DISCLAIMER: Some of the scenes and dialogue have been taken directly from the episodes; please note that I do not own the characters and have only created several but not all the story elements.

WARNING - Descriptions of sex and trauma, may contain (potentially detailed) descriptions of violence.

Chapter 1 – SSA DiNozzo versus friendly Tony

May 2006. Still stunned about Gibbs' sudden retirement, Tim, Tony and Ziva quietly stroll to a nearby bar. Once they are out of the cold, late night Spring breeze, Tony is the first to break the silence, "What just happened?" He looks from one to the other, desperate to make some sense of the situation, but barely registers their faces. On auto pilot Tony walks to the back of the bar. "I believe you are now Team Leader," Tim sounds resolute yet equally dazed as he slumps down at a corner table. Ziva muses, "Team DiNozzo! I guess that excludes ...", but quickly breaks her thought as she awkwardly realizes Tim is sitting to her right. However, she locks eyes with Tony for a few more seconds in mutual understanding. Tony sinks into the deep dark pools of his partner's eyes thinking how much he is going to miss flirting with her at work. Tim interrupts, "What are we getting?" Tony reluctantly decides he must 'grow up' and rise to this unexpected challenge. But first, they should appreciate the friendships they have, so he generously offers, "Anything you want. Tonight is on me, team!"

The bar offers comfort with its light wooden walls and bar, its soft illumination from antique brass chandeliers and the cushioned red chairs. Tony DiNozzo orders a beer and a whiskey. To start, he lets the whiskey set his throat ablaze in an effort to stomach the loss of his mentor and the fact that Gibbs seemed to unravel before his eyes. Gibbs had been in the hospital recovering after being in the room of an explosion on the ship he was working on. He had had severe memory loss after which he tried to implore the Marine corps to prevent a terrorist attack. Gibbs had been in MTAC talking to the chiefs and had watched the target ships explode. He had lost it on the chiefs and had stormed out. Then he had given DiNozzo his badge and gun and left with Mike Franks, his former supervisor. Tony had watched them leave with a heavy heart, incredulous that his fearless leader had given up. Director Jenny Shephard had approached him and for an hour they had talked in her office. Finally, Tony had officially taken the position of interim supervisory special agent. As he guzzles down his beer, he stares at the wall between his two team members, wondering if this is truly what he wants.

Mossad Liaison Officer with NCIS Ziva David orders a margarita, but she feels like shooting tequilas. She had grown fond of Jethro Gibbs very quickly. She never was one to take orders blindly and when she was ordered to kill her rogue half-brother Ari and gain Gibbs' trust in the process, she did not do so without digging deeper into each man's background. Gibbs had offered her an opportunity to hear Ari confess his true allegiance. She had listened covertly, heart broken. She knew then that Ari was no longer the protective brother she had had such a close and deep connection to as a child and teen. Even after Ziva had joined Mossad, he had always kept a close eye on her and he had intervened a few times when the other recruits tried to take advantage of her. Together they had loved and lost their younger sister Tali and their mother. Rivka had raised Ari like he was her own son, believed in him and tried to help him come to terms with being both Muslim and Jew by birth. Ari had also taught Ziva self-confidence and encouraged her to never take anything for granted. Ironically, she had used those very skills to discover his disloyalty to Mossad and their father. When Ari prepared to shoot Gibbs, Ziva had shot Ari without hesitation. Gibbs had helped her process Ari's death, treated her like his own child. As she chucks the margarita back, she feels a knot forming in her stomach. As much as she is sure that Tony will be an excellent leader, Gibbs did not appear to be himself, not like she had come to know him this past year and a half.

Timothy McGee zips his brandy thinking of the first day he met Gibbs. Tim was a naval base NCIS agent at the time. Gibbs was not very technology savvy, and neither was DiNozzo to be honest. Tim was able to help with a few things. After a few times at head quarters, Gibbs offered Tim a place on his team. Tim could not feel prouder at that time, especially given the highly selective attitude Gibbs was known to have. Yet, Tim had not shared his joy with his own father. As Tim sips his brandy like his father always does, he lets out a sigh. He does not seem to be able to find a stable environment, nor a consistent mentor.

