Author's Note

Hello readers. Familiar Faces are back.

Well the season of NCIS has started with the show going down the hill more. I have stopped watching the show since Under the Radar (the only reason I have seen it was Roma Mafia who I adore her) but some of my friends continued until the Season 13 premiere started and they decided also to stop watching. I feel sad that this great show has ended up Harberg's cash cow for them and NOLA (I have nothing with the show but its creators), not caring for the viewers of the mother show.

Anyway back to the story

Debbie: I'm glad you loved the chapter. But I think you loved my author's note more. (Just joking). TIVA haters will not get into me trust me. If anything with those reviews they encouraged me more to improve my writing.

Guests: Thank you for your reviews I know you loved any word of that chapter.

Hell Bells and KaiP1300: I also want TIVA as endgame more than anything and anyone so fingers crossed.

Specials thanks:

To Teresa: who is my personal consultant on this story

To Laitie:my personal beta who she has been through a hell to correct my errors as always…

And of course all of you that favorited reviewed followed even the one's who only read that story

Disclaimer: If I had owned it, the NCIS wouldn't have ended up a cash cow for NOLA.

This is the new chapter of Familiar Faces…Enjoy!

Athena

Ziva couldn't believe what was happening, what Tony had just done. She was standing in the middle of her workplace with Tony down to one knee, asking her to marry him. She knew that Tony wasn't the only one who waited for her answer. The whole MCRT floor, including Abby on the floor and Vance and Gibbs, who were watching the whole scene from the railing, were all waiting for her answer. And it was expected. For eleven years, Tony and Ziva had been the center of discussion at NCIS. From Day One, the day that this exotic Israeli stepped into that building and started teasing the cocky playboy. Because not only the MCRT floor, but the whole Navy Yard, had witnessed the teasing and the fights between them, the dynamic they had together as partners. And, of course, the un-confessed love that they felt for each other all those years .Even those two years when Ziva was a thousand miles away in Israel, while Tony was wasteful with useless dates and women who didn't deserve his love, like Zoe Keates. Because both Tony and Ziva knew how deep the love was that they felt for each other.

Ziva started to feel nervous with all those pairs of eyes focused on her. She didn't know what to say to Tony. Yes, she loved him from the bottom from her soul, but was she ready for this big step? She was serious in this relationship and she didn't want to screw it up this time. Would it be wise, though, to marry Tony when they had only been dating a few months?

The moments that followed Tony's question felt like an eternity for both of them. Ziva's mind was saying it was too soon while her heart was saying a big 'yes!' She was ready to refuse the proposal, listening to her mind, but that was the exact moment that memories of her with Tony began to flash before her eyes. Their first meeting, the undercover mission, Paris, Berlin, Israel, the good and bad moments with Tony being by her side, as her rock. The moments and the days they had had as couple and many, many others. But the most important memory was that of the reason she had decided to come back to D.C and NCIS. Her love for Tony and the fact that she couldn't live without him anymore after two years away from him. How could she doubt her answer to Tony, the man, the love of her life, after all those things?

"Yes." it was the only thing Ziva could say, and Tony smiled before he slid the ring onto her finger. As soon as he stood up, he grabbed her by the waist and spun her around twice and pressed a passionate kiss on her lips.

The whole floor applauded and cheered, while Gibbs sighed in relief.

"I don't know how many years of my life were wasted waiting for Ziva to say 'yes'," he told Vance and the latter patted the ex-marine on the shoulder, smiling, before making his way back to his office.

"I love you, Tony." Ziva said without hesitation, cupping Tony's cheek.

"I love you, Ziva.'' he replied, giving her a quick kiss on her lips.

"I told you she wouldn't refuse," Gibbs shouted as came back to the squad room. "Congratulations, kid. I'm happy for you." Gibbs hugged Ziva, kissing the top of her head.

"Thank you, Gibbs." she said pulling away from him.

"Pay up, McGee." Bishop said extending her palm in front of McGee.

McGee groaned in frustration. "I can't believe you were right," McGee said, annoyed, and handed her a 50 dollar bill.

"I'm an analyst! It's my job to analyze and predict things." Ellie replied putting the 50 dollars into her blouse between her breasts. "Now, if you will excuse me, I have to go collect." she grinned and McGee rolled his eyes.

After the team and many others Agents had congratulated the couple, Gibbs sent them home so they could celebrate their engagement.

"I can't believe you asked for Gibbs' blessing to marry me." Ziva said as both she and Tony entered the house.

"Well, he's like a father to you. And I knew that it would be important to you." he explained, sticking his hands into his pockets. "I wish I could have asked Eli's, but even if I had, I don't think he would have given it to me."

ZIva laughed. "Trust me, he would have." she told him as she was changing her clothes for the dinner that Tony had planned. He raised an eyebrow. "The way you tricked him in the interrogation." she explained, "and the fact that you saved me from Somalia made him respect you."

