Tony rubbed her back absently, automatically soothing her when she was upset. She laid her head against his shoulder. "Tony, I am so sorry for everything that has happened. I wish I could go back and change everything."

"Everything?" He asked, stroking her hair. She smiled softly.

"Almost everything." She looked at him. "I would never change falling in love with you, having you in my life."

He bent his head to kiss her, not caring that they were in a public place. "I love you, Ziva. I'm not happy about what happened between you and Adam, but I'll get over it. You are too important to me to lose over a bruised ego."

His phone rang, interrupting their reverie. "Yeah, DiNozzo."

"Tony, you and Ziva need to get up here, now." McGee said, his voice betraying his anxiety.

"We'll be right there."

This is very long, but I was afraid if I didn't finish it now, I wouldn't get it done before Tuesday. Hope you enjoy this final installment of "Promonitions".

Vignette Eleven: Part Twenty-Six

NCIS

In an unprecedented move, Director Vance had herded everyone into an elevator. The seven of them barely squeezed in. In a pure Gibbs move, Vance hit the stop switch, throwing them all in semi-darkness.

"Gibbs has left the area. He is staying in a cabin he has in Shenandoah. Until we know the true nature of the attack at his home, we are keeping him in protective isolation."

"Who's protecting him?" Ziva asked.

Vance sighed. "Well, as of right now, he is. He's refusing any detail."

"Probably wants whoever it was that tossed his house to show up." Tony suggested.

Vance turned to him, smiling without humor. "I hope for his sake that doesn't happen." Abby raised her hand.

"What about the rest of the stuff in his house?"

Ziva spoke up. "The things that were not sent here to be processed were placed in storage. I did not think at the time that Gibbs would be leaving, though." She looked at Tony, wondering if he knew this would happen.

As if sensing her unasked question, he slightly shook his head. He looked at Vance. "How are we to proceed?"

"Keep your eyes and ears open and report to me. We want to find out exactly what is going on without alerting DOD what we are doing." Vance answered. They all nodded in understanding.

Shenandoah National Forest

Gibbs and A.J. walked around the small cabin, checking supplies and securing the perimeter. Gibbs was frustrated to be out here, out of touch.

"I'm not a fugitive!" He complained to A.J. The last thing he wanted was for Parsons and his posse to think he was on the run.

"Not yet, anyway." A.J. responded, only half-joking. He had no problem sending Gibbs packing if he truly thought his life was in danger. But he also knew the "Gunny"; he would stand and fight rather than run.

Finally satisfied with the location, A.J. took his leave. "Keep your phone charged. Use the car charger if you have no electricity."

"Yeah, I know." Gibbs waved it off.

A.J. looked closely at him. "Your team is worried about you, Gunny."

Gibbs looked sharply at him. "You keep them out of this. If they want me, they can come after me. But my team is off-limits. You tell DiNozzo to stand down if he gets it in his head to lead a charge."

A.J. chuckled, realizing how well Gibbs knew his team. "It may be too late, but I will keep an eye on their activities. It won't help your case if they start breaking more laws in your behalf. Take care, Jethro. I'll call you soon."

Gibbs watched A.J. return to his car and drive off. He looked around at the camp site. At any other time, he would feel at peace and at home. He had many wonderful memories of times spent here, alone and with Shannon and Kelly. He shook his head to lose those thoughts.

He suddenly felt very tired. He went inside the cabin and started a fire, deciding to put up a pot of coffee. Lying down on the small bed, he contemplated his future, or lack thereof.

"Daddy, how could you do this? We trusted you!"

"Jethro! You took an oath. To protect your country and its laws. You're supposed to be a Marine! No Marine would do what you've done!

"Leroy Jethro Gibbs, do you have any last words before we give you the injection?" Gibbs looked through the picture window. Tony, McGee and Abby were all there, looking angry. Vance was smiling, giving him a thumb's up.

He wondered where Ziva was, confused and unsure of what was happening. He became aware of another bed in the room and looked to his left. His eyes opened wide in terror.

On the bed lay Ziva, her eyes wide open, the tourniquet being removed from her arm. "Ziver…" Gibbs felt the tears well up in his eyes. He looked at the man who had spoken to him. To his shock, it was Richard Parsons.

"Why are you doing this?" He whispered fearfully.

Parsons smile was pure evil. "Because. I. Can."

Gibbs sat up in the bed, perspiring, his eyes filled with terror.

"Wha…?" He didn't realize where he was at first, he was so confused.

"Oh my God!" He got up from the bed and ran to the kitchen, splashing cold water on his face.

"Think that's going to help, Probie?"

Gibbs stopped, not sure he really heard the voice. If he had, then he was totally screwed. He slowly turned around.

"Mike? I'm just imagining this, right?" Gibbs was never more scared in his whole life.

"Well, yeah, Probie. I'm dead, remember? If you weren't imagining me then that would mean…well, you get my drift."

Gibbs thought about the implications of that statement. Did he just dream he was about to be executed, or did it really happen? He rubbed his eyes. "Was he going insane?"

"You're not crazy, Gibbs. You just need my help. I came before, remember?"

Gibbs frowned. "No, I don't remember. What are you talking about?"

"Well, now I'm disappointed. I thought I put in a stellar performance, if you don't mind the pun."

At Gibbs' blank look, Mike rolled his eyes. "Stellar? Heaven? Come on, Probie; work with me here."

Gibbs smiled softly at his old friend. Dead or alive, Mike Franks shot from the hip. His smile faded. "Ziva! Is she ok?"

