Ziva sat on her couch listening to the soulful, voice of Natalie Merchant's "My Skin."
‘I've been treated so wrong; I've been treated so long, as if I'm becoming untouchable.' "Untouchable, indeed," she said aloud to herself.

A half-empty glass of wine sat nearby on the coffee table. The only light in the room came from the flickering of several lit candles which were filling the room with the soothing scent of vanilla spice. This was her favorite way to relax after a long day. The past few days had been very trying for her and her fellow NCIS teammates.

As she watched the light dance across the wall and the shadows play back and forth, she contemplated the events that had brought her to NCIS. She had worked so hard for the past year to push the memory down and go on with her life. What was done was done; dwelling on it would do no good, only cause pain. But after today, she couldn't help but think of it. Admitting out loud to Gibbs and herself that she had killed Ari had opened a damn of grief that she had kept hidden for so long. Of course they had both known, but this was the first time she had ever voiced the fact.

Hearing Gibbs' question, "Your brother? You killed your brother? To save me?" had somehow made the pain a bit more bearable. Perhaps that was what she had been needing, to hear someone tell her that she had had no other choice but to take her beloved brother's life. She now knew what Ari had been; a terrorist, a murderer of innocent people. The only justification that she could find for his ability to fool her was the fact that he was her brother and she was blinded by her love for him. Although she did understand what he had been, it didn't stop her from loving him.

She glanced down at the picture she clutched in her hands. It was of her and Ari five years ago in Israel. They both smiled into the camera with their arms around each other. Standing side by side, the resemblance between the two was obvious, as was the affection they had for each other.

As she sat contemplating this, she heard a knock at her door. It almost startled her, she never had visitors. She didn't really have any friends here in D. C. besides her teammates. Ziva had never had many close acquaintances, in her line of work it was hard to know who to trust. Coming to America and working for NCIS had changed that. One year ago, she never would have thought she would form such close relationships with her teammates and co-workers.

Ziva got up and walked over to the door. She peered through the peephole and was surprised to see the face of Tony DiNozzo, her former partner who was now the new leader of their NCIS team. She opened the door with a questioning look on her face.

"Is everything alright, Tony?"

"Hey, Ziva, yeah, everything's fine. I'm sorry for just showing up like this, but in all the confusion today, I didn't get a chance to talk to you. I wanted to ask you a question. Is it ok if I come in?"

"Of course." Ziva stepped back to allow Tony entrance into her apartment. She walked over to a nearby table to switch on a lamp and turn down the stereo. Turning around she leaned against the table to face Tony. He had taken a seat in the armchair next to couch facing her.

Tony belatedly realized that she had been basically sitting in the dark except for the candles he noticed sitting around the room and although he hadn't quite understood the brief lyrics of the music she was listening to, he knew that it had sounded depressing to him. He looked closely at Ziva's face and saw that although she was smiling as if everything was fine, the smile did not meet her eyes.

"Ziva, are you ok? You seem a little down." He asked with concern in his eyes.

"I'm fine, Tony. It's just been a rough week with everything that's gone on. Really. I appreciate your concern, but I'm ok. So, what did you want to ask me?"

Tony didn't look convinced, but he dropped the subject. He could tell whatever it was that was bothering her, she wasn't going to talk about it with him. She was such a private person.

"Well, it's about Gibbs. I don't mean to pry, but I can't help but wonder…"

He was cut off by Ziva, "You want to know how I got him to remember?"

"Yes. That's it. It's just that, Ducky, couldn't get him to remember and neither could the Director, but you were able to. Don't take this the wrong way, but he's only known you a year, and the rest of us for much longer, so I was surprised when you called to say you had been to see him and had helped him to get his memory back. How did you do it?"

"I didn't really do anything. I just told him to try harder and made him angry enough to want to Gibbs slap me." She smiled at the memory of the look on Gibbs' face when she told him to try harder.

Tony got up and began to pace around the room; he never could sit still for long unless he was sleeping. Whenever they went to a suspect's house to interview them, he usually poked through their belongings during the questioning. Not only did it cure his hyper energy, but it also helped him to gain a bit more insight into the personal life of the suspect. Tony found himself doing the same thing here in Ziva's apartment. This was the first time he had been to her home and he was more than curious about the life of the beautiful, secretive woman who lived here.

"You had to have done or said something more than that. Come on Zee-vah, I'm not buying that…" Tony's voice trailed off as he walked over to the couch and saw the framed photo lying there. He blinked once, not sure if his eyes were playing tricks on him or not.

Ziva watched as Tony reached down to pick up the photo. She felt panic swelling up in her chest. She moved over to Tony and tried to grab the frame away from him, but was unsuccessful as he pulled it out of her reach.

"Tony, give me that. It's a personal belonging."

He turned to her with a bewildered, confused look on his face. "What is this? Why do you have a picture of you and Ari? I knew you were his Control Officer, but I didn't realize how close you were."

"There are a lot of things you don't know about me, Tony. It's none of your business why I have a picture of myself and Ari." Ziva snapped.

"Wait a minute. Was he your lover? Is that why you tried so hard to keep Gibbs from killing him?"

"No, we weren't lovers. I told you, Tony; it's none of your business. Now give me my damn photo!"

Tony just looked closer at the picture. Ziva knew the moment he figured it out. She saw recognition flash in his eyes. He looked up at her with disbelief written across his features.

"I never noticed before how alike you two look. Ari was your brother? The man who murdered Kate? I can't believe you've fooled us for so long. Is that why you joined the team? To get revenge against Gibbs for killing him?" His voice had risen as he spoke and it was filled with contempt.

"No, Tony. That's not it at all. You don't understand. I can't explain it, but you have it all wrong. I would never do anything to harm Gibbs or any of the team."

Her eyes were filling with pain. She couldn't believe what Tony was accusing her of. She had thought they trusted each other, that they were more than partners. In the time that she had been with NCIS they had developed a friendship that teetered on the edge of something more personal. They both knew it and recognized it for what it was, but they had yet to do more than flirt. She had felt they were slowly building toward something more.

"You know what Ziva? I don't want to hear it. There's nothing you can say to change the fact that Ari was your brother and you have been lying to us for so long. Just save it."


Tony couldn't believe this. He had trusted Ziva, had even began to feel something more than friendship with her. He had been contemplating asking her out to dinner. They were both professional enough to keep their personal feelings outside of work. But he didn't know what would happen now. He didn't think he could ever trust Ziva again. He felt angry and stupid. But most of all, he felt pain at her betrayal.

"I'm truly sorry you feel that way, Tony." Ziva said softly with a tremble in her voice.

Ziva walked slowly over to a table by the door where she had placed her badge and gun after removing them when she came home. She picked them and walked toward Tony with them.

"If you feel that you can't trust me, then I cannot remain a part of the team. You need a partner you can trust implicitly with your team as well as your life. There is no room for doubt. I am resigning my position from NCIS immediately." With that she placed her gun and badge in Tony's hand, then leaned forward a placed a soft kiss on his cheek.

"As the new team leader, I accept your resignation." Tony said in an impersonal business-like tone. He turned and walked towards the door.

"Goodbye Ziva." He said without turning around to face her, and then he walked out the door and slammed it closed behind him.

Ziva walked over to the door and leaned against it. She allowed the tears she had been holding in to flow as she slid her body down the door and sat on the floor. In the quiet of her apartment, the only sounds that could be heard were her soft sobs.

TBC..

Tony sat at his desk in the bullpen at NCIS in the early morning hours. He had spent the night thinking of how much detail he was going to give the team regarding Ziva's resignation. He had been weighing just telling them that she had resigned, period, end of story, or telling them the whole truth. Tony had come to the conclusion that they were a team, his team now, and they deserved to know the whole story.

He was still having trouble wrapping his mind around the fact that Ari had been Ziva's brother. Ari had murdered Kate. If he closed his eyes he still feel her blood on his face and see her lifeless eyes staring up at him with a glaring hole in the middle of her forehead. It was an image forever embedded in his mind and Ari was the cause. He had loved Kate; not in a romantic way, but like a sister. Kate's death had been hard on them all. Then Ziva had joined the team and things had begun to look up. She hadn't replaced Kate, that could never happen, but she had begun the fill the painful void left in the wake of her death.

