Hey guys!, thanks to everyone who read and reviewed the last chapter. I really appreciate your comments. Here is another chapter, slightly longer than my usual so I hope you enjoy it. Although, I think I should give advance warning that things get a little angsty but I still hope you can enjoy it. As ususal, please review and post your feedback, good or bad. I'd really appreciate it. Thanks!

Chapter 11

Ziva's hotel penthouse, Santa Maria, Spain...0509

Tony's eyes slowly began to open, his eyelids fluttering, adjusting to the early morning light shining through the balcony doors. He slowly adjusted to his surroundings, beginning to realise he was not in his own home.

His neck ached from the awkward sleeping position from the night before. He tried to stretch, only to discover a mass of black curls resting on his chest and perfectly manicured nails gently grasping his shirt.

His eyes quickly widened, the events of the night before replaying on his mind; Ziva crying as she shared her story; their lips crashing together; Ziva falling asleep in his arms as she silently sobbed.

He looked down at Ziva, peacefully sleeping on his chest, her lips still swollen from their feverish kisses the night before. He couldn't help but admire her beauty; a small smile spreading across his face as he gently ran his fingers through her hair.

Suddenly, the vibration of his phone brought him back to reality. He pulled the phone out of his pocket, being extra careful not to waken Ziva. Carmela's name flashed up on the screen before the vibration stopped. Now, 14 missed calls and 13 voice mails were flashing on the screen from Carmela.

"Shit!" He quietly muttered, remembering that he had a fiancée at home. He ran his fingers through his own hair. He couldn't believe he did this…not to Carmela, not to Ziva. This was a mess.

He slowly released himself from Ziva's hold and slid off the sofa, being careful not to waken Ziva. He slid on his shoes and grabbed his car keys, before leaving the penthouse, taking one last glance at the sleeping Ziva.

He raced down the hotel stairs, not even waiting for the elevator and then quickly jumped into his car. Then he paused for a moment, closing his eyes as his head rested against the headrest.

He took a deep breath, opened his eyes and checked his appearance in the rear-view mirror. Luckily for him, there were no visible scratches on his body. A rarity when making out with Ziva David.

He pulled out his cell phone and phoned Carmela. "Hey baby." He softly said, praying he didn't sound as guilty as he felt. "I know baby, I'm sorry I didn't call. I had some paperwork to finish off and I guess I fell asleep at my desk. Yep, my body is suffering now." He gave a small laugh. "Well, I'll look forward to the massage. I love you too baby." He hung up. "Tony Dinozzo, you are going straight to hell." He muttered to himself before speeding off.


NCIS Headquarters, the photocopying room, Rota, Spain… 0737

Tony stood at the photocopier, photocopying all the information he could find on the Nassifs. He was determined to close this case and put them behind bars for Ziva's sake.

He had changed his clothes, borrowing Garrett's spare change. It had been a while since he had needed to do that, but then again, it had been a while since he never made it home. The all night stop outs had stopped as soon as he met Carmela.

"Good morning Tony." A sweet, familiar female voice said from behind him.

He jumped, taken by surprise and he nervously laughed as he spun around to face the person the voice belonged to. "Ziva…you're here." He said, his voice quivering as he fought the nerves.

Ziva stood before him, dressed in a navy blue short pencil skirt and a light blue, short-sleeved button down shirt with a ruffled panel. Her long dark hair was straight and tied up in a ponytail and her make up was minimal. She looked extremely relaxed and as a result, the prettiest had had saw her since she turned up at Rota.

"No thanks to you." She joked, walking towards him. "I had to drive myself in, borrowing Arielle's car. I um, I never even heard you leave this morning."

"Yeah, I um, had to get here early." He lied, trying to avoid her eye line as she leaned against the photocopier, her body facing Tony. He continued photocopying.

"Look Tony, last night took me by surprise." She began to say, her body leaning into him. "I did not expect that to happen. I mean I enjoyed it, really enjoyed it…"

"Ziva…" Tony began, interrupting her. He knew he finally had to be truthful and tell her the truth about Carmela.

"And I know, we have a case to solve…" Ziva continued, ignoring Tony's interruption. "But after we close the case, I was hoping that maybe we could try…"

"Ziva!" Tony stated, with more force. He pressed his hands on her shoulders. She finally stopped talking and looked at him. "Before you finish that sentence I really have something I need to tell you."

"Um boss." He heard Kendall's say from the doorway.

"Ken, not now." Tony snapped, not looking away from Ziva.

"Boss, you have a visitor." Kendall pressed.

"So take a message Kendall!" Tony snapped, finally looking at her. "Can't you see I'm busy?"

