Bury Your Dead: [part 2]

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Sorry this took longer than normal. Work and Holidays didn't leave me much time to sit down and work on this. Hope you all like it :)

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Claire's POV:

Pulling up to the crime scene was one of the worst experiences of my life. The sheer amount of emergency vehicles along the street was upsetting to say the least, but getting out of the car and staring at the charred remains of what may very possibly be Tony was beyond words. I had lost people before but Tony meant more to me than most people, and to think that he was killed in this manner made my heart sink past my stomach. But I couldn't dwell on it. Stepping out of the car, I tried to ignore the shocked stares from my teammates. Walking towards the carnage was surreal. There was a distinct human lump in the driver's seat but other than that it was impossible to tell anything about the corpse. My stomach lurched at the thought of Tony being burnt to just a black husk. Swallowing thickly I pulled on my gloves, forcing my brain to focus on the task at hand. We had a crime scene and I had a job to do. It wasn't Tony….it was just another victim. Just another one of our cases. I see bodies like this all the time.

The rest of the team remained silent around me. No doubt going through the same mental battle that I was. Gibbs stood the closest, staring at the sight with tired eyes.

"McGee." He called, turning towards our group. He didn't tear his eyes away from the scene.

"McGee!" Gibbs called again, this time gaining the man's attention. Tim looked over at Gibbs and walked forward, towards the wreckage. Ziva and I followed behind slowly. I steeled myself once more, the second time of what would probably hundreds of times today. I didn't want to get any closer to what may possibly be the last time I saw Tony…Nope, don't go there….I have a job to do. Director Shepherd walked slowly around the vehicle, staring sadly at the charred body in the seat. I glared ahead at the hood of the car, willing myself not to direct it towards her. This was definitely her doing, but she didn't need me pointing it out. I watched as McGee fumbled with the camera before lining it up and taking shots of the crime scene.

I paced around the car, being sure to avoid the director. Kneeling near the back of the car, I spotted some unusual forms.

"McGee?" I called, crouching down near the item.

"That some sort of timer device?" I inquired, pointing it out for him to take photos of.

"Ten bucks in must electrical stores. Probably activated when the ignition turned on. Counts down however long you need it to. When it reaches zero…" he explained matter of factly. I sucked in a breath.

"Shock wave should have killed him before the fire. Death would have been instantaneous." Ducky commented.

"Well at least it was quick." I muttered sourly.

"Small mercies, my dear boy." Ducky nodded in agreement.

"Identification?" Director Shepherd inquired.

"The general build, height, weight are about right. Most of the epidermis and dermis on the hands have been burned off, so no fingerprints. We'll need to get his dental records for positive identification." Ducky frowned and turned to face the director worriedly.

"And is there any chance that it's not Tony?" he asked. All of us glanced up from our work, anxious for the answer. Any shred of hope would be really good right now. Jenny clenched her jaw tightly.

"None that I can think of." She muttered before swiftly walking off.

"She blames herself." Ducky realized curiously. However, his frown deepened when none of us countered his claim. She should blame herself. Yet at the same time I couldn't help carry some of the blame. I shouldn't have left the way I did this morning. Maybe things would have been different if I had stayed a few minutes longer.

"Should she?" Dr. Mallard inquired, breaking me out of my mental spiral. Gibbs didn't answer him directly.

"Let me know when you finish, Duck." He dismissed instead.

...

McGee, Ziva and I resumed our search of the car. Finding Tony's gun, badge, ID, and cellphones. So far I wasn't feeling too optimistic. Looking over at Ziva, it was evident that I wasn't the only one.

"You believe in miracles Ziva?" McGee inquired as she picked up his ID and badge.

"Not part of my training." She dismissed. As she held the ID up I glanced away, unwilling to look at what I knew was on there. Tony's face and name.

...

...

3rd Person POV:

Back at NCIS, Claire delivered the evidence bags to Abby who scowled at them.

"You know it might not be Tony. Not until Ducky says it's him." Abby pointed out assuredly. Claire nodded stiffly but didn't say anything.

"Until then, he's just….He's not here." Her friend continued, frowning as she picked up Tony's badge.