The three field agents share a basket of salt and pepper chicken wings. The first hour they spend between silent reflection and talking about the changes ahead. Eventually, they resort to avoiding work related topics. As the night goes on with stronger drinks, deep fried food and light conversation, Tim notices Tony acts even more like a class clown than usual. He wonders if Tony will be up for his new job. Around two am, Tim gets his answer as they part ways. "0700 sharp, team! We will start by going over the ground rules," Tony says firmly before he strides to his car.

Ziva drags her feet as she heads in the direction of her car. Once she is certain Tim is gone, she speeds up to tap on Tony's car window. "So, you split your personality in two, yes?" Tony knows not to argue with her, that he must stand his ground as a leader immediately. "I can be boss when I need to be! No splitting anything. I will simply need to adjust my priorities at work." He avoids her eyes as he speaks, but he turns instantly to face her as she says sweetly, "Perhaps I can offer some after work relief?" Tony swallows with some difficulty as he imagines Ziva in a mini dress sitting on his kitchen island, looking at him seductively as he ... "You did say you wanted to learn to play the piano better," Ziva states plainly as she raises her full nearly black eyebrows. This time she does not sound very flirtatious and the image in Tony's mind disappears in a flash. Speaking a little huskier, she adds "And maybe you can teach me about some classic movies, yes?" She purses her lips and bats her eyes ever so slightly, still, she manages to entice a new image in Tony's mind. He closes his eyes as he contemplates a course of action to deal with the intense feeling of arousal. When he opens his eyes again, sadly Ziva is gone. He pulls out of the parking lot with some difficulty and rushes home to shake his primal urges.

As she turns away from Tony's driver side window, Ziva relishes the instant effect the changes in her voice had on him. She is very aware of the state her last words left him in. She has been highly in tune with her behaviour and its effect on others, mostly men, from a young age. She has molded herself, learned to predict and use their lust. So, she knows, Tony lives for movies and the thought of inducting her into that world, privately, beside him, had visibly turned him on enough to make driving very hard. Briefly Ziva fantasizes getting into his car, helping him ease the tension. It has not been often that she was as attracted to a man as he was to her. In her mind, she pushes Tony's car seat back, as he unzips. She watches his expression as she firmly grabs hold of his length. She is certain he will look shocked for an instant as she squeezes and rubs the hardened flesh. Suddenly, Ziva wishes fervently she could kiss his manhood like she has kissed his mouth and chest while they were undercover. She tries to imagine his face as she mounts him, her back against the steering wheel. A car horn sounds, perhaps she is leaning back too much. She leans forward as her hot sheath surrounds his …

Head lights flash in her eyes and Ziva is abruptly brought back to reality. She has strayed too far from the parked cars and is now standing less than an inch away from a truck with a very angry driver gesturing at her to get her act together. Her face expresses her apology since her voice would betray her severely horny state. As she sits down in her car, she notices a very wet swelling preventing her from sitting comfortably. Driving will be hard for her too.

June 2006. "Is this really necessary?" Tony sounds weary as he copies Ziva's hands. He remembers his childhood lessons quite well and he is sure his sarcasm and childish impatience are noted. He knows full well that hand stretches as a crucial part of preparing for playing the piano. He still does them, occasionally, usually on days off. Yet, he only plays the piano at home when he does not have a date. He also remembers how much he hated hand stretches as a child. However, sitting here in Ziva's apartment, sharing a piano bench with her, makes him wish the night would last forever, stretches and all.

Ziva is a great piano teacher and an even greater player. Tony tries to imagine her family around her as she plays while her younger sister Tali sings her favourite opera. He has some difficulty imagining the role of Ari, the terrorist who killed Tony's previous partner, Kate. Still, he supposes the dark young man from Ziva's childhood pictures, thirteen years his sister's senior, had been as enthralled by his two sisters as Tony is with Ziva's effortless musicality.

