A/N: We made it to chapter ten! Thank you guys so much for all your wonderful reviews (we broke a 100! YAY!)! I'm very sorry for how long it has been since I last posted, but vacations and a heavy homework load deprived me of my writing time. I'm sad to say that it will most likely be about 2-4 weeks till chapter eleven is posted due to another vacation. I hope you enjoy chapter ten!

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS

Chapter Ten

October 2, 2012 (Two weeks later)

Brrriiinnnggg! Brrriiinnnggg! The telephone cried throughout the house. Groggily, the redhead separated her own limbs from her lover's in attempt to sedate the annoying shriek of the phone. Though, when Jenny tried to stand, she felt a resistance against her which made the action impossible. Playfully, she chided,

"Jethro..."

The gunnery sergeant's cobalt blue eyes and signature smirk played across his chiseled features. Begrudgingly, he released his grip on her slender frame. As she strode to the telephone she thought to herself, and I say we're just friends. She snatched the phone from its receiver shortly before the final ring ended. She answered,

"Hello?"

Jenny was thoroughly surprised at the voice that responded back to her. The pitch was deep, and it had a gravelly consistency to it. The voice on the other line spoke,

"Is Ziva David available?"

"Who is this?"

"I am an old friend of her's,"

"And your name is?"

"Michael."

Although, she was still unsatisfied with the answer, the redhead decided to follow the gentle hum of rose-like French that seemed to engulf her. As she approached the on-suite of Jethro's teenage houseguest, the pitter patter of water droplets on the side of the tub greeted her. Gently she called,

"Ziva?"

Moments later the singing stopped and an accented voice took its place.

"Yes?"

"You have a phone call."

It was then that the water quickly shut of and the older woman could hear the pitter patter of slick feet on the cold tile. Soon after, the teen emerged with beads of water dripping off her towel-clad body. Excitedly, Ziva snatched the phone, hoping to hear the familiar voice of her mother or Aunt Nettie. Though, she had no such luck. The caller's gravelly voice did not belong to that of one of her beloved family members; rather, it was the unmistakable husk of her boyfriend's. She demanded,

"How did you get this number?"

Her tone was sharp, cold, and honestly contained a tinge of disappointment. With a hearty laugh he responded,

"Zivaleh, has spending time in the 'land of the free' made you forget about your country and your home?"

Snappily she responded,

"Well, you are the reason that I am residing in the 'home of the brave'."

"Ziva...you cannot possibly try to blame me for your own mindless mistakes."

"I was with you that night Michael!"

Snarkily he responded,

"You did not seem opposed to my company that night. Truly, it seemed as if you thoroughly enjoyed yourself."

"The weapons carries was not the most romantic or most comfortable place..."

"Did it truly matter my love? By your noises, it sounded as if it did not matter."

In the background a hushed voice interrupted,

"Officer Rivkin, Director David wishes to speak with you."

"I must go."

"So I heard."

"Shalom."

The line cut dead just before she could whisper,

"Shalom"

Sighing, Ziva set the phone on the vanity sink. Her eyes traveled to the cloudy reflection that gazed back at her. The lines of her face were hazy, similar to her emotions. The Israeli's reflection as a whole seemed distant, only something of the past. Her feelings for Michael were the same, and she wondered whether it was simply due to the new lifestyle she was thrown into. Though, Jenny's voice snapped her from her thoughts as she declared,

"Ziva, aren't you supposed to be meeting Tony at the clearing in three minutes?"

Under her breath she hissed,

"Zevel."

For the past two weeks both DiNozzo and David had been at constantly at each other's necks— sometimes literally.

Seven Hours Earlier

A fierce wind nipped at the recruits, as its howl echoed through the trees. The recruits stood on the grassy field, shoulder to shoulder, at the full mercy of the elements and their drill instructor. Snappy comments were being thrown around, and it was all fun and games until one of them was directed towards Ziva. A young man spat at her,

"Bet you're not use to the cold terrorist."