"And I don't care what the evidence says. Even if everything here belongs to Tony, it's still not him until Ducky says that it's him." she reiterated, seemingly more to herself than to Claire.

"Tony is not dead, Claire. And don't try to tell me anything different, because I'm not gonna believe you." Abby paused as her positivity wavered and she turned, latching onto her friend.

"Tell me it's not him." she whispered as Claire held onto her just as tightly.

"I wish I could, Abby." Claire answered shakily. Abby pulled back and held her at arm's length.

"You can't think like that! It's not Tony until the evidence says so. And right now we just have pieces, not the whole thing." Abby insisted sternly. Claire tried to smile but it fell short.

"I know. But right now I can't think of any other possibility, and I don't want to build up false hope in case it's true. I'm trying to make my peace with it." She explained, her voice starting to waver. Abby reached out and smacked her on the arm.

"Ow!" Claire yelped before she was pulled into another hug.

"Abby…"

"Do not make your peace with it….if anything make your….war with it. Tony is not dead and you need to go find out who is. And where Tony is." Abby instructed with a frown. Claire finally allowed a small genuine smile.

"Thanks Abbs." She muttered, hugging back. After a beat the women pulled apart.

"Alright, you go. I need to be alone right now with the gang. I've got work to do." The goth nodded, whirling around to begin work on her computers. Claire took the hint and made her way up to the bullpen. She had her own work to do.

...

...

Up in the bullpen, Claire was absently going through the video feed of the explosion frame by frame. With a distracted frown she replayed the scene over and over. McGee watched her in concern out of the corner of his eye.

"Must you keep doing that?" Ziva droned, her head in her hands, staring sadly at her screen. Claire blinked out of her stupor.

"Just checking something Gibbs said." She answered. At least that's how this had all started. Then she got distracted by watching what could have been Tony's last seconds played over and over.

"Tony wouldn't have carried it with him, you know." McGee elaborated, watching the screen with Claire.

"His shield and ID. Not if he was undercover and he would have stashed it in the car….maybe under the seat. Just because we found his ID doesn't mean it's Tony." McGee added in frustration, looking for some other outcome where the body downstairs wasn't their teammate.

"I'm not sure if he was undercover at the time McGee." Claire pointed out. McGee's frown deepened.

"His car, his ID, his weapon, both of his cell phones, McGee?" Ziva scoffed sadly. McGee sighed and sat down on the edge of Gibb's desk, staring at the video feed.

"Run it back farther." He muttered to Claire. She nodded and rewound the tape. His request piqued Ziva's attention.

"What was it that Gibbs said that you thought needed checking?" she inquired, standing to join them.

"He thought Tony might be tailing someone." The three of them watched the camera feeds in reverse, looking for the missing piece. Suddenly Ziva shot her hand out.

"Stop it there….Take it back." She instructed.

"It's a limousine. It was on the previous camera." Ziva pointed out in realization. Claire pulled up the other videos onto the same screen.

"It's on every camera." She added, a spark of hope coming up. At least they had something to go on.

"He was following that limousine." McGee voiced their conclusion aloud. Now they were getting somewhere.

...

After finding Gibbs, who was with the director, the team gathered in the bullpen to go over what they had found.

"The limousine is leased to a shell company. The parent company is EuroFreight." Ziva began, pulling up the license photo of the vehicle.

"Head office in Luxembourg."

"The principal behind the company is Renee Benoit." Claire finished.

"Tony could have been following La Grenouille." McGee summarized, looking between their bosses.

"I'm sorry to differ, Timothy, but he wasn't" Ducky cut in, rushing in to join them. The agents turned to frown at the man in confusion.

"Look, Tony contracted pneumonic plague as I'm sure everyone can remember." He began, turning Gibbs around pointedly.

"Before my time." Ziva countered.

"I was in the room." Claire added, clearly remembering the experience. What she wouldn't give to be back there. At least she could have seen Tony and been with him if he had died. Not knowing was worse.

"He almost died from severe pneumonia." Ducky elaborated for Ziva.

"As a result his lungs would have been extensively scarred. Unlike the almost pristine lung of the man currently in autopsy."