"But Tony, it's…" She trailed off, afraid to say the word aloud. He knew what she was trying to tell him from the look in her eyes.

He didn't say anything; he just walked away from Ziva and followed Kendall towards the bullpen. Ziva followed them; confused by what had just occurred.

As they entered the bullpen, they found Abby, Gibbs, McGee, Tabitha and Hari, standing with a woman, with long straight dark hair, with a blunt fringe/bangs framing her beautiful face. She was tall with a slender but curvy body, wearing a dark green linen sundress that flowed in all the right places.

"Carmela, what are you doing here?" Tony asked nervously as he headed towards her.

"I thought you would need a spare change of clothes but I guess Garrett got you sorted." Carmela replied, holding up an overnight bag. "Tony, you didn't tell me you had friends from Washington in town." She added. Ziva watched as the woman gave Tony a quick yet loving kiss. "I could have had you all over for dinner." She slipped her arm around to Tony.

"Carm, they're here to work a case, not to socialise." Tony muttered, his eyes searching for Ziva, he looked at her, his eyes sending a silent apology.

"Well then, you must come to our wedding in a few weeks." Carmela offered.

"Wedding?" Ziva spat out in surprise. She couldn't help herself. She looked around her. No one but Gibbs seemed at all surprised at the mention of a wedding.

"Let me guess, Tony hasn't talked about our wedding." Carmela laughed, giving him a gentle slap in the arm.

"No, he has not." Ziva muttered. Tony hung his head in shame.

"Doesn't surprise me." Carmela laughed, oblivious to the tension. "To him, fiancée and marriage are dirty words…which is why I was surprised when he popped the question six months after we got together."

"Six months?" Ziva scoffed.

"Doesn't sound like our Tony." McGee joked, desperately trying to cut the tension.

"I know." Carmela laughed, looking Tony in the eye. "But I guess when you meet the right person, spending your life together doesn't seem so scary…even for Tony Dinozzo." She gave him a quick kiss and everyone laughed, except Ziva.

Tony looked at her again, his eyes full of regret. She didn't look at him. Instead, she hung her head and walked out of the bullpen. No one but Tony saw her go, they were too busy fussing around the future Mrs Dinozzo.


Milo's Lab…0829

Ziva David stood at the metal table, her fingers tracing over it, enjoying the coolness of the metal. There was no evidence lying around, waiting to be tested. She was on her own, with her thoughts.

She did not know why she came down here. In Washington, she had always found Abby's lab comforting and she hoped this lab would be the same. But it wasn't; it just reminded her how much had changed; and how there was no going back.

"Ziva, there you are!" Hari exclaimed, entering the lab, followed by a waddling Abby. "We were looking everywhere for you."

"We wanted to check on you." Abby said. "I mean, today, with Carmela…what a shocker! Tony Dinozzo getting married? Who would have thought it?" Abby faked a laugh.

"Obviously you two saying you did not look one bit surprised by the announcement." Ziva replied bitterly, crossing her arms under her breasts.

"Ziva…" Hari began.

"How long have you both known?" Ziva asked, cutting off Hari.

"Ziva…" Abby began, her voice soft.

"How long?" Ziva barked.

Just at that moment, Milo had decided to enter his lab but he changed his mind as soon as he read the situation. "I'll um, come back later." He muttered before backing off, out of the lab.

"Tony let it slip whenever we arrived in Rota." Abby replied. "He promised me he was going to tell you. He said he was going to tell you last night."

Ziva laughed to herself. Last night? The same night he kissed her and made her think they had a chance of being together, when really, they had no chance. She turned her attention to Hari. "And what about you? How long have you known?" She asked.

"Ziva…" Hari began but he trailed off. Ziva nodded her head and laughed.

"Of course, I should have known." She laughed. She realised her father was still watching Tony's every move.

"Ziva, you said you were over him…we didn't expect you to fall…" Abby began but was cut off by Ziva.

"You know, it would be easy to blame Tony for why I am so hurt but what hurt me the most is two of the people I trust and love whole heartedly did not even think to tell me." Ziva stated before exiting the lab.

After she left, she bumped into McGee and Tabitha at the doorway. "Ziva, I was just looking for you." McGee said but he stopped talking when he saw the look in her eyes. "You want me to punch him? Because I'll take him down…or at least try." He was trying to make her smile.

"That is not going to work McGee." She simply stated and kept walking.


