed close to me in my desk draw for the last couple of years. Made it feel like you were still there in the building. It was a part of you and it made me feel close to you. Maybe I hoped it would tell me where you were." Tony could feel himself turning slightly red as he spoke from the heart. It could be hard to be so open with your emotions and thoughts.

Ziva unconsciously reached up to touch where her necklace had been on her neck for so many years of her life. That second Star of David necklace that she had owned since Tony had bought it for her after Somalia, it was special. The sentiment meant so much to her and it had been given to her by someone special in her new family. The thought and care he had shown hadn't gone unnoticed by her. It meant something special to him too. Tony had spent three years with her necklace in his desk draw. It made him feel close to her, which is exactly what he had needed on that particular day. And now that part of them belonged to their daughter.

"Then, it seemed as if we'd been given a lifeline." Tony continued. "The news reported that a survivor had been found and was being pulled from the wreckage. We all assumed that it was you. And if you were still alive, then I wanted to be with you."

"I can't stay here." Tony had muttered out-loud in the middle of the bullpen.

"Gibbs knew what I was thinking; knew where I needed and wanted to be. McGee had already booked me on a flight to Tel Aviv that was due to leave in four hours' time. So, I ran home to pack and head out to the airport. Senior came over to help me. He'd seen the farmhouse on the news and had a feeling that it may have had links to you." Tony stopped, pausing to sigh and look down for a second before he could continue. "I had this… feeling, this really, really strong feeling that you were still alive. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I could feel it in my bones. And so did my father. But we didn't know anything for sure…"

Flashback, Tuesday 17th May 2017, Tony's bedroom

"But I don't know that she's still alive. And nobody knows anything, so what's the point in feeling anything at all?" Tony spoke as he packed, letting out some of his frustrations.

"I didn't mean to make things worse." Senior replied.

Tony felt somewhat guilty. He was scared, terrified, angry and the last thing that he wanted or needed to do was to take that out on his father. "Listen, I know you're trying to help, and I appreciate it, but I'm a wreck." He explained, his words trembling slightly.

"You're a rock, son." Senior replied. Those magic words that only a father can say, that just will everything to be alright…

Tony sighed. "But then everything changed forever. Everything came crashing down." He choked out. Oh God, he was struggling already. He didn't know if he could get through this whole conversation.

Ziva tensed, feeling like she couldn't breathe. She wanted nothing more than to end this conversation right here and forget about all of this, to not talk about this. Ever. But she had run away from enough things over the last few years and she wasn't prepared to do so anymore. She grabbed Tony's hand tightly in hers. They had to brave this and get through this together.

Tony took a deep, shaky breath. "Vance had received a call from Tel Aviv. From Orli. He came into the bullpen to find me. To tell me that… um… but I wasn't there. So, he told the team. That Orli had informed him about the farmhouse. About the survivors. I was told that he looked completely devastated by the news he had received. Emotional."

He shivered just thinking about it. "Once he had broken the news about you to all of them and they had gathered themselves together, Abby and McGee came over to my place to let me know. They turned up at my apartment, just as I was about to leave for the airport. All I can remember is that… I was grabbing my bag and when I turned around, I… I saw them coming into my bedroom. I could see that their eyes were red and they had both been crying. Still were. They didn't need to say anything. I knew it was bad news. They were coming to tell me that… that you…" Tony chocked. He couldn't finish that sentence.

Flashback, Tuesday 17th May 2017, Tony's bedroom

Tony looked to see McGee and Abby enter his bedroom. The first thing he noticed was the distraught looks in their eyes. He saw how nervous they both looked. His heart sank straight down to his stomach. No. Oh God, no… no, no, no, no, no. Please no. She couldn't be… oh no. It wasn't true… He couldn't breathe.

"Are we sure?" Tony asked in anguish. He prayed to himself that she was alive. He wanted nothing more than to hear that right at that moment. He was being silly; overreacting. Surely this was a cruel joke. It couldn't be the reason why they were here, could it?

Abby nodded, tears still filling her eyes. "I'm so sorry, Tony."

Whoosh.

Tony felt his whole world crumble around him. All of the air had been sucked out of him.

Those four words would haunt him forever. He hadn't felt so empty inside since his mother…

Tony slumped down onto his bed, absolutely devastated. Abby, McGee and Senior gathered round to try to comfort him. But nothing could make this right. The women he loved more than anything in the whole entire world had been taken so drastically and so cruelly from him. He didn't want to think about how she would have suffered in that fire. That she died alone. This was the final straw.

Tony DiNozzo was a broken man beyond all repair…

Tony was trembling, shaking. That had been one of the worst moments in his entire life. And having to relive and retell this… This was still too raw for him. It still felt very real. He had come extremely close to losing Ziva. Too close. Again. Dealing with that once had been heart-breaking and life-changing enough. It made him realise that he couldn't live without her. But twice… He couldn't live through that. And Tony became overcome with emotion. Completely overwhelmed, he broke down.

Tony slumped forward; his chin trembling. There were rivers of tears flowing from his eyes, sliding down his cheeks at a rapid pace. As he moved his hands to try to wipe them away, a strangled sob escaped his throat. And nothing could stop more from following suit. He was an absolute mess. Tony continued to cry and sob his heart out, burying his head in his hands. Ziva being dead… that just made him shiver. It made him not want to carry on. It was horrid to think back to a time when he'd truly believed that he'd lost her for good. That they would never have a chance. All his unresolved grief that he hadn't been able to show; hadn't allowed himself to deal with, was now coming out in bucket loads.

Watching him completely break down and lay all of emotions out on the table so openly, Ziva felt so remorseful. This was her fault; this was all her fault. If she hadn't sent Tony back to DC alone; if she hadn't hidden Tali and kept her a secret from him; if she hadn't pretended to be dead… none of this would have happened. Never had she imagined that her actions; that going underground and pretending to be dead would be a catch-22. That it would protect and keep Tali safe, but destroy Tony in the process. She couldn't believe that she had hurt him again. She was the reason that this funny, charming, loyal man was sitting in front of her utterly inconsolable. She was to blame and that broke her heart into a million pieces. How could she have done this to him?

Not knowing what to expect, but knowing that she had to do something, Ziva moved from her place to crouch in front of him. As Tony continued to sob into his hands, trapped in his own head, in the nightmares of the recent past, Ziva placed her own hands over his kneecaps and slowly moved her thumbs back and forth, trying to comfort him. They stayed like that for a while, before Ziva moved her hands and placed them over the backs of his hands. She moved forwards slightly and rested her forehead against his.

Ziva softly whispered Hebrew words to him. Comfort words. Sorry. "I am so, so sorry, Tony. I never wanted to hurt you ever again. I wanted to keep you safe, away from me. That was one of the reasons why I stayed in Israel a few years ago. So that I could never hurt you again. But I keep getting you caught up in my mess. You get hurt because of me. It is not fair. You are a good person, the best I know and you do not deserve this pain. I am so sorry for hurting you again."

Ziva then moved back slightly as she softly stroked his checks with their joint hands. It hurt her so much to see his anguish and pain. She wanted to do everything in her power to take away all his pain. She wanted and needed to show him the truthfulness of her words. Show him how truly sorry she was and how much he did not deserve this. Ziva was so focused on Tony that she didn't notice that her own tears had started to overflow from her eyes and slide down her cheeks. The worst things in the world for her would be to see Tali and Tony upset or in pain. And watching Tony like this, knowing she had caused his anguish, was heart-breaking.

In her head, Ziva amended her initial statement that she had told Ducky all those years ago. You should keep your distance. The ones who get too close always end up dead or destroyed.

Still overcome with despair, Tony looked up so that they were both now gazing deep into each other's eyes. He finally managed snap out of his headspace and composed himself enough to stop sobbing. Tony then gave Ziva a wide-eyed look. He was shocked. Was this real? She was alive. Alive. He was so relieved and thankful that Ziva David was sitting there in front of him. And she was gently comforting him. He'd come too close to losing her for good. Far too close. He still had to pinch himself that she was sitting there in front of him. That he had her and their daughter there. The three of them were all together. Yes, there was a part of him that would never quite get over the fact that Ziva had hidden Tali from him for three years, but he didn't want to waste any more time being angry at her. Especially not when he could have had to go on without her. She was alive and he needed her in his life. He wasn't prepared to lose her again.

