Ok, I'm going to give this a shot. There are so many Ziva is alive stories already posted that are all variations on the same plot. So far, I haven't seen any with the twist I am about to introduce but I may not have read them all either. Rest assured that I am not trying to steal anyone's idea or step on any toes if this idea has been presented, but it's the only acceptable solution I can believe in, but sadly I am sure the show will never attempt. I don't think this will be overly long, and the chapters will be shorter than what I usually write, but we'll see. By the way, I am going with the date of "Dead Letter" since that was the episode we learned of the attack.

Disclaimer: I don't own them

Hiding in Plain Sight: Chapter One

Israel- May 10, 2016

It was the smell that first began to seep through the unconscious mind. The smell…and the intense heat. The figure struggled to stand upright, staggering as the dizziness threatened to overcome the forward momentum. Finally, the world stopped spinning and then stood still: the inferno filled the night sky, casting unworldly shadows reaching out as the fingers of ghosts and demons.

The figure stepped back, angry at this unexpected set back. The mission had been compromised, all that they had worked for was now perhaps for naught. In frustration, the figure reached down and grabbed a medium sized stone. It was smooth and had striations that were atypical for the area and if it was any other time, it might have been admired for its stark beauty. But it was not any other time.

"Arggh!" The stone was hurled at the burning farm house, far missing the mark that was more than a stone's throw away. The sudden appearance of headlights from an approaching vehicle silenced the lone figure, anger turned to wariness and distrust. Before the driver could exit from the car, they turned and stumble into the grove of olive trees that surrounded the property, hiding from dangerous eyes and ears, disappearing into the night.

Washington DC- June 1, 2016

Tony's declaration to his former Boss that he and Tali would be heading to Israel for answers had not happened as quickly as he had anticipated. There was a lot of paper work that had to be completed for Tali to officially be in his care. Apparently just being dropped off by the Director of Mossad wasn't enough proof of the rights of the parent to keep said child in their home. Tony wanted to shoot whoever from his building had alerted child services, but since he no longer had a gun that was not an option, which in retrospect was a good thing. Only by the intervention of NCIS and the Department of Homeland Security did DC Child Protective Services finally step away. Tony shook his head in disbelief at the whole mess. The only positive thing that came out of the unexpected debacle was that it allowed Tony and Tali to truly bond. Tony was fiercely protective of his daughter and Tali understood on an emotional level that this man was her Abba and would love and take care of her. And Tony realized that they really needed this extra time to get to know one another before taking off to explore the world together.

While they waited for the DC government's stamp of approval, Tony and Tali were visited by Abby, Tim and Palmer on a fairly frequent basis, at Tony's invitation. Tony didn't feel the need to include Bishop since she didn't have a connection to Ziva as the others did. As for Gibbs, he seemed reluctant to get to know the child, for reasons that Tony tried to understand. Maybe she reminded him too much of Ziva, but she did that for the others as well, didn't she? Abby took great delight in showing Tony how to fix up the baby curls of his daughter, since not ever brushing it was not a viable option for the new father. There was just so much he had no clue how to do. Thank God Palmer had showed up that first morning to help with breakfast and getting her dressed. Ziva had packed about six outfits for the almost two-year old and he was pleasantly surprised by her selection of colors and prints. No dark, muted colors for her baby, no sir. Pastels and flowers were predominant themes, with the occasional stripe that Tony liked to think was a throwback to his propensity for wearing striped shirts in the early years of their partnership.

Tony really appreciated Abby's help with Tali's grooming, but he had to put a stop to more than one pigtail. He didn't want his daughter to be a little Abby, he wanted her to be a little Ziva. And any doubt Tony may have had that Ziva had only shown Tali his picture and then repeated Abba ad nauseum until she got the idea, and nothing else about him; was firmly shown the door the first night Tim came to visit after he had resigned. Not wanting to deal with cooking and watching a toddler, Tony made the executive decision to order a pizza. When the piping hot pie was delivered and placed on the table, Tali had clapped in delight and yelled out "PIZZA! Abba love pizza!" Tony and Tim looked at each other, startled at the outburst. It was the first time Tali had spoken a string of words that made sense instead of her usual one word responses. But that wasn't what Tony heard.

