Two Chapters going up tonight! Look for the next one!
Gibbs, McGee and E.J. were already sitting at the large dining room table when Tony and Ziva joined them for breakfast.
"Good morning, Lady Ziver." Gibbs greeted her with a soft smile as they took their seats. "DiNozzo." He nodded at Tony. "Was wondering if you two would ever join us again." He added softly before taking a sip of coffee.
Ziva simply smiled, choosing to ignore what Gibbs said and instead reached for a piece of toast.
"Lady Ziver?" Tony asked with a smile looking from Ziva to Gibbs, "You sound like Franks, Boss." His smile grew remembering the old salty cowboy of a man who they all missed dearly.
"I guess he knew something about Ziver, we didn't." Gibbs shrugged slightly with a soft smile looking at Ziva. He realized that was likely true. Mike Franks would have thoroughly investigated each and every member of Gibbs Team given how much faith and trust he put into them, especially in protecting his daughter-in-law and granddaughter. The man likely did know that Ziva was really Lady Ziva and it wasn't just a coincidence.
"You must have been speaking with Ezra?" Ziva guessed with a shy smile hearing they knew of her title while looking at Gibbs and seeing McGee and E.J. both nodding with wide-eyes and a smile as well.
"This is some spread." Tony smiled at all the food before him. Chef Ezra had outdone himself with the amazing breakfast spread. "I can't decide if I want waffles or pancakes or there's just too many of my favorites to choose just one. Another point for Israel." He flashed a smile to Ziva sharing a look that spoke of his new quest to fall in love with the country.
"I asked Ezra to make all of your favorites." Ziva smiled softly at Tony hoping this quiet calm would last just a little longer. She wanted them all to feel as much at home as possible to try and ease the tension.
Tony smiled softly back, leaning over and kissing her temple. "So who is Ezra?" He asked before pouring syrup over his waffle.
"Our Chef…my Chef," She corrected herself realizing there was no one left anymore in her family with whom she shared the man, "He has been with our family a long time." Ziva answered spreading jam over her own pieces of toast slowly.
"You missed it, Tony. He regailed us with tales of Little Lady Ziva." McGee smiled widely across the table and rubbing it in. "Little but Mighty!" He held up his clenched fist causing both E.J. and Gibbs to chuckle at the gesture.
Ziva shook her head softly with a soft smile.
"Have I missed something?" Tony asked hating to miss any stories about Ziva as a child but latching onto something else that caught his attention instead, "You're all calling her Lady Ziva. Why?"
"Lady Ziva," Chef Ezra appeared with a refill of coffee and a smile, "There is a phone call for you from the Gate House. They say you have an unannounced visitor."
Both Tony and Ziva's eyebrows narrowed. Ziva from hearing about the visitor and Tony at hearing her addressed as such yet again.
"Excuse me." Ziva wiped her mouth on her napkin and stood abruptly leaving the room quickly.
"Lady Ziva?" Tony asked again to those remaining in the room, "What is going on around here?" He flashed his charming eyes with curious smile to the new man suspiciously, "Why do you call her Lady?"
"It is her Nobility title, Mr. DiNozzo." Ezra smiled bewildered at Tony, "Did you not know?"
"She really was Daddy's Princess." Tony's brows furrowed remembering his tease of Ziva in their early years, "Ziva's Nobility?" He asked again for clarification and not understanding how that could be. "How?"
"Lady Ziva inherited the title from her mother, Lady Rivka." Chef Ezra smiled eyeing Tony warily to not be aware of such things.
"Her mother's maiden name was Rothschild, Tony." McGee answered quietly with raised eyebrows hoping that would be sufficient for Tony to connect the pieces.
Tony remembered Ziva telling the curator that her great-grandmother's maiden name was Rothschild.
Seeing he still wasn't getting it, McGee lifted his finger and circled their extravagant environment, "Thee Rothschilds, Tony."
