A/N: Okay guys, we're going to try something different. Currently this part of the story is getting a little out of hand and it might take me awhile to finish it, but I hate to leave you hanging waiting for what happens next. Since it's over 20,000 words at the moment and nowhere near done, I'm going to split it into several chapters and have Truth or Consequences be a separate story, then start MIT Part 4 with 7x2. I'll try to post twice this week, Sun and Thurs, but it might be just once a week after that until I get things figured out. Hope this works and I also hope you'll let me know what you think. Thanks for the patience and for sticking around, you guys are awesome! ~ love, Aliyah

PS. Thank you to everyone who prayed for and asked about my mom. Thankfully the reaction didn't last long and she's feeling much better now. I'm always amazed by the support offered here, you are all fabulous :)

Out of everyone in the world who could have found me, it had to be you?

Tony couldn't get the words out of his head as he sat on the cargo plane and stared at his partner on the other side, huddled up in a blanket and refusing to look at any of them, only letting Gibbs remain close. It had been three hours since she reappeared in his life and Tony hadn't taken his eyes off her. There was still a great possibility that this was a dream, even if aching muscles and bones, stinging cuts, and tender bruises seemed to indicate otherwise. He licked his lips and winced when his tongue caught on the rough split skin. If this was how he felt, Tony couldn't imagine what his wife was dealing with. The weary agent lifted his left hand and fixed his gaze on the empty third finger. He'd really thought it was over, that he'd never see the woman he loved again, and even now that she was alive, he didn't know if she was still his. Leaning his head back, Tony remembered the end of their angry conversation in Israel.

His own heartbroken plea. "Ziva, don't do this, please. I love you."

Then the cold look in her eyes when she replied, "Then you will let me go." She'd disappeared into the building and Tony had lain back on the cold cement, knowing he was losing her all because he tried to protect her. Later, when she didn't get on the plane, Tony figured Ziva was shutting him out because she was hurting and she had never known anything else besides betrayal, so why should he be any different?

This morning she'd been dead and vengeance was his final hope before he planned to let death find him swiftly. But this afternoon Saleem shoved an unknown person into the chair across from him and when the hood came off Tony blinked, sure the battered, skinny, hopeless woman in front of him was a mirage or a drug induced hallucination. Then she spoke, and the world started turning again.

But Ziva didn't want him there and she wanted to die, which hurt more than when she walked away. He saw the single tear that fell when he talked about a rescue and her expression when he asked if she could fight. Tony didn't understand until he and McGee had to lift her to her feet and physically drag her from the room that she could barely walk. He held her hand because she wouldn't hold his and kept his arm around her back, wanting to wrap her up and heal all her scars when he felt how her ribs stuck out under her clothes, her weight when leaning on them so much lighter than it should be. Ziva had gravitated towards Gibbs as soon as they reached the plane and Tony felt bereft, the thing he wanted most in the world just out of his reach. Her gaze flickered to his for the briefest of moments and his heart leapt, but the despair he read there before she looked away was enough to make everything inside hurt. He had never seen her broken before, not like this.

The pilot turned and yelled at them to prepare for landing and Ziva jumped at the harsh, unexpected sound, pressing in close to Gibbs and clapping her hands over her ears. He leaned close to whisper to her, moving one of her hands so she could hear the words. Finally she nodded and they all waited to feel wheels on the ground. As soon as the group deplaned, they were shuttled to a nearby field hospital and swarmed by medical professionals.

Tony saw the panic that leapt to the forefront of Ziva's eyes at being crowded and pushed through the people to get to her. But Gibbs moved in front of her first, giving a brief explanation and guiding Ziva towards a curtained off corner one of the doctors pointed to. Swallowing, Tony started to follow them, but Gibbs looked back and shook his head, getting the attention of another man in uniform. "They gave him some kind of truth serum, he and the other one were both hit pretty hard. I want them seen to."

"Boss," Tony tried to protest, but didn't get any further before he was led to a cot, asked several stupid questions, ad hooked up to an IV bag that would help flush the drugs through his system. And as much as Tony wanted to be with Ziva, he was asleep between one blink and the next.

