Thank you so much for continuing to read this story. Some more procedural stuff, but just on the side. Not too much coming out about the premiere and unless they are the best secret keepers in the world, Cote has not been invited back. I believe her movie has just premiered in Chile and she is promoting it. Also MW just announced a very strange adaptation of "Little Women" for his new production company.

"Don't go yet." Tony blurted out, surprising both Ziva and Tim. "I mean, you didn't really get a chance to chat with Ziva. That is if Ziva is not too tired." That's right, lob it into Ziva's court and let her make the call. Coward.

Ziva raised an eyebrow, noticing his sheepish grin. She shook her head at his backhanded way of getting out of things. "Yes McGee, unless you really need to leave, please do stay a bit longer. I would love to hear how you have been." At that, McGee started a long dissertation of his life and how Delilah was and…

Tony and Ziva looked at each other and smiled. Ziva realized how much she had missed being with her family, and felt a wave of emotion threatening to overcome her. Tony reached for her hand and pulled her closer, grounding her and wrapping her in a cocoon of warmth and love.

It was so good to be home.

"Lost and Found"- Chapter Ten

Abby Sciuto was usually a very cheerful person. She made it her personal crusade to ensure that the people around her were happy, and if they weren't she did everything in her power to steer them in the right direction. She truly believed that her overwhelming personality and exuberance brought happiness and joy to all around her. She was perplexed therefore that Tony and Tim seemed to have come to some happy place that had not been at her instigation.

She noticed it right away: Tony seemed more relaxed and in control, in his expression, the tone of his voice; even his body language just screamed that he was in charge and he liked it. Abby had always been a huge supporter of Anthony DiNozzo, Team Leader. When Gibbs had retired to Mexico, Abby had been devastated but had just as quickly turned around and jumped on the Tony bandwagon. She thought Tony was a wonderful leader and the only obstacle to his success was Tony.

But she also knew that he felt gaining leadership of a team due to extenuating circumstances as opposed to an actual promotion for his superior leadership skills left a very bad taste in his mouth. Tony was very much a status quo kind of guy. Don't upset the apple cart and all will be well. That's one reason why she believed that Tony had been so lost after Ziva left; the status quo had been changed and he had a real difficult time making the adjustment. But after her pep talk, she thought he had turned things around, and Tony had been perfectly happy being the number two guy on the team with McGee and Bishop, as long as Gibbs was number one and things kind of went back to normal in Abby's world.

But Tim; what was he so cheerful about? Abby had caught Tony and McGee whispering several times, but they always immediately went back to work when she approached or was in ear shot. Her eyes narrowed at the clandestine routine, wondering what they were hiding. Forgetting the whole "happy place" part of her confusion, a sudden, frightening thought came to her and that thought now brought her to the bullpen, standing in front of Tony and ringing her hands.

Tony had been back to work for two days before Abby made her unannounced visit. He had hit the ground running, immediately meeting with Vance and the other team leaders of the FBI and Homeland Security to discuss the targets that had been found on the video game McGee had played. Homeland was scrambling right now, going over the photos that were embedded. Something was being planned, something big. Tony had shuddered at the thought: Some of those photos had been of DC as well.

Local Leo's had also been recruited and security had been tightened around the monuments, the Mall and the metro. All military base commands had also been given the intelligence and searches were underway for hidden explosive devices. The Memorial Day holiday weekend was just around the corner, a mere week and a half away; and that thought was foremost in everyone's mind as the perfect scenario for a terrorist attack. It had everyone sweating and on edge.

Tony had then met with a smaller task force to plan the hunt for Daniel Budd. Vance had given him the lead and he brought the unit up to date with the latest information, and lack thereof, of the elusive leader of The Calling. After Gibbs had been shot, at first all Tony was interested in doing was to stop the bleeding, stop the bleeding… and once Tony ensured he was in capable medical hands for stabilization, then, and only then, did he and Officer Teague scour the area looking for Luke and Daniel Budd. They eventually found his hiding nest, with its unimpeded view of the market place and the events that unfolded. But of'course he was long gone and despite tearing the place apart there were no new clues to discover where he went and more importantly what his end game was, other than to inflict terror and allow the children to inherit the earth.

