A month later Tony walked into work and McGee looked up expectantly. "How's Ziva?" It has become a favourite question as the weeks passed and he was just glad to have the opportunity to ask. They'd almost lost the chance to keep her as part of their lives.

Tony set his backpack down. He didn't mind that the team asked first about Ziva and that his activities, or lack thereof, were no longer a focus of conversation. "She's volunteering at an animal shelter this week, helping with baths and grooming and taking the dogs for walks, loves every minute of it. They got a couple puppies the other day and Ziva is beside herself. She can't stop talking about them. Has about a zillion pictures on her phone."

McGee smiled. "You getting a dog Tony?"

The senior field agent shook his head. "I don't think so. Not yet anyways."

"Well, I'm glad Ziva's enjoying herself."

"Yeah," Tony said quietly, "me too." He enjoyed giving updates about his significant other and the stories were always different as she'd been rushing to get through as much of her 'I want' list as possible since they'd unpacked the last box two weeks after he returned to NCIS. Last week her goal had been to read every Robert Munsch and Dr. Seuss book she could get her hands on, because they were fun and childlike and she wanted to know what she'd missed. He remembered passing that one onto McGee, "She got some weird looks at the library, let me tell you." But he wasn't about to let her think anyone else's opinion mattered.

Staying in bed until noon had been accomplished her first day but didn't really count since they hadn't gone to bed until it was already the middle of the night, so she'd indulged in the luxury a few times since. Far from the five am wake ups she'd been known for, Ziva was learning to sleep for full nights now and allow her body the rest it had been deprived of for almost two decades. He loved finding her still in bed when he finished getting ready for work and the challenge of kissing her gently without rousing the inner ninja.

She read every spare moment not taken up by other necessary chores, not the kids books that had been a short lived obsession but novels and biographies and amazing true stories and books about topics that interested her. And that in itself was an accomplishment, the interests she was discovering that she'd never been able to before. It was great to get home at the end of the day and see Ziva curled up on the couch, a blanket draped over her lap and a thick book cradled in both hands. She was always eager to get up greet him so he began coming in quieter and quieter just to get a few more seconds of watching her do something she loved. He'd never had that opportunity before and it was something to savour.

NCIS

The next weekend she finished her cereal and set the spoon neatly beside her bowl. "Would you like to go out with me today?"

His eyebrows rose. "Are you asking me on a date?"

Ziva pressed her lips together. "Not really. Just to go...out." She gestured to the window as if that would help explain.

Tony stuffed back his own selfish desires and found a grin for her. "You and me out on the town? I think I can handle that. What did you have in mind?"

She sipped the half-full mug of tea that was suddenly in her hands. "Playing tourist."

He waited until she put the mug down and rubbed his finger over hers. "And a few hours wandering through one of the museums?"

"I don't think so, not today," Ziva clarified. "There is no hurry."

Tony nodded, glad to be invited finally. She'd been doing so much by and for herself that he often felt left out. He wished she would include him more in the new life she was making, but he didn't want to push his way in or make her do anything. This was her choice, being here in DC with him, and he knew that no matter what he wanted he had to let her do it her own way. But being on the outside was hard when he'd waited so long for more.

NCIS

Though Vance gave them time to adjust to the hole in their team fabric, eventually the empty chair had to be filled. Leon was perfectly aware that Gibbs insisted upon choosing his own people but didn't give the team leader room for input when he walked into the bullpen one morning and announced that the newest member of Team Gibbs would be arriving that afternoon. Gibbs scowled and growled and grumbled and went out for coffee. Only Tony and McGee, who were studying the director quite diligently, noticed the twinkle in his eyes that hinted at more than had been said.

He escorted in a striking woman a few hours later, with dark eyes, shoulder length hair, and a posture that clearly pointed to some form of military training. "Agent Gibbs, I believe you've already met Mac."

He sized her up and nodded once. "Ten years ago. Death of a Navy Lieutenant."

"Yes," she said dryly, "one you tried to pin on my partner."

Gibbs sipped his coffee. "I followed the evidence. As I recall, he owes me a favour."

At this point Vance interrupted. "Mac will be the JAG liaison to your team. After the...difficulties we've had in the past, I decided the MCRT could benefit from having its own lawyer."

The glare was out in full force and Gibbs grunted. "DiNozzo, Rule 13."

Tony swallowed. "Yes Boss. Never, ever involve lawyers."

Mac smiled and held out her hand. "Lieutenant Colonel Sarah McKenzie Rabb, USMC. Semper fi."

Gibbs mask broke slightly and he accepted the handshake. "Ooh rah."

"I figured you could handle a fellow Marine," Leon continued. He looked at Mac. "Don't let him get away with anything."