When Tony first saw a picture of the three of them, he found it very tough to perceive that they were all fathered by the same man, current Mossad deputy director Eli David. Tony himself never had any siblings. Thus, he always envisioned people had children about one to three years apart and that siblings resembled each other in a lot of ways. Of course, half siblings were a bit of a different story, but Ziva and Tali both had the same mother, yet they were five years apart and looked quite dissimilar. However, from the little Ziva had told him, he knows that the girls shared their musicality. Ari and Ziva had looked alike more than the girls, but Tony never heard her say anything about his musical skills.

Even though Tony sometimes, no, often acts like a child, Ziva enjoys the weekly hour-long lessons, not to mention the movie nights that follow. At Tony's implicit request, she has stopped flirting with him at work, and almost anywhere else in public. Now, during their time alone together Ziva typically likes to sit in a spot where she can see his face, distracting him from the movie in creative ways, flirting, without ever touching him. Their undercover mission had really stirred up a strong physical connection. At work, their teasing touches did not lead anywhere. But in the comforts of her own home, Ziva does not trust herself to inhibit her urges so easily. As a way of flirting, tonight, she intends to practice one of her advanced yoga poses, Eka Pada Koundinyanasana II, on a step stool, just as Body Heat is getting well under way. She knows from his references which scenes excite him the most. That's when she starts unbuttoning her crimson satin blouse. Tony looks sideways at her, briefly, almost unnoticeably as she reveals her white tank top and starts the pose.

Ziva gazes at Tony past her arms under her legs. She grins when she sees he is no longer looking at the tv. Undoubtedly, he will soon make a pubescent sexual comment. Her eyes glisten seductively. Tony forgets to pause the movie, gaping at Ziva in awe. "That is dedication, David," he speaks in a hush voice as he gets up and touches one of her toes with his finger, "Impressive, my ninja!" Ziva resists the changes in balance expertly. Surprised at his platonic comments, she imagines he will be fantasizing about sex and yoga later. She surely does, already having a list of ten poses that would lend themselves well for the purpose. She watches his body language as she slowly recovers from the pose and gently sits down on the stool. Entranced Tony stands before her and she has a clear view of just how impressed he is. In a laboured voice, he alleges, "You are a little minx, you know that?" She purses her lips, tilts her head slightly, and looks innocently up at him. "Well, I bet you cannot tell me what happened in the movie in the past five minutes, but I can," she claims smugly. Tony smirks at her, unwilling to admit his distraction.

As Tony sits back on the sofa with some difficulty, Ziva throws on her blouse. She joins him on the wide two-seater, satisfied about the effects of her tactic. They continue watching the movie, after rewinding it a little bit. Ziva waits until the bulge in Tony's pants has waned, then leans in closer to him. She really likes flirting with Tony and she likes the friendship they have growing. However, she is currently reluctant to test the effects intimacy might have on that. They had not been intimate since the undercover mission and she likes it this way. Still, she eases down against his side and lets him wrap his arm around her.

Under the watchful eyes of director Shephard and 'Ducky', a very dear friend of Gibbs also the team's medical examiner, Tony rises to the challenge of leading the Major Case Response Team quite well. He shows respect and appreciation for accepting him to everyone by encouraging them to keep doing the great job they always did. All five members come to respect his authority and still feel they can relate to him as an equal due to his clear expectations and still playful nature. In leadership, Tony uses a mix of Gibbs' style and his own. Most procedures stay the same, with the addition of a free flow think strategy he calls 'campfire'. Ducky and Abby do need to learn to call Tony with their results, since Gibbs seemed to have a gut for knowing exactly when to go see them. Slowly, Tony is starting to create his own set of rules, modeled after Gibbs' rules, excluding rule number 12. Not that he has a co-worker in mind that he would want to date. Or does he?

Despite his changes to the team rules, Tony denies to himself what and just how much he really feels for Ziva, but he cannot shake the lust building up. With each of the many women he has dated over the years, he has indulged in sex quite swiftly. But something keeps telling him to hold back with Ziva, even though they already have shared a passionate night while under cover about eight months ago. A sudden comparison with his ex-fiancée pops to mind, but he pushes it away. Ziva is nothing like Wendy, a schoolteacher he had fallen madly in love with, in high school, and proceeded to have a very strong relationship with. No, nothing similar between the two, he tells himself. Tony quickly turns his attention back to work.