It was dark when he woke up and terror immediately engulfed him. "Ziva!" he called frantically, scanning beds and panicking when he didn't see her slight, battered form.

A hand on his shoulder brought Tony's attention to the side. "Settle down DiNozzo, she's over there." He nodded towards the private corner. "You've slept the day away."

Tony frowned, looking around for a clock or some sort of time keeper. "What day is it?"

Gibbs understood the confusion. He hadn't been sure himself of the time or day when he woke up on a cot he didn't even remember laying down on. "We got her out of there Monday afternoon, it was night by the time we came here. You fell asleep during your treatment, now it's Tuesday night."

He rubbed his face. "Oh boy. I don't remember anything except closing my eyes." Tony blew out a breath. "She okay."

"The doctors have been working with her all day. Pumping her full of IV fluids to deal with the dehydration and giving her a special formula for people who are malnourished." Gibbs remembered the scene he'd witnessed earlier. "Ziver was fine until they wanted to get a closer look at her injuries, then she tried to fight them off." He sighed. "They had to sedate her."

His throat closed on hearing the newest development. He wouldn't believe she was real and alive unless he could touch her and watch her chest rise and fall with each breath. Tony struggled to his feet. "I need to be with her."

Gibbs shook his head. "Tony."

Tony whirled on his boss. "No!" he shouted. "No more keeping me away from her. She's my partner! Don't you get it? I thought she was dead!"

The older man stared at him for a long moment. "Don't disturb her."

Tony swallowed. "I won't."

Slow, shuffling steps carried him across the room and he hesitated briefly outside the curtain before sweeping it aside and walking in. Ziva lay on a low cot, eyes closed and hands resting by her sides. For a long time he just stood there, drinking her in. Someone had washed her face and neck and a pair of shoes sat beside the bed ready for her to put on. But she still wore the dirt, sweat, and blood stained clothes that wouldn't let him forget she'd spent the summer in a terror camp. Eventually standing took too much effort and Tony made his way to the chair on the other side of the bed and sank into it, dragging it closer. With a trembling hand he reached out to touch her, his fingers curling around hers in sheer relief.

Ziva was here, she was alive. Her skin was...well, it was colder than he expected, but her pulse beat under his fingers when he moved them to her wrist and that was all the proof he needed. All of a sudden everything was overwhelming and despite Gibbs' orders, Tony leaned his head on the bed, his hand clutching hers, and cried great wrenching sobs that stole the breath from him, washing out the anguish of a summer without her, the sound muffled in the scratchy wool blanket.

It was a long time before he got himself under control and then Tony lifted her hand and kissed it. "I love you Ziva, I'm so glad you're alive. I've missed you so much. I thought I lost you." He whispered the words over and over, never taking his eyes off her face.

Tony sat there for hours, staring at his wife, afraid that if he closed his eyes she might suddenly disappear. In the middle of the night he sat up, aware that something more needed to be said for this miracle. He cleared his throat. "Uh, hi God. I know you haven't heard from me in a long time, a really long time. But you...you gave her back to me when you didn't have to and I...feel like I owe you something for that." Tony rubbed the back of his neck. "So I want to make you a deal. If you can make sure I don't lose her again, that I can keep my wife for at least the fifty years of marriage we deserve, then I'll do my best to make you proud. To be the kind of man you expect." He blinked rapidly. "That's all. Oh, and uh...thank you. Thank you for bringing her here, alive."

Feeling a burden lift from his chest, Tony focused back on the woman he would do anything for. It wasn't until the first rays of dawn began streaking across the sky that someone other than a doctor came into their little sanctuary. Gibbs observed Tony's position, Ziva's hand tucked securely in his, and the expression on his face when he looked at his partner, and almost hated to interrupt.

"DiNozzo." Tony looked up. "Time to go." The fear that flashed in his eyes told Gibbs a lot. "All of us. Come on." The agent's brow furrowed. "Doctors have to look at her again and you need to get cleaned up. She'll be fine."