"I don't know, Probie. Is she? She's got a hell of a fight on her hands. Especially since you aren't there to take care of things." Mike sat down by the fire.

"Man, I wish I could have a cup of Joe." He said wistfully.

Gibbs looked at the pot and realized he needed a strong cup himself. Pouring the life-sustaining liquid, he took a long pull. "Sorry, Mike.

"Aw, Hell. Don't you worry about me. It's you we got to worry about."

The sound of a car coming up the trail made Gibbs look out the window. He turned to Mike but he was gone. He whirled around, wondering what was going on. Going back to the window, he saw Tony, Ziva and Tim get out of a car.

He didn't go out to meet them. He wasn't happy they were here, but he wasn't going to ignore them either. Tony knocked on the cabin door.

"It's open." Gibbs called out gruffly.

The team came in, looking around hesitantly.

"Boss, you picked a hell of a hiding place." Tony began.

"I'm not hiding, DiNozzo. My place was busted up, remember?"

Tony didn't respond by saying Gibbs didn't need to come all of the way out here just for a place to stay. He knew what A.J. was doing.

"Why are you here?" Gibbs asked, cutting the small talk.

Ziva looked at Tony. "Gibbs, we've found some information that may help you."

"Don't want to hear it. And I don't want you poking around in any of this. You need to keep your noses clean and steer clear of Richard Parsons." Gibbs mouth was in a thin line.

Ziva was troubled. This was Gibbs. She would rather die than not do everything in her power to help him.

"Gibbs, let us help you." She pleaded.

"It's not your job!" He said angrily. "Your job is to sit back and keep the heat off of yourselves. DiNozzo, you need to be doing everything you can to get Ziva's security clearance straightened out. I've got an attorney. Don't waste your time on me."

They three looked at each other, almost distraught. They could not, would not, let this go.

"Boss…" Tony spoke.

"Leave, now!" Gibbs walked to the door and opened it. "I don't need you here, and I certainly don't need you to be seen here. Go."

Tony started to open his mouth again, but changed his mind. He wasn't sure what was going on, but he knew when Gibbs was in this mode there was no reasoning with him. He nodded at Gibbs, and put his hand at the small of Ziva's back, steering her toward the door.

She looked at him in protest, but anything she might have said died on her lips. She looked into Tony's eyes, seeing pain and resignation. Nodding solemnly, she allowed herself to be led back to the car.

McGee wavered a bit. Finally, he turned. "Take care of yourself, Boss." He said finally, closing the door behind him.

Gibbs sat heavily in one of the wooden chairs at the small table, rubbing the back of his neck. He was so proud of his team, but he truly felt they would be throwing their lives away if they continued trying to help him. No; it was best for everyone involved if they went back to NCIS and went on without him.

"You just keep telling yourself that, Probie."

Tony, Ziva and Tim sat quietly in the car. Finally, Tim spoke. "Are we really leaving?"

Tony looked in the rearview mirror, catching McGee's eye. "You heard the man. I don't have to like it, but I have to respect it. He wants to be alone. Fine, I get it. But sit on our asses and do nothing? Not a chance. We need to talk to A.J." Tony turned on the ignition and backed the car out and turned it around, heading back to D.C.

NCIS

McGee went down to the lab to work with Abby on trying to trace Malachi's phone call, while Tony and Ziva met with Vance to discuss Ziva's situation.

Vance was sympathetic, but made it clear his hands were tied. "I don't know what I can do, Agents. David signed a document explicitly prohibiting such close contact with a foreign national."

Ziva looked frustrated. "I am a foreign national. It was nothing! It meant nothing!"

At Ziva's outburst, Tony felt a cold chill in his gut. He looked at Ziva, realization hitting him like a cold bucket of water.

"Director Vance, if Ziva is to be reprimanded or whatever it is Parsons plans to do with her for sleeping with Eshel; then he needs to do the same thing to me."

Ziva looked at Tony in shock. Vance also looked surprised, but somewhat amused. "You slept with Eshel also?"

Tony grimaced at that thought. "No, I slept with Ziva."

Ziva looked confused. "Tony, I am a naturalized citizen. It is not the same."

Tony took her hand and looked at her. "You weren't eight years ago."

Her eyes widened at that. Vance looked stunned, and then narrowed his eyes. "Eight years ago? You two were involved eight years ago?"

Ziva shook her head. "We were undercover as a married couple. We had to maintain a level of believability. It is not the same, and should not matter."

Vance stuck a toothpick in his mouth. "Is that right, DiNozzo? It was only for the sake of saving your cover?"

Tony hiked an eyebrow. "Do the regulations stipulate the reason for said relations or are they only concerned about the relations? Besides, I was not referring to our time as Jean-Paul and Sophie."

Vance acknowledged Tony's question regarding the caveat but frowned at his newest revelation.

"Then when exactly are you talking about?"

"The summer Gibbs retired. Ziva and I were in a relationship. We only stopped when Gibbs came back."

"Tony! Don't!" Ziva gasped.

He turned to her. "Don't what? Sit on my ass and be a coward and watch them throw you to the wolves for doing something I'm guilty of myself? How is that fair, Ziva?"

"Please, Tony. Do not do this. It is bad enough that they are going after Gibbs. Please, not you too." She covered her face.

Tony was wracked with guilt: for putting Ziva through this, for being angry at her before, for realizing he did the same damn thing even if it was for different reasons.

"What kind of man would I be to sit back and say nothing, Ziva? I have to be honest with myself, otherwise how can I live with myself?"

