So this is the last chapter, we've finally reached the end of this series. Thanks to all those who've read, reviewed, and added this to their alerts and favorites. We've just started season seven so be on the look out for a series on that as well as some off shoots from this series.

Spoilers: 6x22 'Legends Part 1', 6x23 'Legends Part 2', 6x24 'Semper Fidelis', 6x25 'Aliyah'

Jimmy pulled into the parking lot hoping that this time, unlike the four other places he had already checked, Tony would be here because he was running out of ideas and Abby was starting to panic. Once he stepped inside he immediately looked towards the bar where he saw a dark haired man but he was too far away to positively say it was Tony. Before he even made it halfway to the bar Cheryl came forward and pulled him aside.

"Oh thank god you're here; I was just about to call Gibbs."

Jimmy cringed; if Cheryl had progressed from just calling Tony a cab to calling Gibbs then it was bad.

"How long?"

"Too long," she said as she led him towards the bar. "He keeps talking about Ziva. Jimmy, what happened? Where's Ziva? I tried calling her but it says that her phone is out of area."

"She's…gone," Jimmy said after a slight hesitation.

"What? Why? When's she coming back?" Cheryl asked after stopping and turning around to face Jimmy.

This time Jimmy hesitated more, while he was privy to the whole story from Tony's suspicions of Michael Rivkin, Tony's confrontation with Rivkin that ended with Tony killing him, to the trip to Israel, and even Tony's conversation with Eli David and subsequent confrontation with Ziva he still wasn't exactly clear on what happened those last few moments on the tarmac that ended with Director Vance, Gibbs and Tony coming back one short. Cheryl and Michael were nice but Jimmy couldn't tell them everything, he wasn't even sure he could give them an outline because this was big; this had the potential for causing many problems if details ever got out.

"Something happened at work didn't it, something major?" Cheryl asked after watching Jimmy silently struggle about what, if anything, he could tell her.

"Yes," he said relieved that she had given him an out. He should realized that she would understand the need for secrecy, her family had a long history in the military and she had been a soldier herself before opening up the bar.

"Ziva's not coming back, is she?"

"I don't know," he replied truthfully.

"Poor Tony," Cheryl said quietly as she glanced over at the bar where Tony was downing yet another shot under the disapproving gaze of Michael.

Jimmy couldn't disagree with that statement; it was a well known fact that Tony and Ziva were close, closer than most partners. In fact, the whole office, and most of the Navy Yard for that matter, had a betting pool about whether or not Tony and Ziva have hooked up for real. Jimmy knew for a fact that they hadn't because while Tony might find Ziva hot and despite their undeniable connection Tony held Gibbs' opinion in too high regard to intentionally break a rule like rule twelve.

"I think you should take him home now, Jimmy, a bar is the last place he needs to be," Cheryl continued quietly. Jimmy nodded and followed Cheryl.

"Hey. Tony," Jimmy said easing himself onto the barstool next to him. "Don't you think you've had enough?" he asked as he gently took the still full glass out of his hand.

"She's gone, Jimmy, why'd she stay in Israel?" Tony asked drunkenly.

"I don't know, Tony. Come on, let's get you home," he said as he, with the help of Michael, pulled Tony off his stool and steadied him as he staggered backwards. "Did he take anything?" he asked Michael.

"You mean besides the copious amounts of alcohol?"

"Yes, he was given a prescription for pain medication at the hospital for his arm and I know that both Doctor Mallard and Gibbs have been making sure that he takes it."

Oh yeah, here it is," said Michael reaching into his pant pocket. "I saw him holding it but if he was going to drink then I sure wasn't about to let him take any," he replied handing the prescription bottle to Jimmy.

"Thanks," Jimmy said pocketing the bottle. "Do you mind?" he asking nodding slightly in the direction of the door.

"No, not at all."

"Jimmy, you make sure that he gets home okay," Cheryl said the trio walked past her.

"Don't worry, Cheryl, I'll take care of him."

"Sorry about all this, Mike," Jimmy said sheepishly after he managed to get Tony into his car.

"It's okay, Jimmy, I've seen worse. You just make sure that he's okay tonight, alright?"

--

Jimmy managed to get Tony up his front steps and set up in the spare bedroom without any incident other than Tony's drunk babbling.

"She didn't believe me. Why didn't she believe me?" his friend asked him distraught.

"I don't know, Tony," he replied quietly. "Get some sleep, it's late."

"I miss her…"Tony murmured quietly.

Once in the living room Jimmy let his body fall on the comfortable couch with a heavy sigh. Everything was a mess. A Mossad operative was dead by Tony's hand, Ziva was back in Israel and not talking to Tony and Tony was upset and demanding to know why his partner of four years, one of the few people he trusted and connected with, didn't trust him anymore. He had once asked Dr. Mallard why he thought Tony and Ziva were so close and the elderly medical examiner has just smiled at his young assistant before answering.

--

Tell me, Mr. Palmer, do you happen to know what Anthony's father does for a living?"

"He's a business man."

"And a very successful one at that and you're, of course, aware that Ziva's father is the director of Mossad."

"Yes, but, Doctor, what does this have to do with Tony and Ziva?"

"Nothing and everything, Mr. Palmer."

"I don't follow, Doctor."

"Despite how very different Tony and Ziva's upbringing may have been from each other there is at least one common thread and that thread would be the personalities of their fathers. At first glance it would seem that business man a politician would have very little in common that is where you'd be wrong, Mr. Palmer, in order to be such a successful business man and to become the head of a national intelligence agency one needs ambition, drive and a certain amount of ruthlessness. Often times the ones who bear the brunt of the negative aspects of such personality traits are their families so you see, Mr. Palmer, even though there are differences in their upbringing what they have in common can override those differences."

"So you think that that explains why they are so close?"

"Well, it's one explanation, Mr. Palmer, it's one explanation."

--

The ringing of Tony's cell phone brought Jimmy back to present and Jimmy scrambled to find it.

"Agent DiNozzo's phone," Jimmy said in way of greeting.

"Palmer, why do you have DiNozzo's phone?" demanded Gibbs. "Where is he?"

"He's asleep right now and should be for the rest of the night, I picked him up from Mike's."

Jimmy heard the former Marine swear.

"Did he take those pills too?"

"No, Mike took them when he got there and then gave them to me; they're sitting on his bedside table right now."

"Good," said Gibbs relieved.

"Agent Gibbs, do you want to come over? I was gonna stay for a while but if you want then you can."

Jimmy was met with silence for almost five minutes before Gibbs answered him. "No, Jimmy, I think you'd better stay, I'm not the person Tony wants to see right now," he said wearily and Jimmy thought that the former Marine sounded older than he had last week.