High Hopes

4: Secrets |#2

TONY'S POV
"Ziva I went in your basement. You have classified information on Ari. How did you get that?" I questioned.
"YOU WENT IN MY BASEMENT!" Ziva yelled at me.
"THAT'S NOT THE POINT ZIVA," I yelled back.
"THEN WHAT'S THE POINT TONY?" She shouted.
The team was over hearing all of this. I didn't even care.
"THE POINT IS THIS IS CLASSIFIED INFORMATION. ON TALI, YOUR FATHER, AND KATE!" I yelled.
"Kate?" The whole team said.
"Maybe if you weren't trying to be an investigator your whole life and you would actually find out" Ziva said.
"I AM AN INVESTIGATOR AND YOU ARE TOO. AND FOR ALL OF THESE FILES YOU COULD GET THROWN IN JAIL, ZIVA" I shouted.
ZIVA'S POV
I got up leaving my computer and I just ran. I ran as fast as I could. Tears were coming down my face and I could hear Tony but I didn't stop. I ran out of my front door running still. I then got far enough that I didn't have to run. I found myself at the same spot I would go as a kid. The same spot I went when my mom died. The same spot I went when Tali died. I sat down, my feet hanging off. Looking down and seeing all of the trees calmed me. All I did was cry though. It calmed me but didn't stop me from crying.
TONY'S POV
"Boss, she can get thrown in jail for all of these files," I told Gibbs.
"What files?" Gibbs questioned.
"Files on Kate. About her past and everything she has done in her life. There's files on Eli too." I told him.
"Tali too DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked.
"Tali too." I replied.
"We need those files now DiNozzo. Let Abby exam them," Gibbs demanded.
"That's not the only problem. She also was tracking Kate, on a board. She had pictures of her, her and us. What happens if Ziva ordered Ari to kill Kate?" Tony told the team.
"SHE WOULDN'T DO THAT" Abby cried and stormed out.
"Why would Ziva order Ari to kill Kate then kill Ari herself?" McGee asked.
"I have no idea." I answered.
"Where is Ziva now DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked.
"I'm not sure. She ran out I tried to follow her but she was out the front door quicker than me," I told them.
"Find her. Call us when you do," Gibbs said.
"Okay. Bye" I said hanging up.
I walked outside not knowing which way she went. Left was more house which she could have gone. Go visit a neighbor or if the house was empty she could hide. The right was an intersection. She may have gone that way thinking I wouldn't think she would go that way. I went left. After walking to see if she would be outside I finally found her. I didn't want to approach her. I didn't have the right words to approach her either. I texted McGee before I moved another inch.

TONY AND MCGEE'S TEXTS:

Tony: I found Ziva. She is sitting on a cliff letting her feet dangle. She is crying. What does Gibbs want me to do?

McGee: He wants you to approach her slowly. Don't tell her that we think she ordered Kate's death.

Tony: Okay, I'll try. It is Ziva we are talking about. I will also be dangling my feet off a 100 foot cliff drop that is covered with trees and rocks at the bottom.

I walked to Ziva and sat down. I did not say anything. Not one thing. She laid her head on my shoulder.

"Those aren't my files," Ziva told me.

"Then whose are they?" I asked her.

" They are Ari's. My dad saw me looking at them one night. He knew exactly what Ari was going to do to Kate. My father had already done his research on NCIS. HE gave me orders to go the the United States and find and kill Ari. I was too late to kill him before he killed Kate. I spent days looking for him. I found out exactly where he was after days of thinking. He wanted to hurt NCIS. I went to Gibbs' house. Thankfully his door was unlocked. I went down to his basement and that's when I saw Ari holding a gun to Gibbs. I had my gun and I killed Ari." Ziva informed me.

"Were they in the basement the whole time?" I asked her.

" No. When I first discovered them they were in his room covered in fabric hidden underneath a floorboard. Once Ari died my father gave them to me. I then put them in the basement and they have never been touched since. No one knows about them except you, my father, and Ari. And now that you know the whole team knows. They also think that I ordered for someone to kill Kate." She told me.

" You heard us?" I asked.

"Yes. I made you think I ran outside the door the first time. I didn't though. After I heard that they thought I ordered Kate's death I started to walk out. I then heard Abby defend me and I ran out crying." She said.

"I am so sorry Zi," I told her.

She stood up and I was sitting down still looking up at her.

"If you want to be sorry find the guy that Ari set up to kill my father," Ziva told me.

She started to walk back to her house. I stood up not knowing what to do or say.

"Zi, wait!" I shouted to her.

"Yes Tony?" She said in her normal ' yes Tony' voice.

"How do you know your father's death was called for? Ari was dead by then too." I said.

" Ari may have been dead but people made promises to him and those people aren't dead." Ziva informed me again.

" You mean his people. We killed those guys before Kate was killed," I replied.

" Yeah, I know. Those were the people he 100% trusted. He had people here in Tel Aviv in the United States. He had people in every place he has ever been to." Ziva said.

"I walked to Ziva. I put my hand on her shoulder.

" You should get some rest. It's been a long day and you should get some rest," I told her.

I kissed her forehead and she took my hand. She started walking and so did I. I let go of her hand to make a call. We were close to her house. Closer than before.

" Aren't you coming?" She questioned me.

" I'll be in shortly," I replied.