Ziva wasn't sure what that look meant. Maybe he was shocked at what she was doing and didn't want her to touch him. But before she could do or say anything else, Tony turned the tables and moved their still joint hands so they were now cupping her face. He clung on to her hands, like they were a safety net for him. Slowly, gently, he returned the favour and stroked her cheeks, wiping away some of her own tears. Never once did the two of them lose eye contact with one another. Tony moved their hands so they were resting on her lap, before he leaned forward slowly and pressed a gentle kiss to the palm of her right hand. His lips lingered there for a few moments before moving to kiss the back of her hand, then her knuckles. He just had to feel her. He needed to be 100% sure; he had to feel that she was there with him. Alive.

Startled by his actions, Ziva's eyes widened a little and she let out a quiet gasp. His kiss to her knuckles had reminded her of when he done that exact same thing in the orchard in Israel before they kissed (and more). It was a wonderful reminder of a time where they had truly shown the other how much they loved each other. How they had come to have their amazing daughter. It sent shivers down her spine. She really hadn't expected him to react like this.

Tony felt an initial spark. It sent him back to those treasured moments in Israel together. The most amazing memories. He couldn't stop himself. He couldn't stop there. It wasn't enough just yet. Tony kissed her wrist and kept his lips there for a few seconds and almost jumped when he felt her pulse jumping, beating, racing underneath his lips. Tony felt his breathing and heart rate quicken. It was true. She was alive. She was here in front of him. That made more tears trickle down his cheeks, but they were now tears of relief and happiness.

He couldn't stop now. Proof. Reassurance. He needed even more. Next, Tony moved his mouth to kiss the crease of her elbow, then move up to kiss her shoulder. He then grasped her right hand again and moved it down to her lap before he repeated all of this with her left side: kissing her left palm, hand, knuckles, elbow, shoulder.

By now, Ziva was feeling shockwaves flowing through her. His soft, gentle touches made her whole body shiver. She felt like she had electricity running through her veins. But Ziva also felt so conflicted. She felt so many emotions about Tony's actions. Sorrow. Amazement. Wonder. Guilt. They were all mixed and all such a blur. But she was too shocked to stop this from going any further and she had a feeling that they both needed this.

Tony felt on fire. He could feel the adrenaline rushing through him. This was exhilarating, it was what he needed. Still moving slowly, he kissed Ziva's left cheek, reminding them both of the time when she had done the same to him in the NCIS men's room. Ziva continued to watch and feel his action as Tony kissed her hairline where her widow's peak was, her forehead, followed by her right cheek. He wanted to take his time; to savour these moments. Moments he never believed he could have. His lips then made their way over to kiss her eyelids, then the bridge and finally the tip of her nose.

Tony pulled back slightly, his hands still cupping her face. His breathing was rapid as his eyes closed, concentrating of calming down a little. After a few moments, his eyes opened again and they lingered on her lips for a while. His gaze then alternated between her eyes and her lips a few times.

Ziva's eyes joined in and then did the same to him. She felt that spark between them again. Suddenly, she was holding her breath.

Was he going to kiss her?

Ziva wanted nothing more in the world. Kissing Tony was the most amazing feeling in the whole world. It was breath-taking. But she had to bring herself back to reality. This just wouldn't be right. He was so emotional right now, that kissing him would be wrong. Ziva didn't want to take advantage of him and hurt him more. She also reminded herself that she couldn't afford to let him in. She was so afraid of hurting him again, just as she felt she had done way too many times already. Never again.

Tony was so torn. He wanted nothing more than to kiss her right there and then. Ziva was alive and he didn't want to waste any more time. He had lots of amazing memories of kissing her. Kissing Ziva was exhilarating. A brilliant feeling. And Tony was tired of pretending. But he was also very emotional right at this moment in time. He needed to step back and think this through. It just wasn't quite the right time to kiss again just yet. He didn't want to rush this.

The looks in their eyes conveyed their want and desire, but also a mutual agreement and understanding. It amazed them that they had quickly built up that power to communicate so much through their eyes again. They could see the willpower it was taking to stop this from going any further. They wanted to build up their friendship and relationship again before seeing if they could ever take that to the next level again. And at the moment, they needed to focus on Tali, being a family and being positive role models for their daughter. They needed to show her how to build positive relationships.

Together, they pulled each other in for a tight hug, feeling their mass of emotions pouring out. This was exactly what they'd need. This was why they needed to talk things through. And although they weren't quite there yet and they still had quite a way to go, they had just made huge progress in repairing their relationship. This was a good start and both were anxiously excited to see what the future would hold for the two of them…

"The intense heat of the fire had reduced the farmhouse to ashes. It had taken your life. The house where you were born; the house where Tali was born… it was suddenly a pile of rubble and ash. And that was it for me. The person that I cared about more than anything was gone. Taken away from me. I was destroyed. All I could do was cry." Tony explained. The two of them had sorted themselves out after their very emotional talk and were now sitting at the kitchen counter sharing some very healthy chocolate malt balls and gummy bears. Their late night and plane-trips comfort snack foods, reserved just for them. And a little more comfort couldn't hurt them right now.

"The team all took the news badly, too. McGee was in tears, so was Abby, so was Vance. Palmer couldn't believe it. He had been happy that you had finally found peace in your life, but then to have your life taken so cruelly… it wasn't fair. You deserved to be happy and living your life the way that you wanted to for once. But he's a smart guy. He couldn't believe that you would have gone down like that. I guess he knew you too well; you wouldn't have given up without a fight. Should have known he was onto something there. But I guess I believed, hell most of us believed that your guard had been down. You were now a mother and you had been asleep at the time. There was no way that you could have seen that coming."

Ziva shivered. She dreaded contemplating what could have happened if that had been the case. She was grateful for Orli, making sure that they had a plan in place for the unexpected.

"As for me, well… After I'd heard that you'd… I only had one thing on my mind. I asked for nothing from the team; no sympathy, no words. Nothing, except for one thing. WWZD." Ziva scrunched her eyebrows. She was cute when she looked confused, Tony thought. "What Would Ziva Do? And I knew that if someone had come after you, you would not stop until you found them. I was determined that we were going to find Kort and kill him, no matter what."

Tony shifted slightly on his chair. "So, I came back into the office. I just couldn't stand sitting at home feeling sorry for myself any longer. I had to do something. I wanted revenge. But as soon as I sat at my desk, all I found myself doing was staring at your desk. Remembering you. Remembering how you would sit there, how you used to look at me."

Flashback, Tuesday 17th May 2017, NCIS Bullpen

"What are you doing here?" Gibbs asked Tony. This was not the right place for him to be right now.

"What am I doing? What are you doing? What are we doing? Is anybody here?" Tony rambled out. He was hysterical.

"Oh, DiNozzo." Gibbs sighed. This was not good.

But that wasn't going to stop him. He felt so out of it. "What do we know? What are the facts? 'Cause we don't assume, we verify. Do we know she's dead? 'Cause if we know she's dead, we're gonna get him." Tony carried on, standing his ground. Did they have proof? 100% physical proof, like DNA? He needed to, no, he had to know everything. Every single little detail. He was going to fight for his Ziva.

"Yeah, she's dead, and we will get Kort. Us. Not you." Gibbs tried to reason. But he knew he wasn't going to get very far. 'Rule 12… this is why that rule was invented, DiNozzo', Gibbs thought.

Tony was appalled and infuriated. How dare Gibbs tell him to sit on the side-lines and do nothing?! No way in hell. "Oh, yes, me! We've lost agents before, haven't we? And when we do, it's ALL HANDS ON DECK!" Tony yelled, pounding his fist on his desk to enunciate those last four words. He was walking dynamite, ready to explode. Did they sit and do nothing after Kate died? After Jenny? Mike? After Eli and Jackie? NO. Did Gibbs get revenge after Shannon and Kelly were murdered? Yes. Tony needed that vengeance now. And Gibbs should have understood that more than anyone.

Gibbs could see and feel Tony's anger, it filled the whole building. He didn't blame him, he was angry and upset, too. He knew how soul-destroying it was to lose the one you love. And he couldn't, wouldn't watch Tony go down the same path of self-destruction that he himself had almost gone down after Shannon and Kelly. He had to get Tony to let his grief out and not hide behind a mask of anger.

"She's more than an agent to you." Gibbs stated. He'd known for a while there had been something more between Tony and Ziva. You could cut the sexual tension with a knife. Everyone in the whole building knew. Hell, they had even been an office pool circulating for years, gossiping how long it would take for them to get together. And Gibbs had seen the looks in their eyes. He knew the 'I love you' look. And both of them had tried to hide it for years.

