Summary: Vance calls Ziva and has a special assignment that takes her to LA to visit the NCIS LA, where she assisting on a case.

Chapter 10: Change is Coming

Los Angeles- OSP à 8:10 pm (DC) 5:10 pm (LA)

"Everyone go home, get some sleep we can work on finding Sufrano tomorrow… Oh and Miss David, the ring you purchased this morning-where is it?" Ziva dug in her bag and produced the robin's egg blue box and placed it into Hetty's hand.

"Ahhh an excellent choice Miss David, plain and simple but still shows a slight feminine side, and Mr. Callen the receipt?" Hetty said opening the box.

Callen handed her the slip of paper and then moved to grab his things.

"So are we still on for dinner?" Callen asked as they entered his car.

"Sure we are, but I need to shower and change first"

"Is an hour enough?" he asked her as he started the engine.

"Are you going to change?" she asked

"I'm taking a beautiful woman out for dinner, so of course I'll change". Ziva laughed when she heard her phone ring

"David" she answered crisply

"Heyy Abby, yeah we've made a bit of progress we have a suspect now but we can't seem to find him, no its okay Eric is good at what he does. How are things going over there? That's good. Oh really? I bet Tony is upset. Uhh I'm going to dinner with Callen. Yeah I don't know where. Send my love to everyone. Okay bye"

"Sounds like they miss you over there" Callen remarked

"We're like a dysfunctional family at times, but a family. Ducky, our medical examiner is the grandpa. Gibbs, the father, Tony the annoying immature brother, then me, McGee as the little brother, and Abby as the youngest, and also a major daddy's girl."

Callen laughed

"So why's Tony upset?"

"Oh their working a case and Tony keeps trying to get the marine's sister who used to be a model go on a date with him but she asked McGee to go on a date with her instead. DiNozzo feels very insulted. He puts Casanova to a new light"

"So does Deeks. Except his advances aren't typically returned. So where do you want to go to eat?"

"Surprise me; I haven't been to LA since…well since Director Shepard was killed"

"Well you're very lucky that one of my favorite aliases is very wealthy. I can get into every restraint with a flash of my card"

"You must feel very important" Ziva teased

Callen pulled up in front of the hotel. "You have one hour" he warned her with a smile

"I will see you then"

Los Angeles- WH Hotel Lobby à 9:30 pm (DC) 6:30 pm (LA)

Ziva was standing in the lobby, fiddling with her clutch in her hand. Something inside her was sniffing the air eagerly as if there was a change that could be smelled. She wanted to embrace that change, take it with open arms, as if it was a friend she had not seen in a long time. Ziva typically did not like change – it bothered her that there was more than she could control. But this seemed like a change for the better. She had felt this way before certain crucial junctures, such as joining the army, joining Mossad, becoming a liaison for NCIS, becoming an NCIS Agent, and becoming an American Citizen. Now something in her was ready for another change.

Callen stepped into the lobby and looked around for Ziva. He promised the valet that he would just be a couple of minutes. HE scanned and then he saw her, in the far side of the lobby looking even more beautiful than he had ever seen her.

"Ziva" he breathed as he crept up from behind her. Ziva turned around and looked at him.

"You're wearing a suit" she commented running her hand along the lapels.

"You look very handsome" she said dazzling him with a smile

"You look…beautiful" Callen said smiling before holding out his arm for her to take and then together they walked out of the hotel and off to dinner.

Callen took her to a beautiful restaurant near the beach. Both Callen and Ziva were thrilled to find that conversation flowed easily between the two and that even if there was nothing to say it was not awkward and that they thoroughly enjoyed each others company.

"So tell me G, do you think even if you found out what your first name is you would use it?" Ziva asked suddenly

"I don't know I might, but I think for me it's just the fact that I don't really know anything about myself."

"That is not true. We know that you are one hell of a NCIS agent; you like to be a lone wolf. You like to live the high life occasionally. We know that you have a family, not your biological one, but a family with the people you work with….very much like me." Ziva said thinking about that for a minute. "We know that you love the beach and you used to have a sister. We know so many things about you G, it's just realizing that you have a family, and you have a life here, and sometimes not knowing the past is better" Ziva said pausing lost in thought thinking about her past, and all of the stuff she wished she didn't know.

"But it's not the same thing, not many people can accept the fact that I know nothing about my past."

"Then they can as I think Americans say can go nail themselves?"

"It's screw Ziva" Callen said laughing

"Yes that… You, along with everyone else, I think need to accept that you're past may always be hidden from you. But that it's not necessarily a bad thing. And for the record…I don't care if you know everything in your past or not." Ziva said smiling. Callen looked at her and couldn't help but smile too.

"Geez, I guess Hetty was right" Ziva looked at him confused.

"Huh?" Ziva asked

"Oh it's nothing" Callen said while remembering Hetty's comment about law enforcement

You will find the only woman you're actually going to be able to see eye-to-eye with will be a law enforcement officer. And she will be the only one to understand you.

Although he didn't fully realize she was talking about Ziva until now.

"Care to dance?" Callen asked holding out his hand to her. Ziva smiled brightly taking his hand. Her hand was soft and warm in his thought Callen as he pulled her gently onto the floor.

Ziva gently linked her arms around his neck as his hands moved down to rest lightly on her waist. They slowly began to move in time to the music never breaking eye contact with each other.

"I have this rule…" Callen said whispering slightly "It was to never date a cop but...uhhh" Callen said struggling for the first time in his life to find the right words. "I want to break it…with you, because I think—"Callen was cut off when Ziva acting on a sudden impulse pressed her lips gently to his. It was a short kiss but Callen smiled widely at her… "I'll take that as a yes" he said and then leaned down and kissed her. After a second they deepened the kiss slightly before the need for oxygen overwhelmed them.

After the song ended they made their way down to the beach, Ziva had taken off her heels and was holding them in one hand, her other hand was intertwined with Callen's as they strolled down the beach. Callen stopped for a minute and looked at her.

"Normally, I don't do this because I think it's childish and uhhh very high school but uhhh…be my girlfriend?" he asked. Ziva smiled her dark eyes twinkling from the porch lights of the beach houses.

"Yes" she said and they kissed on the beach under the stars.

Authors Note:

Awwww, it was so cute Im sorry I had to add the whole on the beach under the stars thing. I hope you liked it and please review I'd like your input, or if you have questions or ideas or… yeah let me know