A/N: We've not been able to convince the show runners of NCIS to sell the show to us, so we don't own it. just our own plot lines.

This is co-authored by the amazing PurpleJelloTIVA206, which made this story so much better.

Tony was poking around in his Chinese food, looking for another shrimp. Moving images of a movie he had already seen filled his television screen. Tony's mind was reeling and would not stop putting thoughts in his head.

He'd been so happy when he got the nod to go to the Bahamas. It had felt so great that Gibbs had trusted him to go there, to take Dorneget, which meant that the boss figured he could handle this by himself. The weather had been great, but everything he expected to find in the Bahamas had been a little less bright, a little less interesting.

He kept thinking of things he wanted to say, but then turned around and figured the comment was mute with Dorneget. Ziva would have laughed though, It wasn't till he was lying in his bed the first night. Having sent her a goodnight message telling her how he forgot his gummy bears for the plane ride that he realized he missed her. Not as a partner, because he realized that the moment Dorneget came to the airport with two bags instead of one.

It was that he just missed her, her company. He'd not gone this long not talking to her since the bombing and it had been only 17 hours since he'd last seen her.

A knock on his door pulled him out of his thoughts and disrupted his search for shrimp. He put the carton on the coffee table and tiptoed towards the door, hoping it was not the lady from across the hall.

"Boss, what are you doing here?" Tony asked as he opened the door.

Gibbs walked right past him and seem to check if there was anyone else in the apartment before turning around to face him.

"It's Ziva." Gibbs said and Tony's reaction was quick as he reached for his shoes while simultaneously trying to reach for his jacket.

"Is she okay? What happened, is she hurt? Where are we going?" Tony asked dropping his shoe to get his coat on faster, but before he could get one arm in the sleeve he felt Gibbs slap him on the back of the head.

This made Tony freeze and really take a look at Gibbs, he had his worried face on, but not his if you don't hurry somebody I care about is going to get hurt and if we are late because of you I'll hurt you face as Tony had called it, no this was more an, I'm worried about somebody I care about but I am not sure how to fix it face. There wasn't much difference between the two, but having worked with this man for over ten years had realized the difference between a creased eyebrow and slightly squinted eyes and a creased eyebrow with slightly dilated pupils.

"What's going on Boss?" Tony asked, having realized Ziva wasn't in immediate danger, but he was still carrying a unsettling feeling in his stomach.

"Ziver, you noticed anything different about her? At work, her focus on the job?." Gibbs asked .

"She's just going to a really rough time, she lost her family. I know that she's been making little mistakes, but she just has to work through this." Tony responded, not sure where Gibbs was going with all of this. "Maybe you should go talk to her Boss, lord knows I've tried. She just keeps saying she's fine." Tony said, letting his frustrations about not being to help Ziva out, but then feeling guilty about sharing this with Gibbs. He was just at a loss; he wanted her to really be fine again.

Gibbs looked at Tony. He'd seen this man at his all time best and his all time low, neither of those two had disappointed him. He'd once told him to not waste good. That had been the reason to hire him, which was also the reason he was here now. "DiNozzo, you've tried to be there for her."

"Yes, I've been trying boss, but this thing about her father and his death, she keeps shutting me out. She probably just needs time to figure it all out." Tony answered

"We don't have time." Gibbs responded.

"What's that suposed to mean? We gave Vance two months." Tony said not believing Gibbs wouldn't give Ziva the time she needed to mourn.

"It was because of Ziva" Gibbs said sighing.

"Because of Ziva? Ziva isn't the reason her father is dead!" Gibbs just continued to stare at Tony until finally Tony realized what the older man was talking about. "Oh you mean..." Tony trailed off.

"I need you to talk to her." Gibbs said.

Tony looked at Gibbs, his facial expression letting Tony know this was not a request and Tony guessed that was the end of the conversation. Tony sat back down on the couch to fix his shoes. If he gave himself time to think about what he was going to say to Ziva he would probably chicken out.

