Thanks for the reviews to the last Promonitions. I am using it to segue into Episode 11x8 "Alibi" = McGee's suspicion over Tony's strange behavior. It was my intention to make this "strange behavior" be totally about Ziva, and then GG came out on Tuesday and basically said that's what it is about. The difference, I am sure is that the show will have Tony finally moving on, where my story…well, you know me don't you?

He found himself outside of Ziva's old apartment. "This is so pathetic! It's not like she's going to walk out of that door!" Tony was disgusted and started the car again, heading back to his apartment.

He carefully placed his gun into his lock box and gingerly placed some fish flakes into Kate's bowl. "I really screwed up, Kate. None of this is how it was supposed to turn out. What am I going to do now, huh?" He poured himself a generous scotch and plopped down on the sofa.

He leaned back and looked at the ceiling, not sure how to handle this new situation. His phone dinged, causing him to almost spill his drink. He looked at the readout, his eyes widening, his lips forming a wide smile.

"Two hours…your laptop…it's a date. Ziva xo".

Vignette Four- Part One: "Alibi"

Tony paced in front of the coffee table, checking his watch. He shook his head. "God DiNozzo, it's like you're going on your first date or something. Chill..."

The chime on his laptop made him jerk. Taking a deep breath, he sat himself down and stared at the invitation. Smiling softly, he clicked the icon and waited.

Suddenly, there she was. Luminous, beautiful, rested. "Hey…" Tony said softly, trying to drink in every inch of her face.

Ziva smiled wide. "Hello, Tony. It has been…too long, yes?"

"Oh, yeah…that's one way to describe it. So how are you?"

Ziva leaned forward so she could look better at his face. "You are the one who needs to tell me how you are, I think. Your phone message was…I am not sure how to say it…"

"Desperate? Pathetic? It's ok, I've already berated myself." Tony quipped, his expression embarrassed.

Ziva chuckled. "I do not think I would be so harsh, but I would be lying if I wasn't concerned." She frowned and looked into his eyes.

"Are you alright, Tony?"

Tony looked away. "No, but that's not your problem, Ziva; it's mine. I just really needed to hear your voice, to see your face. But I would have been content to just talk over the phone. This is a bonus." He smiled wide, pointing to the screen.

"Then talk to me, Tony. I…I know how we left things and I know that you are…were…disappointed. I am sorry if I have made things difficult for you. That was not my intention." Ziva twisted her hands together.

"Now that some time has passed, and emotions are not quite so…close to the surface; I have a better perspective on things."

Tony looked at her warily, not sure exactly what that meant. "You're still planning to come back someday…right?"

Ziva looked down and then gazed back into his eyes. "I have not changed my mind, Tony. I will be back, but still not to NCIS. But perhaps I do not need to be so…alone."

Tony sucked in his breath. "What are you saying, exactly?" He didn't want to get his hopes up and he certainly didn't want to pressure her and have her run for the hills. He just hoped her saying she didn't need to be alone didn't mean she had decided to hook up with some guy or worse…Adam.

Ziva shrugged. "I am not saying I am coming back now; but it may be sooner than I had thought, Tony. I have no plans at the moment. Now, please tell me what is going on with you." Ziva effectively moved the conversation away from her.

Tony bit back a remark and shifted uncomfortably on the sofa. "Really, Ziva it's nothing. I don't want to bore you with my problems. And it is my problem to deal with."

Ziva frowned. "I received a text from Abby, several in fact. Most of them have been chastising me for leaving without saying goodbye." Ziva looked away for a moment, sad. She turned back and smiled shakily at Tony.

"But lately they have been about you. She is concerned." Tony grimaced and rolled his eyes.

"That's all I need, an intervention. Look, I don't even know how to describe what I'm going through right now, except that you aren't here. I don't want to burden you with the weight of all of this, but…"

"But what, Tony?" Ziva looked tense; worried and distressed that this could be her fault.

Tony rubbed the back of his neck. "I really thought I would be ok, you know…coming back to NCIS…without you. I have the rest of the team, right? And I knew you were still around, just not around…here. It's not like I would never see you again." Tony chewed on his bottom lip.