He had by necessity shared the information McGee had found regarding Budd's latest call to Tony, and by extension, he also told Vance that Ziva had returned to DC. Vance had sat up straight at his announcement and from his raised eyebrow Tony knew what was about to come out of his mouth. He held up his hand before Vance could get a word out and disabused him of any notion that Ziva was interested in returning to work for NCIS, or any one for that matter. He quickly explained how she had heard about Gibbs and felt she needed to be here.

Vance sat back in his chair and regarding his Team Leader closely and nodded. "I understand completely, Agent DiNozzo. But just say the word and I can have her clearances back within an hour." Tony just looked impassively at his Director, worried that he may start to pressure Ziva to return. He didn't read him the riot act as he did McGee but he did stress Ziva's desire that her return not be common knowledge.

Vance looked very concerned at this caveat, but didn't inquire any further and agreed to her wishes. Once Tony got downstairs he felt a sense of relief that one more ally had been recruited but then Tim continued to discuss the importance and questions raised regarding the possible locations the burn phone could have been purchased and his sense of ease evaporated. The one place that had made Tony shudder was Tel Aviv but he tried to shake it off.

"It's just a coincidence, McGee. There is nothing that ties this to Ziva, other than she has been in Israel. Until this there was nothing about Israel in our radar." McGee looked unsure but decided to agree with Tony's assessment.

"You're right; it's just…weird, that's all. When you spoke to him, did he give anything away regarding these places?" Tim waited patiently as Tony mulled over the question.

"Which time, in Iran or here?" Tony shrugged. "It doesn't really matter much I guess, since both times he was basically just trying to bait me." He got a faraway look in his eyes as he tried to recall his conversation with the elusive Budd right before Gibbs was shot. "He did say he had been reading up on me, which I found kind of strange at the time. Where would he even get information to read, unless he could hack into our system and read our files?" Tony looked worriedly at McGee. "You aren't aware of any security breaches are you?"

Tim's eyes widened at Tony's suggestion. "No, Tony. Vance would have definitely said something if that had happened. I think that maybe whatever Budd knows about you is from one of those kids." Tony frowned and shook his head. It just didn't make sense to him. McGee continued his argument. "By reading about you would he have found out about Ziva?" His query brought Tony to the present.

Tony stared hard at McGee, as if blaming him for even considering such a thing as Ziva somehow being peripheral to this current situation. "I suppose it's possible, anything is possible. Ziva was a part of the team for eight years. He would know about you as well, McGee." Tim blanched at that reminder. Tony nodded as his point was made and continued.

"Other than us getting involved initially with that first case, I can't think of how or why he would have even heard of NCIS, and certainly not us." Tony pursed his lips as he thought things through. "No, he found out about us through one of those kids, and has been studying his opponents. It's a game of chess, McGee. It all comes down to who's left with pieces on the board."

"We're already down by two." Tim reminded him, shaken by the analogy Tony had just presented. Tony jumped slightly at the reminder, his determination to get his hands on Budd strengthened.

"At least you secured the Supreme Court Justices. That's a loss that has to sting." Tim nodded in agreement, grateful that they had reached the esteem body in time before the explosion had taken place.

"But if the pictures from the video game are to be taken as fact, they already have their strategy mapped out and in place. We're talking worldwide terrorism, Tony. Not just something in our own backyard." Tim's gloom was a stark reminder of how little they really knew about Daniel Budd and his organization. This only deepened Tony's resolve. He placed his hand on McGee's shoulder to emphasize his next words.

"They may have won this first battle, Tim; but they won't win the war. We'll find a way. We will, I can feel it, McGee. The missing piece of the puzzle that is Daniel Budd is within our grasp. We just have to find it."

Tony now eyed Abby more out of curiosity than wariness. In the past few days, he had found little free time for visiting and as he had no new evidence to process, he didn't require himself down in the lab. Although he did have it on his future agenda to sit her down for a little chat, there were more pressing items that took precedence.

Tony looked at her tense posture, the anxiety coming off of her in waves. He looked sideways at McGee but he only shrugged and looked just as perplexed at the forensic scientist's demeanor. "Do you need something Abby?" Tony decided to cut to the chase rather than trying to guess what was going on in her brain. He frowned when he saw how agitated she was becoming.