"Oh don't worry, I won't." The director left and Mac set her things down beside Ziva's desk.

Intrigued by the exchange he'd witnessed, Tony's curiosity got the better of him. "Rabb? Wasn't that the name of the guy we investigated?"

Mac touched the slender bands adorning her left hand. "Yes. Harm and I have been married almost eight and a half years."

"Wow." Tony loved hearing about other couples who were making it, those stories gave him hope that he and Ziva had a chance. "Any kids?"

"The simple answer is yes," Mac answered, smiling.

His eyebrows lifted. "And the complicated answer?"

"We were both reassigned in 2005, shortly after his former foster daughter Mattie had been in a severe accident that left her temporarily paralyzed. Harm gave up his commission to be with her during rehab and the custody case was decided shortly before we relocated to San Diego for my posting. Mattie spent two years fighting to get her life back and walked out on her own two feet." She blinked back tears. "Shortly after that we found out I was pregnant, something of a miracle since previous medical issues lessened my chances. I took a leave of absence when Luke was born and we moved back to DC. Our daughter Sequoia joined us two years later, a little unexpected, and I'm only returning to work now because she started school this year." Mac cleared her throat. "And here I am, one of those moms who has to brag about her kids to every stranger she meets."

Tony gave her a half-grin. "Sounds like you earned the right." He let out a breath and gave her his hand. "Welcome to the team." After a brief pause he continued. "That desk...belonged to someone very special to all of us. It might take awhile to get used to you sitting there."

Mac read between the lines quite well. "I won't take it personally."

Tim was next to offer his greetings and they let Mac get settled in. Later when Gibbs still hadn't dismissed them she commented that it was twelve minutes after five and she had kids expecting dinner. Considering there was no clock in her line of sight and she didn't appear to wear a watch the boys immediately wondered how she could know that. A bit mysteriously Mac answered that she had great timing and began packing her bag. It wasn't until she'd put on her coat that Gibbs reluctantly agreed it was time to go. Somehow Tony knew she was going to fit in just fine.

NCIS

Time continued marching on without a pause and the wrinkles and tangles of two lives lived out in the same apartment did not just suddenly become straight and smooth. Although most of her nights were passed in bed with him, sometimes Ziva still slept in the spare room where she could find her space and time to think or work through something that was bothering her. Those were the nights Tony spent eight hours staring at the ceiling and wondering how long he could take the uncertainty and non-permanence of their nothing-yet state.

Except for the treasured first hours after she returned, they hadn't kissed all that much or been really close physically since she didn't really prefer snuggling in bed like he did, whereas Tony felt incomplete if he wasn't touching her in some way and tended to fall asleep stroking her arm or back just for some form of contact. And he feared she was trying to protect them from getting too attached in case their bubble suddenly burst and the whole tentative card house they'd been building fell completely to pieces. As if that problem didn't already exist. No amount of being apart or tactile deprivation would change what was in his heart for her.

Down in the lab one day Tony fiddled with a pencil while he waited for a machine to ding and Abby looked over at him. "It's so nice that you and Ziva are together now."

The previous night had been a lonely one filled with self-doubt and sick feelings related to losing everything that mattered, so Tony's confidence was not very high. "We're not really, together," he offered, something he hadn't shared with the others. They all just assumed and he preferred to keep it that way, but Abby seemed safe to tell.

Her pigtails moved when she tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

He shrugged. "I mean, we're together as in we live in the same apartment. But it's like...roommates, that's all. No uh...benefits." Not that he cared about the friends-with-benefits type of deal, but the real and forever and permanent one that included a lot of verbalized 'I love yous' and no limit on touching and kissing to express it without words was something he wanted rather desperately.

Abby crossed her arms. "Well how come?"

"Wish I knew," Tony muttered, then he cleared his throat. "Never mind. I better get back upstairs."

He was gone before her comment could reach the door. "Tony wait! Results!" But he didn't hear and some of the happy seeped out of Abby's world to know that her big brother wasn't.

Tony got home that night and was treated to dinner and a movie, an unexpected treat. A day of indulging her love of art put Ziva in a romantic mood, which she expressed with food, sharing his love of a different sort of art, and a couple hours of cuddling on the couch. He went to bed with a smile after that, pleased to have his partner back in the room. It was amazing the effect she had on his mood, because he spent the following day on Cloud Nine and took over the kitchen at the end to whip up omelettes, toast, turkey bacon, oatmeal with berries, and muffins from a mix so she could finally experience breakfast for supper. He got a kiss and a few tears for that when he finally called her out of the bedroom to see what he'd been up to. That made everything worth it.