"The body downstairs isn't Tony." Claire reiterated, a weight lifting off of her shoulders. Looking around the group, everyone began to smile in relief. Tony wasn't in the explosion.

"Then who is it?" Director Shepherd inquired.

"And where is DiNozzo?" Gibbs added sternly. The agents looked among one another. Now they had a new question to chase down.

...

"I want to know everything about this company. Bank statements, telephone records, personnel." Director Shepherd ordered coolly, looking to McGee who was already typing away at his computer.

"Hard drive's spinning up now." He explained, glancing at Gibbs who was looking over his shoulder.

"Everything, Tim. If La Grenouille is in DC, this could lead us to him."

"…..Or Tony." Claire cut in, frowning at the director who pursed her lips.

"Well, obviously DiNozzo is our first priority." She corrected. Claire rose a skeptical brow. So far that hadn't been so clear.

"Ziva, start with the hospital. Find out when DiNozzo left and with whom." Gibbs ordered.

"I better go with her….I was there last night too so I can help fill in some blanks." Claire admitted, already reaching for her gear. Gibbs nodded in agreement. As the girls scurried to leave some visitors entered the bullpen, causing them to pause.

"Mr. Kort." Jenny greeted in mock politeness.

"Director Shephard." The man grunted in return.

"An unannounced visit by the CIA usually means someone's in trouble. I trust it isn't you." The director hummed pointedly. Kort sighed in annoyance, looking around at all the agents watching.

"Where is he?" he asked.

"It depends on who 'he' is."

"DiNozzo." At the name every NCIS agent stood, wondering why the CIA would be looking for Tony.

"I honestly don't know and even if I did, I wouldn't tell you until you explain to me why you're looking for him so urgently." The director shot back. Mr. Kort shifted.

"La Grenouille flew into DC this morning. He didn't arrive at his safe house, and his satellite phone has stopped transmitting." He tensely explained.

"Mislaid your arms dealer? That's gotta be embarrassing." Gibbs quipped.

"I don't know what NCIS is up to, but I want a private briefing in your office now." Mr. Kort requested, staring resolutely at Director Shepherd.

"I'll decide what briefing you get and where you get it Mr. Kort. And if you have a problem with that, why don't you have your director give me a call." Jenny shot back warningly.

"You're jeopardizing one of the most important, long term operations that agency has ever conducted." Kort droned, unimpressed with her threats.

"Operation Lodestone." Gibbs supplied. Mr. Kort gave him a glare.

"You're not read in on Lodestone."

"Ok so read us in."

"Unless the CIA just believes in one-way traffic." Jenny piped up.

"This is not going to end well for you." Kort warned, turning to leave. Gibbs and Jenny followed after, and the other three trailed along not wanting to be left out.

"Special Agent DiNozzo's car was bombed this morning, but I guess you knew that." Gibbs informed as the group walked towards the elevator.

"He wasn't in it." Kort told them easily.

"Thanks for sharing." Claire muttered bitterly.

"The agency had nothing to do with it." The man countered.

"Is that when you mislaid your frog, in all that confusion?" Gibbs inquired, not letting him squirm out of the impromptu interrogation. Kort spun around as the elevator opened to reveal a beaming Tony.

"Hey, my car blew up this morning. Did you do that?" he asked, pointing at Mr. Kort with a grin. In an instant the CIA agent had Tony pinned by the throat against the elevator wall.

"Where did you go with La Grenouille?" he growled. Tony smirked and glanced over the man's shoulder. Kort turned and found the agents all pointing their weapons at him. He grunted in surprise as Claire pressed the muzzle of her weapon against the back of Kort's head.

"If you don't mind, we'd like our partner back now." She whispered warningly. Kort reluctantly released him and Tony took a moment to straighten his tie. He nodded thankfully over at Claire who holstered her weapon, not taking her eyes off him.

"Actually, he prefers Renee. Arms dealers get very touchy about their code names. 'The Frog' has kind of a slimy overtone to it." Tony countered smugly.

"Maybe you should keep that in mind next time. You could use it yourself." He tacked on with a grin.

"We will find him, DiNozzo." Kort growled.

