Catch me if you Can

Part Five (one of three)

Jena Rink

Authors Note: OH MY GOD. I am so so so so incredibly sorry this took so long to post. I was all ready to do deep editing on it, and get at least this out to you on Monday, when I started to feel sick. Turns out I had an intricate combination of the flu, a sinus infection, and strep, and I've literally been sleeping since Monday afternoon. I just jumped on periodically to inform some of you I was sick, and to check my email…but Im starting to feel better. So I thought I'd give you this. Apologies in advance if it's a bit disjointed. I was going to wait and post it all, but obviously I've been sick so I don't really have it all done yet.

So if you have any questions ask away. I will answer them to the best of my ability. Thank you so much for the reviews, I continue to be amazed, and heres the post…there may be some grammar errors because I still have a fever…blah. And I'm not going completely by cannon anymore, but this loosely follows it.

-Jena

(Flashbacks/dreams are in italics)

"Agent Dino-"he flashed the woman washing her hands a smile, and she rolled her eyes,"This is the ladies room," she added sternly, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. He still had it, even though Jean the copy lady was not the most attractive woman working at NCIS, she still found Tony attractive. Everyone found him attractive. As he had stated earlier, he was the "American Dream".

The teasing with Ziva had picked up since she'd been studying. He'd known Gibbs had called her in, and had been quizzing her via instant messenger the entire time she'd been at the office, almost until five when he had to get ready himself. Coffee had kept him fueled since then, but she'd been so busy that she was almost falling over by the time the case was resolved. She'd come into work this morning, and promptly excused herself to the bathroom. That had been thirty minutes ago.

"How about I buy you coffee later?" he asked, wigging his eyebrows at her, and she nodded, flustered, dots of pink appearing on her cheeks.

"She's in the last stall," the woman said, and he nodded, clicking the lock shut after she left the room, clearing the room silently before seeing one high heel clad foot poking out of the last stall. He tried not to laugh, and ventured closer to the back of the restroom.

"Ziva?" he questioned, opening the stall door a crack to see her sitting on the floor, her head against the side of the stall, clearly exhausted, dark circles under her eyes. She shook her shoulder gently, and her eyes snapped open, her hand reaching for her gun. He stopped her cautiously.

"Hey, Z, it's okay…its just me…you're at work…"he reminded her, and she nodded finally, her hand letting go of her gun, her eyes coming up to lock with his.

"Hi," she managed, suppressing a yawn, and he brushed a stray lock of hair off of her forehead,"I fell asleep in here again didn't I?" she added under her breath, and he nodded.

"I don' t know what it is with you and bathrooms," Tony remarked, and she rolled her eyes, attempting to sit up further,"You really should invest in a bed or something," he added, and she shot him a look, getting to her feet with his assistance.

"You know I'm stuck in the Naval Yard Housing until my assets get transferred," she reminded him softly, checking her appearance in the mirror as his hand came to rest on the small on her back, rubbing small circles in it,"But I am having trouble getting sleep,"she admitted," With the drills, and the noises…"she trailed off, leaning against the counter, staring at her reflection. He stared at her eyes in the glass, his eyes narrowed.

"Nightmares?" he ventured, and she turned to stare at him, the smallest twitch in her pupils letting him know he was right, and that was why she wasn't sleeping.

"Look…I have a spare room," Tony said, and she moved, his hand dropping from the small of his back quickly. She glanced at the door, and then back at his eyes, who were still searching her face for answers. She was petrified of letting Tony into her life in that way, regardless of how much she knew he cared about her. Every time he made an advance, she either blocked it completely or ignored it, the perfection of a dance she had a life's worth of practice learning. Never let anyone get too close.

"Do you really think that would be the best idea?" she found herself saying, gauging his reaction cautiously. His eyes hardened, and he turned away from her, running a hand through his hair. He wasn't sure how many times he would offer to help her before she would accept. It was starting to get frustrating. If the old Ziva had died in Somalia, the new Ziva was still not comfortable with accepting help from anyone, even people she claimed to trust.

"Well if you don't want to that's fine," Tony found himself saying, an edge to his voice, and Ziva winced slightly, before hardening her resolve.

