Disclaimer: I don't own any characters that appear in this story that also appear on the TV show, they are owned by Belisarius Productions and CBS. The original characters I can confess are all mine. I own them, as the story wouldn't be possible without them.

A/N: You'll find out Ziva's history in the next few chapters, I hope. If not, you might want to read the previous stories to get the idea. Another big thanks to EmyPink for her great editing skills, a good author needs the support of others, thanks Em!

As he woke, Tony's head felt like a drummer was pounding away at his brain. Even worse, as he opened his eyes to the light that flooded his room, the pain ripped through his head deep behind his eyes. He ran his hand over four days worth of whisker growth. He felt ill and his head throbbed insatiably as he tried to rise. For the first time in four days, he realised he was holding a beer.

Gibbs had dropped him back at his apartment two days after their heated conversation. Tony had been too depressed about how he felt about the situation to worry about anything else. He was unfit and he now felt glad that Ziva hadn't been there to see him.

The trip back to his apartment with Gibbs had been a quiet affair. Tony knew he should have said something to Gibbs, but, in the end, he had opened his beer stock inside the house and found solace there. Then his mind went blank.

He opened his eyes a little more. The light in his apartment hurt his eyes, sending a strong sensation of burning pain through the back of his head. He found is sunglasses lying on the table, sliding them onto his face and finally looked around his apartment. Tony knew that his apartment was usually messy, but it now looked like an atomic bomb had hit the living room. Empty bottles of beer and spirits lay around his living room floor. There were half a dozen empty pizza boxes that he couldn't remember ordering.

Finally, he realised what had woken him up. The fist that he'd thought had been in his head was actually hammering on the door. The voice on the other side was unintelligible. Tony just hoped it wasn't Gibbs coming to bother him again with his questions about the mission he'd been assigned by the Director.

Tony rose slowly, a little off balance, from his lounge and noted that the only thing he was wearing was a pair of track pants. The door was banged again.

"Easy, I'm awake," his voice was barely audible.

He stumbled slowly to the door, his head pounding worse than it had before. The banging didn't stop. Tony couldn't even think why he'd drunk this much. He thought he must have had a really good reason. He remembered the last time he'd been this bad … the two nights after Kate had been murdered by Ari. Tony had never admitted that he'd actually loved Kate. He never told her, but he'd been unable to cope with his sense of loss. Tony thought harder. Why had he decided to get drunk this badly again?

Then Ziva's face appeared in the recesses of his memory. Tears were streaking down her face and then he remembered. Angry with himself, Tony opened the door and swung it open. The light from outside caused a ripping pain in his head. The pain was so bad, even with the glasses he was now wearing. He shut his eyes, trying without success to numb the pain.

His head kept pounding. "Can I help you?"

"Tony?" The voice sounded familiar. It paused for a few moments before, "You look like hell."

"Thanks a lot, Tim," Tony said with his eyes still shut, yet sarcasm was dripping from his words. "Are you here for a purpose or here just to tell me that?"

"Can I come in?" McGee asked quietly, surprised that Tony had called him Tim. He had never done that before.

Tony turned and headed for his lounge room. He heard the sharp intake of breath as McGee glanced at the visible scars on Tony's back. Tony turned around to face him, anger now barely hidden under his voice. "You want to stare, Probie, or come in?"

"Sorry, Tony." His back was still a touchy subject, McGee realised. His eyes were still glued to the long, jagged scar on the right hand side of Tony's back as he entered the room. His eyes left the scar as he glanced at the apartment.

"Looks like a tornado passed through here."

"It left its scar on my back." Tony's attempt at humour fell on deaf ears.

Tony closed the door and for the first time, realised there were more bottles strewn throughout his kitchen and more pizza boxes in his hallway.

He said, sarcasm creeping into his voice again, "Yeah, funny you should mention that."

Tony walked back into the living room and realised his TV and DVD player were on, and that he had been watching Ben-Hur. He thought to himself, why would I be watching that?

"Interesting choice of movie, Tony." McGee's eyes caught the movie on the TV. "I thought you hated my movies!"

Tony's head was throbbing again so his smile was more a grimace. "Very funny, Probie. What are you here for? Gibbs? … Abby? … Her?

McGee looked confused. "Her?"

Tony shook his head and closed his eyes. "Forget it!"

"I'm here because the Director has been trying to call you for the last two days with no response," McGee said. "Your apartment phone is disconnected and you had your cell switched off."

"So the Director has you being her blood hound then," Tony said cynically. "Figures."

"You would prefer Gibbs, of course," McGee said, playing the threat as the Director had said he should. "That can be arranged."

Even if all the pain in the world had been placed in Tony's eyeballs, he wouldn't have cared if he had opened them as wide as he did after that threat.

"Hey Tim, I'm glad the Director cared enough to send you." His eyes closed again and he looked in McGee's general direction. "She knows I'm still on leave, right?"

