Sitting comfortably at his desk, Tony was reclining in his chair, allowing the morning's dusk light from their skylight to warm his face. He had worked at NCIS for 10 years, so he had become accustomed with his environment and didn't particularly care what others thought of him.

Hearing the elevator's doors open, he casually looked over to see that it was Ziva who was coming into work. Turning his head back to the skylight, he smiled. "Looks like someone couldn't sleep either," noting that it was only 6:30 a.m.

Shaking her head, Ziva sat down at her desk across the bullpen. "Not really. It's going to be an interesting day."

"To say the least," Tony added. Coming out of his relaxed position, he wandered over to his partner's desk and sat down on the side of it, taking her hand. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"More than anything," she smiled. "I have lost more men in my life than I care to remember. I will not let you be on that list."

"What do you think Gibbs is going to say when we…when we tell him?" Tony questioned worriedly.

Biting her lip, she looked to the man before her. "I am hoping he will let two agents who love each other be on his team together…to let us openly express how we feel."

"I don't understand why he has always been so stern about the infamous "rule 12", I mean, he can't keep us apart. Whether or not he gives us his blessing we're still going to be in love…right?" he asked, suddenly a bit unsure of himself.

Ziva stood up and put her hand gently onto his shoulder. "Tony, when you came over to my apartment after I came back from Israel and comforted me over my father's death I knew that you were someone who was always going to be there for me. You're someone who cares. I haven't had much of that in my lifetime and I am very happy to finally have it now." Smiling softly, she looked into her partner's sharp, piercing green eyes. "I wouldn't change telling you how I feel for anything. Would you?"

He smiled and shook his head. "Never." Pausing, he kissed her on the cheek then continued. "That night at your place when you fell asleep on my shoulder, I knew I never wanted to leave that. I thank God every day that I decided to stay and…well, start our relationship."

She put her arms around his neck. "And I'm so glad you did! I don't know if I ever would have gotten up enough courage to tell you…I have almost felt like a high-schooler these past few years." She smiled, thinking back to all those days when her partner had been worried and caring for her, she didn't know if she could go another day without having him permanently in her life.

Tony nearly got lost in the moment until a co-worker stepped off the elevator. He quickly pushed her away from him, knowing once one person knew about them, it wouldn't take long for the news to circulate throughout the agency. Tony didn't think Gibbs would take too kindly to knowing the whole agency knew before he did.

Ziva looked at him strangely for a moment, wondering what he was doing until she noticed the worker as well then punched her partner in the shoulder.

Adding dramatic effect she yelled at him. "You try something like that again and you'll wake up decapitated in Cuba!" The passerby quickly got out of sight not wanting to be a helpless victim in the midst of a hostile female.

Once he was out of range, Tony and Ziva shared a laugh, but after it died down, Tony began to rub his shoulder. "Was that really necessary?"

Ziva smiled then sat back down at her desk, shrugging her shoulders. Tony walked back over to his desk with a smile plastered on his face. Checking his watch, worry started to settle in on him. Their boss would be coming into work in nearly 15 minutes; things were going to get very interesting very fast.

Less than 10 minutes later, the elevator's doors dinged and both Tony and Ziva's heads swirled around to see who it was. Their attentions were soon put back to their work when they realized it was just McGee walking into the bullpen. Tim wrinkled his brow over their behavior, but shrugged it off and sat down at his desk.

After sitting at his desk a few minutes McGee knew something was off. "Maybe someone got a new haircut…no, that's not it, too cliché. Maybe new clothes? No, Tony would already be over here showing them off…That's it. Tony! He's not saying anything! I wonder what's going on with those two…" McGee thought, beginning to catch on to what was going on. Knowing he'd find out sooner or later what the issue was between the two agents, he just settled back into his chair waiting for their boss to arrive. He knew that is when things had to start getting good.

Less than 5 minutes later, Gibbs strode off the elevator right on the dot of 7 a.m. None of the team members had ever seen Gibbs be late unless it pertained to business. Sharing a quick glance with Ziva, Tony shakily stood up and walked over to his boss' desk after he had settled into his chair and put his first cup of coffee for the day onto his desk. Looking up at his senior field agent, Gibbs got a gut feeling he was going to say something that was important. "What's up, DiNozzo?"