What he heard was that Ziva had told Tali about his love for pizza; what he heard was that Ziva had not just pointed at an old photo and gave him a title. Ziva had told Tali about her father, about him. Even if Tali may not ever meet him, she would know him. That was a slight consolation for the ache in his heart over being left out of his daughter's life. Her delightful giggle and Tim's deeper chuckle brought him out of his musings.

"She certainly knows her Daddy." Tim quipped. Tony looked at Tali, who was hopping up and down with her fingers in her mouth, clearly excited about dinner and looking absolutely adorable. He took a deep breath, and reached down to pick up his daughter, cuddling her tightly.

"That's right, Tali. Abba loves pizza and I bet you do too, hmm? What until I introduce you to James Bond!" He tickled her belly just to hear that giggle again. To his surprise, she looked at him with a very solemn look on her face and twisted around so that she was facing him directly.

"Bon. Jas Bon." Tali replied in a very serious voice. Tony's eyes bugged out in shock, and then his face broke into a wide grin.

Now, almost three weeks later, it was a family that finally boarded the flight that would take them to Israel, to find the answers that Tony so desperately needed. He had a lot of time to think over the past few weeks and his conviction that Ziva was actually alive and in hiding was starting to fade in the light of all evidence to the contrary. If Ziva knew there had been a threat, then she had to know that the threat had been neutralized. Didn't she? And if she knew that, why would she remain in hiding rather than come find her precious daughter? It didn't make any sense, none of it.

Tony settled himself and Tali into their seats, hoping that the answers he was seeking would be there waiting for him; waiting for them. It was the two of them now. Him and Tali. Father and Daughter. And together, Tony had no doubt that they would be an unbeatable team.

Paris, France: May 14, 2016

The figure crouched in the shadows of the old church, eyes dark and cold as they stared intently at the designated drop. The square was extremely busy at the moment, making unusual actions such as sticking a note into a small crack in an otherwise pristine wall somewhat suspect. Since 9/11 security had been heightened at all major cities across the world and Paris had not shirked its duties to the citizens.

Finally, the throngs of tourists lessened to a manageable hoard and it was time to act. Standing up quickly, a wave of dizziness caught the figure off guard, causing disorientation. An arm shot out toward the wall, to steady and support the small frame. Shaking it off, the figure nonchalantly stepped into the square, looking around with interest as any tourist. Finally reaching the desired designation, the small slip of paper was inserted so quickly no hand movement was detected. Taking a few moments as if enjoying the view, the figure finally walked in the opposite direction, not looking back from whence they came.

NCIS: June 2, 2016

Director Vance looked at the video feed in MTAC, just as perplexed by the message as his counterparts were. "This was found in an old drop that hasn't actively been used in years but is still monitored." The Homeland Security official began. "It was found by the CIA, no name of' course. After they looked through their files for any reference to this code, it was finally decided to reach out to see if any of our agencies had ever used it in operations abroad."

Vance looked again at the message, scrutinizing each detail. There was a nagging familiarity about it but he could not recall NCIS ever using such a method of communication between Agents. The note had some drawings on it, for lack of a better word. The first drawing looked to be a candy cane, but there was only one stripe and it extended outside the lines. The second drawing was the sun, with an upside down triangle in the middle. The only text was just as confusing: RB loves that smile.

"Is this an old note that has just been found? If so, I can't think why this is important." Vance folded his arms in front of him and frowned when his counterpart shook his head no.

"The drop is checked weekly. If was found on May 16th. There was nothing there the week prior. This is a new note. Someone is either just using the place of the drop for their own convenience without knowing it's history or…"

"Or someone with a history of using that drop, years ago, has started using it again." Vance finished the thought. "I'll have one of my Agents search our files to see if anything like this is there. I'll keep you in the loop." Vance nodded and the feed went dark.

Well, there's the start. Does it sound interesting to anyone? Let me know your thoughts and I appreciate all feedback. Thanks again to the readers of my other stories for your amazing response and support. I will try to do much better with my postings.