Another short one. Sorry. I am glad everybody seems to be enjoying it so far. I hope that continues, I have loved reading all of your reviews.

III. When in Rome

"Yeah, McGoo, we're sitting in the terminal right now." Tony sighed into the phone. "Yes, we will get a cab back to the navy yard when we land." He groaned. "Probie, we're boarding the plane now, the flight attendant is telling me to turn my phone off. Have to go." He said quickly.

"Tony, we have not even had our passports and boarding passes checked yet for boarding." Ziva cracked her knuckles.

"I just wanted him to stop talking." Tony yawned.

"If you hadn't spent so much time watching me sleep instead of sleeping yourself then you wouldn't be tired now." She smiled.

"I'll sleep on the plane." He said, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"Tony…" Ziva sighed, leaning into his hand as it brushed across her cheek and then shaking her head slowly. "No matter how much we want it, we can't."

"What is it that you want exactly, Miss Ziva David?"

"I do not entirely know." She whispered, watching his expression.

"Then how can you know you don't want it enough to break Gibbs rules?"

"I cannot. But I know that it is a dangerous path, not to be trodden lightly. What is it that you want?"

"I want a nice house, great car, a wife who cooks really good Italian food, and a swimming pool." He grinned.

"You have it all planned out." Ziva laughed. "But what do you really want, Tony?"

"That look. The one in your eyes right now." He said, trying to fathom what emotion it was in his colleague's eyes as she stared into his.

"What look would that be?" She said, looking away so he could not see her emotions.

"Devotion maybe." He sighed. He knew what the emotion was. He had seen love before. Never like hers though. But she wouldn't admit it even to herself, he could see that too. He had seen her look at him in the way she was now, never before realising why. It had always looked so pained. "I'm sorry."

"Why? What do you have to be sorry about?" She looked at him.

"Oh, I don't know. Teasing you. Hurting you. Prying into your life." He sighed.

"Those are the things that make you DiNozzo. Do not apologise for them." She smiled, stroking his cheek gently. "It is a sign of weakness, apologising." She grinned, the deep moment gone for the minute.

"According to Gibbs." Tony nodded. "You know, his damn set of rules may very well be the end of me." He laughed.

"Yes, although some have saved both of our lives on more than one occasion." She laughed with him. "And for that I will always be grateful." They both stood up and moved to board the plane, Tony placing his hand on the small of her back, smiling when she frowned at him.

"Until DC, I do not care how many of Gibbs' rules I break, particularly number 12. Besides, we already broke it multiple times in the hotel." He smiled and shrugged. "When in Rome."

"Tony, we are in Venice, not Rome."