NCIS

The second month found Tony bringing in food and dessert for the whole team every day. After the second appearance of neatly packed plastic containers someone voiced the question and Tony sighed. "She has about thirty cookbooks strewn around the kitchen and livingroom right now and she's trying anything that sounds good." He made a face and rubbed his stomach. "I've put on ten pounds just from all the dishes she's made me sample. Please, eat it." On second thought he pointed his finger at all of them. "But whatever you do don't tell my partner I'm sharing. She may be retired, but she's still dangerous."

The marathon cooking phase lasted two weeks and Tony told the team that by the end they had enough meals in the freezer to last them until Valentine's Day at least. Then Ziva moved onto other pursuits, namely dancing. Ballet had been a passion when she was young enough that her desires still mattered, but as she had taken no formal training for nearly twenty years it had to be worked back into slowly. She joined a class for mature students and went back to basics, her body gradually remembering many of its old lessons.

Ziva progressed fast and was promoted to a more advanced group, even taking part in a practice recital put on for the rest of the school. After it was over she took a step back and decided dancing, though she loved it, was something she'd rather do on a more occasional basis than all the time. But once in awhile, when she thought no on was watching, he'd catch her going through poses and executing simple steps, the flowing grace of her movements absolutely mesmerizing. Whether she would indulge it or not, Ziva David had the soul of a dancer and Tony found the effect breathtakingly beautiful.

Taking a break from her list, Ziva started relaxing a little and tried to find a semblance of routine in this new life she'd chosen. She began to show up at NCIS, little by little, to visit Abby for lunch or have tea with Ducky when there was no case. Director Vance did everything in his power to try and get her to come back, offering her several different positions within the agency before accepting that she'd made her choice. As a peace offering he gave her a permanent visitor's badge so she could come in whenever she wanted without the headache of being escorted everywhere. "After eight years of faithful service I know we can trust you Ms. David."

Ziva occasionally stopped by the bullpen with coffee for the team or just to say hello, but those moments became rarer after she walked in on them discussing a case and offered her opinion as if it was the most natural thing in the world. What she said made a lot of sense and McGee ran with it right away, no questions asked, but Ziva had shocked herself by slipping so easily back into that role. Rattled by her own actions, she took off and Gibbs let Tony go after her.

He found his girlfriend? roommate? partner? sitting on a bench outside the front doors, head hanging down. She sensed his presence before he said a word and closed her eyes. "I promised to let it go. Maybe...maybe I cannot turn off that part of myself Tony."

Rubbing her back slowly, he let the silence surround them. Everything he wanted to say about it not being such a bad thing or them being grateful for her help seemed to pale in comparison to the decision she'd made and in the end he didn't know how to help. Ziva appreciated his stillness, the way he grounded her simply by being there, and at last she touched his face gently. "I think I should not come for awhile. I'm sorry." She regretted that necessity only because she knew he loved to see her unexpectedly during the day.

But Tony surprised her once again, pressing a brief kiss to her cheek. "It's fine Zi, I understand. When you're ready, okay?"

So instead of visiting the building for the people, she found alternatives. On Saturdays and some evenings she could often be found in Gibbs' basement, helping him with the newest boat project as he'd finally gotten tired or little things that didn't require as much time and labour. Sometimes they talked and sometimes they didn't, it was enough to just be together. She joined Abby in volunteering at the soup kitchen and on sometimes visits to her biological brother's workplace. McGee taught her how to play video games and she worked in Ducky's garden alongside the older man, happily listening to any story he wanted to share.

Ziva also reconnected with Leyla and one day Tony came into the office in answer to a weekend call-in commenting that he left her playing hide and seek with Amira at Gibbs' house. It was good to make friends that did not belong to NCIS, especially a woman with whom she shared a similar background, and Ziva soon looked for other ways to meet people who were outside of the law enforcement world that had always been her comfort zone. Seeing that change made Tony uncomfortable, insecure, because he felt he was losing her in a way. If she didn't depend on him, on the team, for friend and companionship, where did that leave them?

NCIS

Five months into their little arrangement Ziva came to Tony when he returned from a Saturday breakfast run and gave back the ring. His heart thudded into his stomach as he stared at it, his whole world crumbling around him. This was the first time he'd seen the jewellery since giving it to her that first night, he had no idea that she'd kept it with her wherever she went, constantly thinking about what he said. Ziva always pushed the ring deep into her pocket to ensure its safety until one day she thought she'd lost the incredibly important object, prompting her to scour the entire apartment until she found it in the pocket of yesterday's pants. After that incident she found a thin strong chain to wear the ring on underneath her shirts, always close to her heart where it could never be misplaced. But because her significant other was not aware of the value she placed on that symbol, he assumed this was her answer - rejection of him and all he'd wanted for them.

