Thanks for the continued reviews! I know this story isn't going to be a long one, but it's fun all the same. Most of my plot bunnies start as one-shots that end up being 10,000 words long, apparently, so I just divide it up after finishing it. I don't like forcing a story to be longer than it needs to be.

Anyway, on with the chapter. Hope you all enjoy!

Chapter 3:

Ziva awoke for what had to be the tenth time that night. Gibbs had offered her a place to stay so that she wouldn't be alone while they waited for Tony's flight to touch down in D.C., but that didn't stop her from worrying.

When she entered the kitchen, the light from outside was dim. The sun would be rising soon, and Tony was scheduled to arrive in a couple hours. Apparently, Gibbs hadn't slept well either. He was seated at the table, cup of steaming coffee in hand, and he looked like he had been awake for hours.

Ziva poured a cup of coffee for herself and sat down across from him. They sat in silence for a while before Ziva finally spoke what was on her mind.

"Do you know why Tony was in Israel?" she asked, her voice rough from disuse.

Gibbs' eyes flicked up to her face, calculating. What could he tell her? Yes, of course he knew. Tony had come to him first, after all. But this wasn't something he could disclose. "No," he lied, as he remembered back to one week ago, when Tony had found his way to his basement with an important question to ask.

-.-.-

"Hey, boss," Tony called as he tromped down the wooden staircase to Gibbs' basement. Gibbs looked up from his project, another boat, and turned to pour a glass of bourbon. In classic Gibbs fashion, he remained silent and waited for the younger agent to speak what was on his mind.

With a sigh, Tony sat himself down on a stool, and Gibbs noted the nervous shaking of his knee as he took a swig of bourbon. The gears in Tony's mind were turning, trying to come up with the best way to ask this question. He really didn't want to screw anything up. Eventually, he reached his hand into his pocket and pulled out a small velvet box, fiddling with it in his hands as Gibbs watched him.

"Boss, you know Ziva and I think of you as a father," he began, unable to meet the older agent's eye as he spoke. Gibbs felt a pang in his chest. Every time one of his agents said something like that, his heart swelled with emotion, though none of it showed on the outside. Knowing Tony wasn't done, he remained silent and waited for him to continue. "And because of that, I thought it would only be right to ask for your permission to marry her." With that he risked a glance at Gibbs, who had a small smile on his face.

Gibbs held out his hand and caught Tony's in a handshake. "Rule 5, DiNozzo."

Tony let out a relieved laugh. "Don't waste good," he recited. "Thank you, boss."

The basement fell into silence as Gibbs went back to working on the boat and Tony sipped his bourbon quietly. "Sorry about Rule 12, boss. Maybe we should have a funeral for it," Tony joked, causing a rare chuckle from Gibbs.

"Abby's probably already planning one," he quipped back, smoothing the wood as he spoke.

After another pause, Tony swallowed the last bit of bourbon and stood, making his way to the other side of Gibbs' boat. "There's something else I wanted to talk to you about," he said, placing his hands on the frame. When Gibbs looked up at him, he knew it was his cue to continue. "I need a few days off next week."

"What for?" Gibbs asked.

Tony ran a hand through his hair. "Well, it may not be the best idea, boss, but I'm going to pay a visit to Ziva's dad before I ask her to marry me."

The look on Gibbs' face told him that it definitely sounded like a bad idea. "Why would you do that?" he asked incredulously, pouring himself some more bourbon. He would be needing it for this conversation.

"I know he's a terrible person, but he's Ziva's father," Tony responded, emphasizing the last words. "I have to respect him, at least to some extent. Even if I don't quite understand it, Ziva loves him, and I don't really want to be the one to tear what tiny shred of a relationship they have left apart."

Gibbs was silently staring at Tony with his eyes squinted.

"You think I'm crazy," Tony concluded, staring back at Gibbs.

"No," Gibbs answered. "It's the right move, but he doesn't deserve it." Tony nodded. He'd had enough conversations with Ziva about what people do or do not deserve, Eli included. "Show's what kind of man you are," Gibbs added, and it sounded almost like a compliment.

"Thanks, boss," Tony said again, returning the jar of bourbon back to the table.

-.-.-

Gibbs' lie seemed to have gotten past Ziva, by some miracle, although to her credit, there was a lot going on at the moment. She was bound to be a little preoccupied. She, too, was lost in thought.

Gibbs took another sip of his coffee, which by now was lukewarm. Another glance at the clock told him that Tony's plane would be arriving soon.

"We'll leave in a half hour," he announced, and Ziva nodded, grateful to finally have something to do.

-.-.-

Before long, they were on the way to the airport. An ambulance was waiting there as well, likely to transport Tony to the hospital for treatment as quickly as possible. Ziva was fidgeting anxiously as she and Gibbs stood on the tarmac next to Vance, Fornell, and some other FBI agents. She scoured the skies in search for the jet that was due to land any moment, and felt relief wash over her as it finally came into sight. The aircraft made its descent and came to a stop safely on the runway, then rolled towards them at an agonizingly slow pace.

At long last, the back end of the jet opened and Ziva squirmed out of Gibbs' grasp to run onto it, unable to wait a moment more to see Tony for herself.

"Ziva," Tony said in a dreamlike whisper as she rushed to his side. Tears immediately began to fall from her eyes as she placed multiple kisses all over his face.

"I was so worried," she said, her eyes searching his body to make sure he really was going to be okay. "What happened?"

"I'll…tell you later," Tony said tiredly, shooting a glance at Eli.

Ziva followed Tony's stare and gasped when she saw her father strapped into one of the seats. "Abba? What are you doing here?" she asked, stepping quickly away from Tony like a child that had been caught red-handed.

Eli simply smiled as he unbuckled his seatbelt. "It is good to see you, my Ziva. It has been entirely too long."

Ziva blushed. If she had known her father was watching she would have greeted Tony in a much different way. He was not supposed to know about her relationship with Tony. Not yet, anyway. "What are you doing here?" Ziva insisted again, taking a step toward her father.

Eli placed his hands on Ziva's shoulders and kissed her forehead lightly. "I was the target of an assassination attempt, Ziva, as well as the witness to a crime committed involving a United States federal agent. They have asked me to come here for questioning." Ziva nodded and looked like she was about to start explaining her interaction with Tony, but Eli stopped her. "We will talk about this later, I'm sure," he said calmly, which unnerved her very much.

The nurses began to wheel Tony down the ramp, and Ziva rushed quickly back to his side, shooting a confused glance back at her father, who was now being escorted to a car by Fornell and a small security detail. Once Tony, Ziva, and Gibbs had been stuffed into the back of the ambulance Gibbs shot Tony a sarcastic "How'd it go?" look, which Tony responded to with an eye roll. Gibbs smiled. Yes. Something told him Tony would be just fine.

Let me know what you think of this chapter! I love hearing what you have to say (perhaps I'll start responding via PM if I'm not too busy today).

Thanks so much for reading.

~NCIS Obsession