"Ooh," Tony finally had the moment of recognition and swallowed hard. "That explains…things." He didn't quite know what to say but the wealth suddenly made more sense.
"None of you were aware?" Chef Ezra asked looking around with surprise knowing these people were important to Ziva.
"This is something she never discusses." Gibbs answered quietly for the group.
"Only because it has never come up." Ziva answered for herself coming back into the room with a deep sigh to see the look on Tony's face and hoping they weren't going to go down this road again. "It had no relevance to my job performance as an investigator." She defended her reasoning for never bringing it up before. "I am not exactly socialite material. I do not name drop. I can stand on my own."
"No, you certainly don't." Tony nodded softly, letting her know it was okay. He wasn't upset for not knowing. He knew how guarded she had been about them even knowing that her father was then Deputy Director Eli David of Mossad when she'd first come to NCIS. He also remembered what she had said to him about such a thing when E.J. had kept the fact the SecNav was her uncle from him. Wanting to stand on her' own merit as well. They had only recently begun in the past year to open up to each other about the things that mattered after nearly dying together in a terrorist attack and stuck in an elevator. There was still much to catch up on.
Ziva took a deep breath, thankful to see in Tony's eyes that this was not going to be another issue, though they would certainly have to talk about it sometime. It was not important now. "You are not going to believe this, but the unnounced visitor on their way up," She looked down the table at Gibbs, "Is Director Vance."
"What?" A chorus of startled reactions sounded off with the same astonished question.
"Vance?" Gibbs couldn't believe what he was hearing as well. The man hadn't been involved in NCIS investigations since Eli and Jackie had been killed. He hadn't heard anything from him since that night Leon had given him Ziva's file and his mental stability then hadn't been the best. "I thought he was still on Leave. Taking a vacation?"
"I do not know all the details, Gibbs. Only that one of my guards is bringing him up here now." Ziva sighed with hand on hip, not liking surprises either and immediately uneasy to have Director Vance in her home…her father's former home, given the lives lost in his own home. She still hadn't had any contact with the man since that night when she'd left his dinner table. At least that she was conscious for. Tony had told her that Vance had been there when her 'body' arrived at the airport.
"Ziver, did they check him for weapons?" Gibbs stood suddenly lying his own lap napkin slowly on the table. Considering that the last conversation he'd had with Vance included the man telling Gibbs to stand aside and let them kill Ziva to tie up their loose ends, he wasn't taking any chances with her now. Especially if this was some kind of a vengence plan to kill Ziva in her father's home as her father had been killed in his.
"No, I didn't ask them to. Should I?" Ziva asked slightly startled by Gibbs question and saw everyone else's eyes flash to his with concern as well.
"You let me answer the door." Gibbs nodded at her walking towards her and grabbing her now folded arms by the elbows, speaking in a quiet tone. "Stay here."
"Gibbs, what is this about?" She asked watching him walk away and feeling a sudden unease.
Gibbs didn't answer her. He didn't know what to say. How could he tell her that the last time he'd seen Vance, the man had told Gibbs to step aside and let them kill her? It would only hurt her further. He saw the car stopping near the front door and Leon getting out with duffle slung over his shoulder.
"What are you doing here, Leon?" Gibbs opened the door addressing him informally as he wasn't sure this was official or personal business. He hadn't heard from acting Director Craig that Vance had resumed his duties.
"Gibbs." Vance addressed him coolly coming to stand before him and took note of Gibbs blocking the path to the doorway. "I heard you wanted to speak with me."
"You flew all the way to Israel for that?" Gibbs asked quietly cocking his head slightly to one side and eyeing the man before him suspiciously.
"I was in Europe. It wasn't that far." Vance answered tearsly and then asked impatiently, "Are you going to let me in?"
"It's not my place to welcome you." Gibbs answered, "This is Ziva's home."
"Oh yes, the former great Elijah David's palace by the sea. I am familiar, Gibbs. This is not my first time here." Vance answered, "She approved my entrance. I heard her voice."