"It's hard to explain, Ziva. I didn't realize how dependent I was on you until you weren't there. I'm so used to running things by you, looking at you and knowing what each of us was thinking. It was so easy, so effective. You are the best partner I've ever had. Without you having my six, I feel incomplete, lost, out of focus." He took a deep breath. He was afraid Ziva would think he was blaming her for the way he was feeling, and he didn't know how to prevent that.

Ziva watched him quietly, her eyes widening at his admission. She felt remorse that her leaving had caused him to lose faith in himself.

"The point is, even if you did come back with me, you still wouldn't be my work partner. So I have to learn to not have you there. It's just harder than I thought it would be. I already told Gibbs that I don't want another partner." Tony's mouth was grim.

Ziva shook her head. "You should not have done that, Tony. You cannot work by yourself. I know you; you need to have someone to bounce things off of."

Tony smiled softly. "I guess I didn't phrase that right. I told Gibbs that I didn't want whoever he hired to be my new partner. I'll just partner with him, or McGee." He still didn't look happy; more resigned than anything.

"And things in the bullpen are…not the same. I expected everyone to react to the big gaping hole that is your empty desk, but it's more than that." Tony frowned as he contemplated how to explain what he was feeling.

"We're all flailing Ziva, but I am the only one who really sees it. McGee is, well not nice I guess is one way of putting it. I don't know; maybe he's pissed off at me for being away so long, but he's been pretty impatient and dismissive of me lately. Abby alternates between being morose and then she's so hyper you can't get within ten feet of her. And Gibbs…" Tony stopped, worried he was complaining too much and making Ziva feels as if he was blaming her.

"What about Gibbs?" Ziva asked quietly. Her eyes were large and sad, clearly taken aback at the state of her former team.

Tony looked at her, his own eyes reflecting her feelings. "He's in denial I guess. He's pissed all the time, and he is just…off. No one will talk about it, Ziva. And it's making me crazy."

"What do you want them to say, Tony? I left everyone, except you and Gibbs, without saying goodbye. They have every right to feel angry or rejected. But they should be taking their anger out on me, not you. For that I am sorry." Ziva looked away briefly and Tony worried that she might be crying.

"Oh, Ziva, no…don't feel that way. It's not like you could hop a plane to come back just so you could say goodbye to everyone in person. They understand that. And I don't think anyone is really angry at you. No, the problem is…we don't know what we are anymore, I think."

"What do you mean?" Ziva looked at Tony in confusion.

Tony smiled ruefully. "Well, think about it. Gibbs was you're 'Dad', McGee and Abby your siblings and I…well, I guess what you would call me is debatable but I'm not willing to take on the sibling label if you don't mind."

Ziva chuckled at that. "No, I can honestly say I never thought of you as my big brother, although I was not sure at times that you did not think of yourself that way and I remember accusing you of acting like one once."

Tony looked horrified. "I remember that as well, and I can assure you that I never thought of myself in that role!" He replied with so much vehemence Ziva laughed.

After their laughter died down, Tony looked serious. "You were the impetus, the focal point of our family. The glue that bound us together; the reason we became a family in the first place. We didn't have that same dynamic with Kate. Kate and I may have squabbled liked sibs, but I can assure you that Gibbs never thought of Kate as a daughter." He rubbed his jaw thoughtfully. "I don't know; maybe it's because you are so much closer in age to Kelly. He feels more of a connection with you."

"Gibbs still has Abby. I know he has that relationship with her." Ziva cut in, trying to find something positive.

Tony shrugged. "True, but she is down in her own little world. When it's just us, it's like we don't know what to do with ourselves and we keep waiting for you to give us a reason to keep going."

"It cannot be that bad, can it?" Ziva gasped.

Again, Tony shrugged. "Well, it is from my point of view. I'm sure if you were having this conversation with Tim he would say everything is fine, but I have a screw loose or something."

Ziva considered that for a few moments. "I heard from McGee as well." She finally spoke.

