Chapter Thirty-Five

"Who are you? And what are you doing here?" Spencer demanded.

"I'm a friend. Ziva, tell him..."

"I Said Don't Move!"

The gun cocking had him freezing instantly, his head tilted in an awkward half turn that had him unable to see her or how far away she was. He could still see the pistol in his peripheral though and that kept him still. "Ziva?"

"I have no friends. Now answer his question, Adam." She joined Spencer's side but kept her sight on him.

"I was looking for you." He braved a glance her way.

"Yet you ran from me."

"Because you were throwing a weapon my way!"

"Because you were sneaking around uninvited." Spencer excused easily. "Now, I'll ask you again; Why are you here? And why are you looking for Ziva? Who sent you? How did you find us?"

"If we can put the weapons away, I'll explain everything." He dared to turn their way.

Ziva shared an uncertain glance with Spencer before demanding, "Are you alone?"

"It's just me." Adam swore as he kept eye contact with Spencer until slowly, he secured the weapon and lowered his arm. "If you're lying, I will shoot you" and with that he received a none too subtle shove to get moving.

Once they were inside and Ivan had returned with an all-clear, Adam began his explanation. He started with how he heard Ziva was missing and the path that led him to meeting up with Tony and Gibbs. From there he detailed how they'd been working together along with some friends from the FBI and how that led him to the store clerk he had bribed and the delivery boy he had followed to Ivan who he'd tracked back here.

"So, they're looking for us?" Spencer spoke in a mix of elation and disbelief as he lapped the kitchen, arms crossed and gun uncomfortably tucked into his belt. "Tony's in the states? He's been looking for us?"

"As of my last check in." Adam assured much to Spencer's apparent relief. "They're not just looking for you though, they're also looking for Voronov."

That captured Ziva's complete attention as she leaned forward in her chair, "And what have they found?"

"The last I heard, they were narrowing possible locations." Adam leaned forward as well, his elbows now on the table between them. "Though they should be finished by now."

"Would they share that location with you?"

"Ziva"

"Perhaps if I suggested reconnaissance, but I'm certain they'd be willing to give it to you."

"Ziva!" Spencer's raised voice had all eyes on him but he only met hers as he requested, "A word please" before walking out of the kitchen and to the bedroom they shared. He shut the door as soon as she was through it and immediately protested, "I know what you're thinking so why is my brain shouting, What Are You Thinking! Going after Voronov right this moment is extremely unfeasible. Surely you see that." His hands flailed in exasperation that she easily met. "Spencer, if they know where he is, then this is our chance! Who knows when we might get another."

"Ziva, you haven't even been conscious for a full day! First and foremost needs to be your health. What chance would we have when you haven't regained your strength? I won't risk it."

"And I won't risk missing this opportunity!" The anger that flashed in her eyes was nothing compared to the anguish in her words, "I promised my father."

"And I promised him too! I swore I'd take care of you!" His own anxiety was at a boiling point and it had his voice nearly breaking as he pleaded, "Can you please... please let me do that."

"You said we'd go after him together Spencer." She was counting on him being a man of his word.

"I did. And we're going to, but right now I need you to trust me. Let me call the shots. I know you want to go full steam ahead and forget everything else but that's just asking for trouble. You are the top priority, not Voronov, so while Adam is figuring out what our team knows, we're going to be figuring out how to get you a check-up. Maybe one of the guys can suggest something, but you're going to see a doctor, even if I have to make up some bullshit story and drag you to the nearest clinic."

"And if I do this, you will have no other objections?" Ziva was skeptical.

"I'm sure I'll have plenty of other objections, but as long as you get a relatively clean bill of health, I'll follow through with my promise and we'll go after him the first chance we get." He didn't like it, but it had to be done. He'd thought long and hard on it and there was no alternative.

"I'll agree," she demurred, "on one condition."

"Which is?" Ziva didn't relent easily and it had him wondering whether he was getting off easy or about to be met with an impossible request.

"You will receive an examination as well."

"Done" It was simple enough and he couldn't exactly say no without being considered a massive hypocrite.

"And as you've requested that I provide my "Bill of health", I also request access to your physician's findings and conclusions." It would be dishonest to pretend she wasn't also worried for his wellbeing.

"Anything you want."

