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Wow, it has been a long time, but I told you it would be a week so I tried my hardest to get this up ASAP. Thanks for the awesome reviews and alerts! Well sad news…this is the next to last chapter. I must apologize this story has been thrown around. I never planed for it to be more then a one-shot but here we are three chapters later. Even though this next chapter is the last one I have a sequel planned with a plot, but I cant say what that plot is until the end of this story so read on…

Disclaimer: No. Not mine.

Tony, if you value that hand, stop pulling my hair!" Ziva growled as the metal doors to the elevator opened up and Tony stole one quick kiss to her cheek before stepping out.

He waggled his eyebrows and whispered so only she could hear, "Nah, Sweet Cheeks. See, I think you value my hand more than I do!" He couldn't help but smirk as she blushed. "See, I know you."

"Of cou-" Her eyes grew wide as the approached their desk and a man with dark hair could be seen on the stairs.

"Is that?"

Ziva shook her head and closed her eyes. This was neither the time nor the place to see him and things had been going so well with her and Tony. She smirked bitterly to herself, of course! How come, just when things are going right, something bad happens?

"Zi," Tony took her hand gently in his and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I got your six, okay? You'll be fine." It seemed like the second those words were said, the man on the steps turned and gave her a warm but deceiving smile.

"Ziva! It's been a long time," Ray's voice filled her head and suddenly she didn't feel so strong, not even with Tony beside her.

"Yes, Ray. It has been."

"Well, do you have plans tonight?" You could almost see the waves of jealousy coming off Tony as Ray stepped closer to Ziva. "Because I was thinking maybe we could talk about…some things."

Ziva smirked as she felt Tony's eyes snapped up. "Well I actually-"

"Stop the talking and get to work!" Gibbs barked, making the two agents jump and mumble "Yes, boss."

"We will talk about this later, okay?" Ray lightly touched Ziva's hand and Ziva had to fight not to pull back. No, she didn't want him anywhere near her, but she also didn't want to make a scene, so instead she gave him a fake smile and nodded.

/

Ziva gave a sigh of relief as she entered the break room and found no one there. She needed some space. The looks Ray had been giving her earlier had sent shivers down her spine and she didn't understand that. She had thought Ray was a good person, but she wasn't so sure anymore. He was back to keeping secrets. She had asked him why he was back at NCIS so soon, he didn't give her a response, only dodged the question. Tony was catching on. She knew he could tell something was bugging her, but it wasn't something she could explain. It was more of a gut instinct telling her something was off.

Ziva filled her cup with coffee and took a seat so she could see out the window. It wasn't like Ray was a bad guy, he was just someone she didn't really understand anymore. He was nothing like Tony. He didn't act as a protector or a shield for her. He was not someone she could share her problems with. She had never even brought up Somalia with him, but, in all fairness, Tony only knew the little things. She had never really spoken the words to him, either. Yeah, a few hints here and there, but never the full story. Why? She couldn't figure out if the reason for keeping Tony in the dark about things was for her protection or his.

Her thoughts were interrupted when another body came and sat down next to her. She turned to give this person a smile when she realized exactly who it was.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"I didn't know we weren't on speaking terms…" Ray mumbled and took a sip of his coffee. "Are we on speaking terms?"

"I don't know, you tell me. Seeing as I can never tell with you. You left me with an empty box. You left me with empty promises and, worst of all, I feel bad for wanting to move on! For having already moved on!" Ziva growled, no longer caring who heard her or what they thought, because for once she knew she would have someone to fall back on when she went into self-destruction mode. "I am not with you anymore."

"So, what, I leave for a few weeks and suddenly you find another guy to keep the nightmares away? You find another guy to keep you from screaming because you were haunted by your past?"

With every word, Ziva's furry grew more and more and Ray's words grew harsher and harsher. "You find another man to love you for the person you are? A dirty, heartless, whore who no man will ever want to touch? You're lucky I put up with it and I got nothing in return for it!"

"You weren't supposed to get anything in return for it! If you really did love me, then you should have willingly put up with all the things that had been going on. But, see, that's the funny thing. You never really did love me."

"Sweetheart," his voice was bitter and the affectionate word meant nothing coming from him. It was condescending, not sweet. "What childish delusion do you have about love? There is no person who could ever love a damaged woman such as you. There are just people who will put up with it, but you have got to keep them happy. That's the only way they will ever love someone like you. Because trust me, you have a hot body, just too many scars…on the inside and outside."

Ziva bit her bottom lip and blinked her eyes profusely. She did not want to give this man the satisfaction of seeing her cry, but he was right. There was no way she could keep a man around without giving him something. And how would any man want her after what she had been through? She looked up trying to find compassion in Ray's eyes, but it was gone, just like all the progress she and Tony had made together. She had felt stronger in the past weeks that they had been together. She had admitted her weaknesses and she actually believed Tony loved her, though the words had not been said.

"Excuse me." She pushed back her chair and walked in the direction on the women's bathroom, not caring if the tears were about to fall.

/

Tony tried to give her some space, but seeing her avoiding everyone's gaze all day and avoiding his touch was irritating and worried him to no end. She hadn't acted like this in a long time. He had a feeling Ray was somehow behind this all, but he quickly started taking back those thoughts when Ziva asked for him to drive her home.

"Ziva, are you sure? I was thinking we could go on a date…you know a real date," he said.

"No. Tony, thank you. But no." Tony tried to control his anger, because it wasn't her fault. It was everyone's fault but hers. Hell, it was his own fault. But there was still that little part of him that expected her to let him in. And that part of him was angry at her for this.

"Ziva, why? Why do you insist on pushing me away?"

"Because I do not want to be with you! Ever thought of that?" She really didn't understand why she was lying to him and it scared her that, even though in her mind she knew what she was saying wasn't true, there was still this part of her that believed what she was saying. Not because she didn't want to be with him, but more because she was sick of seeing the pity in his eyes, She was sick of feeling as if she had no one to turn to other then Tony, because she was worried that one day he would wake up and see her as the person she really was, as the person every other man has seen her as.

"You don't mean that," Tony pleaded with her and he wondered if those four words could have stopped her from leaving him, but knowing her this was something no words could stop.

"Do not make this harder than it already is. I do not want this anymore." Before he got a chance to respond, she had already opened her door and was headed into the door of her apartment, leaving Tony dumbstruck.

/

Ziva watched as, after an hour, Tony's car finally drove off into the dreary night. The second she was sure he was gone, she went to the cabinet, grabbing a bottle of vodka. She had made stupid choices before this, but this one was the worse.

She didn't want her thoughts anymore. She didn't want to hear that stupid nagging voice in her mind. She just wanted to forget. So with each gulp of vodka, her thoughts started disappearing until finally they were mute and the only sound she could hear was the phone ringing. Then a voice came over the answering machine.

It was Abby.

"Ziva! Tony somehow got in a fight with that dirt bag Ray. It's bad. Really bad. Vance is threatening to take his badge and Ray might be pressing charges and Tony hurt his knee again. You know the one he hurt in college? Of course you know that, but that's not the point. His injuries are bad. Anyway, he had to go to the hospital and kept on mumbling your name. Please call me back or at least come see him."

Yes I'm that evil, but not really because I do plan on having the next/last one posted soon. I hope you all liked it and review!

Questions:

1) What's a reasonable length for a story? 10-15 chapters?

2)What disease did Tony get in SWAK, and before everyone looks(well attempts to look) at me like I'm crazy just know I have tried to do my research…I really have but things didn't work out.

3) As always what's your favorite part?

4) I wanna see who can guess my evil plot for the sequel so…guess away!