Okay, so I was probably mean last night when I made some of ya'll believe that was the end of the story. Part of me thought about leaving it like that, just because I could see the PTB doing that on the show, but since this is fanfic, I'm giving a happy ending.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed this story from beginning to end. I'm sorry that I have taken so long to write it! I didn't realize how busy I would get.

Three Months Later

Tony returned to work on desk duty a week ago. It killed him to watch Ziva, McGee, and Gibbs take off after a suspect without him. He knew how dangerous their line of work was, and how easily someone could be killed.

Ever since that conversation at the hospital, the whole team could tell a big difference in the way Tony and Ziva acted around each other. But, there was still something that kept the two at a distance.

Tony went down to Abby's Lab to kill time until the others returned from investigating a robbery. "What's this doo-da do?" Tony asked, touching the machine against the wall, causing it to beep loud.

"Tony, don't touch my babies!" Abby exclaimed, walking out of her office and shutting the machine off. "Shouldn't you be working on something?" she asked the man.

"It's too quiet up there without the others," Tony whined. "Boss has me doing Probie work. I should be out there helping them."

"Sorry, do you need a hug," Abby asked, reaching out and giving Tony a hug just as his cell phone rang.

"DiNozzo," Tony answered. "On my way, Boss," he replied a few seconds later. "They must be back. Boss wants me down in Autopsy," he told Abby.

Autopsy

"I told you I am fine, Gibbs," Ziva insisted as she sat on the table for Ducky to check her over. When they confronted the suspect to bring him in for questioning, the man took off running up a flight of steps. Ziva managed to catch up to him at the top. When she got close, he turned around and pushed her. As she lost her balance, she grabbed onto the man, and the two tumbled down the stairs.

Ziva heard the doors slide open and looked over to see Tony walk in. "You wanted me, Boss?" he asked before looking up and seeing Ziva being checked out, looking a bit worse for wear.

"Take Ziva home," Gibbs told the man.

"I can take care of myself," Ziva spoke up.

"My dear, it would be wise for you to let young Anthony drive you home," Ducky spoke up. "I believe you have a slight concussion and a few bruised ribs. I would not recommend you driving by yourself." Turning from Ziva, Ducky looked at Tony, "If she does have a concussion, she should not be by herself for the next twenty-four hours."

"Um, are you sure this is a good idea, Boss?" Tony asked, not sure about this.

"Would you rather I sent McGee and made you do the paperwork?" Gibbs said, staring at the young man, daring him to say yes.

"Your car or mine?" Tony asked Ziva, giving in.

"Last time I let you drive my car you almost sent us into a ditch," Ziva exclaimed, gingerly sliding off the table.

"That was not my fault. The dude cut me off," Tony defended as the two headed out of the sliding doors towards the elevator.

"I think it is time you rethought a certain rule of yours," Ducky told his old friend. "They remind me of you and Jenny a long time ago.

"And look how that turned out," Gibbs scoffed.

"Tony and Ziva are different though," Ducky replied. "They learned everything from you. All they need to do is realize what they have is a rare thing. The love they have for one another is what makes them a strong team in the field. They understand each other without talking."

Gibbs knew that everything the medical examiner said was true. He just needed time to gain some control over the situation. This would change the dynamics of his team, yet wouldn't. In fact, it may ease the tension that had been there since he returned from his hiatus in Mexico two years ago.

Ziva's Apartment

Tony held the door open for Ziva to walk into the apartment. "Are you hungry?" he asked, setting his bag down by the door. "I could order us a pizza or something."

"I am not hungry right now," Ziva answered, walking into her bedroom to change into something more comfortable.

"So this is where my James Bond collection went," Tony called to her.

"I meant to return them, but kept forgetting," Ziva replied.

"Did you finish them?" he asked.

"I have watched them all twice, and I was thinking about watching them through again," Ziva explained, sitting down on the couch.

"Perfect!" Tony exclaimed, grabbing the Dr. No DVD from the shelf and placing it in the machine to watch.

