This is a one-shot and my version of how Ziva could leave the show. If it will go into that direction, I maybe continue to watch NCIS. Of course it would be MUCH better if Ziva wouldn't leave, but since it has been made official that Cote de Pablo is only appearing in the first two episodes, I thought about a satisfying scenery. I hope you like my little story and I promise there will be a happy ending for Tony and Ziva.

I don't own NCIS or any character and I'm REALLY sorry for any mistakes I made.

Last Chance

He stands in front of the mirror in the Men's room and splashes water into his face. He can't believe what he has just come to know. She is leaving. She just leaves after eight years…after eight years of tough cases, holding together as a family and being there for each other. If he doesn't do anything against it, he will lose her forever and he definitely can't let that happen. He looks up from the sink into his reflection. The eyes who stare back at him are sad and distanced, not happy and friendly like usual. He keeps asking himself a few – to him – very important questions, but can't find answers to them.

Shall I tell her about my feelings? If I will, how will she react? Will she respond my love for her?…Love…Yes, love…, he thinks to himself and can finally admit that he is in love with her. Actually he always knew that, but tried to deny it the whole time. Deep down in his soul, he had those feelings for her he couldn't explain and refused to actually feel them. He didn't want it to be complicated and awkward between them, if it doesn't work out. Besides that. There was always Gibbs. He knows that Gibbs has broken "Rule Number 12" himself and breaking that rule was not THAT problem. He was afraid that their whole team – their whole family – could break apart. He was scared that it could change everything they have. Their confidence in each other, the "letting-down-the-walls-and-be-honest" moments, the feeling of safety hen they are together. He didn't want to lose all this, so he has decided to deny his feelings and keep it like it was, to risk nothing…until now.

All this doesn't matter anymore, because now, she is leaving NCIS and they won't work together anyway. On the other hand it means that he'll may get never the chance to tell her and he is not sure that he could stand that. If he can't be able to see her every day, talk to her and enjoy her presence at work, he at least wants her to be home in the morning and in the evening. He wants to kiss her perfect lips, touch her smooth skin and smell her lovely fragrance. He just wants to hold her in his arms and make sure that she is okay. He silently decides that it was never the right time to tell her, but that it is now.

Of course it is very pity, that she leaves, but it could be the chance of his life. He knows that she won't be totally out of his life, but he would still miss her. He won't have somebody to joke with to make a really bad case more bearable, he won't have somebody to make fun of, but most importantly he won't have somebody he can trust, like he trusts her. He sighs and thinks to himself: "It is going to be very different…" It all would be more tolerable if he would have the certainty that he will see her at the end of the day. He had never the courage to try to change that, but today he tries. It is now or never. With that he walks toward the door and leaves the Men's room with new courage and new knowledge.

As he walks back into the bullpen his confidence has already faded and he isn't sure anymore that he's going to do the right thing. He avoids to make eye contact with Ziva as he walks straight towards his desk and silently sits down onto his office chair. His eyes wander across his pile of documents and rest on his computer screen. He can feel Ziva's eyes on him, so he pretends to work on the report of the latest case, so that she doesn't start a conversation. At the moments he isn't capable of talking to her. He types a few sentences to distract himself from Ziva, but after a few minutes his doubts about telling her, come back and he keeps asking himself the same questions. Shall I really do that? What if she doesn't love me? Then he types again a few words. Almost one hour passes like that: typing, thinking, typing…, and he still feels Ziva's eyes on him, but he can't look into her eyes right now, because he is afraid that he couldn't keep his wall up and that he couldn't hold his feelings together, so he decides to just ignore her.

He is sure that he could describe her expression, if he would have to, because he knows that she is worried about him. She feels bad about leaving, but she desperately needs a break after these past weeks. She needs to do something new, which doesn't remind her of her father or Bodnar. She doesn't want to make Tony feel bad, because she knows how much it means to him to work with her. Just as much as it means to her, but she needs to be distracted for a while. She trusts him with her life and so does she and actually she doesn't want to throw that away. They are a perfect team together and since they met each other, they have become really close friends maybe something more, she really doesn't know. She is afraid that he's going to be angry with her and that she has destroyed everything they have, but deep down in her soul she has a feeling which tells her that this is not going to happen.

Since Tony doesn't make a move to look up and she really wants to speak with him, because she finally wants to know where they stand, she decides to make the first move. She stands up and walks around her desk towards his and just as she stands in front of him and she is about to say something, Abby runs towards her and pulls her into a breathtaking hug. After some minutes without much air, she finally lets Ziva go and starts to talk about something. Ziva is that surprised that she can't even stop Abby from talking because honestly she doesn't understand anything at all. She just stands there and looks at her.

