Lie Again

Hell Hath No Fury

"What do you mean he is gone?" she demanded.

"Ziva, my dear, you heard me the first-"

"He cannot be gone!"

Tony rubbed his temple. She wasn't taking this well.

Eli David was quiet for a moment, probably trying to rethink his strategy. "Ziva-"

"No. You knew this was going to happen, and you did not do anything to stop it. You could have sent a team ahead of you. You could have had the city borders patrolled. If you really wanted to keep him here, you would have found a way to do it. And now he is gone."

That made Tony nervous. He was the one who had told Eli to leave the Mossad team out of it.

But it was for Ziva's own protection.

"You are right," Eli said finally. "It is my fault."

Ziva continued pacing around the office. "I cannot believe this. I cannot believe you would be so careless. He is going to keep coming after me! He is not going to stop until everyone connected with that case is dead, or until someone kills him. I am as good as dead."

"No, listen to me-"

"Why should I? Tell me one good reason I should listen to you."

"Ziva," Tony warned, but she only had to shoot him a dirty look to make him back down.

"You are right again." Eli raised his hands in surrender. "There is no reason for you to listen to me."

His confession only seemed to make Ziva angrier. "Do you ever think about anyone else before you give orders? Do you ever think about the people who have to pull the trigger, the people who are sent out to do the unspeakable?"

She'd definitely reached her tipping point.

"I do not think you do. I do not think you ever considered how I felt about it. You did not ask me if this is the life I wanted. You never asked if I would rather join Mossad than dance. You did not spare a thought for my well-being when you sent me after Ari, or when you sent me into Somalia, or any of those other times. I am tired of being one of your pawns."

Tony was silently rooting for her, but only silently, because he knew she would kill him if he made a sound.

"You do not get to call me your daughter anymore. I want nothing to do with you."

"Ziva-"

"No." She raised a hand to stop him. "Agent David, to you. I am done here."

Tony quickly climbed to his feet and opened the door for her to storm out. She might as well make a fierce exit.

***

"I do not want to talk," she said, though Tony hadn't yet made any move to speak.

She glanced over at him, and he nodded minutely.

Good.

They went back to the house, and Ziva immediately went to her room to start packing her things. She didn't want to be here anymore.

Tony knocked on the doorframe, standing well in the hallway.

"I need to tell you something," he said. He glanced down at his feet. "You aren't going to like it."

"What?"

He took a deep breath. "I'm the reason Mr. Smith got away. When I discovered you were missing and went to your father for help, he wanted to send in a team. I told him not to."

She tried to suppress the rage building inside her, but it was difficult. "You told him not to send in a team?"

"I didn't want them to go rushing in and get you killed. I thought that if I went in alone..."

Her head was spinning. On the one hand, she appreciated that he made the call to save her life, but on the other hand, if he had let her father send in the team, Mr. Smith would be dead or in custody.

But he wasn't. He was still out there, who knows where, and many more people were going to die.

It would've been better to send the team in. Better to save the lives of many than just the life of one.

"I'm sorry," he said softly.

"It was the wrong call to make."

"Excuse me?" Tony's head jerked up, and she saw fire in his eyes.

"You should have let him send the team in."

"They would've killed you!"

"Yes, but then Mr. Smith would be dead as well. Many more lives would be saved in the long run."

"Don't you dare tell me I should've signed your death warrant."

"You should have."

"You know what? He can stay out there, for all I care. He can keep killing people. But I'm not ever going to regret making that call. There's no way I would ever let you die if there was another option."

"You would never be a Mossad agent. You do not understand consequences or the greater good."

"Screw the greater good. I'm selfish. I'd rather have you than do what's right for the greater good."

Did he hear himself?

"Go home, Tony."

"What about you? I am not leaving you here."

"It is not leaving me if I choose to stay."

"I'm not letting you stay."

"It is my decision, Tony."

"It's not. You can't do this. You can't just do what we did last night and then expect me to leave you here."

"Watch me." She took her clothes out of her duffel bag and tossed them back in the dresser.

He frowned at her. "If you're staying, I'm staying."

"You will not."

"I will. Where you go, I go."

She turned her back to him. She didn't want to be having this fight with him. Not after last night. But she was also beyond furious with him for letting Mr. Smith get away.

"I do not want to talk to you right now," she said, still not turning around.

"Fine. But I'm not leaving until we sort this out. I'll be downstairs when you're ready to talk." He shut the door behind him.

*****

She mad.

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