Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS.

Israel, September 2013

Ziva crept down the stone hall to the living room of the farmhouse. Tony was asleep in the bedroom. Ziva, however, was wide awake. It was strange to be in the house again, after so many years of dreaming about it. It was also strange for Tony to be there, for Tony to be in her bed.

Ziva glanced back down the hall to the door of the bedroom. She and Tony had just slept together, for the very first time. Yes, they had fooled around a little bit in her first few months as Mossad liaison, but then Tony had been given the Benoit case, and they stopped.

Tony's iPad was lying on a side table near the sofa. Ziva picked it up and switched it on, not sure what she was going to do with it. Play a game? Did Tony have Candy Crush? It needed a passcode. Ziva tried a couple of things: Tony's birthday, anything to do with James Bond or Magnum PI, the first year he started at NCIS. Nothing.

Then, for some reason, Ziva typed in her birthday. 1112. The iPad came to life and a photo of Tony and Ziva laughing came up on the screen. It had been taken at Ducky's most recent birthday party. Ziva smiled and glanced at her phone. She had the exact same photo as her screensaver. There had been plenty of others taken, ones with the whole team. However, this photo was the only one with just the two of them.

Ziva looked back down the hall towards the room where Tony was sleeping. When he had dropped her off at the airport in DC back in May, Ziva had been excited, happy to visit Israel, even if it was only for a brief visit. How quickly that had changed. Her friends were no longer her friends. They had struggled to stay in touch, grown apart, felt that Ziva had turned her back on her homeland when she permanently moved to the US, or, like Deena Bashan, felt betrayed by the actions that Ziva had taken because she had been ordered to. By the time Tony had found her in the farmhouse, Ziva had never felt so alone or unhappy since Tali had died.

There was a part of Ziva that was furious at Tony for finding her. Why was it always Tony? Why couldn't he just have left everything alone? Yet, a part of her was relieved that it was Tony. Tony made Ziva feel happy, and to some extent safe. No matter what happened, Ziva knew that Tony had her back. He cheered her up, had done so from when she first moved to the US. He was kind and respected her always, even when he was at the height of his playboy ways. At first, the flirting between the two of them was fun, but now it was no longer fun and Ziva knew they were both playing with real emotions now.

Ziva pressed on the photo app on the iPad and started scrolling through them. She had most of them on her phone as well. They were of her friends and family in the US. They made her smile and one or two even managed to make her chuckled quietly. Happy memories came to the surface. Yes, Ziva had bad memories, but everyone did. Yes, Ziva had lost the friends and family she had in Israel, but she had ones waiting for her in the US. The most important person in her life was just down the hall, asleep.

Ziva gave a sudden massive yawn, taking her slightly by surprise. She switched Tony's iPad off and put it on charge. She made her way back to the bedroom and climbed into bed next to Tony. She shifted over so that she was closer with Tony and for the first time in months, Ziva fell into a deep sleep.

The next morning, Tony woke to find Ziva lying next to him, his arm over her shoulders and Ziva using his body as a pillow. He liked it. He wanted to wake up every morning this way, no matter how cheesy it sounded. Ziva started to stir.

'Morning sweet cheeks.' Ziva smiled and chuckled. There was something different about, Tony couldn't quite put his finger on it. Last night she had seemed conflicted, unsure about whether to stay in Israel or come back to DC with him. Now, she appeared to more at peace.

Tony sat up a little.

'Are you OK?' he asked, curiously. Ziva smiled again, sitting up.

'Yes, Tony. I am OK. I did a lot of thinking last night.'

'Oh?' Ziva paused.

'I am not going back to NCIS, Tony.'

'Yeah, I figured as much.' He sounded defeated. He looked down at their hands on their laps.

'But I am coming back to DC.' Tony looked up at Ziva, smiling like a child on its birthday.

'Really?' Ziva nodded.

'Yes. I am far from the person I want to be. I may never be that person.'

'But?'

'But I can try. I want to be happy, Tony, and you make me happy. Being with you makes me happy. Drives me up the hall sometimes.' Tony laughed. 'I stayed in the US and at NCIS after Somalia because of the people. You, Gibbs, Abby, Tim and everyone else made me feel good, but I also stayed out of duty and obligation. You were the ones who pulled me from that hell hole.