"Well," Tony said, trying to figure out the right wording.

Noticing his trouble, Ziva went over to her partner and helped him out. "Gibbs, Tony and I have been partners for 7 years now. We've been through a lot in those years and have learned to have each other's back." Pausing, she looked to her partner with a loving glance. "And in that time, we've also come to care for each other…"

"Boss," Tony said, gaining his confidence back. "What we're trying to say is we've come to realize that we care about each other enough…enough to start a relationship."

While listening to this conversation, thoughts were going a mile a minute through McGee's head. He knew that his fellow co-workers cared for each other; he just didn't think things would happen so quickly. He continued to stay an innocent bystander, but a smile began to form onto his face.

While his two best agents were standing at the front of his desk, sharing their hearts desire with him, Gibbs was sitting back, listening carefully to what they were proposing. He wasn't surprised at this, he knew after Ziva had been captured and imprisoned in Somalia for months that this was inevitable. Taking a deep breath, he stood up and looked both Tony and Ziva in the eye. "Are you asking me to allow you two to break rule 12?"

Straightening up, Tony cleared his throat. "We are asking you to let us be in a relationship and still be on your team. If you don't let us, then we'll leave." Sharing a caring glance with Ziva, he continued. "Ziva and I know this kind of love doesn't come around every day and we aren't going to lose it."

Gibbs understood how they felt, but wasn't sure they were ready to start a relationship. With all the death that had happened in the past year and so many things changing, he wondered if these were just feelings to cope with the death. He shook his head. "If you two want to start dating, fine with me. I'll expect your resignations on my desk tomorrow."

Shocked, the two agents didn't know what to do. They eventually went back to their desks, heads down and humiliated. McGee was completely astounded at what their boss had just said. He knew that they would be breaking one of his rules, but who was he to stand in the way of love? Maybe he was just getting older and more stubborn. "If that is even possible…" McGee thought.

Not wanting to get called out by his boss for not working, he made himself look busy, but not before stealing a glance at his two co-workers. He could tell Tony was trying to be strong for Ziva, but their fearless ninja was near to tears. The day dragged on for the couple, they felt like each minute was an eternity. Neither Tony nor Ziva even dared to look at their boss, afraid he might say something else.

Even though Tony tried to get work done, as well as writing up his resignation, his thoughts were everywhere. "How could he do this? What did we do to him that he doesn't understand? Of course he has to understand! He's been in love at least once. He's even had a daughter. Doesn't 7 years of partnership count for something? I thought I knew him better than that."

On their lunch break, Tony and Ziva shared the empty break-room. It wasn't a rarity that the room was empty, most of the teams were usually out working a case by now. For a few minutes they both just sat there holding hands and looking at their lunches, moving them around occasionally.

Finally, it was Ziva who broke the silence and looked up softly at her partner. "What are we going to do?"

Letting out a sigh, he squeezed her hand. "I guess do what he said, give him our resignations."

"I suppose we'll have to…I mean, if you still—"

"—Ziva! Don't even go there. We've already discussed this. We can't let this get away from us." Giving her a warm smile, he continued. "We will get through this. And, I think I have an idea, as long as you are willing to do it with me."

Her eyes lit up at the sign of a potential plan. "What is it?"

"Well, getting my own team has been talked about quite a bit lately." Tony shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe it's time to approach Vance with the idea."

"You think he'd go for it?" Ziva asked hopefully.

"I guess we'll find out. After Gibbs leaves tonight I'm going to ask him. Vance has been staying late…really late these past few weeks trying to get the agency back into shape. Apparently Deputy Director Craig wasn't the best in keeping everything organized."

"Tony," Ziva said sternly.

He wrinkled his brow, "What?"

Softening her tone, she smiled. "We're asking him together."

Brushing a hand across her cheek, he let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you."

Once the clock hit 9 p.m. the couple looked at their clocks every few seconds, waiting for their Boss to leave. Signing his final report, Gibbs put the file away into the filing cabinet, grabbed his gear and headed out the door. Silently.

