Tony eventually found his way back to the bullpen and sat down at his desk. McGee looked up as Tony entered. "Is Ziva going to be okay?"

"What do you think, McGee? Director Vance just accused her of killing his wife and her own father." He tried to keep the bitterness out of his voice.

"She knows that wasn't her fault, though, right?"

Tony hesitated. "Yeah. She knows. It's just . . . "

". . . hard." A soft feminine voice behind Tony finished his thought. "But that is to be expected, is it not?"

Tony swiveled around. Ziva's eyes were still slightly red, but considerably less swollen than they had been when Tony had left her in the elevator.

"Thank you for your concern, Tim, but I am fine." Ziva sat down at her desk, careful to avoid looking in Tony's direction. "Where are we on the case?"

"Just got the warrant to search their files." said Gibbs, entering the bullpen with a piece of paper clutched in his hand.

"On it, boss." said Tony, tearing his eyes away from Ziva and jumping to his feet.

"Computer files," said Gibbs putting the search warrant on McGee's desk, before sitting down at his own. "Encrypted. McGee, Ziva."

McGee picked up the paper. "Boss, I can't access their computer remotely. I'll have to be wired in on site, and they have millions of files. This could take all night."

"Then you should probably get started." Gibbs nodded in the directions of the search warrant.

"You sure you don't want me to go help them, Boss?" DiNozzo asked. "At least be there to mop Timmy's brow or go on pizza runs or . . ."
Gibbs looked up but didn't say anything.

". . . or I could stay here and get started calling their clients, see if anyone knew our victim."

"Good idea, DiNozzo." Gibbs went back to sifting through the pile of paper on his desk.

Ziva was checking her pack and collecting her files. Tony couldn't help but watch her, wondering what was going on in her head. Part of him wanted to pull her aside just for a small minute so he could gage how she was feeling about everything. But he didn't want McGee to get suspicious. He wished he could read her mind.

McGee and Ziva were headed towards the elevator and Tony felt himself subconsciously jumping up, looking after them like a lost puppy. Ziva glanced over her shoulder and looked at him for a moment. As much as Tony liked to think he could read his partner, he still had no idea what she was thinking.

"Down, boy," Gibbs said without even looking up. Tony sat down, taking a deep breath and started looking through the client files. He would get some work done and they would be back soon enough.

Tony had long since finished making phone calls and contacting clients with nothing to show for it. It was getting late but he couldn't bring himself to leave yet. He kept looking up at the elevators, hoping that any minute Ziva and McGee - okay, mostly Ziva - would be coming back. But as he watched the rest of the office slowly empty he began to lose hope. He decided he would just give it a few more minutes. . .

He looked at his cell phone, hoping to see a missed call or text, although he wasn't sure how he would have missed it when he was checking every five seconds. Maybe he should call her? No. Bad idea. She was working. And more importantly she was with McGee. He didn't want to create a Lisa/Tommy moment and end up in McGee's next book. Besides, this was not the kind of conversation you had over the phone. He would just wait here until she got back.

"Go home DiNozzo."

"Boss. I was just . . ." Tony didn't really know how to finish his sentence and let it trail off. He glanced hopefully at the elevators for what seemed like the thousandth time.

"Nothing more you can do tonight."

"Well, I mean, McGee and Ziva should be back soon, so I just figured I would stick around and see what they-"

Gibbs gave Tony a look that shut him up. "See you tomorrow boss," he finished lamely, grabbing his pack and switching off his desk lamp.

Following a restless night, Tony awoke long before his alarm went off. He checked his phone again. Still no missed calls. Part of him had been hoping, although he hadn't really expected it. He took a quick shower and decided to head into work, even though it was still early.

He was still lost in thought as he rounded the corner and sat down at his desk, waking up his computer.

"You are here early," said a voice coming from the desk across from his.

Tony nearly fell out of his chair. He had been so preoccupied he hadn't even noticed the object of his preoccupation sitting silently at her desk.

"Could say the same to you." He silently willed his heart to stop racing.

"I couldn't sleep."

"That makes two of us." He straightened some papers on his desk, mostly just to give his hands something to do. "You could have called, you know."

"Tony, we need to talk." She started.

"Huh, wow," Tony said "Well that could encompass about seven years worth of topics. Okay, where do you want to start? Tali, Jeanne, Jenny, Rivkin, Somalia," he paused for effect before adding, "Paris? You ever set the record straight with McGee about who actually slept in the bed, 'cause I don't know if he bought that whole 'flipped a coin' thing?" He raised his eyebrows as his smile grew a little. "Or maybe you'd like to talk about something . . . a little more recent?"

"Yes, since you brought it up." She drew a breath. "Something happened yesterday, Tony. And while it was a surprise, I suppose it was . . . inevitable. Perhaps now that it is out of the way we can return to focusing on our jobs and keep our partnership and friendship intact."

Something she had learned from her days with Mossad, he guessed. He stood up and walked toward her desk. "See, here's the thing Ziva. As much as I try to pretend otherwise, I don't see you as just my partner or my friend. Haven't for a long time now." He placed both hands firmly in the center of her desk, looking her in the eyes. "And I think you feel the same way about me."

Tony waited for a response, searching her eyes for the truth. "Tony . . . I . . ."

Tony's desk phone began to ring. He grinned at Ziva, shaking his head incredulously, and turned to answer it. It seemed that a phone call was always interrupting their conversations, though this time he didn't expect Ray Cruz would be on the other end.

"DiNozzo," he answered staring across the room at Ziva, who was staring right back. "Yeah, McGee . . . Of course I'm here . . . Well, it's not that weird. . . Ya know, people get into work early sometimes. . . What do you mean I never am. I show up early all the time . . . Is there a point to this Probie? . . . Why didn't you just say that!? Hang on."

Tony held the phone to his shoulder. "McGet-to-the-point would like to have a word."

Ziva picked up the phone talking to McGee. Tony had the feeling this long-awaited conversation was, once again, going to be put on hold. But he found comfort in the fact that the ball was now in her court. He had said what he needed to say and now it was her turn.

She hung up the phone and looked at Tony as he asked, "Something turn up?"

"Yes," she answered, "McGee cracked into the encrypted files and found us a new lead."

"Hacked, Ziva," Tony said correcting her. He paused then sighed, saying, "I'll call Gibbs."

Less than thirty minutes later everyone was back and the investigation was in full swing.