When he finally made himself meet her eyes, however, Ziva was looking at him expectantly. "Isn't there something you wanted to ask me?"

Her smile gave him hope but Tony needed another minute before reality sank in. "You...want me to ask?"

Ziva tilted her head to the side, repeating his own words back to him, "If your answer is yes, next time I'll ask the way you deserve." One shoulder shrugged. "But I do not need anything special Tony, only you."

Tony's temporary paralysis lifted and he took a step closer, cradling her cheek in his palm. "Yes," he whispered, "you absolutely do need something special. I just..." he shook his head "...I've spent months not having a clue what's going on with us Ziva and the uncertainty has been killing me. I never knew if one day you'd just change your mind and be gone or what." His forehead leaned into hers. "So give me a couple days to plan something good, okay? Not that I haven't been thinking about it since I gave this to you, but I haven't let myself hope we'd get to have it for real."

Ziva's mouth brushed his, barely a whisper of a touch. "Take as long as you need." Then she slid her arms around his waist and he held her like he would never let go.

NCIS

Two days later they were taking an evening walk at the park, fingers linked between them, more at ease than they had been since the night she arrived from Israel. At a bench Tony stopped and sat down, bringing her with him, and Ziva smiled with the love he was now allowed to see in her gaze all the time. He cleared his throat and dug something out of his pocket. "I wanted to do something big and fancy and elaborate, something that would show you what your answer means to me, but I realized this morning that's not us. We're you and me, partners and best friends, work and movie nights, popcorn and takeout, simple and uncomplicated though we managed to make everything the opposite for so long." Tony looked down at their joined hands and wet his lips, green eyes locked on brown. "I love you Ziva. I would do anything for you, you know that. There is no one else I'd rather have by my side for the rest of our lives. Will you marry me?"

Although assured of her answer, his heart still stuttered while he waited for her to speak. Ziva opened her mouth but nothing came out, in the end she kissed him to hide the tears and whispered, "Yes," against his lips.

Like he'd wanted to do for all that time they'd been together and yet apart, he slid the ring gently onto her finger and then smothered her with a long, deep caress that stole both their breaths. Breathing heavily, he moved back a fraction. "Say it again."

She chuckled lightly. "Yes Tony, I will marry you."

Which was pretty much the best thing he'd ever heard in his life.

The new couple didn't sleep that night, it was impossible to settle enough for dreams to find them, so they sat on the couch kissing and talking in low voices as if anything above a whisper would break the spell. They made cookies in the middle of the night and laughed when the mixer cover was forgotten and dough splattered all over everything. They sat on the floor with their backs to the island and ate raw cookie dough and hot cookies out of the oven and savoured every moment of the joy coursing through them. It was something neither had ever expected to find.

NCIS

Tony and Ziva planned their wedding in less than a month. When the first April flowers began their slow journey towards the sun and gentle spring air, petals curling outwards to welcome a new season, Gibbs walked his third daughter down a short aisle to meet her beloved. Kelly, his first, the little girl who taught him to love. Abby, his second, the incredibly tenacious young woman who showed him it was possible to feel again, to open his heart and let others in. And Ziva, the unexpected delight out of a tragic situation. He'd never been more proud than he was at this moment.

McGee, as best man, had a wonderful view of the small gathering's reaction as the bride in white glided towards the man who held her heart. Said man valiantly tried to resist the tears that sprang to his eyes, but in the end let a few drip down before he wiped them away. His heart felt about ready to burst with all the love and euphoria built up inside. Tony waited as patiently as he could, and Gibbs took his own sweet time placing Ziva's hand in his, but finally they were joined by that innocent touch and turned to face the officiant.

Although they'd decided to say their own vows to each other, in the haze of wonder that surrounded them on this beautiful wedding day neither could claim to remember exactly what they shared. Thankfully McGee had foreseen that difficulty and arranged to have the short ceremony recorded so they could have it to keep forever. Finally those long awaited words were uttered, "You may now kiss your bride," and Tony did so with an enthusiasm that garnered cheers and wolf whistles from the guests and brought a tempting shade of pink to his wife's cheeks.

Congratulations were offered, toasts were made, and then miraculously the couple was left alone for a few fleeting moments. Caught up in the tumult of emotions, Ziva simply leaned into her new husband and asked quietly, "What happens now?"

Tony framed her face with his hands, fingers tangling in the tendrils of curls that had escaped from the mass of them gathered on top of her head. "Now?" he grinned, more alive and fulfilled than she'd ever seen. "Now, Ziva of mine, we live happily ever after." And as with all love stories, this one too was sealed by a kiss.

The End.