A/N: I was extremely disappointed by the NCIS season finale last night. Nothing happened or turned out like I wanted it to and I was left feeling very sad. It's been bugging me all day so I tried to fix it, hoping it will make me feel better. Let me know what you think. Thanks :)

In the lab

Abby frowned at him as he followed her out of the lab. "Where are you going?"

"With you," McGee said as if it should be obvious. "Cobb is still out there and -"

"No!" Abby tried to protest. "I can take care of myself McGee."

Like the last time? he thought silently, easily able to count three times in the last eight years that they'd almost lost her.

"Abby," Tim found himself ready to admit the truth in case this was his last chance. Too many people had died lately for him to be able to convince himself that they might have one more day for him to get up the courage to admit his feelings. The comfort they'd sought in each other's arms earlier had showed him how much he needed her. "If anything ever happened to you I..." He trailed off.

She cocked her head to the side and sighed, too tired to read between the lines. "You'd what, McGee?"

Deciding to jump, Tim reached forward and brushed his hand down her cheek. "I'd never get over it."

Immediately Abby's eyes softened and her expression lost the hard edge. She dropped her bag and put her arms around him. "I know Tim."

McGee held her tightly, breathing in the scent of her perfume and shampoo. Gosh he'd missed this, missed everything about her. "I don't want to lose you Abby," he whispered.

Letting go, Abby gave him the slightest smile. "I'm not going anywhere."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "I thought you were going home."

Abby picked up her bag. "Last time I checked, you were about to follow me. Has that changed?"

McGee shook his head. "I'd follow you anywhere Abbs."

They had yet to move beyond the doorway and Tim was wondering what came next. As if in answer, Abby moved back into his space and leaned up to kiss him gently. McGee was so surprised he didn't even have time to respond. She stepped away and held out her hand.

"Coming?"

Tim laced his fingers with hers and finally smiled. "Coming."

They turned towards the elevator and when it dinged, got in hand in hand. It was time to go home.

NCIS

At the farmhouse

They came in two separate cars, screeching to a halt in the gravel drive and emerging, guns drawn as they entered the barn. Pigeons scattered, their flapping wings and darting bodies a distraction, but the team didn't fall for it. Instead they focused on one common goal: find Ziva.

She was laying behind a large, covered crate, stripped of her NCIS windbreaker, with her hands tied behind her back. The dried blood on her white shirt made Tony's heart jump. She wasn't moving. Gibbs rushed to her, turning her over and checking for a pulse.

Tony was close behind him, finally breathing when he saw her eyelids flutter. "Oh Ziva, thank God," he said hoarsely, feeling relief for the first time in hours.

She was mumbling something about Cobb doing what he needed to do, that taking her was to keep them busy. But Tony didn't care as long as she was alive and Gibbs was too busy checking her for injuries to care about Cobb at the moment. He'd had her blood on his hands and Gibbs wanted to know where it came from.

Finally Ziva struggled to her feet and leaned against the crate. "I am fine Gibbs," she said tiredly, though her head was pounding from where Cobb had struck her and the aches her body felt from being tossed around and tied up couldn't even be counted right now.

Gibbs jerked his head at Tony when he finished examining Ziva. "She's got a nasty gash on her head. Take her back and get her patched up. McGee," he called to the junior agent, "let's go."

Looking at Ziva, Tony didn't have the words left to say how glad he was to see her alive and okay. Slinging his arm casually around her shoulders, Tony felt Ziva lean into his body as they walked out to the car. He forced a chuckle.

"You've gotta stop doing this to me Ziva. I've only got so many rescues left in me."

Ziva remembered the other times he'd saved her, thought about last night and how he'd held her in the elevator when she just couldn't carry everything by herself anymore. She had no witty remark this time. "Thank you," she whispered instead as he tucked her into the car.

Back at NCIS, Tony grabbed the first aid kit and led Ziva back to the men's washroom. He checked to make sure it was empty, flipped the lock, and motioned for Ziva to sit on the counter. She did, giving him a questioning look.

"Well, we always did do our best work in here," Tony joked, relieved to see a slight smile cross her face.

Carefully he slipped his fingers into Ziva's loose hair, gently probing her scalp in the area he'd seen Gibbs looking. When she winced, he knew he'd found the spot. Lifting her hair to one side so he could see better, Tony was grateful when Ziva held it back out of the way.

Unzipping the red bag, he pulled out an alcohol swab and ripped it open. Ziva sucked in her breath as the sterilized wipe made contact with the cut, but held still as Tony lightly dabbed the dried blood away. When it was clean, he put a small strip of bandage tape on the wound and brushed her hair back over it.

"There," he announced, "good as new."

It wasn't until he was done that Tony noticed how close they were. He was standing between her legs as she sat on the counter and their faces were mere inches apart, closer even than they'd been last night when she was falling apart and he was trying to put the pieces back together.

"Ziva," he said softly, running his knuckles down her cheek.

Ziva looked up and Tony was right there, so close she could smell the mint on his breath. Without even a word she lifted her face to his, her lips ready to receive the kiss she'd hoped for in the elevator. Tony's mouth was soft and warm, his touch gentle and comforting without demanding more. When he pulled back after a few seconds, it took barely any pressure from Ziva's hand on his neck to convince him to stay.

Their second kiss was longer, deeper, their touch needy as they drank in the sensation of each other. Five years of dancing around every opportunity and chance they ever had all came down to this - a quiet moment in an empty bathroom. Tony's hand crept around her waist, drawing her closer until Ziva finally broke the kiss. Resting her forehead against his, she looked into the green eyes of her partner.

"Tony, what is this?" she asked slowly, not wanting it to be only a moment.

