A/N- I don't own any of NCIS, just watched a bit of Jack Knife and decided to shove Worth from the picture,

Former Marine Corporal Damon Worth sat in white wrought iron chair outside a little cafe two blocks from the Navy Yard, staring at the half eaten salad across the small table from him.

Ziva David drove her fork into the meal and speared a black olive in such a way as to bring to mind a fisherman with a harpoon. Her hair was loose, down around her shoulders as she began speaking, the corners of her mouth twitching upwards in a smile,

"I simply do not see what the problem is...Tony was drunk, he saw the ring and thought it would be amusing"

The ring in question contained an overlarge paste ruby, diamond and sapphire, the colours on the U.S flag, nestled in a shiny silver band, it was ridiculously cheap and tacky bauble that DiNozzo had bought after the team had gone out drinking to celebrate Ziva passing her citizenship test. He'd given it to her on bended knee, claiming it was a way to commemorate her becoming an American citizen without having to marry Gibbs to do it. Apparently the team had laughed themselves silly over that, and Abigail Scuito had snapped pictures of the event.

Worth hadn't seen the pictures, but had noticed the ring three days later still stationed on Ziva's middle finger.

"How'd he know your ring size?" he asked, trying to keep the accusation out of his voice, waiting as Ziva took a sip of her chardonnay,

"I told him" she told him casually, obviously realising a moment later how that could be misconstrued, "It came up a while back"

He returned his gaze to her salad as she continued eating, clearly not feeling his loss of appetite, he rubbed his forehead and rested his elbows on the table, pressing his hands together before his lips as though he were praying.

Perhaps he was.

"You don't get why I'm upset do you?" he asked quietly and she shook her head exasperated,

"Damon it is just a pretty toy...here" she dropped her cutlery and began twisting the ring, easing it off her finger and holding it up between them for a moment before turning in her seat to tuck it into her jacket,

"There, it's gone" she announced, clapping her hands together as though she was dusting them, reaching over to cup his cheek in her hand,

"Why don't you just throw it out?" he challenged and her arm dropped halfway across the table,

"Tony would notice, it might hurt his feelings"

"What about my feelings?!" he demanded bringing his fist down onto the table, the sound causing a few people around them to jump and look over in surprise. Ziva stared at his arm, the dark hairs on the pale skin and the muscles that were clear even in his semi-relaxed state. He saw momentary alarm in her features and was angry at himself, remembering when they had met and in his drugged state how he had blacked out and attacked her. But when he raised his eyes to hers again he saw arousal,

"I am sorry if you are unhappy" she whispered, her voice thick and sultry, this time her hand reached over and rested atop his, stroking his wrist in a teasing manner,

"Perhaps we could discuss this somewhere a little more private?"

Damon Worth had always known that his ability to overpower Ziva had been one of the reasons she was attracted to him. The number of people in existence who could physically overwhelm her were few and far in between, and usually her enemies.

She liked that he was stronger than her, as a woman who spent most of her life exercising control over others, to have a man who could dominate her in the bedroom was exciting for her. He'd enjoyed it too, seeing the wonderfully strong and dazzling goddess submissive in his arms as he made love to her- but he knew that if he followed her suggestion for a lunchtime romp beneath the covers he would be disgusted with himself later,

"I'm not gonna fuck you Ziva" he told her firmly and she withdrew her hand in shock, he briefly wondered when, if ever, she had been rejected for sex.

"So..." she raised her eyebrows at him challengingly, "Are you breaking up with me?"

Was he breaking up with her? She was one of the best things to have ever come out of his screwed up life. But his self-respect, though not always there was more important, otherwise he'd start a slippery slope back down into the hell he'd created for himself.

"Honestly...I'm not even sure we're dating in the first place" he admitted, rubbing his eyes, feeling exhausted, "Not when another guy knows everything about you down to your ring size"

She gave a sharp laugh, "Tony is my partner, we have been together for three years and yes we do know a lot about each other but that is something that comes with trust and time, he is my work partner and only that"

Ziva wasn't looking at him as she said this, instead her eyes were resting on a spot just left of him, he knew that was important for some reason but he was too upset to remember why,

"Then how come I feel as though our relationship is just one last crazy sex hurrah before you two hook up, a little wild fling before you settle down with him?"

Worth watches as her face becomes visibly pale, her eyes widen and she suddenly jumps to her feet, nearly knocking over her chair as she grabs her jacket and flees from the cafe.

He hesitates only a second before throwing down a couple of twenties and chasing after her,

"Ziva! Hey Ziva..."

He sees her slipping her jacket on as she hurries through the crowded streets, putting good distance between them before hailing down a taxi and climbing in.

He wants to tell her that he's changed his mind, he doesn't care why they're together as long as she stays with him, but he knows he'll never see her again. Not unless he wakes up in another crime scene again.

One year and one day later, former corporal Damon Worth is sitting on his front porch, reading his newspaper while a nameless blonde is inside showering, when his eyes run over the society column and register familiar names.

Timothy McGee...Leroy Jethro Gibbs...Anthony DiNozzo...Ziva David...

Turns out some journalist and fan of the Thom E Gemcity novels finally put the pieces together and figured out who Tommy and Lisa were. Such a large fan base meant that their wedding at the Embassario in the heart of Washington warranted small publicity. At the bottom the article mentions, in fine print, that they were married a year to the day they became engaged.

On the next page is a photo of them dressed in wedding attire, both looking deliriously happy and in love, Ziva is holding a bouquet of lilies and mayflowers, tied up with a silver chain from which dangled the cheap tacky bauble that had started it all.

A/N- Maybe there'll be a sequel to this with Tony and Ziva's realization, maybe not...hmmm