"What I need Tony, is I need to know! You two…" She waved her finger back and forth between Tony and Tim. "…are hiding something! I can tell by the way you stop talking when I come around. It's driving me crazy, Tony! Just tell me…" Tony and McGee gulped and looked at each, both distressed and shocked that Abby may have found out that Ziva was back and no one told her.

Abby took a deep breath. "Is Gibbs worse? Is there something else wrong? You need to tell me because I can't take any more bad news, you know?" She softened her voice and started pacing as she continued her litany. "Which I guess in retrospect is why you wouldn't tell me because you knew I would be upset. So I guess you guys were really just being nice instead of secretive to keep it from me…" Tony and Tim's heads were spinning at Abby's upside down narrative of how bad and good it was that they didn't tell her things about Gibbs.

Gibbs. Tony tried to hide his intense relief that her rant had not been about Ziva. Out of the corner of his eye he could see McGee slightly slump in his chair. Tony shook his head in denial. "Abby, no…he's doing better. Remember what we found out the day before at the hospital? You saw him yourself last night." In fact, Tony had sent a desperate text to Ziva to make sure she was not in his room when he found out Abby was on her way to the visit the injured man.

Abby was not appeased. "But that was yesterday! Something bad could have happened today, and, and…" By now, McGee had gotten up and was standing by her side, his hand on her arm to try to settle her nerves. Bishop was also standing, looking confused by the whole exchange.

"Listen to me Abby." McGee's voice was calm reason in the midst of a storm. "Nothing has changed. There has been no news of Gibbs today. We would have told you if something had happened. Just…go back to work, ok?" Abby eyed him closely, looking for any signs that he was holding anything back. She finally dropped her shoulders in relief and gave McGee a quick hug.

"Thank you, McGee. I…you have to promise." She looked at her friend closely. Tim nodded slightly and patted her arm. When she had finally left to return to her lab, Tony and Tim both groaned. Bishop eyed them speculatively, not convinced they weren't actually hiding something, something that just wasn't about Gibbs.

Tony looked at his watch. "McGee, you and I are up in MTAC. Bishop, check out those bank records for Budd." Bishop nodded and got to work at her computer, relieved to have something constructive to do. This was what she excelled at: research, putting random facts together and analyzing them to come to a valid conclusion. After more than a year of field work, she had often questioned her change in venue but she was also one who refused to admit defeat. And so she continued to be the little Probie.

After about thirty minutes Bishop kept hearing an odd noise, but tried to shrug it off. It finally got so annoying she couldn't concentrate on her work. She looked up and frowned, gazing around as she tried to pinpoint the source of this buzzing she kept hearing. Getting up, she followed the sound until she was at Tony's desk. Her frown deepened as the insistent buzz-like tone continued. Glancing over her shoulder to see if anyone was watching her, she quietly opened the side top drawer of his desk. Lying on top of a small velvet box was his cell phone. She knew at once it was his personal phone as opposed to his work cell and hesitating only slightly, picked it up to shut the thing off, glancing briefly at the display:

"Gibbs is doing well, more later. XX OO"

She cocked an eyebrow in surprise, wondering who would be sending Tony a personal text about Gibbs and then leaving a valediction of "kisses and hugs". She knew that he had broken things off with Keates, and she was sure she would have heard if they were back together again, not to mention that there would be no reason for Zoe to be at Gibbs' beside. Sighing at her inability to figure out this puzzle, Bishop went to place the phone back into the drawer, but a glint of gold caught her eye. Carefully lifting the necklace, she wondered about this new clue: a golden Star of David necklace. Why would Tony keep this in his drawer? After working together for over a year, she realized that she didn't know quite as much about Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo as she thought…

"Can I help you with something, Agent Bishop?" Tony's voice left no mistake that he wasn't please to find her at his desk, holding Ziva's necklace. He abruptly took the jewelry out her grasp, caressing it lightly as if to be assured that it had come to no harm.

"Tony! I…I'm sorry! Your phone was buzzing and it wouldn't shut off…"

"Fine, I get it. In the future just call me on my other cell phone, ok?" Tony was looking at his cell that he had left in his desk, silently berating himself for that singular lapse in judgment. He smiled at Ziva's message, the x's and o's reminding him of when he was flying to Israel to meet up with her. That had been a brief, happy moment, until all hell broke loose.

