Author's Note: I truly enjoyed writing this story. Please read and review. Check my profile for updates.

Spoilers! "Friends and Lovers"

It had to be morning, because there was light peeking out from behind the window blinds. Ziva awoke to find that she'd been sleeping on her arm, and as a result, it was completely numb. Groaning softly, she rolled over and shook it a little bit to get the blood flowing again.

As numbness gave way to pins and needles, she sat up, the covers falling away to expose her bare chest, and glanced at the other side of the bed, where her partner still appeared to be sound asleep. She knew better than to trust that he really was asleep, but at the moment, she was only really concerned with getting dressed and getting something into her stomach.

By the time she'd finished in the bathroom, the bed was empty. Ziva rubbed the last of the sleep from her eyes, yawned, and started down the stairs.

He was waiting for her in the kitchen.

"Hey," he murmured, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing the top of her head. "Sleep well?"

"Well enough." Ziva shifted until her back was against him and pushed at his arms until they were straight, interlacing her fingers with his. "You?"

Jethro chuckled lightly. "I always sleep well," he said into her hair.

"If you sleep at all. I do not know why I even undressed last night." Ziva scowled up at him. "How late were you working on your boat this time?"

"You went to bed early, Ziva. It wasn't even midnight when I came in."

Pulling away, Ziva turned to prod him none too gently in the chest with her pointer finger. "You will not get away with this next time, Jethro. I…" She trailed off as he reached behind him and offered her a cup.

"Coffee?" he said, a teasing note to his voice and a smile playing at his lips.

Ziva glared at him, but her heart wasn't in it. She accepted the coffee and took a long drink. "Do you have anything planned for breakfast?"

Jethro shook his head and sipped at his own cup. "I got a call last night from the director. She wants to see me as soon as possible, so we should try to leave early."

"Didn't this happen last week?" Ziva perched on the edge of the kitchen table instead of sitting in a chair and frowned at him.

"Apparently this is different." Jethro shrugged. "You can ask her about it if you'd like."

"No, I think I will let you deal with it," said Ziva dryly. Whatever it was, she was sure that Jenny requesting a meeting with Jethro meant something serious.

The drive to the office was quiet. Jethro didn't say anything to Ziva as he stepped out of the elevator, just touched her arm and went off to find the director. Ziva moved to her desk almost automatically, tying her hair into a ponytail as she did so.

Tony was on the phone. Specifically, he was on the cell phone he always used to call his girlfriend, whose name Ziva had yet to figure out. He was being so secretive about this, she thought, not for the first time. Why was that?

She exchanged a glance with McGee as she sat down. Tony was practically stuttering.

"Well, I – no, it's not a problem! I just – okay, okay. I'll see you tonight. Bye."

"Problems?" Ziva commented as he put away the cell phone.

"None of your business," Tony replied, shooting her a look that wasn't quite a glare. "You're early."

"So are you," Ziva pointed out.

"Yeah, but you haven't been here early since you moved in with –"

"Are you sure things are going all right, Tony?" McGee put in. Ziva had noticed that he seemed distinctly uncomfortable with her relationship with their boss. "You sounded a little worried there on the phone."

"I said, it's none of your business," said Tony crossly. "And for your information, things are going swell. Really swell."

Ziva leaned towards him, raising her eyebrows. "Too swell?" she pressed.

Tony hesitated, glancing at her. "Maybe," he said at last, evasively.

Sitting back in her chair, Ziva turned to her computer and frowned at it. Sometimes she thought Tony's relationship seemed to be going better than hers, which was ridiculous, both because this was Tony, whose relationships never ended well, and because hers was going just fine.

Maybe she was jealous of Tony because she was still subconsciously crushing on him. It had happened off and on in the past…

Ziva brushed away that thought. There was nothing to worry about, she told herself.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jethro coming out of Jenny's office. Jenny was with him, and they were laughing over something. The smile he always used when he was flirting with Ziva was on his face now, and Jenny seemed to like it.