"You can let him in, Gibbs." Ziva answered quietly from behind Gibbs standing uneasily with everyone else. They were too curious about Gibbs behavior and reaction to simply stay away. "It is all right." She still didn't understand why Gibbs wouldn't let the man in.
"Is it?" Gibbs looked cautiously at Vance, "What are your intentions with her?" His hair on the back of his neck standing on end to know that he was the only thing separating the man from Ziva now that she was standing behind him.
"My intentions?" Vance asked slightly taken aback.
"Yeah, Leon." Gibbs retorted quickly with an edge in his tone, "The last time you and I spoke, you told me to stand aside. Remember?"
"Let me be clear, stand aside, Gibbs and let me through." Vance's tone was near ordering now clearly holding back new anger at being reminded of that conversation. "I'm not going to hurt her!"
"Hurt me?" Ziva asked startled and confused with heart starting to pound as she looked at Gibbs posture and then to the anger on Vance's face. "Why would you think that he would hurt me?" Her voice was quiet and slightly shaking, "Gibbs?" She asked again when he hadn't answered. "Director Vance?" She addressed him directly when Gibbs still hadn't answered.
"Gibbs, I'm not here to hurt her. I'm here to help you. Let me in the damn door and I will explain." Vance wouldn't answer Ziva's question either, in fact he was having a difficult time maintaining eye contact with her now. Especially after seeing the fresh and jagged scar starting at her throat and traveling the long distance down her chest before disappearing beneath her shirt.
Gibbs stepped aside but maintained his position between Ziva and Vance, stepping back only enough to allow the man entrance and then off to the side a little so they could face each other. Ziva, Tony, McGee and E.J. were all on one side of the Foyer while Gibbs stood in the middle and Vance just before the door.
"What is this about, Leon?" Gibbs asked again.
"No!" Ziva cut him off rather forcefully and then looked down apologetically, taking a deep breath and calming herself. She wasn't about to let this go, whatever it was that gave Gibbs pause about Vance, "Why did you think he would hurt me? What is going on, Gibbs? What happened?"
Gibbs folded his arms over his chest and tapped his fingers at his elbow looking from Ziva over to Vance. Of course, she wasn't going to let this go. And rightfully, she hadn't a reason to. "Care to explain that to her, Leon?"
"I wasn't exactly in the best frame of mind when I said that, Gibbs." Vance looked angrily at the man not wanting to look at the questioning and slightly hurt eyes of Ziva who only looked more and more confused and upset with every word they both spoke. "Can't we just let it go?" He took a deep breath, "There are other things to discuss."
"You were not in the best frame of mind when you said what, Director?" Ziva asked with a softer tone, realizing he had been grieving for his wife and that was likely what he was referring to. "Clearly you said something that would make Gibbs believe you would harm me in some way given his reaction so what is it?" She asked bluntly not shying away.
"I told him to step aside." Vance answered with penetrating eyes now staring directly at her across the large glittering space.
"Step aside for what?" Ziva asked with eyebrows narrowing in confusion and frustration.
"Step aside and let them kill you…" Tony added softly with a hard penetrating stare of his own, putting the pieces together himself. First Gibbs reaction, what had been said and just now, the way Vance was looking at Ziva with a mixture of regret, guilt, anger and sadness. "Is that right, Director? You told Gibbs to step aside and let them finish the job? To let them kill Ziva?" He asked with rising anger in his tone at feeling such a deep betrayal.
Ziva's mouth fell open slightly in shock shaking her head at first to hear Tony's accusation that couldn't possibly be true until her eyes flashed with Vance's and saw the truth. That was exactly what he had said. The way Gibbs was looking at her now only confirmed it.
McGee and E.J. stood slack jawed beside them sharing in the disbelief and horror to know their own Director whom they trusted would say such a thing.
