Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS or its characters

This story is not beta'ed, so every mistake belongs to me.

I hope you like it!

After another day of work, he was so tired that he could've stayed in the car for the rest of the night, but he knew it was only going to make things worse since he was not going to be able to get the rest he so desperately needed.

By the time he approached his apartment door, he was half asleep, so he managed to kick the door open and went straight to his couch, and closed his eyes.

He hesitated a bit before pushing himself up from the couch; according to the clock hanging on the living room wall, it was quarter past 6, I can sleep for 20 more minutes, he thought to himself, and when he was making his way back to the couch the phone rang,

"Who could be calling at this time God!".

He wasn't going to answer, but the noise did not let him sleep so he decided to pick up the phone.

Dinozzo, he answered.

Mr. Anthony Dinozzo?, came a female voice from the other side

Yes,

Good morning Sr. My name is Carla Matthews and I'm calling you from the airport. Silence. There's a package waiting for you.

A package?, at the airport?, how come, I have not ordered anything. Are you sure it is for me?

Well Sr. all I know is that it is from Tel Aviv.

Tel Aviv?, he thought to himself, it couldn't be, or could be?...

I'll be there in half an hour and he hung the phone.

After a few minutes thinking about the woman's words, he decided it was time to find out what was going on. He knew that there was nothing that he wanted more than to know something, anything about the woman he'd been so desperately trying to find for the past 10 years with no success.

The first weeks, after their team was broken up by Director Vance were difficult, but he was convinced that Gibbs was going to find the way to bring them back together. And he was right, it only took Gibbs a couple of weeks until his gut lead him to the place where he could find evidence against Vance and was able to get them back. What nobody imagined was that, the idea of bringing Ziva back to the team and to his life was not a possibility, not any more.

No matter how hard Gibbs tried, he was never able to convince Mossad to reinstate her former position as a liaison. They never gave up though, but after two years of desperate attempts, they decided to wait until the situation settled down a bit so they could start fighting again. Unfortunately, every time they tried, the answer was always the same.

He took a quick shower, he got dressed and after 15 minutes he was on his way to the airport. Once he got there, he asked for Mrs. Matthews and a guard lead him to a private office. After a couple of minutes, a young lady in her late twenties showed up.

Good morning, Mr. Dinozzo I presume.

Yes, you called me because of a package

Yes but first, I was asked to give you this, and she extended him an envelope. He immediately noticed it was addressed to him, as it read Mr. Anthony Dinozzo (Tony)in the front. He immediately recognized the handwriting, it was hers.

After taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes, and then he felt ready to know the content of the letter.

Dear Tony:

By the time you receive this letter I will be gone. Shortly after my return to Tel Aviv, my father realised I was no longer useful to the cause, so he decided to get rid of 'the problem' by sending me to suicidal missions, once he realised I kept coming back alive, he decided to make his last move.

He sent me undercover into a long term mission which lasted around two years. He was sure I was not going to get alive from it. My cover was blown; I still don't know how did I manage to get alive from that one, but I did and I decided to ran away from Mossad, they were not my family nor my friends, not any more.

I've spent the last seven years hidden, moving from one place to another. I won't lie, it has not been as difficult as I thought it ould be. But now, I'm running out of time.

When I became part of Mossad I never thought I was going to last this long, but I did and I'm happy for it, because even when I lived through hell, I also had the chance to have an amazing life, to live wonderful moments in America, to share, to laugh, to cry and to be happy.

I don't know if I ever let you know, of if you ever realised how much I loved you, I still do, and that is why I dare to ask you a favour.

Nobody knows this, but when my cover was blown, I discovered something that made me move on instead of letting them kill me. The reason why I've been in the run and the one I'm writing to you.

You are my family, you, Gibbs, McGee, Abby, Ducky, even Palmer and Lee. This is my last request Tony, please, I need you and your help as I had never needed anyone in my entire life.

Love

Ziva

By the time he finished reading the letter, he wanted to cry, he did not know what to do, he wanted to help her, but how?, what was she talking about?, What did she mean by I would be gone, was she on the run again?

His thoughts were interrupted by Mrs. Matthews, who asked him If she could bring his package now. He nodded his head in an affirmative gesture as she left the room.

He was about to re-read the letter when Mrs. Matthews came back with his "package",

God it was not a package, it was… her.

Her big dark brown eyes, her long curly hair, maybe her skin tone was a bit lighter, but it was definitely her except for….her age. The mini Ziva should not be more than 6 years old.

His thoughts were interrupted by Mrs. Matthews, who called for his attention by introducing him to a little girl.

Mr. Dinozzo, she is your package, her name is Ariela.

The little girl was hiding behind Mrs. Mathews, hugging a teddy bear tight to her chest. Tony didn't know what to do or what to say.

After a couple of seconds he took the first step forward and crouched down to her level so he could look into her eyes, hi Ariela, my name is Tony, do you speak English?. She looked at him and a very shy yes was all she said.

Tony looked at Mrs. Matthews and the young woman understood it was time for them to be alone.

Completely unexpected, Ariela approached him and gave him a second letter. He did not understand, but he chose to read it.

My Dear Tony:

If you're reading this is because you've already met my heart, and the reason that made me stronger. She is my daughter, my life, my everything. But she cannot be with me, not any more, though I'm always going to be with her, with the both of you.

Please Tony, I know I'm asking you the world, but I need you to take care of her. She doesn't know who her father is, and it is better if she never finds out. All she knows is that you, all of you, are our "Family from America" and that is it.

I have no one else to ask for help Tony, if you can't or don't want her in your life, then please help her find a decent family in America, a family who does not know anything about me, my past or my family's past. And if you have the time, visit her and introduced her to the rest of the team, she knows about them, and she'll be happy to finally get the chance to meet them.

I'm sorry Tony, but I'll make it up for you, I promise… someday. Toda Tony.

Ziva

After reading the last part, he knew there was hope, he was confident.

He took Ariela's little hands in his and asked her if she was ready to go home, and she nodded her head. He asked her about her luggage and all she showed him was her teddy bear, and her back pack. Nothing else.

Are you ready?, Come on, lets go. But she did not move, she kept staring at him. Suddenly she asked.

You're ima's friend, yes?

Yes, I am

And you met her before I was born, yes?

Yes, you're a very smart girl.

Are you my abba?, I mean, my daddy?

Remembering Ziva's last letter…

Yes Ari, I am.

He lifted her up and gave her a big hug, which Ariela returned. He might not have Ziva, but he had the second best, a part of her, right by his side and he wasn't going to let her go, nobody was going to take Ziva's daughter away from him like they did with her mother. Now she was his to protect, because he wanted it that way and this time, he was not going to make any more mistakes.

From that day, Ariela was his daughter.

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