"You might wanna take the stairs. I had a little upset tummy this morning." Tony teased as the man stepped into the elevator cab. Everyone stared at the man in disbelief as he popped in like nothing had happened.

"Happy frog-hunting!" Tony turned to call as the doors closed. He chuckled before facing the rest of his team.

"What, no balloons?" he inquired innocently. Everyone relaxed, smiling back at the man they thought was dead. Claire shifted to the back and made her way silently out of the room, heading around for the bathrooms. Tony frowned watching her leave while the others chattered around him.

"We need a briefing on what happened DiNozzo. Follow me up to my office, Gibbs you may join." Director Shepherd cut in sternly. Tony's gaze snapped to her, frowning.

"In a minute, I need to take a leak." He dismissed, brushing past the group.

"DiNozzo!" Tony whipped around tiredly.

"Look, I've had a long morning and no time for a break. I will be in your office in five minutes." He countered before trudging on towards his goal. The others let him go without protest, taking note of how hard Claire had taken this whole situation. They needed a moment.

...

...

Claire stumbled into the women's restroom, stepping over to lean on the counter heavily. She sucked in shuddering breaths to try and get a handle of her emotions. Tony was fine, he was alive, they still had a case to work. Her focus was broken by the door opening. She turned her head and locked eyes with Tony. He stepped inside slowly, watching for her reaction.

"Hey." Claire swallowed before bolting towards him. Tony grunted in surprise as her body collided with his. His arms were left hanging in the air for just a moment before his brain caught up with his limbs and he embraced her tightly. Feeling her shoulders tremble he increased his grip and brought one hand up to cradle the back of her head against his collarbone. His eyes closed in contentment and he turned to his lips were pressed against her hair.

"Don't cry. You know I don't handle crying women well." He muttered with a small grin. Claire barked out a wet laugh.

"I'm glad you're not dead." She told him, her breathing settling down.

"Me too." Claire pulled back and glared at him weakly, both of them pointedly ignoring the tear tracks down her cheeks.

"You have caused way too much trouble for me over the last two days. Are you done now?" she asked bitterly. Tony wilted, shoving his hands into his pockets.

"I'm sorry…" he whispered. Claire waved off his apology, leaning her back against the sinks.

"No, I should be the one apologizing. I said all those horrible things to you out of hurt. When I thought that they were the last things I ever said you to, it killed me. I didn't give you a chance to explain." Tony frowned in confusion.

"I don't blame you for that at all. Honestly, I deserved it. I'd been lying to the team…..to you, for months. And I hated every minute of it." Claire twisted her mouth wryly. She was pretty positive he didn't hate every minute of it…..he did get a beautiful girlfriend out of it. Tony saw the action and clenched his jaw.

"Let's just leave it as we're both sorry for things said…..and not said." She muttered instead. Tony nodded stiffly, not wanting to leave it there. Claire watched his face screw up in frustration, getting ready to add to what was already said but she wasn't ready to hear it. So she cut him off before it could go any further.

"I think you should be meeting with the director by now. I'm sure she's itching to get the story from you. Don't want to keep her waiting." Tony glanced down at his watch. She was right.

"But…."

"Besides, someone needs to tell Abby you're alive. She would kill me if I let her wait to long to hear the news." Claire cut in, already moving to leave the room. Tony reached for her and grasped her wrist gently. Not turning to face him again, she reached down and softly squeezed his hand with her free one.

"Welcome back." She muttered with a small grin before walking out the door. Tony growled in frustration and swiped a hand down his face. Shaking his head he exited as well. He had some loose ends to tie up and be done with all of this.

...

...

Tony made his way up to the Director's office with her and Gibbs. Director Shepherd played back the explosion on the television screen.

"That was more exciting live." Tony pointed out animatedly. His boss shot him a look and turned off the screen. Tony sat down at the table, prompting the other two to follow.

"You saw it? You were there?" Jenny inquired seriously.

"Saw it, heard it, felt it." Tony nodded.

"You can start whenever you're ready." She instructed coolly. Tony paused and looked across the table at Gibbs who he knew was just now getting into the loop. The older man's expression gave Tony no indication of how he felt about the whole thing. Just one more person to try and make amends with.

