That evening, Tony and Ziva arrive at the naval station. They check into a local lodge near the small naval station. The area is very picturesque, a welcome change of pace from the political world they live in near D.C.

Right away, Tony and Ziva proceed to go head deep into investigating leads and conducting extensive interviews of naval and civilian personnel. They aren't technically speaking to one another, but they are communicating and even conducting some team interviews. They found a rhythm, and although no conversation has occurred to discuss their personal relationship, it seems as though things are at least defrosting.

The more time together, the more things seem to improve and at the end of a couple of long days of constant interviewing and report filing, Tony invites Ziva to dinner. Ziva pauses and looks back his direction trying to judge if there's any ulterior motive behind his invitation. Detecting none, she replies, "Okay."

They retire to eating dinner at the local lodge's restaurant. While sitting at dinner, the conversation is relaxed. Tony controls his sarcasm and Ziva does her best to be pleasant. It's actually less work than it has been for a very, long time. Ziva finds it hard to stay irritated with him and she actually starts to enjoy herself. Tony makes Ziva laugh while impersonating one of the civilians they interviewed earlier in the day. It was unprofessional, but just the sort of things to friendly co-workers might share after hours.

Not wanting to ruin a good thing, Ziva tries to excuse herself, "Thank you, Tony. This dinner was more than I expected. I'm going to head back to my room."

"Please stay. I feel compelled to order dessert, but I can't possibly finish it on my own. After all, you could use the extra calories," referring to her weight loss after being held captive for four months.

His rebuttal is effective, and Ziva sits back down in her seat. Tony motions to the waiter to bring them a dessert menu and quickly points out his selection.

While waiting for the dessert, there's a lull in the conversation. Ziva draws circles in the condensed water on her water glass. During the silence, Tony studies Ziva's countenance. She's always been a mystery. He likes that about her. It keeps him intrigued. He wonders about how she's handling her pain. He wants to be a better friend. And he's having feelings again about wanting to be more than friends.

Ziva is trying to figure out Tony, too. She decides she can't be mad at him forever. He has proven his loyalty to her, and she feels guilty that all the while she had thought he had betrayed her. She squints her eyes hard – trying to expunge the bad thoughts she had had about him over the past few months. She no longer hated him for killing Rivkin. She did her best to understand his side of the situation. She decides that all of his actions were done with her safety in mind. She would need to find a way to thank him….

Her thoughts are interrupted by the waiter who brings a special chocolate cake dessert over to the table. The plate has two forks, so Tony and Ziva can share. At that moment, Tony reaches into his pocket and slides a small candle into the cake and lights it with a book of matches from the ashtray on the edge of the table. Ziva furrows her brow, and Tony quietly adds, "You didn't think I'd forget it was your birthday, right? Now make a wish," his voice almost whispering.

Ziva is surprised and quite moved. No one else had remembered it was her birthday.

"I think making wishes is for little girls," Ziva says while trying to shrug off the notion.

But Tony won't allow it, "No, I insist. Everyone has a birthday wish."

Ziva closes her eyes and sits silent for a moment, thinking about her wish. After a few seconds, her head dips as a tear appears from underneath her lashes. Her eyes open and they are welled with tears. She leans forward and blows out the candle as a few drops free-fall from her face. She wipes her eyes with her hands and sits back in her seat. She makes out a small smile, trying to downplay her tears of sorrow. It's clear to Tony that Ziva feels alone in the world.

They leave the restaurant together and walk back to the main lodge on a dimly lit, tree-lined path. The wooded setting make them feel as if they are all alone at their own private retreat. The lodge's lights in the distance cast a warm glow among the dark night setting, but not bright enough to disrupt their beautiful starry sky.

Tony breaks the silence by saying, "Oh, I almost forgot…." and pulls a small wrapped gift from his jacket pocket. He continues by rambling, "Well, no I didn't almost forget, I've had this gift to give you for awhile, but I didn't know if you'd accept it from me. Now its your birthday so it's only customary that you would open it…" Tony fidgeted and looked nervous.

Ziva cut Tony off with a simple, "Thank you" and proceeded to open the small package. She gasped at the site of the gold Star of David necklace. For it wasn't just any necklace, but it was the same pendant she had for years before the gold chain was broken from her neck in Somalia. The chain was new, but the pendant was the most sentimental item she had ever owned. Her eyes welled with tears again and her hand covered her mouth as she dropped her head to hide her streaming tears and her shoulders shook from the soft sobs that rolled out. Tony stepped toward her and put his arms around her. He held her close in the brisk night air for several minutes. He let his chin rub the top of her head back and forth and his hand rub her upper back gently. She clutched his body and tried to will the tears to stop. They eventually did and their bodies parted.

"How did you even find this?" Ziva asked, motioning for Tony to help her put it on. She turned her back to Tony and lifted her hair up after handing him the necklace.

"It was luck, really, Ziva. After Gibbs arrived on the scene, he took my place in helping walk you out to the convoy to take you home. I went back into the cell and patted Saleem's vest down for any items we could find useful in finding his closest associates. I found your pendent in one of the vest pockets. I was sure you would want it back. I had it cleaned up and purchased a new chain for it." His large hands fumbled a bit with the clasp. It was hard for him to even be that close to the exposed nape of her neck without kissing it. As the clasp finally securely closed he watched as his opportunity to caress her bare neck escaped.

"Yes, well, thank you, Tony. This means the world to me." Ziva replied.

Tony put his arm around her and guided her into lodge. As they walked to their rooms, Tony asked with sincere concern, "You gonna be alright for the night?"

Ziva nodded. Tony unlocked his adjacent room door and just motioned to her that he'd be in the next room over should she need anything.

As she closed the door, she picked the pendant that was now dangling around her neck and pressed it to her lips. As she kissed the pendant, she slid down the door. When she hit the floor, she softly said, "I love you, too".

All the while, in Tony's room we see him close the door and exhale a large breath. He was holding back feelings he wasn't sure were still there, but after being that close to her, they were rushing back stronger than ever. He was grateful she didn't rebuff him for the feelings that he did reveal. His mind went directly to Billy Joel's song, "And So It Goes". He prayed if he showed Ziva his heart she wouldn't crush it.