It just didn't make sense. Ziva had been with the team for a year. She'd had ample time and opportunity to take out Gibbs and anyone else on the team if she had wanted to. Tony didn't want to believe that she had joined the team to seek revenge for brother's death, but what other explanation could there be for not telling them about Ari?

Tony heard the soft ding of the elevator letting him know someone had arrived. He looked up to see McGee enter the bullpen and make his way to his desk.

"Good morning, Tony. You're here pretty early." McGee said as he sat down and turned on his computer.

"Morning, Probie. I need you to round up the rest of the team, and get them up here ASAP."

"What for? Is something wrong?" McGee questioned.

"Don't ask questions, McGee. Just do it. Now." Was Tony's curt reply.

McGee swallowed. "Yes, Boss." And went off to gather Abby, Ducky and Palmer.

10 minutes later the team was assembled, anxiously waiting to hear what Tony had gathered them all here for. After the events that had taken place the last couple of day, they were nervous.

Tony stood up and walked over to the team who had assembled on and around McGee's desk.

"Alright people, the reason I have assembled you all here this morning is to-"

"Wait, Tony. Aren't you going to wait for Ziva?" McGee interrupted him.

Tony just shot him and look and continued.

"As I was saying, the reason I have gathered you here this morning is to inform you that Officer David has resigned from our team and I have accepted her resignation."

This news was met with gasps and looks of disbelief from his team.

"I must say I'm rather shocked. Whatever could have caused her to make such a decision, Anthony?" Ducky questioned.

"It's my fault, isn't it? I told her she didn't care about Gibbs and I slapped her. She left because of me." Abby said with tears in her eyes.

McGee walked around his desk and wrapped his arms around her and she buried her face in his neck.

"No, Abs. It had nothing to do with you, and you might have been right about her not caring about Gibbs."

"Tony what are you talking about? Of course Ziva cared about Gibbs. She helped him to remember and brought him back here." Said McGee.

"Ari was Ziva's brother. I went to her place last night to ask how she helped Gibbs to remember and found a picture of her and Ari together. When I confronted her about it, she couldn't give me an explanation as to why she had never told us. It is my belief that she joined our team to get close to Gibbs to seek revenge for Ari's death. When faced with the truth, she resigned and I accepted."

"Ari was her brother? I can't believe it. You really think she wanted to kill Gibbs? If she did, why didn't she? She's had plenty of chances." McGee couldn't believe what Tony had just told them.

"I don't know, Probie, but if that wasn't her plan, why didn't she ever tell us about Ari? And why did she resign? That's the end of this meeting. Everyone back to work."

As the group started to disassemble the phone on Ziva's desk began to ring. Tony looked at it, but decided to ignore it. It stopped ringing and Tony went back to his desk. He had no sooner seated himself than it began to ring again. Tony continued to ignore it. Again the ringing stopped for a moment, only to begin again, almost immediately. He finally lost his patience and got up to answer it.

"What!" He yelled into the receiver.

For a moment there was only silence and he thought he caller had hung up again. But then he heard a low, raspy voice come over the line.

"We know it was you. We know you killed Ari and now we are going to kill you. You cannot hide. We'll find you wherever you go. Soon, very soon." And with those parting words the caller hung up.

"Who was it, Tony? What did they want?" The look on Tony's face was making McGee nervous. Something was definitely wrong.

"The Boss," was Tony's only reply.

"McGee! Get me Mike Frank's number, now. We've got to get in touch with Gibbs. That was Hamas. They know he killed Ari and they're going to try to kill him."

McGee began typing frantically on his computer while Tony called down to Abby in her lab.

"Abby, I need a trace on Ziva's phone here in the office immediately. If it rings again, I want to know where the call is coming from." With that he hung up and walked over to McGee who had begun printing out a paper with Mike Frank's number on it. Tony grabbed the paper, pulled out his cell phone and began dialing. He wasn't taking any chances with the phones here in the office.

A moment later Tony heard the gruff voice of Mike Franks come on the line.

"Yeah, whaddya want?"

"Special Agent Franks? This is Special Agent Tony DiNozzo. I need to speak with Gibbs. It's an emergency."

Tony could hear the sound of static as the phone was handed over to Gibbs.

"What is it, DiNozzo? Have you gotten the team in trouble already?" Said Gibbs.

"No, Boss. The team's fine. It's you that's in trouble. Hamas just called Ziva's phone and said they knew you killed Ari and they were going to kill you."

"What? Let me talk to Ziva." Gibbs sounded alarmed and that worried Tony even more. If Gibbs was alarmed then this was really serious.

"She's not here, Boss. But, it doesn't matter. You're the one in danger." Tony replied.

"What do you mean she's not there? Where the hell is she, DiNozzo?" Gibbs demanded.

"She's no longer a part of the team. She resigned last night."

"What! You find her now, DiNozzo. I don't know what you said or did to make her quit, but you'd better fix it. I'm coming back there. I want Ziva at NCIS immediately, do not let her leave. Am I clear, Tony?" Gibbs was yelling now and Tony had to hold the phone away from his ear.

"Boss, you don't understand, she-" Tony tried to explain about Ari.

"I said, am I clear, DiNozzo?" By this point Tony had sat the phone down on the desk. Gibbs was coming through loud and clear.

"Yes, Boss. On it, Boss." He heard a click and the call ended.

"You heard him, McGee. We're going to Ziva's apartment to bring her here." Tony directed McGee and they both grabbed their backpacks and headed for the elevators.

Twenty minutes later they were stepping off of the elevator at Ziva's building. As they walked down the hall, Tony noticed that her apartment door was cracked open. He pulled out his gun and McGee followed suit. They moved silently down the hall each taking a position on either side of Ziva's door. Tony looked at McGee who nodded at him. At his signal, Tony kicked the door wide open and went in with his gun drawn.

McGee followed behind him and they quickly made their way through the apartment checking each room, then yelling, "Clear!" until they found themselves back in the living room.

The apartment had been ransacked. Furniture was overturned, there was broken glass everywhere. Pictures were hanging sideways on the walls and there was a fist sized hole in one. Tony spotted a puddle of blood on the floor and went to inspect it. Ziva was nowhere to be found and he was getting worried. Why had Gibbs been so angry with him about Ziva and adamant that he find her and keep her at NCIS? He was starting to get a bad feeling in his gut.

"McGee, I want you to go talk to the neighbors. Find out if anyone saw or heard anything. I'll start processing this scene. When you've finished, get back here and help me." Tony ordered.

"On it." McGee started to walk towards the door, but paused and turned back to face Tony.

"Do you think she's ok, Tony? That's a lot of blood. What if it's hers?" McGee sounded worried.

"Come on, Probie, this is Ziva we're talking about. She's got stealth Ninja moves. Do you think she would just let someone waltz in here and get the best of her?" Tony tried to calm McGee's fears.

"You're right. It is Ziva. I'm sure she's fine." McGee smiled and walked out the door to get started on interviewing the neighbors.

Tony had tried to act as though he wasn't worried about Ziva for McGee's sake, but his gut was telling him he should be very worried.

The next morning team was once again assembled back in the bullpen waiting for Gibbs. They had spent the night searching for Ziva with no luck. Tony had a bad feeling Gibbs was going to do more than smack him on the back of the head when he realized they hadn't found Ziva yet.

They heard the elevator doors open and all turned to watch Gibbs coming their way with an angry look on his face. Abby ran to him and gave him a hug.

"Gibbs! I'm so glad you're here. I've missed you. Don't ever leave us again. Do you understand me?" She demanded in the way that only Abby could without getting slapped or worse.

"I've missed you too, Abs." Gibbs briefly returned her hug before gently moving her to the side and turning towards Tony.

"Where's Ziva?" He asked.

"We spent the night looking for her, Boss. McGee and I went to her place, but she wasn't there. There were signs of a struggle and we found blood on the carpet." Tony explained.

