For The Safety Of My Family

The Note

Ellie's POV
I walked into Ziva's office. There was no way she was alive. I put my bag down right inside the door. This room  made me  feel something. A change in the atmosphere from earlier. I looked at the coat rack on the wall. Her coat wasn't there. I could've sworn her coat and scarf were there when I left. Then I looked at her small desk. The jacket lay on the chair and the scarf on the table. I walked over slowly, unsure of my surroundings. Gently, I touched the scarf. It gave me an odd feeling, as though I wasn't alone in that small shed. I quickly realized there was a small piece of paper under the scarf. I pulled it out and read it.
Eleanor Bishop,
For the safety of my family
Please keep my secret.
The same handwriting from the journals. It felt like time stopped in that moment. I read the note over a few times, examining the writing and the words. "How?"I asked myself that the whole drive home. I sat on my couch and thought about how this happened. I knew they never got enough DNA for a confirmation on what remains they found after the fire. But would Ziva really do that to Tony and Tali? She had kept Tali a secret from Tony for two years before she died. But would she leave her daughter like that? I couldn't think of anyone who would do that. But she was ex-Mossad. She was a trained killer. A person who was specially taught how to keep secrets. And she would do anything to protect her family. I sat there, still just reading the note and thinking, until nearly two a.m. I had work the next day so I decided to try to sleep. I hadn't slept much in the past few days, so I ended up drifting off quickly.
The next morning, I woke up and got ready for work as usual. But I still thought about it. I put the note in my bag.
When I got to work, there was a little bit of tension in the bullpen. I sat at my desk and took a breath, finally able to be around people in this confusing time. "DiNozzo is coming today," Gibbs said as he walked in and sat at his desk. "Really?" I said excitedly. "Bishop, I want you to show him the office and tell him about the case and everything. He's gonna want to know," Gibbs said. "Okay," I said happily. Then I remembered. I won't be able to tell Tony about Ziva.
"Can I go talk to Jack?" I asked Gibbs. He gave me his classic nod without looking up. I practically ran up the stairs and knocked on her door. "Come in," she called from inside. I opened the door. "Ellie! Come to talk about the case?" She asked. "Not really," I said. She looked slightly confused, so I decided to explain my situation the best I could, leaving out any hint that Ziva was alive. "I've got this huge secret that I've sworn not to tell anyone. It's nothing to worry about, but I feel like there are a few people who deserve to know said thing. But the secret could also harm those people in some way. How do I handle this?" I asked. "Have you reasoned with whoever swore you to never tell?" Jack asked. I shook my head. "Maybe you should," she replied. "I'm not really sure how to. But I'll try to if I can," I said. "Sounds like a good idea," she said. I walked out and thanked her.
"Gibbs, can I take an hour or two off? I just need some time to think about stuff," I said to Gibbs when I found him and pulled him behind the stairs. "You alright?" He asked. "Yeah. It's just something I need to deal with," I explained. He nodded and I went to my desk and grabbed my bag.
I drove to the location of Ziva's office. I figured she wouldn't be there while the sun is out. But I have to deal with Tony tonight.
I pulled a scrap of paper from her desk and started writing.
Ziva,
Tony and Tali are coming to DC tonight. I'm supposed to bring Tony here to see this place. Could we by any chance meet up in person sometime? I'm not sure when you're seeing this, but I need to talk to you about this secret. I can keep it to myself if absolutely necessary, but I really think Gibbs and Tony deserve to know.
Ellie
I left it sitting on the desk, folded up. I hoped she would see it today.
I went back to work, feeling a little better.
The hours passed slowly as we eagerly waited for Tony to get here. Senior was picking him up and keeling Tali while Tony and I did our thing.
I heard the elevator ding around three. I looked up and saw a familiar face. "Tony!" I said, jumping up and hugging him as he walked up. "Hey, Bishop," he said happily. McGee and Gibbs had walked up behind us, but Nick stayed back near his desk. The others exchanged greetings. "So, I hear something has resurfaced involving Ziva?" Tony said. "Bishop is gonna take you where you need to go in a bit. Take a break for a bit, you've been traveling," McGee said. We all walked into the bullpen. Nick walked up and introduced himself to Tony. "I'm Nick Torres," He said. "Tony," the old agent replied. They shook hands. "How do you like it here?" Tony asked Nick. "It's fun. I like it a lot," he said, smiling. I noticed he was looking at me while he said it.
We all hung out for a little while before it came time for me and Tony to leave.
"So, what's Nick like?" He asked on the drive over. "He's great. He's a lot of fun," I said. "That's it? There's nothing else you wanna say about him?" Tony asked. "He's really nice and we are able to open up to each other easily. We've had a few arguments, sure, but he's probably my closest friend at NCIS," I explained. "He seems nice. What's his story?" Tony continued inquiring. "Well, I don't know much about before NCIS. But he was a deep cover agent for a while in South America before his brother in law was killed. His sister is Navy, so we investigated. He ended up coming here and staying. He's been here ever since," I finished as we pulled up beside the house.
I led Tony to the back after telling the homeowner we were there.
"This is Ziva's office," I said quietly when I opened the door.