"So, Gibbs is doing ok? Who's it from?" Tony leveled his gaze at Bishop, thinking maybe it was time for her to return to the NSA. He ignored her question and pocketed his phone.

"What did you find about the bank records?" Tony effectively ended the inquiry and returned the focus to the case. As he listened to Bishop switching gears and talking about the case, he lightly fingered the phone, thinking of Ziva and what a difference a few days could make.

Walter Reed National Military Medical Center- Bethesda

Ziva sat quietly in the chair, reading a well-thumbed novel she had found in the intensive care waiting room. She made a mental note to herself to check out the local Barnes and Noble for a half way decent book to read. She shifted in her chair and glanced over at the sleeping man, still intubated but according to the doctors improving very quickly. So quickly in fact that they were thinking about extubating him to see how he did with just a nasal cannula for oxygen delivery.

Ziva didn't understand all of the medical mumbo jumbo, but she got the basics that they had been adjusting the controls on the huge breathing machine next to the bed. Ventilator, she reminded herself, wanting to be as knowledgeable about Gibbs' care as possible. They had essentially turned the dials down until they were almost off, other than supplying oxygen. The good news was that Gibbs was breathing of his own accord. But he had still remained stubbornly unconscious.

Yesterday when she was visiting, she found the Buck mortise chisel she had gifted to him in the drawer of the bedside table. She burst into tears at the memory of that exchange, a difficult time for her and Gibbs, and Tony. She didn't understand why it was here at his bedside, not having heard McGee tell Tony of his visit to see Gibbs. Still, she wondered if the presence of the tool had somehow reached the recesses of his brain. She had placed it in his hand, unknowingly mimicking Tim's actions of the other day. She was positive she saw his hand twitch around it, but then she doubted herself, wanting to believe in the effect.

She recalled how she had visited Gibbs before, when he had been so seriously injured and didn't remember his team. She cried to him of Kate and Ari, and only by lightly slapping him on the back of his head did his memories start to return. She didn't take much credit for his recovery, as anyone could have done that. But Jenny had taken great stock in her words and thanked her for bringing Gibbs back to all of them, short-lived as it was at the time.

Later that night, she told Tony of the chisel and he quickly figured out that must have been what McGee had taken to him. They both wondered at the irony of Tim selecting that particular tool and Tony took great pains to try to convince her that it was because it was Ziva's gift; that was why Gibbs responded and was now moving toward a recovery. She was not so easily convinced, but she felt a warm feeling in her chest that Tony believed it to be so. As they sat together on his leather couch, Tony drew her to him; his arm around her shoulders and holding her hand with his other.

They had talked about their "date" and expectations, both laughing at their shared relief of Tim showing up and preventing any miscues and awkwardness between the pair. Tony was honest and upfront with his desires, that they embark on a romantic relationship and explore their feelings. He didn't voice any of his fears or concerns at this point, but Ziva knew Anthony DiNozzo and was astute enough to realize what had not been said.

"I am here now, Tony. I had wanted to do this last year as I told you. I have long wanted to see what we could have together, to see if we could move past the many obstacles in our path and discover if there was a future for us as…life partners as opposed to work partners." Ziva took a deep breath, the words not as easy to say as they were to feel and winced slightly that it may have sounded too much of permanence when they weren't there yet. "I know your concerns; all I can say at this time is let us see what happens, yes? I would like to do this with you, if you are willing." At that, Tony grabbed her face gently and kissed her with a passion that had been building up since he left Israel.

By mutual agreement, they decided to keep their burgeoning relationship out of the bedroom for the time being. Tony longed to feel her soft skin against his, to relive the bliss that enveloped him while he was in Israel. But the sting of that separation was still vivid, and he didn't think his heart could take another. He didn't know if Ziva felt the same concerns, but she was not surprised at Tony suggesting that they keep their clothes on for the moment, nor did she seem hurt or rejected. In fact, they were loath to even refer to themselves as being more than very, very good friends. Eight years of back and forth cannot be totally negated in three days, despite an interlude nineteen months ago in which feelings were finally shared and consummated. Instead, they decided that they were "seeing each other." Ziva chuckled at their semantics.

