Disclaimer: I do not own anything NCIS or Alpha Chi Delta. Omega Phi Zeta may really exist, but this one is a figment of my imagination.

PAST

Piper Brooks had never felt so humiliated in her life. She left the Omega Phi Zeta Sorority house in tears. Her pledge sisters didn't ask questions. Most of them had been through the same thing she was trying to survive. Lugging her bags into her car she cast a glare at the house just across the street. A few of the fraternity brothers from Alpha Chi Delta were out sitting on the porch. She didn't see the one face that still haunted her mind. Piper got into her car and put Ohio State's Greek row in her rear-view mirror.

PRESENT

"Come on Tony. When do I ever ask you for anything?" McGee asked as they exited the elevator.

"Hah, you mean anything I'm actually willing to do?" By now they had reached their desks. Ziva was already sitting at her computer checking her email.

"She's pretty…" McGee was still trying to persuade Tony. Ziva's eyes came up and she smirked at Tony.

"Prove it." Tony said while booting up his computer.

"You got it." McGee started typing away on his keyboard. Tony got up from his desk and moved to stand behind McGee.

"Who's Facebook page is that?" Tony asked.

"It's Lexi's. It's the only place I know I can find a picture of your date."

"Possible date!"

"How is Lexi, McGee?" Ziva asked from her desk. It had been a month since Lexi had been released from the hospital after she and McGee had been held hostage by Seth Price. Somehow their relationship had thrived after the experience. Ziva had not seen Lexi since last week when they all went out for drinks together.

"She's good. Happy that she's about to become a godmother. Her best friend Amelia is pregnant." McGee finally found a picture of the girl he was looking for. Tony recognized Lexi and Amelia in the picture. The third girl was indeed pretty. In the picture her shoulder length dark mahogany hair was down and being blown about in the wind. She had pale skin and from what Tony could tell, dark green eyes. She looked athletic and her smile was friendly.

"How old is this picture?" Tony said, finally turning to face McGee. His voice sounded suspicious.

"Tony, I took this picture two days ago. That's how I knew it was here."

"So this girl…"

"Piper."

"Right, Piper… What kind of a name is Piper? Anyways, she's a photographer?"

"Yeah." McGee closed out the window on his computer. He had a feeling Gibbs was about to walk by. "When Lexi bought tickets for the Wizards game she bought an extra one for Piper so she could bring someone. But she's only been back for a week. So they left it to me to find her a date. She's worked everywhere. She just spent three weeks in New York working on a pageant spread. She owns her own studio here but travels a lot, so she doesn't really have time to get out and meet people. "

"So she works with a lot of models?" Tony smirked. "This could go places…"

"Okay, if you do agree to this… Please remember that this is a friend of my girlfriend. You may not have to deal with any backlash, but I will."

"Oh, don't worry your big round head over that." Tony laughed. "I'll do you this favor." Tony slowly made his way back to his desk.

"Just don't ask her if she has sisters names Paige and Phoebe. She really hates that joke…"

"McGee, are you certain you want Tony as your wing person?"

"Wing man, Ziva."

"He's not actually a wing man. He's just a date for Lexi's friend. But I've warned Lexi to warn Piper about him." McGee shrugged. "Lexi said that Piper is actually pretty good at putting guys in their place. So I figure Tony will be perfect for her." Tony looked like he was about to protest. But right at that moment, Gibbs finally walked by and announced a new case.

NCIS

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this." Piper stood in front of her mirror with her hands on her hips. She had opted for her good jeans and a simple dark green blouse. Lexi had made a comment that dark green brought out her eyes. Piper wasn't seeing it. Her eyes were green but with a dark brown outer ring. And she really didn't care either way. To her it was just a clean shirt. The sneakers were comfortable and she refused to wear the clunky boots Amelia had offered. Her only dilemma now, was her hair. She only wore it up when she was working on a shoot. And only because it prevented her hair from getting in her face. She had wanted it down but Lexi had twisted it up in some kind of messy ponytail that went everywhere. Piper thought it looked cute, but didn't want to admit it. Lexi was still behind her fussing over her choice of shoes. Amelia sat in Piper's vanity chair off to the side. "It's just a basketball game, not a cocktail party!" Piper almost shouted at her friend.

