Again, thank you for the wonderful reviews. Things'll take a turn now, so hand tight and bear with me. Artistic license alert, I know this scene is set a few years back, and the song I'm going to reference is fairly new, but it fits. And, as always, I don't own them, cause if I did, well, you know.

Chapter 7

Tony followed Ziva into the bullpen, taking a seat at his desk and watching as she sat across the way. He smiled. Ziva had mellowed out over the last few days, after several long, intense discussions with Gibbs that neither would tell him about, and after spending the week since the initial bomb had dropped the day of Vance's arrival. Tony had been initially hurt by Zivas recalcitrance in regard to the talks with Gibbs, but had come to realize that she would tell him when she felt that she could. The fact that she had cried openly in front of him spoke volumes, the old Ziva would never have done so. Knowing things as he did, Tony was surprised to come home that Saturday, hot and sweaty from a pick-up game in the park, only to find his bathtub occupied. Leaning on the doorframe, Tony took in the scene with a grin. There was Ziva, up to her neck in bubbles, feet braced on the edges of the tub, the plumy color on her toes a pretty contrast to her tawny skin. Tony waited, expecting her to acknowledge his presence, then noticed the tiny white plugs in her ears, the cord leading to the iPod that lay on the tub deck.

Returning to the kitchen, Tony grabbed a water bottle from the refrigerator, figuring on raiding the shower if she wasn't out by the time he finished his drink. He tuned into ESPN, settled into the couch, and adjusted the volume, only to mute the sound almost immediately. What was that? Tony listened. The sound seemed to be coming from the bathroom. Rising from the sofa, Tony walked to the bedroom, then to the bathroom door, pressing his ear against it. Yep, that was it, she was singing.

Ziva lay back in the tub, head pillowed on a rolled-up towel, iPod securely attached, blissfully relaxed. Tony was out, she could stay in as long as she liked. Ziva reached out a hand, drying the water before cranking up the volume. She loved this song. Unaware that she had an audience, Ziva sang along:

So, tell me what you want to hear

Something that were like those years

Sick of all the insincere

So I'm gonna give all my secrets away

She sighed. Secrets. Those she definitely had. Gibbs had been wonderful, forbidding her from making a single arrangement until he had exhausted every possibility with regard to keeping her in America. He had listened, talked, and listened some more, and Ziva felt that she would never be able to repay him for his kindness. The song ended and Ziva sat up, pulling the drain lever and the standing up to dry herself. Wrapped in the towel, she looked at her reflection in the mirror.

"You have to talk to him." Gibbs had been perfectly neutral, but Ziva knew he was serious.

"I can not. He would never understand. He would…"

"That doesn't sound like the Ziva I know. That Ziva would tell him everything, and then she'd hit him with a paperclip if he didn't understand. But he will understand, Ziver. He loves you. We all love you. So, talk to him. Please? Make him understand why you haven't fought harder, why the reassignment didn't get a rise out of you like he was expecting. He thinks you want to go, and that's why you're not more upset."

"That is ridiculous. How could he…..he loves me?" Ziva's words ground to a halt as she stared at Gibbs, wide-eyed. Gibbs laughed.

"Well, that took a minute. Yes, Ziver, he loves you. More than he knows at the moment, I think. Give him a chance; tell him the truth. If he's half the man I think he is, it won't make a bit of difference in the way he feels." Gibbs opened his arms and Ziva stepped into them, allowing the embrace. Kissing the top of her head, Gibbs pushed her back gently, looking her in the eyes.

"Promise me?" And Ziva could only nod.

So, here I am. Two days later, and no closer to telling him. Ziva sighed again, heading to the bathroom door to retrieve her clothes from the bedroom. Opening it, Ziva heard the sound of the TV. Tony was home. Pulling on a pair of yoga pants and a tank, Ziva padded into the den, seeing Tony sprawled on the couch. As soon as he saw her, he jumped up.

"Oh, good, you're out. I need a shower. Man, how can anyone sweat this much on such a cool day?" Tony breezed by her, stopping long enough to kiss her cheek lightly. "I'll kiss you for real later, as soon as I'm clean."

Ziva sat where Tony had been on the couch, pondering how best to start what was bound to be a very difficult conversation. She heard the shower shut off, and momentarily Tony came back through the door, hair wet and standing on end, wearing his favorite sweats. Sitting on the next cushion over, Tony reached for her. Ziva allowed the embrace, but knew Tony could feel her tension. He leaned back, looking at her with concern.

"S'matter, Z?"

"Tony, we must speak." Ziva's voice was so low, Tony had to strain to hear it.

"About what, what's wrong? " Tony's eyes widened suddenly "Did Vance call? Are you…?"

Ziva put up a hand, stopping Tony's question. "No, that is not it. Tony, I know you know that Gibbs and I have been talking a lot lately. He is doing everything that he can to keep me here, but if I have to go back…"

"Then we'll get you back here as soon as we can, I know."

"Please do not interrupt, Tony. This is hard for me to say. If-." Ziva faltered for a bit, "If I am sent back, it may be impossible for me to return." Ziva looked up, cringing inside at the raw pain on Tony's face. She hurried on.

"You remember why I came to NCIS in the first place?" Tony nodded.

"Yeah, it was after Ari killed Kate. You came to intercede, and then Gibbs killed him, but you stayed on to help because you did such a great job and Gibbs wanted to keep you."