Oh no, we are not going down this route. He is not benching me. So he turned on the defence and flipped the tables on Gibbs. "She was a daughter to you. She was a sister to McGee and Abby, and…". Tony paused. He knew how much Ziva meant to him. The whole world. But he had to show Gibbs that he needed to be here, finding her killer. "She was no more to me than anybody." Tony may have said that sentence out-loud, but his words were hollow. Meaningless. False.

Yeah right. "Well, that's not true." Gibbs wasn't letting this go. He wasn't going to let Tony bury his true feelings about Ziva. He was dangerous on the team right now. He needed to go home and grieve. Let them do the heavy lifting.

"Yes, it is! And why are you following me?!" Tony exclaimed defensively, as he saw his father approaching him from the elevators. Great, just what he needed. Two people ganging up on him, telling him to go home. Telling him to sit this one out. Like hell was he going to do that.

"Come back home, Junior." Senior tried to plead with him. His heart broke at the sight of his son, totally devastated and grief-stricken. He just wanted to take his son home and look after him, comfort him. He knew Tony had felt Ziva was something special to him. He'd known it for years. It was his actions, words around her; the way he talked about her. Senior had loved his own wife that way, too.

"No!" Tony cried softly. He was going to break down again, he could feel it. "I can't." He chocked, sniffling slightly. His apartment… he couldn't go back. All he could see was Ziva at his apartment: hugging Shmeil; her nightmare; watching movies and cooking after they'd quit NCIS. He couldn't go back to the place where he'd got the worst news that had destroyed his world. He had to be here. He had to get payback for Ziva. He couldn't let her down.

"You need time."

"I need to know what happened." Tony fought back. He wasn't going down easily.

"You need to breathe."

"I'll breathe when Trent Kort is dead." Tony spat angrily. Why couldn't they understand this? That monster was going to pay. Tony would make sure that he would regret the day he was born. There was no way he was going to get away with this. Trent Kort was a dead man walking.

Senior approached his son, treading carefully. "But not like this. Just for tonight. Get your bearings, son." 'Please'. The silent, unspoken word at the end of that. 'Please just take tonight to take care of yourself. We can't lose you as well'.

Gibbs joined in, siding up with Senior. "Listen to him. He's right. Go. Or go for good."

Tony shot Gibbs a look of shock horror. "What?" Did he just…?!

Gibbs knew how that had sounded, but Tony was too close, too emotionally invested. He knew he needed tough love here and he was leaving no room for argument. "I'm not asking. We got this."

Ziva's mouth was open slightly, her attention completely captured by Tony's words. It was a powerfully moving scene. She was hearing about Tony's breakdown. Somehow during that speech, unbeknownst to the pair of them, Ziva's left hand had reached out to grasp his right one, and Tony also held on tight.

"I couldn't believe that at the time. Gibbs and Senior found me there. Told me to go home. That really got to me. Who the hell was Gibbs to tell me what to do, how to feel?! We needed to take action, and yet NCIS seemed so quiet. So empty. What the hell was anyone else doing? Why were we doing absolutely nothing?! How did we know that you were dead? Did we have official confirmation? DNA? Cos if we did, that was mighty quick."

Ziva frowned. Tony was right. And she had a feeling that Gibbs would have picked up on that fact pretty quickly. He wasn't one to be easily deceived. Was there more that had been going on here?

Tony was fuming though. "It just angered me so much how Gibbs was acting. How could he just seem to not care that you had been killed?! You and he… you guys had such a strong bond. Even from day one pretty much. You both shared so much. He was a father to you. He treated you like his daughter. How could he just be so calm, so indifferent about it?! Like this was just another case?!" He was shaking with anger, his hands clenched tightly. Ziva didn't think she had ever seen him look so mad before.

"I wondered why he was acting so strange." Tony fumed. "The person that was like a daughter to him had just been killed, and yet there he was, acting so calm and laughing with Fornell about his stupid nail polish."

Ziva frowned, a look of confusion covering her face. 'What? He is kidding… right?!'

Tony scoffed. "Trust me, you really don't wanna know!" And boy did he wish that he didn't know himself!

"After I'd calmed down, I assumed that he was doing was Gibbs always did. He tried to bury himself in the case and hide his pain. Maybe he was trying to be strong for the rest of us. I guess he and Senior just wanted to help. I guess they got why I was acting this way. Gibbs had lost Shannon, and Senior had lost my mom. They both understood some of what I was feeling; the pain of losing the one that you…" He chocked. "And they didn't want to see me go down the path of self-destruction that they both had."

Tony shivered slightly. He could just picture himself shutting out the world or seeking a revenge mission, to die in the line of fire, unable to go on without Ziva David in the world. "Now, looking back… I think he acted like that because he didn't believe it. The Gibbs gut works in mysterious ways. I don't think he knew for definite. But I think that if you really had died, Gibbs would have known before we had confirmation. He would have felt it. He would have been preparing us for the worst. He probably would have reacted differently. However, McGee told me that the night we got the news, he'd found Gibbs at the remembrance wall at NCIS. He was holding your badge and ID. Thinking about when he'd first given them to you…"

Flashback: May 2012, NCIS Bullpen

Gibbs strode into the bullpen, bringing news and two things that were sure to make their newest team member smile. "Congratulations. You're now a journeyman agent." Gibbs told Ziva, as he handed those two items over to her.

"I will carry this with tremendous pride." Ziva had replied, beaming with joy as she held up her badge and ID. After everything she had been through, she was now an official NCIS Special Agent…

Flashback: Tuesday 17th May 2016, NCIS Remembrance Wall

Gibbs stared up at the remembrance wall in front of him and sighed heavily. Oh Ziva… Who knew that she would only carry those for two years? That this was where they would end up right now? It made him think if he could have done anything more for her. Could he have done more to support her; keep her here; keep in contact with her? Had he let her down? Like he had let down Jenny, Kate, Diane, Shannon, Kelly?

"You all right, boss?" McGee asked as he approached the wall, interrupting his thoughts.

There was no good answer to that question. "We need answers." Gibbs stated. They needed to know what had happened. For all of them. They needed to support Tony and _.

McGee decided to voice something that had been playing on his mind recently. "You know, there's something I've been thinking about a lot lately. Something you said to me when you first hired me. Something I never forgot."

At Gibbs' look, Tim continued. "You asked, "What happens when the best agents in the world want to accomplish something?" He paused for a second. "They get it done."

Then, with a lot of confidence and conviction, Tim declared that "For Fornell. For Ziva. We'll get it done." And nothing and nobody was going to stop them or stand in their way…

This was a lot to take in and process. It hurt her to hear Tony's story, to hear how he reacted in the bullpen. And now listening to just a few of Tony, Gibbs and McGee's reactions from that night. It brought her guilt flooding back.

"I cannot believe that Gibbs still had my badge and ID…" Ziva thought aloud wondrously. It had been nearly four years after all since she had left them so abruptly. And yet he had still kept them…

She had thought about her old team-mates and family a lot over the last few years. Now, especially with Tali, she wished she could be a part of their lives again. She missed having a big brother in McGee. She loved their conversations, how protective they were of one another, their sibling-like relationship. She wished this could all be over, so that she could try to make amends with him. She missed them all: McGee, Abby, Jimmy, Gibbs, Ducky, Vance. Although Ziva knew why she had to start over in Israel a few years ago, she had come to regret completely losing touch with them.

"Yeah…" Tony smiled sadly, remembering the day Gibbs took possession of them. "He took them off of Vance the day he first came back to NCIS after his secret mission when Parsons was trying to investigate him." Tony knew that Gibbs had wanted to be the one to give them back to Ziva when she returned to NCIS. And when he found out that this wasn't going to happen, he kept hold of them anyway in his desk draw. He'd caught his boss looking at them a time or two over the last few years. She was like a daughter to him. And he'd felt like he'd let her down.

Ziva smiled sadly. She wanted to cry, that Gibbs still held onto her badge and ID. That meant a lot to her, that he still kept a small part of her, that she wasn't forgotten. Ziva had no regrets about giving up being an agent or having Tali, but she did now regret leaving behind her American family and hoped she could repair those relationships in the future.

"We could only speculate what had happened." Tony continued. "All we had was the news footage and Orli's call, but we had no physical evidence of anything. We were going by word of mouth only, and that to me wasn't very convincing. So, I was operating under Rule 3." 'Well, one version of Rule number 3.' Tony thought.

'Don't believe what you're told, always double check.'

"What actually happened?" Tony asked her. "I've heard bits and pieces from different people, but I'd like to hear the whole story from you."

