A/N: Wow. Firstly an almighty thanks to my lovely reviewers, the response was overwhelming! Secondly, my humblest apologies for taking so long to update. The real world (damn it!) got in my way for a while there. Thirdly, this one's a little shorter, but I have most of next chapter mapped out, so I shall update again soon. If it comes across as pretentious verse I apologize, I haven't written in years and I was a poet in my former life, so any constructive criticism is muchly appreciated.

Disclaimer: Still don't own it, which is probably a good thing... :p

It had started raining lightly outside.

Ziva wished the weather would be a bit more assertive and make its mind up. Either stop raining, or if it was going to rain, then do it properly. Thunder, lightening, hail, the works.

Help her decide if she should raise the fences and block it all out, like usual, or give in completely. Help her decide if she should allow herself to feel the many cuts and bruises or to acknowledge the dull pain in her chest that wouldn't go away no matter how hard she tried to ignore it.

Beneath the sound of raindrops hurtling against the building she could hear Tony, still standing at the front door and calling her name, saying that he was sorry. He stopped after a few more minutes as the rain continued its assault on the earth. she guessed that he had given up and gone home – who could blame him. If she didn't know better, she would have expected him to have left ages ago.

Perhaps that's why she was slightly startled when she sensed someone standing a few steps behind her. Startled, but not alarmed. After all, she was the one who gave him an impromptu masterclass on lock picking. They even practiced on her front door.

"Ziva."

She glances over her shoulder at Tony. He must have been standing outside on the doorstep the whole time. He was completely drenched, his dark blond hair sticking to his forehead whilst raindrops trickled down his nose, making the arduous journey to her carpeted floor. All his previous visible anger had been washed away. Instead he now looked...sad? Ashamed?

Concerned. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have mentioned..." Tony paused, unable to say the name just yet. His name.

"It's not your fault", Ziva could hear herself saying, and realized she meant it. How did that song go again? Ah yes...

'Got fire in my soul and I let it take control, nobody's fault but mine'.

"You didn't know." she uttered softly. "And you can't know." She turned properly to face him now, her head still titled downwards. He noticed the puffiness of her eyes, the slightly glazed over look. They appeared less harsh and intrusive than normal. Softer now. Almost delicate.

"Ziva, I'm part of Gibbs team. Part of the team that was hunting Ari in the first place. I'm probably already on some Hamas hit list somewhere" he said half jokingly. Ziva looked him straight in the eyes, hers alight with fire now.

"It's a lot different if your name's right at the top" she said firmly, struggling to keep from shouting the words. Tony was shocked at how hurt she appeared and the genuine concern apparent in her voice. Him and his stupid throwaway comments. They wouldn't be at this point if he had just learnt to keep his mouth shut in the first place.

"Ziva..."

She really wished he would stop saying her name. It only made it more difficult.

"Tony, I'm sorry I didn't call you, I really am..."

"Ziva..." Again, her name. It almost succeeded in distracting her from the task at hand.

"...but I'm fine now" she said, knowing that he'd see straight through the blatant lie. All she could do was try. "I'm safe. You're safe. Wet, but safe."

"Ziva..."

"...however, if you don't go home and change you're going to catch a death."

"Catch your death" he said softly. The small attempts at humor and the English language faux pas were somewhat reassuring, but he knew the battle was not yet won. Ziva returned her gaze to the floor as the frown returned to her face.

"Either way, Gibbs will kill you and probably me as well if you get sick and he discovers that it happened because you were standing outside my apartment in the rain for twenty minutes."

"I don't care". He smiled gently.

"Well I do." Ziva replied, hoping the matter-of-fact tone of her voice distracted enough from what she was actually saying. She prayed that it would convince Tony to leave, so he didn't get a chance to realize just how much she was letting him in. If he were to catch on, she doubted she'd ever have a chance of getting him to go home. If he were to stay much longer...well, it only made it more difficult.

"Ziva..." Once more, her name. She couldn't be sure if it was the husky quality of his voice or the way his lips appeared to caress the sounds but...

"DiNozzo." Tony answered his cell before the first ring was able to finish. He didn't want any distractions, the situation was tense enough as it was. He listened politely to the voice on the other end and sighed audibly as he deposited the phone back in his jeans pocket.

"Uh, I have to go." he announced, the disappointment in his face showing that required sudden departure was not of his own volition.

Ziva knew that she should have been relieved. After all she was off the hook. But the sudden sprint of her heartbeat only fed the conflict brewing inside her. She wanted him to stay, she knew that much. But she also knew that he had to go. She needed him to go.

She nodded in agreement. "I know".

Only a few minutes later she had already managed to open the bottle of Merlot and pour herself glass before the car's headlights had completely faded into the darkness. Ziva took a sip and hoped she could do the same. It would only make it easier.

A/N: Ah, the angsty-ness of it all. The next chapter may actually have some substance and some other characters, perhaps even a crime to solve gasp so please let me know what you think :)