Author's Note: Sorry it took me long! Things had not been so nice to me, so. . . :P This is the final chapter, you guys! I really do hope you'd like it! :D

Oh, and thanks to the following people for leaving meaningful comments last chapter!

shadowkitten701 :: musicjumper28 :: Gunner'sDream :: AbberztheAwesome :: scarlettarchangel15 :: crocadile 1986 :: ThePenIsMighty

And hello to those who put alert on this! ^_^

Disclaimer: Anything, anyone recognizable isn't mine.

Chapter Fifteen

Her heart stopped beating. All sensations ceased to exist, save for the intense want to know if her eyes were fooling her. She opened her lips to speak, but it wasn't enough to release the words that brimmed inside her.

What day is it?

And it what month?

This clock never seemed so alive

Tim walked around Joshua's stroller after locking the wheels down. His grin waned into a smile as he drew closer to Ziva. "How did you find me?" he asked.

"The toy airplane that you left at the park," Ziva answered, slightly feeling hurt. "Ashley mentioned something about where you might be heading. I asked Abby to look for you."

Tim frowned because of a detail he thought peculiar. "Toy airplane?" he repeated, puzzled. "I didn't leave any toy plane."

I can't keep up

And I can't back down

I've been losing so much time

Ziva, however, did not respond. Much of her thoughts consumed her, particularly the one that made her doubt her contentedness on seeing Tim. It had been too long. She kept too many unanswered questions. Both clashed upon his presence, causing a hint of resentment to bud in her.

Tim observed her stillness and knew. "Ziva."

'Cause it's you and me

And all of the people

With nothing to do

Nothing to lose

Ziva swallowed some air to ease her madly beating heart. "It had been months," she said.

"I know."

Ziva mustered every drop of courage to look into his eyes. "I thought you were gone—completely gone at one point, even," she said quietly.

"I know," Tim said, growing remorseful for what he had because of the weariness carved into her features.

And it's you and me

And all of the people

And I don't know why

I can't keep my eyes off of you

Ziva was rendered speechless once more. She did not know what else to say. The excitement she had before, equipped with what she concluded were the right words, vanished. Instead, the pair of emerald irises gazing at her reminded her of the people she met, the places she had been, and the truth that those uncovered about the person in front of her.

One of the things

That I want to say

Just aren't coming off right

"I'm sorry that I put you through all of these, Ziva," Tim said. Ziva averted her eyes, surprised that he was able to discern her thoughts. At the same time, she was afraid that he would discover something more about the want that lingered in her soul for months. "I know you're tired, and I can understand if you're angry at me because of what I did," he continued, the guilt in him intensifying.

I'm tripping inwards

You got my head spinning

"Before, I keep wishing that I figured out soon enough that you had problems," Ziva said. "I would have gone through them with you. But then again, I was glad that that was not what happened."

"Why?"

I don't know where to go from here

"Because now you—" mean so much more to me, she kept it to herself when cowardice struck her. Tim awaited. She continued. "You have learned, I can see, to be a better person."

Tim's lips curled into a disillusioned smile.

'Cause it's you and me

And all of the people

With nothing to do

Nothing to lose

"Although there's one thing that I cannot understand," Ziva added, stepping closer to him. "Why was I the first reason why you left?"

And it's you and me

And all of the people

And I don't know why

I can't keep my eyes off of you

Tim stared at her, receding to his thoughts. Not long after, he breathed deeply, gathering all his might, and then he answered. "I started to fall in love with you," he said. "Right then I wanted to be someone worthy."

There's something about you now

That I can't quite figure out

Everything she does is beautiful

Everything she does is right

Ziva sensed electricity run through her veins.

Tim continued. "At first, I thought it was just admiration," he said. "When we came home from Somalia, I kept thinking of you—how happy I was that you were with us, and how I respected you by being strong. Not long after that, problems began to pile up for me. Still, you were in my mind. I knew that the way I see you was changing because every instant I talk to you, there's always this fuzzy feeling inside me. I get jealous easily, too, especially whenever you were with someone else." He chuckled, his cheeks turning to a light shade of red. "I know it sounds corny and weird, but it is true."

Cause it's you and me

And all of the people

With nothing to do

Nothing to lose

"You should have told me how you felt," Ziva said, smiling at him.

"I wanted to," Tim answered, reciprocating the smile, "but things got out of hand. It was wrong for me to leave all of a sudden to deal with those without saying a word, but that was the only way that I could think of. Like I said on the e-mail, I planned not to tell anyone, but then, I could not help myself. I thought you deserved to know. I wanted to become a better person for you." He glanced back at Joshua, bashful like a young boy admitting ardor to his crush.

And it's you and me

And all of the people

And I don't know why

I can't keep my eyes off of you and me

And all of the people with nothing to do

Nothing to prove

"You said you missed me the time you called me at Virginia," Ziva said.

"And I meant every bit of it," Tim said. "Still, it wasn't the time then. You know, even if I encountered some bumps along the way, like that one time when a guy stole my wallet and the people in court gave me a hard time for Joshua's custody, which are not important," he looked at her, aware that he was digressing, "I ignored them. All of those mean nothing compared to the happiness I'd have if you gave me a chance to be with you."

And it's you and me

And all of the people

And I don't know why

I can't keep my eyes off of you

Ziva's cheeks colored into rose. She thought she was going to fall over with so much emotion spinning inside her, but she concluded that it was just the fulfillment of her yearning for him to like her as she liked him.

"Although, if it's okay for me to ask," Tim said, "why did you go through all of those for someone like me?"

Ziva answered by slowly drawing closer to him, wrapping her arms around his waist, under his jacket, and lying her head on his chest. It did not take long for his arms to enclose her, too. She then heard his heart increase speed when it felt hers not far away from it. She smiled a contented smile.

"Probie!" they heard Tony shout.

Tim turned his head, bearing an expression joy from holding someone he adored, while Ziva remained motionless.

What day is it?

And in what month?

This clock never seemed so alive. . .

Reason. Only reason. He was the only reason why.