"Okay, okay… sheesh." Lexi finally backed off.

"Lexi, don't get me wrong. I love the new confident you… But seriously, I may have to kill you." Lexi just grinned. Piper really did love the new Lexi. She hadn't known Lexi nearly as long as her other friends. They had met barely two years ago when Lexi hired Piper to do a shoot of the bakery for her website. Piper had taken an instant liking to Lexi and Amelia both. Piper had also instantly liked Tim McGee as soon as she met him. He was sweet and Piper could tell he was the sort of guy who always meant what he said. He was perfect for Lexi. Amelia had warned Piper that seeing Tim and Lexi together was so cute it was almost sickening. By the end of that day, Piper had agreed.

"Okay, so Tony has a bit of a rep as a ladies man. But Tim assured me he is actually a decent guy."

"You don't have to sell me on it, Lexi. I already agreed to go along." She had turned and grabbed her bag. Amelia stood up and smiled like she knew something everyone else didn't. Which meant she probably did. Amelia was sneaky like that.

NCIS

Gavin held Amelia's hand as they made their way from the parking lot to the stadium. Lexi and Piper were just behind them, still bickering over Piper's shoes. Gavin rolled his eyes. His wife had never been much of a fashion monster and he thanked his lucky stars for that. Of course, he thought Amelia looked good in anything. His eyes went back to the crowd in front of him and he spotted Tim waiting for them near the ticket booth. Tim waved them over and the guy standing next to him turned and faced the group. Gavin recognized Tony from the one time they had met, visiting Lexi in the hospital. As they got closer, the bickering behind Gavin suddenly stopped.

"You're freaking kidding me." Piper's venomous voice made Gavin stop and turn. Amelia and Lexi both turned to Piper with questioning looks. Piper's face was scrunched up in a murderous glare. Her hands were balled up into fists at her sides.

"Hey, is everything okay?" Tim had made his way over to the group, leaving Tony by the booth. Piper immediately looked away and tried to wipe the glare off her face. When she looked back, her friends were still staring at her, worried.

"Sorry, I just thought I saw somebody I knew?" Her voice was still strained.

"I take it that it's not anybody you like…" Tim asked trying to ease the tension. Piper grinned, but it was forced.

"Well, the game's about to start." Lexi nudged Piper forward as she spoke. Piper ground her teeth and then the group was moving again. When they finally got to the booth, Lexi handed out tickets to everyone. Piper kept her face down, glaring at her ticket.

"Piper," Tim spoke cautiously, still worried about Piper's constant glaring. Her eyes shot up at him and he paused for a second. "This is Tony DiNozzo. He works with me at NCIS." Tony stepped forward and smiled warmly at her. She felt her anger spike.

"Hi there." Cocky son of a…

"Hi… Tony." Again, she forced a grin. This was not Lexi or Tim's fault and she wasn't going to let them feel bad because of her. Tony seemed to sense her annoyance and his grin quickly dropped. Good.

Lexi and Tim were the only ones who spoke as the group made their way to their designated seats. Piper didn't look up until they were squeezing their way past people who were already seated in the bleachers. She found her seat number and plopped down so hard she thought the seat might break.

"These are really good seats." Piper's head shot up at the sound of Tony's voice. She felt horrified when she realized that her seat was on the edge of the group right next to the aisle. Tony was right next to her and on the other side of Tim. She would be stuck beside him all night with no one else to talk to. For a split second she thought about asking to trade seats with someone on the other end… But again, she didn't want to spoil the night for her friends.

"Yeah." She forced herself to sound civil. "Lexi does the desserts for the Wizards when they have parties."

"Cool." He seemed relieved she was actually talking to him.