"And yet here we are, in your apartment. I will need to find someplace else to live Tony if we are only seeing each other." She teased him gently. Tony opened his mouth in protest but Ziva softly placed her hand on his cheek. "Tony, you cannot keep sleeping on the couch. It is not good for you. You are working all hours so when you can sleep, it needs to be as good as it can be, yes? For almost a year, I have been sleeping on cots, with little more than a thin cotton blanket and sometimes not even that. I am not working right now, it is not critical that I always be at my best."

Tony found it hard to not agree with her logic but he just couldn't make himself give up the sofa to her. "I just can't do that, Ziva. It's…a matter of pride I guess. I know you can whip my ass, but please let me be a gentleman about this." Ziva rolled her eyes in annoyance at such an idea as Tony giving up a good night's sleep so he could feel better about himself.

"Then maybe I should look elsewhere to stay, Tony." She reiterated. Tony looked so crestfallen that Ziva took pity on him and tabled the discussion for the time being. But she couldn't resist getting in the last word. "Perhaps then, you should consider purchasing a larger bed, yes?" With that she sashayed into the bathroom to take a shower, leaving Tony with his mouth hanging open.

"DiNozzo, you are in serious trouble." He said to himself. He turned to his goldfish. "Did you just hear what she said?"

Back in the present, Ziva leaned forward in the hard chair in the hospital room and stifled a yawn, standing up to stretch and get the kinks out. "Gibbs, you need to wake up very soon because sitting here is not doing very well for my backside." Ziva rubbed her bottom as an exclamation point. She walked to the large window and looked out, smiling at the bright blue sky that reminded her so much of Gibbs' eyes.

"Excuse me, Miss?" Ziva turned abruptly at the sudden voice that startled her out of her reverie. She relaxed her stance when she saw the ICU physician and several other doctors standing at the door. "We're going to need you to leave for a bit while we work on Agent Gibbs."

Ziva frowned, her worry etched in her features. "Work on him? Is something wrong? Do I need to call anyone?" She anxiously rubbed her hand, the knuckles almost white with her exertion. Dr. Lane smiled apologetically.

"No, no…everything is fine. We're going to take the breathing tube out and remove the ventilator. He's been breathing on his own for a while now and doing well." Ziva felt her body go limp in relief. She smiled and grabbed her things.

"Thank you, I will be in the waiting room. Will it take long? I mean, should I stay?" Ziva didn't want to leave unless it was absolutely necessary. And she wanted to see how he did before she called Tony with this new development.

"Give us about an hour, we'll want to observe him in case we need to put the tube back in. Go get some coffee or something to eat, why don't you?" The doctors had already started filing in and it was starting to get a bit crowded. Ziva squeezed her way out of the room, wondering why it was going to take so many to do this procedure but she didn't ask any questions. She wondered if she should give Tony a head's up but then considered he was probably so busy she didn't want to distract him.

Still, she felt he should have some sort of update so she quickly sent him a text and then headed down to the cafeteria. After lingering over a barely drinkable cup of tea for an hour, Ziva found her way back up to the ICU and lingered outside the unit, waiting for permission to visit with Gibbs again after the medical team was through with their procedures. One of the nurses finally poked her head out of the automatic doors and waved to get Ziva's attention. She immediately got to her feet and came forward, anxious to see the man who gave her so much. Ziva stood hesitantly at the door way, tears coming to her eyes to see him without that thing down his throat. She moved to his bedside, gently taking his hand and lightly brushing his hair. "You look like my Gibbs, now." She whispered; her voice full of emotion. Gibbs stirred slightly and too her astonishment and joy, he began to try to open his eyes.

"Ziver?" Gibbs' voice was so faint and hoarse Ziva almost didn't hear him.

"Yes Gibbs, it is I. I am here with you. You are going to be ok." Ziva allowed the tears to roll down her cheeks in her relief that he was finally awake. Her relief was short lived.

"Ziva?" At the sound of the familiar voice from the doorway, Ziva stiffened. Slowly raising her eyes from her adopted father to the figure just standing in the room, she finally came face to face with the one person she had been hoping to avoid.

I did not just do that! Well, the identity will be revealed in the next chapter. Thank again for reading and I hope you like this installment. It's quite a bit longer than usual but I wanted to move it along