Jethro would not cheat with Jenny. He has not been with her in years. Besides, he has always liked to flirt with women. It comes naturally to him.

Ziva wondered why she was so worried about this all of a sudden.

She tried to avoid looking at him for the remainder of the morning. He seemed unfazed, or maybe he was just preoccupied. Eventually they got a call about a dead marine, and that was when things started to get interesting.

The crime scene was the apartment belonging to the marine's girlfriend, a young woman named Cheryl. While Tony took Cheryl's statement (apparently she'd come home after a night out with her friends and found him there – Ziva wasn't buying it), Ziva and McGee worked the scene.

Ziva had the camera. She used it to surreptitiously take a few pictures of Tony, which she would check later to see if she could catch a glimpse of him flirting, since he hadn't been doing much of that lately.

"What are you doing?" McGee asked when he caught her.

"Tony has been acting very unusual lately. I am attempting to confirm if he is really so onto this girl that he will not flirt with any others." She didn't say that her thoughts were on Gibbs and the way he still flirted.

"Into, Ziva."

"Whatever." Ziva snapped a picture of McGee in retaliation for the comment. "What do you think?"

McGee opened his mouth and then hesitated, his eyes flickering to look over Ziva's shoulder. "I think this crime scene is very clean. It looks like Trenton should have bled more."

Ziva bit the inside of her cheek. That was a blatant reaction to the appearance of Gibbs. When she turned around, she saw both her boss and Ducky, accompanied by Jimmy Palmer with the gurney.

"I think you're right, Timothy," said Ducky as he knelt down beside the body. "This man was stabbed multiple times in the chest and stomach. There should be blood and guts everywhere, unless of course he was stabbed postmortem, but take a look at this…"

Ducky's lecture continued, but Ziva was distracted by the appearance of Tony behind her. As McGee and Gibbs dealt with the medical examiner, she moved aside to talk to her partner.

"What did she say?"

"She thinks Trenton was cheating on her," Tony replied. "Actually, she said she has a list of women he could potentially have been cheating with."

"That seems like over…death?" That didn't sound right.

"Overkill."

"Overkill." Ziva tilted her head, frowning thoughtfully at Tony. "Do you think he was cheating?"

"I think she was paranoid," said Tony, with a hint of amusement. "Maybe he could've been cheating with one woman, but if there are thirteen different possibilities, and she can't tell which one it was, then I'd say it's unlikely."

"Hmm," was all Ziva said in response.

When they returned to the office, Gibbs disappeared again with Jenny. Ziva's mood was sour by now, and she stood in front of the screen with her arms folded as McGee uploaded the pictures from the camera.

"Hey!" said Tony indignantly as a picture of him with Cheryl came onto the screen. "Probie, delete that picture. And that one," he added as the next one showed up.

"You took some very unflattering pictures of me last time," Ziva defended herself.

"That's no excuse. Hey, what's that?" Tony pointed at a spot of light on one of the pictures.

"I think it's the sun coming through the window and reflecting off his watch," said McGee.

"He didn't have a watch." Ziva started as she heard Gibbs's voice come from directly behind her. He was always sneaking up on them! "It's reflecting off something on the floor."

"So it's that little shiny thing I couldn't identify," McGee amended.

Gibbs frowned at McGee. "Little shiny thing?"

"It's with Abby now, boss. She'll take care of it." When Gibbs continued to stare at him, McGee sighed. "It's just some kind of shiny paper or something. Abby'll figure it out."

Tony sidled closer to Ziva as Gibbs moved away and sat down at his desk. "So, Zeevah," he said, lowering his voice secretively.

"What?" said Ziva irritably.

"How are things between you and Gibbs, anyway?" Tony's tone was decidedly sly.

"You told McGee you didn't want to know about Gibbs's sex life," Ziva pointed out.

"I'm not asking about Gibbs's sex life. I'm asking about your love life." Tony grinned cheekily at her. "Does he fulfill your needs as a woman? Ow!"

Ziva had decked him almost automatically. She glared down at him as he hunched over, clutching his head. "This is not something I will discuss with you, DiNozzo!"

"Do I need to separate you two?" Gibbs asked, giving them a pointed look.

Tony straightened and shook his head. "No, boss, we're good. Better than good. We are excellent."

"Good. Go check out Trenton's apartment." Gibbs tossed Tony a set of keys. "Don't come back until you have something!"

Ziva followed Tony into the elevator, not bothering to hide the stormy expression on her face. She snatched the keys out of Tony's hand as soon as the doors were closed.

"I'm driving."

Tony blanched. "I take it back, okay? You don't have to kill me."

"I do not intend to kill you," said Ziva dryly.

"Then can I have the keys back?"

"No. I said I'm driving!" Ziva pulled away as Tony made a grab for the keys.

"Gibbs gave me the keys," Tony complained.

"You were closer. Anyway, Gibbs is not watching us leave the parking lot. He will not care."

The elevator doors opened, and they walked out together, still bickering.

"Okay, well, if you're driving anyway, then I might as well ask again." The cheeky grin came back. "Gibbs doesn't really fulfill your needs as a woman, does he?"

"I do not know what you mean by my needs as a woman," Ziva retorted.

"You know, your sex needs…"

"You said this was not about sex!"

"Your emotional needs then. Even you must have emotions somewhere deep down, Ziva." Tony smirked at her. "Come on. If Gibbs was really everything you wanted in a man, would you get all defensive every time someone asked you about it?"

Ziva scowled. "I have never been as open about my personal life as you have, DiNozzo. I should also point out the fact that Gibbs is still my boss."

"Yeah, what's up with that? Never date a coworker and all that."

"We are not dating!"

"Ziva, you live with the man."

"That is not the same as dating."

"You're telling me you've never gone out with him?" Tony gave her an incredulous look.

"That would be breaking the rule," said Ziva stoically.

They got into the car. Tony didn't even fight for the driver's seat. Perhaps he wasn't in the mood for a physical altercation.

"So Gibbs fulfills all your needs," Tony went on. "Honestly, I find that kind of hard to believe. I never really thought he was your type."

"Tony –"

"But if you really want to keep things going, I guess I can't say anything."

"Why are we even discussing this?" Ziva demanded, half turning to look at him.

"Watch the road!" Tony yelped as they swerved.

Ziva turned her head back towards the front before continuing, "Why are we talking about this? Are you offering to replace Gibbs in my affections? Is that what you want?"

"I have a girlfriend, Ziva," said Tony, chuckling a little.

"That has never stopped you before." Ziva could see Tony's smile fade in her peripheral vision, but she was so angry by this point that she kept on anyway. "Honestly, Tony, if you intend to proposition me, then by all means do so!"

"This is a serious relationship," Tony told her.

"So is mine!" Ziva glared at the road. "Have I ever shown any inclination to cheat on any partner I have had? Why should Gibbs be any different? You are the one who –"

"I do not show any inclination to cheat on –"

"If your relationship is so serious then why should you –"

"– don't think you're taking this the right way –"

Ziva's attention shifted from the road as they argued, so that they started to veer into the next lane. A car behind them honked, and they stopped talking abruptly.

The rest of the car ride was spent in tense silence.

She was so thoroughly sick of Tony by the time they got back to the office that she didn't even go into the elevator with him. Instead, she went straight to the stairs to head to autopsy and get away from everyone for a while.

"Ziva. This is an unexpected visit," Ducky said, barely glancing up from the body he was working on – their dead marine.

"I needed to get away from Tony," Ziva explained. "He is driving me insane today."

Ducky looked up again, this time scrutinizing her closely. "It looks to me as though you are having a very bad day."

"You could say that."

"Well, if you need someone to talk to…" Ducky began.

Ziva shook her head. "This is personal. I would like to keep it private."

"Ah." Ducky didn't say it, but she could tell he knew it had something to do with Gibbs. The doctor had figured out their relationship long before anyone else at NCIS.

"Tell me about Trenton," said Ziva, to distract herself from her thoughts.

Ducky looked back down at the body. "The cause of death is obvious. Someone stabbed him, many times over."

"We did not find a knife at the scene," Ziva observed.

"Well, whoever did it also cleaned up most of the mess. He or she probably took the murder weapon as well." Ducky beckoned at her to come closer. "But take a look at this mark on his left shoulder. What do you make of it?"

Ziva peered at it closely. "The mark is the same size and shape as McGee's shiny paper."

"I suspect the shiny paper you're referring to is a sticker of some sort, possibly with the sticky side rubbed off. From the look of this mark, I'm guessing someone pressed it against his shoulder while he was still alive and ripped it off very quickly, resulting in the irritation of the skin," Ducky postulated.

"Whoever it was, they were trying to make a point," Ziva concluded. "Possibly his killer?"

"That would be a very sensible hypothesis. Oh, Jethro, hello," said Ducky, looking up, and Ziva turned quickly.

"Ducky. Ziva," said Gibbs, raising a brow at her.

"Gibbs," said Ziva curtly. She half turned to look at Ducky again. "I will check with Abby and make sure she checks the sticker for DNA."

"Good idea," Ducky responded, even as Ziva walked out of the room and headed for the elevator.

The music was as loud as ever when Ziva entered Abby's lab. Grimacing, she did her best to keep from covering her ears as she shouted, "Abby?"

Abby spun around and turned the volume down. "Ziva! Hi! You'll never guess what I found!"

"You seem excited," Ziva observed, joining the other woman in front of the mass spectrometer. "You are not dueling with your mass spectrometer again, are you?"

"Oh! No, it's not that. I haven't gotten the results from the compounds found on Trenton's clothing. But what I did find was on McGee's shiny paper."

"DNA?" Ziva guessed.

Abby pointed a delighted finger at her. "Yes! Ducky showed me a mark –"

"Trenton's shoulder."

"Right. I figure the person who left their DNA on this ripped the sticker off and dropped it on the ground, then forgot about it. She didn't even clean it up when she cleaned everything else," Abby continued.

Ziva tilted her head. "She?" she prompted.

"Oh, yeah, did I mention I got a match on the DNA?" Abby moved to her computer, and a face popped up that Ziva recognized instantly.

"Cheryl."

"Yep. She was already in the system from some kind of protest a few years back." Abby gave Ziva a wicked look. "I think she's the murderer."

"Do you have more evidence to back up that claim?" Ziva queried.

"Are you kidding? Her DNA is everywhere on that crime scene! There was some cleaning fluid that didn't dry, and it was in that. Oh, and there was even some spit that was all her. I don't think this woman knows anything about cleaning up after herself," said Abby. "But there's more."

Ziva blinked. "More? You already found our killer. What else could there be?"

"Well, she was making all those claims about her boyfriend cheating on her, right? Checked that out." Abby grinned. "Found her DNA but no one else's. I think she was wrong."

"Think she'll cry?" Tony asked.

They were standing around and watching Cheryl in the interrogation room while they waited for Gibbs to arrive, as usual. Ziva made a noncommittal sound with her throat.

"The last girl cried. I couldn't get her face out of my head for a week," Tony complained. "It's not as funny to watch a girl cry."

"She is a woman, not a girl," said Ziva darkly.

"Come on, Ziva, are you still mad? Gimme a break."

"Pay attention," Ziva snapped as the door to the interrogation room banged open. "It is starting."

Gibbs threw the file onto the table and slid into his chair in a single motion. Cheryl gave a little start, but said nothing.

"All right. I take it back, okay?" said Tony into Ziva's ear.

Ziva made to slap his face, and he backed away quickly. "We are supposed to be watching!"

Gibbs was showing Cheryl the photos of her dead boyfriend. The woman was definitely close to tears. Tony poked Ziva in the back, and she turned around to slap his hand away.

"What are you doing, DiNozzo?"

"I said I take it back. You don't have to stay mad at me."

"You took it back before, and then you just started it all over again. How do I know you will not do the same this time?" Ziva turned back to the window and watched Gibbs bang on the table and start shouting at the sobbing Cheryl.