"Don't worry, Gibbs. It wasn't hers. I tested it." Abby piped up.

"She hasn't used her ATM or credit cards to make any purchases. Her cell phone has also been turned off, but I'm keeping a trace on it. If she turns it on to use it, we'll find her." McGee contributed.

"What happened, Tony? Why did she quit?" Gibbs turned a dark look on Tony.

"I went to see her and ask how she got you to remember and I found a picture of Ari. None of knew it, but Ari was her brother. I couldn't believe she had fooled us all for so long. I confronted her about it and she couldn't explain it to me. We argued and she resigned. I accepted her resignation; I think she joined the team to try to kill you. I didn't want someone we couldn't trust on our team." Tony replied.

Instead of seeing a look of shock on Gibbs' face, Tony just saw more anger.

"Damn it. You don't know what the hell you're talking about! Yes, Ari was Ziva's brother and yes, I knew it. You've screwed up royally this time. I didn't kill Ari." Said Gibbs.

"Boss, what are you talking about? The report clearly says you killed Ari. If you didn't kill him, then who did?" McGee was confused.

"Ziva killed Ari! She killed her own brother to save my life and then this is how you repay her? Did you even give her a chance to explain? We kept it out of the report to protect Ziva. That is why she joined our team. She killed a member of Hamas. If they had found out, they would have come after her. Do you have any idea what you've done? That phone call wasn't meant for me. It was for Ziva. They're after her and they may have already found her, damn it!" Gibbs was furious.

"Boss, in my defense, she didn't tell me. Why didn't she tell me?" Tony questioned.

"Damn it, DiNozzo, she shouldn't have had to. Her co-workers, her teammates, her friends should have trusted her, as well as me. Do you have such little faith in my judgment that you think I would allow someone to join this team, to back you up in the field, if I thought she was a threat to any of you? Do you!" Gibbs slammed his fist down on Tony's desk.

"No, Boss. Tony hung his head. He hadn't been thinking. He had been so angry.

"It's ok, DiNozzo. It's not your fault. We just have to find her. She's in real danger with Hamas after her. You're all exhausted. Go home, get some sleep and meet me back here in six hours. I'll see what I can find out while you're gone." Gibbs sighed and rubbed his hands over his face.

Gibbs could tell they were about to object.

"You can't do Ziva any good if you're too tired to think straight. Go home, it's an order." He barked.

McGee gathered his things and walked towards the elevator with Abby and Ducky. Tony slung his backpack over his shoulder and made his way over to Gibbs who sat behind his old desk. "I'm really sorry, Boss. I should have trusted you and Ziva."

"I know, Tony. I know. We'll find her. Now go home and get some rest. You're going to need it." Gibbs replied.

15 minutes later Tony walked into his apartment. Gibbs was right, he needed to rest; he was utterly exhausted. He felt so guilty about the way he had treated Ziva and the things he had said. He kept picturing the pain in her eyes when she gave him her gun and badge and he could feel the kiss she had placed upon his cheek. If only he hadn't been such a jerk, she would be safe at NCIS.

As Tony stepped into the apartment, what he saw stopped him in his tracks. There curled up on the couch was Ziva's sleeping form. He dropped his bag.

"Ziva?" He said.

She stirred and looked up at him with sad eyes.

"Hi Tony." Was all she said.

Tony could tell she had had a long night. He assumed she had picked his lock searching for a safe place to stay.

He walked to her and took her hand, then spoke softly to her.

"Come on. Let's go to bed. We'll talk later."

TBC…

Tony was having a dream, a wonderful erotic dream. Ziva was in his bed. He breathed in her scent as his hands played over her body. She was unlike any woman he had ever touched; her muscles felt like steel under the silk of her olive skin. Her shirt had ridden up and his hands were traveling over the soft skin of her taut belly. They continued on an upward path until they reached her breasts. Tony cupped them in his hands and ran his thumbs over her nipples causing them to tighten. Ziva moaned in his ear, low and deep. God, he loved that sound. Tony felt the smooth skin of her thigh as it traveled up the side of his body to drape over his hip. His mouth sought hers. Just as he was about to taste her, he awoke.

As Tony began to regain consciousness, he realized where his hands were. He panicked; he hadn't been dreaming. He really had been touching Ziva intimately, very intimately. He lay there with the evidence of his arousal pressing up against her stomach. He tried to untwine his body from hers without waking her, but as he slid his hands out from under her shirt, she stirred. Eyes still closed, she spoke.

"Hmmm…why did you stop?"

Tony could tell she wasn't fully awake and didn't realize what she was saying, so he ignored her question and tried to wake her.

"Ziva," He shook her gently.

Her eyes opened wide and for a moment they stared at each other in shock. Both had thought they were dreaming. There was an awkward moment of silence before Ziva spoke again.

"That had better not be what I think it is." She snapped in an effort to cover up the fact that she had enjoyed their little dream sequence more than she cared to admit.

"Of course it is, Zee-vah. It's a guy thing. Happens every time we wake up." Tony snapped back.

Ziva just glared at him. Tony quickly untangled his body from hers and sat up.

"You can have the shower first. I'll make some coffee." He said.

Ziva got out of bed and silently made her way to the bathroom. Tony couldn't help but check her out. She had the most seductive walk of any woman he had ever met. Sure and confident with a gentle sway of her hips. He loved the way she looked in the old Baltimore PD t-shirt he had loaned her to sleep in the night before. It skimmed the top of her thighs and rode high when she moved. She wore nothing underneath but a pair of underwear which did little to help his current state of arousal.

After he heard the bathroom door shut, Tony walked to the kitchen to start the coffee. He knew he would need it when Ziva came out of the bathroom expecting to go to NCIS. After arriving home that morning and finding Ziva, Tony had placed a call to Gibbs while she got ready for bed, informing him that Ziva was there and she was safe. Gibbs had ordered Tony to stay home and keep an eye on Ziva while he, McGee and Abby worked to find out where the Hamas cell that was after Ziva was hiding.

Tony knew Ziva and knew that she would not be pleased to know she had been ordered to sit idly by while someone else did the field work. She would want to aggressively seek out those who threatened her, but Gibbs would not allow it. Tony geared himself up for the battle that lay ahead.

Ten minutes later Ziva came out of the bathroom, hair still wet from the shower, wearing the clothes he had found her in earlier. Tony handed the cup of coffee he had waiting for her.

"Todah." She said.

"Listen, Ziva, about the other night. I just want to say I'm sorry."

"I know Tony. It's ok." Ziva replied. She could see the guilt written across his face.

"No it's not. You killed your brother to save Gibbs' life and then I accused you of planning to kill Gibbs."

"Tony, I forgive you. Really. I'm fine."

Tony winced inwardly when he heard those two words. Ziva might have trouble with her English from time to time, but she clearly had a grip on the language of females. It seemed to be universal. Any man worth his salt knows that when a woman says "I'm fine", she's anything but. He believed Ziva had forgiven him, but she had clearly not forgotten. Apparently he was going to have to work to make it up to her.

Ziva glanced at the clock.

"What are you doing still standing here? You need to get ready so we can get to work." She urged.

Tony took a deep breath and decided beating around the bush would just prolong his misery; might as well just get right to it.

"Ziva, we're not going in today. Gibbs wants us to stay here until he and the others can find out where the Hamas cell is hiding." He braced himself for her anger and she didn't disappoint.

"What do you mean he wants us to stay here? I'm not just going to sit here and do nothing while there are people out there trying to kill me! If Gibbs thinks that, he's crazy." Ziva yelled.

"That's the point, Ziva. Someone is trying to kill you and we don't know where they are or how many of them there are. They could be anywhere. It's not safe for you to be out in public right now. You of all people know how far reaching they can be." Tony argued.

"What am I supposed to do? Sit here and whittle my thumbs all day?" She understood his point, but she didn't like it.

"It's twiddle your thumbs, Zee-vah. And no, we'll watch movies, hang out. Gibbs will call us when they find something."

