What if his whole life with Gibbs had been nothing but a dream? After he finally had enough of the team and NCIS, Tony wakes up in a hospital bed and finds out he's been in a coma for a while and everything was just a dream. But then he bumps into one grumpy old NCIS Marine. Is this a second chance or will he run away this time?

Post-Somalia. Rule 12, impossible fathers, complicated childhoods, difficult jobs and lonely lives: Tony can't deny his feelings for Ziva and can't imagine how he could possibly do anything about them. Trouble is, his deepening gloom about it is affecting the team, and may lead to changes no one really wants.

He was used to hiding himself. Ghost games, that's what he had started calling it as a kid. He had been hiding too many secrets and was unwilling to share the burden with anyone. Then a case in Baltimore brought new people into his life. Soon he found himself questioning everything. Was it finally time to stop playing the games? AU. Part 1 of the 'Ghosts' series.