For the next few hours, Tony and Ziva sat on the couch watching a James Bond marathon. At the end of Goldfinger, Ziva gingerly stretched her legs out and said, "I would not mind some pizza if you are still hungry."

Tony looked at Ziva, feigning shock, "Still hungry? Have you forgotten that I, Anthony DiNozzo, could eat all day and still be hungry?"

An hour later, the two settled back into the couch, watching the next James Bond movie, while enjoying their pizza. After two more movies, Tony caught Ziva stifling a yawn and looked up at the clock, shocked to see that it was already past midnight.

"You should get some sleep," Tony said and Ziva looked up at the clock.

"There are blankets and extra pillows…" Ziva began.

"In the closet," Tony finished. "I still remember where you keep things," he explained when Ziva looked at him strangely.

"But this is a different apartment than I had," Ziva said.

"You do not like change," Tony pointed out, shrugging his shoulders. "Don't worry about me. I'll be fine. If you need anything, just give me a yell," he told her as she walked towards her bedroom door.

Two hours later

Tony jerked awake, his heart racing. It took a moment for him to figure out where he was and what had awoken him. The normally dark living room lit up with a flash of lightning coming from the window, followed by a loud crack of thunder. Groaning, Tony rolled over to hide his face in the couch, but soon sat up wide awake. Standing up, Tony quietly walked towards Ziva bedroom to check on her. He silently hoped the storm had not awakened her, so her body could heal.

Opening the door slightly, Tony looked towards the bed to see Ziva's still form lying on the right side of the bed. Convincing himself that she was still asleep, Tony began to shut the door, but stopped when he heard Ziva say his name.

"I didn't wake you did I?" he asked, grimacing at the possibility.

"No, the storm woke me," she said, not moving from where she lay.

"You okay?" he asked, stepping a little into the room.

"Will you stay until it is over?" Ziva asked, her voice uncharacteristically wavering.

Tony did not say a thing; instead he walked over to the left side of the bed, slipping under the covers. "All you had to do was ask," he whispered, gathering Ziva in his arms and placing a small kiss on the top of her head.

"I've thought about those three months a lot lately," Ziva said, as the rain began to hit the bedroom window.

"Me too," Tony replied. Truth be told, he'd been thinking about those three months ever since they actually occurred.

"When I first started dating Jeremy, I thought he was the best thing that could ever happen to me. There were so many similarities between you and him," Ziva said, her head against Tony's chest. "He seemed to be better than you. He was perfect, or so I thought. The similarities were only on the surface. The more I got to know him, the more I realized how completely different the two of you were. I should have realized from the beginning that he was using me. He never truly cared about how I felt, unlike you. You have always been there for me, even when I tried to push you away."

"That's what partners are for," Tony said, absentmindedly rubbing his hand along Ziva's back.

"But you are more than a partner to me," Ziva said, lifting her head up to look into Tony's eyes. "I would do anything to protect McGee or Gibbs, but with you, I would give my life to protect you. When Director Vance split the team up last year, what hurt the most was not being sent back to Mossad, but the fact that I could not be there for you anymore. I could see how much you were hurting after Jenny died," Ziva admitted. "I wanted to make you understand that it was not your fault, but I never had a chance. I wanted to be there and make sure you were safe. I wanted us to be back to the way we were when Gibbs was in Mexico. I wanted my best friend back."

"All you had to do was call," Tony replied. "I tried to call you, but your cell phone had been disconnected. No one knew an address for you, so I couldn't send a post-card like I did for Abs. But, that's in the past. All that matters right now is that I'm here and hell is going to have to freeze over for me to ever leave you," Tony admitted. "I've loved you for the longest time now, and my damn stubbornness refused to tell you," he said, lifting his hand up to cup Ziva's face. "I love you more than you'll ever know."

Ziva smiled through the tears she felt forming. "I think I have a pretty good idea how much," she said. "Because I love you just as much."

"I don't give a damn what Vance or Gibbs have to say about this," Tony said. "I don't plan on ever letting you go again."

Ziva chuckled at Tony before leaning just enough to capture his lips with hers, sealing the declarations they just made. The couple's attention drifted away from the storm raging outside, and to each other.