"Then we are all ruined." Ziva said sadly, a few tears escaping.

"No, not ruined. We may not have the highest level security clearance, but we can always do something." He turned to Vance.

"If you can't help Ziva, and me; then you need to help Gibbs. McGee is working with Abby right now." Tony quickly explained what they had found. Vance was pissed about this new development.

"I'm calling Director Elbaz. I want to hear it from her that Officer Ben-Gidon was not here on Mossad orders. Let me know what McGee finds out. And Agents…I'll do what I can." Vance nodded in dismissal.

Tony and Ziva stepped outside and stood in the hall. "Why did you do that?" Ziva asked.

"I told you. It isn't fair. I'm willing to take my punishment. I never thought about breaking any regulations when we were together. I should have, but I didn't. I know you weren't thinking that either. We can't be held to a different standard, Ziva. It wouldn't be right."

"You are the most honest man I know." Ziva whispered to him, placing her hand on his chest. Tony looked down briefly.

"Except to myself. If I had been willing to admit to myself, and to you, how I was really feeling, maybe you never would have slept with Adam. Maybe I would have gone to Israel with you."

Ziva looked at Tony with sorrow. "Then I am glad you did not."

Tony looked surprised and hurt. "No, please. Let me finish. If you had come with me, and we ended up in bed together; after all of this time: how could I be sure you were not just feeling sorry for me, or taking advantage of me in my vulnerable state? How could you be sure that I was not just using you to ease my pain? No, it is better that we came together again at another time, when there was no question of our feelings."

Tony stared at her, her words sinking into his consciousness. He remembered telling McGee that funerals were a great place to pick up women, because they were so vulnerable. And then taking Stan to task when he thought he was hitting on Ziva. She had been vulnerable, and Adam took advantage of her. He was ready to take that trip with Gibbs.

Shenandoah National Forest

Gibbs brought in some wood and put it by the fire. Even though it was May, it was still cold at night, sometimes as low as the thirties.

He ate his beans after cooking them cowboy-style, then settled back with a piece of wood, whittling.

"I never got the chance to thank you for the nice job you did on my coffin, Probie."

"You deserved something nice, Mike. Least I could do." Gibbs continued his carving, blowing off the shavings and scrutinizing his work.

"Hell of thing, ain't it? After everything we've been through, some candy-assed ugly-suit is going to be the one to bring down the curtain."

"Yeah, I guess it is. If he wins. I don't plan on making his day."

"That's it, that's what I've been waiting to hear. What's your plan, Probie?"

Gibbs stopped working with the wood and stared off into the distance. "My plan? I don't have a plan. I'm counting on my lawyer to handle this for me."

"What? Leroy Jethro Gibbs is going to sit on his ass and let a lawyer handle things? Are you dense?"

Gibbs smiled. "Maybe. But that's how it is, for now anyway." He stopped smiling. "I am worried about Ziva, though."

"You should be, Gibbs. They could throw the book at her. And now, when her life is finally on track."

Gibbs put down his knife. "DiNozzo will look out for her."

"DiNozzo! Well ain't that a kick in the pants. I always thought he had an eye for our Ziva, but I thought he was too stupid to figure it out."

Gibbs chuckled. "Oh, he figured it out, alright."

"Then he better figure something out soon. Ziva's got two beautiful babies if things turn out the way they should."

Gibbs looked at Mike, startled. "How do you know that? Can you see the future?"

"There's no past, present or future as far as I'm concerned. It just is. Don't tell me this surprises you?"

Gibbs shook his head. "No, I already made them a crib. Shocked the hell out of them, though." Gibbs chuckled again.

"Think how shocking it's going to be when Ziva gives birth in prison then, Probie. Or in exile in Israel."

Gibbs dropped his carving. "Are you saying she's pregnant…now?" He thought of her going through the car accident and her fight with Bodnar. He saw the injuries from the body blows. How could she have held on to a pregnancy after going through that?

Mike just stared at him, not answering. "Mike, if you know something you have to tell me!" Gibbs started pacing.

"How would I know? I'm just a figment of your imagination, right? That's why I'm here. You need to figure this out. What exactly are you fighting for, or are you fighting at all?"

Abby's Lab

Tim and Abby sat next to each other at the console, head phones on. They were both listening to cell calls in the vicinity of the Navy Yard the night in question. Abby suddenly reached out to McGee.

Tim took off the headphones. "What do you have Abby?" He asked, anxious.

"It's really garbled…" She fiddled with some controls and brought up the audio of the call she was listening to.

"Yes…inside. Leav… shortl…Understo…the b…in place." Abby paused the recording. "That is Malachi talking." She pressed play again. The next voice was clearly American, or at least the speaker did not have an accent.

"Go…rk. We…..contact…on. Conti…wi….nar." Abby pressed pause again and looked at McGee. He was frowning, trying to puzzle out the conversation.

"Well, I think the nar is in reference to Bodnar. It could be that Ben-Gidon was working with someone against both Kazmi and Bodnar, or Bodnar was lying and he really did have something to do with his death." McGee said.

Abby mouthed the broken words, trying to come up with something that made sense. "Conti….wi….nar. The obvious choice for the first word in 'continue' so 'Continue…wi…Bodnar.' Continue with Bodnar?" She looked at Tim. "That sounds like he had infiltrated Bodnar's group as opposed to really being on his side."

She listened again to the recording. "The 'we' is concerning, Tim. That means there is more than one person behind this. It could be anybody. 'we…contact…on.' Whoever he was speaking with said they would be contacting him. Wait. 'Soon', that's what he said. 'We will be contacting you soon."