"You don't know that." he told her. But she smiled.

"Tony," she said, approaching him. "If my father were alive, and you had asked for his blessing, I would have married you even if he wouldn't have given it." She locked her eyes on his and he grinned. "Now, are you coming, Mr. DiNozzo? We have a reservation and we have to be there on time." she turned her head to see him smiling.

"Lead the way, Ms. David. Soon to be Mrs. DiNozzo." he said, grinning, as he gestured for her to go first. Ziva took his hand and together, they made their way down the stairs.

The dinner was spectacular. Tony had made reservation at the restaurant where they would eat during Gibbs' retirement. Ordering a bottle of the most expensive wine and one of the most delicious dishes in the restaurant, Tony and Ziva were celebrating their new life together, their engagement.

"I would like to make a toast." Tony said as he raised his glass of wine, not taking his eyes from Ziva's. She did the same thing before he went on. "To the new beginning of our lives. To the life and the future we will have together. To us."

"To us." she repeated and they cllinked their glasses together.

"This is nice." she told him, taking a sip of her wine. "You remember everything. The food, the wine, even the table we were sitting in."

"Of course I remember everything. It was the best dinner I've ever had," he replied, smiling lightly.

"Liar!" she retorted teasingly.

His face turned serious saying, "I really mean it!" He took her hand in his.

"I know." she said smiling and kissing his palm. "So, this is how you planned it, isn't it?" she asked. He looked at her, confused. "The proposal, I mean." she clarified and he blushed.

"Truth be told," he started. "I had no idea how to do it. The only things I had planned were this dinner and a few things afterwards." She raised an eyebrow. "But what happened in the bullpen today wasn't planned. I just wanted to do something special for you, and I felt like it was the right moment and the right place. Where we had first met and…I just did it."

"Really?" she asked.

Suddenly, a familiar melody played through the room, and Tony stood up from his chair extending his hand as he approached her. "They're playing our song, sweet cheeks." he said, grinning and she laughed, putting her hand in his. Tonye pulled her up to her feet, leading her to the dance floor. His eyes were locked on hers, just like they had been in Berlin, just like just as if it were happening on every other day for 8 years during their partnership. But now, they didn't have to fight the urge to kiss each other, to love each other. There were no more rules to forbid them, nor stupid flings or useless dates, where they could hide. They were together, at last, and forever. And damn, they deserved it. It wasn't more than a minute after they had started dancing when Ziva stopped and cupped his face, giving him a hungry kiss.

"I love you," she said with a trembling voice, her body shaking. He looked into her eyes. The way she had said those words made his heart tighten. They were so honest, so real. And in combination with the look in her eyes, he had shivers down his spine.

"Come on, I want to show you something," Tony said and took her hand into his, leading her off of the dance floor. He paid the check and they left the restaurant in record time. It didn't take long for them to reach their destination. Stepping out of the car, she couldn't believe her eyes. "Tony?" she managed to whisper before he grabbed her hand and led her to the lobby.

"Room 1022 please," he said as the receptionist gave him the key. The receptionist grinned, knowing what Tony had prepared for his lady.

"Tony..." She tried to say something again as they entered the elevator, but he cut her off with a kiss.

"Shhh, don't say anything." he placed his index finger on her lips. When the elevator arrived to their floor, they headed for the door of their room. Opening the door, he let her step in first. There it was, the room they had been undercover in 11 years ago. There were lit candles spread everywhere in the room while a trail of rose petals led from the door to the bed.

"I came few days ago," he started, closing the door behind him. "To make sure that they didn't re-number the rooms or change anything else since then." Tony wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and rested his chin on her right shoulder. "But nothing had changed. Everything's the same."

"It's like time stopped on that day." she said, her mind going back to that memory.

"Yeah, so...do you want a glass of champagne?" he asked, heading towards the table but Ziva stopped him, grabbing his hand.

"No…There is only one thing I am interested in right now." she told him and mimicked the movements of that day when they had been undercover. Her eyes full of lust, she led him towards the bed. It wasn't long before they were kissing roughly and she was discarding her dress on the floor, just has she had a decade ago. The whole scene was like déjà vu for both them. After Ziva had removed Tony's clothes, he slammed her back on the bed. Tony laid on top of Ziva, their mouths never parting "I love you," they whispered to each other before they lost themselves in one another.

"Wow that was..." Tony tried to take a breath after yet another passionate round of love making with his fiancé,

"Unbelievable." Ziva completed for him, resting her head on his chest with her ear resting over his heart so she could hear its steady beat. "Amazing."

"Yeah." he confirmed and kissed her on the tip of her nose.

After kissing his chest over his heart, Ziva twirled a piece of his chest hair around her finger. That was when the corner of her eye caught the engagement ring. It was so beautiful. Looking at it carefully, she could see the tiny diamonds sparkle under the light of candles all over the room.