Ziva tensed. She needed to tell him. She more than owed him. "As you know, Orli and I had a plan in place just in case I ever needed a quick escape. We had discussed it a few months after I had given birth..."

Flashback: Tuesday 14th October 2014, Israel, Ziva's farmhouse

Tuesdays. That day of the week that Orli had decided she would check in on them. Ziva sat on one of the kitchen chairs with Tali in her arms and carried on trying to feed her while Orli made herself a cup of tea. Tali, however, wasn't having any of it and instead was trying to grab at Ziva, much to her delight but her mother's frustration. This was the latest phase that they were going through, which according to Nettie was pretty normal at this age as Tali was becoming more aware of (and distracted by) her surroundings. And Nettie never failed to remind her of how mischievous Ziva had been at this age! Ziva only hoped it would pass soon!

"She grows so quickly every time I see her." Orli smiled as she stirred her tea, coming to sit on one of the kitchen chairs. "Tali looks so much like you. And has a lot of your spirit. But I cannot resist her eyes."

Ziva sorted out her shirt and repositioned Tali in a hug over her left shoulder, gently rocking her. She had to agree that Tali certainly had her spirit and stubbornness, but she also had her father's charm and entrancing eyes. Tony… Was this still supposed to be this hard, even after one whole year?

"I still think about him. And NCIS. All of them. I sometimes regret the way I left. Not saying goodbye to all of them. But I know that I had to let go of everything. I cannot be that person anymore. I miss them all, a lot, but Tali makes everything worth it." Ziva looked at her daughter, who was blinking heavily, trying hard to stay awake. "I do not know if I could have stayed at NCIS as a mother."

Orli nodded. She understood that. Being part of Mossad, NCIS, the life of an agent, it was a dangerous job. Ziva probably would have assumed that she would die young. She most likely would never have thought that she would have a child one day. Ziva knew what it was like to grow up with a parent who was an agent. She had always been destined to follow suit. And for Tali to have both parents as agents… She wasn't prepared to see Tali grow up like that. It only convinced Ziva more that she had to leave that life. But Orli also knew that Ziva leaving wouldn't protect them completely.

"Ziva… I know that you will not want to hear this, but what if something were to happen to you in the future?" Orli began. Now was as good a time as any to have this conversation.

Ziva froze. What? She suddenly realised that she had not amended her will in years. Not since after Somalia. What would happen to Tali if something happened to her?

"We also need to consider the fact that you were part of Mossad and NCIS for many years. There may be someone out there that may come after you, that may still find you here." Orli continued.

Ziva was panicked. Orli was right. It was like what Gibbs had said. 'Once a marine, always a marine'. And once an agent, always an agent. Especially as she was the daughter of the former Mossad Director Eli David. Having inside knowledge of two agencies made her a dangerous threat. It made her a target. Anyone could come after her at any time. Even as hidden away as she was in this Israeli farmhouse.

She never wanted Tali to be caught up in this. Sometimes she just wanted to be someone else. Someone who could live life carefree. But she was starting to realise that that was never going to be the case for her, no matter how much she wanted it. And it scared her that this may be the same for Tali.

"We can put measures into place, Ziva. But we need to come up with a plan." Orli informed her. And with that, they started to exchange ideas…

Friday 27th May 2016, Parisian Apartment, France, 3:30am

"We thought of a basic plan that involved using the escape tunnel underneath the farmhouse. We'd get out that way and go to Orli's place. From there, we would fly out to Paris altogether." Ziva explained. "But, after Orli learned that Kort was after the files and I started to get followed, we knew that we had no choice but to alter our plans. So, we decided that I would go alone to Paris while Orli would take Tali back to her place and then fly with her to see you in DC."

Flashback: Tuesday 17th May 2017, Israel, Ziva's farmhouse

Ziva fumbled her way into the farmhouse, muttering under her breath in Hebrew as she carried a few grocery bags. She quickly placed them in the kitchen before sinking down into the living room couch, placing her head in her hands.

"Ziva…?" Orli questioned, moving to crouch in front of her. She knew that whatever had happened, it did not spell good news. She could feel the anger and frustration radiating from her friend. And she had a bad feeling about what this meant.

After a few moments of silence, Ziva was finally able to answer her. "I was followed again. By the same people as last time." She shakily replied, looking up straight at Orli. Her anger had gone now; now she just felt scared. Scared that they would find and hurt Tali. This was really happening.

Orli sighed. She'd had a feeling that this may happen again. This was now the third time that Ziva had spotted the same men following her in public. Once was weird; twice was abnormal. Three times was a conspiracy. Three times. There was no denying it now. They had found her; Kort had found her. They knew she was there and they probably knew where she lived, too. Which meant that they assumed that they knew where those papers were that Kort so badly wanted to destroy. These people were too close; Ziva couldn't afford to stay here any longer. It was time to put their plan into action.

"Ziva… things are moving along too quickly now. It is not safe for you to be here any longer." Orli warned. She hated to be the one to say it, but they couldn't deny this. They had to act now.

Ziva took a deep breath. She had hoped that it would never come down to this, but she knew what Orli was insinuating. They had to put their plan into action. She knew that Orli was right, but that didn't make this any easier. This would be the first time that Tali would be away from her and she could feel herself breaking at the thought of that. They had never been apart and she was unsure about how either of them would cope. But she was also petrified at the thought of Tony finding out about Tali. She was terrified at how he might react, but he needed to know about Tali. Ziva just wished that she had been brave enough to tell him the truth earlier. This was not how she wanted Tony to find out that he was a father.

"Ziva… we cannot wait any longer. We need to move, now. We have no idea when Kort when come for those documents. We do not know how he plans to destroy them. But we do know that they have found you and they will not wait much longer before they come. You need to go, now." Orli reached out to touch her arm. "I am so sorry, Ziva. I wish that there was another way." She spoke sincerely.

Afterwards, Ziva went into her bedroom and pulled two go-bags from underneath her bed. They were both pretty much pre-packed in case she needed a very quick exit, but they just needed a few last-minute additions. She opened one of them up and quickly threw a few of her things inside. Zipping it up, she opened the second bag. She knew what was needed to complete this. Grabbing a few things from around her room and the adjoining room, she gently placed them inside and then paused for a second. The things in this bag were so special to them. Ziva picked up the scarf she had just placed inside, running it between her fingers. 'Tali's favourite'. She thought. Ziva wanted Tali to be able to have something with her that smelled like her. So that they could still feel close to each other. And to tell Tony to travel to Israel. With her other hand, she lifted the photo frame. A gasp escaped her as her thumb brushed over the photograph.

Her favourite photograph. A reminder of one of the best times in her life. And yes, this was a clue to Tony that she was going to be in Paris, but it was so much more than that. It was a message. To tell him that he was still in their lives. That she had told Tali about him and had shown their daughter that photograph every single day. That she was still in love with him.

God, how was he going to take all of this? She was about to completely turn his world and his life upside down by introducing him to his nearly three-year-old daughter. Their child. The full scale of that hit her then. She should have done that years ago. Unfortunately, she couldn't undo her mistakes.

"Do you have everything?" Orli asked, jarring Ziva out of her thoughts.

Ziva nodded. "Yes. And everything that Tali will need is in here." She explained, holding up the go-bag in her hand. 'And everything that Tony will need to figure out that I am alive and where to find me', Ziva added in her mind. She got up from the bed and pulled out the last thing from underneath it: a large suitcase.

"For when Tony comes to you. It contains all of our documents, videos, photographs."

"Ziva… we need to get going." Orli informed her sadly. After being together every day since Tali's birth, Ziva and Tali were going to have to be apart. This was going to be indescribably hard.

Ziva nodded, willing herself to stay strong. She had to be strong for just a little bit longer. She couldn't fall apart yet. Now came the hardest thing of all. Ziva bent down to Tali, who had been sitting on the living room floor drawing, with tears filling her eyes. But she refused to let them fall just yet. Her sweet, innocent little girl. She was about to have her life changed as well. Ziva's heart broke.

"Tali… I need to go away for a little while. You will be okay, I promise. Remember what we talked about before. What would happen if I had to go for a while. That you will be with Orli and then you will get to meet someone very special."

Ziva kissed Tali's forehand and gave her the biggest, longest hug possible, feeling her daughter's arms wrap around her in return. Ziva held her daughter tightly in her arms, never ever wanting to let her go. She just wanted to keep Tali in her arms forever. Ziva had wished more than anything else that Tali would not be dragged into her mess. That she would get to give Tali what she had never had: a normal childhood. But they couldn't stay together at the moment, otherwise Tali could get hurt. Ziva felt like sobbing. Because of her, Tali was in danger. A completely innocent child was in danger if she stayed around her. Ziva felt like the worst person; like she had totally failed as a mother.