"I was trying to protect you, Agent David." Vance ignored Tony and addressed only Ziva seeing the tears and anger welling in her eyes. "I wasn't in my right mind that night. I wanted this all to be over and the quickest way for that to happen was for them to…" He couldn't finish the thought looking away.
"Was for them to what, Director? Kill me?" Ziva asked with a sarcastic clip in her tone. "They nearly succeeded… but perhaps that's the way you would have preferred it?"
Tony's mind was instantly thrown back in time to his last visit to Israel with that statement. Only it wasn't Ziva saying them then. It was him saying them to Ziva. He swallowed hard realizing that those words had sunken in that day with her, enough for her to remember them and repeat them exactly now, in the same context back to Vance.
"Ziva," Vance shook his head softly, "I am thankful you survived. I was just in a bad place at the time. The assassin was sent to kill you and your father and instead I lost my wife. The only innocent one at that table."
"You cannot blame Ziva for what her father did!" Tony was immediately on the defensive, taking a step in with voice rising.
"I do not blame her for what Eli did, DiNozzo. Back down!" Vance ordered sternly and then softened as he looked back to Ziva, "I was in a place where death seemed like the better option. It was a dark and ugly place. I was trying to spare you any more hurt and pain that the truth would cause." He sighed again, "I am here to help you. I don't want anything to happen to you." He swallowed hard with eyes slowly shifting from the ring on her hand flickering radiantly under the lights of her staunchly crossed arms, to Tony who was still standing defensively by her side. "You have a future worth fighting for. I want to help protect that. Jackie…" He swallowed hard again trying to hold back the emotion he was feeling just from saying her name and thinking about how the woman felt about Ziva, "Would want you to have that future. Let me help you."
Ziva took a moment to process what he'd said. She could understand being in a dark and ugly place just like that. She'd been there. When she volunteered for a suicide mission after believing she lost the one person she really loved after Rivkin's death and it wasn't Michael, it was Tony. She never expected when she went in after Saleem to ever be coming out again. Death seemed like the better option then facing the truths of betrayal. How could she fault Vance for being in that same place? Thinking the same things and angry at everyone around you. She gave him a slight head nod as the only acknowledgement and turned, walking away.
The others took their cue from her, having seen the look in her eyes and nod of acceptance towards Vance. If she was willing, so were they. Though Gibbs and Tony shared a look that said they would keep an eye on him until they were both certain Ziva was safe in his proximity.
"You knew that my father was the one responsible for my capture and torture in Africa?" Ziva asked wanting to get right to what he knew having escorted everyone back to the breakfast table knowing most of them hadn't finished. The Director was likely hungry as well. It seemed like the best place to have this discussion given that everyone was strategically placed apart and contained at that distance by sitting in their chairs over a large table and meal.
The last time she'd been with Vance, at a table in his home, it hadn't ended well and she thought about that the moment she was sitting with him to her left once more. When she caught his eyes, she knew that he was thinking of the same thing.
Ezra had entered the room once again to put out a fresh place setting for their new guest and when he'd heard Ziva say that her own father had been responsible for her apparent capture and torture the old man falther and dropped the plate shattering it all over the floor. He immediately fumbled to the floor apologizing and trying to pick up the pieces. "I'm so sorry, Lady Ziva." He repeated over and over, clearly shaken as Ziva knelt quickly beside him to help gather the pieces seeing his upset.
"It is all right, Ezra." She assured him softly speaking in Hebrew, trying to slow where he was frantically reaching with shaking hands towards the glass shards.
"No, no it is not all right." He shook his head and she knew he meant it for so much more then just the plate. He seemed genuinely devastated to hear her father had her purposefully captured and tortured at some point. Likely when she had gone missing over the summer she had last been to Israel he realized, before her father's most recent death.
"Ezra," She reached for a large piece speaking in a soothing tone.