"I am too tired to quarrel with you right now, Tony. And let me remind you, I am not made of glass," she said, slightly annoying, clenching her fists to keep her anger in check.

It was amazing the lengths she would go to to keep people from getting close to her. It was unnerving. Tony found himself losing his temper as well, his words getting the best of him.

"Obviously, because sometimes you act like you're made of stone," he shot back, and walked towards the door, "When you realize you can't do this by yourself, you can come find me," he added, unlocking the door and shutting it behind him, leaving Ziva staring after him, her hands still clenched, fighting back tears that threatened to spill over.

The rest of the day was a blur, slow, filled with paperwork, silent stares from Ziva, and a tension that filled the room. He was glad to escape it and go home, find an old black and white movie, order a pizza, and drink beer. When he finally pulled up at his apartment, it was to see the lights on. He frowned, climbing the steps, and when he opened the door, it was to see a pile of bags, two feet peeking out from the bag of the couch.

"I ordered you a pizza," her voice wafted over the cushions, and he shook his head in disbelief,"Your lock was very easy to pick," she added, as he kicked off his shoes, dropping his badge, sig, and keys before sitting down next to her, her head leaning back onto his chest when he started to play with her hair.

"I am sorry,"she offered quietly, and he dropped a kiss on the top of her head, pulling her closer against him, one of his hands lacing with hers. This was the perfect ending to his day, as new as it was.

"Me too," he responded,"You're just so damn stubborn sometimes, David," he said in her ear, and she leant her head back, their eyes locking.

"I am trying," she reminded him, her eyes uncharacteristically wide and vunerable.

"I know, Z," he breathed, pulling her up to sit on his lap, kissing her softly, pulling away to hold her against him, her head resting on his chest comfortably.

"What are we watching?" she asked him softly, and he grinned, spotting a dvd on the coffee table and launching into a detailed description.

She didn't remember ever being in so much pain. He must have done something else, something to truly make her loose her bearings, go crazy. Her past was playing on repeat, a loop of memories she couldn't change, couldn't relive, and couldn't fix.

"You will tell me," his boot connected with her rib again, and she felt a slight crack ,the pain almost making her lose consciousness.

"No," she managed to rasp, despite the pain it caused her, and he grabbed her by the hair, throwing her against the wall, her head snapping back against the concrete, stars exploding in front of her eyes.

"-ony," she mumbled under her breath, and he smiled.

"Agent Dinozzo? Is that who will make you talk?" her eyes grew panicked, and he noticed.

"NO!" she tried to yell, her breath escaping her shallowly, the image in front of her fading before she fell back into the blackness. As nice as dreaming was, it was a reminder. But the blackness was comforting. Ziva relished in the thought that the blackness couldn't read her. It couldn't see her thoughts and exploit them. The blackness couldn't make things any worse. So she succumbed to it.


I look forward to it," Tony said, faking a smile convincingly, so sick of shaking hands and pulling of a smile that his lips ached and he felt like he was a puppet. Was he really cut out for this? He wasn't even sure anymore. His mind was swirling with thoughts of Sophie, and the dream he had had about Ziva. It was like a movie, almost like Ghost or something. But it felt much more real than that. If Ziva was the Patrick Swayzee to Tony's Demi Moore, then she was doing a much more convincing job at being alive then dead. And that was the problem. Maybe Ziva was right. Maybe drinking as much as he had been was just…short circuiting his brain or something, and he'd drop dead at any moment.

"No matter how aggravating this is…it's a necessity," Vance whispered in his ear, and Tony cracked an actual smile.

"They all have wives. I'm going to be the bitter old single Federal Agency director," Tony said jokingly, taking a sip of his scotch and glancing around the room at the hierarchy of the federal system, all mingling in the small room, occasional press around the room taking photographs.

"I know you went more of the Gibbs route, but Im sure you'll adapt to this just fine," Vance said, "It would have been easier to do if I was single, trust me," he added, and Tony nodded.

"So we're just here kissing each other's asses for a sense of comradery?" he asked, and Vance fought back a laugh.

"You hit the nail on the head with that one, Dinozzo," he remarked,"Any news?" Tony shook his head.

