Warnings: None for this chapter.

A/N: Wrapping up this whole "Shalom" arc. Onward, friends :) Enjoy! And remember feedback is welcome :)

Leah stepped out of the classroom to find Tony, leaning against the wall waiting for her. He saw her immediately and his eyes grew as large as saucers while he silently begged for her forgiveness. Normally, she wasn't one to make her boyfriend grovel… but well… he had stood her up…

Tucking her books and notebook underneath her arm, she walked briskly passed him and headed outside. Tony followed on her heels, trying his best to explain why he had failed to show up for their lunch and why he had failed to call her to inform her that he was going to be late. Leah only heard one lame excuse after another and judging from the look on his face, he knew they were lame too. Finally she spun on her heel to face him. "Do you think I'm stupid?" she snapped.

"What? No!" Tony said, blinking rapidly. "It's obvious you're not if you're here getting a doctorate degree."

"So why are you giving me dumb excuses?" Leah challenged him.

Tony took a deep breath. Why was it so hard to just come out with the truth? "It's complicated."

Leah closed her eyes tightly, fighting tears, fighting the urge to just end things right here and now. He certainly didn't deserve to be dumped… it was just the one time… but she felt like she was competing with his job and she was… tired of that. When she opened her eyes to look at him, a lone tear leaked out. "What is that you can't tell me? Are you… are you CIA? A spy? Someone that handles in classified information that would make my mother blush or something?"

He looked away, shoved his hands into his pockets. Tony could sense that this could very well end their relationship. Not their missed lunch but the apparent wedge his job was shoving between them. He looked at her again, the few tears in her eyes, the ones that had rested on her cheeks… "I'm not a spy. I'm a… I'm a federal agent for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service and my name isn't Tony DiNardo… it's Anthony DiNozzo."

"Why didn't you just tell me that in the first place?" Leah whimpered, those final few tears letting go. "Am I not trustworthy enough to know the truth?"

"Of course you are," Tony assured her, taking a small step towards her, "I just… it's complicated."

She hugged her books to her chest, placing a barrier between them. Leah didn't know what to do… he was finally being honest with her… okay, well, not completely honest. He still would not tell her why he'd lied to her in the first place. If she stayed with him how many more lies was he going to tell? But she knew if she walked away, it would break her heart. He was the first man she had allowed in, in a long time, the first one that she had ever seen a possible future with… "I think… I think I need some time."

His face fell, eyes clearing showing his pain. Tony stepped back, giving her some space. "Okay. You can call me when you're ready."

Leah turned, quickly on heel, rushing the rest of the way down the steps and out of the building so he wouldn't see her burst into tears.

Ziva wasn't sure why Jenny wanted to see her.

After signing the evidence over to the FBI earlier in the day Gibbs had left to catch a flight back to Mexico and Tony had disappeared to… well, only Tony knew. She suspected that it had something to do with the new girlfriend and she felt a surge of jealous feelings run through her. What was so special about this girl that Tony dropped everything to be with her but wouldn't help out his partner of a year? She might be new to all this investigating business but she had been under the impression that partners always came first…

Jenny looked troubled when Ziva entered the office. Considering that Gibbs had flown the coup before saying good-bye, Ziva was not surprised. The former marine leaving abruptly could also be the reason why Tony had vanished as well. He really was acting like a spoiled child when it came to Gibbs…

"You wanted to see me, Director?"

"Yes. Shut the door, Ziva."

Ziva closed the door behind her and went to stand in front of Jenny's desk. "Was there something wrong with my findings?" she asked, wondering why Jenny could possibly want to see her. "I did it by the book."

Jenny frowned and shook her head. "How you obtained the recordings was done by the book… however… getting to that point was not. You made life hell for DiNozzo and myself by refusing to listen to your father. Now, since I wasn't the one that ordered you to stay at the embassy and stay out of it… I can't really punish you other than a formal reprimand in your file. Your father, if he wants, can hand down more."

"Punishment?" Ziva repeated, venom in her voice. "Punishment for what? I did not plant that bomb!"

"You disobeyed an order from Mossad to stay out of it," Jenny pointed out, calmly. "And then you sought out Gibbs to help you."