"No, Lady Ziva, I will do this!" He tried to grab it from her, not wanting her to have to clean up and pulled it quickly from her hand slicing open her palm in the process and blood immediately began to roll down her fingers much to his horror when Ziva hissed in a breath. "I'm….I'm so sorry… I didn't…" He was now shaking and paling so moritifed that he'd cut her when Ziva reached immediately for the linen napkin on the table to wrap her hand.
"It is all right, Ezra. This is nothing. I will be fine." She gave him a small smile, laying her other hand on his shoulder trying to comfort him and still speaking soothingly in their mutually shared language. "I don't want you to cut yourself either. Let us get a broom." She nodded at him and moved to stand, extending her hand to help him up as well. "If you'll excuse us a moment." She looked at the others with an apologetic gaze and they all understood she needed a moment alone with the old man who seemed shocked and shaken both from what she'd revealed about her father and from accidentally cutting Ziva.
"Do you need any help with your hand?" Tony asked with heart picking up speed to see the blood soaking through the white napkin she'd wrapped tightly around it and trying not to panic at seeing her blood again.
"I will let you know." She answered him in an even tone with a small smile, trying to soothe his fears as well that she could see lurking in his eyes.
When Ziva and Ezra had left the room, Tony let go of the breath he'd been holding in with a deep sigh, reaching for his own cup of now cold coffee with shaking hand, "Well she was right."
"About what?" Gibbs asked quietly seeing Tony's hand shake slightly reaching for the cup.
"Ziva didn't want to get out of bed this morning. Said she had a bad feeling about today. So far it's off to a rocky start and breakfast isn't even over." He answered with stern eyes flashing to Vance as though he were the catalyst for the rapid domino effect taking place.
Vance was slightly startled to hear Tony speaking so candidly about waking up with Ziva and not wanting to get out of bed. It was a change in their relationship that he'd missed completely whereas everyone else at the table had taken it in stride as an everyday occurrence now. "I guess I should start by offering you congratulations, DiNozzo. I heard that you and David had gotten engaged. And in our NCIS Bull Pen no less." He offered Tony with a small smile, trying to break the ice with him seeing his steely gaze.
"Yeah, well you were invited, Director, but I guess you never showed because you were still too busy hoping they'd finished Ziva off then?" Tony answered him with a sarcastic tone and question, feeling the waves of anger still boiling inside that Vance could ever want Ziva dead and think that was a better option. He understood the man was grieving the loss of his own wife but the idea sent Tony into a panic to think of 'anyone' supposed to be on their side wishing Ziva dead. "You lost the love of your life so you wish mine dead too?" He fired down the table at Vance.
"DiNozzo!" Gibbs cut in seeing Tony about to lose it, "Enough! McGee, take him for a walk!" He ordered Tim again seeing as how he'd calmed Tony down the last time he was riled like this after punching Malachi in the face for the same fear. The fear of losing Ziva…and as Tony had said then and now, the love of his life.
"Okay, Boss." McGee stood slowly seeing the tension so thick he could cut it with a knife and watched as Tony curled his hand into a fist.
"I'm fine, Boss." Tony argued once more only able to see red at the moment in looking at Vance.
"You're not fine, take a walk." Gibbs ordered him quietly, "It wasn't an option."
"Boss, Ziva told us not to go outside or her snipers would likely shoot us." McGee countered with a small gulp remembering what she'd said and also not wanting to disobey Gibbs.
"Then take a walk inside, McGee. This house is big enough for that." Gibbs waved him off. "Barrett," He looked at E.J. softly wanting to be alone for a moment with Vance, "Go with them."
Vance looked somewhere between angry and destroyed with Tony's accusation and also a hint of guilty.
"Come on, Tony." McGee braved grabbing Tony's elbow carefully and guiding him away from the table.
"Ziva may be okay with accepting you wanted her dead… because of her own guilt that your wife died that night instead of her… but I am not okay with this. I will never be okay with this." Tony seethed under his breath, hissing at Vance with dark rage filled eyes as he walked by the man with heart pounding. "So help me God, if you do anything to put her in harms way I will kill you myself, Director." He made sure to address him in an official capacity to let him know how serious he was being. Going so far as to threaten him in an official capacity.