NCIS Headquarters, the fire escape…0903

Tony was standing outside on the fire escape, overlooking the navy yard and Rota's coastline. There was a gentle breeze. Carmela had just left. He heard someone step onto the fire escape behind him. He did not turn around. "Just say it Gibbs." He muttered. He was not in the mood to fight back. He braced himself for a 'Gibbs' slap'.

"So you're getting married huh?" Gibbs said, taking his place beside Tony. Like Tony, he stared straight ahead. Tony glanced at him, still surprised that he did not 'Gibbs' slap' him. "I thought the one thing you would have learnt from me is avoid marriage at all costs."

"I didn't plan for it." Tony muttered. "It just happened. You can't control who you fall for."

"And not telling Ziva, that just happened too, huh?" Gibbs stated.

"I was hoping I never would need to tell her." Tony replied. "I was hoping that this case wouldn't drag on the way it has. I was hoping that I would never have to see that look in her eyes that she had today."

"And were you hoping she wouldn't fall for you again?" Gibbs asked. "Because guess what, she has. I know that look in her eyes, I saw it when you first met, I saw it when you were sleeping with her in secret and I saw it again, when you two started working together again."

Tony looked at Gibbs. "You know, I didn't ask for this." Tony snapped. "I was happy here, I was finally settled…I didn't need her to come back into my life. I didn't need this case to fall into my lap."

"I know." Gibbs agreed. "But maybe there is a reason why this happened." Tony scoffed. "Tony, I was wrong to try and separate you two. Maybe you two were always meant to be together. Maybe it was inevitable."

"And maybe you were right?" Tony retorted. "I mean, look at the mess I've created."

"It's nothing that can't be cleaned up." Gibbs answered. "Ziver has been through a lot the last few years…"

"Yeah I know." Tony muttered. "She told me about the Nassif case."

Gibbs nodded his head. "You know, she has a lot of secrets and a girl like Ziva, you'll probably never know the whole truth." Gibbs stated. "But I think she deserves the truth from you. You need to talk to her."

"I don't even know where she is." Tony sighed.

"C'mon Dinozzo!" Gibbs snapped, finally giving Tony a slap to the back of his head, taking Tony by surprise. Tony looked at Gibbs. "Ziva always knew where to find you when you were upset. Deep down, you know where she is."

Tony nodded and left the fire escape.


Ziva sat on the steps, beside the ladies toilets, her head in her hands. How had things got so complicated? This was why she made her rules, so she would never fall in love again. She would never see the same guy two nights in a row, she'd never stick around in the same town for longer than a month and she would never reveal her true identity.

She wanted fun. She didn't want any attachments. She would live her life like a man. Or at least that's what she hoped for, but then, Tony Dinozzo had to enter her life again and change everything.

She could see Garrett approaching from the distance. He had just finished his surveillance session with Arielle. He was dressed in jeans and a white long sleeved button down shirt, with thin light blue pinstripes and the sleeves rolled up.

Suddenly, her mind was filled with the images of their 'booty calls' before they both discovered each other's true identity. She was remembering how his lips felt on her skin, how his fingers made her tremble; the sensations she felt as he bit her earlobes; his manly smell.

"Hey, it's pretty quiet around here this morning." He observed as he approached her.

Ziva didn't reply, instead, she grabbed his shirt and pulled him close, taking him by surprise. "Ziva?" He questioned as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

She began to nibble his earlobe. "Screw the small talk." She whispered. "I want you inside me."

"Ziva, I thought we agreed that this couldn't happen again." Garrett laughed, not believing what was happening.

Ziva's fingers trailed up his shirt before resting under his chin. "Are you really going to turn me down?" She asked softly, chewing her lower lip.

"You want to do this, right here?" Garrett asked, his voice squeaking slightly as he felt the bulge in his jeans tighten just at the thought.

Ziva smiled triumphantly, knowing by his response he wasn't turning her down. She pulled him towards the ladies bathroom, not caring if anyone was inside, hungrily kissing him.

Garrett kissed back, with as much force and passion he could muster. He wrapped his arms around her, under her buttocks and with one swift motion he lifted her up. Ziva instinctively wrapped her legs around his strong thighs, their lips not breaking contact for a second.

They stumbled towards the sinks. Luckily for them, the toilets were unoccupied. Garrett carefully sat Ziva down on the sink counter and their lips separated momentarily as they both adjusted to a more comfortable position.

Ziva gave a small seductive smile before lips began a trial of kisses from his lips, to his jaw, down his neck. She pulled his shirt out of his jeans and began to unbutton it; her fingers nails grazing his chest as her lips continued to explore his body.

Garrett began nibbling her ears and neck while his hands hitched up her skirt, revealing stocking and suspenders, causing him to groan. Ziva gave a small laugh and pulled away. Both of them were breathing deeply, taking the sight of each other in.