With reluctance clear in his every movement, Tony lay Ziva's hand back on the bed and leaned over to whisper something in her ear, touching her hair gently before walking slowly towards his boss. "Don't let her out of your sight," he ordered softly, not caring who he was talking to.

The older man understood, remembering what he was like when Jenny got shot on a mission. "I've got her six DiNozzo. Go. And talk to Tim," he said pointedly, "you owe him one."

Tony swallowed hard. "Yeah Boss, I know." After one last look at his partner, he pushed aside the curtain and left Gibbs to guard her. Nothing mattered now except getting Ziva home. Tony just hoped with all his heart that she remembered where that was, because he couldn't take losing her twice.

NCIS

From the moment Ziva opened her eyes it seemed that she wanted nothing to do with him and Tony didn't have the words to describe a hurt so deep it stole the breath from him. He watched her in stilted, suffering silence as she sat beside Gibbs, facing him and McGee but not once making eye contact with either of them during the interminable amount of time it took for the plane to cross the ocean and land in DC.

Once they got off, Tony followed his teammates to the waiting car. He watched Ziva's face in the side mirror but there was not even a shred of emotion. The elevator ride to their floor had never seemed so long and he bypassed Abby to sit down heavily in his desk chair. When Tony raised his eyes he found Ziva staring at him, really looking at him for the first time in fifteen hours. He tried to convey his love, his joy at finding her alive, his hope that they could still bring beauty from these ashes, but only dead, lifeless eyes stayed fixed on him and Tony wondered where his Ziva had gone.

Eventually Tony moved enough to take his gun off and return it to the drawer. He slammed it shut with the pent up emotion inside flowing into the gesture. At the sharp sound Ziva jumped, immediately shrinking away and closing her eyes. Gibbs leveled a hard glare at him and spoke softly to Ziva, leaving her in Abby's care again while he marched over to his senior field agent's desk and smacked the back of his head hard enough to sting. He leaned close, blue eyes boring into green. "You startle her again DiNozzo and it won't just be your head that hurts."

Tony cleared his throat and rubbed the spot. "Got it Boss."

Sometime later they were called upstairs for a debrief that dragged on and on until finally Vance declared them free to go and ordered a few days of rest for the whole team. They stood and Leon looked at Gibbs. "About Ziva..."

Gibbs shook his head. "She's staying. I don't care what strings you have to pull, she's not going back."

Vance remained calm, knowing that none of them were thinking rationally right now. "At ease Gibbs. She okay?"

"She's alive," he stated bluntly. "Needs time."

"That I can't give much of I'm afraid," Leon explained. "You let me know when she's ready to talk."

Gibbs made a noise that might've been agreement and left Tim and Tony following in his wake as he returned to the squadroom. Dismissing Abby from Ziva watching duties, Gibbs went to speak to her about what happened next. Tony followed. "You need to rest, eat, get your feet under you. Then we'll talk about details."

Tony joined the conversation uninvited. "I'll take her home Boss."

"No apartment DiNozzo," Gibbs reminded his senior field agent.

Tony shook his head. "No, my place." It was habit now not to say 'we', 'us', or 'our', even if he wanted to use those words more than anything at this moment.

The older man looked at the shadow of a woman in front of him. "Ziver?" She didn't protest, so he took it as an 'okay'. Gibbs scrutinized both his agents and sighed. "Take the weekend. Be back Monday."

Tony nodded and Ziva leaned against the wall, looking at the floor. He lowered his voice once their boss was out of hearing range. "Come on Zi, let's go home." With all his heart he hoped she'd accept.

She shook her head, addressing him directly for the first time. "You do not have to be nice to me Tony."

He frowned and guided her into the elevator, wondering if he'd completely misjudged why she was avoiding him. Did she really think she wasn't worth his time or care? "Why not? We're still married, I still love you." Tony brushed a hand down her hair, suppressing his reaction when she flinched, and swallowed hard. Nothing was going to be the same now. "I was never so glad to see anyone as when that bag came off."