McGee waited for their boss to be out of sight and onto the elevator, then looked over at the pair, wondering what to do. Finally he stood up to grab his gear then walked over to his friends. "Are you guys okay?"

Tony moved over to Ziva's desk to stand behind her. Putting his hands on her shoulders, he shook his head. "No, McGoo, we're not. How do you think we should feel?"

Ziva closed her eyes, trying to compose herself. "McGee, right now we're just trying to figure out what to do. We weren't exactly expecting that kind of…that kind of response today."

Shaking his head, he cocked it to the side. "Are you really going to resign?"

"We don't have a choice." Tony said, recalling the nightmare of a conversation this morning.

"Well, whatever you do choose to do, know that I have both of your backs. I don't agree with what Gibbs did either. I know it's going to be torture working with him."

"What do you think is the matter?" Tony asked curiously. "I mean, I've never know Gibbs to be this set in his ways. I've even known him longer than both of you. I think there is something else going on besides Ziva and me. Have you gotten that vibe, McGoo?"

"A little bit," Tim said. "But nothing huge, I just thought it was his age. I mean, I know that he likes us. It's not like some huge hatred. I know he knows what it's like to be in love. I just don't get it."

"Maybe it's something with one of his ex-wives." Ziva considered, "Or his dad?"

"Well, I'm not going to stick around to find out. I've learned one or two things being under Gibbs and I know not to get on his bad side."

McGee looked at Tony. "So, you do have a plan?"

Tony and Ziva shared a quick glance then they both nodded at him. Tony cleared his throat. "Look, I'd tell you now, but if it doesn't work then it wouldn't matter. You'll probably find out along with Gibbs."

Tim snickered, but nodded with understanding. "Peachy."

Ziva shrugged her shoulders. "Well, would you rather have Gibbs ask you if you knew something and you did? He'd be very, very mad."

He nodded. "Yea, you've got a point. The last thing I want is to get on his bad side. I've been on it a few times and it's not pretty."

With Tony heading back over to his desk to finish up some reports, McGee took that as his cue to leave. "Well, good luck with whatever it is you don't want me to know about but will find out about with Gibbs."

Ziva wished him a goodnight, and then looked over to her partner. "Are you ready? You sure you want to do this?"

Brushing a hand over his face, he nodded as stood up.

Standing up along with him, she walked over and took his hand. "We'll be fine, Tony. Remember that, okay?"

Putting his arm around her waist, he kissed her on the cheek. "I know Zi. I know."

As they reached the director's office, Tony took a hold of Ziva's shoulders and looked into her brown eyes. "Ziva, you need to stay out here. I've thought about this and I…I need to do this alone."

"But—"

"Trust me on this. I'll be able to feel your support even when you're out here." Sitting her down on the couch, he walked over to the door and paused briefly, but he quickly regained his composure then knocked on the door. The last thing he wanted to do was get on Vance's bad side even before they started talking.

His invitation to come inside was granted far too soon for DiNozzo as he still hadn't decided on what exactly he would say, but without further hesitation, he went inside.

Looking up from his paperwork, Leon wrinkled his brow at what the agent wanted, but he just shrugged his shoulders. "Can I help you?" he asked in a sarcastic monotone.

Stepping up towards the director's desk, Tony nodded his head. "Yes, director, I think you can."

Clearing his throat, Vance gave Tony his full attention. "And what might that be?"

"I have been given the option to have my own team multiple times and have rejected them all without hesitation. Well, that's because I've always been content with Gibbs' team. Today, that changed." He paused for a moment, and then continued on. "If you are willing to give me my own team, I would gladly accept."

Cocking his head to the side, Vance wrinkled his brow. "May I ask why you aren't content with Gibbs' team anymore? As far as I can tell you've always been happy on it."

"Gibbs' rules have gotten in the way of my life and I'm not going to let them ruin it."

"I'm sure you could talk to him about it. He likes you, I don't know why he wouldn't make an exception to keep one of his best agents on his team…unless there's another agent involved."

Shifting from one foot to the other, Tony faintly nodded his head.

Vance smirked, leaning back into his chair. "Ah, now we're getting somewhere. We wouldn't happen to be dealing with rule twelve, now would we?"

"We would." Tony said, gaining his confidence back. He wasn't going to let anyone else intimidate him. Not today.

