I have always felt that Tony and Ziva have had much more of a relationship than we see on the show. So this is how I fill in the gaps, at least in my mind.

This is a prequel to my first story "Shalom"-set immediately following the events of Hiatus Parts 1&2 (End of Season 3). You don't have to read "Shalom" first.

Hope you like it!

I don't own NCIS, but I would love to!

Tony stared down into his half-empty glass, swirling around the amber liquid and ice cubes, while he tried to process the day they'd just had. Watching Gibbs hand over his badge and walk-out had been a surreal experience. He still couldn't believe that he was now the Team Leader. Tony chose to stop trying to make sense of the past few crazy days and pay more attention to his drinking partner.

Ziva sat across from him swirling her own glass. Truthfully she was the last person he expected to show up, but that's exactly what she had done an hour ago with a bottle of alcohol in tow. Neither of them had drunk much, choosing to each get lost in their own thoughts. It seemed like it was an evening for deep reflection, something both of them steadfastly avoided any other day.

"I…"

"You.." Both of them began at the same time. Both paused and smiled at their synchronicity.

"Go ahead, Tony." Ziva really had nothing to say, she had simply been trying to fill the silence.

"No you go." Tony chivalrously offered.

"Really say what you wanted to say."

"I was just going to say that you must really have some super-ninja skills, since you were the only one who could get Gibbs to remember everything. What do they teach you at Mossad?" She could hear the laughter in his voice. Ziva knew he was trying to lighten the mood and she wanted to let him. Unwanted flashes of the hospital room earlier entered her head. She was still at a loss of how she went there to comfort Gibbs and he had ended up comforting her. Even now she couldn't believe she had broken down and let her pain over Ari's death spill out. Ziva pushed those thoughts away, but not before Tony saw the flash of pain in her eyes.

Ziva fought to hold on to the mood. She playfully responded to him. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"How did you do it? How did you get him to remember?" Tony decided to push the issue.

"It was all because of the headslap." Ziva deflected smoothly, or so she thought.

"C'mon Zee-vah. Really what happened in that hospital room?" He paused, wanting to say more, but unsure how she would react. His wallet was sitting on the table and he had no wish to see her put one of his credit cards to the test on his throat. He decided to say nothing, but then just as abruptly changed his mind. "Was it because of Ari?"

"Tony. I do not want to talk about this." Ziva set her glass down and gave him one of her most frightening glares. It was too bad that Tony had always chosen to ignore signs of danger ahead where Ziva was concerned. Ziva's hand rested on the table and he covered it with his own. His was warm and she subconsciously drew strength from it.

Her fingers were cold as ice. He wrapped his around hers.

"You shot him." It wasn't a question. He knew. Ziva's eyes contracted. She couldn't believe he had figured it out.

"How…"

"I just kept going over the report and it's the only thing that made sense. Ziva, I don't know how you…"

"Tony." She cut him off. This was going someplace she had not anticipated, and now was the time to stop it.

He leaned closer to her and put his other hand on the side of her face, pulling her head up so that they were staring into each other's eyes. An electric charge ran through the air. The tension had been there from the beginning. They had both chosen not to act on it for many reasons but mostly because they wanted to keep things professional, and of course because of Gibbs' rules. The question hung there in the air. Will we or won't we?

There was one big difference now. Gibbs was gone. He had left for Mexico after the disaster with the Cape Fear. There were no more rules. Or were there?

Both of them made their decision in the same moment.

They leaned into each other. Tony's eyes drifted down to her lips. Ziva's free hand reached around to the back of his neck, running up his arm until she reached his head where she buried her fingers in his hair. She used her arm to pull him the last few inches to her. Tony crushed his lips down onto Ziva's tasting the salt on her lips from her earlier tears. He was reminded of their previous kiss while undercover. That kiss had been fun and playful, a shared joke. This one was very different from it. This kiss could only be described by one word: intense.

Ziva was surprised at the intensity of her reaction to him. Normally she shut this kind of reaction down, but she needed this too badly to stop. She turned her head to deepen the kiss and opened her mouth to him. His arms circled around her and before she knew what was happening he had pulled her out of her chair onto his lap. Tony's lips trialed down her jawline and traced a line down her neck. He nibbled on her earlobe and took satisfaction in the sharp intake of breath he heard out of her.

Things began to speed up as their bodies rushed headlong into a meeting they had been avoiding for a year. Before she knew it, Ziva was pressed up against the edge of Tony's bed. Clothes flew off as they tore at each other, their bodies desperately attempting to get closer. The contact of skin on skin burned a memory into their bodies that they would never forget. Ziva climbed on top of him needing to assert her dominance. She fought for the control she could not find earlier. He let her because he knew that this was what she needed, and because it kind of turned him on.

As they joined together, they learned just how much they had been missing. Each quickly becoming lost in their own pleasure. At the end Tony grabbed her head and made her look into his eyes as they both reached fulfillment. He was rewarded with the explosion he observed behind her eyes.

Afterwards they lay, limbs still entangled together, attempting to catch their breath.

"I guess we just shot Rule 12 to hell." Tony joked as he rolled onto his side to look at Ziva.

Ziva continued to stare up at the ceiling. This whole day had been more than she bargained for. Maybe being at NCIS had caused her to become softer somehow. She only knew that she was letting things affect her more than they ever had before.

"Not really."

"What do you mean? I'm pretty sure that we just broke like 5 rules."

"Rule 12 says 'Do not date a coworker'. This was not a date."

"Nice David. Using those ninja skills to wiggle out of trouble."

"There is no one to get us in trouble Tony. Gibbs is gone." Ziva slowly tried to push him away from discussing what this was supposed to mean. She wasn't ready for that. Right now she just wanted good sex and to forget about the day.

"He'll be back." Tony was sure of it. And the truth was he didn't want to discuss the meaning of this liaison anymore than Ziva did. Talking always seemed to ruin things. Why couldn't they just have some fun and enjoy each other's company. At least until Gibbs came back.

"I am not so sure." Ziva had seen the look on Gibbs' face. He had plainly had enough.

"You don't know him well enough still. I know Gibbs, he was made for this job. He's not going to be gone forever. He just needs to decompress."

"Whatever you say."

"I guess we didn't break any rules then."

"No, it seems we did not."

"Then it would be ok if we didn't break any rules again." His lips curved into that charming, devil-may-care smile he wore so well. If only he knew how far that smile could get him. Ziva thought that that was best left underwraps for all eternity.

Tony leaned over her and she was glad for the excuse to avoid a weighty conversation. He pressed his lips to hers and she wrapped her arms around his neck pulling him closer. Eventually they would have to talk, but not tonight. Tonight they would only take comfort and satisfaction in each other. They could talk about the consequences tomorrow.