"Can we get the number of the cell phone the other person was using?" Tim asked. Abby quickly did a reverse look-up and waited as her computer worked its magic.

"Damn this Parsons! He's trying to take down my Gibbs!" Abby burst out. "And it doesn't help that he looks like your evil twin, McGee!"

Whatever Tim's response to that would have been was interrupted when the computer dinged and showed the results. They both stared at it in horror. "Oh, Timmy. This is bad, bad, bad…."

Bullpen

Tony and Ziva were sitting at their desks, looking for leads. Ziva suddenly remembered something and rummaged in her bag. Getting up from her seat, she walked over to Tony's desk and dropped something on his desk.

He picked up the object and looking at her in confusion. "What's this?" He asked.

"The keys to my Mini." She said simply.

Tony knew what they were; he was asking why she was handing them to him. Now he felt uneasy. "You didn't make Tim's friend give it back, did you? I'm not that much of a poor loser."

Ziva chuckled. "There was no 'friend' of McGee's. We were just teasing you. I meant to give it to you all along, and then everything…happened."

Tony smiled wide. He got up and pulled her into an embrace. "Well, you two certainly got me, didn't you?"

Ziva patted his back. "Yes, we did. It was fun, at the time. I am sorry I forgot all about the car." She was interrupted from what she was about to say when Tony's phone rang.

Grinning, he answered the call. "Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo."

McGee gulped as the blood drained from his face. "Tony? You and Ziva need to get down here, now!"

Tony and Ziva were tense as they exited off the elevator and entered the lab. Abby and Tim both turned together to look at them. Ziva felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. "What is it? What is wrong?" She asked.

Abby looked sympathetically at Ziva. "You're not going to like this, Ziva."

"Like what?" Both Tony and Ziva spoke at the same time.

Tim quickly explained about the recording they had found and let them listen to it. Ziva's eyes watered as she listened to Malachi's voice speak of bombs. "So Malachi did do this."

"That's not all, Ziva." Abby said, as she played the rest of the recording. Tony frowned as he realized that the voice was definitely not Israeli.

"We?" Tony cut in. "There's more than the two of them? Shit!"

"That's still not why we called you down here." McGee cut in.

Tony frowned and looked at Ziva. Abby pointed to her computer. "We did a back trace on the cell Malachi was talking to. This is what came up." Tony and Ziva leaned in to look at the results.

Ziva gasped; her hand flying to her mouth. Tony's face was grim, anger just seething below the surface. "What the hell kind of game is this?"

"I don't know, Tony. But whoever did this used Ziva's old cell number."

Ziva looked at the number again. It was the number she had when she was dating Ray. After he was taken into custody, she got a new phone; and a new number.

She looked at Tony with troubled eyes. "Tony, Ray is in prison. He cannot have had anything to do with this."

"Sure he could, Ziva. I'm sure he's allowed visitors. He could have orchestrated this from the inside." Tony was ready to ram his fist into a wall. "He's trying to implicate you. If Homeland had found this, they wouldn't have gone past seeing your number."

Tony took a deep breath. "Ok, it's time to bring in Vance, A.J. and even Tom Morrow. Someone in the house is behind all of this and trying to cover it up by going after Gibbs, and maybe even Ziva. We have evidence pointing in that direction."

Vance's Office

Vance, Morrow and A.J. all listened quietly as the team presented their findings. Vance turned to Morrow. "Tom, you were the one who kept insisting that we back off from Bodnar. Were you aware of any of this?"

Morrow looked defeated. "We had information suggesting that the Kazmi assassination was done by us; and by 'us' I mean someone in one of our agencies. We knew Bodnar would probably have Intel regarding this; that's why we wanted him first. We needed to find out who was responsible and take care of it."

Ziva was livid. "Why could you have not said that in the beginning, instead of just telling us to go to Hell? I…we would have all stepped aside had we known the real reason!" Tony put his hand on her back, but was no less angry.

"By 'take care of it' I assume you mean sweep it under the carpet to save the Agency's ass. How is what you did less illegal than whatever it is they have on Gibbs?" Tony spat.

Morrow looked at Tony and Vance. "No one wants to admit that there is disease in their ranks. We only had suspicions, no proof. You don't hang you Agency out to dry on suspicions."

A.J. cocked an eyebrow at him. "And yet, isn't that what DOD is doing right now to Gibbs, and NCIS?"

Morrow turned on him. "I had nothing to do with that! I'm on your side in this matter, you know that!"

"Ok, everybody calm down." Vance interrupted. "First, let me say that I have spoken with Director Elbaz. She assures me that Ben-Gidon was not here on any sanctioned Mossad operation, and if he is involved in the Kazmi assassination, it is on his own volition."

"Of'course she would say that. She is not going to implicate Mossad." Ziva said bitterly.

Vance looked at her. "Do you think she was lying?"

Ziva's shoulders sagged. "I do not know what to think, anymore."

Vance nodded in understanding. "Tom, we need all the case files that Ray Cruz was working in the last year before he was brought up on charges. I want to know who he was closest to at CIA, who his contacts were, and who he was most likely to be working with." He looked back at Ziva.

"I don't want to bring him here unless we have to. I'd rather send DiNozzo and McGee to interrogate him at Lee."

Ziva looked up. "I will go."

"No, you won't." Tony said firmly. "You've had enough to last a lifetime. Don't put yourself through this, Ziva. Let someone else take care of you for once."