Piper turned her attention to the pre-game show. She tried not to glance to her left but she couldn't help herself. Every time her eyes slid Tony's way, he seemed to sense it and looked back at her. This went on until the game actually started. Piper fought to pay attention to the game. She had never really been interested in sports, other than ice skating. Her eyes glazed over in a matter of minutes and she propped her right elbow on the arm rest. Her other arm fell across her waist. Part of her hated Lexi for putting her hair up. This would be so much easier if she could hide behind her hair. Sighing, she let her head fall onto her hand and leaned away from Tony.

By half-time she had downed so much soda, simply as a distraction to keep her from talking, that she had to pee like a race horse. Without saying a word, she got up from her seat and headed for the restrooms. She had moved so quickly that she beat most of the line. Just as she exited the restroom, she came face to face with Tony. He was smiling at her again. She froze where she was standing and before she could stop herself, glared right at him. His eyebrows came up in confusion and he actually looked over his shoulder. When he turned back to her, her face said 'yeah moron, I'm totally glaring at the person behind you.' She almost laughed at his perplexed expression before heading back to her seat.

When she did get back, she found Lexi and Amelia shooting her questioning looks. She just shook her head and waved them away. When Tim returned, he leaned over Tony's empty seat and got Piper's attention.

"Did he do something to piss you off?" Tim asked.

"It's a long story." She felt her face grow hot.

"Did you know him before tonight?" Piper just nodded. "Is he an ex of yours?" Tim sounded worried but at the same time, not surprised.

"It was a long time ago and he obviously doesn't remember." She could see Tony making his way back towards them. "Look, let's just get through tonight. I don't wanna ruin this for Lexi. She's been so excited about tonight. Just don't say anything." Tim nodded and settled back in his own seat. When Tony sat down, he didn't look at or speak to Piper. His face looked confused and slightly annoyed. No doubt he was wondering what he had done to warrant being glare assaulted. Let him wonder. Piper went back to her earlier position with her head propped on her hand.

By the end of the game Piper had seen Tony run his hand nervously up and down his thigh about fifty times. Every time he had done it, he looked like he was about to say something to her, but at the last second, stopped himself. Inside, she felt triumph every time his mouth opened then closed. Good, he should be nervous.

The fanfare from the Wizards victory was still in full swing when they decided to get out of there to beat traffic. Once in the parking lot, they were trying to decide who would ride with whom on the way to the bar and grill for dinner. Gavin, Amelia, Lexi, and Piper had all ridden in Gavin's SUV. Tony and Tim came over in Tim's Porsche. Lexi wanted to ride with Tim but that meant putting Tony in the back seat with Piper. By now, everyone seemed to catch on that this might not be a good idea. Though no one said that directly. Reluctantly, Piper decided to take one for the team.

"Lexi, if you ride with Tim, Tony can just ride with us." Everyone stopped talking and stared. "What? It's just logic, people." She sounded defensive. "Let's go."

Tim and Lexi got to the grill first and managed to get them a big table. Unfortunately, it was one of those horseshoe shaped booths. So when Gavin and Amelia scooted in one side, it left Piper once again, stuck beside Tony. Only this time she managed to sit between him and Lexi. She felt Lexi elbow her purposely. When she looked up at her friend, Lexi's eyes demanded answers. Piper mouthed 'later' and picked up a menu.

The table conversation was all about the game, which Piper had barely watched. So she resorted to reading everything on the menu, cover to cover, even after she ordered. When she was done with it, she picked up the drink menu and buried her face in it. She didn't much care for the taste of alcohol but she felt like getting thrashed tonight. Then, one glance at Lexi and she caved. Piper didn't have many friends, but the ones she did have, she cherished. She would not ruin Lexi's outing, not after all the work she put into getting a whole group to go out and do something fun. At that thought, Piper felt guilt roll over her entire body. She was already ruining it by being such a killjoy. The food got there and Piper picked at her plate. When she couldn't stand it anymore, she turned to Tony.

"Have you always been a Wizards fan?" Piper's sudden question made everyone stop talking again. Tony blinked several times when he realized she was looking right at him, and not glaring.

