Author's Note: I don't own NCIS, Tony, Ziva, McGee, or the song "Girl Next Door" by Saving Jane. I do own Gillian Grissom, but I don't own her father or his crime lab, who are not in this story, and I do own Mariana Gibbs. This takes place during season 4, and Gil and Mariana are there to help with the mission, but only Tony and Jenny know it.

Okay, I think I've bored you enough.

Girl Next Door

Tony Dinozzo

It didn't exactly phase Tony Dinozzo, who was sitting at a table for two with his girlfriend Jeanne Benoit, when Gillian Grissom, better known as Gil, a temporary member of the NCIS team, was led on stage. She was dressed in a white tunica, with a pale blue stola draped over her shoulders to cover the myriad scars that crossed her arms and upper back. Her eyes were covered by a white piece of cloth that had been tied around her head. This little club wasn't called the Blind Sight for nothing, after all, and its primary namesake was its lead singer, Gil, whose codename was Delphi.

It didn't phase Dinozzo cause he knew Gil was working undercover here, with her girlfriend Mariana, codenamed Artemis. She was sort of there to keep an eye on him, though he wasn't sure if her cover as Delphinea was as secure as his, as Tony Dinardo, was, because it hadn't been set up by NCIS. The name and background had been already set up when Jenny had requested Gil help with the assignment. Gil had just called up some favors, and she had become Delphinea, the blind lead-singer of a small club in DC.

The crowd began calling out song requests before "Artemis" had even left the stage, desperate for their own version of the Delphinic oracle to sing "their" song. She raised a hand, settling onto the stool set on the stage for her. Silence fell. Jeanne commented on the power the woman had over her "subjects." Tony nodded numbly, waiting to see what Gil was going to say.

"I understand you all have requests to make of me, but first, I have a special request from a very special young lady I work with." The crowd hooted, everyone assuming the "special young lady" was Artemis. "Oh hush," Delphi said, her face taking the shape of a glare, although it lost something without her eyes. "This young lady is not our dear Artemis, though Artemis informs me she is here tonight." Tony managed to get a sly look around, looking for Abby. He was fairly certain that Ziva didn't know about Gil working here, and even if she did, Ziva was not one to dedicate songs to people. "This song is called 'The Girl Next Door' and it goes out from Lisa," Her head turned, and, if she wasn't wearing the blindfold, her eyes would've locked on his. "To Tommy." He fought the reflex to gasp in surprise.

"Small town homecoming queen

She's the star in this scene

There's no way to deny she's lovely

Perfect skin, perfect hair

Perfumed hearts everywhere

I tell myself that inside she's ugly

Maybe I'm just jealous

I can't help but hate her

Secretly I wonder if my boyfriend wants to date her."

Jeanne was talking to him, but his ears wouldn't listen. All he could hear was Gil's voice, singing a song that ZIVA had dedicated to HIM. Sure, she'd done it as Tommy and Lisa, but he knew as well as she did that Special Agent Tommy and Officer Lisa were just McGee's names for them.

She'd used those names because only McGee, Gil, and he would know who she meant. She wanted him to know she was dedicating it to him.

"She is the prom queen; I'm in the marching band,

She is a cheerleader; I'm sitting in the stands,

She gets the top bunk; I'm sleeping on the floor,

She's Miss America, and I'm just the girl next door."

His eyes finally found Ziva, standing near the stage and looking everywhere but at him. He knew she knew he was here, because her eyes kept skipping over where he was. She looked horrified, and caught somewhere between rage and tears all at the same time.

"Senior class president, she must be heaven sent,

She was never the last one standing,

A backseat debutant,

Everything that you want,

Never too harsh or too demanding."

Ziva was trying desperately to get Gil's attention, but, because Gil was blinded by the cloth and was pretending she really was blind, there was no sly way to do it. Mariana noticed after a moment, and, in a smooth, very un-Mariana-like way, glided over to her.

"Can I help you, miss?" Ziva grabbed her arm hard enough that Dinozzo knew she'd be sporting a bruise the next day, which would be carefully hidden. Gil heard her grunt, and her Delphi-self slipped for a moment, though she did not stop singing. Mariana was Gil's weakness when it came to just about everything.

"Maybe I'll admit it,

I'm a little bitter

Everybody loves her but I just want to hit her."

"Why is she doing this now!?!" Ziva growled, just loud enough that Tony could hear her. Jeanne had slipped her hand into his, wondering at the significance of this song to him, but falling silent anyway. Mariana pulled her arm away from Ziva, waving off bouncers who had special orders to keep her safe.

"You're here." Mariana said, much quieter. "She's honoring a request of a friend."

"He's here!" Mariana's eyes went wide, shattering her Artemis calm for a moment. She shook her head, her lips forming the word 'no,' and Ziva made a gesture that was meant to draw her eyes in his direction without making it obvious to Tony or Jeanne she was indicating them. Mariana, Artemis calm firmly set back in place, let her eyes travel over the crowd, and Tony knew she saw and recognized him, but she didn't acknowledge it. She wasn't supposed to know Professor Tony Dinardo, after all.

"She is the prom queen; I'm in the marching band,

She is a cheerleader; I'm sitting in the stands,

She gets the top bunk; I'm sleeping on the floor,

She's Miss America, and I'm just the girl next door.

Oh, I'm just the girl next door."

Mariana turned Ziva so Tony couldn't see her face. "It's too late now. I'm sorry; I didn't know he was here when I told Delphi." She got a small, almost-smirk that made Ziva tense and her hand, which couldn't reach Mariana because she was still holding her arms, clench. "At least maybe now he'll see what you two have isn't just UST, Zeev's." There was no response from Ziva, although Tony would have to be sure to look at her palms the next day to see if there were half-moon nail marks there. "That would be Unresolved Sexual Tension, Zee-va." He wanted to smack Mariana. Only he got to call her Zee-va.

"Do you know Lisa, Tony?" Jeanne asked, squeezing his hand.

"I don't know why I'm feeling sorry for myself,

I spend all my time wishing I was someone else."

Tony debated his answer for a second. "Yeah." He finally said. "I used- I work with her." Gil's blindfolded face was locked on him. He could hear her silent warning. 'Tony, you're about to blow your cover. Jenny will kill you if you blow your cover before she catches La Grenouille.' Her voice slipped for a second, more emotion sliding into the song. He kept talking, resisting the urge to sigh. "She's a secretary for my school. She's had a thing for Tommy, another teacher, since she started."

"She is the prom queen; I'm in the marching band,

She is a cheerleader; I'm sitting in the stands,

I get a little bit, she gets a little more,

She's Miss America and... she's Miss America

I'm just the girl next door..."