I know, I know, you're probably asking yourself why I'm already posting a new story, but I thought this one was ready to post. I've already the first ten chapters of this story. But don't worry, I should be able to post a new chapter of "Family" next week and am currently writing on the next chapter of "Ray of Hope".

I hope you enjoy this story. It actually was the very first one I wrote.

All mistakes are on me :)

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

Chapter 1

It was one of those days, on which he should've stayed in bed. Currently the team had no case, which meant paperwork for everyone. Gibbs was on a coffee run, so that the three agents were alone in the bullpen. Agent DiNozzo was now looking at his watch for the third time in the last two minutes.

"Maybe my watch is broken? " he murmured. He couldn't believe that it was just midday.

"I can assure you that my watch is showing me the same, Tony." replied McGee. The bad mood of Tony started to slowly annoy him. "You don't need to look at your clock every two minutes. The day still won't go faster if you do so."

"Thanks for the tip, McGlock. Next time I'll let you know if I want your opinion on something." Tony replied sarcastically. "Don't you think that McGoo has a little too much fun doing paperwork today?" asked Tony and looked to his beautiful partner.

Ziva, who had decently kept out of their bickering until now, tore her eyes for the first time from her screen. "Don't let him get to you, McGee. The more you are responding, the more fun has he annoying you. Just because he is in a bad mood does not mean that we have to have one too." While she spoke to McGee, she smirked at Tony. "Now I would be grateful if the two of you could let me stay out of your bickering. I want to take care of my paperwork, so that I can for once go home at a reasonable time." With that, Ziva ended the conversation and looked down on her screen again.

Tony looked thoughtfully to his partner. Normally she'd join in in the bickering. She always enjoyed it just like him. But unlike him, she usually was on McGee's side. But there were times in which she was on his side though. She often had helped him, searching through McGee's things. Even when she just sat at her desk and warned him, when McGee was coming into the bullpen. But today, she was a little too busy doing paperwork. "McGee….. it looks like our little Ninja has big plans." Tony grinned to Ziva. Ziva ignored Tony and continued with her work. In the last few years, she learnt how to ignore him when he was getting on her nerves. Nobody should encourage his annoying side.

Before Tony could state something else, Gibbs came into the bullpen. "Grab your gear. We have a new case."

"Thank god. I thought, that I'll die of boredom!" Tony said relieved. "Not that murder is something good…" He quickly added when he saw the sharp stare of Gibbs. DiNozzo grabbed his gear and followed the others to the elevator. "After all it's never good when someone dies and…" Tony felt the slap to the back of his head before Gibbs even touched his head. "Thanks, boss." He could see Ziva and McGee grinning from the corner of his eye.

"Petty Officer Logan Rast, 30 years, single, stationed in Norfolk. Two hikers found him like that this midday." Gibbs looked to the hikers. They looked like ordinary citizen, who wanted to make the most of a nice day like today. If you looked closely, you could see that they looked a little nervous and anxious. Understandable. You didn't stumble every day over a dead body. "The police could not find any evidence. The killer was careful not to leave any trace."

Gibbs let his gaze shortly wander over the scene. The surrounding area was unaffected. There were no traces on the ground. It was as if the petty officer came out of nowhere and just dropped dead. "McGee look around and search for evidence, Tony pictures, Ziva interview the hikers. Maybe they saw something after all."

Agent Gibbs walked over to Ducky and Palmer. Ducky was just in the middle of one of his stories and Palmer listened closely to his mentor. Gibbs eyed the victim a little more closely. It was obvious that the Petty Officer, though his age of 30, looked very young. He had had without a doubt good chances with women. He had short, black hair. His face was prominent and his body was very muscular. It was a pity that he had to die like that. "What do you have for me, Duck?"

"Well, when I look at the body, my first assumption would be that this shot wound has led to the death of the Petty Officer. He bled to death. TOD approximately four hours ago. However, if we consider, the depth of the shot wound and this small pool of blood which surrounds the Petty Officer, there is only one conclusion."

"He was murdered somewhere else."

"You're right, Jethro. The Petty Officer was murdered somewhere else, pulled apparently in a car and then was brought here. Maybe the killer had hope that no one would find the body so quick. In fact, that reminds me of one of my professors. He always had …."

"Gibbs!"

Ziva stepped to men. "The names of the two hikers are Branda Fynn and Nick Dougan. They work both for a small café which has closed today. They wanted to use the free time and have arranged to meet up and go hiking. When they have found the body, they have immediately informed the ranger and had him called the police. However, they have not seen anybody and have not heard anything suspiciously that could help us. I have noted their contact data and told them that we would contact them, if further questions should arise."

"Boss!" McGee called. "I found something that you should see."

"What is it, McGee?"

McGee pointed at a place on the ground where one could see tire tracks. "Bring them to Abby. Good work, McGee. Looks like our killer hadn't covered all of his tracks."

The three Agents sat at their desks and tried to find out who had murdered Petty Officer Rast when Gibbs came into the Bullpen.

"What do we have so far?"

Tony took the remote control. "Petty Officer Rast was an average citizen. Grown up in a suburb of DC. His mother is a librarian and his father is a gardener. He has a little sister, Eva Haas. She is a teacher in an elementary school in Baltimore. Rast had been two years in Afghanistan before he had been stationed here. His friends told me that he was liked by all and has never had, actually, problems with anyone. Petty Officer Rast was engaged once with a Clara Reese. Nevertheless, the engagement was broken up after six months. The family of Rast told us that the two haven't had been in contact ever since."

"His finances are also unobtrusive." Ziva took over for Tony. „There were no unusual payments operated and no unusual payments in his bank account were made."

"Petty Officer Rast was always at work on time and had practically never called in sick. He was liked by his colleagues very much, because if needed he offered to take over a shift. I was told that Rast was up for a promotion soon. Maybe one of his colleagues had felt bypassed?"

"DiNozzo, McGee. Interview Rast's colleagues. Maybe they know something." He looked to Ziva. "See you tomorrow morning. Sharp at seven o'clock." Gibbs took his coffee and made his way to Abby.

"Why can go you? We've just got a new case!" Tony looked perplexed to his exotic partner.

"Because I have already asked Gibbs at the beginning of the week if I could go today on time." Ziva escaped his look. Since the incident with Deering and their new "us", Tony and Ziva told each other a little bit more from their private life. However, Ziva didn't plan to tell Tony about her meeting this evening. She was meeting a friend with whom she hadn't met up for a long time. Ziva didn't think it was of importance that Tony knew. She has told him about Tali and has introduced him to Shmiel. For Ziva, this was a big step. To let somebody so deep in her private life was extremely uncomfortable for her. It was difficult for her and she knew that it was also not easy for him. But they tried. Were more open with each other. Nevertheless, she didn't want to tell Tony about her plans she had for tonight. Everyone was allowed to have a few little secrets. Moreover, she enjoyed it to see how Tony was trying to find out her plans for the evening.

"So you have plans for today." Tony stated, trying not to look too curious. But he couldn't help himself. "What is it? A doctor's appointment? A date?" Tony tried to edge out the feeling of jealousy.

"It is none of your business, Tony." Ziva smiled to Tony. She packed her bag, bid her goodbye to the two men and disappeared in the elevator.

Deep in thoughts, Tony still looked at the spot where Ziva had stood not even a minute ago. "Do you think she has a date?" Ziva hadn't answered him. He was worried about Ziva and her plans. What if Ziva actually had a date with another man? He actually thought that they were on the way to a relationship.

After all those years, it would be at the time that they'd risk a relationship. But something has always gotten in their way. The first time where he had thought it could change the relationship of the two, Jeanne had interfered. At that time, it was for the best that nothing had happened between them. It wouldn't have been right at that time. He hadn't been ready for a relationship with Ziva and Ziva too, had shown no interest in a relationship in general. After the whole Jeanne disaster, he had had to get his life back in place again. He had had to think about his feelings and had had to order his thoughts and aims anew. He had thought he would have enough time. But he had been wrong. He had had to find out that Ziva was already in a relationship. It had occupied him day and night. He had been too slow and now another man had had the luck to call her as his girlfriend. He could do nothing but be glad for her. Now we've seen where this relationship has led her.

Michael hadn't been the one she thought he was. It had pained him to know that she would go home to Michael. But the pain he had felt when Michael died and Ziva had stayed in Israel was so much bigger. However, when Tony had found out that she died in Somalia, it had given him the final blow. He wanted to have revenge and if he'd died for that cause, this would have also made no difference to him. What he had found however in Somalia, was so much more important than revenge. He had found her. His partner. He had gotten her out of that terrorist camp alive.

The time after the camp and Somalia had been a rough time. At the beginning he didn't know how he should behave towards her. After some time a feeling of normality came again. What had surprised him though, was that she had entered another relationship barely a year after the events in Somalia. Tony hadn't wanted to make the same mistakes like the first time with Michael and had kept out of her relationship with Ray. Even if that relationship didn't sit right with him.

When he got to know E. J. then, he had thought he could forget Ziva. Both had actually thought, they could forget the other. But obviously it hadn't been that easy. Tony had noticed, that he didn't want a future with E. J. Yes, he had had a nice time with her, but it was just not right. Ziva had noticed this only later. She had held Ray for another man. Like Micheal he had played her.

Now, months after the end of her relationship they have arrived at a point at which they had to decide whether they wanted more with each other, or not. They both have lately gotten closer to each other. They told themselves more and let the other be involved in each other private lives. Well, he thought they were.

"If you'd deal just as half as much with the case, like you do with our private life's, which actually is none of your business, then we'd absolutely make a faster headway."

Tony replied nothing more and tried to concentrate on the case. But he didn't succeed. He looked thoughtfully to the now empty desk of Ziva. Tony thought that the both may be on the right course were they were more than just partners and friends. He tore his thoughts away from Ziva and looked away. They had a case to solve. It wouldn't be fair to Petty Officer Rast if they wouldn't give all they had. Maybe he had interpreted everything wrong and Ziva was only interested in his friendship. Tony let out an irritated sign. Why must everything always be so complicated?

"Thank you very much. We'll contact you if we have any further questions." Tony and McGee bid their farewell to Graham Pierce, a colleague of Rast. The interview of Rast's colleagues left them with no new insights. Nobody noticed anything strange. They were rather shocked to hear that Rast was killed. Now McGee and Tony stood in front of the building in which Rast had worked and enjoyed the last sunrays of the day.

"I think this case is odd. Until now, we couldn't find anybody in Rast's work environment, who didn't like the guy. Apart from the fact that this is uncommon, somebody has to be out there who didn't like him. Nobody on this earth can be liked from everyone he knows!" Tony didn't know what he should think of this case. According to the information of family and colleagues nobody would've wanted to kill Rast. But somebody had done it and this somebody had covered up his tracks damn well.

"We have to keep searching. At some point we'll find a track that will lead us to the killer."

Tony let his thoughts slip from Rast to Ziva again. She always had the ability to distract him, even when he tried really hard to concentrate on other things.

"You never answered my question about Ziva's plans. Do you know something?"

McGee let out an annoyed sigh. „No, I don't know anything about that Tony. If she wanted me to know, she'd have told me and I think the same goes for you."

"But aren't you curious? Just a little bit?"

"It's not the question whether you're curious, but rather whether you can control that curiosity."

"Your psycho babbling is killing me, McWoman. I..." Tony heard suddenly a bang. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw McGee pulling out his gun and searching cover behind a car. He looked over to him and screamed something, but Tony couldn't hear a thing. Suddenly he felt a piercing pain in the chest. He looked down and saw how his shirt was slowly covering itself with blood. All of the sudden he was tackled out of the line of fire and was pulled behind a car. After that everything faded to blackness.

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