Tony nodded sadly, knowing he had texted her. "I don't think I want to know what he said about me. I have been challenging lately, but…aw hell, I don't know. Hey, you didn't text him back, did you?" He was treading lightly here. To be honest, he would have been upset if she had been texting back and forth with McGee and Abby and he hadn't heard from her.

He decided it was time to change directions. "Tell me how you are doing, Ziva. You look relaxed, at peace. I guess you were right to stay." Tony hoped he was sounding supportive.

Ziva smiled softly. "I am doing well, Tony. As I said, now that some time has passed and I have had time to think about my choices: past, present and future, I do not feel as despondent as I had; I do not feel like I failed. And no…I have not texted anyone else back. Maybe that is the problem." She shifted slightly on her seat, shaking her head.

"I have been helping out at the local school, teaching English if you can believe that." Ziva grinned as Tony burst out laughing.

"I wish I could see that! Have you told them about the porcuswine yet? Or was it a porcupig?" He chuckled at Ziva's expression.

"Very funny, Tony. No, I am actually doing quite well, but it is only temporary. The class ends in December." She looked behind her.

"What is it? Is someone there?" Tony's voice lost its humor.

Ziva frowned and turned back toward him. "I thought I heard something. I am at my home in Tel Aviv, so I feel very safe." She turned again.

"Ziva?" Tony's voice was strained.

"Hold on a minute, Tony."

"Ziva! No, wait…" Tony sat back in frustration as Ziva disappeared from the screen. He got up and started pacing back and forth, his eyes boring holes in his laptop monitor.

After two agonizing minutes, she returned. "It was the wind. A storm is picking up. I may lose my connection soon." They both stared at each other.

Tony let out his breath at Ziva's report. He knew Parsa was still out there and even though they didn't talk about it, who's to say he wasn't still after them, including Ziva? Just because he failed once didn't mean he wouldn't try again.

"This has been nice, Ziva. I…I really miss you. And I'm sorry I wasted so much time complaining." Tony's voice broke, much to his dismay.

Ziva reached up to her monitor to touch his face peering back at her. "That is why I contacted you, yes? And you were not complaining, you were explaining how you felt, that is a big difference. I miss you too, Tony. And please trust me; that I know what I am doing."

"I do, Ziva. I trust you more than anyone." Tony affirmed. "But I would feel better if you would keep in touch with me. So I know that you are doing ok…" He placed his hand on her lips.

"I promise, Tony. I will keep in touch. I promise." She leaned in so he could see her closely. "Do not forget what I told you: you are loved. That has not changed." They regarded each other silently for a few moments.

"I guess I better let you go, then." Tony finally said.

Ziva nodded. "Yes, you should get some sleep. I will contact you soon."

"Goodnight, Ziva." Tony touched his fingers to his lips and brought them to hers. Ziva repeated the gesture, smiling at him.

"Goodnight, Tony."

The screen went dark, and Tony took in a shaky breath and leaned back on the sofa. For the first time in weeks, his mind was calm and settled, just speaking to Ziva made him feel as if things would be better. Maybe not ok, but definitely better.

Tony realized that just by knowing that Ziva would be keeping in touch with him his heart felt lighter. "I can get through a lot of crap as long as I know she'll be there at the end of the day, occasionally." Tony mused to himself. Smiling to himself, he closed down his computer and headed for bed.

Ziva stared at the computer for a few moments, thinking about the conversation they had just had. She was dismayed that Tony was having such a difficult time because of the decision she had made. That had never been her intention and she was not sure what she could do at the moment to change what had happened. Someday soon, yes; but not tonight, or tomorrow.

But she had more pressing concerns at the moment. She went to her back door and stepped outside. Looking down on the ground, she saw the footprints under the window. Large footprints that did not match her shoe size.

She whipped her head around, overcome by sadness. "It never leaves me." She murmured to herself. She knew she would need to go into hiding again and more than her safety she worried how she was going to tell Tony.

Hoped you liked it. Tony verbalized what I am seeing with the show right now. Something is definitely missing and it is Ziva. The preview for "Alibi" didn't show any scenes regarding this spoiler, so maybe something will come up soon. I will post another chapter on this vignette to finish it up before the episode airs. Please review and thanks for your support.