A/N: This is our episode tag to chasing ghost! We felt there were so many things to deal with before Berlin, so this is how we think it happens. Co-authored by the amazing PurpleJelloTIVA206

"McGee, we have been over this. You are not telling Tony, I will tell him in my own time." Ziva said as McGee brought up the fact that Tony was snooping around.

"Ziva, he's going to figure it out on his own soon, wouldn't you prefer he heard it from you first?" McGee asked, as his friend stubbornly shook her head.

"No, we keep him as far away from this as possible. I asked you to run interference with him so he would not find out." Ziva said defiantly.

"That's what I'm doing, but he's not letting this one go." McGee shot back.

"Tim, I am asking you to keep him away." Ziva said and McGee saw in the look of her eyes that this discussion was over.

McGee shook his head and walked towards the bathroom. "I'll do my best, I still don't understand why though."

Ziva sighed as she saw McGee walk away. Why couldn't he just understand? There was a knock on the door and Ziva reached instinctively for her gun, they ordered food but that was only 25 minutes ago, so she did not expect it for another ten to fifteen minutes.

Ziva quietly shuffled to the door, raising her gun before opening it. All her hopes of keeping Tony out of this disappeared as she saw him standing there looking at her worry evident in his eyes. She opened the door a little wider, knowing that she had to let him in. He only caught one glimpse of the room and the words she so badly did not want to hear came.

"I want to help." Tony said softly, his eyes falling back on her after they went around the room.

"Is that the food?" McGee asked as he walked back into the room. Ziva glimpsed at McGee for a moment before looking back at Tony and she immediately saw the hurt and the distrust form behind his eyes as she opened the door further to let him in. She took a deep breath after he walked passed her and closed the door.

"What are you doing here?" McGee asked recognizing the look of anger currently residing on Tony's face.

Tony moved to the middle of the room, taking a moment to gather his thoughts as he came to terms with the scene in front of him. As he walked around and took a better look at the room Tony realized he felt betrayed.

"Well I was going to ask you the same thing." Tony asked, bringing a grimace to his face as he tried to smile.

McGee glanced at Ziva and he saw her unsure and maybe even scared look on her face, before she looked back at Tony. McGee decided that if anyone was going to explain this it would have to be him. "Now that the kidnapping case is over we were going to tell you. Ziva was just waiting for the right time." McGee said, keeping a straight face through his lie. Telling the full truth was not something McGee thought Tony could handle right now; his friend deserved a little piece of mind. McGee wasn't sure if Tony believed him as his face twisted just a little.

"Things got out of hand, one phone call let to another. And then..." Ziva rambled on, worried about what Tony would say about all of this.

"The next thing you know, we are hold up in this crappy studio obsessing about what to do next." McGee added as a way of explanation. McGee looked at Ziva quickly as Tony closely examined the contents around the room. He could see how uncomfortable she felt and next to that he could see her sadness at the situation.

"Well I like what you've done with the place." Tony said jokingly, having no other coping mechanism to deal with this. "Matching computers, I mean that, that's adorable." Tony continued on and Ziva looked up at him. Realizing how bad this whole situation had affected him as he struggled to stay calm.

"It's not funny." Ziva said trying to break down his act and get his real opinion. "This is serious."

"I'm well aware of that Ziva," Tony snapped back at her. Still not believing that she asked McGee for help. Did she not realize in how much trouble he could get in? "You're tracking a CIA target and using NCIS resources to do it." Tony said to the both of them.

"No, this is all by the book." McGee said quickly.

"Oh good. Because that makes it ten times worse." Tony raised his voice. If they would get caught they would lose their jobs. Ziva would land on her feet like always and he understood why she risked it all, but why would she risk everything that McGee had too.

"It's a nice way to lose your jobs guys. It's only a matter of time before word gets out that you're tracking him internationally, if it isn't out already." Tony pushes on.

"Technically, we're not tracking him." McGee started and Tony wanted to shake his head wondering if McGee sometimes was too smart for his own good.

"I've friends, contacts monitoring bank accounts and airport activity all around the world." Ziva backed up McGee. Which did nothing to lighten the betrayal he felt seeing them working so closely together.

"Shmeil putting in some overtime for yah." Tony said and Ziva could hear the venom in his tone.

"Shmeil is one of my contacts, Tony." Ziva said slowly beginning to lose her patience with his behavior. "But that is not what matters."

Tony took a moment to look at McGee who seemed to have nothing further to add.