"Uh, no, not always." Tony stammered. "I'm actually more of a Buckeyes fan than anything."

"Ohio State?" Amelia said from across the table. "Didn't you go there Pie?" Usually Piper hated when people gave her nicknames. She had accepted long ago that Amelia would call her whatever she wanted and there was nothing that could be done about it.

"Only freshman year." She did not want to talk about freshman year…

"Where'd you go after?" Tony didn't seem to want the conversation to end.

"Penn State, then on to photography school. I lived in New York when I started my photography career but I moved here about three years ago."

"Is it hard to find jobs here? I heard you were just back in New York." Tony had shifted so his body was facing her. The rest of the table went back to their own conversations. Piper didn't like being put on the spot by him. But again, she felt bad for sulking earlier.

"I do have to travel a lot, but I managed to get a small studio here and something of a name for myself."

"What made you leave New York in the first place?"

"My mom lives in Georgetown. She got sick and I moved to be closer to her." He didn't need to know any more of those details. "And I'm actually from here." That was kind of a lie. She was really from just outside of Baltimore… But close enough.

"I grew up in New York." Tony was getting just a little too comfortable for Piper's liking.

"I always hated it there." She smiled when his face dropped. "Too many rude people."

"Yeah," his grin came back. "I like it better here too." Piper cringed.

"Do you mind letting me out?" She tried to smile again. "I think I need some air." He quickly got up.

When she got outside, Piper felt like crying. She always cried when she was angry. But she was more hurt than anything. He didn't even remember…

"Hey." Piper jumped and yelped at the voice behind her. "Do you mind explaining to my exactly what I did to piss you off so badly?" Tony stood there with his hands in his pockets.

"You really have no idea who I am do you?" She crossed her arms, feeling the need to protect herself.

"Honestly, no. And I'm sorry if that upsets you, but…" He wasn't sure what else to say.

"Well, you did me the courtesy of teaching me a very valuable lesson early in life."

"Which was?"

"A charming, good looking asshole is still just an asshole."

"Excuse me?" He sounded offended.

"My freshman year at Ohio State, I pledged for Omega Phi Zeta." Tony's eyebrows shot up and his hands came out of his pockets. "You were a senior… And…" She sighed, willing herself not to cry or throw something. "Your fraternity pulled a little prank…" She could see the realization set in on his face. She forced herself to go on. "You drew my name."

"Oh my God. I'm so sorry." It came out just above a whisper. He took a step towards her. "I…"

"Did you know that you were my first?" He froze and his mouth hung open. "I hadn't even kissed anyone yet. You took my first time and made it a joke." She was surprised she wasn't yelling at him. She should yell. He deserved it. But her energy had already been zapped by trying to hold up the charade all night. "You know … I actually fell for everything you said." She swallowed hard as the memories flooded through her mind. "It may have meant nothing to you but… But you really hurt me." Shaking her head she moved around him and went back inside. She didn't go straight to the table. She needed to visit the restroom first.

Tony sat back down in the booth. He had watched Piper veer off towards the restroom and silently prayed she wasn't in there crying. He leaned over to Tim and whispered.

"Remember that backlash you were worried about?"

"Yeah?" Tim whispered back. His eyes were hard.

"Get ready."

Piper didn't protest when Tim wanted to take Lexi home. Tony just headed for the SUV with his head down. Piper lived closer than Tony so Gavin dropped her off first. She said a quick goodbye to everyone and headed up to her apartment. It was just a small sixth floor, one room shoe box, but it was all she needed. When she got through the front door she sighed and tossed her keys onto the coffee table. With nothing but sleep on her mind, she kicked off her sneakers. A sharp knock on her door made her jump. What the…

She opened the door and then quickly tried to slam it shut. Tony stuck his foot out just in time to keep the door open. The look on his face told her that he wasn't leaving.