"OK, Tony, but if they don't find something by tomorrow, I'm going to work." She relented.

"Agreed. Now, I'm going to take a shower. Do you promise to be good while I'm gone?" He grinned at her.

"Yes, Tony." Ziva rolled her eyes, but she couldn't hide a smile.

A few moments later Ziva heard the shower start and moved quickly to the living room to retrieve her cell phone. She powered it on and dialed. A moment later she made contact.

"Namir? I need to call in that favor. I can't talk long, but I need some information." She quickly explained the situation.

"Don't call me back; I'll call you in a few hours. Shalom." She disconnected the call.

A few minutes later Tony came back into the living room, dressed in jeans and a t-shirt.

"OK, time for lunch, don't you think?" He questioned.

As if on cue, Ziva felt her stomach rumble.

"Food sounds good. What did you have in mind?" She replied.

"I was thinking of ordering a pizza."

"Why am I not surprised? Do you ever eat anything besides pizza?"

"Yes. Sometimes I order Chinese, Zee-vah." Tony smirked.

"OK, pizza it is, but make half of it vegetable." Ziva agreed.

"What good is pizza if you're going to cover it with vegetables?" Tony shuddered dramatically.

"It's called being healthy, Tony." Ziva stated.

"Pizza is healthy. You get like, all of the food groups in one slice." He argued.

"OK, Tony, whatever you say." Ziva laughed.

Twenty minutes later their pizza was there. They sat down in the living room. Tony had just put in a DVD, Weekend at Bernie's. Now Ziva would understand what he had been talking about when those drug pushers had kidnapped the Director.

They ate and watched the movie. When it was over, Ziva scoffed.

"This is considered to be entertainment in America? How ridiculous. Tony, I think that was the stupidest movie I have ever seen." She commented.

"Oh, come on Ziva. It's not supposed to be a meaningful drama, it's just mindless entertainment. That's the beauty of it." Tony countered.

"Mindless is right. OK, no more movies. I've had enough for today. What can we do now?" Ziva couldn't just sit there; she had to keep her mind occupied.

"Well, if movies are out, then how about we play a game? I've got some old board games in the closet. We could have a little fun with it. Maybe have a competition." Tony suggested.

"What kind of competition?" Ziva's interest was piqued, but she was still a bit leery until she found out what Tony had in mind.

"How about the loser has to cook dinner?"

"That sounds fair enough. You chose the competition, so I get to choose the game. Let me see what you have." She grinned at him.

Tony went to the closet by the front door and showed her the shelf containing his board games. Ziva saw a couple decks of cards, Monopoly, Twister, why didn't which surprise her? She could picture Tony suggesting a game of Twister to a date. She finally found one she liked and pulled it out. Tony caught sight of her choice and groaned.

"Scrabble? Oh, come on, Ziva. Anything but that."

"What Tony? Afraid you'll lose?"

"No. It's just that Scrabble is only the most boring game ever. I didn't even buy that. It was a gift from the little old lady down the hall."

"Too bad. That's what I choose."

After a little more half-hearted grumbling from Tony, the game got under way.

After only ten minutes Ziva was already winning. Her score was triple his.

"No fair!" He yelled. "You're cheating. You can't use words in different languages. How do I know if they are even real words?"

"It's not cheating, Tony. I'll tell you what they mean. Besides, I always play fair. Usually." She winked at him.

"OK, what does that word mean?" He pointed to a in the center of the board.

"Ombligo, it's Spanish for belly button."

"What about that one?" This word was near the top left of the board.

"Bisoux is French for kisses." Ziva glanced at Tony's lips as she said this.

Tony knew she had chosen these words on purpose. She loved to toy with him. This was a good sign; if she was back to bantering with him, then maybe she was feeling friendlier towards him again.

They continued the game and Ziva beat him by a huge margin. Tony argued it was because she was fluent in other languages so her vocabulary was wider, so to speak.

"Oh quit being such a sore loser, Tony, and get started on dinner. I'm starving." She teased.

TBC…

A/N: Thank you to Jeanne Luz for the Spanish and French translations

This is why I eat take out. Tony was trying in vain to prepare a dinner that Ziva would like. He'd cooked a chicken and gone to the trouble of microwaving broccoli in cheese sauce. Some how, cafeteria food looked better. The smell of burning food brought Ziva into the kitchen; she had just gotten a whiff of something that smelled suspiciously like charcoal. Upon her entrance, she saw smoke rising from the pans on the stove. "Ouch!" Tony swore and stuck a burned index finger in his mouth. "Run it underwater." Ziva turned the faucet on and ran his hand under the cold water.

She coughed through the smoke and surveyed the damage. The chicken looked like a meteorite and broccoli and cheese looked like solidified rubber.

Tony turned and caught sight of Ziva standing in the doorway. He gave her a sheepish smile and shrugged his shoulders.

"Do you see why I don't cook?"

"Yes, Tony." Ziva couldn't help but laugh. "I'm beginning to understand. OK, I'll help you. What else do you have?"

"Whatever's in the fridge and freezer, help yourself."

Ziva walked to the refrigerator and began to survey its contents. She wasn't surprised to find it basically bare save for eggs, milk and beer. She opened the freezer and found basically the same situation. A few frozen pizzas, of course, frozen fries and waffles. Well, that certainly narrowed her choices, didn't it? She thought for a moment.

"Well I'm not eating pizza again, so I guess it will be waffles and scrambled eggs." She announced.

She pulled out the waffles and a few eggs and laid them on the counter, then turned towards Tony.

"You do the waffles and I'll handle the eggs. You do know how to warm these in the toaster without burning them, right?" She couldn't help teasing him.

"Yeah Ziva, I think even I can manage waffles in the toaster." Tony replied good-naturedly.

Together they cooked and ate in comfortable silence. Afterwards, Ziva stood and stretched. She stifled a yawn, "I'm meat."

"Beat?"

"Whatever. Let's go to bed. No funny business though. I'm not done being pissed."
X
Ziva lay quietly for a while, and then she began to snore lightly. She waited for Tony's breathing to even out to let her know he was sleeping. Once she was sure he was asleep, she waited a few more minutes, then slipped soundlessly from the bed. She made her way into the living room and once again pulled out her cell phone. She dialed Namir who gave her the information she had been hoping for.

Ziva dressed quickly then made her way out the door. She walked down the hall and rode the elevator down to the parking garage, walking through the rows of cars until she found Tony's Mustang. Ziva pulled out her lock picking kit and went to work on the lock. Just as she was about to open the lock she heard a voice near her ear.

"Want the keys?"

She whirled around to face Tony with her knife in hand.

"Tony, it's not smart to sneak up on me. I could have killed you!" She exclaimed.

"Just where do you think you're going, Miss David?" He questioned.

"I'm going to pay a visit to the people who are trying to kill me." She snapped, angry at being caught.

"Well, there's no way you're driving my car, so get in the passenger side and let's go."

"What? You're not going with me. This is my problem, Tony and I can deal with it on my own. I don't need your help."

"First of all, don't kid yourself. You might be good, Ziva, but you're not good enough to take on a whole Hamas cell single handedly. Second, either I go with you or I take you back upstairs and tie you to the bed, which might actually be fun."

For a moment she just glared at him. Tony's gaze remained steady and finally, with a frustrated growl, she walked around to the other side of the car and got in. She slammed the door with a bit more force than necessary and smiled wickedly when she saw Tony wince.

Tony got in and started the car.

"Where are we going?" He asked as he drove out of the building. He knew Gibbs and McGee would be trailing them along with a few other NCIS agents. No one had expected Ziva to sit and wait. They knew her well enough to know that she would make a move when she thought they were least expecting it. Gibbs had ordered Tony to call him as soon as Ziva left the apartment and Tony had made that call on his way down to the parking garage behind Ziva.

Ziva gave him the directions and named the location.

"An abandoned warehouse? How cliché. Can't these guys think of anything new?" Tony commented.

They arrived at their destination a few minutes later. Tony parked the car behind a warehouse near the one they were looking for. It was obvious which building it was, it was the only one with lights on inside, although they all appeared to be dilapidated. They walked around to the trunk where Tony pulled out their gun belts and weapons loaded with full clips.