"He was waiting when I left the hospital this morning with Jeanne." Tony began tensely.

"She'd arranged it. It was her little surprise, I guess. Meet the Parents: Part 2…I hate sequels." Gibbs smirked.

"Figured my cover was blown as soon as I saw him. Turned out he'd known for months."

"Kort?" Gibbs suggested.

"Probably…..I tried talking my way out of it. Made it as far as my car."

...

Tony quickly opened his car and started to slide in when Renee started shouting after him.

"Hey, Tony. Tony."

"Crap." Tony muttered under his breath.

"There's no need to take your car. Henri will drive it. You come with Jeanne and me." The man insisted, Jeanne grinning in delight alongside her father. Tony uncomfortably looked up at the driver who was heading towards him.

"Oh, that's really nice of you. I gotta go. I'd really….I need to go home and change…" he began stuttering, however he paused when Renee approached.

"I will have to insist, Agent DiNozzo." He warned, leaning in so Jeanne couldn't hear them. Tony stiffened and stepped out, treading carefully.

"Be careful in second. It tends to stick a little." He muttered, handing Henri the car keys.

"And your cell phone." Henri requested, holding out his hand. Tony sourly slapped it down.

"Both of them." Mr. Benoit added knowingly.

...

"Did La Grenouille tell Jeanne who you were?" Jenny inquired.

"That didn't last long. They didn't miss a beat. Pretended everything was fine. I could see his guy driving my car a few lengths behind us when…" Tony jerked his head towards the now blank screen, silently indicating the explosion.

"What was La Grenouille's first reaction?"

"That he was the target…I'm not so sure." Tony commented, swallowing from the glass of water before him.

"You think it was you, Tony?" Gibbs inquired. His agent shot him a look as if the conclusion was obvious.

"It was my car, boss. And we certainly have pissed off the agency a lot lately. Well, the director and I have pissed off the agency a lot lately…..Although, mainly me." Tony hummed, shooting the woman a hard look. It wasn't like she had been putting herself in the line of fire like he was. The director merely stared back at him, not liking his insinuation.

"For what it's worth, Kort denied agency involvement." Gibbs cut in, dissolving the tension slightly.

"That's because Kort doesn't play by agency rules. The guy's got a hair trigger." Tony pointed out.

"Where did La Grenouille take you?" Jenny asked, wanting to get back to 'important' things.

"Well, kind of blew away the breakfast plans. Blew away a lot of things." Tony clenched his jaw, thinking back to everything he had lost over this. Not just his mission, but people he cared about.

"Jeanne." Jenny hummed. Tony shot her a glare while Gibbs watched curiously.

"It wasn't supposed to happen like this."

"You never really thought it could end any other way, did you?"

"You mean other than badly?" Tony shot back indignantly.

"You're not supposed to fall in love with them."

"I didn't!…..But thank you so much for that director. I'm gonna keep that in mind for next time." Tony snapped.

"Wait a second, there's not gonna be a next time!" he added just as fiercely. This wasn't going to happen again. He was truthful when he answered Claire a few minutes ago. Gibbs remained silent as he watched the back and forth.

"What did Jeanne say?" Director Shepherd inquired.

"Nothing I'm gonna tell you."

"Agent DiNozzo."

"Nothing you need to know, director." He remained firm in keeping silent, warning her off with his expression. Jenny scoffed, working her jaw as she processed the information.

"Where is La Grenouille?" she continued on quietly.

"I don't know. He dropped me off at the main gate….drove west. Probably heading to California, he was driving pretty fast. He could even be there now." Tony answered a bit sarcastically, glancing down at his wristwatch. Jenny glared at him.

...

...

Down in the bullpen Ziva was finishing up a phone call when McGee came to perch on the edge of her desk as they waited for Tony. Claire had yet to make a reappearance.

"No, no. I understand….thank you." she finished. As McGee's head was turned Tony strode in and slapped him upside the head while walking to his desk. McGee's head whipped around to glare at the man across from him.

"What was that for?" he asked incredulously.

"Believing I was dead." Tony quipped.

