A/N: Hey people, sorry this chapter took a while! Hooray to me for finally getting through the whole first season of NCIS on DVD! Just seasons two and three to go and I would have seen EVERY EPISODE! Not that I hadn't seen any from the first three seasons, just not many of them. Am I the only one that has an issue with Tony's hair? Especially when they go to Cuba and there's an iguana or something in his room. That has got to be one of the funniest moments ever! Thanks to anyone who reviewed! Here is my next chapter! BTW I don't think Tony really had his own room aboard the Seahawk, but for the sake of the story let's pretend he did.

Countless wolf whistles greeted Ziva when she stepped out of Tony's room. She ignored them, knowing that whatever she did would wind them up further. Tony soon jumped out and shut them up, giving them his best glare. He was shocked at his easily triggered jealousy. Had he always been this way? He hoped not.

Ziva walked away and Marcus entered seconds later. Tony greeted him with a 'hey'.

"You alright, man?" Marcus asked his friend.

"Yeah, fine," Tony replied.

"Everything alright with Ziva?"

"I guess so." He paused. "I lied to you. She's not my girlfriend, she's my co-worker. Our boss would kill us if we started dating. He has a major issue with it."

Marcus chuckled.

"You're not mad?" Tony asked, a little shocked.

"No, man, I see your reasons." He made an hourglass shape with his hands.

It took a lot of Tony's strength not to get up and grab Marcus by the scruff of the neck at that moment. "Don't objectify Ziva," he said through clenched teeth. "She's worth more than that."

He chuckled again. "Sorry. But you see why I'm laughing."

"No. Care to share the joke?"

"Oh, come on! Isn't it obvious? You're in love with her!"

"I...no...Marcus...Ziva..."

"Dude, give it up. Who cares what your boss thinks? You're getting desperate and I hate to say it, but I think the four months of separation did you two some good. She's leaving soon, and you might not see her for another three months. The time you two have spent apart has been pretty miserable. You hate it here. Three more months of agony isn't gonna do either one of you any good. Go tell her how you feel."

"It's not that simple."

"It's never that simple, DiNozzo."

"But it really isn't! You don't get it..."

"What's not to get? OK, so I have never been in love, but I sure as hell have watched enough romance movies to know what it looks like, and that's it! Are you denying you have feelings for her?"

Tony wasn't sure what to say. "I-I don't know, I-I g-guess I've just tried to hide it so hard that maybe I've hidden it from myself."

"Then go tell her!"

"I can't. Will you do it for me? You know, ask some questions, find out how she feels, stuff like that? I don't want to make an idiot out of myself."

"Sure, man, I can do that."

Later, Marcus managed to locate Ziva after a half hour of searching. He called to her, waving. She was sitting at a table in the cafeteria alone; munching on some kind of biscuit the cook had given her. She was in the same quiet mood as Tony had been in.

"Hello Marcus," she said, looking at him over her shoulder.

"Hi. Um, so I was just wondering..." he searched his brain for a way to conduct his 'questionnaire'. "Are you and Tony going OK?"

Ziva quickly made up a lie. "Yes, we're going wonderfully. Approaching our six month anniversary, but of course we knew each other long before that."

"Yeah, I know. Do you...love him?"

Ziva was not at all hesitant or shy with her answer. "Yes, of course I love him. I love him more than anything."

"That's really sweet, but I know it's just an act."

Ziva's cheeks flushed.

"Do you love him for real?"

"You know, it's strange because I only met you today, and already I feel like I've known you for years."

"Yeah, I have that effect on people." His voice was gentle. It ebbed and flowed like the sea at low tide.

"But I do not want to talk about it," she finished. "If Tony and I had any hope, we would be together by now."

"Don't say that. There's always hope. He loves you. He loves you so much, Ziva." He took Ziva's hand.

"He does?"

"Yes, and he's just trying to be careful with your feelings. Go talk to him. You don't know how long you have left together before you might have to leave without him."

Inspired by Marcus' talk, Ziva almost ran to Tony's room, but he had just been leaving, so the two collided. Hard. They landed in a crumpled heap on the floor of the bedroom.

"Way to make an entrance," Tony wheezed as Ziva lay on top of him. She rolled off.

"Sorry. Are you alright?"

"Yeah, never better. You?"

"Fine."

There was an awkward silence. Both of them knew exactly what to say, just not how to say it. Ziva stood up and shut the door so they could talk in peace. Unfortunately, Tony had just locked the door as he had been leaving, and he had dropped his keys when he fell. The walls and doors were thick, almost soundproof. There were no gaps between the door and the floor. It was dinnertime now, and that always lasted at least an hour, as the sailors aboard usually couldn't stop flapping their gums to eat, even when they were starving. Tony had a small room to himself, so no one would have to come in there to sleep. There was no real way to contact anyone. They were trapped.

Tony. Ziva. Trapped in a small room for goodness knows how long. Not only that, but they had to share it with an elephant. Great.

So, what do you think? Please review! I would love it if you did, and a happy me makes for new chapters faster! ;)