She sighed and tucked her hair back, moving out of his reach. "I do not think you want someone so broken. You do not have to keep any promises."

Tony flicked the switch off and Ziva shifted away from him, fear shimmering in her gaze. With a touch as gentle as he could manage, Tony lifted her left hand and dug into his pocket for the last thing of hers he had to hold onto. Ziva trembled violently so he stilled, waiting for her to realize he wasn't a threat. Then he tenderly slid first the diamond ring and then her wedding band into place and brought her hand to his lips to kiss them. They were loose on her finger, another reminder of how much weight she'd lost and how lucky he was that she was standing before him now.

"There will never be a day of my life when I do not want you in it Ziva David-DiNozzo. You're the reason I'm alive."

Understanding dawned on her face before he had to explain and Ziva unconsciously reached for him. Tony held out his arms and folded her into a careful embrace. It had been so long since Ziva was held this way, so lovingly, and Tony's actions brought out her first tears. Even though her whole body was sore and raw and aching, she was bruised and broken and only standing with her husband's support, Ziva clung to him, experiencing the first taste of safety since she'd stayed in Israel. For the first moment she didn't feel afraid.

"I am sorry Tony," she whispered through her tears. "I forgot who I could trust." Ziva pulled away to look in his eyes and laid her palm on his cheek. He leaned into her touch and looked close to crying himself. "I know you were only trying to protect me."

Tony rested his forehead on hers. "Ziva," he said softly. "I'm sorry for Michael, I'm sorry I hurt you, I'm sorry for everything that happened. I love you so much. Please give us another chance."

She nodded. "There is nowhere else I would rather be."

Reluctantly he released her and set the elevator back in motion, but their fingers tangled and his heart felt a bit lighter as they stepped outside. The drive home was silent and Tony kept looking at Ziva every chance he got, unconvinced that this was real. Finally she gave him a faint smile. "I am not going to disappear."

He stopped at a red light and swallowed. "Are you sure? Because I've had some pretty vivid dreams over the last month and they all end with you..." Tony couldn't finish the sentence.

Ziva squeezed his fingers reassuringly, then winced at the discomfort from bones that were still healing and withdrew her hand. "I do not know what is real anymore. But I have hoped very hard that this is not a dream." She fell silent, staring at her rings. "I am glad you kept them."

Tony didn't know what to say to that, so he clenched his jaw and concentrated on driving safely. Minutes later they arrived at the small bungalow that had been their home since their wedding. Ziva's eyes scanned the little house and she blinked back tears. Feeling pretty emotional himself, because by rights this day should never have happened, Tony got out and opened his wife's door, offering his hand. She accepted after staring at it for a long moment and they walked up the path together.

Outside the door Tony paused, trying to remember what state he'd left the house in, then unlocked it. Ziva stepped inside and took it all in. "You kept everything," she observed quietly.

His brow furrowed at the surprise in her voice. "Of course. Did you think I wouldn't?"

Ziva shrugged. "I was the one who walked away, you had no obligations."

Tony touched her shoulder gently. "You said a break Zi, you never asked me for a divorce. I wanted you to come back."

Struggling to accept something so foreign as his forgiveness, Ziva looked around. "It is very clean."

He shrugged. "Yeah, well, not so much until the mission got approved. You wouldn't have liked to see it before. I wanted things to be easy for whoever had to pack up." She shook her head, not quite picking up his logic, and Tony sighed. "I wasn't trying to come back Zi, a month thinking you were dead made me realize that I had no other reason to be alive."

Horror dawned on her expression. "You were going to let Saleem kill you."

"No," Tony shook his head. "I was going to kill Saleem and then I'd find a way to die in the line of fire once McGee was safe."

Ziva raised trembling fingers to his face. "I almost lost you."

Tony wrapped his hands around her upper arms, taking care to be gentle so he didn't scare her, and clenched his jaw. "And even then you acted like I was the last person alive that you wanted to see. Why Zi?"

Being reminded of that room suddenly made Ziva feel in urgent need of a shower and she pulled away from him. "I want to get clean," she whispered. "Please, let me go. I need to get them-that place off of me."

