In a matter of minutes the team had gathered their gear and Gibbs was calling the second MCRT team in to go and help them, because they didn't know against how many they were up.

Ziva also strapped her gun to her side and walked with the rest to the elevator. Tony grabbed her arm and stopped her.

"You're not going anywhere"

"Yes I am. I am going with you"

"No it's to dangerous"
"I don't care, if Emma is there I have to go. And you cannot make me stop"

"Fine, but you're staying in the car" Tony finaly decided.

Without any further do they got into the elevator. With Gibbs's normal driving and Tony in protective father mode they were getting on the way very fast.

"okay, that dirt road we have to take, we can take the cars a little further the way we are entering they cannot see the cars approach" McGee told through his earwig to Tony and the other team who had caught up with them.

They got as close as they could stop the cars and strapped bulletproof vests on. Ziva made a move to get out of the car but Tony pushed her down.

"I've let you come with us. Now you stay in the car. If something goes wrong I cannot risk you Ziva"
"but"

"Please for me"

Ziva saw the honesty in his eyes. He was truly worried something would happen to her in the field if he let her come. And if he let her come he would watch her back rather than his own and he would risk himself. That was how she sat down in the car again while she saw the others gather with the backup team and discus plans. Luckily for Ziva the mossad ninja was still awake within her, everyone was talking clear enough for her to read their lips.

"Okay, so this is the plan…"

Moments later after a lot of nods from the others Tony threw one last look at Ziva before they left. Guns ready to shoot.

As Ziva saw them disappear she could not hold back she opened the car door and got out. She looked in the back and almost swore out loud. No vests left. Well she just had to be her best mossad agent. It was not like she hadn't been on missions without a bullet vest. She checked her gun and backup both full clips. She also checked both her knifes, also still in place then she jogged behind the others. They were far enough not to notice her.

And then right when she saw one of the other team give the signal that everyone was in position it seemed like all hell broke lose.

They had been noticed and suddenly the place seemed to swarm with men with gun. Oh yeah, they had found the right place.

Inside her room Emma suddenly didn't hear anything at all and then loud shouting and the sound of guns being fired.

"Get the girl out NOW!" she heard right before the door was opened, this might be her only change and she took it she ran, ran for her life.

Ziva saw all people suddenly running around. but there was only one thing she was searching for

When she ran men tried to grab her but because she was so tiny she could easily slip through.

"Don't let her go you fools! Get her!"

She ran to the door and made it outside, for a moment she stopped. There were so many people running around and even more sounds of a gun, until now no one had seen her, this had to be her change. She saw big trees further away she had to make it to there then maybe she would be safe.

Between all the man running and shooting there was only one thing Ziva was fixated on finding. And then she saw her. A door opened and a person to small to be one of the bad guys stepped outside. That had to be her, Ziva just knew it. She would recognize her everywhere.

"Emma" she breathed as she saw the girl eye the trees and knew that her daughter was going to the trees, to safety.

Then she jumped up from her hiding place and ran.

Tony, Gibbs and Kate were soon gaining ground as now the men inside the barn were more careful, when suddenly Tony saw something rather someone start running past them from the corner of his eye. The moment he pointed his gun to the person he saw who it was.

"Ziva!" he yelled. "Get back here!"

But she didn't listen. She kept on running, and al tony could do was give her cover. While running he took out one men while she herself also took one.

"Gibbs!"

"I saw DiNozzo. Kate?!"

"Ready"

"okay go" and with that sign they slowly but still rather fast went after Ziva, who in the mean while had gotten lost between the barn and a few people.

While she was running after Emma, a few other people ran after her she knew at least one was taken down by Tony. But what concerned her more were the three people in front of her. Even though she felt that running like this really tugged on her stitches she kept on running.

It seemed as if the group of people in front of her were running faster and faster and she seemed to get more and more behind. At this moment they had made half a circle round the barn and now landed in the forest. Ziva was already gasping for air but she could not, she would not stop. If she stopped now the changes of seeing Emma alive ever again would become so slim they might as well not exist.
As Tony was running after Ziva he did not know what she was after. But since she was running so fast and kept on going while he knew that she had to be in pain because of her still not healed wounds he kept running after her. not trying to make her stop.