While the comment did not bother her, the response from the male to her right did. He seemed to laugh. Pain flashed in the Israeli's eyes before a mountain of pent-up anger was released upon the Italian. In the back of young woman's mind, DiNozzo and Rivkin had been battling for Ziva's heart her time in the States. The fight for her love had been at a standstill. Though, when Tony laughed at her, after all the pain she had withstood, it only caused her fragile heart to shatter. Unlike the usual banter that floated between the two, it was simply Ziva stating her mind (quite loudly for that matter). The Italian tried,

"Ninja, calm dow-"

In one swift motion she sprung onto him, toppling him to the ground. Her face was only inches from his as she spat a string of obscenities at him in a variety of languages. Surprisingly though, Tony did not fight back. He simply laid there, taking the full wrath of Ziva as she continued to yell. When it appeared that David was about to deliver another blow (which very well could have been life threatening), Gibbs finally chose to intervene. She had her time to vent, but now it was simply about to go too far. So, he collectedly walked over, and easily pulled Ziva off Tony while she was still enraged.

After the little scuffle, the famous Leroy Jethro Gibbs ordered them to do something much worse than clean the mess hall for the duration of their training. He had told them "work it out". Neither of the two were allowed back for training until all was settled, and that could result in being a very very lengthy amount of time.

Now the moon shined down upon the clearing as the italian unceremoniously plopped onto the grass. He gazed up into the midnight blue sky as he muttered,

"God, what have I done to deserve this?"

A suspiration escaped from his mildly chapped lips as he continued,

"I know I haven't talked to you in a while, but what have I done? What did I do to have to suffer my first heartbreak at 12? Dad leaving for business every night? Being at a bootcamp that I didn't sign myself up for? How about having the girl that I just might have feelings for thinking of me as a total jerk? Did I just royally piss you off?"

Ziva strode to the clearing, her wet hair blowing the gentle night's breeze. As she approached the clearing, she heard Tony's soliloquy and interjected,

"Well, you brought the fourth statement upon yourself."

The italian whipped around and greeted,

"Hey Zee-vah, How much of that did you hear?"

"Enough."

An awkward silence engulfed them, and their eyes held the opposing individual's gaze as they sat face to face on the cool grass. Neither person wished to say a word though, until Ziva finally questioned,

"Tony, why did you laugh at me? Besides the fact that you thought that the racist joke was funny."

Tony quickly explained himself,

""I wasn't laughing at the 'terrorist joke' I was laughing because Shane pointed out that your butt looked great in the green cargo pants."

"Oh..."

For a second all was silent, and the only thing that could be heard was the rustling of the leaves in the nearby trees. Tony asked,

"I know that being referred to as a terrorist is insulting, but what made you react so...strongly?"

"Tony, I have lost coworkers, friends, even family at the hands of Hamas. Being referred to as the enemy, as the ones who killed your little sister..."

She closed her eyes for a moment,

"It hurts."

Her voice cracked, "It strikes at the heart, just like Hamas does to Israel."

Her head bowed downward, as she fought the tears that threatened to escape. She felt a warm heat surrounding her left hand, and as she peered down upon it, she saw that the Italian had grasped it in his. Her eyes locked with his, and his free hand gingerly brushed a stray curl behind her ear. Both parties simultaneously seemed to lean forward, and for a brief second their lips met. The moment was broken though as Jenny's voice filled the area,

"Ziva, It's a bit lat-"

The red head froze for a moment as she noticed that she had interrupted the a tender scene that the two were sharing,

"It's almost midnight, I think it would best if the two of you got some rest."

The two teens sprang apart, and jumped up, ready to go on their separate ways. Just before the two women were about to head back to the cabin, Jenny called over her shoulder,

"You're lucky Gibbs is working on his boat Mr. DiNozzo."

Tony simply smiled and whispered to himself,

"I'm liking that woman more and more."

As Jenny and Ziva were making their way back home, Jenny asked quizzically,

"So, who was Michael?"

Ziva froze for a moment before she answered,

"Michael...Michael is my boyfriend."

Please Review! I hope to reach 118 reviews before I post chapter eleven! I'll try to post another chapter before I leave on vacation, but I promise nothing.