Tony released her but trailed his wife into the bathroom. He was there when she turned around and dragged his knuckles gently down her cheek. "Let me help." She shuddered at the thought as Tony slowly pushed the filthy tan shirt off her shoulders. She reacted violently, almost jumping away from him, and he held up his hands in surrender. "Easy Zi, easy. It's just me."

Ziva shook her head back and forth erratically. "No, no please. I do not...I do not want you to see me like this."

And right there he knew that was her answer for what she said in the camp too. He took a step towards her, then another, finally close enough to tip her chin up and press his lips to her forehead. It was barely the whisper of a touch because the desert had done a number of his skin too. "I love you Ziva, nothing you tell me, nothing I see is going to change that."

Her eyelids slid closed. "You do not know what they did."

Tony framed her face with his hands. "I know you're alive Ziva, that's all that matters."

She swallowed the words she wanted to scream about agony and shame and wishing for death because being alive was just too hard and slowly raised her arms. Tony lifted the black t-shirt over her head and his eyes fell to her torso, covered in mottled bruises and slash marks, layers of healing and new abuse almost impossible to distinguish from each other. His thumb brushed over her ribs, clearly visible under the skin. She'd lost weight, at least twenty pounds since he saw her last, probably more.

The questions begging to be asked were ones he wasn't sure he wanted to voice, but Tony had no choice. "Did they feed you?" he asked, unable to look away.

Ziva shrugged and kept her eyes fixed on the floor. "Often enough to keep me from starving to death. That would have been too easy."

He positioned his fingers on her pants' button and didn't know how to get the answer he needed. "Zi?"

She nodded once. "Yes." Giving any more details than that was beyond her, and Tony was afraid to push her right now. He didn't like the scenarios he was imagining, but his focus needed to be on his wife.

Tony jammed the heels of his hands into his eyes, feeling the incredible burden of guilt settle on his shoulders. "If I hadn't killed Michael-"

Ziva refused to let him blame himself and placed her hands on his chest. "You brought me back Tony. Look," she dipped her head to try and get him to look at her, "I am here."

He opened his eyes. "It's not fair, what you went through. It's just...not fair. You shouldn't've had to go through that again. Not again."

Ziva focused on the rug beneath their feet. "As a torture tactic it is useless. Saleem already knew I would tell them nothing. It was about power and control and humiliation and pain. When they violated me, it was to show me I was nothing. In that, at least, they succeeded."

Tony shook his head and forced her make eye contact. "That's where you're wrong Ziva. I'll tell you until you believe it - you are everything to me."

Tears shone in her eyes but his proud ninja would not let them fall this time. She put her hands over his and let him bring her pants to the ground. Feeling exposed, Ziva wrapped her arms around herself. Tony stripped to his boxers and tried to communicate everything with his gaze - that he loved her, that she was safe with him, that he needed her to let him do this. Holding out a hand, he waited. Ziva's bra and underwear joined the rest and she walked past him into the corner shower. Without even a word Tony joined her, squeezing a puddle of shampoo into his palm and working it through her tangled matted hair. Ziva stood beneath the hot spray to wash the suds away and he repeated the act five times until her scalp tingled and her hair finally began to feel clean. Three rounds of conditioner were combed into the wet waves and finally Ziva could draw her fingers through her hair without hitting a single snag.

Then came the body wash. Tony watched as Ziva squeezed an obscene amount on the bath puff and began scrubbing it roughly over her skin, completely unmindful of all the wounds her body bore. The water that flowed down the drain grew murky as layers of dirt and dried blood, sweat and tears were finally washed away. Her skin was starting to look pink when Tony finally put his hand over hers to stop the motion. Gently he kissed beside her eye, sure there were tears mixed in with the water streaming over her face. He took a cloth, loaded it up with soap and carefully began washing her body.

Turning her around, he started with Ziva's back, noting what looked like lash marks, some only just starting to heal. Tony was careful of her injuries where she had not been and tender in his ministrations. After each part he washed, he planted soft kisses on her skin and silent sobs shook Ziva because she did not deserve his care. Next her front, clenching his jaw at the dark bruises and knife marks until Ziva's hand came up to caress his face and she shook her head. Tony bent to do her legs and hesitated at the inflammation on her inner thighs, combined with thumb and finger shaped imprints. He looked up and shame filled Ziva's eyes. He didn't let her avoid his gaze and stood again to hold her close.

"Not your fault," he choked out, crying himself at the evidence of her pain and suffering, but thankful the water hid the tears. "You have nothing to be ashamed of."

She nodded, but it was clear Ziva didn't believe his words. Dropping a kiss on her shoulder, Tony started to leave so she could shave and attend to personal needs, but Ziva wobbled without his support and he immediately put his hands on her hips to steady her, feeling the sharp curve of the bone too clearly through her skin. She was still too weak to be standing on her own so Tony stayed to be silent support, then reached for their softest towels when the water shut off. He wrapped the first around Ziva and then moved behind her to rub the water from her hair. Ziva stood there, eyes closed, and head tilted to the side, letting her husband pamper her. When he finished a warm robe replaced the towel now dotted with light pink stains from where she'd rubbed so hard she'd reopened healing wounds, and they went to their room to get dressed. Tony had already laid out a long sleeved shirt and comfortable flannel pants and was wearing a t-shirt and sweatpants himself. He waited until she was clothed before entering her space again, cradling her face in his hands.

"I thought I would never see you again. I didn't know a heart could break into so many pieces. Please," he whispered, drawing his lips over her cheekbone, "promise you won't leave me again."

Remembering the last time he asked her the same thing, Ziva reached up to put her arms around his neck even though movement right now came at a price. "I did not mean to live through it," she said into his ear. Her body shuddered with the memories and Tony's arms encircled her back, trying to keep her safe. "One hundred and fourteen days Tony, I do not know why I am still alive." Pulling back, Ziva brushed her fingers over his forehead and face, where evidence of the camp lay. "It would have been easier to die than it will be to heal."

His grip on her tightened and Ziva stifled a cry. Immediately Tony let go, but he took her hands, whispering an apology before he said his piece. "Don't wish that Zi, don't even think that. Honey, we need you, I need you. I don't know what healing will look like, but I promise I will be right here beside you for every step it takes."

Her eyes closed and she shook her head. "I went into that camp with only death in my heart. I do not deserve your loyalty or your love now."

Tony stared deep into her eyes. "Tell me you don't love me, tell me those rings mean nothing to you."

Ziva's mouth opened and closed, and she protected her rings with her right hand, as if he might try to take them from her finger. "I cannot."

"Then you deserve everything I can do and all my love. You're my wife Ziva. Four months away doesn't change that, and I will love you until my dying breath."

Tears gathered in her eyes and Ziva sagged against him, beyond exhausted from everything that had happened. Knowing she desperately needed sleep, Tony first sat her at the table and coached her through drinking half a glass of juice and swallowing several spoonfuls of chicken broth, as per the doctor's orders. When she finished, pushing the bowl away and shaking her head, Tony bent and lifted her into his arms, hating how light she was, hating the evidence of her captivity, and carried his wife to their bed. He lay her on top of the blankets and covered her with her favourite quilt. Kissing her cheek, he stood to leave but she reached for him. "Stay, please."

Not about to refuse any request or pass up any opportunity that let him be close to her, Tony nudged her more towards the center of the bed and slid in behind her. Ziva stiffened when his body molded against hers, but his arm resting over her waist seemed to bring reassurance and she relaxed. Leaning in, Tony breathed in the scent of his wife and closed his eyes, praying that when he woke up this would not be just one more dream.