Ziva began to unbuckle Garrett's jeans while Garrett popped open Ziva's shirt, revealing a white bra, trimmed with light blue ruffles. At the sight of her tanned skin against the white bra, he couldn't help himself, he began a trial of kisses down her towards her breasts; his fingers grazing the cups of the bra. Ziva arched her back to give him better access.

Within moments, Ziva could not take it anymore. She cupped Garrett's face in both her hands and pressed her lips against his, for full, hungry, passionate, open mouthed kisses.

Garrett wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer to his body, lifting her off the counter. Ziva groaned in his mouth as her body rubbed against the growing bulge in his pants, waiting to be released.

Meanwhile, Tony stood outside the ladies bathroom, preparing to enter. He thought about what Gibbs had said, and Ziva did deserve the truth. He thought of all the times she went after him when he was upset. She always followed him into the men's room so he couldn't help but think he'd find her in the ladies.

He pushed open the door, completely unprepared for what he found before him. He found Ziva, tangled in Garrett's body, mid-kiss; the hunger clear in both their eyes; both their bodies half naked.

They both stopped, struggling to cover their modesty; both taken by the surprise. Tony turned to walk out, completely in shock; just as Garrett spoke.

"Boss, this isn't how it looks." Garrett began to say.

Tony couldn't contain his feelings anymore. He spun around, his right fist connecting with Garrett's jaw, sending him back, and falling onto the floor.

"Tony!" Ziva exclaimed, kneeling down beside Garrett, who was wiping away the blood trickling from his lip, dazed by what had just happened.

Ziva looked up and met Tony's eyes. It had been a while since she saw them filled with such anger, disgust and jealousy.

"Congratulations Ziva!" He spat, pointing his finger at her angrily. "If you wanted to hurt me, you just did!" He turned his back on her and stormed out of the bathroom, leaving Ziva to hang her head in shame.


Later that night…

Garrett was sitting at his desk, with a small mirror in front of him and a bottle of witch hazel. He looked at his swollen and cut lip and groaned. It looks like the effect of Tony's right hook would be there for a few days.

He hadn't seen Tony since the incident. He was staying out of his way, which was probably for the best. He knew that Tony would probably be a little hurt, discovering he had slept with Ziva but he had not expected that reaction. Now, he was wondering if he'd have to ask for a transfer.

He could hear the clicking of stiletto high heels exiting the elevator. He looked up and found Kendall walking towards her desk. She was wearing black stiletto high heels and a short stone Mac, with black buttons and a matching stone belt. The Mac came to just above her knee. If you didn't know any better, you would have thought she was wearing nothing else under it. Her long red hair was pinned up in a neat bun and she had a lot of makeup on.

"Hey, I thought you were on your stake out with McGee." Garrett stated.

"I just came back to get my house key." She replied, holding up a key that she pulled out of the drawer of her desk. At that moment, she noticed Garrett's lip. "What the hell happened your lip?" She approached his desk.

"Oh that." Garrett said and shrugged his shoulders, trying to blow off the need to explain it. Kendall however was not buying it. She put finger under his chin and tilted his head up to examine it. "Boss found out about me and Ziva." He reluctantly answered.

"I knew he would be mad but mad enough to actually hit you?" Kendall stated. "What happened?"

"He walked in on us in the ladies' room." Garrett replied. "We didn't exactly leave anything to the imagination."

Kendall shook her head and perched herself on Garrett's desk; her body facing into him; her bare legs brushing against his arm. "Why do you never listen?" She sighed. "I warned you that this might happen."

"I know." He said, his eyes watching her as she leaned across him to grab some cotton wool. She began to unscrew the bottle of witch hazel.

"Sometimes Gar, I wish you would think with your head, rather than your joystick." She sighed as she dabbed the cotton wool with the witch hazel. She brought the cotton wool up to his lip.

Garrett quickly brought his hand up to stop her, fearing the pain. He caught hold of her wrist. Kendall locked eyes with him. "Trust me Gar, I am your partner after all." She stated.

He nodded his head and released her hand. He grimaced in pain as his lip began to sting as the witch hazel made contact. Then, the stinging subsided under Kendall's gentle touch.

"I really thought you'd make the right choice and stay away from her." Kendall said, her eyes on Garrett's swollen lip as she continued to dab it with cotton wool.

"Yeah well there is only so much I can do when she was practically throwing herself at me." Garrett replied. "I am a red blooded male after all."