They heard footsteps approaching and turned to face Gibbs, McGee and five more NCIS agents. Ziva shot Tony a look. Great, not only did she have to deal with Tony, but Gibbs and the others as well. She had wanted to handle this problem on her own. She opened her mouth to speak, but was cut off before she could begin.

"I don't want to hear it, David. Either we do this together or Tony can take you back to NCIS and the rest of us will handle these guys." Gibbs said.

"Gibbs, this is not necessary. It's my problem; let me take care of it." She argued.

"Ziva, you helped me out when I needed it and I'm here to pay you back. Even if I didn't owe you, you're a member of my team and none of my team members go into something like this alone." He replied.

"But Gibbs-"

"It's not a request, Officer David. It's an order. Got it?" Gibbs was starting to get angry. Damn but she was as stubborn woman.

Ziva looked like she wanted to continue to argue, but she wisely held her tongue. Gibbs began to go over their plan of attack.

"OK, we're going to surround them. DiNozzo, David, I want you to take the back entrance. Henderson, Michaels, you two cover them from behind. McGee and I will take the front door with Jacobs and Watson as back-up. You three," he pointed to the three remaining agents, "take the side door on the left side of the building. On my signal we go in. Stay low and alert. We have no idea how many are inside or what kind of weaponry they have. Understood?"

They all nodded. McGee handed over two com-links for Tony and Ziva.

"Round up as many as you can. I want these bastards, but don't do anything stupid. No unnecessary risks, got it, David?"

"Yes." Ziva agreed.

"OK, let's get into position. Remember, wait for my signal."

They separated and the agents took their positions, anxiously awaiting Gibbs' signal to enter.

Gibbs waited a moment, "Everyone in position?" he asked.

"Affirmative" he heard from the other two teams.

"OK, on three. 1…2…3! Go, Go, Go!"

Then there was a cacophony of sound as all three doors were kicked in and the agents stormed the warehouse.

Shouts of "Freeze, Federal Agents!" and "NCIS, don't move!" Came over the radios.

They had surprised most of the 10-12 members who were sleeping; two stood guard armed with police issue M-4s and they opened fire on the agents. However, there were too many agents for them to shoot at once and they were quickly taken down, even with the high powered semi-automatic weapons. But as all of the agents focused their attention on the two armed men, most of the others were able to slip away. Two were left and they took off in opposite directions. One ran for Ziva. She braced herself for the attack and grinned. She was itching for a fight.

The man lunged at Ziva with a knife. Tony watched in fascination as she smoothly stepped to the side and grabbed his arm propelling him forward as she shoved her knee into his groin. As he gasped and crumpled in pain, Ziva used her other arm to ram her elbow into his neck, and just like that, in less than 20 seconds, the man was down and handcuffed. He had tears rolling down his cheeks. Tony almost felt sorry for him, except for the fact that he had been trying to kill Ziva.

"Damn, remind me to never point a knife at you." Tony said in awe.

Ziva just grinned. She loved a good fight.

Gibbs and McGee came over with the other suspect in tow.

"You two ok?" He asked gruffly.

"Yes," They replied.

"Alright, good work. The others might have gotten away for now, but two are down and we've got these two, as well. We'll take them in and see what we can get out of them. McGee, call Ducky and tell him we need him out here to pick up those other two guys."

"On it, Boss." McGee replied and pulled out his cell phone.

Gibbs turned to Tony and Ziva. "You two go home and get some rest. Don't argue, David. Tony will bring you in to the office tomorrow morning. Now go." He ordered.

Tony and Ziva had no choice but to do as he said. As much as Ziva wanted to follow Gibbs back to NCIS and have a go at the two suspects, she knew better than to argue with him. Besides, it was late and she really was tired.

They drove back to Tony's apartment in relative silence, but it wasn't uncomfortable.

As they walked back into the apartment, Tony groaned.

"Man, I'm tired. I'm so ready for bed."

"Me, too." Ziva agreed with a yawn.

They quickly got ready for bed.

Tony sat on the edge of his bed rolling his neck back and forth. He had a bit of a crick in it that was bothering him.

Ziva walked in once again dressed in his old t-shirt. He would never be able to look at it again without picturing her wearing it. Hell, he would probably give it to her, it looked much better on her.

Ziva saw Tony rubbing his neck and walked over to sit beside him.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"I've just got a crick in my neck that won't go away." He rubbed it some more.

"Let me see if I can help." Ziva said.

She crawled behind him on the bed and scooted close to his back. She placed her cool hands on his neck and began to rub gently in the spot she had seen him rubbing.

"Here?" She questioned softly.

"Umm..Yes," Tony managed to get out. He bit back a groan. She had magical hands.

Ziva continued to massage his neck for a few minutes before moving her hands up into his hair to work on his scalp.

When she did this, Tony couldn't help but groan. "Ohh.." Her fingers on his scalp were sending waves through him. He shivered.

"Feel good?" She whispered in his ear.

"Oh, yes." He was in heaven and her scent was beginning to drive him crazy as was her close proximity to his body.

Ziva leaned forward and placed a feather soft kiss on Tony's cheek. He turned his head to face her. He looked her in the eye for confirmation that this was what she wanted. Ziva just smiled and kissed him again. This time on the lips, a gentle brush.

Tony reached behind him and pulled Ziva around to sit on his lap.

He kissed her softly, tasting her as he had wanted to do for so long; especially after their undercover assignment.

Ziva eagerly kissed him back, pushing her tongue into his mouth and twining it with his. Tony gripped her hips and squeezed. She moaned, deep in her throat.

As they continued their assault on each other's mouths, Tony ran his hands up under Ziva's shirt to her breasts. He was reliving their dream sequence from the previous day. Her skin was so soft, like silk. He rubbed his thumbs over her nipples eliciting yet another loud moan from her.

Without breaking contact with her mouth Tony stood and turned so that he could lay Ziva down on the bed and straddle her body. He pulled her shirt up and over her head then stepped back a moment to survey what he had uncovered. She was so beautiful and strong. God, he wanted her.

Tony leaned down and slowly ran his hands up the insides of her thighs until he reached her center. He stopped there and stroked her through her underwear causing her body to buck. He teased her for another moment before removing his hand and beginning to place kisses along her stomach, making his way up to her chest. Once there, he kissed one breast while taking the other in his hand to caress it. Tony ran his tongue in circles over her breast before closing his lips over her nipple to suckle it. Ziva screamed.

She reached down and grabbed a handful of his t-shirt, pulling his face back to hers for another kiss. Her hands traveled over his back and she found the hem of his shirt and began to pull it up his back and over his head, briefly losing contact with his mouth. Ziva threw the shirt to the floor before claiming his mouth yet again. She rubbed her hands over his muscular chest and trailed them down to his waist where she began to work on removing his pants. Once she had them unzipped she started to push them down his hips. Tony joined her in her efforts and had soon kicked them off.

Ziva then removed his boxers. After all barriers were removed she gripped him in her hand. This time, Tony was the one to groan. She ran her hand up and down his length until he could take no more.

"Ziva?" He gasped out, the question in his voice.

"Yes, Tony, now." She answered.

He reached down and removed her underwear before entering her slowly. She felt so good. Tony kissed her she wrapped her arms and legs around his body. He began to build a rhythm and slowly increased his pace until he sent them both over the edge.

Afterward, they lay together in bed. Tony had Ziva pulled close to his body her back to him with his arm around her waist. He pressed a kiss into her hair and spoke softly in her ear with a chuckle.

"You weren't lying."

"What do you mean?" Ziva asked.

"When you said you were a screamer. You weren't lying." Tony smiled in the dark.

Ziva let out a soft laugh. "You didn't believe me?"

"Oh, I believed you, but now I know for sure."

"Yes, you certainly do." Ziva turned to kiss him. "Goodnight, Tony."

He tightened his grip on her. "Goodnight, Ziva."

They slept.

TBC….

