Hey you guys! Here's the q&a! I loved getting your questions--there were some really thought provoking ones in here. Love it! Anyway, I don't think I missed any, but if I did, so sorry! And at the end there's a little suprise, so check that out too.

--AutumnWhen you are writing, which character are you in your head and for what reasons? That's a really good question! I usually put myself in Ziva's place. This story was more Ziva-centric anyway. But for the why? I guess it's more of a personal thing. I find myself identifying with her because she has been hurt so much and betrayed by people she was close to. That's happened to me so many times, so writing out her feelings is easy. I also put myself in Tony's shoes a lot, since he covers up his emotions and hurt with humor, much like I do. There's a lot more to him than it appears, and I really try to capture that. When I put myself in Ziva's place, I always aim for the idea that she totally loves Tony, but she's been hurt a lot and she's jaded and distrusting. Ultimately, she wants to be with him, but she's scared to get hurt again, especially after Jeanne and how he never called her that summer.

How do you come up with the inspiration for your stories like this one? Usually I'll get a scene or scenario in my head and I'll either write it down for my file for later on or to put in another story, or I'll just start writing. However, some of my stories are inspired by a line or two that I may have thought of while watching a movie or other TV show. My last story, Here I Lay, was inspired by a line I came up with after watching an episode of 24, thinking about emotions and how they affect us. This story was created because I just had this dire need to write about my favorite song, All We Are, by Matt Nathanson. I wrote the first two sections in chapter 1, then got sidetracked by HIL and when I got stuck on that one, I tried this one again after thinking about the fire scene. I really wanted to see what Ziva would be like if she thought she lost him for real.

How do you play a story? Do you outline or do you just figure it out as you go? Or is it a mix? I'll usually start with a simple idea—maybe a scene or conversation or a single line I thought of in the shower (since we're being honest here!). I start with that and get a general idea of what I want to happen, but in general, I just write where the story takes me. I originally ended this story by chapter 15, The End of Love (but of course it ended much differently). But then I realized that their story wasn't done. Tony and Ziva needed more time to figure things out. So I added in Sandy and more drama. Tony and Ziva are pretty complex people, so why should their story be any different?

My question is, why in the name of all that is good was [All We Are] not on the soundtrack? The soundtrack was designed songs only in Season 6, unfortunately. I wish it was too!

When you met the NCIS cast, was Michael Weatherly anything like his character? Actually, he was! He was very witty and charming and humorous and cracking jokes and telling us stories, much like Tony. The only difference was, he was much more mature. : ) However, unlike Tony, he was very humble. He introduced himself as "Michael", not expecting us to know his name or how amazing he was. He let us hang out with him for quite a while, asking us questions and telling us about all these different things. It was awesome. I'll admit, I was pretty starstruck! But soon, it felt very natural and normal, as if we knew him in real life. Oh, and yes, he is just as hot in real life. I know you were all wondering that. : )

Do you have them already written, or do you do the whole, "It's planned, I just need to sit here and write it," bit? Well I like to have quite a bit already written when I post the next chapter. I like having the extra wiggle room to work out any bugs and make it all flow. Because of all the different things that occurred, I had to write and rewrite and then go back and check and rewrite again and add in a conversation her and a scene there. Much like Mike Franks, I don't believe in loose ends. I write my stories in a single document, and at the bottom I keep an idea paragraph—It's messy and simple and every idea is separated by a semi-colon. Used ideas are crossed out with a strike-through and I update it as I go. If I get an idea or some lines or a conversation or a song that inspires me or a scene I want to see happen, I stick it in there. I'll refer to it if I feel stuck or want to know what's next. I learned the hard way—always write down your ideas, even if you don't think you'll use them!

You said that you were inspired by the song All We Are to write the fanfic All We Are, are you usually inspired by music? Yes, I am! For every story I have there's usually a song behind it. When I was writing In the Spring, I had Lost by Michael Buble in my head the entire time and finally decided to add it in with the story. Not sure if it was my best move, but it worked out I think. I think with All We Are, the song really set for the tone for the story. I wanted it to be nostaligic and sweet though soft and sad. I wanted it to be a lot about second chances, and I think choosing having All We Are (the song) as its basis really helped that.

Are you a boy or a girl? I'm a girl. : )

Which NCIS character do you want to be? Ziva. 1. She is gorgeous. 2. She is a trained assassin—she can protect herself and she kicks butt and she looks so good doing it. 3. She has an amazing man like Tony.

Did you like Kate when she was on the show? No, not really. For a long time I couldn't stand her but she grew on me, though I'm still not a big fan. To each his own.

Do you have any siblings? I do. I have 2 sisters, 4 and 11. Sometimes we get along… Sometimes we don't. : )

So, I hope you all enjoyed All We Are. I really loved writing it and it was amazing. I think I got a better handle on the characters and everything and so that made it a lot of fun for me and a real learning experience.

Now, as a special treat, here's a sneak peek from my next fic, whose name is yet to be determined. But it will be based on another song. It'll be posted pretty soon, so keep an eye out!

As the old saying goes, you never know what you have until it's gone.

Tony never intended to learn. He thought he would never have to know. He thought they had all the time in the world. That she would be there forever.

How wrong he was.

So tonight he stood alone, in the dark of the squadroom. The silence of the building echoed the pain he felt inside, screaming at him to get up, to do something, to stop wallowing and to change the facts.

It wasn't supposed to happen this way. She wasn't supposed to die.

Now, how's that for a teaser?