"Come on, Tony." McGee tugged on his arm more urgently wanting to get him out of the room quickly before it came to blows. Threatening the Director with death was already sending his pulse racing.
"I've only seen DiNozzo this unhinged with me one other time. And that too involved David." Vance spoke quietly reaching for a cup and the pot of coffee on the table moments after they'd left the room.
"Losing her has always been his biggest fear, Leon." Gibbs answered him quietly knowing exactly of the moment Vance was speaking of. When Tony had tried to make the case to go after Saleem and Vance had shot him down. "The one thing he can't handle, is losing Ziva." He spoke slowly and in a quiet voice, "Hearing you wished they'd actually killed her…is Tony's worst nightmare."
"I know." Vance answered in the same tone, "I saw how devastated he was that summer he thought she was dead. It's part of why I cleared him and McGee to go and bring her back with you." He took a sip of his coffee, "I didn't understand his pain in losing her that summer. But I did when I saw how utterly destroyed he was in bringing her home in a bodybag." He swallowed hard finally looking up at Gibbs, "And I finally understood what it felt like for you to lose Shannon. It's not something you understand, until it's you." He paused, "I understand where he's coming from. His need to protect her now. And yours." He looked intently at Gibbs, realizing all the more now why Gibbs was so protective of his girls after losing Shannon and Kelly. "She's going after Bodnar, so of course, you're all going along too."
"He has her pregnant sister, Leon. What do you expect her to do? Ziva doesn't just sit on the sidelines. She never has." Gibbs answered softly but with a defensive tone. "Where she goes, we go. We are a team."
"I'm intimately familiar with the fact, Gibbs. Your adamancy about sticking together has been both a pain in my ass and a point of pride for me the last several years." Vance acknowledged him with a slight smile tugging at the corner of this lips. "As soon as I heard you were bound for Tel-Aviv I knew I needed to come."
"Why?" Gibbs asked sitting back in his chair and gauging the man before him, "I thought you were on vacation?"
"I was." Vance nodded, "We cut it short and came home early. I left the kids with Abby in charge."
"You what?" Gibbs asked in a disbelieving tone, "You left them with Abby?" He wasn't ever aware that Vance had that kind of a relationship enough with Abby to leave his children in her care.
"You trust her, so I trust her." Vance nodded with a soft sway of his head, "Besides, I thought it might be good for them. She lost her mother at a young age too. She likely understands what they're going through better then I do."
Gibbs nodded that was likely the truth. Abby was always great with kids understanding them better the most. Then yet, most of his team were essentially orphans in one way or the other with the loss of parents as children or estrangement. It was part of why they all understood each other and took such good care of one another. They understood the value of loss and love in a family.
"So why are you here, Leon?" Gibbs asked redirecting the question.
"I want to help in whatever way I can. I'm not the acting Director right now which gives me some leeway to help facilitate things under the radar. Director Craig is doing fine handling the day-to-day operations." Vance reached forward picking up a bagel and deciding to eat. "I'll explain what I know when the others return." He went quiet suddenly when Ezra returned with a broom and dustpan.
"Lady Ziva will return momentarily. She went to tend to the wound on her hand." Ezra informed them visibly still shaken and kneeling to scoop up the remaining shards of glass. "My apologizes again for the interruption."
"Where has everyone gone to?" Ziva asked coming into the dining room and finding it empty but for the three older men. Her eyes looked quickly between Vance and Gibbs for answers.
Both of their eyes flashing to the white gauze now wrapped like a glove around her right hand. Her cut was deeper then they'd realized.
"DiNozzo needed to cool off. They took a walk." Vance answered taking a sip of his coffee.
"Why would Tony be upset and need to cool off?" Ziva asked knowing it took a lot to upset Tony enough he needed to leave a room.