They found themselves arriving at NCIS early the next morning. Ziva was eager to find out how much information Gibbs had been able to extract from the suspects. She had a feeling it would be very little. This wasn't the first time Ziva had confronted Hamas members; they were ruthless and not easily intimidated.

As they rode the elevator up to the bullpen, Tony could sense the tension radiating off of Ziva's body. He reached down and gave her hand a brief squeeze.

"We'll get them." He said quietly.

"I know." Ziva replied with a smile, appreciating the words as well as the gesture. She leaned toward him and placed a kiss upon his lips.

The soft ding of the elevator alerted them that they had reached their destination. They separated and stepped off the elevator onto the bullpen floor.

It was almost like a coming home for Ziva. Had it only been 3 days since she had last been here? It seemed so long ago in retrospect.

She hadn't made it far before she heard the jingle of metal and was caught up in a flurry of arms and pigtails; extensions of the whirlwind known as Abby.

Abby hugged Ziva so tight she winced.

"Ziva! I'm so sorry I said you didn't care about Gibbs and slapped you. I know you do, really. Care about Gibbs, I mean. I was just so worried, and I was wrong and Gibbs told us what you did, about you killing Ari to save him, and I'm so sorry and please don't quit. I'm so glad you're ok, what happened at your apartment? Tony and McGee found blood and I know it wasn't yours because I tested it, but I was so scared it was going to be yours and you might be hurt or worse and I treated you so bad and I'm just sorry, do you forgive me?" This was all said on one breath and when Abby finally stopped she had to take a gulp of air.

Ziva was silent for a moment. She was still processing everything Abby had just said. Finally, she laughed and replied, "How about we both admit we were wrong and leave it at that?"

The apprehensive look disappeared from Abby's face and a huge grin took its place. "Sounds like a plan, man."

"Agreed," Ziva replied before looking around the bullpen. "Where's Gibbs?" She questioned.

"He's interrogating the suspects we caught last night." McGee replied. He had made his to the bullpen to meet Tony and Ziva after Tony called to tell him they were on the way to NCIS.

"Have they said anything?" Ziva questioned.

"Not yet, he just got started, though. We left them in lock up overnight to stew. They're in separate rooms. We're hoping we'll get more out of them that way." McGee supplied.

"Let's go." Ziva ordered already striding towards the elevator. Tony and McGee hurried behind her while Abby made her way back to her lab.

"Did you get their names?" Tony asked McGee.

"Yes. Gibbs is with Ahmad Hassan and the other one is Shadhan al Mansur." He answered.

"Ziva, you know you can't go in there. If you do, any information we get will be inadmissible in court." McGee warned Ziva as they walked down the hall towards the interrogation rooms.

"I assure you, McGee, I know. I just want to watch." Said Ziva as she entered the observation room to watch Gibbs.

McGee didn't look convinced. He was apprehensive about leaving Ziva alone in the viewing room while he went to keep an eye on the other suspect. He shot Tony a questioning glance.

"Don't worry, Probie. I'll be here with her. Go on and get back to the other guy before Gibbs finds out you're not watching him." Tony assured him.

With that McGee left the viewing room, leaving Tony and Ziva to observe Gibbs and the suspect.

Gibbs glared at the man across the table who seemed unaffected and slumped in a relaxed position in his chair.

"I'm going to give you one more chance; tell me where the others are and what they have planned." He growled menacingly.

This brought a laugh from the other man. "One last chance or what? You can't do anything to me. I know your laws; they protect me. You silly Americans treat your criminals better than you do victims or the public." He taunted.

This infuriated Gibbs even more. He slammed his fists on the table and got right in the suspect's face. "My silly American laws might protect others, but not you. You screwed up; you threatened one of my team members. I don't give a damn what the law says, nobody threatens my people!"

The man's smile seemed to have dimmed a bit, but he still appeared casual and unaffected by the situation.

Gibbs looked meaningfully towards the two-way mirror. He knew Tony and Ziva would be behind it. McGee had informed him they would be arriving soon.

"I'm going for coffee." He said. Then he walked out of the room, ‘accidentally' hitting the button by the door that controlled the recording equipment, switching it off.

Ziva smiled. She understood perfectly. She gave Gibbs time to get on the elevator before she exited the room, so if questioned, he could say in all honesty that he had never seen Ziva. But, if things went well, there would be no questions.

Tony watched as Ziva entered the interrogation room. He knew she could take care of herself just fine, but he wasn't going to let his guard down. These people wanted Ziva dead and would go to any means to see that she ended up that way.

"Hello, Ahmad." She said.

"Stupid, Bitch." He spat out.

Ziva, who had been walking by Ahmad's chair, turned abruptly and before Tony could blink, had slammed the man's face into the table.

"That wasn't very nice. Let's try again. Hello, Ahmad." She repeated the greeting.

"Bitch," he said again.

Ziva pressed his face into the table a bit harder. He howled in pain.

"What are you doing? You can't treat me like this! It's against the law. You'll go to jail." Ahmad's words were muffled as Ziva's hand kept his face pressed against the tabletop.

"That's where you're wrong. I'm not an agent. I'm a liaison for Mossad. I don't follow American laws." She spoke menacingly near his ear.

Ziva allowed him to sit up and then went around to the other side of the table to take the seat facing him.

She sat quietly for a moment allowing him to gaze into her eyes and see the intensity there.

When she started to speak again, it was in another language which Tony assumed was Arabic and he could no longer understand what she was saying, but he could tell by the sight of the color draining from Ahmad's face that he was getting nervous. He could also pretty well understand what was being said when she pulled her gun out and pressed it against Ahmad's forehead, between his eyes. The hard façade was gone and his fear was showing now.

Ahmad began to speak in the same language Ziva had used and nod his head. After a few minutes, Ziva replaced her gun in her holster and stood up. She walked around the table towards the door. Before she reached it, she placed her hand on Ahmad's shoulder giving it a not so gentle squeeze. She leaned down and whispered in his ear.

"Don't forget. I'll be watching." And with that she exited the room.

Ziva re-entered the screening room to find Tony on the phone.

"Boss, you're good. You can come back now." He said and then disconnected the call.

Ziva stood with a grin on her face. Tony studied her.

"You really enjoyed that, didn't you?" He asked her.

"Well, of course, Tony. Interrogation has always been a specialty of mine." She said with a glint in her eye.

Tony laughed. They turned back to the interview room as Gibbs stepped in, a fresh cup of coffee in his hand.

He sat down at the table and spoke.

"OK, Ahmad. Let's try this again." He glanced towards the recording equipment in the corner of the room and feigned surprise that the red light which indicated it was turned on, wasn't blinking.

"Hang on. The camera isn't turned on. Hmm, wonder how that happened? I guess I knocked the switch when I walked out." He turned the camera back on and then returned to his seat, flashing a small smile towards Ahmad.

"So, have you thought more about what we discussed before? Are you ready to talk now that you've had some time to think, reconsider your options?" Gibbs asked.

Ahmad shot a glance towards the two-way mirror before replying. "Yes."

"Alright, start talking. Start at the beginning." Gibbs ordered.

Ahmad began to tell the tale about how Hamas had discovered that Ziva had killed Ari and had decided to seek revenge; Ari had been the leader of their cell. He explained that himself and another member where the ones who ransacked Ziva's apartment in a surprise attack.

"We snuck in and I crept up behind her. I tried to grab her, but that stupid bitch pulled out a knife and stabbed me." With Ziva gone from the room, he was feeling a bit braver.

"You're lucky she didn't castrate you," Gibbs retorted.

Ahmad winced and continued with his story.

Half an hour later they had the information they needed and Gibbs planned to turn over Ahmad and his buddy Shadhan to the U.S. Attorney General for suspicion of terrorism. Even without evidence, just based on suspicion, the Attorney General could hold them indefinitely if he pleased, in accordance with the U.S. Patriot Act.

The team met up in the squad room after the suspects had been returned to lock up, where they would wait to be transported.