Tony sighed. "I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean it. I was just teasing."

Ziva said nothing. Gibbs was telling Cheryl that Trenton hadn't cheated on her now, and the poor woman was practically hysterical.

"You usually aren't this sensitive about it, Ziva. Is something going on?"

"Do not ask me that question, Tony," Ziva warned without turning around. "You will not like where it leads."

"Why, where does it lead?" Tony wanted to know.

"Severe pain in your groin." Ziva frowned fiercely at the window and folded her arms. Tony made a high-pitched noise and backed up a step.

"So, about what you said…" he said, after a moment of watching Cheryl scream her confession.

Ziva blew out a breath. "I apologize. I did not mean any of it either. It was… retaliation."

"So we're good?" said Tony.

Glancing over her shoulder, Ziva saw that his expression was as sincere as his tone. She relaxed her shoulders slightly. "We are… good. For now."

Things were not quite so good with Gibbs. The moment they'd cleaned up the last pieces of the case, he approached Ziva at her desk.

"We're going home," he said.

Ziva frowned at her computer, refusing to look at him. "I am not finished with this."

"Well, I'm going home," said Gibbs wryly, "so unless you want to stay here overnight…"

"Fine, then." Ziva shut off the computer by slamming the base of her palm against the power button. McGee would have cried at the abuse, but he wasn't there.

She could feel the tension rising during the entire car ride. He didn't look away from the road or say anything, and she followed his lead.

By the time they arrived at the house, she thought he didn't have anything to say, so she started up the stairs.

"Ziva."

She paused and half turned. "Yes?"

"We need to talk." Jethro took her wrist in a gentle but firm grip and guided her to the kitchen table. "Sit down."

Ziva sat and frowned up at him. "What do you want?"

"You've been avoiding me since this case started," he told her, sitting in the chair on the other side of the table. "You and Tony were at each other's throats all day yesterday. What's going on?"

"I had a bad day. That is all," said Ziva evasively. "Jethro, I want to go to bed."

"That's not what you said the last time we were home," said Jethro carefully. "I think I remember you telling me in no uncertain terms that we would be going to bed together."

Ziva rolled her eyes and looked away, but he continued.

"I know you, Ziva. Don't pretend that I don't. You don't change your mind on a whim. Something's making you nervous, and it's something that has to do with me." He leaned forward, so that she couldn't avoid making eye contact. "If there's something bothering you, Ziva, you could just ask."

"Would you give me an answer?" Ziva said softly.

"Have I ever lied to you?"

She knew the answer to that all too well. This wasn't the first time Jethro had talked her into something by reminding her of his unfailing honesty. "I…" She couldn't look at him, so she looked down at her hands instead. "I saw you flirting with Jenny yesterday morning."

Jethro said nothing.

"It makes me uncomfortable," Ziva went on. "And I worried…"

"Wrong place and time for a case like that?" Jethro suggested.

Ziva bit her lip. "You could say that."

He stood up and moved behind her, placing his hands on her shoulders. "You're tense. You need to relax. I'm not cheating on you, Ziva. I would never."

"I know that," Ziva insisted. "I just… and I know I am jealous of Tony. I used to –"

"Hey," said Jethro fiercely. She looked up at him, startled by his tone. "Do you want to cheat on me with Tony?"

"No!"

"Then why are you worrying that you will?"

Ziva licked her lips and looked down again. "I do not know."

Jethro bent his head and kissed her hair. "If it makes you feel better, I can stop flirting with Jenny. She'll understand. She knows about us."

"She does?" said Ziva, shocked. They'd been keeping it secret from the director for as long as possible, avoiding the consequences.

"Well, yeah. We live together, Ziva," said Jethro dryly. "She's seen us come in together. Jenny's smart enough to figure that out."

Ziva turned around sharply. "Is that why she called you in early?"

Jethro chuckled. "That was part of it. It's taken care of, Ziva. Now, do you still want to go to bed? I promise I won't spend another hour working on my boat."