Emma was running for her life, she knew her captors had to be close behind. Their footsteps as they were running after her got louder and louder. If she would take the time to listen she could even hear them breathing loudly. For a girl her age weight and strength she was very fast almost only running on adrenaline. Zig zagging through the trees she tried to avoid getting cause. when she did not look for only a second to where she was going her foot got caught in the upstanding roots from and oak. Almost flying to the air her captors got a smirk on their faces. They had here she would not be fast enough now. Would not be able to scramble up and still outrun them.

At the moment she landed in the snow covered earth they pulled out their guns standing around her Tarik being the first one to come to a stop and catch his breath.

Gun shots were heard behind him, turning his head was something he'd better not have done. For the moment he did he crashed full speed into the nearest tree. And the time when Gibbs and Kate helped him scramble to his feet was enough to not see Ziva anymore.
"What way was she running DiNozzo?"
"I..I" he mumbled while turning to the left and to the right.
"Kate hold left, I'll do right DiNozzo in the middle. We will find her" on their way they were.

When she was falling and even when she crashed to the ground she had not realized what happened. The moment she tried to stand up and could hear all the clicking of guns being loaded she knew her life was over. In a normal case Tarik could hold his cool and not beat her to death. Right now between the shootings and her escaping she knew that getting a gun pressed to her head would be the easy way out. And Tarik would not give her that, that was one of the only things in her life that she was certain of. Tears could not form in her eyes, if it was because of the cold or because of fear she didn't know, and how could she know.

The moment Tarik wanted to open his mouth was also the moment Ziva saw her little girl trying to stand up but failing, scared of all the loaded guns that were surrounding her.
"NO!" she screamed as she took the final sprint to the group trying to get to Emma, who had nothing but fear in her eyes even as she was looking at Ziva at her mother.

Tarik turned around just as two of the men behind them grabbing Ziva as soon as they got the change. If it was possible the smile on Tariks face and the light in his eyes became even bigger. Most of his followers not understanding why.
"Well well well, this is getting better by the minute" he gave a sign and Ziva was punched in the face and in the stomach. Her previous injury's not letting her fight back. She was exhausted from the run now the punches she could do nothing more than hang in her captors arms.

"What a lovely reunion" Tarik turned his attention back to Emma. "You know who this is?"

Emma was looking at the woman she knew in an instant who it was. It was the woman she had to kill, inside she was conflicted. Glad she had not killed a person but still scared to answer.

"Answer me!" he said

"the woman I had to" now averting her eyes from the woman "had to kill"

"ah, yes, yes that to. But this!" he grabbed a hand full of Ziva's hair and lifted her head getting a painfull gasp from Ziva "This is your mother" Emma looked back into the eyes of the woman. This could not be. "Your mother the one who gave you away"

"No" Ziva said "I was keeping you alive"

"Come on, let's give mother and daughter a proper meeting shall we"

The men and women around Tarik laughed as the two holding Ziva threw her away next to where Emma was lying in the cold snow. Ziva landing on her stomach tried to scramble onto her feet as fast as she could. Soon she came to realize that she didn't have enough strength. Emma in the mean time had not moved a bit. Still processing the words that Tarik had spoken. Was this real? Was this woman really her mother? That was something that could not be true. Her mother would not care for her, as Tarik had told her over and over again. And this woman she was trying to get up. Why? To protect her? It certainly seemed that way as she was trying to get in front of her.

"Please" Ziva pleaded "please let her go. Take me and let her go"

The three were proceeding fast through the forest. Then Gibbs saw a couple of broken branches on the ground. "DiNozzo, Kate, turn right. I found a trail"

In moments he was joined by the both of his agents.

"Shut up bitch" the woman closest to Tarik said. "You are worth nothing!"

"No, she is of worth" Tarik corrected the woman "A mossad officer high in the rank, certainly for her age, daughter of the director of mossad"

"Then what are we waiting for!" the woman said "We have to leave we take her, kill the brat and"

"silence" Tarik said on a dark low tone "We will do no such thing"

"Why not. If she is everything you say she is of much greater value then the girl. Guys, kill the girl take the woman"

A loud slap was heard "How you dare to give commands. I give the orders not you!"

While their fight was going on it had captured all of the attention of their accomplishes Ziva tried to get as close to Emma as possible. When the little girl moved even a bit away from her Ziva stopped her actions.

"Shhh, it's okay. It will all be okay. I will keep you safe I promise Emma"

The little fight continued but now got so loud that it took Ziva's attention back again.

