She giggled again. "It looks good on you, just so you are aware." He looked at her quizzically. "The blush you are wearing." Tony's apparently 'good-looking' blush deepened.

"Um, I should let you get dressed huh?"

"That may be a good idea." Tony closed the gap between them and painstakingly slowly bent and retrieved her clothes from where she had dropped them.

"Then I'll make a start on breakfast shall I?" He asked his voice far huskier than he had intended. Ziva only nodded, the shivers making their way across her spine were making talking difficult. He took one last longing look and left her to it. After almost collapsing onto his bed, the bed they had shared last night, Ziva took a moment to appreciate what had just happened. Tony, in his dark muscle shirt, jeans and the belt she had given him for the first birthday of his they'd shared, had looked at her, in nothing but a towel, with something that could only be described as desire in his eyes. Suddenly feeling light-headed, Ziva dressed quickly, having already retrieved her spare clothes.

The smell of fresh coffee filled the apartment as Ziva entered the kitchen, now fully dressed in jeans and a fresh, white tank top.

"Hey."

"Hey." Tony placed a steaming mug of tea in front of her.

"Thank you." They exchanged smiles before both loosing them selves in the warm caffeine they both needed.

"We need to talk about yesterday, don't we?"

"Why?"

"I told you I loved you, Zi. And you said it back." Ziva spluttered gently but was quick to recover.

"Technically we never said the words." Tony sighed.

"But we both knew what the other meant." He sounded strained, tired.

"Can we not just leave it at that then?" Tony slammed his mug on to the counter with more force than he intended. She jumped as fear flashed in her eyes and she visibly paled.

"I'm sorry, Zi. But I'm tired of skirting round the issue. I'm tired of pretending." Ziva's eyes closed of their own accord as she recalled the conversation in an elevator, that suddenly seemed so long ago. "Zi?" She only realised that she was crying when she felt Tony's thumb catch a falling tear.

"I am sorry Tony." She shook her head and stepped away from his reach; both unexpectedly mourned the loss of contact. "I cannot." She paused and took a rib-shatteringly deep breath. "I cannot do this to myself again. I am sorry." She placed her long forgotten mug on to the sideboard and made her way to the living room.

"Zi, don't do this. Come on. Don't leave it like this. Ziva?" He'd have done anything for her to look at him at that moment, but she refused to acknowledge him and it broke his heart. "Please Zi!" Tony's voice broke as she picked up her bag and turned to face him.

"Not again Tony." Her hand placed itself on his cheek and lingered for a moment too long, she realised this when he leaned into her palm. "Not again."

Tony didn't do a thing as he watched his partner, his best friend, the woman he loved, walk out the door.