"He's protective of you." Vance answered giving her a small smile, "Rightfully so."
"This was about me?" Ziva asked with pinched eyebrows rubbing her wrist with her fingers feeling the cut on her palm throbbing.
"Where DiNozzo is concerned," Vance shook his head softly still wearing the soft smile, "It's always about you, Agent David."
"What does that mean?" Ziva asked failing to hide the annoyance at Vance and protectiveness over Tony coming through in her tone.
"It means that only something regarding you, has the ability to upset him enough to threaten to kill me should any harm come down upon you." Vance smiled catching Ziva's surprise. "Your boy has a fiery temper, Gibbs. You think he's cooled down enough now that we can get down to business?" He stared down table at the other man.
"Tony, threatened to kill you?" Ziva couldn't believe what she had heard and stumbled to find the words to speak.
"I'm not too worried, Agent David. I have no intention of harming you making his threat null and void." Vance stood with a soft smile, "Congratulations by the way, on your engagement. I always knew someday you two would figure it out."
"Tony," McGee finally spoke after they'd walked a good distance through the long corridor that ran around the front of the house. The glass windows that formed a wall from floor to ceiling exposed the beautiful sea before them was breathtaking in the early morning sunlight. "You okay?"
Tony took a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair, palming the back of his neck as he took a seat on one of the many seats in the hallway facing the view. "How could he wish her dead?" He asked quietly still in disbelief as E.J. and McGee took seats on either side of him.
"He was grieving and angry, Tony. I don't agree that what he said or thought was right, just… people aren't rational when they're in such great pain." McGee spoke quietly thinking about witnessing Tony going through something similar as well as Ziva when her father died. "You weren't rational when you wanted to charge into the desert to kill Saleem and wishing you'd die in the process." He paused inhaling a small breath, "And Ziva wasn't rational after her father died and she was bent on revenge…going so far as to consider giving up everything she loved with that overwhelming feeling of loss and anger. You both came to your senses in time. Director Vance it seems as has too."
"I only came to my senses, McGee because Saleem ripped that hood off and Ziva was still alive sitting before me." Tony argued quietly with a tinge of anger still in his voice speaking through clenched teeth. Angry for then and now.
"And Ziva only came to her senses when Gibbs pointed out she'd be giving you up by staying with Mossad." McGee countered with a soft smile. "I've always thought Director Vance cared about Ziva-"
"No, he didn't, McGee!" Tony immediately argued as if that statement were insulting, "He sent her back to Israel his first day on the job. Terminated her position and treated her like the enemy. And as soon as she said she knew how her apartment had been blown up by a Mossad technique, he sent her back again. Making God knows what kind of a deal with her father that ended up with us leaving without her. He never wanted her at NCIS with us. Never trusted her. He only brought her back because Gibbs insisted on it in the first place. He was the one pushing for Gibbs to replace her the moment we landed back in DC."
McGee couldn't argue and quietly listened. E.J. as well having all of this be relatively new information for her in regards to Vance and Ziva's history. She too had been quite shocked to learn that the Director had wished she'd died.
"Gibbs said he changed his mind about her though," McGee remembered that conversation when Gibbs had told them the truth about Eli's involvement in Ziva's torture and capture. "That he realized Eli had been using her. That he cared about Ziva as a person and stopped seeing her as the enemy. He let us go find her in Africa, Tony. Let us bring her back to NCIS without any cause after having her position terminated. He must've cared then."
"Or he wanted to use her for something else. Against her father in their sick battle as friends and enemies." Tony argued unwilling to see any good in Vance in this moment knowing the man wanted Ziva to die at one point. He was going to play Devil's Advocate not trusting anyone who'd had motivation to harm Ziva in the past.
"I was only trying to protect her then, Agent DiNozzo." Vance countered having come upon them in the hallway. He, Ziva and Gibbs were walking quietly side by side trying to locate all the missing parties when too much time had passed waiting for their return. "No ulterior motive other then to save Ziva from whatever hell her father had placed her in. I know you don't believe me, but I really do care about her." His eyes flashed back to Ziva who stopped beside them looking uncomfortable to be the focal point of the discussion.