"Yeah but you should have suspected she would try something, especially after she discovered the boss was engaged to Carmela today." Kendall stated. Then, she noticed Garrett slump back into his chair. She sighed. "You didn't know."

"No, I didn't." He retorted, before sighing himself. "She was using me to make him angry, to make him jealous. She wanted to hurt him just the way he hurt her."

"Yeah." Kendall sighed as Garrett hung his head. She leaned forward, slipped her finger under his chin again, and forced him to look up at her. "Garrett, you will find the right girl for you. You just have to change your playboy ways first."

"Thanks Ken." He muttered in return as she watched her slide off his desk. "You going?"

"Yeah, I have somewhere to be and I don't want to be late." She replied.

"A date?" He asked, locking eyes with her.

She gave a small side. "Something like that." She answered.

"Well can I give you a bit of advice?" He asked.

"Sure." Kendall replied.

"Don't wear so much make up. It makes you look a little slutty and you don't need it. You're beautiful enough without it." Garrett answered honestly.

A genuine smile spread across Kendall's lips. "Thanks Gar." She softly said and left the bullpen.


La Bonita's…2238

Kendall stood in front of the mirror backstage. She was still wearing the stone Mac, but she was now wearing a wig, her hair was blonde and cut into a short bob. She took a deep breath, all the moves she learnt in her pole dancing class running through her mind. Who knew keeping up with the latest fitness trend would come in so useful?

"Molly, you're on." A girl, dressed in a gold bra, matching gold cowboy chaps and a white cowboy hat trimmed with gold called.

"Okay." Kendall answered, maintaining her cover. She nervously slipped off her Mac, revealing a skimpy sailor themed top and skirt. She moved towards the curtain, separating the dressing room from the stage.

"First night nerves?" The girl dressed as a cowgirl asked. Kendall nodded. "Don't worry, they'll love ya!" The girl reassured her, before pushing her onto the stage.

"This is it Ken." Kendall muttered to herself as she sashayed towards her pole, her confidence growing with every wolf whistle. She began to dance around the pole. The crowd seem to be appreciating her performance as the wolf whistles and cheers continued to come.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see the Nassif brothers sitting in a corner booth. Beside them were Tucker Benton and Chad Sampson, as well as a few unidentified men. Sampson seemed very interested in her performance.

She continued on with her performance, giving the crowd what they wanted but she also kept her focus on the Nassifs, and their guests.


La Bonita's…30 minutes later

Kendall walked through the club, still wearing her sailor outfit, smiling at the patrons. She knew what her job was now. The cowgirl, called Louisa had told her to make herself available for lap dances, both private and public.

Louisa also reminded her of the rules. There was to be no touching from the customers, however, she could touch them. The only customers that could touch her were the few selected as the Nassifs' personal friends. However, Louisa was quick to assure her that it very rarely happened.

She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to find it belonged to Louisa. "You have been summoned by the bosses." Louisa stated, her voice cold, if not filled with jealousy. "They were impressed by your performance."

"Really?" Kendall asked, a little shocked. She was not expecting to gain the Nassifs' attention so quickly as Louisa led her towards them.

"Thanks Lou." One Nassif said, slapping Louisa on the bum as she passed. Kendall was sure it was the oldest, Aarif. "Boys, let me introduce you to our new girl…Molly Philips, from dreary old England."

"Good evening gents." She stated, her eyes scanning the group of men. Chad Sampson had not took his eyes off her

"You have to love the accent, hey boys?" The younger Nassif, Hadi said. The other men agreed.

"Molly, we have a request for you." Aarif said. "Our boy Chad here would like a dance…he's our special friend so treat him well."

"Of course." Kendall replied with a smile, even though her stomach was doing back flips with nerves.

She took Chad's hand and led him into the private room. She sat him down on one of the chairs and leaned into him. "So what can I do for you Chad?" She asked.

She felt him grip her wrists, she grimaced at the pain. "I know you are NCIS." He whispered in her ear.

"NCIS? Never heard of it." Kendall joked, trying to brush off his suspicions. "Now CSI…"

"You're in danger if you stay here." Chad hissed in her ear, still gripping her wrists. "They'll hurt you. I can't protect you." He released her wrists and slipped a piece of paper in her hands.

Kendall stepped back to let him out of his seat, her eyes questioning him. He walked past her and out of the private room. She could already hear him bragging about her performance.

She glanced at the paper in her hands. It was an address and a time. She flipped over the paper and read the words "Meet me." She swallowed hard, wondering what was in store.

To be continued…

Next Chapter Preview…Has Kendall finally got a lead? Meanwhile, Ziva tries to mend relations between Garrett and Tony.