"Yeah, but she still wanted you in MTAC half an hour ago," McGee said, looking at his watch.

"Give me fifteen minutes," Tony said, stumbling through the piles of bottles on the floor and into his bedroom.

McGee thought about Tony's comments of why he was here, and of what and who was 'her'. McGee smiled. He didn't have to think too hard, but it puzzled him why Tony had drunk himself stupid for four days straight after just being released from hospital. He drew the conclusion that he would have to ask Abby when he arrived back at work with an almost blind Tony in tow.

McGee walked into the kitchen and pulled a glass from the shelf. "Tony, you got any aspirin?"

Tony's voice carried from his bathroom, "Yeah, top shelf, on your right."

McGee reached up and pulled the aspirin from the shelf. He dropped two into the glass of water he'd poured and watched as they fizzled away.

Tony stumbled out of his room. He wore a pair of brown slacks, 'Nike' shoes, a blue Armani shirt and his 'Ohio State' jacket. He slipped on his glasses.

"Let's go, McGeek."

"Tony …" McGee held his hand up to stop his partner. His other hand held the glass of water and the dissolved aspirin. "Drink it, you'll feel better."

Tony took the glass and drained the contents in one go. He handed it back to McGee.

"Right, let's go." Tony tugged McGee out the door, locked it and headed for the car that McGee had been driving.

xxxxxxxx

Gibbs exited the elevator and walked into the bullpen. He glanced at Ziva's desk and saw that Mossad Officer Moshe Rabin was still seated next to Ziva, where they were speaking in Hebrew. He had no way of knowing what was being said, except for the body language.

The team was working on the Sims case. A US Navy SEAL operative had been murdered on a training exercise and Gibbs' team had been chosen to unravel the mystery. He did, however, pick up from Ziva's body language that she wasn't happy that Rabin was there.

He slumped into his chair. "What have you got for me, David?"

Ziva rose, ignoring the handsome young man who said something in Hebrew and walked over to Gibbs' desk. "I have the records of all the SEAL operatives. They all appear to be clean."

Gibbs looked up at her, "Check them again, and I don't care if it takes all night. Find me something!"

His phone rang. "Yeah, Gibbs."

Stan's voice spoke over his receiver, "Boss, I got onto Johnson down at Little Creek. He's collected all the webbing from all SEAL team personnel."

"Call him and tell him we're on our way to collect them,' Gibbs said, rising from his chair.

"Right, boss, on my way up," Stan said as Gibbs disconnected.

"Ziva, you're in charge until McGee comes back," Gibbs said as he pulled his gun and holster from his desk draw.

"That's not going to last long," Ziva said as she rose and caught sight of McGee. She froze as she saw Tony stumble and almost stagger out of the elevator behind McGee.

Ziva sat back down at her desk, her face was white. Gibbs heard Moshe for the first time speak in English, "Ziva, darling, are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Moshe," she whispered, breathing for air.

Gibbs looked up at Tony who was now walking slowly into the bullpen with McGee. "Where the hell have you been DiNozzo?"

"At home," Tony said, irritated with the question.

Gibbs noted that Tony hadn't looked in Ziva's direction. He shook his head. That was why he'd set those rules. Rule Twelve: Never date a coworker.

"Right, McGee, you're in charge," Gibbs said as Stan arrived.

Stan clasped Tony's hand and whispered something to him

"Stan!"

"Yeah, boss,' Stan reacted to the call as he finished whispering.

"With me." Gibbs then turned to Tony and said, "Great to see you, DiNozzo. Now get up to MTAC, otherwise you'll be going home in a casket."

"Right, boss," Tony replied, making no attempt to disguise the fact that he hadn't given Ziva a glance.

She looked at him desperately, trying to get eye contact. McGee noticed Ziva's attention as Tony turned and headed for the stairs. Gibbs and Stan headed for the elevator.

The elevator door opened and Tobias Fornell of the FBI stood in the entrance. "Jethro."

Gibbs nodded at his friend. "Tobias."

"DiNotzo, around?" Fornell asked, saying Tony's last name the way he always did. He walked out of the elevator.

"Right over there," Gibbs said, pointing at Tony who was now climbing the stairs to MTAC with the aid of McGee.

"See you, Gibbs" Fornell said, walking towards the bullpen. "Officer Rabin, with me!"

Fornell was a formidable character. When he spoke, it was always with authority and a sense of urgency.

The Mossad Officer rose and glanced at Ziva who was sitting in shock before following Fornell to the stairs. "Coming, sir!"

"Rule twelve, boss?" Burley questioned as he stepped into the elevator.

"Yep," Gibbs nodded as he looked at the Mossad Officer, "and he has something to do with it."

A/N: Please review! That would be greatly appreciated. Any help would be gratefully accepted.