"Alright everyone," Gibbs began. "We now know where they're hiding and what they have planned. This is what we are going to do…"

TBC…

"Alright, that's good to know. Thanks, Boss." Tony ended the call and flipped his cell phone closed.

Ziva sat on the couch and looked at him expectantly. "So, did they get them?" She questioned impatiently. Gibbs had refused to allow her to be a part of the team of agents raiding the house where Ahmad had informed them the members of the cell would be hiding, after being attacked at the warehouse.

"Yeah, they got them. Gibbs took more agents this time and totally surrounded the place to be sure no one escaped. They caught eight more. So, it looks like we'll be attending the awards ceremony after all. Better get dressed."

Ahmad had also informed Gibbs that the cell had planned to take Ziva out at the awards ceremony, along with as many dignitaries and agents as they could manage before they were caught. Although all NCIS personnel were being required to attend, Ziva had been ordered to remain at Tony's until they were sure the entire cell had been captured and there was no longer a threat.

The awards ceremony was being held in honor of another NCIS agent, Agent Gabriel Reeves. He was being awarded the Naval Meritorious Civilian Service Award at a banquet being held in the Athens Room at the Hotel Monaco.

Ziva got up from the couch and followed Tony to his bedroom.

Tony went to his closet to find a suit while Ziva grabbed a dress hanging on the back of Tony's door which they had retrieved from her apartment after leaving NCIS. It was going to be a few more days before her apartment was back in order; the hole in the wall would have to be repaired and the carpet cleaned to remove the bloodstain, as well as clean up the broken glass and furniture.

Ziva stripped her clothes off and stepped into her dress; the little black dress that every woman owned. Hers was simple and elegant. Not flashy; sleeveless with a scooped neckline. It reached just above her knee to showcase enough leg to warrant a second look, but not too short so as to appear inappropriate.

"Tony, can you come zip me up?" Ziva stood with the back of her dress unzipped, holding her hair off of her neck.

"I'm always willing to help a pretty lady get dressed," Tony replied and walked over to her.

Ziva laughed. "Or get undressed."

Tony reached Ziva and grasped the tiny zipper in his fingers. He began to pull it slowly up her back, admiring her smooth skin as he did, lightly skimming his fingers over her bare back as he followed the zipper upward.

As Tony reached the top of the dress, he leaned forward to connect the little clasp at the top that prevented the dress from becoming unzipped. As he did so, he pressed his face against the soft, silk of the hair she held aloft and breathed in its flowery scent. It smelled like tropical flowers. Tony had seen a bottle of Herbal Essence Infusions shampoo in the shower earlier after returning from Ziva's apartment. He was changing shampoos.

"Your hair smells amazing," He said into her neck as he began to trail kisses from her ear downward.

"Ummm…" Was Ziva's only reply as she leaned her head forward to allow him better access to her neck.

Tony pulled the zipper on the dress right back down again. He slipped his hands inside the opening and reached around to grasp her breasts in his palms. Ziva moaned and arched her back.

"Tony, we're going to be late," She said without much conviction.

"We'll just have to be fast then, won't we?" He replied.

Ziva's response was to turn to around and kiss him hungrily. She quickly stripped him of his clothes and shoved him forcefully onto the bed before removing her dress and underwear. Then she straddled Tony and began kissing her way down his chest.

Tony groaned and reached for her, pulling her mouth back up to meet his again. He reached between them and positioned himself between her legs. Ziva raised her body slightly to allow him access and when he was in place, slowly lowered herself, taking him in, bit by bit. It was slow torture for them both.

Once Tony was fully inside her, Ziva began to move, painfully slowly at first, then faster as she found her rhythm. Tony gripped her hips as he kissed her. This was exquisite torture. As Ziva continued to move and her breathing grew heavier and quicker, Tony could feel her inner muscles begin to tighten and he was grateful, for he didn't know how much longer he could last. When he felt her legs begin to tremble and the first convulsions of her orgasm, he let himself go on a low moan. Ziva let out a scream and collapsed on top of him.

"Now we need another shower," she commented breathlessly.

X

Between some quick dressing and Ziva's driving, God help them, they made it to the ceremony on time.

They were seated at a table with the rest of their team, facing the stage. Jimmy Palmer sat at one end of the table with Abby next to him and McGee on her other side. Ziva was sandwiched between McGee and Tony who was flanked by Ducky with Gibbs seated at the other end table, on Ducky's right.

Tony leaned over and whispered in Ziva's ear. "I'm so bored!" He said on an exaggerated moan that caused Ziva to snicker.

She leaned forward to reply and as she did so, Tony got a nice view down the front of her dress.

"Tony, I don't think fun is the intention." She whispered back.

"Well, it's my intention and I can have lots more fun at my place with you than I can here." He spoke in a low voice and brushed his hand over her thigh.

"Patience, Tony. There'll be plenty of time for fun later." She said and ran her foot up his calf under the table with a wicked smile on her face.

"If you keep that up, I'm not going to be able to wait until we get home." He whispered very close to her ear and his tongue darted out to quickly nip at it behind her hair.

Ziva drew in a sharp breath. She glanced around at the others who seemed to be as enthralled with the speaker at the podium as Tony was. She could only imagine one other person who was more impatient than Tony and that was Gibbs. She smiled at the thought. She whispered in Tony's ear again.

"I'm going for air. Meet me outside in five minutes and I'll see what I can do to hold you over until we get back to your place." She whispered, then quietly got up from her chair and walked out of the room.

Tony began counting in his head. When he got to 300, he took a breath and tried to appear nonchalant as he scooted his chair back and made his way to the back of the room and out the door Ziva had went through a few minutes ago.

When he stepped outside, he looked around for Ziva. The Athens Room faced a bank of elevators and there was a small alcove to the right, almost unnoticeable and to the left were restrooms. Tony didn't see Ziva anywhere and decided to check the alcove, thinking she may have hidden there in case Gibbs or one of the others decided to go to the restroom.

Tony looked, but Ziva wasn't there. He was starting to get a little worried feeling in his gut, but he tried to push it down. As he turned to walk towards the restrooms, he saw something in the corner of his eye; a small white cloth thrown into a potted fern that sat by the alcove. He picked it up by the edge, being careful not to get his fingerprints on the cloth and brought it to his nose to inspect it. He knew what he would find, but he had check; it smelled strongly of chloroform. That worried feeling in his gut blossomed into full-blown fear.

Tony ran back towards the Athens room and went straight to Gibbs.

"Boss, Ziva's gone. Something's wrong." He said in an urgent whisper.

Gibbs looked at him and said, "Are you sure DiNozzo? Did you check the restroom?"

"Yes, she went out a few minutes ago for air. She didn't come back so I went to check on her," he lied.

Gibbs wasn't so sure about that. He had noticed Tony and Ziva whispering and the looks passing between them. He had also noticed Ziva leave the room after whispering to Tony and Tony's quiet exit just a couple of minutes later. But, he wouldn't deal with that now, if Tony thought Ziva was in trouble then Gibbs agreed. Tony was a damn good agent with great instincts.

"I looked around outside, but couldn't find her. But I found this." Tony held up the chloroform soaked cloth and Gibbs could smell the drug.

"Alright, I'll get McGee and we'll meet you outside." Gibbs replied.

Soon after the three agents stood outside the Athens Room while Gibbs addressed them.

"McGee, call the front desk and tell them to seal the building. We have a potential terrorist inside and we don't want him getting out. Tell hotel security to be on the look out. We're assuming whoever has Ziva is armed and dangerous." Gibbs ordered.

"Yes, Boss." McGee pulled out his cell phone and made the call.

Tony turned to Gibbs. "I thought you said you got them all; no one got away." He looked questioningly towards his boss.

"We did get everyone there, Tony. One of them must have seen us coming and slipped out before we got there. Let's hope it's only one." Gibbs said.

McGee snapped his phone closed and turned back to face Tony and Gibbs.

"Boss, the building has been sealed. No one gets in or out and security is searching for Ziva. I gave them a description of her and warned them of the threat." McGee reported.

