Disclaimer: "NCIS" and its characters don't belong to me they belong to CBS and are being used without permission. Please don't sue because I have no money.

A New Beginning

Zero is the number of mystery an hour with no friend.

Sometimes it's the beginning sometimes it's the end.

Tony walked into his kitchen and made himself breakfast and made his coffee. When he was finished eating he washed the dishes and dried them. He took his coffee mug and made his way towards the window. He looked out at the bright and sunny day. Today was a new beginning. A new beginning because Ziva had left the team. He had gone to the airport to send her off a couple of days ago and he hoped that she would be okay.

He stepped out of the elevator and walked towards his desk. Today was the first day that they were going to work without Ziva. He was sad that she has left, but at least she wasn't dead like Kate. They would get through it having a three-man team once again. It had been a two-man team long before Kate, McGee and Ziva now there would be three. Tony sat down and powered up his computer looking up at the empty desk and looked around. Ziva was a good friend, but that was it. Yes, they flirted and bantered back and forth, but that is all it was. He didn't get it when people say that they would make a good couple. Yes, they were partners, but that is all he wanted to be. He was okay with them being friends, or as she said like brother and sister. Yes, he had been devastated when they thought she was dead because she was part of the team, part of the family. No matter how bad they treated him he still loved his dysfunctional family. He was used to it because of how he grew up. He always wanted his fathers love, but all he got from his father was being ignored, being sent away, being yelled at, or on occasion being hit. No matter how bad his father treated him he still loved him.

He smiled at McGee as he too walked to his desk and sat down and he too powered up his computer.

"Morning Probie"

"Tony."

He saw McGee look at him and then towards Ziva's empty desk.

"It's going to be a hard day isn't it?"

"We'll get through it, Probie. It's not like she's dead. She left." He thought back to Kate who was dead and could never come back. He missed Kate and even named his goldfish after her. He wondered what she would have said if she knew he had a goldfish named after her.

"Maybe she'll come back?"

"Maybe." Tony said as he turned back to his computer and began his workday.

He watched Gibbs come into the bullpen and stride towards his own desk taking a moment to look at Ziva's empty desk. He sat down his coffee as he turned the computer on and looks at his two Agents. He saw McGee look at Ziva's desk and then back towards his computer. His Senior Field Agent was looking at his computer not once looking at the empty desk.

The phone rang and they were off to the crime scene. Gibbs was focused on the case trying to find justice for the Petty Officer who was killed. Finally it was just he and Tony in the bullpen. He looked up and watched Tony for a second before saying anything.

"My house tonight at 7:00."

"Boss?"

"Cowboy steak and you bring the beer."

"Got it boss." He said as he turned back to his work.

Tony grabbed the beer and walked up to his boss's house. He had been here a lot of times sometimes to talk to Gibbs and so he walked inside and saw Gibbs at the fireplace with the steaks already on the grill. He loved Gibbs's, Cowboy Steaks. When they were done Tony handed him the plates and then sat down each of them with a beer. Tony and then Gibbs took out his knife and started eating. After they were done they leaned back and drank some more of their beer.

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, Boss. Why?"

"The last time that Ziva was gone you were different."

"That's because we thought she was dead. Ziva left."

"What about the flirting?"

"That was just fun. Believe me she's not my type. She's just a friend and nothing else."

Gibbs nodded and grabbed another beer. They began talking about Ziva and then Kate and what would happen now. They talked about where they were headed now that the team was now back. Gibbs smiled at Tony as he told him what he had been doing while when they turned in their badges. He told him about a movie that he had seen and where he had gone. He didn't mind Tony's Yabba, Yabba. He knew that he pretended not to like it, but he really didn't mind it.

Later that night he watched as Tony left. It was the start of a new beginning of the Major Case Response Team. One that they would get through together.

The End