"Hey, I never believed that you were dead. Ziva was the one who gave up on you." McGee ratted. Tony looked over at the woman in disappointment while Ziva reached out to punch her snitch on the arm.

"Don't even think about the head slap." She warned. Tony said nothing and picked up his desk phone.

"Is everything cool with the director and Gibbs?" Ziva inquired.

"Beyond cool, almost icy." Tony hummed, dialing a number.

"You seem anxious." She pointed out. Tony blinked and schooled his features.

"I'm fine….did anyone call for me?" he asked hesitantly. McGee and Ziva shared a look.

"No." McGee supplied. Ziva sucked in a breath before answering.

"If you're calling the hospital she's not there. She called the ER to let them know she would be gone for a few days." Ziva supplied, ignoring Tony's steely glare.

"Going where?" he asked.

"She did not tell them." Tony clenched his jaw and set down the phone angrily.

"I'll try again another time. I want to apologize." He lamented with a frown. The other two remained silent, not wanting to push him too much. Tony took a moment to glance around the room.

"Claire come back yet?" he asked with a deep frown.

"Um, no…..I don't know where she went." McGee answered with a shrug. Tony sighed, rubbing his forehead to set back the headache that was coming on. Ziva watched him curiously. He seemed more bothered by Claire's absence than Jeanne's disappearance.

"Everything alright between you two?" she inquired lightly. Tony lifted his head tiredly.

"I don't know." McGee and Ziva shared a frown, unsure of how to help their comrades. The tense silence was cut off when Abby flew into the room, rushing to hug Tony who nearly fell out of his chair.

"Yes! Tony!" she cheered happily. He tapped her hands fondly but looked around her for someone who had yet to show. His countenance dropped for a moment, disappointed that Claire was still avoiding him.

"I knew it! I knew it! I didn't believe them, everyone else gave you up for dead. Even Ziva." She told him, letting him go and settling her hands on his shoulders. Ziva gaped uncomfortably.

"Okay, so I may have acted a little…hastily." She relented, twiddling with something metal in her hands. Tony frowned at it.

"That's my letter opener." He pointed out.

"Excellent balance and weight. The edge is a little dull but, I have always admired it." She hummed teasingly. Tony jerked down and opened up his desk drawer, scowling at how empty it was.

"Where's my American Pie coffee mug?" he growled.

"Palmer." Abby answered.

"My Mighty Mouse stapler?"

"Ducky."

"My Baltimore PD keychain?"

"Claire's desk." Tony paused and glanced up at the goth.

"Really?"

"Yea, she wouldn't let any of us touch it. Said you would have a fit if anyone snatched it." His lips quirked up into a grin. She wasn't wrong. Everything else he could have replaced, but that keychain was one of a kind. At least he knew that she wasn't totally against him. Maybe there was some hope for their relationship to mend.

"Hey Ducky." Abby greeted, bringing Tony back to the present. He whirled around to find the man holding out the stolen stapler, grinning at Tony sheepishly.

"My dear boy, I never believed it for a moment." he insisted.

"Welcome home." He greeted, allowing Tony to take back his possession.

"It's not everyday people think you're dead, DiNozzo." Gibbs commented as he joined them with his trademark coffee cup in hand.

"Gibbs, I know who blew up Tony's car." Abby explained, rushing over to Gibb's desk.

"Well not Tony's car, but his aliases car….and not really a who but more of a what, how and why." She rambled.

"Do you have a motive?" McGee inquired curiously. Abby looked insulted.

"What me? No…..but they do." She insisted. Everyone stared at her curiously, waiting for further explanation.

...

...

Down in the lab Abby had all of Tony's charred items on the desk table along with some other bits and pieces. Claire had been waiting for them when they arrived and remained on the opposite side of the room from Tony. He wasn't the only one who noticed, but it wasn't the time to address it.

"Every bomb maker has a signature. Sometimes the components, the way it's assembled, even down to the color of tape used to bind it all together. In this case, the components are the same as nine other bombs found in the last four years." Abby explained the to the team, turning to her computer.

"I made the match on Interpol. The bombs have gone off all over the world. Algeria, Indonesia, the Middle East, Chechnya..." She told them, clicking through photos from other car bombings she found.