"You know, this could be considered extremely inappropriate." She smarted off, still trying to squish his foot with the door. He just stood there, not taking his eyes off her. After a few more seconds she gave in and just turned around. She heard him come inside and shut the door. She didn't stop and turn until she put the coffee table between them. "What do you want?" She asked when he still didn't say anything.

"To apologize." His voice was hesitant.

"I think you already did." Her hands went to her hips. She felt more confident in her own living room than outside the grill.

"Piper…" His eyes fell to the light blue carpet. "I was a different person… I was stupid and…" He looked back up at her. "You know, there really is no excuse for what I did to you."

"No, there isn't." He could hear the exhaustion in her voice.

"Can I… Would you let me try to…"

"What?" She was getting really impatient.

"Try to make it right?" Her jaw dropped.

"How exactly do you plan on doing that?" The NERVE!

"Can I be your friend?"

"My what?" Her voice raised slightly.

"Your friend. Will you let me be your friend?"

"Why the hell would I want to do that?"

"I'd be a good friend."

"What are you after here? Redemption?"

"I want to prove that I'm a better person than you remember. What's the worst that can happen? If you end up still hating me, then I'll leave you alone for the rest of your life."

"You want me to hang out with you just so you can prove you're no longer a complete ass."

"All I want is a chance." Piper rubbed her face in her hands. She just wanted him to leave.

"Fine…" She could see him let out a big breath. "I'll be your… Friend. But I swear, you screw up once and this little experiment is done!"

"Absolutely." He held up his hands.

"Can you just… Go now. I need sleep."

"Yeah, sure." He said, already turning for the door. "I'll see you later." As soon as the door shut, Piper rushed over and locked the dead bolt.

"What the hell did I just do?" She said to herself on her way to her room.

NCIS

The next morning Piper was still wondering if she had made the right call. She got in her car and started out for her studio. Without even thinking, she flipped on the radio.

"Why can't we be friends? Why can't we be friends?" CLICK

"We have friends that are old friends. Friends that are new friends." CLICK

"We'll be friends forever." CLICK

"And my friends are your friends." CLICK

"Here we go again. I kinda wanna be more than friends." CLICK

Piper then decided it would be a good idea to drive the rest of the way in silence.

NCIS

Tony barely got to his desk before Tim jumped up and started demanding an explanation. Ziva looked on from her desk as Tim hustled Tony into the men's room. It took her two seconds to make the decision to follow them. When she opened the door, Tim had Tony backed up against the far wall. Tim jumped back a few steps when Ziva came in.

"I want to know what's going on." Tim was serious and just one step below yelling. Tony however, seemed eerily calm.

"I knew Piper Brooks before last night."

"Yeah, I got that!" The door opened and Dorneget came in. He looked from Tim, to Tony, to Ziva, and quickly turned back around and left. "What did you do? Lexi tried calling her all night but she never answered! Do you know how worried she was? I know you had Gavin drop you at her building so you could talk to her. What did you say to her?"

"I asked her if we could be friends."

"What?"

"I apologized for what happened in the past and I asked if we could be friends. She agreed and I left. She said she needed sleep so she probably turned her phone off."

"She actually agreed to be your friend?"

"Yes!" Tony took a more defensive tone.

"What did you do to her? Was she just another conquest that you forgot about?" Now, Ziva was yelling at him.

"Something like that, yes. I'm trying to make it right."

"You actually think this will work?" Tim didn't sound convinced.

"I'm hoping. I do want to be her friend."

"Tony…" Tim clenched his fists. "Tell me you are not just trying to get close to her to meet models…"

"Hey!" Tony stepped forward. "I'm getting real tired of everyone just assuming I'm some kind of asshole playboy!"

"Assume? It's common knowledge!" Tim threw up his hands. Tony moved to stand right in front of Tim.

"This is not what you think, okay." Tony's eyes bore into Tim's. "I know I messed up. It wasn't the first or last time. But now I have a chance to maybe fix it, for once. I don't plan on screwing that up. So back off!" The door to the men's room swung open again. Gibbs walked in and looked around.

"Not even gonna ask." He turned and headed for one of the stalls.