"It was really Ziva's fault your suspect name got leaked?" Tony asked.

Gibbs stopped at Tony's doorway, already halfway out into the hall way and looked back.

"She got played. Tony, I'm trusting you with this." Gibbs said and waited for Tony to look up at him before adding. "Don't screw it up."

"Right boss, no pressure then" Tony said to no one after Gibbs left.

-TIVA-

Tony knocked on Ziva's door still not sure what to actually say to her. He tried to think of ways he could work the topic into a normal conversation but so far he had come up empty. Right now he was relying on his easy relationship with Ziva and natural charm.

What is the worst thing that could happen right? She kicks you out and never trusts you again, ask for transfer, or worse moves back to Israel. Tony took a deep breath and let it go, figuring he'd already knocked and it would be weird if he just left.

"Tony, what are you doing here?" Ziva asked looking perplexed as she opened the door.

"I wanted to..." Tony couldn't find an appropriate end to the sentence so just stated the obvious

"...talk to you?"

Ziva frowned at him but opened the door further to let him in. "Do you want something to drink first?" she asked.

"No, No, I'm fine I guess." Tony answered walking further into Ziva's apartment and hearing her footsteps follow after she closed the door.

Tony looks up at her and really looks at her, she was wearing comfortable sweat pants, a tight fitted blue tank top and a light vest over the tank top. Tony was used by now to how she could make the most simple clothes look sexy but he still could not go over how she could also be so beautiful in everything.

"What do you want to talk about?" Ziva asked as she beckoned towards the living area..

"Well." Tony started trying to gather his thoughts, he wondered how some people could always find the right thing to say. Did those people think everything over before speaking or did their mind work in such a way that they knew what the right thing to say was.

"Tony?" Ziva prodded, getting anxious because of Tony's nervous behavior.

"Ziva, I'm worried about you." Tony finally spoke, hoping that him keeping calm and honest would steer the conversation that way as well. .

"I am fine." Ziva answered crossing her arms defensively, across her chest.

"That's just it, you're not." Tony answered.

Ziva let go of a sigh and pursed her lips slightly before speaking. "I'm working, we caught the number two hacker of the world, a thief, an espionage gang and a serial killer all in the past month, yes?"

"Yes, but Ziva."

"But what Tony?" Ziva answered leaning on one hip and her feet spread slightly. Ziva's body language was screaming her annoyance at the conversation.

"You've not been at the top of your game. You dropping your folders, you forgot to turn in a report, came in late twice, you even forgot to lock your gun away." Tony said calmly, knowing that if he pushed with anger and agressive body language he would lose control of where the conversation was going.

"What? You've been keeping score?" Ziva said furiously.

Tony knew that a really angry Ziva was the last of her defenses. She was used to having the upper hand, by playing games and being one step ahead. Not being in control was one of Ziva's greatest fears and right now he could tell she was trying to regain the upper hand.

"No, of course not, I'm your partner you notice these kind of things." Tony answered.

"So what, lately I've not been sleeping and for the record I did not forgot to store my gun away, I wanted to clean it." Ziva answered pissed off.

"You clean your gun in the armory not in the bullpen." He reasoned back at her.

"Tony I am fine, nothing is interfering with how I do my job." Ziva almost screamed at him.

"It is Ziva, you didn't even notice, when the guy from metro got the name from you. Probably reading it off your report which was open on your desk. You were played and you don't even know it." Tony said calmly.

This was the last straw for Ziva, who simply marched over to her door opening it wide.

"Out." She said the venom practically falling of her lips.

Tony looked at her, she was almost shaking with anger. But if he looked closely he could see the small flicker of doubt forming in her eyes. The cracks in her armor growing bigger. If he walked out of here right now all progress they've made since the bombing would be gone, but she would still work with him. If he pushed through he might lose her completely. He took a deep breath and made his decision.

A/N: let me know what you think... We like to be evil, but reviews make us happy and turn us good and will makes us update soon!