"Anything linking the victims?" Ziva inquired.

"They were all arms dealers." Abby supplied.

"But Tony's not an arms dealer." Claire pointed out with a curious frown.

"His girlfriend's father is an arms dealer." Gibbs countered. Tony winced at the reminder.

"She's been working nights. I pick her up every morning for breakfast." he added, knowing he had left a pattern. Claire shot him a look, frowning at how much time he and Jeanne spent together. Every morning was quite the dedication.

"You park the car, they strap on the bomb, set the timer and walk away." Ziva pointed out.

"You weren't the target. She was." Claire added evenly.

"Maybe she still is." Tony frowned in concern. Just because he wasn't in love with the woman didn't mean he didn't care about her wellbeing.

"Take Ziva." Gibbs ordered, the two agents walking out the door instantly. Claire didn't look their direction as they passed.

...

...

Tony and Ziva slowly enter Jeanne's apartment, using the key that she gave to Tony. Thankfully Ziva had remained relatively quiet on the ride over, allowing Tony to sort out his thoughts. She wasn't sure what was going on between him and Claire. Or him and Jeanne for that matter. He was sending mixed messages that didn't add up to what she thought had been going on. But then again she never quite understood the connection he and Claire seemed to share from the get go. She herself never had a friendship that was as deep as theirs was.

"Jeanne?" Tony called, flicking on the light and walking inside the quiet apartment. Ziva closed the door behind them, allowing Tony to proceed through the house on his own. Walking into Jeanne's bedroom he turned on the light and frowned sadly at her emptied out closet. Jeanne was gone. Ziva remained respectfully quiet as she watched Tony process the situation, knowing that the sudden upset in his life must be hard for him. He made his way into the living room and grinned wryly, spotting a note left for him on the coffee table in the doctor's handwriting. Ziva waited as he opened it up and quietly read the note Jeanne had written. When finished, he turned to face his partner, waving the paper around with a tight grin. After a beat of thoughtful silence, he spoke up.

"You ever lie to someone you love, Ziva?" he inquired, looking up to meet her gaze. She paused before answering, her eyes scanning over how lost his expression was. This very confident and self-assured man was no were to be seen at this moment. Vulnerable Tony was new to her.

"Yes." She answered honestly, figuring that would be best. There had been enough lies today.

"They ever forgive you?"

"They never found out." Tony nodded.

"Mine found out." he whispered hollowly.

"He told her?" she assumed. Tony shook his head.

"No…but I wish I had." His face screwed up, showing the deep hurt he was feeling. Ziva frowned in confusion.

"I don't understand." She told him. Tony grinned wryly.

"It wasn't Jeanne. It never was Jeanne….I did care for her, but not like that. I told Jeanne…..but it was because of her that I had to lie to Claire." He admitted quietly. Ziva's eyes widened in surprise. She said nothing, not knowing if Tony meant to let that bit slip out. He had yet to look away from the floor, his mind swirling with thoughts and memories of the day. Of the past few days actually. Clearing his throat uncomfortably, Tony straightened and paced around the apartment.

"He said Jeanne would be back after she calmed down….I guess he was wrong." He pointed out. Ziva gaped for a moment, floundering on what to say.

"I….I will put out a BOLO. We will find her." She landed on, choosing to stick to the assignment for now.

"She doesn't want to be found." Tony countered. Ziva turned to look at him and watched as he sunk down onto the sofa contemplatively. With a nod she left the apartment, allowing him time to himself. Tony sunk to the floor, fiddling with the note in his hand. What did he really expect? He had hoped that this whole fiasco would be done before things got messy but now that it was the end….he didn't know how he expected anything less. Jeanne's disappearance just emphasized how alone he was now. She was a source of comfort in recent months, allowing him to feel the closeness of a romantic relationship that he dearly wanted. Claire thought he was still in love with Jeanne, and he knew it would be near impossible to convince her otherwise. His actions had hurt her deeply and it seemed that the feelings she once harbored for him were all but gone. Now that he was free to pursue his own desires again…what was he supposed to do? Was there anything left for him to chase after?