"Shortly after my fathers death, Bodnar was caught on a surveillance camera exciting a Dullas airport parking garage. 25 minutes later he's seen leaving a restroom from inside the terminal. a person matching his description landed in Rome's airport. This is actually one of the last pictures taken of him. There have been possible sightings in Switzerland and Prague as recently as last week." Ziva stated. Pointing at the picture on the wall, before leaning on the desk and looking at McGee quickly.

"We think he's exhausted all his fail safes and is still hiding out somewhere in Western Europe." McGee now added to the theory.

"Or the CIA has already gotten to him and he's in custody, or he's already dead." Tony added.

"Bodnar is not dead. He's alive." Ziva responded fiercely "Now I'm not going to stop until I found him."

Tony nodded, understanding Ziva's search for vengeance, her need for closure. There was just one thing that stood in her way. "So when are you going to tell Gibbs?"

"Soon." Ziva responded. "Tomorrow."

Tony nodded before finally moving from his place in the center of the room and walking along the walls to see what kind of information they had gathered so far. There was a lot, they had been tracking Bodnar's movements for a while now. He followed the red line that went across Europe. He turned around and saw McGee and Ziva looking at him expectantly.

"Any questions?" McGee asked, glancing to Ziva before looking back at Tony. Tony bounced on his feet for a moment.

"Where in western Europe would he be?" Tony asked shrugging his shoulders.

"We're not sure. Italy, Germany, France, Netherlands maybe even Denmark." McGee responded.

"You missed Belgium there Probie." Tony said tapping on the board next to him where a land map rested. "How long have you two been working on this?"

This time it was Ziva who answered. "We've been here for seven weeks." Ziva said crossing her arms. Tony chewed on the inside cheek, trying to keep his emotions under control. Instead of asking more questions he turned back to the wall to look at the information.

McGee and Ziva spared one more glance at each other before Ziva picked up her phone to make another call to one of her contacts and McGee sat back down behind his computer. They worked in silence for a while; it wasn't a comfortable silence like they were used to. It was filled with unresolved tensions and if McGee was honest with himself he was distracted by it. Ziva kept glancing at Tony and Tony kept throwing Ziva looks but neither needed to speak as there body language already spoke volumes. Their stubbornness leading to a stalemate.

Their work ethic did not change as the food arrived. Tony paid for the pizza and opened the pizza box placing it on the edge of one of the desks. He took a slice and went back to studying the newspaper cut outs and printed out emails that Tony was sure McGee hacked into. He was reading pulled a Italian newspaper clipping from the wall. Turned it around and read the back of the article.

"I found something." He said softly, not sure if he was happy about it or not. He even considered for a moment not saying anything at all and just hanging it back up.

"I translated that section already Tony. We know he's not in that hotel anymore." Ziva said quickly. Tony looked at her confused for a moment, before remembering the other side of the news clipping.

"No I'm not talking about the hotel, no on the other side it says there was a strike with the train personnel. Saying that that all the trains would ride but they would not check for tickets." Tony answered standing up to show it to Ziva. Ziva took the clipping from him and looked at it. Her Italian was rusty at best so she could only make out a couple of words.

Tony looked over her shoulder and pointed out the section he was talking about. "That's how he got around in Italy. He could have taken the train or international trains anywhere." Tony said triumphal.

"Tony that still doesn't give us where he's now." McGee answered.

"I know McGee, but it gives us a means by which he travelled." Tony responded.

"How is that?" McGee asked.

Tony shrugged his shoulders, but sighed after McGee raised an eyebrow at him. "Fine, traveling by train is a easy way to get across the country, especially if there is no one checking for tickets or ID. You could easily blend in with everyone else." Tony said, before looking at the German news clippings that they'd found before realizing that he wouldn't be able to read them. "You should have asked for my help months ago."

McGee looked how Ziva's momentarily elevated mood fell at that comment. Her excitement of getting a step ahead by knowing how Bodnar could have potentially travelled was gone. Those two needed to talk. Right now.

"Look guys, you two clearly need to talk. So I'm going to go home and actually get some sleep while you two just figure out whatever this is, you got going on here."

"We don't need to talk." Tony and Ziva answered in unison.

McGee looked at them, both their faces carried the same apprehension it was almost comical. "Oh please, look you both have some things to say to each other, otherwise I wouldn't be able to cut the tension with a knife in here". So talk, because not talking has gotten both of you nowhere the past 9 years." McGee said sternly and the apprehension changed to shock.

"I've seen the change. the 'post elevator us' you were talking about Tony." McGee went on gathering his things. He walked towards the door but before he left he turned around to give them one last part of his wisdom. "That growth was acquired by talking. So talk!."