"You were his friend." Tony countered as though that were sufficient proof that Vance could not be trusted in his motives. His eyes moving from a long glance at Ziva to make sure she was okay, taking in her bandaged hand before moving onto Vance.
"I learned early on in this game, DiNozzo, that you keep your friends close and your enemies closer. I knew that Eli generally considered us friends and I thought of him as such as well. But I also knew the man wouldn't hesitate to use me for his own motives as he had in the past. Just as he was doing with his own daughter. He loved Ziva, but he saw everyone in his life as having additional value as to how he could use them for further gain. I was no exception and neither was she." Vance stood before him with Gibbs off to the side and eyes flashing to Ziva and back again.
"Operation Frankenstein was your brain child." Tony reasoned, "She never would have been subjected to any torture for breaking had you not dreamed up this horror." His fist was still opening and clenching.
"I was used, just as she was. We each had a role in this." Vance sighed with arms crossing over his chest, "I was young and naïve. Still believing I was invincible in the world when I was encouraged to come up with that idea. I never thought about the consequences for the individuals who would actually go through the training. Only saw the end goal at the time. It wasn't until Cobb that I realized the magnitude of what I'd created."
"You knew why Cobb took Ziva. Why he kept her alive and put her in Samson's barn. What message he was really sending then. Didn't you?" E.J. asked feeling angry as well given how much of her life was spent and lost on tracking down Cobb and why he'd targeted her because of her uncle's hand in this. "Why he'd lured her in with Cruz's phone number?"
"I did. Yes." Vance admitted with an even tone, confessing what he knew then, "He was sending a message to your uncle, to me, to Cruz and Kort and to her father… that he knew what we'd all done to her. That she was meant to become a killer like him. When Cobb said it was 'time to put Samson down' to Gibbs in interrogation we understood the message. That it would be kinder to put Ziva down before she learned the truth about what was done to her and by who and what was still planned for her as they weren't finished." His eyes flashed momentarily to Ziva with a silent apology for being so harsh.
"Cobb knew what they still wanted to turn her into. A ruthless killer just like him. Cobb was protecting her as someone he could relate to and identify with. He wanted us to kill him and end his suffering. To kill what he became at our hands through this program. His father had shot his beloved horse to teach him a lesson rather then having the vet euthanize him in a less harsh way. He was saying the same about Ziva. That we were about to learn the same lesson that he learned with the horse. Cobb spared Ziva as he identified with her given she was part of the sister program he was subjected to and tortured into breaking; but he took you instead, Agent Barrett…" He shifted his attention onto E.J., "to teach your uncle a lesson in the value of life." He swallowed hard holding her gaze, "To us all, that they weren't just 'test subjects' in a program, but were human beings. That he wasn't the monster. We were, for creating him. Ziva was a warning of what the future might hold should we continue with her training. That she may end up like him when she learned the truth of how she was being used. He thought he was being used in the service of his country. He'd learned instead he was being used in private contract killings for the gains of others. Ziva was meant for the same purpose. There were two groups using these Elite Assassins."
"Cruz mentioned that. When we were looking for Ziva after Cobb took her." Tony remembered that day in the breakroom when he'd cornered the man who was far too calm that Ziva was missing at the hands of a serial killer for his liking. "Said that Kort handled the Private Contracts." He paused, "And when I confronted Kort about it, he said this went much higher then just the Operation Frankenstein pervue with a lot of people to gain something from this…so I'm going to assume, Director, that this had something to do with the other crazies invested in Ziva then and now. The group using the Elite Assassins outside of the military. The mystery group."
"They have a name, Agent DiNozzo." Vance stood a little taller and his voice had and edge to it, that was condemning the group with disdain even as he prepared to say their name, "The Council."