A/N: Thanks everyone sooooo much for the reviews!!! It really means so much to authors when you tell them you like their story :)! Things are pretty stressful right now… I'm packing and heading back to college in a few days, and I just had to say goodbye for the last time to my oldest kitty, Sneakers, who we had to put down. He was fifteen and lived an excellent, long, spoiled life, and I will miss all 28 pounds of him snuggling and trying to eat my food off my plate. I will always remember you when I look at the scars on my fingers, from when you bit them because you thought they were chicken nuggets. I love you and I will miss you. So, in a typical crazy cat lady fashion, this chapter is dedicated to your memory.

Disclaimer: My birthday came and went, no NCIS. Christmas came and went, still no NCIS. I did get one of those nifty NCIS hats however. It didn't come with a 9mm hole in the top like Ziva's did though…

Ziva was in a coma for six weeks. Actually, five weeks, six days, and three hours, but Tony rounded up anyway. She had woken up once, when they first got to the hospital. She had moaned quietly, gently squeezing Tony's hand. He had gone back to brushing her hair and gently muttered to her, "Ziva, you're safe. Ziva, you're home." Ziva's eyes fluttered open, then shut gently again, muttering 'home' quietly.

For those five weeks, six days, and three hours, Tony stayed by her bedside as much as he could. He went to work in a zombie-like manner, then went straight to the hospital, and stayed there until someone kicked him out. He was usually joined by somebody from NCIS, mostly Abby. She would come and ramble on to Ziva about things she missed at NCIS, the team, even a Brain Matter concert she had gone to. Her voice drowned out Tony's worried thoughts, so he didn't mind when Abby wouldn't be silent for more than five seconds. Silence was scary to Tony.

McGee would stop by about twice a week. At first, he tried to talk like Abby did to Ziva, but he quickly had run out of things to say, bringing an awkward silence into the room. He then would bring books of poems and read them aloud. While Tony would never admit it, McGee had a calming voice, and had a strange knack for being able to read poems beautifully. Sometimes Tony didn't understand the poems, sometimes he didn't even listen to what McGee was saying, but like Abby, he was rarely silent, and Tony appreciated that.

Ducky, like Abby, could talk for hours about his past and experiences. He joyfully recounted the story of how his mother left him on a bus, among other stories the team had already heard numerous times. He talked of his days in medical school. He had always known he wanted to study medicine, but for a long time, didn't know which branch. He traveled all around the world, helping people in different regions and cultures, until he finally settled down back in the States and became NCIS's most beloved medical examiner.

The only silence Tony liked was when Gibbs was around. Gibbs would rarely say anything, except "Hey, Ziver," when he would arrive, and a kiss on the cheek when he would leave. He would sit on Ziva's other side, sometimes holding her hand, sometimes sitting back in his chair and just looking at her. On the days that he would come, he would force Tony to leave with him. Go home, go shower, go shave, go sleep, he would tell Tony.

And Tony would go home, he would shower, he would shave, but rarely would he sleep. Ziva was sleeping enough for the two of them, he thought. Then he would continue his routine. Shower, shave, work, hospital with Ziva, sit home and wait. Shower, shave, work, hospital with Ziva, sit home and wait.

He tried to work out why he felt the need to be with Ziva as often as he was. He could be like the rest of the team members, and visit a few times a week for a few hours. But for whatever reason, the thought of going anywhere else other than the hospital after work made Tony feel nervous, even disgusted with himself.

But why? Tony reasoned that Ziva is… was his partner. Any partner would spend as much time at the hospital, right? And it wasn't like he had anyone at home waiting for him, he thought bitterly. The team was his family. Gibbs, the strict, but loving father. McGee, the awkward little brother that Tony would constantly tease and pick on. Abby, the hyper and fun little sister. Ducky, the caring grandfather that loved to tell stories. And Ziva… the foreign exchange woman staying with the family that everyone loves so much that she just becomes part of them.

His thoughts turned to Kate. If Kate had still been his partner, he would visit her often, but he didn't think as often as he did with Ziva. Kate had a family of her own that would come and visit and spend time with her. So is that why Tony stayed with Ziva as long as he did? Because she had no one else? Her sister had been killed, her half brother had been killed, and from what Trent Kort had told them, her father had tried to get her killed. And he thought his family had issues.

Tony avoided another specific reason as he sat on his couch, a cold bottle of beer in his hand. Ziva had been such a presence in his life for the past four years, and until certain events happened with a certain Israeli undercover Mossad boyfriend, he couldn't imagine his life without her.