Ziva stared into Tony's eyes, seeing the truth of his words. It was time for her to step back, and let others fight for her. She nodded slowly and looked down at her hands, clenched tightly.

Maximum Security Federal Penitentiary- Lee County Virginia

Ray Cruz was brought into the conference room, looking haggard. He had on wrist and ankle shackles, and was heavily guarded.

Tony eyed him with unsympathetic eyes. "Orange is definitely your color." He finally said.

Ray just stared at him. "Why are you here? What do you want?"

Tony started clicking his ball point pen, knowing how much it had annoyed McGee and Gibbs. He didn't say anything, he just stared at Ray.

Ray shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He finally looked at McGee. "Are you going to tell me why you're here?"

McGee said nothing, just wrote something down in his notes.

"Where's Ziva?" Ray finally asked.

Tony stopped clicking his pen. "You see, this is how this is going to work. We're going to ask the questions, and you are going to answer them. You don't get to ask anything."

Ray sat back in his chair and regarded Tony. "Ok, fine. Have it your way. Ask away."

Tony leaned forward and showed him a picture of Malachi Ben-Gidon. "Do you know who this is?"

Ray shrugged. "Sure I do. You know who he is too. What does that prove?"

"Ah, you forgot I said no questions for you. Why would he call this number?" Tony pushed forward a piece of paper with Ziva's old cell number on it.

Ray did not register surprise or concern. "I guess he wanted to speak that person."

"That person. Who is that person, Ray?" McGee asked.

"Why would I know that?" He tried to spread his hands in denial, but didn't get very far.

"Ray, you are not following the rules very well, are you? But then, that was a big problem you had last year wasn't it? Following the rules. Let's cut the crap. You and I both know this is Ziva's old cell phone number. We both also know that she figured out what you did and turned you in. I'll bet that made you angry didn't it? I'll bet that made you want to do anything to make her pay."

Ray looked at Tony with half-closed eyes. "Tell me, DiNozzo. Have you finally moved in on my territory?"

Tony held in his anger. He was not going to let Cruz bait him. To his surprise, McGee jumped in. "Ziva is not a piece of property you asshole! You mean nothing to her, but apparently you haven't gotten over her. Who did you pay to do this? Who did you recruit?"

Ray was startled at McGee's outburst, having expected Tony to lash out at him. McGee was an unknown quantity to him and wasn't sure how he operated.

McGee stood up and walked over beside Ray. Bending down, he spoke menacingly in his ear. "This is what's going to happen. You're going to tell us everything you know about Arash Kazmi, Eli David and Ilan Bodnar. You're going to tell us who you gave Ziva's number to."

Ray licked his lips. "And what do I get in return?"

Tony was so proud of McGee. He swelled with pride seeing his Probie man-handle that CIA piece of shit. He smiled without humor. "What do you get? The sense of accomplishment one gets for doing the right thing. If you don't? I think when your parole hearing comes up; there will be a lot of interested parties willing to speak against your behalf."

Ray sighed. He had nothing to lose and everything to gain. After a moment's hesitation, he began spilling his guts.

Fauquier County, Virginia

Malachi Ben-Gidon frowned as he ended his call. He looked at his companion. "It has been confirmed. Agents DiNozzo and McGee are speaking to Ray Cruz."

CIA Agent Simon Atkins swore under his breath. He had been Ray's partner for years, and worked diligently with him on their overseas operations. He had been devastated by the turn of events that caused Cruz to be incarcerated. He blamed the David woman for all of this.

All she had to do was look aside. How many times had she done that with her own father, the evil Eli David? Why couldn't she do that with Ray? A man she supposedly loved and was engaged to? He didn't believe the rumors that swirled around at the time that she had refused his engagement. If Ray said she accepted, well then, she did.

Through Ben-Gidon, he became aware of Eli David's planned visit to the U.S., to meet with Kazmi. It was a perfect set-up: CIA could get rid of a known target and let someone else takes the blame.

Of'course, he knew his superiors wouldn't see it that way, so he formed his own team. He went to Ray, and between the two of them they formulated their plan.

The use of Ziva David's old cell number was inspired and would throw suspicion on her and Mossad. Having Ben-Gidon in their ranks gave them insider knowledge that was crucial to their success.

They had originally planned to take Kazmi down when he was in Georgetown, but then Agent Gibbs had showed up out of nowhere and took him to NCIS.

They now knew why, but at the time they were not aware that Eli David had been killed. They changed their plans and Malachi had planted the bomb on the undercarriage of Kazmi's vehicle.

Malachi had infiltrated Bodnar's ranks at the behest of Mossad, but they did not know he was also working with Atkins on this operation. The CIA had a man in the office of the Director, who repeatedly assured them that the new Director, Orlie Elbaz, was none the wiser regarding the death of Kazmi. Her sole desire was to bring down Bodnar. As Atkins was also on the task force looking into Eli David's murder, he was privy to all intelligence received from Mossad. It was a perfect set-up.

Atkins smiled. Ziva David once again did the handiwork for Mossad, by killing Bodnar. She was a formidable woman. He was not surprised that Ray had found her attractive in more than the physical sense. This made her betrayal of him all the more unforgiveable.

Shenandoah National Forest

Gibbs sat quietly in the chair, thinking about his future.

"What do you want, Probie?"

"All I ever wanted was to be a good Marine." He answered feeling completely lost, just as he had when Shannon and Kelly first died. He didn't know how things could ever go back to the way they were. Even if he was allowed to go back to NCIS, even if he was allowed his team back; would it even be the same team?