"And this other agent, would it be Agent David?"

"It would."

"Let me get this straight. You want your own team, with Agent David, I'm guessing?" A nod from DiNozzo confirmed his suspicions, then he continued on. "So you can still be an agent but away from Gibbs' rules. If you had your own pick, which you don't," he added, "then would you like a team in this headquarters or a different office? I don't know how you working around Gibbs would go if you are having problems." He pondered, and then looked up at the agent in front of him, waiting for an answer.

"Director, I'm not trying to get away from his rules, I want to start a life with the woman I love. If he doesn't approve then that's his problem. I will take any team, if any, that is open. I am ready to start a new chapter in my life, whether it be moving on or staying right here."

"Are you sure you are ready for someone to call you 'boss'?"

"I am."

"Are you prepared to train a whole new team of probies?"

Tony nodded his head. "Yes, I am."

"All right then." Vance said as he stood up and went over to face Tony. "I'll see what I can do about arranging a new team for you. We recently had a new group of interns pass their tests so they may be available and ready to become full-time agents."

"Thank you, sir," Tony said, finally allowing himself to breathe. He was headed towards the door when he remembered one more thing, "Oh, Director?"

Vance smirked, then turned towards the agent. "Second thoughts already?"

Shaking his head, he bit the inside of his cheek. "Gibbs isn't going to let me or Ziva back on his team. What should I…"

Vance nodded then sat back into his chair. "I'll take care of it. Go home, spend time with Ziva. I'll call you when I find an available team for you. It'll be a few weeks at the least."

"I understand," Tony said, opening the door. "Thank you again."

After shutting the Director's door, Ziva ran to him from her pacing and looked to him with an unsure smile. "How did it go? What did he say?"

Smiling, he sat down on the nearby couch. "Slow down babe, you're beginning to sound like Abby." After pausing a few moments to gather his thoughts and after a few more just for dramatic effect, he took a hold of her hand. "He said it'll be a few weeks to even see what's available, but he's going to try and find us a team!"

Ziva's face lit up and she threw her arms around his neck. "Our own team," she repeated. "Who ever thought that would happen?"

"Not me, that's for sure." Tony grinned, "but I wouldn't want to have one with anyone else. We've got our own Mossad hunting dog!"

Ziva gave him a sharp glance then punched his shoulder as she got up and walked away.

Tony bit his lip, hoping he hadn't upset her. "I say it with love!"

Seeing her turn her head slightly with a teasing smile on it, he got up and went after her.

After dropping Ziva off at her place with the promise of a picnic for tomorrow, Tony headed home to his own place.

The next two weeks were filled with fun and laughter for the couple. Without having to worry about work, they filled their days with trips to the corner café, bike riding on the trails, and the occasional run through an isolated meadow. Both Tony and Ziva were having a blast; it was so nice to not have to think about work or deal with criminals for a while. Sometimes you just need to get away from it all.

In the back of his mind, Tony was beginning to wonder when Vance was going to call him about the new team…if he even had one. It didn't take long for Ziva to notice his hesitations. On another run to the café for brunch, she laid a hand on his arm. "It is going to be okay, just give it some time."

He stretched out his neck a bit after taking a bite of his Panini. "This is all just so new for me, for both of us. I didn't think that trying to start something—"

"—a significant something."

"Yes," he smiled. "A very significant something, with you would be so difficult. I never thought that Gibbs, or anyone else, for that matter would even want to keep us apart."

"Why does life have to be so difficult?"

"That's the life-long question, Zi. No one knows. You just have to keep your head up and go where life sends you, I suppose."

"It's not always easy though," she said, holding her head in her hand, looking her partner in the eyes.

"Nope. It's not. I just—" He was cut off by his cell phone ringing. Looking to the caller ID, his eyes light up. "Ziva," he said quietly, unsure of what to do or say. "It's Vance. What do I…"

"Tony," she said. "Answer the phone. Just answer the phone."

Taking a deep breath, he answered it, "DiNozzo."

"Washington."

Ziva rolled her eyes as they were walking back to her apartment. "I heard you the last 4 times, Tony."