Ziva let her tears fall and run down her cheeks now, not caring who was watching her cry right then. She knew that it would be hard to let Tali go, but nothing could make this any easier. "I promise that you will see me again soon."

Orli watched the scene before her, tears starting to well in her own eyes. She hated feeling like she was taking Tali away, but they had both agreed that this was the only way. However, it still pained her to see this.

Ziva eventually reluctantly stood, not wanting to be apart from Tali. She moved over to Orli and embraced her in a hug. "Thank you. For everything that you have done for us over these last few years. I am thankful and glad that we have been able to sort things between us and become good friends. Take care of her for me, please."

Orli smiled, letting a few of her own tears fall now. "I am so glad that we have been able to repair things between us. You know that I think of you as a very close friend now, Ziva. I promise that I will look after Tali and take her to her father."

The two women pulled apart. Then Ziva shakily opened the trap door and made her way down into the escape tunnel, disappearing from Orli and Tali's sight.

"Ima?" Tali asked, looking at Orli questionably.

Orli sighed internally. This was breaking her heart, but it had to be done. Splitting up a mother and daughter who had never spent one moment apart… it was truly horrible to watch that. She just hoped that they would all be together again soon. Ziva, Tali and Tony.

"You will see your Ima soon, little one. For now, we are going to see your Abba…"

Friday 27th May 2016, Parisian Apartment, France, 4am

"We were lucky. We were not inside the building when it was hit. I had gone hours before through that escape route and Orli took Tali to her home for a few hours." Ziva explained. "When the farmhouse was hit, Orli made some calls and got the "breaking news" to the reporters that a survivor had been found and was being pulled from the wreckage."

Oh, that makes sense. Tony hadn't thought about that. It was one way to suggest that Ziva and Tali had been in the building at the time and then the news would later report that while Tali had survived, Ziva had not. That news would have certainly made Kort and his men relieved. It just... terrified him. Knowing how close both of his girls were. The house was hit just hours after they had left…

"I made my way to Paris, while Orli and Tali flew out to DC. To find and talk with you." Ziva continued, interrupting his train of thought.

Tony laughed lightly at that. "Yeah, she found me alright." And turned my whole life upside-down. "I got called into the office the next morning. A meeting with Vance and Gibbs. Something I really was not looking forward to. I arrived and overheard a conversation in the bullpen. Monroe believed that Kort had put the hit out on you, but had hired someone else to carry it out. Which implied that Kort could still be in the US. He'd never left. So, they thought that the best way to find Kort was to find who'd carried out the hit. They'd found a money trail leading from Kort to a man named Ghazi Farsoun, a Palestinian gun for hire. Kort had paid him $30,000 from a DC bank to attack the farmhouse. $30,000. For your life?! Just disgusting." Tony fumed. It was utterly horrid that taking someone's life could be worth a certain amount of cash. And anyway, Ziva was worth way more than any sum of money. "Kort was hiding in plain sight and I wanted in to take him down. McGee promised he'd fill me in after my meeting. When I got up to Vance's office, he and Gibbs were already waiting for me, but I was surprised to see that Orli was also there. She tried to give me her condolences, but I was having none of it at the time…"

Flashback: Wednesday 18th May 2017, NCIS, Director Vance's office

"Agent DiNozzo. Come in. You remember Mossad Director Elbaz." Vance began formally. Ever the politician.

"Orli." Tony bluntly stated. One-word answer. He wasn't interested in giving her more than that.

Orli smiled inside her head. She knew that this was going to be an interesting conversation. His world was about to be turned upside down for the second time in less than 24 hours. "Yes, this is no time for formality. It's good to see you, Tony, despite the sad circumstance."

"Yeah. Tell me you got who did this." Tony answered bluntly. He wasn't in the mood to play games. He only wanted answers and revenge.

"First, let me say how very sorry I am. This is profound for so many people, myself included." Orli began honestly. She was truly sorry that Tony was made to believe that the woman that he loves had died so tragically. And Orli herself almost couldn't believe this series of events.

Tony was starting to feel angrier now. Well that he could not believe for one second. How dare Orli say that this was hard for her to do with?! "That's interesting. From what I recall, you and Ziva weren't exactly BFFs. Something about you running off with her father." He spat.

"Agent DiNozzo." Vance warned him. But Tony wasn't in the mood to censor his words today. He would tell it as it is.

Orli didn't take this personally. She could understand his apprehension and resistance. "Ziva and I mended many fences in recent years. I came to consider her a dear friend, and I know she would say the same."

Well that was interesting. But still. "Friends don't let friends get hit by mortar fire." Tony remarked.

"We had no way of knowing." Orli replied, trying to throw him off the scent. He was a good investigator and she didn't want him to know just yet. She couldn't afford for that to happen.

Huh. Somehow, Tony really didn't believe that. "You're Mossad, you know everything. Including the fact that Kort never left the United States."

"We confirmed that Trent Kort was behind the attacks, hiring Farsoun to destroy Eli David's private file. Ziva was an unexpected and unfortunate casualty." Orli tried to answer solemnly. She had to be convincing.

"And you're sure? You haven't even finished sorting through the rubble." Tony asked, praying that someone would finally give him a straight answer about that. How on Earth could anyone be confirmed as dead when they hadn't found any remains, ashes, anything?!

"Where is Farsoun now? Gibbs interrupted. What the Hell?! Why won't Gibbs let me hear Orli's answer to that?! Tony thought. He was livid.

Orli turned her attention to Gibbs, grateful for the slight change of subject. "Every effort is being made to hunt him down, Agent Gibbs, believe me."

"I'd believe you if you were still back in Israel searching, instead of standing here telling us how sorry you are." Tony replied angrily. What was Orli doing here? Wasting time. When she could be searching for Ziva. Which gave him a gut feeling that Orli was here for a different purpose.

And now came the time. Orli actually felt slightly nervous about how Tony would react to this. "Actually, I am here for a much more important reason. Something far more personal. Bring in Tali."

Vance frowned. "Wasn't that Ziva's sister?"

Orli smiled slightly. "Her namesake, yes."

"Whose namesake?"

Orli took a breath. "You may have heard there was one survivor pulled from the farmhouse. Her room was in a corridor not destroyed by the fire.

The door opened and in came a grown man holding hands with someone. A very small someone. A little girl. With brown curly hair. Brown eyes.

"Tali is Ziva's daughter. And your daughter, Tony."

Ziva sat wide-eyed, hooked on his every word. She couldn't believe that this was how Tony found out, how Orli told him. This was so not what she would have wanted. But she'd left it too late. He deserved so much more than finding out that he was father than that. She was kicking herself, berating herself internally.

For once, Tony seemed oblivious to Ziva. He was stuck reliving that moment. "That was it. There and then. That changed everything, my whole world entirely. I was astounded. You had a child. We had a child. Together. I couldn't believe it, but the proof was standing right in front of me. She was amazing, the spitting image of you. But I had so many questions. So many things I needed to ask you. But I couldn't. So I had to settle for asking Orli…"

Flashback: Wednesday 18th May 2017, NCIS, Conference room

"Poor Tali. She cried throughout the flight, enduring more in her last day than most people do in a lifetime." Orli spoke. She knew that this was going to be a tough conversation.

Tony just stared at her, the little girl before his eyes. His daughter. Who had just been caught up in a burning building? Who could have died? Who had just lost her mother in such a tragic way. Did she even know? "Does she even know? I mean, does she understand?"

"All she knows is that her mother has gone away." Orli replied. Well, that was technically the truth. She knew that Ziva had gone away for a little while.

Tony shuddered out a sigh. That was breaking his heart. Orli carried on. "Ziva assured me you were the only biological possibility, in case you were wondering."

Well, now this was awkward. He certainly hadn't been thinking that at all. He didn't really want to discuss their sex lives. Not in front of Orli or Tali. "I wasn't. But if she had any doubts, that would explain why she didn't tell me."

Orli smiled. "No doubts. Yes, she's the image of her mother, but the eyes are all you, Tony."

"If I'd known she was pregnant, I would've been there in a second." He quietly vented. Why didn't she tell him? Why on Earth did she shut him out? Not tell him that he was a father? That he had a daughter?