"Not past what I found out by analyzing her former mission patterns. Now we just have to wait. We check it every day…the passports going through customs. But her face hasn't shown up yet," Tony said softly, staring out at the throng of people.

"Well why don't you take the rest of the night off? I can handle this, and you can get rid of the bags underneath your eyes. You need to sleep," Vance pointed out, and Tony nodded.

"I'll try. 0700?" he questioned, and Vance nodded, letting Tony walk off towards the exit, watching him interestingly.


The first morning she had woken up at Tony's apartment, she had felt more refreshed than she had in years, eating her burrito silently in the car while Tony drove them to work, their hands lightly touching across the console. It was so normal. She hadn't even realized what normal was before this point. But this must be something close. Eating something they'd picked up at the deli, grease on her fingers, while Tony sang loudly and off key to the oldie's station as they made their way to the Navy yard, his hand occasionally squeezing hers or playing with her hair. The entire morning had been something she was not accustomed too.

"See?" he told her, pulling into his customary parking spot in the garage, raising an eyebrow at her and smiling.

"You were right. I feel much better," she told him, a ghost of a smile on her lips as she cleaned the grease off her fingers with a spare napkin, putting everything in the bag quickly, surprised when he grabbed her hand again, squeezing it.

"It'll become something normal," he told her, surprised when she put the bag down, leant over, and kissed him softly on the lips, ruffling his hair. She was surprised at her, almost bubbliness. Certainly not something she had usually in the morning, if ever. She was acting impulsively, going with her instincts. She should have known something would go wrong.

"I like your hair without the gel," she said, and he kissed her again, pulling away when a set of headlights pulled into the garage. She grabbed the bag and followed him through security mindlessly, listening to him joke about something he had heard on the radio. And all the sudden she ran right into him. And he held her back, his arms reaching around to grip her forearms tightly, as something she couldn't see went on in front of her.

"What is going on?" she asked indignantly, and he held her tighter.

"Tony-" her voice trailed off as her father's voice wafted across the room. Her knees grew weak as she heard him shouting in Hebrew with the Director. Of course her happiness couldn't last. She felt her stomach clench slightly, and turned around, heading for the elevator before Tony could stop her. He pivoted, and walked towards the stairs, turning to follow her before McGee could even open his mouth.

She couldn't breathe. She found herself in the corner of Abby's lab, sandwiched between a full-scale model of a skeleton and the glass wall separating her office from the rest of forensics.

"Ziva-"Tony's voice softened when he saw her, her eyes panicked, her breath coming in short gasps,"Shhhh…."he walked over to her before she could stop him, pulling her into his arms and rubbing her back.

"What if he-"Tony cut her off, absorbing her tears into his suit jacket.

"He's not going to get you, Ziva. You're safe here. You're one of us, I've got you," he assured, and her sobs picked up.

Abby almost dropped her Caff Pow when she flounced into the lab and saw them, her eyes narrowed.

"Oh my God! What happened?" she questioned, and Tony turned back to stare at her. She understood. She went into her office, and the customary heavy metal music didn't turn on as Tony held her, trying to quiet her cries. He picked up her limp form minutes later, and deposited her on the futon, still on his lap, her arms clinging to any part of him she could reach as she started to fall asleep, the tension lines in her face erasing almost instantaneously as she relaxed.

When she was sleeping she was the most peaceful. Tony found himself once again forgoing sleep, watching the sunrise as he remembered her. Her hair splayed across his chest, her legs intertwined with his, the soft smile that would grace her face as she woke up, her eyes disoriented until they came to rest on his face.

Where had things gone so wrong. And what had that dream meant? Right where you left me? He hadn't left her. She had left him. That last night they were together. The last night before she had vanished, nothing missing or out of place, leaving Tony to lie and almost lose his job because of the way they had been involved.

And now he was waiting on pins and needles, waiting for a daughter that he wasn't even sure was his, wondering how she could have left him in this situation. If the girl, Sophie, was his, how was he even going to start to be a father? He had no experience. And between the training for the director's job and the search they were conducting, he was at his wits end.


