A/N: I have a surpriseeeeee for you! A new fanfiction! :) Yeah I know, I have like three in progress ("Flash from the past", "Happy Endings Never End" and "Talk to me") buuuut this popped into my head and I couldn't stop myself from writing it down, so I thought I might as well share it with you guys ;)
Summary: "She didn't know much about him but she knew he needed his soul mate to come home." Tony is not the same after coming back from Israel without Ziva. When he finally reaches his breaking point, he confides in the only person who's willing to listen, Isabelle. Tiva. Post 11x02. Multi-Chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS or any of it's characters or storylines. Buuut I own Isabelle :)
The title is from the saying "Every cloud has a silver lining" and it means "to be optimistic, even in difficult times". :)
And heeere's the first chapter (this will not be like "Our Summer"! No Daily-Update-Plan!) :)
Please enjoy reading! :)

Tony DiNozzo walked along the floor of his apartment complex. It was late. Very late actually. He didn't exactly know how late. He wasn't sure of many things lately, time at night being one of them.

Not sleeping didn't require knowing the time. It was late. Period. He was tired and aching to get some sleep. However, he knew he wouldn't get sleep anytime soon.

The second he closed his eyes, he would see her face again, hear her voice and he'd be unable to reach her, causing his heart to shatter into a million pieces all over again.

But he was still kind of looking forward to at least laying down, perhaps watching a movie or something. "Mr. DiNozzo?", someone suddenly called. Tony turned around, his head pounding.

He hadn't slept in weeks, so the one glass of scotch at the bar after work hadn't exactly helped. He could handle a glass of scotch at any time. But combined with his lack of sleep – and heartache – it hadn't been his best idea.

He groaned as he spotted his new neighbor Isabelle Parker standing in her doorway. She was a nice girl, yes. She was eighteen, had dark brown hair that was about medium length and green eyes that usually sparkled with joy.

She'd moved in at the beginning of the summer and they'd talked a couple times. He'd even told her about Ziva and his feelings for her. And that he'd go and spend the summer with her.

Later he'd told her he would go and find Ziva, bring her back home. They'd talked about how he'd introduce Ziva to her and he'd been convinced they'd get along just fine.

After he'd come back from Israel though, he hadn't been the same. She'd tried to talk to him, saying she was worried about him but he hadn't been willing to talk to her.

She had started college two weeks ago, so he'd been hoping she would just drop the subject. Apparently though he'd been wrong. And right now, he didn't want to talk at all.

He considered to just walk through his door for a second but quickly let go of that thought. It wasn't fair on her. She was only trying to help after all. "Hey Isabelle", he said, trying to sound happy when in reality he was far from it.

"Are you okay?", she asked, taking a step closer to him. "Yeah, of course. Why wouldn't I be?", he replied, trying to sound convincing. It was hard. He wasn't even convinced himself.

"You're not and we both know it. I just want to make sure you're okay", she insisted. He sighed. "Not tonight, Isabelle", he said, his eyes fixed to the ground. From the corner of his eye he could see her bite her lip.

"Okay", she whispered, then turned around to leave him alone. She closed her door behind her quietly. Tony slammed his key into his lock and pushed the door open.

"Damn it", he cursed under his breath as he plopped down on the couch. He hadn't meant to hurt her. She was only trying to be nice and help him after all. And before he'd gone to Israel they had actually started to become friends.

However, his time in Israel had changed basically everything for him. His relationship with his co-workers and friends, Isabelle, hell even with his favorite bartender.

Because God, he'd been Ziva's favorite bartender too. He knew Isabelle didn't have any connection to Ziva and that the girl was just trying to help him. He couldn't blame her.

He knew he was a mess and he knew everyone could see it. But he couldn't bring himself to think more about Ziva than he already did, let alone talk about her.

Everything reminded him of her and he couldn't stop it. It was definitely not healthy. He'd turned into some sort of robot. He woke up after a sleepless night, went to work, buried himself in work, went home late, didn't sleep, repeat.

He wasn't even sure how long he'd be able to keep up this routine before he finally collapsed. Life just wasn't the same without Ziva. And what hurt the most was, that nobody would even say her name.

Nobody acknowledged her absence. So, he had nobody to talk to about her. Except for Isabelle who had literally offered to listen to him. He just wasn't sure whether he'd be able to talk about it.

He wasn't sure whether or not he'd break apart when he relived the memories. He wasn't sure whether his heart would be able to handle it. But then again, he would never find out if he didn't try.

He sighed and stood up from the couch again. It was time to face his demons. He couldn't keep everything buried forever. He grabbed his key and walked out of his apartment, locking the door behind him.

Slowly he made his way over to Isabelle's door and raised his hand to knock. He hesitated for a second but then convinced himself that this was a good idea. Just seconds later, the door swung open, revealing Isabelle.

"Mr. DiNozzo", she greeted, her green eyes reflecting her confusion. She studied his face closely and couldn't help but wonder what had made him come over. She'd tried to talk to him ever since he came back from his trip to Israel.

She knew he was sad and heartbroken and she'd just tried to help. However, he had kept pushing her away. So why was he here now? Had he changed his mind? Was he willing to talk about it and let her help him?

"I'm not fine", Tony blurted out without a second of hesitation. Her eyes widened and she smiled sadly. She hadn't expected him to be so open about it. Apparently though he'd reached his breaking point and just needed someone to talk to now.

She didn't even know him too well but she knew he just needed someone who'd listen to him. And she was willing to be that someone. Even if it meant not getting much sleep tonight. "Come in", Isabelle said, holding the door open for him.

A/N: Aaaand here it is! :) I know it's pretty short, but it's just an introduction :) The next ones will be longer! xx
Please let me know what you think, what could be improved and what you wanna see in future chapters in the reviews section! :) I loveee to hear what you guys have to say :) And I'm always open to any suggestions :)
I'll try to update asap! :)
Love y'all,
~ C.