"Which is precisely why she didn't tell you. She didn't want to disrupt your life any more than she already had." Orli explained. That was the truth. Ziva never wanted to tie Tony down. She knew he would have given up NCIS to care for his child. And Ziva hadn't wanted to see Tony leave the job and people he loved more than anything in the world. She'd disrupted his life enough. He needed to move on.

Tony was fuming inside. "That was not her decision to make." How could she have the audacity to make a decision like that for him? He had the right to know that he had a child and make his own choices.

Orli had known that Tony would be upset by this and she could understand why. But she needed him to understand why Ziva kept Tali a secret from him. "You know better than anyone how fiercely independent Ziva was. She did not need a man to complete her. She was quite comfortable and confident raising Tali on her own."

"Without ever telling me." Tony couldn't believe this. He was hurt. Upset. Angry. How could she?

"Actually, she came to regret that decision as Tali grew, but she struggled with how to break the news. She didn't… she knew you wouldn't be pleased." Orli tried to explain.

"Then she never knew me at all." He stated. Of course he would have been upset that she'd hidden Tali, but he would have been a part of their lives and invested in them both. Why didn't she trust him? Why didn't she know him?

Interrupting his thoughts, Tony could hear noises coming from outside the conference room door. He knew exactly what was going on. Figures. He went over and opened the door to reveal Abby, McGee and Palmer. "Is it true? Can we see her?" Abby asked excitedly.

Tony's words hit her hard. That he believed that she did not know him. Orli was right, she had wanted to tell Tony about Tali for a long while. But she had been too scared. Scared of Tony's reaction; scared of the repercussions; scared. How could she be such a coward?! She knew that she deserved Tony's harsh criticism; he was right to be furious.

Tony continued. "We were all shocked that you and I had a daughter together. No one more so than me. But it let the cat out of the bag. About what had really happened in Israel. And now we had Tali as proof." Tony smiled and then sighed. "They also couldn't believe that you were gone. They were devastated. But they all tried their best to support me as I tried to get to grips with all of this."

"I took Tali back to my apartment. It just amazed me how quickly we bonded. I'd always been terrified of having my own children. But I just felt this instant connection to Tali. I loved her instantly and wanted to protect her no matter what." They both smiled at that. "We played some games, but after a while, she started crying out in Hebrew. My knowledge of the language is okay at best, so I tried to rummage through her go-bag to see if I could find what she wanted. Turns out she wanted Kelev."

Ziva smiled. Tali loved Kelev and he had to go everywhere with her. He just had to be there with her. "I also found your old scarf. The one that you wore when you had been attacked at the safe house in Israel. It still smelled like you. And it brought all these memories flooding back. Of you standing on that tarmac at the airport in Israel, telling me that I was loved; us standing in the rain outside the Embasero Hotel, with you telling me about your little sister. Our daughter's namesake. It made me miss you more. It made me sad that you were not there to see all three of us together, as a family."

Both of them thought back to those special moments between them. So much had changed since that conversation outside the Embasero all those years ago. Even between the tarmac in Israel and now, a lot had changed. The name Tali no longer only referred to Ziva's little sister, but to a young child also. Tony and Ziva's daughter.

"I struggled for a bit after that… we'd got past the honeymoon phase. The reality of the situation sunk in for Tali. She wouldn't settle or sleep all night. She just kept crying out, screaming for you." Tony shuddered, thinking back to the nightmares that he'd watched her face. It had made him feel so useless that there was nothing he could do. Ziva's face was a picture of guilt and regret. It was beyond horrible to hear about this. "I had no idea what to do. Luckily, I got a lot of help and advice from Palmer. It really helped that he's also a father with a young daughter."

Flashback: Thursday 19th May 2017, Tony's kitchen

"Look. So yummy. Yummy." Tony said as he tried to get Tali to eat something. Needless to say, he wasn't getting very far with that. Looks like Tali was as stubborn as her mother. Great.

"Rough night?" Jimmy asked concerned.

'Rough is an understatement', Tony thought. Ziva's words from years before ringing in his head. "Yes. Aside from the screaming, tears, not to mention poor Tali here."

"Oh, who's poor? All I see is happy Tali. Smart Tali. Strong Tali. You got to keep it positive, Tony. It really matters." Jimmy smiled at Tali, trying to bring some positive light into this situation.

"Okay. Positive. She positively seems to have no appetite." Tony felt exhausted, having not slept in days. He had no idea how to look after and raise a child. Now he couldn't get her to eat anything. He felt useless.

"Well, would you? I mean, look at these yucky jars here. No, you got to try these organic baked yams that I brought over. They're packed with vitamin C, natural fibres." Palmer spoke like a knowledgeable father.

"Mmm. Hmm. What are you doing to my countertop?" Tony asked curiously.

"Child-proofing… You know, it never used to bother me, getting on a plane, or driving a car, but now that I'm responsible for another human being, I have become much more safety conscious. And my job is not nearly as dangerous as yours is." Jimmy rambled.

Then he asked the big question. "Hey, are you, are you coming back to work?" He wondered.

Tony was taken aback by that. "Of course I am. Why wouldn't I?" He answered. Of course he would go back to work.

"Oh, I don't know. I just… Y-You're a single dad now, Tony. And an agent in the line of fire. Just wasn't sure you'd want to juggle." Jimmy sort-of stuttered out. He hadn't intended to offend Tony, but as a field agent, he had a very dangerous job. And he was now a single parent. If he died in the line-of-fire, Tali would be parentless.

"Well, I've been juggling my whole life, Jimbo." Tony replied defensively. What was he implying?

Palmer quickly replied. "That's great. You know, as long as you're happy, I am a big believer in modelling happiness. Kids, they- they mirror so much of what they see. In about ten years, most likely, you'll have Gibbs' job, and then you'll be happy. And little Tali here will see that, and she's just gonna follow your lead, aren't you?"

Tony had been staring at the little girl in front of him as Palmer spoke. He had raised a lot of good points there. Would Tony really be happy if he had Gibbs' job? Is that what he wanted now? Did he want his daughter to be a field agent? The more Tony thought about it, the more he thought that this life wasn't for him anymore.

"That really struck a nerve with me. It really, fully hit me, right there and then… that I was a single parent. In a very dangerous job. I was the only person that Tali had left. And I was killed on the job… she would have no one. It suddenly clicked. How much I wanted to be a part of her life; how I wanted to watch her grow. See the beautiful woman she would become; be a hands-on parent. I wanted her to have the childhood that we never had. And that wasn't going to happen if I stayed at NCIS. Suddenly, my career didn't matter anymore. I had a family. And that was amazing." Even when McGee was getting me up-to-date on the case, I could still only think about you and Tali…"

Flashback: Thursday 19th May 2017, NCIS Navy Yard

"She looks just like her mother. What do you make of all this, Tali, huh? Daddy taking care of you?" McGee spoke. Tali really was the spitting image of Ziva.

"She doesn't know Daddy." Tony replied sadly.

"What do you mean?" McGee was confused, what was Tony implying?

"I just met her. And if Ziva never told me about Tali, maybe she never told Tali about me." Tony voiced his concerns aloud. It worried him that his own daughter might have lived through her life so far without a clue about who he was.

"Were you and Ziva an item the whole time?" McGee asked. He had been dying to know the answer to that for years! It had been so obvious to him that there was a spark between them, but he never knew if they'd actually been together while they were both at NCIS.

Ha. It was only a matter of time before someone asked that question. "Timothy Farragut McGee, how indiscreet. You know I would never kiss and tell." Tony teased cryptically. Like he was going to answer that. Besides, that question had a beyond complicated answer.

"Sure you would." McGee knew that Tony had bragged about dates in the past. But he also knew that Ziva was different, and if he had been with Ziva, then Tony probably would not have bragged.

"We had a connection. And obviously, a very fond farewell." Tony spoke from the heart. They'd had a connection from the start, from the infamous phone-sex conversation. They were soulmates.

Tim scoffed. "That's unbelievable." He'd watched his two teammates dance around each other for years. He'd watched as they became jealous of whoever the other dated. He'd watched as they'd broken down, thinking that the other one was dead. He'd watched Ziva soften and Tony mature. He'd wanted to knock their heads together to make them see sense. But never did they think that they might have done something about it.

"I loved her, Tim." Tony revealed, glancing off into the distance. He loved her. It felt so good to finally say that aloud. He still did love her.

"I know you do." Tim replied. It had been a long time coming to hear Tony voice those words, but it was devastating that this was all just too late…

"You thought that I had not told Tali about you?" Ziva asked incredulously.