For some reason, he always thought things would remain the same forever. He would go on a lot of dates with different pretty girls, and Ziva would laugh over his choices or tell him to grow up and find a real woman. He never thought things could possibly be different than that fantasy until he found the picture of Rivkin on her desk and realized the reality. She wasn't always going to stay single. She might find someone, someone that wasn't him. Maybe the woman he had been looking for was right in front of him all along…

Buzz… buzz…

Tony reached for his vibrating phone and read the hospital's number. His eyes widened and his heart quickened as he answered, "Tony DiNozzo."

"Mr. DiNozzo, you are listed as the first contact in case of emergency for Ms. Ziva David." He inwardly cringed at the mispronunciation of her last name. "We wanted to let you know that she has woken up and is in need of a familiar face. We can sedate her until the morning if that is more convenient…"

"No, I'll be there soon."

He quickly called Abby, knowing that she had the capability of getting in touch with everyone else more quickly than he could. He grabbed his keys and headed out to his car, and swore loudly.

His front left tire was flat.

He got out his spare and changed the flat in record time, but when he pulled into the hospital parking lot, he recognized his coworkers' cars. After rushing to Ziva's room, he halted in the doorway and looked at the scene in front of him.

Abby was sitting on Ziva's bed, holding her hand and rambling madly. McGee sat on her other side in a chair, his hands resting on the bed but not actually touching Ziva. Ducky sat on the foot of her bed, holding a bouquet of flowers. Gibbs was standing next to Ducky, and although he wasn't smiling, his eyes were bright. Tony remained in the doorway, looking at Ziva.

She was smiling and looking back and forth to the people surrounding her, laughing as Abby engulfed her in what must have been her tenth hug. She winced in pain slightly as she leaned back down, but Tony was probably the only one who noticed. As she looked around again, she finally noticed Tony, leaning in the doorway. Her smile faded, but joy did not completely leave her face. Tony tried to give her a classic DiNozzo grin, but he couldn't pull the corners of his mouth up enough. Instead, his eyes watered as his mouth twitched, until their moment was interrupted as Abby threw herself into another hug.

~*~

She spent three more weeks in the hospital recovering from her numerous wounds, including a swollen eye and that horrific gash on her stomach. She was extremely frail, so frail that doctors told her that she wouldn't be able to move that well or support herself, let alone walk, for at least a month. But being the remarkable person she was, not to mention sneakily getting Abby or McGee to help her, she taught herself to walk again in little over a week. She surprised the doctors immensely, and though they were reluctant, they allowed her to start physical therapy.

When she was released from the hospital, she moved in with Ducky, promising it would only be temporary, as no one knew if the Director of Mossad knew of her condition, and if he did, what she would have to do next. She was still, after all, Mossad.

Everyone bit their tongue when Ziva mentioned possibly returning to Mossad, except Abby who was elbowed by McGee to shush her. Nobody had the heart to tell her that her own father had sent her on a suicide mission, though Tony knew that she already knew that. He was able to read his partner better than anyone, even Gibbs, and could detect the reluctance in her eyes as she spoke of her father.

She did remarkably well at physical therapy, and Tony changed his routine slightly so that he could be there when she put herself through the strenuous task of teaching herself basic skills, everything from picking objects up to relearning how to run again. He stayed in the doorway, watching her, never speaking, but he knew he was helping more by staying back than he would be beside her, trying to physically help her. Every time she began to tire, to perhaps want to give up, she glanced up at Tony, and that would make her push herself harder. He didn't know if she was feeding off the anger she felt for him, but if it was helping her, he didn't care. Eventually, they would attempt to sort out their situation. Eventually.

~*~

Tony returned home one night from Ziva's physical therapy session, exhausted. Now that he saw Ziva was physically recovering, he was able to sleep a little better than before. He plopped himself down on his couch, another cold beer in hand, and turned on the television, flipping through the channels until he settled on an old John Wayne movie that he had already seen a dozen times. He put his beer down on the table besides him, leaned his head back, and fell asleep.

Hours later, there was a knock at his door. Well, not so much a knock, but a pounding. He glanced at the clock, reading that it was well after midnight. The movie he had been watching before falling asleep had been replaced by a half hour infomercial, and his chilly beer was now warm.

Muttering incoherently, he rose from the couch as the pounding increased. "Alright, alright, I'm coming already. Sheesh," He muttered as he pulled the door open.

While he was not fully surprised to see the figure standing in front of him, he still felt a sense of shock run through his body as he saw Ziva, leaning against the door, looking tired but as beautiful as ever.

They stared at each other for what seemed like hours, until he opened his door wider, inviting her in without saying anything. She entered and threw her jacket over his couch while he closed the door again. He turned around to look at her, only to find her staring at him.

Apparently, 'eventually' had turned into 'right now'.