Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS, or the characters, and probably never will.

Thankyou to everyone who has reviewed, favorited, and read this fic. I hope it has been a good read.

AN: Just so I don't get a lot of angry messages, I do know that in this chapter I have changed the style from present to past tense, as requested I should mention. Let me know if it is better this way.

Enjoy!

Epilogue

One year later

Tony spent another two months in hospital before he was transferred to a rehabilitation centre, where he stayed for over nine months, learning to adapt to his new disability, before he moved into a new, ground floor, accessible apartment.

Though he hated it, he had had to give up his old apartment; it was on the third floor of a building that didn't have an elevator, and when you're confined to a wheelchair that doesn't work. What choice did he have?

But as he sat in his wheelchair, working busily at his desk at NCIS headquarters, he didn't even think about not being able to walk. Thanks to several modifications to their office and to a new van, Tony was able to return to work, and even though he couldn't go out in the field anymore, he could still do most of his old tasks, along with training two new probies assigned to Gibbs' team.

The wheelchair he had gotten was very light, and easy to maneuver, and it wasn't out of place to see him chasing either of the probies around the office, yelling at them for whatever they'd messed up.

That was on thing the accident had taken from Tony, his once lighthearted demeanor was long gone. He'd in essence lost his two closest friends and allies in the accident that had left him crippled, and he couldn't get past that.

But meanwhile in Tel Aviv, while Tony had been learning to adapt, Ziva, while her injuries had been less severe, had taken longer to recover. With close to no support, she was left at a rehab facility for several months, lucky to get a more than one visit from her father each month.

She was miserable, and it wasn't at all helped by her father ordering her back to work the day after she got out of rehab, she'd done it of course, but in her line of work the slight limp she was left with after the accident had nearly gotten her killed more than once, and because of that, no one would go on missions with her.

One day, she finally after having to drive three hours back to Tel Aviv, with a bullet wound in her arm, because she didn't have backup, she could not take it anymore, and with determination, she strode into her father's office, and ignored his surprised questioning as she told him. "I want to go back home, to America."

"What has gotten into you Ziva? Why are you coming in here now, telling me this now? I know you do not like it here, but-"

"No, Father. No buts. I am standing here in front of you, bleeding. And you do not care, you said you wanted me here, so that you could keep me safe ...this isn't safe, Father!" Ziva hollered at him as she moved closer to him, until there is only his desk separating them.

Eli David was silent for several long minutes, deep in thought before he looked up at his daughter, and sadly said. "It is for the bext, Ziva."

For a moment Ziva had thought that maybe he was coming around, but no.

Back to business. "How did you get hurt, what happened?"

"I was ambushed, and without backup. It is not too bad, I will go to get it cleaned up soon." Ziva said before she pointed out. "But that is not the point, Father. The point is that I am miserable here, and it is not safe. I want to go back to working at NCIS."

"I cannot allow it, Ziva. I do not want you to be so far from me again."

"FINE! If you will not assist me, then I quit. You will not see me again, Father." Ziva said with finality as she turned, and walked away, not stopping until she reached her apartment, and then she was only there long enough to gather her most basic possessions and call Gibbs to inform him of her plan before she left for the airport.

Numerous hours later, back in the states

Gibbs, Ducky, Abby, and Tony stood, or in Tony's case, sat close to the arrivals gate at Dulles International Airport, anxiously awaiting Ziva's return.

"Are you sure she's really coming back, Gibbs? Maybe you heard her wrong, but of course you didn't hear wrong bossman, you'd never-"

"Breathe, Abbs." Gibbs told Abby as he gently took a hold of her. "I'm sure, Abby. She'll be coming out of that gate any minute now."

Abby took a shaky breathe as ordered, but then, before she could have spoken, out of the corner of her eye she saw. "Ziva!!"

The group spun to see Ziva, as Ziva quickly closed the distance between them.

"It's good to have you back, David." Gibbs said as he pulled her into an embrace, then as he noticed her rather disheveled appearance, he asked. "What on earth happened to you?"

With a smile and a laugh, Ziva told the group. "It looks much worse than it is. I am fine."

Abby and Ducky both then took turns greeting Ziva, and finally Ziva turned to Tony.

There was a long pause before Tony told Ziva. "You're looking good, Ziva, compared to..."

"Compared to when my face looked like it had hit a windscreen you mean?"

Guiltily, Tony replied. "Sorry. I didn't mean..."

"Yes you did, but you are right, it does look much better. The surgeons in Israel did well work."

"Good, it's good work, Ziva, not well." Tony said, sounding like his former self for the first time in nearly a year.

As the rest of the group watch Tony and Ziva slipped into their familiar banter, it became apparent that although their lives will never be the same, they will be alright all the same.

The End.

Thanks for reading the final chapter! Please review one last time, and check out my other fics!