"Good. OK, let's spread out and begin checking room by room including staff break rooms and supply closets; they couldn't have gotten far. Security's got the main floor. McGee, you take this floor, Tony, you take the third floor and I'll take the fourth and we'll work our way up from there." Gibbs ordered.

They began checking their respective floors; sweeping all of the rooms, including guest rooms; knocking on doors and searching the room after flashing their badges.

Tony found no sign of Ziva or anyone on his floor, and neither did McGee.

Gibbs search of the fourth floor had turned up nothing so far and he was beginning to think he wouldn't find anything until he reached a small room with a sign on the door that read, employees only. Whoever had gone in last hadn't seemed to realize that the door didn't catch when they closed it. There was a tiny crack through which Gibbs peaked inside. It appeared to be a staff break room with a counter running down one wall with a sink at one end and a refrigerator against a wall. Also a table and a few mis-matched chairs were placed in the center f the room.

He saw Ziva slumped and tied to a chair with her head lolled to the side, still unconscious from the drug. Gibbs pulled out his phone and called Tony informing him and McGee that he had found Ziva and they needed to get to him quick.

There was one man in the room with a gun in his hand. He had a bag and he pulled out what Gibbs assumed was a silencer attachment. The bastard had to have subdued Ziva or she would have killed them. No way would the man have been able to grab Ziva and drag her up here, much less, tie her to a chair, otherwise. Even if he did have a weapon, that wouldn't stop Ziva.

Tony and McGee arrived moving silently down the hall to join Gibbs. He held up a fist, a signal them to pause, and stood in front of the door. He pushed it open and stepped silently into the room.

"Freeze, NCIS. Put the weapon down now!" Gibbs ordered.

The man turned swiftly to face Gibbs, his weapon pointed at Ziva.

"Come closer and she dies," He warned.

"Put the weapon down or you die." Gibbs returned.

The man just tightened his grip on the gun and placed his finger on the trigger.

"I'm going to tell you one more time to put the weapon down, and then I'm going to shoot you." Gibbs said again.

"She will die, too. It will be worth it." He grinned maliciously at Gibbs.

Gibbs pointed his gun at the man's head and placed his finger on the trigger.

Both men glared at each other and a shot rang out. Then there was silence.

TBC…

As the sound of the gunshot echoed in the hallway, Tony and McGee stood frozen for a moment; the looks on their faces were mirror images. Both were thinking the same thing: Not again. Not like Kate. Please no, not again.

It took only a few seconds for their instincts to kick in and both ran to the door of the break room, weapons still drawn. Tony felt an icy ball of fear take up residence in his stomach. He wasn't a religious man, but as he walked into the room he sent up a prayer that Ziva was still alive.

They both held their breath as they entered the small room.

Tony was the first one through the door and he saw Gibbs leaning over the body of a man, and Ziva tied up in a chair, apparently unconscious, but alive. He let out the breath he had been holding and heard McGee do the same as he entered behind him.

Tony went to Ziva and began to undo the binds that held her to the chair while McGee went to Gibbs and called Ducky to come upstairs and pronounce while Palmer went back to NCIS to get the truck so the unidentified man could be transported to the morgue. Gibbs searched through his pockets and finally found an ID.

"Names Ibrahim al Attar." Gibbs announced.

As Tony removed Ziva's ties, she fell forward. He quickly reached out and grabbed her, holding her upright.

"McGee, get me a cup of water, would you?" Tony requested.

McGee walked to the sink and ran a small cup of water, then brought it back to Tony. Tony thanked him and took the cup. He dipped his finger inside and brought them out to sprinkle the water over Ziva's face in an attempt to help her regain consciousness. After a few tries, her eyes began to flutter. She opened them and looked up at Tony.

"What happened?" She rasped.

"You were knocked out. How do you feel?" Tony questioned.

"A little dizzy, sleepy." Ziva answered and her eyelids began to droop again.

Tony gently shook her arm. "Ziva, try to stay awake for me. We need Ducky to check you out and then you can sleep."

"OK." She nodded her head in agreement and fought to keep her eyes open.

A few moments later Ducky arrived.

"How is she? Is she injured?" Ducky moved towards Ziva with a worried look on his face.

"She was knocked out with chloroform, but other than that, she's ok." Tony answered.

"Check her out, Duck. Make sure chloroforms the only thing he used." Gibbs directed.

Ducky gently examined Ziva while Tony continued to help support her body. She still couldn't hold herself up. She slipped in and out of consciousness.

"Alright, my dear, you can go home and rest now. Tony will take care of you." Ducky finally pronounced after a thorough examination of Ziva. He placed a kiss upon her cheek.

Ziva glanced up at Ducky and smiled.

"Thank you, Ducky."

He nodded at her and stepped aside to give Tony instructions on told him to call him if any problems occurred.

"Tony," Ziva spoke up again. "Take me home. I'm so tired." She requested.

"OK," Tony replied softly and moved to gather Ziva into his arms. He gently picked her up and carried her from the room.

X

Ziva woke a few hours later with her head throbbing. It took her a moment to orient herself. She realized that she was in Tony's apartment, in his bed and he lay beside her. He held her close to his body with his arm wrapped tightly around her waist. She looked down and realized that she was again in his t-shirt.

Ziva didn't remember much about what had happened. She had brief images of Tony, Gibbs, McGee, Ducky and a man lying on the floor in blood. She remembered talking to Ducky and the feeling of being carried.

Tony felt Ziva moving against him and woke.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" He questioned, tightening his embrace on her.

"Ah, my head hurts and I can't remember what happened." Ziva replied.

"Let me get you Tylenol for your head and I'll explain." He said.

Ziva turned in his arms and kissed him softly.

"Did you put me to bed?" She asked.

"Yep. You weren't exactly up to it."

"Thank you." And she kissed him again.

"Welcome. I'll be right back." Tony got up from the bed and walked into the bathroom. He opened the medicine cabinet and grabbed the bottle of Tylenol. He popped the top and shook out a couple of pills, then ran a glass of water. Tony returned to the bedroom and helped Ziva to sit up in the bed while she swallowed the pills and washed them down with the water. Then he climbed back into the bed beside her, pulling her close again, before beginning the tale of the night's events.

"Do you remember being at the awards ceremony?" He asked first.

Ziva turned to face him and laid her head on his chest just under his shoulder. She ran her fingers over his chest and he began to stroke her side.

"Yes, and I remember telling you to meet me in the hall. Then I remember waiting for you just outside the door. I felt someone grab me from behind, but before I could react they placed something over my mouth and I can't remember much after that."

"It was a chloroform. We found the cloth in a plant near the door to the Athens Room. After I realized you had been taken, Gibbs, McGee and I informed security and had them seal the building while we started a floor by floor search. Gibbs found you on the fourth floor in a staff break room tied to a chair. The guy was about to shoot you." He explained.

"I don't understand. I know it was a Hamas member, I saw him on the floor, but I thought the whole cell had been captured." Ziva replied.

"That's what we all thought. After we found you Gibbs went back and questioned the suspects again. Apparently one member saw Gibbs coming and slipped out before the others were caught. The other members knew, but didn't say anything. They were hoping he would be able to carry out the plan."

"I see."

Tony suddenly hugged her to him tightly. She returned his embrace.

"For a minute, we didn't know who had been shot. I thought-"

"Shh, Tony, it's ok. I'm ok."

"I know. How's your head? Does it feel any better?" He asked.

"Much." She replied.

"Good." Tony said and then he kissed her gently. Ziva responded eagerly and began to run her hands over Tony's chest.

After a few moments, Tony pulled back. "Hey maybe we should wait until tomorrow, give the drugs time to wear off."

"Tony, I'm fine." Ziva said and captured his mouth again.

Tony wove his fingers into her hair and began to trail kisses along her jaw and down her neck. He realized that Ziva was not responding and looked up; she had passed out again.

Tony chuckled, "Never had that happen before."

He tucked the covers in around her and pulled her to him again, wrapping his arm around her waist. She felt soft and smelled sweet and the fit was perfect.

I'm beginning to like this sleeping arrangement. With that thought, he turned out the light and went to sleep.

FIN~