A/N: I wasn't going to write another chapter, but I had some inspiration and decided to continue. I am not sure if there will be a third chapter. Like I said before, I am still a new author, and your feedback is really appreciated. I love Tony and Ziva. Writing and reading about them makes me happy :) Thank you so much for reading this story, and I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own NCIS.

After sitting on the bed together in silence for another 10 minutes, Ziva abrubtly stood up and begin getting dressed. Part of me yearned to see her take off her towel, but I forced my new and improved "real man" side to be dominant, and I swiftly vacated the room. I went and sat on her couch in the living room.

Little Dinozzo was causing images to flash in my mind of Ziva undressing, and I quickly picked up the phone and dialed the number to the local pizza place in order to distract my mind.

A few minutes later, Ziva came out of her room and joined me on the couch, dressed in sweat pants and a tank top. In the past, I would have felt disappointed if a woman came out dressed in anything other than short lingerie, but I relished in the fact that Ziva felt so comfortable around me. The fact was that Ziva was beautiful, and she didn't need lingerie or make-up to make me get butterflies in my stomach.

Now I know I've totally lost it. The woman in front of me has caused me to go from Dinozzo, "sexy stud who gets all the gals" to Tony, "man who gets butterflies in his tummy." Oddly enough, this realization didn't really upset me in the least bit. I knew I was lucky to have a woman like Ziva in my life.

Ziva broke me out of my deep thoughts when she said, "Tony, maybe I am messing up my English again, but I thought "dinner and a movie" usually implied actually eating dinner."

I heaved a sigh and smiled at her, "Of course we are eating dinner, Zee-vah. I decided to order my favorite Italian meal… Pizza!"

Ziva merely raised an eyebrow at my happiness over our meal. Ziva has never really been as enthusiastic about food as I have. As a matter of fact, not many people share my enthusiasm about food.

Ziva and I ate our dinner in silence. This was weird because on most of the dates I have been on, the women are constantly talking. I hear about everything, from their ex-boyfriend's bad habits to what type of shampoo they use on their dogs. Most of the time, I couldn't care less about what these women were saying. I just wanted to take them home and have some fun.

I knew that Ziva was different from any of these women. I knew that she needed to trust someone before she told them anything personal. I always knew that she would never fully trust me until I grew up and acted like a man.

I began to get angry. How could Ziva not realize that I have become a man for her? How did she not notice that I didn't rip off her towel and make out with her back in her bedroom? Can't she see that I'm supportive and respectful Tony now?

I came to the realization that Ziva may be able to kill me with a paperclip 18 different ways, survive a terrorist training camp for months, posses ninja-like fighting skills, and speak like 10 different languages, but she certainly did not possess the ability to read my mind. She didn't hear my mental vow to respect and love her. She also didn't hear my declaration that I was a man now.

Ziva has been betrayed by loved ones, and hurt by broken promises. I realize that if I stand up and declare my manhood to this heartbroken woman, she will take it with a grain of salt. The best way to let Ziva know I am truly a different person is to continue to prove it to her through my actions. I decided to start now.

When I noticed Ziva begin to tear up again, I moved closer to her and took her hand. I knew asking her if she was okay was a bad idea. She clearly wasn't okay. "Ziva, you know you can tell me anything, right. I promise to listen and try my best to help." I decided to make her a promise I knew I could keep. I panicked when I remembered my track record for listening to women. I exhaled in relief when I realized that Ziva probably wouldn't be talking about dog shampoo.

"Tony, I hate having to act strong all of the time. I have felt so alone since I got back. It feels as if Salim has stripped me of the last of my happiness. I honestly believe he did more emotional damage to me than physical."

Hearing her words broke my heart. "Ziva, you know that the entire team loves you and cares about you. You are never alone with us around. I want you to be happy, and I will do whatever it takes to make you smile again."

I decided not to declare my love for Ziva just yet. I figured being there for her was a good start. I couldn't help throwing some of my old Dinozzo humor into my speech, "Besides, I miss having you as my partner in Operation Prank McGeek."

This made Ziva smile. It wasn't quite her old Ziva grin that would turn heads in any room, but it was beautiful to me because it meant I had made her a tiny bit happier.

"Thank you, Tony." She leaned in for a hug. At that moment, my cell phone rang. I looked at the caller ID praying it wasn't Gibbs saying we had a weekend case. The name on the phone indicated it was Karen. She was woman I met at the bar last month and a buddy of mine gave her my number. Sure, she was cute, and she definitely put out, but she was nothing compared to the woman sitting next to me.

I closed the phone without a second thought and pulled Ziva into a hug. At that moment, anyone who knew the old Tony Dinozzo would think I had gone crazy for turning down hot and sleazy, Karen. I was new and improved Tony now, and I knew there is no place I would rather be than here with Ziva.

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