"What else was I supposed to do? Someone was trying to frame me," Ziva spat. "And after I helped Tony when someone was framing him… I figured the offer would be reciprocated."

"Tony was under orders from me not to get involved," Jenny informed her. "He found you at Gibbs and did offer… why did you turn him down?"

Ziva scoffed. "Why? The offer was no genuine. He didn't want to help. I could see that I was taking time away from his precious girlfriend."

Jenny looked at her, pensively. Had Ziva let her normal, cool composure on her emotions, her guard down? She would admit that Tony had a way of charming himself into anyone's heart and lives, it was what made him so good undercover… but she never thought that Ziva of all people would… "Are you jealous?"

She refused to answer that question directly. Instead, Ziva crossed her arms over her chest and raised her chin, slightly. "I just think that he is too… incredibly preoccupied with this woman that he is not applying himself to the job. She should not be more important than what we are doing, is that correct?"

It didn't surprise Jenny that this young woman didn't understand the complexities of a romantic relationship. She had been taught that men and sex were expendable in the line of duty, the fight for the cause. In Mossad, it had to be this way. One could not be attached to anyone with such dangerous missions, but here at NCIS… things were different. "Tony's personal life is… sometimes for our mental well being with have to put others before the job… do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Yes. Tony's personal life is his own," Ziva huffed. "Am I done here, Director?"

"For now. Ziva… I'm sorry you feel you're being unnecessarily punished here, but given the circumstances… it could have been a lot worse," Jenny replied.

Ziva didn't respond. She turned swiftly on her heel and threw the door open. She stormed back to the bullpen to find that Tony still had not shown up. McGee and Michelle didn't seem too concerned. They were under the impression that Jenny had given Tony the rest of the day off after dragging him out of bed early that morning to assist Gibbs. Ziva knew otherwise… or at least she felt otherwise.

McGee found the team leader in the NCIS gym. Tony was wearing black sweatpants and a gray Ohio State tee shirt. It was apparent he'd been at the gym for some time because the shirt was stained with the field agent's sweat.

From the way Tony was beating the crap out of the punching bag… well… it was obvious that his friend had some issues that he needed to sort out. McGee was sure that those issues revolved around Gibbs but he wasn't going to say anything…Tony might just turn on him and use him as the punching bag. "Hey… Mulvaney called… he's been looking for you…"

Tony pulled back, dropped his hands to his sides and used one to wipe the sweat from his brow. "Phone is off."

"Uh…" McGee started to recite rule three but then heard Gibbs' voice in his head… go easy on him. "We've got a case. If you want, I'll take Ziva and Michelle ahead to the crime scene so you can shower."

"Ziva meet with Jenny yet?" Tony asked, finding his towel and using to finish wiping his face clean. "Since my phone is off… don't know if either one of them called me."

McGee nodded. "Yeah. She, ah, she wasn't too happy when she came back. Something about a formal reprimand in her file."

Tony chuckled, lowly. "Well, that's what happens when you don't listen to dear old Daddy and he's the head of a powerful agency. Let me grab a quick shower. I'll meet you at the crime scene." He reached for his gym back and slung it over his shoulder. He was halfway to the locker room when McGee called out to him. Slowly he turned, "Yeah?"

"Everything okay?"

"Fine. Why do you ask?"

McGee gestured towards the punching bag. "Because that bag just took a hell of a beating."

Tony frowned. "Girl problems, McGee."

When it wasn't followed by a you wouldn't understand, McGee knew that this was serious. He suddenly felt bad for Tony. Obviously this relationship was important to him, maybe the most serious one that McGee had ever seen Tony enter. "Sorry, Tony. Anything I can do to help?"

"Unless you know how to travel back in time McGeek…"

"Haven't figured that out yet…"

"Then, no, you can't help me," Tony sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I'll see you at the crime scene," he whispered and then was gone.

McGee stood there for a while feeling terrible. It seemed that everything in his partner's life was crumbling and the only thing he could do was stand there and watch it happen. Slowly he turned and went back upstairs to get the team and one awful thought crossed his mind, well, Ziva will be happy now that the mystery girlfriend seems to be out of the picture.