"That is final!" Tarik now probably for the first time ever "You up" he ordered Ziva. Who tried her best to do as he said but failed as she was just to weak. "Get her up"

Roughly she was pulled from the ground.

"And the girl" he ordered next.

"Please let her go"

"I won't. But I am not a cruel man, as soon as I am done with her" he pointed to Emma "I promise you I will get you to. Of course I will let you live several years after I also have taken away your loved one. Then I will come back for you don't you fear. I will work on you so hard that you will be begging me on your knees to kill you"

Then he walked up to Emma "This is all because of your mother of what she's done to my.." he covered up his hesitation by hitting Emma once but it was enough to get a responds from both mother and daughter.

"Stop! I am sorry for Alyssa. I could do nothing about it. I had orders"

"And you followed them!"

"I had no choice"

While this was going on Tony, Kate and Gibbs could now see the group. "Ziva" Tony whispered.

"DiNozzo" Gibbs said through the earpiece "Stay put we have to wait until the right moment"

"If we go Gibb s I want this bastard alive. I want him send back to his country and get life for what he did. Death is to merciful for him"

"Yes you had" Tarik spoke to her as he walked away from Emma and closer to Ziva. What she had hoped for. Every moment Tarik spend on her was a moment less on Emma. A moment less that he could hurt her. A moment less until the others would find them and save Emma. "You could have said you could not do it"

"If not they had killed me"

"They should have my Alyssa she was just a child"

"I was only sixteen I was a child myself!"

"You let her die alone! Least your people could have done was let me be with her. But you are cold, ice cold, but to who am I talking you gave your own daughter to me"

"No I didn't, well I did I..I did it to keep her alive. "

"Is that what you have been telling yourself all of these years"

"Yes, and it is the truth. And as far as Alyssa concerns she did not die alone. I was with her. I did not want her to die cold and alone." Ziva hope by telling him this truth he would at least get some compassion. If not for her then maybe for Emma. If not she needed to buy time.

It only got Tarik even more furious then he already was. He took a step way from Ziva. Ordering his man for a knife. Then turning to Emma again. The little girl who had watched the whole ordeal in silence. Thoughts running through her mind.

It really was her mother. The one who had given her away to these horrible people. The same woman who loved her enough to protect her right now. Who was trying to get her out of here.

"NOW!" Gibbs ordered.

Another hell broke loose. The first shots were fired at Tarik. One hitting him in the shoulder, one in the leg before he fell down. A couple of men were shot multiple times in the chest and fell down, dead. Ziva had been thrown on the ground again. Using the strength, and mostly adrenaline to use her body to shield Emma from any harm. The woman and one of the men had started to run the moment that Gibbs had given the order and were nowhere to be seen right now.

When the gun fire stopped. Tony ran to Tarik. Kicking him where the sun don't shine. Gibbs had to pull him away and with one look to Ziva and the girl he calmed down. Threw his gun to the ground and very slowly as if he could not believe it walked to Ziva and Emma.

Ziva had turned around now facing Emma. The sound of snow crisping behind them got emma's attention. Looking up at the man standing behind Ziva.

"It's okay. Emma it's over" he said

"Your safe darling" Ziva said. Tears in her eyes, not yet streaming down her face.

At that moment Emma may have not realized what it meant. But all she could feel inside of herself was an ocean washing away all the pain for the moment. And turned her insides to joy. These people saved her. These people were her parents. They had come to safe her.

"Ima" she whispered. Ziva did not even make a sound could only nod her head. Then the little girl scrambled to her feet and ran into Ziva's arms who closed them around her. Tears now streaming down her face, together with those of Emma. Who was developed into the warm arms of her mother. Tears from all the pain showing on her face. Tony joined them without a seconds thought and held them to him in his arms.

"Your safe. We are going to be okay" Ziva kept whispering in Emma's ear. Only loud enough for the girl and Tony to hear "we love you. So much, we love you emma"

Kate and Gibbs who were joined by the others of the team waiting for other orders what to do with the couple of men they took alive, they could do nothing more then watch the broken family who would have a lot of healing time to go. But were finally together again.

So this was it. Like we Used to has come to an End. I probably will make a sequal is the request rate is high enough.

If you have ideas or thing you like to see in a sequal please let me know.

I really hope you enjoyed it. Even though this has been a long, long ride