"Silverdale, Washington," he repeated. "That's all the way across the country, Zi." Tony said, still in shock.

"You said you wanted your own team and you got one. I thought you would be happy."

Tony's famous grin spread across his face. "Oh, I am. Be sure of that." Putting his arm around Ziva, he pulled her closer. "I'm so excited to start fresh with a life with you. I love you, Zi. Never forget that. Okay?"

Resting her head on his shoulder as they continued walking, she closed her eyes in contentment. "Okay."

Running the sanding block against his almost finished boat, Gibbs stood there in deep thought. He didn't want his agents to leave or be angry at him, but he also had a team to uphold. Making decisions had always been fairly easy for him because his gut had always been there to tell him what he should do but this was different, too personal. Too close to home. After finishing sanding that portion of the plank, he sat down on one of his saw horses and contemplated his choices. "Should I let them go? I know they're ready. I don't want them to go off thinking I'm some heartless animal, though."

Gibbs had always been a good listener, never a good talker. That's why he was always thinking through his words as carefully as he could before he spoke. He had learned at a very young age that when his parents were fighting that it was the best policy for everyone involved. Taking a sip of bourbon, he sat there half the night thinking over his options, he didn't want to make a stupid mistake when people's lives were involved.

"Tony," Ziva said softly, standing over her sleeping partner, trying to nudge him out of his slumber. "Tony," she said again a bit louder.

Ziva had gotten to the point where she was very comfortable in his apartment. She had just arrived so they could take their morning jog together, but it had been a long night last night so she knew why he was so tired. When he still wasn't waking up, her sympathy for him dissolved. "TONY!" she yelled, but still playfully.

He quickly woke up and sat upright. "What is it?" he gasped. "Is everyone okay?"

Letting out a laugh, she strode into the kitchen. "Time to get up."

Rolling his eyes, he yawned then got up to stretch out a bit. "What time is it anyways?"

Checking her watch, she called back from the kitchen. "Five past seven."

"Oh man, Zi. You couldn't have let me slept until eight?" he asked wearily as he trudged into the kitchen to join her in starting their coffee.

"I told you that you could go home early last night to get some sleep. You didn't have to stay to watch the rest of the movie with me."

"I love movies! How could I just leave in the middle of it?"

Turning to put the coffee pot back into the maker and turning it on, she hopped up to sit on the island. "Your choice, not mine."

"Yea, yea, whatever." Tony laughed, joining her on the counter. Becoming a bit more serious, he placed his hand on top of hers. "What do you want to do today?"

"After our run we could just spend the day here? Play some games maybe? I think that would be fun!"

"And that is why I let you pick out our plans!" he smiled, pulling her closer to him. "That sounds like a wonderful day."

Turning to check to see if their coffee was done, Ziva got down and poured two mugs. Picking them up, she went back over to Tony and handed him a mug as she situated herself back onto the counter. Taking a sip of the coffee, Tony let out a sigh and smiled. "You really need to come over and make my coffee every morning. Like, really."

Shrugging her shoulders, she smiled at him.

They sat there in silence while they drank their morning coffee, listening to the birds chirping outside and the wind rustling through the trees.

Once the mugs were washed and placed back into the cabinet, Tony was slipping on his running shoes. "Now remember, Ziva. I'm not running 10 miles at a 5 minute pace. I can't do that. Before you came to NCI—"

"—'Before I came to NCIS you almost died from pneumonic plague. My lungs will always be damaged from that so I don't have the physical ability to run as long as you.'" Stopping her mimicking tone, she looked over to her shocked partner. "Yes Tony, I know. I'll take it easy on you!"

Letting out a defeated sigh, he got up and they headed out the door.

As the couple had finished their cool down, they chose to take the elevator, figuring they'd earned it, plus Tony was pretty worn out from their 4 mile run. Ziva took Tony's apartment key from his hand and opened the door for them. As Tony came in behind her talking about some movie, she stopped dead in her tracks. Looking up to her, wondering about her strange behavior, he stopped too.

Gibbs was standing right in front of the two of them, obviously having been waiting there for awhile. Neither of them were sure what to say. They weren't sure if he was still mad at them. Or anything, for that matter.