"I didn't know what to think." Tony snapped at her. "I know that Rule 3 is 'Never assume'. But we hadn't spoken in years and you'd kept Tali a secret from me, so it was entirely possible that you had kept me a secret from her." Ziva took a deep breath and bit her lip. Tony knew his words had struck a chord with her and so he softened his tone. "But I soon found out that you had told her about me."

Flashback: Thursday 19th May 2017, Tony's living room

Tony sighed. "Still think you could have gotten away with "pretend tea", Dad. I don't think she would know the difference."

"But I would know, Junior. What does Daddy know about making tea, anyway?" Senior spoke towards his granddaughter. He was beyond ecstatic that he could call himself a grandfather now.

"Please don't just don't call me that." Tony huffed.

That confused Senior. Why didn't his son want to be called a father? "Why not? Embrace it, son. This kid is a DiNozzo all the way."

"It's been a long day, and I need to take a shower." Tony replied, diverting the subject.

Then Tali accidently spilt some of the tea. Senior groaned. "Grab me a wipe out of her bag, will you?"

Tony sighed but reached over to the go-bag that Orli had given to him and found the wipes.

"Thanks". Senior spoke.

Tony looked back towards the bag and examined the contents properly for the first time. It was obvious that Ziva had packed this. Inside was her scarf. The one she had worn in Israel almost four years ago when she went to see Deena Bashan after being attacked and injured at the safe house. Almost unconsciously, Tony brought it up to his nose and sniffed it. God, it still smelled like her. That made his eyes water again. They were never washing this scarf.

Then he came across something even more special. The picture of the two of them together. On the motorbike in Paris.

Paris, France

"Here we go. Hop on. Getting pretty good at this." Tony remarked, revving the engine. Ziva smiled at his antics and climbed onto the back of the bike, before putting her arms around his waist to hold onto him. As he drove off, Ziva's smile widened. He always made her smile.

"What's this?" Tony asked, knowing that Senior had already been through the bag.

"Oh, uh, I found that stuffed in the side of her bag. I- I figured you'd seen it before." Senior explained.

"Ima?" Tali spoke.

Tony's heart broke hearing his daughter say that word. Knowing she'd never get to see her Ima again. "Yeah, that's right, Tali. Ima."

"What does that mean, "Ima"?" Senior asked.

"Hebrew. It means "mother", "mom". Tony informed him.

"Oh."

"Abba." Tali continued.

What. Tony was floored. "Tali, what did you say?" He questioned. Surely, he'd misheard that? Surely he was only hearing what he wanted to hear, right?

"Ima. Abba." Tali explained as she pointed them out in the photograph.

"Abba?" Tony whispered. He had to say this word out-loud himself. Was he dreaming this?!

"Daddy." Senior proudly stated. He was so happy that his granddaughter knew about her father. That Ziva had told Tali about Tony.

"Ziva must have told her. She knows me." Tony was beyond elated. He was jumping up and down inside. Ziva had told Tali about him! Maybe she did want him to be in Tali's life! He was so thankful that she had told their daughter about her father. And now he wanted to return the favour. "That's right, Tali. You want to see something?" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of jewellery. A golden necklace. A gold chain with a Star of David. Ziva's necklace. "You're gonna like this. Oh, yeah. Look. This was Ima's."

"Ima's?" Tali copied.

"Ima's, yeah." Tony confirmed.

"Ima." Tali repeated with delight. Tony saw then just how much like Ziva she looked in that moment.

"This belonged to Ima, and now it's Tali's. Come here. There you go." Tony explained as he put the necklace around Tali's neck. This was exactly where Ziva's necklace belonged. It was perfect.

All of a sudden, Tony's phone rang, interrupting the moment. "McGee?"

"Hey. You want Kort, here's your chance." Tim spoke boldly.

"You got him." Tony stated.

"We're about to. I'm gonna text you his location in Chesapeake City. Wait for us if you get there first." McGee told him. He didn't want Tony going after Kort without back-up. After what he'd done, McGee wasn't sure what Tony would do.

"Are you sure he's there?" Tony asked.

"Listen, Tony. You wanted him, we got him." McGee confirmed.

Tony was looking over at his daughter. And in that moment, he didn't want to leave her. He didn't want to go running off into danger. He just wanted to spend time with Tali. But he also needed revenge. The monster who killed Ziva David – Tali's mother and the woman he loved – needed to pay.

"I'm on my way."

"The team had caught up to Kort. Scott told them he'd met Kort during the final assignment he'd worked. His contact, Edgar, was a nuclear expert who worked for the DOD and had introduced him to Kort. The team also found Kort's boot print at Gibbs' house which had low levels of radiation that had come from a nuclear research facility. But when they got there, it was on lockdown. The surveillance cams showed Kort had abducted one of the researchers as he wanted to know where Edgar's son lived. Kort doused his house with gasoline and set it on fire. The team got him out in time and saw Kort sneak out the back…"

Flashback: Thursday 19th May 2017, Field location near Edgar's son's house

"Freeze!"

Kort turned to face the team. "Old friends and new. But not the one I expected."

"I'm here." Tony said, appearing into sight. He had this overwhelming anger flowing through him. So much hatred towards the monster in-front of him. He was going to pay.

Now Kort felt nervous. Knew he was in trouble now. He'd killed the woman that the man before him had loved. "DiNozzo. I had no idea she'd be in the farmhouse. You know that." He tried to worm his way out of this situation.

"Do I?" Tony spat. How dare he try to make excuses for killing Ziva and for almost killing Tali?!

"It was nothing personal. Strictly business." Kort tried to dig the hole deeper.

"It is personal. It's Ziva." McGee piped up.

"She was my family." Tony spoke softly. Ziva meant the world to him.

Kort reaches for his gun, but Tony fired first, followed by the rest of the team. They had their revenge. The man who had murdered their family member was dead. But it would never bring her back. There was a little girl without a mother now. A man without the woman he loved. They may have gotten their vengeance, but It just wasn't enough for him…

Tony shook his head and scoffed. "Kort was dead. Problem solved, right? But it didn't matter that I'd got my revenge. That I'd avenged your death. It wasn't going to bring you back. But I could go back home and raise our daughter right. So, I went back to my apartment, tried to get some sleep. But I couldn't. It was just, so strange. Like this was all a dream; it was all such a blur. I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that you were gone and that we'd had a daughter together. Things just kept flying through my brain. There were lots of things that just didn't make any sense to me. About you. About Tali. The farmhouse. My mind was screaming at me, that I was missing something. My gut was telling me that you weren't dead. And the more I thought about it, the more things I thought of that puzzled me..."

Flashback: Thursday 19th May 2017, Tony's apartment, his bedroom

"And then one night I had a dream. Everything was all lined up together."

"ZIVA!"

Tony sat bolt upright, panting, desperately trying to draw in a breath. His ears were now ringing; he could feel his heart pounding inside of him. How could I be so stupid? It all makes sense now. Everything was all lined up together.

Running his hands through his hair, Tony flopped back on the bed. His head was pounding, all he could hear was noise, chaos, shouting. He needed an outlet.

DiNozzo's reasons why Ziva's still alive:

They haven't found a body.

We never saw a survivor being pulled from the house.

Don't believe what you're told. Always double check.

Where's the smell of smoke?

No bruises, cuts, burns.

She would have known.

Tali was so far from Ziva in the house.

Kelev.

Ziva's scarf.

Paris.

"Number 11 was added after my visit to Israel."

Trent Kort.

"By the time I'd written the third point on my list, I'd sort of returned back to reality. Started doubting myself. Maybe it was the denial talking; me hoping that this was all just some big misunderstanding and that you were out there somewhere, alive. Senior found me sitting on the floor. Told me to man up and finish the list. Once I did, Senior came up with a plan. He grabbed my laptop and starting booking tickets. He paid for two plane tickets from DC to Tel Aviv, for Tali and I. Told me to go and find some answers about you, whether they were good or bad. He knew that we needed closure. Then told us to take a family holiday after that and get to know each other. And I had the perfect place in mind."

"Ziva loves Paris."

Ziva blushed. Tony knew her well. There had been a few meaningful conversations between them in the past where she had shared her love of Paris. Especially when the two of them had been in that very city together, alone…

"That made my mind up. And I wasn't going to wait a second longer. I'd already lost three years. I just had to tell El Jefe…"

Flashback: Thursday 19th May 2017, Gibbs' basement

"Look who stopped by. You got something on your mind?" Gibbs asked as Tony made his way down the stairs into his basement. He knew why Tony was there. He'd known this was coming.