"You shouldn't state that which you cannot guarantee." But even as she issued the warning, he was extending his little finger and she couldn't help but grin as she reached out to meet it, twisting their fingers together as he swore, "Pinky promise".

Their fingers remained linked and her gaze fell to them as she admitted, "I'm nervous." He didn't question why though, simply enfolded her in his arms and for the first time in months she felt safe. Her thoughts were racing though and she couldn't hide from them, even half buried in his chest like she currently was. "What if..." fear had her reluctant to admit what was on her mind but he squeezed her tighter and that show of strength lent her enough to whisper, "What if I no longer recognize myself by the end of this? How do I live as a stranger in my own skin."

"You won't have to, because I won't allow that to happen. I know you," he swore as he pressed a kiss atop her head, "and at your core there's a set of values that can't be shaken."

"Then why do I feel like I've been through the blender?" She wished she had his certainty.

"You just need to rest." She couldn't help the sigh or the way her eyes drooped as he carded his fingers through her hair, adding just enough pressure along her scalp to ease the building tension. "Soon this will all be behind us and you can relax and we can reacquaint ourselves."

"What are we going to do?" The stress of an unknown future had her grasping handfuls of his t-shirt. What would her life even look like without Mossad as a part of it?

"Whatever we want. We don't have to go back. We can start anew. The sky is the limit."

"I could teach languages." It was just a passing thought but it was a legitimate option and that was comforting.

"You'd be great at that, and I could teach too. Or be a CPA. We could travel or settle down." The possibilities were endless.

"We could start a family." She whispered as she clung just a little tighter. She officially had none and it left a new ache atop an already festering wound.

"We can" Spencer lifted her chin to meet her gaze before pressing his lips to hers in reassurance as he promised, "We will. But first, let's finish what we've started. I think you're right about using Adam as a middleman. Our friends' objective is getting us back; Voronov is just their best guess on how to do that. I don't want to risk them throwing in the towel if we reappear too soon. We need their help, and right now the best way of getting it is staying quiet. The way I see it, if we wait until just before they're ready to make a move we can strike first. If all goes well, they won't have to lift a finger, but if things take a turn, we'll have the calvary just behind us."

"Sounds like a win-win." Ziva admitted. It definitely needed some tweaking and a lot of finetuning once they had more details, but all in all it seemed like a solid plan.

"It sounds like justice" which was all that mattered to him as he swore to do his all to keep her away from revenge. It was a nasty beast that dragged guilt along with it and he wasn't going to let it sink its claws into Ziva. No, when all was said and done, he wanted her to have peace of mind.

"I can't wait" Now, with a plan in place, she could feel the beginnings of calm which allowed her to stop clinging, to stop hiding, and instead return his embrace.

"Me either" He breathed as he took in her touch and the tender way she caressed his back. He enjoyed the hesitance yet playfulness as she nosed along his neck, scenting the vanilla soap they shared. It was bliss after so much painfilled time apart and he simply let the sensation wash over him as he thought about how sincere she had sounded in her request to start a family. He'd never really had one, but he'd always known he wanted one and he couldn't imagine a better woman to start one with than Ziva. She was great with kids and the first time he had seen her interact with some he had nearly begged her for a house full. It hadn't been feasible then, but certainly it was within the realm of possibilities now.

He couldn't exactly imagine her pregnant, but his eidetic memory made it easy to recall how stunning and at ease she was with a baby on her hip. Though that same memory broke the illusion slightly as he also recalled the same baby kicking and screaming the moment he took her from Ziva's arms. It was safe to say he was not nearly as confident or capable when it came to children and he needed to remedy that.

Maybe they should get a pet first, as a sort of trial run, so he could practice. Not a dog though, dogs kind of hated him, and he was slightly terrified of them too. "Hey Ziva" She had relaxed against him in a show of trust that filled him with confidence. How lucky was he to call this precious woman his. For some unfathomable reason, she had picked him. She loved him, and just the thought had his heart aflutter.

"Just a little while more" She murmured with a reluctance that had Spencer realizing she'd misunderstood. He was quick to remedy that by pulling her in closer, rubbing her back in a slow display of just how unhurried he was. Sometimes a person just needed a hug and that wasn't something that could be rushed. Even if those in the kitchen had to wait. "I was just wondering," he started softly as he pressed another kiss to her head "How do you feel about cats?"