Both Tony and Ziva stayed quiet, frozen in place for some time after McGee closed the door behind him. Neither sure what to say and how to say it.

-TIVA-

In the end it was Tony who made the first move to talk. Just like he felt he had been doing for the last half year. He turned towards her and she followed suit looking up at him. Her eyes were filled with unshed tears, it made his stomach contract. He reached out for her but she took a step back.

"Ziva." Tony started but Ziva shook her head.

"Tony I needed someone that was good with computers." Ziva said trying to reason her way out of this.

Tony looked into her eyes and shrugged, anger was boiling under his skin. "That's a reason for asking McGee, not a reason to keep this from me."

"The less people that knew about this the better." Ziva responded. "Gibbs's rule number 4."

"Bull. You're breaking a million rules Ziva, One of them being rule one, never screw over your partner." Tony spat back, his anger seeping out.

"Tony, do you not understand? I need this!" Ziva said.

"Do I understand?" Tony asked, not quite believing his ears. "Ziva I went to the other side of the world to avenge your death. You think I don't understand your need for revenge? Of course I do."

"You would have tried to stop me!." Ziva yelled at him.

At this Tony let go of a humorless chuckle. "Tried to stop you? Ziva what was the first thing that came out of my mouth when you opened the door a few hours ago?"

When Ziva did not respond but just looked away from him he continued. "I said that I wanted to help. When I found you after your father died, what was it what I said? That I wanted whatever you wanted, whatever you needed. Why don't you understand?"

Ziva looked up at him. She had ran out of excuses, but she didn't know how to tell him the truth. She was tired, she didn't sleep much and the sleep she did get was filled with nightmares.

Tony looked at her, he saw all the fight and stubbornness leave her body. His anger dissipating as he saw her shoulders fall. He knew he wouldn't get anywhere with her tonight, he needed to think and so did she. "Come on, I'll drive you home." He said.

"I have my own car Tony." She said, sounding like his old Ziva, but looking defeated.

"Yeah, but even if I follow you all the way home, you'll probably get back in your car the moment I'm gone and drive here to do some more work. You're sleep deprived you need to get a good night rest." Tony said raising his eyebrow at Ziva.

Ziva wanted to argue, to say that she wouldn't get a good night rest anyway. But that would mean she had to admit she hadn't slept well the past few weeks and she wasn't ready to let anyone know that. The only thing left to do was gather her things and follow him out the door, staying would mean more fighting and she did not want to fight with him.

The drive home was made in silence. The only sound being the radio that played and the sound of the engine running. They didn't even argue about which radio station should be on. Neither one was really paying attention to it anyway.

Ziva glanced at Tony, his eyes were trained on the road. She could see the small worry lines that creased his forehead. His lips formed a straight line instead of the usual half smile he wore and she loved so much. His eyes that usually shone with joy and made her feel happy and welcome were now dark and had a hardness to them she hadn't seen in a long time. His shoulders were anything but relaxed. She wished she could just take them all away. Let his demons disappear, but she caused most of them and she wasn't sure she was capable of repairing him this time.

Tony drove almost mindlessly. He knew the way off by heart and it wasn't busy on the road this late at night. He glanced at Ziva quickly and saw her slumped shoulders as she rested her head against the window. This woman drove him crazy. He could go from ready to put everything he had on the line for her to so angry with her he was ready to explode. It was times like these he wished for the good old days, where he wasn't worried about her, when he wasn't at work his thoughts would not linger on her. That when he lay in his bed at night, didn't wish she was there with him. So he knew she was safe. Who was he kidding? Those days had been before he met her and he never wanted to not know her.

He parked in front of her building complex and looked at Ziva. She unbuckled herself and was about to get out of the car but his hand on her arm stopped her. She turned to look at him, she could still see the hurt he was carrying, the lines had not disappeared from his face. They might even have become a little more apparent.

"I'm only a call away if you need anything?" Tony said and Ziva saw his eyes become a little warmer. She felt her heart swell as for a moment and even considered calling him in the middle of the night when she awoke from her latest nightmare. Calling him, asking him to tell her about a movie to take her mind of things. But then realizing she would never do that.

"Thank you Tony." She said softly before opening the car door and walking towards her apartment. Tony waited for her light to turn on before driving off. He would make sure his phone was charged and ready to go and that the sound was on all night. Precautions to make sure he wouldn't miss the phone call that he knew would never come, but he would do those things anyway.

A/N: So we think there are two more chapters and reviews make us happy and will make us update earlier.