"Want to tell you why I was late today." Tony began. He needed somewhere to start, to build up to what he needed to say.

"Well, you got there, DiNozzo. I don't need an explanation." Gibbs remarked.

"I have one. A few months ago, you asked me what I really wanted. If I wanted to be an agent anymore. Catch bad guys." Tony chuckled. "Now I know the answer." 'I want to be a father.' Tony thought.

"I had a feeling." He'd seen it for a while now. Could see that Tony was ready to leave. Ready to turn the page and start the next chapter in his story.

"The Gibbs gut." Tony assumed.

Gibbs shock his head. "No. You. Seems to me, you've known for a while. Only now, you've got a daughter to think of. You can't only think about yourself anymore."

Tony smiled sadly. "Evidently we have a daughter. Me and Ziva. Maybe she knew me better than I thought. When McGee called, something hit me. I got this feeling, something I'd never felt before. In that moment, I didn't want Trent Kort dead. All I wanted to do was take..." Tony sighed deeply, trying to calm himself. He couldn't break down again. "Everything that she had in her life was gone." He couldn't imagine how scary things must be for his little girl. Losing her mother, being around strangers, being in a different country…

"Mm-hmm. Except you." Gibbs pointed out.

Tony smiled a little at that. "Except me. I'm it. I'm everything to that little girl now. And I've never been anybody's everything before."

"But you showed up." Gibbs added.

"Yes, I did. In all kinds of ways. But that's it. I'm done now. I'm gonna take Tali to Israel, look for some answers. Then I'm going to take her to Paris. Ziva loves Paris." Tony couldn't help but smile at that. So many memories had flooded through him. Of their conversations, of their time together in Paris. He had to follow the clues in the go-bag, follow his heart and go to Paris.

Gibbs silently approved. He could sense the change in Tony's demeanour. He was starting to think and see that there may be more to this. "You gotta do what you gotta do. And you gotta believe what you gotta believe." He hinted. He knew what Tony was thinking. Because he was thinking exactly the same thing.

Tony walked over to stand opposite Gibbs. That comment had definitely boosted his confidence that he could be right about this. "I'd say "thank you", but it doesn't quite cover it, boss." Tony went to put his hand out to shake his old boss' hand. But Gibbs pulled him in for a hug instead.

"You take care of yourself and your family, DiNozzo." Gibbs told him, patting the back of his head.

Tony smiled. "Copy that, boss." It was time to put his family first…

Ziva smiled. She was so glad that Tony and Gibbs had finally had a nice conversation and that they had sorted things out between them. But something that Gibbs had said had struck with Ziva. "You gotta believe what you gotta believe." She quietly muttered those words, not realising that she'd spoken them out-loud.

Tony saw the look of concentration on her face and smiled when she spoke those words. "When he said those words, I knew that I was thinking what he had been thinking since the start of all of this. That you were still alive. And that's when his behaviour made a bit more sense to me. I'm glad we got to talk before I went. Which just left me to start packing up…"

Flashback: Friday 20th May 2017, NCIS Elevator

"I just have something I need to tell you before you go." Abby explained after flicking the switch to bring the elevator to a standstill.

"How do you know I'm going?" Tony questioned. He hadn't told anyone except for Gibbs, how could she know he was leaving?

"Because I'm Abby Sciuto, and I know things." She stated.

Tony chuckled. He should have seen that one coming. "Why did I ask?"

Abby went serious. "I know how much Ziva really loved you. And I need to know that you know that, too." She revealed.

"I do. I think." He responded, unsure of himself. Once upon a time, he thought he knew for certain that Ziva reciprocated his feelings; that she loved him. But after she'd hidden Tali and they hadn't spoken in years… he was starting to doubt that.

Abby sighed. She could easily see the seeds of doubt in his mind and she needed him to know the truth before he left. "Don't think. Know. I know. She told me." Abby choked on those words.

Tony was taken aback by that. Abby knew? Ziva had told her that she loved him? How? When? Where? What?! And he knew that Ziva kept her emotions to herself. So, to reveal to Abby that she loved him… that was quite a big step for her. Maybe Abby was right…

"I'm really gonna miss you, Anthony DiNozzo." Abby cried. She knew that Tony had to go, but it was still heart-breaking that she wasn't going to see him every day.

The two friends quickly embraced each other in a tight hug. "Not half as much as I'm going to miss you, Abby Sciuto."

Ziva was blushing a lot and she quickly found a very interesting spot down on the floor to gain her attention. She felt her cheeks burn and turn bright red. She had almost forgotten about that conversation she'd had with Abby where she had finally revealed (much to her friend's extreme delight!) her true feelings about Tony. And a few talks after that from a very persistent Abby… Ah no, she was going to have to tell him all about that now!

Tony watched as Ziva's face became a picture of embarrassment and she tried to shy away. Abby was right, Ziva had told her that she loved him! Wow… when had that happened?! How long had Ziva known that she loved him? How long had he known that he loved her? All of these questions floated around inside his head. But he knew and could see that this wasn't the right time to ask her. Ziva had confided in her friend and it was her choice if and when she told him about that conversation.

"After that, all there was left to do was to hand in my badge and gun, pack up my desk and say goodbye to everyone. Vance, Ducky, Palmer, McGee, Bishop."

Ziva was relieved that Tony wasn't pushing her, but she still felt guilty that he'd left NCIS. It had been one of the reasons why she hadn't wanted to come back into his life and mess everything up for him.

Tony knew that look and reached over to take her hand. "Hey, Ziva –."

"You still should not have had to give up your job. You love NCIS." Ziva blurted out. She knew how much Tony loved NCIS. It was his home and she never wanted him to quit for her.

Tony took her hand this time. "Hey, look at me, Zi." She did as he'd asked. "Nobody forced me to quit NCIS, Ziva. That was my decision; my choice. And it had been a long time coming. I have no regrets about leaving." He had a feeling that she would continue to feel guilty about this, no matter what he said, but he was telling the truth. It really was the right time for him to leave.

Ziva rubbed a spot up and down her left arm. She was nervous. "Tony… I am truly sorry about all of this. I wish that there had been another way for you to learn about Tali. I should have told you three years ago. I should not have kept you two apart. You are right, it was not my decision to make. I should not have been such a coward, I should have told you myself. There is no excuse." Ziva knew that she had screwed up big time. And though she would be devastated if this caused a rift between them forever, she knew that Tony could not be blamed at all. This was all her own doing.

Tony thought carefully for a while, about how to word what he was thinking. "I don't know if I can ever forgive you for that, Ziva. I've missed out on two years of her life. But I do want to work to move forwards, together." Ziva was beyond relieved about that. "I don't want to live with regrets. I don't want to fight with you. I want us to be on the same team again. And I definitely don't regret that we have Tali. She's amazing."

Ziva gave him the biggest smile she could. "Me too." After a short pause, Ziva added something. "She saved my life. She saved me from myself in Israel." She didn't need to expand upon that.

Tony returned her smile. "She saved my life too. I don't know what I would have done if it wasn't for Tali. She saved my life the day that I met her. Knowing that you were gone and that I was never going to see you again… I hadn't felt that way since I was told that you had died on the Damocles. I felt completely empty. And I didn't want to live like that. Yes, we may have been apart for three years… but I still… you mean a lot to me. So, I probably would have hunted Kort down and killed him, before letting him kill me too. I couldn't live without you."

Ziva's mouth fell open a bit at his honest confessions. It scared her to think that he wouldn't have gone on without her. She never wanted that. Which is why she believed that if she stayed out of his life, he would be safe from her. But she was beginning to feel that it may be too late for that. Ziva was just so grateful for Tali. She had saved her mother and father.

"Then I am very thankful for our amazing daughter. And I am so proud of her." She told him.

"Me too. She is our little miracle." Tony replied. He was one proud dad right now.

The two of them sat there for a while, just smiling at each other, holding hands. Just in their own little bubble. They were rebuilding that connection between them. But finally, they had to address something. "So… what do we do now?" Tony asked.

A very good question. On one hand, they could both breathe a huge sigh of relief. Everything was out in the open now. But they still had a long road ahead of them. So, what were they going to do now?

A/N: Thank you so much for reading! It was so tough to have to revisit this episode. I'm so sorry about the almost Tiva kiss! I debated so much about that scene. I just felt that they weren't quite ready to get back to that point yet. There were still things that needed to be said and repaired between them first. I hope you have an amazing day, thank you so much for reading, until the next chapter! :)