"That is the story you were told. There was another reason that Gibbs prevented my return to Mossad." Ziva drew a deep breath, then fixed Tony with a level look. "Tony, Ari Haswari was my half-brother. Gibbs did not kill him, I did. He tried to kill Gibbs, and I-" Ziva broke off. "My half-brother killed your friend Kate, and I killed him. I am so very sorry, Tony." Ziva sat, head bowed, waiting for Tony's rage, surprised when he gently raised her face to look at him, even more surprised to see her own anguish mirrored in his gaze.

Tony sat, fighting for control. Oh, what she must have been through. Looking at Ziva, head bowed, seemingly waiting for whatever he cared to throw at her, Tony felt a sorrow like nothing he had ever experienced before. Reaching out, he tilted Ziva's face up.

"Why didn't you tell me before, Z? No wonder you can't sleep. No wonder you've been so down. I wondered what was up with you; any other time you'd have been raging against…Oh, Z." Tony pulled her to him, then stopped.

"Z?"

"Yes, Tony?"

"What did you mean when you said it might be impossible for you to return?"

Ziva sighed again. This was going to be even harder. "If Mossad discovers that I am responsible for Ari's death, I will be punished. I may be executed." Ziva shrugged at Tony's incredulous stare, "It is our way."

Tony jumped to his feet and began to pace. "Well, that's just…I don't know what that is. But it isn't going to happen, I can tell you that. You're not going back there."

"I may have no choice, Tony. I am here as liaison, I am not a citizen…."

"What if you were?" Ziva was cut off by the question.

"What if I was what?"

"A citizen. Then they couldn't send you back, right? That would work, right?"

"It would help, Tony, but the process takes months, I would have to have a sponsor, there is no way." Ziva held her hands out to Tony. "Calm down. Please? I want to enjoy my time here while it lasts."

"Don't talk like that." Tony snapped "There's got to be a….." He pointed at her suddenly. "There is a way."

"How?"

"Marry me." Ziva nearly fell off the sofa.

"What? Tony, be serious, you can not…" Ziva looked at him in awe. "You would offer to marry me to keep me here? Even after knowing what Ari did?"

"You are not Ari. You're nothing like him. And no, I wouldn't marry you just to keep you here." Tony knelt in front of Ziva. "I love you, Z. I don't want to be without you. I'd do anything to keep you safe."

Ziva sat stunned, barely able to process what she had just heard. "You….love me, Tony?"

"Well, yeah, isn't it obvious?" Tony tried to cover his emotion with bravado.

Ziva leaned forward, meeting Tony's lips with her own. She felt him smile against her.

"Is that a yes?" Eyes filled with tears, Ziva nodded. Tony swept her off the sofa, spinning her around, kissing her again and again, until they were both so dizzy they could not stand.

That Monday, before they could tell Gibbs their news, he called a meeting, again in Abby's lab. The team waited, wondering what bombshell was about to be dropped this time, all of them so on edge that they jumped when Gibbs strode through the door. Leaning against the table that held Abby's precious mass spectrometer, Gibbs spoke.

"I won't drag this out. No one's leaving." Dead silence followed this statement, followed by a shriek from Abby, who threw herself at Gibbs, enveloping him in one of her rib-crushing hugs. Tony took the opportunity to speak, grinning so hard he could barely get the words out.

"Uh, boss? Not that I'm not thrilled, but how?"

"Suffice it to say, I called in a favor. No one's going anywhere, not now, not until I say so." Gibbs carefully extricated himself from Abby's grip.

"OK, back to work, everybody. Ziver?" Ziva turned to face Gibbs. "My office."

Ziva followed Gibbs, Tony watching her go. He was still smiling, no longer concerned about all the secrecy. She would tell him what the conversation was about, he knew that now. Tony sat at his desk, at ease for the first time in days. Ziva was staying. They were all staying. Wait a minute. Tony suddenly lost his smile. She said she'd marry me; is she gonna change her mind now that she's staying? Dropping his head to his hands, Tony groaned to himself. Please don't let her change her mind.

In the elevator, Ziva looked at Gibbs across the darkened space.

"Did you talk to him?"

"Yes."

"And?"

"And you were right. I was wrong to be so concerned. He took it well, he said he understood now why I had been acting so out of sorts, and he…"

"He what?" Ziva shook her head. "C'mon, Ziver, out with it."

"He offered to marry me if that was what it took to keep me here." Ziva felt a blush heating her face and silently offered thanks for the darkness.

"And?"

"And what?"

"And, am I going to be attending a wedding sooner rather than later or what? What did you say, Ziver?" Ziva's silence, coupled with the fact that she refused to meet his gaze told Gibbs all he needed to know. Moving across the elevator, he took her in his arms. "Congrats, Z. Now, go get to work." Gibbs hit the elevator switch again, stepping out when the doors opened. Ziva followed him, taking a seat at her desk, bowing her head to the keyboard and beginning to work, pausing to smile at Tony.

Which brought Tony back to the present.

Across the bullpen, he engaged in a futile attempt to catch Ziva's eye, wanting to see if he could divine some inkling of he conversation with Gibbs. Failing that, he returned reluctantly to his work, only to be interrupted by the ping of an incoming instant message. Opening it, Tony grinned.

From: Zdavid

To: TDiNozzo

Msg: The answer is still yes. I think I may require some assistance in the head. Care to help me?

Tony looked up, seeing Ziva stand and walk around her desk. Catching his eye, she winked, then casually headed in the direction of the bathrooms. Rising to follow her, Tony sighed contentedly. It sure was good to have things back to normal.

A/N- OK, OK, more smut next chapter, I promise! Thanks again for the reviews and ideas. I'll try to post again tomorrow.

Song credit- "Secrets" by OneRepublic