"Do you like it?" Tony asked, looking down at her face.

"I love it." Ziva said without hesitation, touching the sharp edges of the diamond.

"Good." he sighed with a smile and laid his head back on the pillow. "It was my mother's you know."

Ziva looked at him, surprised. "What?" she asked. "Why?"

Tony turned to look at her. "What do you mean 'why'?" he asked her.

"I mean, it was your mother's. And it means a lot to you, and..."

"You deserve it," Tony added.

"I have hurt you every day from the moment I met you," she started, but Tony didn't let her finish.

"When I met you, you were a wild, kick-ass ninja. A ruthless Mossad officer." he started "But deep down, your heart was always pure and kind and I saw that, and that's why I fell in love with you. And I knew that, deep down, you cared for me. Even if you were always brushing me with insults." he looked deep into her eyes. "But I wasn't a saint, either. I hurt you, too. You know that. But you…" Tony cupped her cheek. "You were the reason I changed. The reason I wanted to become a better person. And I have. With you." he took her hand in his and kissed it. "You are my everything. Besides, if my mother had met you, she would have loved you so much that she would have taken the ring off her finger just for me to propose you with." he confessed touching the ring softly.

"Thank you." Ziva responded, cupping his face.

"For what"Tony asked as her eyes began to water.

"For being you. For loving me the way you do," she replied.

Tony kissed her roughly, cupping her face. "And I thank you, too, for being you," he said, placing himself over her.

"Dark-skinned girl, they call me but pure white was my skin, from the flame of the summer sun, my darkness came to me." he started signing in Hebrew, making her open her eyes wide. It was an Israeli song that her mother used to sing to her and Tali. "Dark-skinned girl, you are very beautiful your eyes are burning fire, my heart is all yours." he whispered before capturing her lips with his.

Breaking the kiss, Tony rested his forehead on hers, meeting her almost-tearful gaze. "Dark-skinned girl, they call me. All those who are going down to the sea and if they call like that once again, I will go with them. Dark-skinned girl, you are very beautiful your eyes are burning fire, my heart is all yours." he went on, wiping a tear from Ziva's cheek with his thumb.

Ziva's heart stopped. She couldn't believe what had happened during those months she had been with him, how happy she was with him. She started to wonder what she had done in her life to deserve a man like him to love her the way he did.

"Dark-skinned girl, they call me. If the Prince calls like that once again, I will go with him. Dark-skinned girl you are very beautiful your eyes are burning fire, my heart is all yours." he finished the song while she was cupping his face. Pulling him close to her, she kissed him hard. She wanted to make him know what it was like to love him. What it was like to be on fire for the man she loved.

Opening his eyes slowly the next morning, Tony moaned, shifting around to get comfortable. He grinned as he faced the most beautiful sight he had ever seen in his life: a pair of brown eyes locked on his.

"Hey," he whispered, smiling. He brushed a strand of curls off of Ziva's face. She smiled, staring at him. "What's wrong?" he asked and Ziva cupped his cheek.

"I could look at you for hours and still not get enough of you." she confessed, her fingers ghosting his jaw and face.

"Same, here." he told her and drew her on top of him, kissing her softly on the lips.

"I see you are wearing my present," Ziva said, playing with the chain from the Star of David pendant she had given him last Christmas.

"Yeah. I'm honored that you gave me something so important to you and your family. Thank you."

"You deserve it. You are the only one that deserves it. Don't you ever question that," Ziva reassured him with a steady voice while she played with his hair.

Searching desperately for another topic of conversation, because he knew how the conversation about her family affected her, Tony asked. "Do you want some breakfast?"

"Yes, but here in the bedroom." she stated. "And lunch and dinner, if it's possible," Ziva went on, smiling.

"Why?"

Ziva ran her hands down his body. "Because," she started, "I don't want to waste a millisecond-" she cut herself off, and Tony raised an eyebrow, waiting for her to continue. "...Of making love with you." she whispered into his ear with a low voice.

"Good." he said, smirking. "Because what you feel against you right now is definitely NOT my knee."

They both burst out laughing. "Well, I'm glad," Ziva commented. "So I can make my proposal a reality sooner." The woman started peppering kisses across his jaw line. It wasn't long before the blanket engulfed them from head to toe. From the outside, all that could be heard were their laughter and squeals, which quickly turned to moans full of passion. They wanted to spend the whole weekend solely in their hotel room, enjoying each other's company and they couldn't be happier than doing just that.

Thank you for reading. I hope you liked the chapter. Let me know what you think. During my writing some future chapters came up longer. I want to know if you have problem with that. You can always contact with me and express your opinion about my Author's Note through PM, having as request the reviews will be only for the storyline.

P.S. The song was Shecharchoret=The Dark-skinned girl. There are many performances of the song by many singers but the chapter was inspired by the Spanish-Hebrew version 'Morenica'. It was performed in 1999 in Israel by Glykeria & the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra