A/N: This is where we begin. I wanted to put this up before the Season 10 premier rendered this storyline irrelevant. Here is my behind the scenes look at Season 9. Some chapters will be short, others will be very short, and some will be longer. I hope you like it. Thanks for all the support! ~Aliyah

Tony walked down the steps to Gibbs' basement. "I knew I'd find you here."

Ziva held one of the chisels from the workbench. She was thinking how many hours of hard work must've been put in to wear the handle so soft and smooth. It was just another moment to illustrate the change between Mossad Ziva and Special Agent Ziva David. Four years ago she would've been thinking of the different ways this tool could become a weapon.

She sighed. "I am not in the mood Tony."

"Hey," he joined her and leaned against the bench, "I just came to see how you're doing."

"I am fine." Ziva swiped at her cheek and Tony's expression softened.

"When did you start crying so easily ninja?"

Her shoulders shook. "It was better before, when I felt nothing."

Tony slid his hand over to rest on hers. "If you don't feel anything, you miss out on joy as well as pain."

Ziva swallowed and glanced at him. "You have been watching too much Dr. Phil."

He chuckled. "Yeah, maybe."

They fell silent and after awhile Ziva pulled her hand away and crossed her arms. "You do not have to stay."

Tony tipped her chin up. "Maybe I will, just for a little while."

They still had reports to finish and things to pack up back at the office, but for this moment they were just two friends in a basement leaning on each other. Tomorrow was soon enough to go back to pretending. Then again, maybe this was the time they finally stopped.

Replies:

Cheryl (BL) - Thanks for leaving your name, it's always nice to know who to reply to :) I'm glad you liked the story. Oh, well, she wouldn't have been pregnant at Thanksgiving. She was only 14 weeks at their wedding in Sept. But I don't think she ever would have tried to usurp B&S's happiness. lol...it worked with the 'Gibbs knows everything' phenomenon. lol...the wedding night advice was a little awkward but I agree that T&Z probably would've been open with their children and encouraged questions and honesty. lol...good catch on C&J's baby's birthdate, I hadn't even thought in that much detail yet. I'm sorry to say, I don't think we'll get to see his or her birth, tho I've said that before and things might change :) Thanks for reviewing!

Sarah (BL) - always happy to reply to your reviews :) I'm glad you liked it. It's true, that the age difference won't be so big a deal the older they get - look at how much older Tony is than Ziva, things worked out pretty well for them. I'm glad you liked how they told their families. No, Chaya's a perceptive big sister, she sees stuff. I do like them as siblings, too bad I didn't get to write more of that. Mmm...I should've put more detail into the wedding, but that wasn't the point. And yes, all my characters wait until they're married :) Thanks for reviewing!