What would happen to Ziva? She hasn't been a citizen for ten years, so she was not protected. The government could revoke her citizenship and send her packing, if they so desired. Even if they didn't do that, she could lose her job at NCIS and they would make sure she would never have such a job again. He shuddered.

"Life has a habit of short-circuiting our plans, Gibbs. Considering the storms you have weathered, I think you have done a damn fine job."

"I never thought it would be like this." Gibbs wasn't sure if he was referring to his current situation or his life in general: being without his girls.

"You never do. But you've made the best of it. The question is; can you live with the choices you've made? And you've made some pretty dicey ones there, Probie. Hell, I helped you make some of them. Do you have any regrets? Is there one time you can honestly say to yourself: I've gone too far? Is there?"

Gibbs looked out the window. The worst thing he ever did that he had control over was to plan and execute the killing of Pedro Hernandez. But if he was being honest with himself…and that was the point, wasn't it; if he was truly being honest with himself, he couldn't say that he regretted one moment of it. The Bastard got what he deserved.

"Hmmm. Well then, I'm going to ask you, Probie: what are you doing to do about it?"

Gibbs was silent for a few breaths. Finally he spoke with more strength and conviction than he had felt in days. "Fight!"

NCIS

Richard Parsons was not happy to be summoned to NCIS, and when he saw the entourage in Director Vance's office, he became even more anxious. "Secretary Jarvis." Parsons held out his hand in greeting to the Secretary of the Navy.

Jarvis just nodded, looking at A.J. to lead the discussion. Quickly, he laid out what they had found concerning the killing of Arash Kazmi and the efforts of Homeland Security and the CIA to suppress any knowledge of what had happened. Ray Cruz had named several key players as part of his group, including the lead counsel at DOD-Richard Parsons' boss.

Parson looked stunned and shook his head. "You're wrong. There must be some mistake."

"The only one making a mistake right now son, is you. You were given the task to bring down Gibbs and his team to draw attention away from the mess that has been brewing inside the CIA. If you continue on this track, you will be considered an accessory to their crimes."

"What! Hell, no. I'll bring them all down! Gibbs is guilty, Ziva David is guilty. And now you are telling me a Simon Atkins, Ray Cruz and Erik Heinz from CIA; Malachi Ben-Gidon from Mossad and my Boss Elliott Young are guilty of assassinating Arash Kazmi and covering it up. They can all rot in prison for all I care."

Jarvis cleared his throat. "Parsons, no one is denying that Gibbs and his team have overstepped some boundaries over the years. And I understand the concern over national security in regard to Agent David. But you never would have been here if it wasn't for this. Do you think I don't know what's going on in one of my own agencies? Do you think I am stupid?"

Parsons had the grace to look embarrassed. "No, of'course not, Sir."

"Fine, then I'm sure you will let this matter rest in my capable hands. In the meantime, you have a very serious situation at the CIA that needs attention. I am sure it will make a big impact on your career." Jarvis added knowingly.

Parsons looked around the room. "Am I being told to excuse myself from this case? And only by doing so will I be given the CIA case?"

Jarvis slapped him on the arm. "No one likes being made a fool of, Parsons. And someone has made a big one out of you. Drop Gibbs, drop NCIS. We'll back you on the Kazmi case." He stared into Parsons eyes; daring him to say no.

Parsons stared back at him, wavering slightly. Recognizing his defeat, he nodded his head. "Very well. I can count on NCIS for evidence?"

"Absolutely." Director Vance answered.

Tony, Ziva, and Tim all looked at each, breathing a sigh of relief. They couldn't imagine that Parsons would refuse to back down but he was unpredictable. Ziva sat down, unable to handle the emotions of the moment.

Tony quickly sat down next to her. "Are you ok?" He asked, worried.

She stared at Parsons talking to A.J. "It is all so surreal. This past month has been…I never thought anything could surpass what happened in January."

Tony sat quietly, feeling guilty for adding to the pain and suffering Ziva had endured. As if sensing his turmoil, she reached for his hand. "I could not have managed this without you."

Tony smiled and kissed her hand. "We need to go tell Gibbs." McGee walked up. "I just tried calling him, but he isn't answering his cell."

"Road Trip!" Tony smiled wide.

"I'll follow you." Director Vance came up. "I think I would like to be there as well."

They all headed down to the parking lot, getting into Agency cars. As they left the Navy Yard, Malachi spoke into his cell phone. "They are leaving now. I will follow and let you know where they end up."

Shenandoah National Forest

Gibbs finished cleaning his service revolver and was putting the finishing touches on his shotgun when he heard the cars pull up. He glanced outside, but didn't see any one. Suddenly, he heard shots ring out. Grabbing both guns, he ran outside.

Tony and Ziva were pinned down by the side of their car. McGee had run over to Vance's car to help over cover from there.

"How many do you see?" Tony asked Ziva.

She squinted her eyes. "I only got a clear look at one, but I do not think he is alone." A barrage of bullets from two sites confirmed that suspicion.

They both came up and fired their rounds, dropping back down for cover. "I don't have a lot of ammo with me." Tony said under his breath, looking behind his shoulder.

"Neither do I." Ziva said quietly. They looked at each other, wondering if they were trapped.

A shotgun blast behind them brought them to the present. "Gibbs!" Tony whispered as Gibbs came down beside them.

"What have you got?"

"Ambushed as we got out of the cars. No one was hit, luckily." Tony answered. Gibbs looked around at the other car, registering surprise that Vance was there.

"What are you doing here?" Gibbs asked.