The whole time Tony just stared at his computer and was once again lost in his thoughts. He tries to get back his confidence to just tell her and thinks about how their life would be. How it would be to wake up in the morning with the love of his life sleeping in his arms, how it would be to hold her hand or touch her skin. How it would be to walk with along the riverside of the Anacostia River. He is ripped out of his thoughts by a loud and helpless "Abby!" and quickly looks up to see what happens. Abby is talking about something, but that fast that you cannot understand anything at all and Ziva is trying to calm her down, but fails miserable. He cannot help but smile as he sees the normally so tough Israeli, helplessly trying to figure out what to do. She must have felt his glance, because she now turns her head and looks hopefully at him and sees a mixture of regret and sadness, but also joy and confusion.

He watches the whole scenario from his place and wonders how she even got to stand in front of desk, because he hasn't heard hers standing up or walking. He assumes that she has used her ninja skills o do that and is actually not surprised. As she keeps looking at him, he decides to help her, so he shouts: "Abby! Calm down!", which makes an impact, because Abby finally stops talking. Ziva inhales relieved and looks thankfully at him. Immediately their eyes lock and they are again lost in their own world. They both let down their protective walls – conscious or not – and show their real feelings and emotions. What they see there shocks both of them and they quickly look in different directions. Abby who has witnessed everything asks curious: "What was THAT?", and looks expectantly at the two agents.

Nobody answers and they just look at her, trying to figure out what to do, but before they have to answer her awkward question, Gibbs walks into the bullpen, followed by McGee and announces: "No case today! Go home!" and as nobody moves he yells: "Am I speaking Spanish or what? GO! HOME!" All three agents quickly pack their stuff together and shoulder their backpacks. Tony and Ziva instantly walk – almost run – towards the elevator. Abby tries to stop them, because she wants an answer to her question, but Tony mumbles: "Sorry Abby, have to go now…no time…", and Ziva also mumbles something which sounds like: "Me too…", or something like that. McGee just stands there a little bit puzzled, but doesn't bother to asks. Instead he suggests: "Come Abby, I wait for you. We could grab some drinks or so…" She happily turns around to him and answers. "Oh Timmy…that is a very sweet idea…" with that she links arms with him and they into the opposite direction towards her lab. All curious and awkward questions forgotten.

Meanwhile Tony has pushed the button for the elevator to arrive into which one they go now. The door instantly close behind them and the big metallic box starts to move. After the first two seconds Tony turns the button for the elevator to stop and they immediately stop moving. He turns towards his partner and just looks at her. Of course their eyes lock again, but this time nobody looks away. There is a comfortable silence, but after some seconds Tony breaks it, because he knows that they have to talk. Now. He says: "I…I think…we need to talk…" and looks at her curious about her reaction. "I know, Tony…", she answers and there is a long break before she starts to speak again. "I'm tired of pretending…", she says quoting him from a past trip in the elevator and Tony can see the same expression on her face like a few minutes ago in the bullpen.

He has to digest what he sees there, because it is everything he ever wanted. Love. There is pure love written all over her face and she makes no move to hide it anymore. Before he can react to that, he feels her soft hand on his jaw and he pays his full attention back to her. At first she hesitates a little bit and it seems like she is looking for permission, but as he shows his own feelings and lets down his wall to confirm her feelings, she finally moves on from her hesitation and her face draws closer to him. After some seconds, which seem like eternity, their lips finally meet and it feels like a firework is exploding. All the pent-up emotions bust out now and are put into that kiss. Fear, sadness, anxiety, confusion, but mostly pure love. It feels so damn good and so damn right, that they both totally forget where there are and what just happened. As they deepen the kiss, Tony pulls her closer to himself and she loops her arms around his neck. His one hand rest on her hip and the other one plays with her long brown hair.

As they break apart in need for air, Ziva has to hold on to Tony, because her legs turned to jelly. She is overwhelmed by that kiss she was waiting for since she realised that she has feelings for him and so is Tony. Both are speechless for a while and just enjoy each other closeness. Tony again break the silence by saying: "I don't know if this is the right time or the right place, but I know that I always tried to avoid something like this, because I was afraid….I was afraid of your reaction, so…I kept telling myself that it is not the right time, but maybe it is now…I don't know…I really don't…and…" He is interrupted by Ziva's hand grabbing his and he stops in his mid-sentence. Her other hand is still on his jaw, stroking gently over his cheek , as she says. "Tony…I love you…" She looks down to avoid his glance, afraid of his reaction. He is that overwhelmed by her confession, that he can't even form a useful sentence. Ziva keeps talking, trying to explain herself: "I always did, I just…never thought you would also love me…I was scared…I…", but this time it is Tony who interrupts her. He lifts her head with his forefinger and forces her to look at him. She has tears in her eyes and every last one of her protective wall finally tumbled down. Tony looks deep into her eyes as he says: "I love you too.", and pulls her into another softly, but also passionate kiss.

The End

I hope you liked this story and I would really appreciate you reviewing, so I can improve my writing….and I'm really curious about your opinion to this scenery.