'When you arrived here the other day, I was so alone. Any connection I have to my homeland is gone and has been for some time. I looked at old photos last night, of the team and my life in DC. If they showed me anything, it is that I do have friends and family who will support me no matter what, and I have you.' Tony smiled and pulled Ziva into a hug.

'What about us?' he eventually asked. Ziva pulled away to look at Tony.

'Us?' Could she allow herself to be hopeful?

'Yes, Zi. You and me. What about us? You just said that being with me makes you happy.'

'It does Tony.'

'So, what does that mean for us? Do you want to be together?' Ziva could see hope in Tony's eyes that were becoming glassy. 'I want you Ziva. I want us to be together and I have done for a while now.' He tucked Ziva's hair behind her ear. 'You are my beautiful Israeli ninja, Ziva, and I am falling in love with you.' Ziva smiled and leant forward to kiss Tony.

'Let's go home Tony.'

Tim had managed to get two tickets from Ben Gurion Airport to Dulles Airport for the next day. Tony had called him and explained that both he and Ziva were coming home. Tony could hear Abby's cries of happiness through the phone.

Since their early morning conversation, Tony and Ziva were enjoying complete and utter bliss. The moment they landed in DC, questions would be asked and answers demanded. For twenty-four hours it was just the two of them and they lapped up every minute of it.

The plane was roughly three quarters full, meaning that people were able to spread out a little. A cramped sixteen-hour flight usually felt like a cramped sixty-hour flight if with the wrong people. Tony leaned over and kissed Ziva on the cheek, and let go of her hand. They had been holding hands for most of the flight. He got up and went to brave the tiny bathroom at the end of the plane. Ziva returned to her book.

'How long have you two been married?' Ziva looked up and saw the woman across the aisle talking to her. She was little and old enough to be a grandmother, with white hair and wore glasses that had a chain on them around her next. Ziva could image her as a little mouse.

'Excuse me?' asked Ziva.

'How long have you two been married? You are newlyweds, returning from your honeymoon?'

'Oh, we are not married. Tony is just my boyfriend.'

'Could have fooled me' said the old woman, smiling.

Tim and Abby were standing at the arrivals gate, waiting for Tony and Ziva. There had been much speculation between the two of them as to what had happened in Israel. Everyone knew about the attraction between Tony and Ziva. Even Tobias Fornell of the FBI and Abbie Borin of CGIS had commented on it.

The doors opened and people started filing through.

'I think that's them Abs' said Tim, pointing towards the back of the crowd. It was. Tony had his arm around Ziva's shoulders; Ziva's arm around Tony's waist. They looked happy.

'Hey guys' called Abby, waving at them. Tony and Ziva walked up to them.

'So' began Tim, grinning. 'Did you have fun in Israel?' Everyone laughed, Tony and Ziva looked a little embarrassed.

'Are you two together now?' asked Abby.

'Yes, we are' said Ziva. 'We have a lot to explain.'

Ziva walked down the stairs in Gibbs' basement.

'Ziver.'

'Gibbs.' He put down his chisel and looked at her.

'You don't want to come back to NCIS, do you?' he said. Ziva wasn't surprised that he knew. Gibbs had a sixth sense about these things.

'You are not angry with me?' She didn't understand that though. Gibbs walked over to her.

'No, Ziva. I could never be angry with you. All I want is for you to be happy. You, Tony, Tim, Abby. If leaving NCIS makes you happier than staying, then leave. Do not feel like you have to stay for me.' Ziva gave Gibbs a weak smile.

'What about me and Tony?' Gibbs gave a tiny chuckle.

'If he makes you happy too. You are no longer co-workers.' Ziva's smile grew bigger.

'He does make me happy, Gibbs.'

'Ok, then' said Gibbs. 'Do have you have any idea what you're going to do?'

'No, I do not.' Ziva seemed happy about this. 'For the first time in my entire life I do not know what I am supposed to do. I kind of like the freedom. I thought I might take a couple of college classes, figure out what I am interested in. I am thirty-one in November. I have my entire life before me.'

Gibbs gave Ziva a smile.

'Sounds like a plan.'

Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed it.

I am still working on A Month of Sundays. A new chapter should be up this week.