Replies to When the World Stopped Turning:

Kahlen Tavaal - Thank you :) lol...sorry about that, but I take tears as a compliment. It means the emotions are real and that's what I'm trying to do. That's very sweet of you to say. Thanks for reviewing! :)

mishka - thank you. I'm glad it made you feel what the characters were feeling, that's always my goal. Thanks for reviewing! :)

LAR76 - I'm glad to hear that. Nope, definitely not finished there. We've got three parts left in this series and a long road to travel yet. That's exactly what S7 will be for T&Z, a season of healing together. I'm looking forward to it. Thank you for reviewing! :)

Sarah - you're welcome. Thank you for always being here :) I don't know if even T could've kept her from going, but I know he sure as heck wouldn't've let her leave alone. I hope so, I can't imagine NCIS without Z. My mom was saying yesterday that she's such a great character and she wants Cote to know what a good job she's doing. I am concerned about the last two episodes because at least her job will probably be at risk. I don't know if they can attack her citizenship or not, because I think after she's been naturalized she has all the same rights as someone who was actually born in the US? At least, I hope so. Oh good, I'm glad you looked that stuff up. I would hate for her to leave now so it's good to hear that it doesn't sound like she's planning to. Hopefully GG knows what a gem he has in Cote and they will be able to get her to sign on for a couple more seasons at least. I'll feel better when I know for sure, but that makes me relax a little now. Altho if they try to split up our team again in the season finale...I'm going to be writing a very strongly worded letter to the White Star Line :P

Thank you. Oh I know. T was totally breaking my heart. Huh, I never made the connection to Z in NA but I'm glad you did. Yeah, Vance was totally being a jerk, I'm glad Gibbs stood up for his agent. T just really needed somewhere to go when he's thinking about Z and need to talk to her, a picture and a goodbye message is better than nothing. lol...oh Aunt Nettie, even I can't argue with her. She wasn't supposed to be in this story for more than a few phone calls and video chats. Then when she and T were on the phone, all of a sudden she's getting on a plane to fly to DC and I'm thinking 'how did that happen?'. But I'm glad she came and I think she'll be good for him. Thanks so much for reviewing Sarah :)

Christie - I'm so sorry to hear about the love that you lost. I always hate it when the emotions in a story connect with something a reader has personally experienced. I supposed I'm glad to hear that the emotions were authentic, but I'm sorry it brought those back up for you. Thank you, I really appreciate you taking the time to comment :) ~Aliyah

Julia - Yeah, it was definitely sad. I'm glad it made you feel the emotions tho. lol...well, it's hard to argue with a stubborn, 76 year old Israeli lady. She wasn't actually supposed to show up in DC, but the next thing I knew she was on a plane and there was nothing I could do to stop her. She is awesome tho, I love her as a character. Gosh, T was breaking my heart all over the place in this one, poor guy. I don't know about Gibbs. I think he honestly believes they wouldn't break his rules. And it's not like people don't know T&Z are close, but the flirting and the eye sex and everything else has been normal behaviour for them the whole time they've worked together, so it doesn't necessarily mean there's anything going on behind the scenes. You and me both. The next part, unfortunately, is going very slow. But we're getting there. Thank you so much, I'm glad you liked it. Thanks for reviewing! :)

Emma - you're welcome, I'm glad you're enjoying them. haha...I didn't write all 60 pages the same day, I've been doing it a little bit at a time all week. My mom's doing better, thanks. Still some stuff to sort out, but better than she was. Oops, sorry about the horse flub. I love them, but apparently I don't know as much as I think I do. And honestly, I just like the word stallion :P I don't suppose we can call it creative license? I'll have to do my research better next time. Thanks for reviewing! :)

Sarah - I'm glad you liked it. Painful is probably an accurate description, poor T. Yeah, the ten thousand reasons are still sweet, just sad now. I'm not sure about G. He's pretty stubborn, pretty sure no one is going to break his rules. T&Z are best friends always flirting with something more. I wonder if he just doesn't want to look any closer than that? Relief may be awhile in coming, as things will be rocky while we navigate healing. Double Blind left me feeling very sad. I'm so mad at Z for betraying T and hurting him that way. I have no idea how she's going to make up for that. I think throwing that mess at them was unnecessary. And I'm not really looking forwar to the finale being a Gibbs' show. But I guess we'll see what happens. Thanks for reviewing Sarah! :)