"Came to tell you the good news, Boss. The case against you has been dropped. Shit!" Tony ducked as a bullet just missed the top of his head.

"That was close."

"Too close, DiNozzo. There's one over there by the tree and another stationed behind that big rock. Draw their fire while I make my way around."

"Boss…Boss!" Tried to get him to stay, but to no avail. He signaled to Vance and McGee with his fingers, counting down "three-two-one…"

The four Agents all stood and starting firing their weapons. Gibbs ran to the edge of the trees and took cover. He stealthily made his way toward his target.

"What are you going to do this time, Probie? Are you going to shoot him or bring him in?"

"I guess that depends on what he does to me first, Mike." Gibbs answered, ducking behind a large boulder. He finally saw the man. He had several weapons. He knew he would outgun his team very shortly.

Creeping up behind him, he placed his rifle barrel into the man's back. "Put down your weapon." He said quietly.

Simon Atkins froze, slowly dropping his gun. He turned around to face Gibbs.

"Get up, and start walking." Gibbs ordered.

Simon looked pale, but complied. He stood carefully, his arms raised and began walking toward the cars.

Tony and Ziva waited anxiously after Gibbs took off. Seeing movement behind the boulder, Ziva took off. "Ziva!" Tony hissed. "Dammit!" He took off after her.

Gibbs was almost at the clearing when he heard the unmistakable click of a trigger. "Agent Gibbs, if you would be so kind as to give me your weapon."

Gibbs smiled and turned to look at Malachi. "Ben-Gidon. Why am I not surprised to see you? You have a habit of shitting all over Ziva, don't you? You pretended to help her when she and Tony went to Europe. Is there anything you won't do for your precious Mossad?"

Malachi looked upset. "I am doing nothing for Mossad. Kazmi needed to be stopped. I had nothing to do with Eli's death, nor Bodnar's. I did what I could to help Ziva."

"Does that include ramming DiNozzo's car and stealing the diamonds? I was wondering how someone could know so quickly that Ziva would have them. Only someone who knew Ziva was in a position to take custody of them, only someone who worked with her to get Bodnar. Only…you."

"I did not want to hurt them, we only needed the diamonds. If that foolish Monique had not taken them, none of this would have happened!"

"But it did, you hurt me and you hurt Tony, Malachi. You lied to me. You have lied to me many times before. When is it one time too many?"

Malachi turned to see Ziva's gun trained on him. Tony came rushing up. "Drop it, Mal." He was out of breath and angry at both him and Ziva. McGee came up behind Gibbs, grabbing Simon's wrists and putting handcuffs on.

Malachi lowered his weapon and let Ziva take it from him. "It was for the best, Ziva. He only hurt you, you know that!"

Ziva refused to look at Malachi. She turned and walked back to the car. Tony watched her leave, and then turned to Malachi, coming behind him and binding his wrists. "You're a real asshole, you know that?"

NCIS

Gibbs listened to A.J. and Parsons as they explained what had transpired while he was at the cabin. He knew someone was covering up Kazmi's death, but he was shocked that Ray Cruz had been a part of it. How much more betrayal could Ziva take?

"So that's it? SNAFU?" Gibbs cocked his head. "Everyone goes back to work as if nothing's happened?"

"Well, not as if nothing's happened. Agent David will receive an official reprimand and will be denied her high security clearance for two months. At the end of that time, her case will be re-evaluated." Parsons answered.

"Yeah, and what about DiNozzo? I understand he admitted to being guilty of breaking the same rule."

A.J. looked at Gibbs. "Do you really want Agent DiNozzo's security clearance taken away?"

"Of'course not! He's no good to me if he can't do his job. But I don't want Ziva's taken away either. As much as it pains me to say it, you can't punish one and not the other. So what's it going to be?"

Bullpen

Tony waited anxiously for Ziva to come down from her conference with Gibbs, Vance, A.J. and Parsons. He was surprised and worried that he had not been called for a conference as well. He wasn't sure what that meant, but he didn't think he was going to like it.

Finally, he caught sight of Ziva coming down the stair. He stood quickly and met her before she reached to bottom step.

"Well?" He asked breathlessly.

"Nothing." She said flatly.

"Nothing? What does that mean?" Tony looked up to see Gibbs coming down the stairs.

"She means nothing is going to happen to her. Security clearance has been restored. Back to full duty."

Tony looked at Ziva, grinning widely. But his smile faded when he saw the unhappiness in her face. "But, this is good news, right?" He looked at Gibbs for confirmation.

Gibbs didn't say anything and Ziva slipped beside him and went to her desk. She proceeded to place her badge and keys in the drawer and picked up her bag.

"What are you doing? You didn't quit, did you?" Tony was so shocked his could barely form his words. Ziva didn't answer him but headed for the elevator. Tony looked helplessly at Gibbs. He just nodded his head toward the elevator. Tony took off and got his hand in, forcing it to open again.

They looked at each other as the elevator doors closed.

"Boss?" Gibbs knew what McGee was asking.

"She's taking a leave of absence, to work through all of this. It's been a hell of time for her. She feels she needs to get away from NCIS and DC, to make sense of it all."

"Does that include getting away from Tony?" McGee was worried for his friend. He would be difficult to handle while she was gone.

"Tony's not why she's leaving, but I guess you could say she's leaving him for a while as well. He'll be fine." Gibbs hoped he was right. He remembered how DiNozzo was when he thought Ziva had been killed. But this was different, wasn't it?

Two weeks later

McGee came into the bullpen, looking around in surprise. Ziva would be gone at least another three weeks, but neither Tony nor Gibbs was anywhere to be seen.