Biting her lip, Ziva stepped a bit more towards Gibbs. "What are you doing here?" she wondered innocently.

Shrugging his shoulders, he scratched the back of his head. "I heard you two were leaving. Wanted to talk."

Tony snickered. "That's a first."

Earning a sharp glance from both Ziva and Gibbs, he went back to standing a bit behind her. As Gibbs went to go sit down on the couch, he nodded for Tony to join him. Ziva took that as a cue to go get some water, or anything else just to get out of the room. Tony looked helplessly at her as she left.

However comfortable he was with his job, he'd never gotten too comfortable around his boss, he knew that Gibbs meant business. After a few seconds of pure silence, Tony looked over to Gibbs, unsure of what was going to be said.

"Tony," Gibbs started, as he began to explain his recent behavior. "I don't have a problem with love, I never have. It's what becomes of the people that fall into it. My experiences with women have gone south very quickly, and if it doesn't, well, things happen to people I care for. I don't want to see that happen to you."

"So you just say if you don't fall into love then you won't get hurt?" Tony asked, confused by his boss' ethics.

"I know it sounds wrong, but that has always been my strategy since Shannon and Kelly died."

"Why do you have such a problem with Ziva and me? I mean, I thought you would be okay with us…dating even when we're on your team. That can't affect things too much, can it?"

After thinking for a few moments, Gibbs shook his head. "No, it wouldn't. But I don't want to see either of you get hurt."

"I think it would hurt more if I wasn't in love. I've had more break-ups and let downs then I'd care to remember, I'm not going to let Ziva be one of them. I care for her way too much to let that happen."

As Ziva was in the kitchen trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, she couldn't help but let a few tears roll down her cheeks. She knew Tony cared for her, but hearing it said was so different.

Nodding his head, Gibbs let out a sigh. "I'm not always right, especially when it comes down to the heart. If you and Ziva want to come back to my team, you're welcome to. But if you want to go ahead to Silverdale, then I wish you the best of luck. I've messed up too many lives to keep two more people apart that care for each other like you two."

Ziva was already rounding the corner to come back and join the two when Gibbs made them the offer to come back. Sitting down on the couch arm beside Tony, they looked at each other, trying to make a decision. After a few moments of quiet discussion, they smiled at each other, knowing that they'd decided on something that would ultimately change their lives forever.

Turning to their boss, they shared one last glance, making sure this was what they both wanted. Taking Ziva's hand, Tony smiled. "We have always loved NCIS, we've always loved being on your team. But, change is a good thing, and Ziva and I want to start fresh with our new lives together. We're going to start our own team in Silverdale."

As the three stood up, Gibbs reached out and shook Tony's hand and hugged Ziva. "I wish you two the best of luck and I know you'll both be fine."

"Thanks Boss." Tony said with a smile.

Gibbs looked at Tony with a smirk. "I'm not your boss anymore, DiNozzo."

"You taught me almost everything I know, you'll always be my boss."

Nodding his head, Gibbs let himself out of the apartment.

For a few minutes, the couple just stood there with a bittersweet feeling. Knowing that their time on Gibbs' team was over was sad, but they were both very excited to get started on shaping their own new team.

The next few months were full of changes for the couple. Packing up both of their apartments, trying to decide what stays and what goes, cleaning them out for the new tenants, and trying to have time to take awhile just to relax together. Soon after they had decided on moving, Tony surprised Ziva with a proposal which she quickly accepted on.

Now without having to look for two different apartments, the pair started looking for a house to buy together. Two weeks before they were to be in Washington to start work, they arranged a small wedding. They knew they might be taking things quickly, but they'd known each other and been around each other all day every day for 7 years, they were ready to commit.

McGee wasn't happy that Tony and Ziva were leaving; they weren't just his partners, but really good friends. Vance had given him and Gibbs word that they would be getting two new interns to train, so Tim knew that he was finally going to get to be a senior field agent and have the opportunity to call others 'probie'.

A few months later could find the couple hard at work on their new team. Tony and Ziva had been assigned three new agents to be trained. At first the young agents were skeptical on how well a married couple could train people, but once they were taken out into the field just once, their perspectives were changed completely. Not all days were easy, but they were all filled with love.