He swallowed hard. "What do you want it to be?"

Her fingers slid into his hair. "I want to be with someone I can trust, someone who will not lie to me, and someone who will always have my back."

His half-grin threw her off."Got anyone in mind?"

Ziva rolled her eyes before becoming serious again. "What do you want Tony?"

Tony's eyes bored into hers, giving her no chance to look away. "I want you Ziva. Since Somalia, since Paris, and last night especially. I just want you." He sealed his declaration with another kiss.

Ziva memorized the feel of his lips on hers before pulling back to whisper, "It is you I have wanted also. I knew when you called me priceless. I have waited a long time to be worth something to someone."

Tony drew her into his arms, his words muffled against her hair. "Well, that's good. Because I can't live without you anymore."

NCIS

In the bullpen

"So what's next?" Tony asked, fiddling with something he'd picked up off her desk.

EJ turned around. "I'm taking some time off, need to figure things out." She raised an eyebrow. "I might be sticking around DC, maybe I'll see you?"

With a sigh, Tony handed EJ what he was holding. "No," he said slowly, knowing he didn't need to see her again, "probably not." He shrugged. "It's a big city."

EJ watched his eyes for a long moment before picking up her box of stuff. "Okay, well, it's been fun." She headed towards the elevator and glanced back over her shoulder. "You know Tony, you can have Rota if you want."

This time he didn't even have to think about it. "Nah, I guess I'll stick around here. No point in giving up a good thing."

She nodded slowly and kept walking. Gibbs voice floated over the partition. "That a compliment, DiNozzo?"

Tony smiled. Of course he meant the whole team, but right now he was only thinking of Ziva. Sitting back at his desk, Tony waited for her to return. He just wanted to see her smile again and know that this time, he was the cause.

NCIS

In the breakroom

Down the hall Ziva stared at the box she'd just opened and looked questioningly at Ray. "It is empty."

He smiled. "It's a promise. I have to work out of country for awhile, but we'll talk when I get back, okay?"

She shook her head slowly and closed the red jewellery box, handing it back to him. "No,"Ziva said softly. "I have had enough of empty, broken promises. And I need to be with someone who loves me enough not to leave." She stared into his eyes. "This is goodbye Ray. You are a good man and I have enjoyed our time together. But I am tired of the lies." She leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Kol tuv."

Then she got up and walked back to the squadroom with a light heart, leaving a stunned Ray behind. One chapter of her life was closed, but another was about to begin. And maybe this time, it would be the something permanent she'd longed for. Settling at her desk across from Tony, Ziva met his eyes and smiled.

NCIS

At the graveyard

Mike Franks' funeral was a solemn, structured affair. The twenty-one gun salute, the crisply dressed military men who carried the coffin, even the tightly folded flag Gibbs handed to four and a half year old Amira. No one spoke a word and for that Gibbs was grateful. Without interruptions, he just wanted to remember Mike. The legend, the hero, the man.

When all was said and done and everyone had drifted away, only three remained, staring at the hole in the ground that would soon hold a man they had all cared for deeply and were going to miss deeply. The hole in the ground represented a hole in their hearts that would not be easily filled.

After a long time, Gibbs turned to Mike's daughter-in-law. "Did you know he was sick?"

Her dark eyes met his and were filled with sadness, and perhaps a little regret. "It was impossible to live with him and not know. I wanted him to stay with us, to let us have the last moments together. But Mike did not want to put us through that. He said he had one last thing to do." She put her hand on his arm. "He wanted to see you, Gibbs."

Gibbs nodded. "Mike was a good man." He ran his hand over his god-daughter's curls and knelt down at her level. "How ya doin' Amira?"

Her eyes, still peaceful even though shadowed with grief, looked at him. "I miss my abuelo, Papa Gibbs."

He put his arms around her small frame. "I know honey." When she didn't let go, Gibbs scooped her up in one arm and put his other hand under Layla's elbow. "Time to go home."

The beautiful Iranian woman shook her head. "We cannot go back to Mexico. It is not home without Mike."

Gibbs put his arm around her shoulders. "I know. I meant my house." Her drawn brows asked the question and he gave her a small smile. "You and Amira are going to live with me. I haven't seen either of you in far too long, and I want to watch my god-daughter grow up."

"Gibbs," Layla's tears began to flow again. "Are you sure? It would be a burden for you-"

He cut off her words with a swift shake of his head. "No burden Layla." Gibbs sighed. "It's been a long time. I would like to have a family again. And I swear, I will protect you and your daughter with my life."

Layla wiped the tears away and nodded. "Mike would have wanted this. Yes," she smiled, "Amira and I will be your family now." She looked at her daughter ensconced in Gibbs' arms. "We are going to live with Papa Gibbs now Love, what do you think of that?"

Tired, Amira simply nodded her head against Gibbs' neck. "Yes."

Layla looked up at Gibbs. "I guess it's settled then. Let's go home."

Gibbs kissed the side of Layla's head and steered them, the woman only a little older than his first daughter, and her little girl who would now be his granddaughter, towards his car. He glanced back at the casket he'd carved for his friend, glad Mike could be buried beside his son, Liam.

From a distance, Gibbs heard his mentor's voice come back to him. "You take care of them now Probie, that's my treasure right there."

A faint smile crossed his face and nodded once. "Yeah, I will Mike. I will."

A/N2: If NCIS had to end, I would want it to be like this. With a sort of happy ending and lots of room left to imagine what might happen next, but with enough closure to be able to let go. Thanks for reading!

PS - ANB and TWL readers! This week had not been a good one for writing. But I will try to post something by Friday. Thanks for being patient! Aliyah :)