For The Safety Of My Family

The Response

When I got back to NCIS, I quietly escaped to the bathroom. I pulled the note out of my pocket.
Eleanor,
You are right, they deserve to know. Everyone at NCIS does. But I just can't let the news become public. There may still be people out there trying to get us.
I read it a few times and went back to my desk. I wrote a quick response and put it in my pocket. I was going to take it to the office later.
Once I was dismissed from work, I stopped by Ziva's office and slipped the note under the door.
I had been trying to keep the fact that i was hiding something from showing at work. I'm not sure how good I'm doing. Tim and Nick have asked a few times if I'm alright, as has Jack. Apparently I look distracted. I mean, I am. But I can't tell them why.
I stop by Ziva's office every chance I get. Tony is still in town, and I'm trying to reason with her by letter as to why she should tell him she's alive.
A couple days later
"We should go out for a drink," Tony suggested. Tim, Nick, and I agreed. "I gotta stop by somewhere before I come, but I'll only be a few minutes late," I said on the way out of the office.
I went to Ziva's office to check for a note. I noticed a faint light on inside. I knocked before entering.
That's when I saw her.
I nearly drew my gun, which was still on my hip. But I resisted the urge. I recognized the young woman as Ziva David.
For a moment, I thought I was dreaming. I had been writing letters to her for days, but I guess the fact that she was indeed alive never really sunk in until now.
"Ziva," I said quietly, almost gasping.
"Eleanor. It's nice to meet you," she said. "Take a seat," she gestured to the couch. I sat down, and she followed, taking a seat next to me. "Take a breath, Eleanor," she said, obviously noticing my surprised look. "Please, call me Ellie," I said, finally letting myself relax a little. "Alright, Ellie. We should talk," she said. "There are people who are still after me. Kort wasn't the only one. There was another man, Carlton Taylor. He rarely contacted Kort, not even enough to raise any flags. But they went to high school together. He's still out there somewhere. That's what I've been doing for the past three years. Tracking down Taylor," she explained. "If you got Gibbs involved, things would go a lot quicker,"  I said. "But I can't endanger any of NCIS. They're my family, whether they think I'm dead or not," she said. "Please just trust me. You should know better than most that Gibbs can keep a secret," I said. "I will tell Gibbs only if Tony and Tali are in the safest place possible. And I do not want Tony to know I'm alive until this is over. I do not want to flip his life around again. I have done that enough," she said. "We Can arrange that. I have to go, but I'll talk to Gibbs if you'd like. We can arrange a meeting. Do you have a phone?" I asked. "Yeah," She said, giving me the number to her burn phone.
I got to the bar much later than expected, but I was quickly forgiven.
I woke up the next morning ready to talk to Gibbs.
When I got into work, Tim and Nick had yet to arrive, but thankfully Gibbs was sitting at his desk. "Hey, Gibbs, can I talk to you?" I asked. "In a conference room or something private?" I added. He led me to the conference room. "Are you busy at lunch today?" I asked. "As long as we don't have a case," he said. "This is going to sound bad, but there's something I haven't told you yet. But you need to be patient with me on this one. Please. But I'll show you at lunch," I said. "Okay," he replied.
When we left the conference room, I escaped to the bathroom and called Ziva's burner. We arranged to meet up at her office and I'd bring Gibbs.
Then came time for lunch break.