Gibbs sat by the coffee shop at the Navy yard, staring around him at the hustle and bustle of everyday life, his mind lost in memories, trying to find the answers to Tony's current predicament. Times were changing. He was supposed to start training the little McGee today, and Tim had already started to step into his new role. Tony was all but gone, always in Vance's office since their conversation a few days previous. Eli had only tried to collect Ziva twice before she had disappeared. Maybe he was collecting evidence? The events of that day would certainly be enough for Gibbs to have suspected something was going on between his senior agent and his probie….

"Dinozzo?" Tony glanced up hesitantly, his fingers still running over Ziva's disheveled hair gently as she slept against him.

"She hasn't been sleeping. I don't think this helped," he responded, lifting her off of him and placing one of Abby's spare lab coats over her as a blanket. She slept on, unaware of what was happening upstairs.

"He wants to talk to her," Gibbs said, and Tony snorted.

"Like hell he's going to talk to her," Tony responded, his voice harsher than he intended.

"You want to face off with the director of Mossad, be my guest," Gibbs said, and Tony raised an eyebrow, walking past him towards the elevator.

"Abs…take care of her for me," Gibbs told Abby, who nodded, sitting next to Ziva awkwardly on the futon, lifting her head so it rested in her lap and she was less uncomfortable.

The elevator ride was silent, and Gibbs and Tony shared a look before walking up the stairs and into Vance's office.

"You cant go in there. They are in the middle of a mee-" Tony shot her a look, opening the door and striding in, noting the presence of Ziva's father, all, cold and indifferent, arguing with Vance.

"Where is Ziva?" he demanded again,"She is coming home, it is where she belongs, with her family," Tony couldn't help but snorting, and Vance shot him a look.

"Ziva, is as far away as she can get from you," Tony all but snarled, and Eli raised an eyebrow, taking in Tony's haggard appearance.

"I see you are trying to play the hero. But it is not necessary. She is coming home with me-"

"Like hell she is. This is her home," Tony responded coldly, locked in a staring match with Ziva's father.

"Are you under the assumption that she needs protection? That you are protecting her from something? This is life. She has an obligation to her country,"

"I'm quite sure she already fulfilled that when you left her in Somalia to die," Tony ground out, and Gibbs clapped a hand on his shoulder.

"Will you keep him on his leash, Gibbs?" Eli questioned, and Gibbs let go of Tony's shoulder, his gaze hardening.

"Ziver is far too good of a person to have such a horrible father," Gibbs said, and Tony stared at him in surprise,"And the only reason I haven't let Dinozzo have a go at you is because it might become an international incident if he does," he added, and Eli smirked.

"You have no self control in America. It is saddening," he said, and Tony bit his lip.

"They beat, raped, and tortured her within an inch of her life, and you knew what you were sending her in to! You knew it!" Tony accused, clenching his fists, as Vance stared on in interest.

"Do you love my daughter, Agent Dinozzo?" Eli questioned, racing an eyebrow, and Tony flinched slightly.

"She is my partner. I always have her back. Even if it means that I have to keep her away from what is supposed to be her family. I suggest you leave," Tony said, and Eli barked out a laugh.

"I'm sorry, Eli. But it's her choice. She resigned from Mossad, and she's been approved as an agent here. The final decision rests with her," Vance said, and his eyes hardened.

"This is not over," Eli said, and Tony squinted at him.

"Oh, I'm sure its not," he responded, as Eli got up to leave.

"You think you will always be able to protect my daughter, Agent Dinozzo? She is not invincible, you out of all people should know about that," Gibbs squeezed Tony's shoulder tightly, preventing him from punching the man.

"Go to hell," Tony muttered, turning on his heel and striding from the office, Gibbs staring after him in interest.

Gibbs was snapped out of his daydream by McGee, who was waving a folder in his face.

"Boss?" he glanced up quickly,"Sara's waiting …we're supposed to start training her today," Gibbs nodded distractedly.

"I think you can handle it. I have something to look into," Gibbs said, and McGee stared after him strangely as he walked back towards the parking garage. What was he doing? It seemed like everyone had a secret agenda these days, while they should be working together. Whatever it was, McGee would find out. He just had to ask the right questions.

So??? I hope you liked it. I promise there will be more. I cannot cram everyone's plotlines into one post. Lol.

-Jena