"Agent McGee!" Tim looked up as Director Vance came down the stairs.

"Good morning, Director." McGee said pleasantly, even though his insides were churning.

"I just wanted to let you know that you are on your own for a while. Agent DiNozzo asked for some time off, as did Agent Gibbs. Considering what the team has been through, if you would like some time as well I will grant it." McGee looked at the three empty desks. They were all gone? He looked back at Vance.

"No, thank you Director. I would prefer to keep working."

"As you wish." Vance nodded. "I have some special projects that have your name on it. If a case comes up that requires you to go out into the field, just pick your team."

McGee's eyes bugged out at that. "My team?" He asked, incredulous.

"Just temporarily, Agent McGee. Until Gibbs comes back." Vance smiled.

McGee surprised himself at the sense of relief he felt at that. He wanted his own team someday, but he didn't feel he was ready. He had a good idea where Tony went. Thinking about getting his own life back on track, he headed down to Abby's lab.

PLAYAS DE MATAPALO, Costa Rica

Ziva stood at the water's edge, digging her bare toes into the pristine sand. The sun was starting to set, less than an hour until sundown. The beautiful beach was relaxing and remote. She had everything she needed: the sun, a chair, and a book.

Well, not quite everything she needed if she was being honest with herself, but she knew she had to do this alone. Already she felt more at peace, more accepting and happy of where she was in her life.

She stooped down and picked up a beautiful shell, marveling at it intricacies. She caught sight of a lone figure walking in her direction. She shielded her eyes, gasping in surprise when she realized who it was.

"I should have known you would find me here." Ziva said as Tony finally reached her.

He smiled. "Well, I was thinking. Why should you be the only to take a vacation right now? And then I thought, where would be a great place to go and well…" He held his arms out.

"You had McGee ping my cell phone, didn't you?" To his relief, Ziva didn't seem angry. In fact, she didn't even seem surprised.

"Guilty. Are you angry?" He looked into her eyes.

"No, I am not angry. But I am confused." She looked closely at him.

"Tony, why are you here?"

Tony shifted on his feet. "Well, I told you that I thought we could all use a vacation, and besides, McGee was missing you and worried."

Ziva shook her head in amused annoyance. She looked at him again. "Why are you here?"

Tony smiled softly and took a deep breath. "Couldn't live without you…I guess."

Before Ziva could respond, he quickly added. "Besides, I thought I better be here in case you felt alone again."

Ziva cocked an eyebrow at him. "I told you I would call."

Tony shrugged unapologetically. "I know you did. And then I thought: what would I do when I felt alone, and I realized a phone call wouldn't be enough. It…it would never be enough."

Ziva understood that Tony was saying he understood what Ziva had gone through in Israel; that calling him wouldn't have been enough to ease her pain, her aloneness. She felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. Even though they had discussed it and agreed to move past it, she didn't feel they had, not totally.

Tony took her hand, sliding it under his so they could intertwine their fingers. Ziva looked at him and smiled. "Tony, I…"

Tony looked up; a happy relaxed smile on his face. "Yeah?"

"Ani ohevet ot'cha." She said softly, wrapping her arms around his waist.

Tony smiled, with tears in his eyes as they embraced. He pulled back. "I know." He smiled.

"I love you too, Ziva." Pulling her close, he lowered his head and touched her lips with his, feeling the final golden rays of the sun bathe them in its soft glow. The gentle sound of the waves brought a peace that both of them hadn't felt in months. As the sun made its final descent into the watery depths, they looked into each other's eyes, knowing they were truly going to be ok.

Gibbs' Home- North Alexandria

Gibbs sat in his basement, sipping at his bourbon. He was weary, not just in body but in mind. This latest episode had taken its toll and for the first time, he wondered how much longer he was going to do this.

"You need your team, Probie."

Gibbs cocked his head. "But do they need me? It's time for DiNozzo to lead his own team, for him and Ziva to move on with their lives. Hell, McGee deserves more than to be a junior field agent. They are all so much more than that."

"What if I'm the one holding them back? That they only stay where they are because of some sense of loyalty to me? I can't let them throw away their careers on a cussed Gunny like myself."

"So are you going to tell them what to do? What's the difference between doing that, and staying put? Either way, you are determining their futures according to your way of thinking."

Gibbs rubbed his face. "I know. But what can I do? They're all too stubborn for their own good."

"Get that from you I would imagine."

"Maybe, maybe not." Gibbs conceded. "Something's got to give though. Tony and Ziva will need to make plans. That will change things."

"Oh, you have no idea, Probie. Just think: DiNozzo, Ziva, beautiful beaches and little clothing…I think that crib might come in handy."

Gibbs chuckled at that. "Yeah, maybe." He shook his head. He looked around. Maybe it was time to make some changes. Maybe this was a wakeup call. Maybe, just maybe…it was time for Gibbs to make a decision.

"To Be Continued…" phoof.

And there, my friends, is the final chapter of "Promonitions". Since Tony and Ziva are not in the same relationship as they are in my story, I don't have a lot of hope for the TIVA scenes as depicted here. I fought against involving Ray, because he was in prison, but I came up with this alternative.

I truly don't think everything will be resolved in the final, in fact I'm not sure anything will be resolved in the final: the case against Gibbs, Ziva's status on the team, Ziva and Tony or Kazmi. I haven't decided if I will continue this series for Season Eleven. A lot depends on the end result of this season. But I want to thank each and every one of you for your support and encouragement during the writing of this.