He watches the spit shined shoes come closer to him, when he hears the slightly gruff voice, "The answer you're looking for is not in there," it says causing him to look up at its owner. With a questioning glance and a quirked eyebrow the man looks up at the slightly older man. "Gibbs?"

"Don't look at me Tony. I don't have the answers either." Gibbs states bluntly as he takes the seat across from Tony.

"What am I suppose to do. I mean she kept a secret from me, us, and it killed Kate," Tony says with anger and sadness in his voice.

"Tony there's a lot more to this than you know. Before you do something you'll regret. Talk to Ziva, what has happened is something the both of you will have to live with for the rest of your lives. Don't let it destroy want you two have," Gibbs says hoping to have gotten into the thick skull of the young man.

"I don't know Gibbs," Tony begins to say.

"Hey don't be like me. Don't let anger push all that you have away. Don't play that game, you won't win," Gibbs says harshly before getting up and heading back to his seat next to the new NCIS director.

Later that evening, pulling his tie away from his neck, Tony maneuvers the key into the lock of his newly rented apartment. With a little nudge the blue door easily opens revealing a warm, homey, half unpacked apartment. He stumbles his way in and over to the cream colored couch. Sighing heavily as he lands, Tony looks over at the side table next to him and notices the blinking red light on the answering machine.

With a press of the button, Ziva's voice fills the quiet apartment. "Hi it is me. I do not know if you will get this but if you do. I will be back by tomorrow night. There are some things I have to finish up here. When I get back we need to talk. I love you Tony please do not forget that." The call ends leaving a dead silence throughout the room, causing Tony to groan in anger. Running his hands over his face, Tony takes a long deep breath before getting up and heading to the bathroom to take a long hot shower.

The next night as the rain beats heavily against the apartment's windows, Tony sits at the dining room table a beer in front of him impatiently waiting for his girlfriend to arrive. Too soon he hears the tell tale signs of a key turning in the lock. Taking a deep breath he balls his fist preparing, preparing for the fight he wants to start. "Tony?" Ziva's voice carries from the living room into the kitchen.

"In the kitchen," he says gruffly.

Ziva makes her way into the kitchen, preparing herself for the battle she knows is inevitable. Walking in, she sees her boyfriend sitting at the table slouched over an open bottle of beer, picking at the label. Silently she grabs the seat next to him and wraps her hand over his. "Tony I am sor…"she begins to say.

"Don't say it." He pulls his hand away. "How could you let this happen?" Tony grounds out in anger not even daring to make eye contact.

"I did not know until after it happened. I was helping Ari to keep his cover as a Hamas Terrorist it was a Mossad operation. We were trying to bring down a cell. If I had known what he had turned in to, what he even had planned. I would have stopped him. Kate was my friend too." Ziva says taking a shaking breath trying to keep her tears at bay.

"You don't get to call her that. If she was your friend you would have done everything to protect her."

"And if I had, I would have stopped Ari then. But Kate is dead there is nothing I can do that will bring her back. I am sorry Tony, Kate did not deserve this."

Tony nods his head silently as he looks out the window across from him, watching the rain make paths down the window sill. "Do you at least know why?" he asks breaking the silence with a monotone voice.

"Yes." Ziva chokes back a few tears as she looks at Tony with a look of demand for more in his eyes. She closes her eyes for a few seconds as she remembers the last minutes of Ari Haswari's life. "He did it as a payback to my Grandfather," she says running a hand through her hair.

"Then Ari was your…?"

"My cousin yes. He was older than me and with Talia we were the Three Musketeers. He was my Uncle's son with another woman. He joined Mossad after his mother died in an air strike, something our Grandfather had set up. He never forgave him, and used his missions to eat away at him. I never thought that he would do anything like this." Ziva let's a few tears fall allowing herself to grieve for the man that was like a brother to her.

Irked Tony lashes out once again. "Well he did. I can't believe how right Gibbs was right. Mossad is like the Mafia one big happy family." He laughs in disgust at the thought he still has feelings for the woman next to him.

"Tony do not act like that. I did not just blindly follow order to protect him. In fact I am the one who killed him," she states bluntly watching as shock and confusion distort his face.

"You what!"

"I shot Ari. I shot my cousin, not my father."

"Why?"

"Because I could not let him hurt anyone else, he already destroyed too many lives, and I was not going to let him destroy another. He was no longer the person I grew up with. I do not know what he was, but I did know I had to stop him," Ziva says feeling his hand carefully wrap around hers. "I am sorry Tony that I did not find out sooner." She finally breaks down letting the tears that have wanted to come out flow freely.

Standing up he moves the few inches and helping her up, wraps his arms around her in a hug. "I'm sorry too. It's just hurts so much. She was such a great friend and partner. I'm sorry I blamed you." He cries holding her tighter.

The sun begins to peak over the ridge of Washington D.C., smell of rain hangs in the morning air breathing in new life to the city. In the apartment where the night before anger and sadness reigned, now is fresh sense of calm. Ziva David makes her way quietly around the bedroom picking up the clothing scattered around. Picking up a pair of jeans, she notices a box fall from the pocket. Retrieving it from the floor, curiosity gets the better of her and she lifts the lid revealing an elegant diamond engagement ring. "Tony?" she says loud enough to stir him from his sleep.

"Hmm what?" he mumbles turning over to look at where his girlfriend's voice had come from.

"What is this?" she asks turning to show him the ring.

"That…Well that's your engagement ring," he says squinting as the light reflects off the ring and into his eyes.

"My engagement ring? Funny I do not remember you asking me," Ziva says moving to sit next to Tony on the bed.

"Well you see I don't have a plan yet. I was going to ask you, but then everything happened, and well I was having doubts, and…" Tony begins to ramble.

"Tony," she says interrupting him. "Ask me."

Pulling himself into a seated position he takes the ring from the box in one hand, and her hand in his other. "Ziva David Gibbs, will you marry this crazy man and make me the happiest man in the world," Tony asks moving the ring closer to her hand.

"Yes Tony DiNozzo I will marry you," she says moving in to kiss him as she feels him slip the ring on her finger.

"I love you Ziva," he says as they pull away.

"I love you too, and I know there is still a lot we have to work through, but I know we will get through it." Ziva says before pulling him in for another kiss.