Authors Note: This chapter was posted much later than I anticipated. A lot of the story is focused around a case so I had to get it outlined first...plus when I wrote "McAbby" I hadn't planned that section of the story...actually I hadn't planned on adding that when I added it to the synopsis description. I was going to write in Bishop...but I couldn't get myself to watch a "Ziva-is-not-on-the-show-anymore" episode. So I created a new OC :P Oh, and don't forget doing research via NCIS episodes to have detailed and accurate stuff about the relationships between Tony and Ziva...or important little tidbits…or how they REALLY interact (as some fan fictions aren't accurate...mine probs. won't be, but i'm trying!) which means I wrote and rewrote...So, in short, more details surrounding the story as a whole. Just means I'm trying hard to write a good story for you...I realize some people might have a problem with Ziva talking out loud to herself in the prologue...but you have to admit, if I wrote nothing but a prologue full of reflection it would have gotten quite boring :P Thanks to those who have already started supporting my story, I won't let you down! :) Hopefully… ;)

[DECEPTION IS THY NAME]
Chapter 1 - Just Another Day - Three and A Half Years Later

Present Day - Lawyers Office

Time had passed, and yet the last three years seem like a dream...a recurring nightmare that he didn't want to think about. But the darkness had been real. The separation had been real. The broken heart had been real. Ziva had been real.

Then Tony opened his eyes.

He is in an unfamiliar world, one he had never experienced before. The blue and white striped wallpaper hurt his eyes, but it matches the white carpet and the random gold trim on the blue Victorian couches. He had this urge to jump up and rip everything to shreds. His head hurt just looking around in his environment. He was surprised to recognize it even a little bit. His mind is blank, the past memories beginning to blur together into a incoherent mess.

What is strange is the manner everyone upholds. McGee sat on the other couch up against the far wall with his arms crossed over his chest and his gaze on the floor. He did not speak; he had not glanced at another person in the room for some time. Tony wanted so badly to go inside his mind, figure out what he was thinking, but in a way he was sure he already knew. He observes McGee, bringing his left hand up and placing it on his chin. McGee is sitting up properly, not slouching, creases on his forehead where sweat was beginning to form. It wasn't abnormal for McGee to not speak, as he could recall times in which McGee wouldn't say a lot in a day.

Abby is beside him, fixated on getting up every five seconds and pacing until she grew tired of that and sat back down again. The pattern was continuing endlessly, maybe that was what made him want to jump up and tear this room apart. How often can someone get up and pace? He didn't want to know, "Abby!" He hisses softly "stop it!"

She doesn't match his whisper, her voice overpowering, "Do you think something bad happened? Like some kind of crazy experimental torture, or maybe some sort of weird alien mind game...which I couldn't see happening given the possibility of aliens coming and landing on this planet much less existing-"

"Abby! Sit down! You're making everyone nervous." Tony didn't really care about everyone else.

McGee glares at Tony, shifting a little on the couch, "By 'everyone' you mean yourself, right?"

"Did I say that Probie?"

"No, but you were thinking it," McGee knew Tony better than most did, often catching his true meanings behind his own speeches, and calling out Tony's perverted moments.

"I was thinking of everyone," Tony gestures around the room, "all of us in our usual state of mind. Dramatically waiting for interviews to finish and hoping that a monster doesn't jump out of that room. Like aliens bursting out of the chests of innocents in the classic Alien movies," No one says anything, "with Sigourney Weaver and Michael Biehn? C'mon!"

"Tony this is serious!" Abby exclaims. She had been pacing, but stopped once Tony had finished speaking "what if something bad happened to her?"

"She can handle herself, Abby. Ziva'ss got these weird ninja skill's and crazy combat moves,"

McGee rolls his eyes.

"Do you have a problem Probie? Is my manly presence too much for you?"

Before McGee could reply the door opens, all eyes falling on to the figure as she walks into the open space beyond the doorway where everyone could see. Her brown hair in its usual ponytail compliments her white top and black pants along with the black sneakers on her feet. Tony watches her carefully as her gaze averts to the different individuals sitting in the room. He wants to know what she's thinking though he knew she would never tell.

Three years ago he didn't see himself in this room, waiting for the interrogation that would probably put every other scary interview he had been in to shame. Instead, he saw himself with another woman in his life. Heck that's not thinking far back enough. That one eighty shattered his heart land afterwards it felt like everything had no meaning. He had loved her. He had always loved her. But the co-worker forbidden relationship thing didn't help.

Their eyes met. Tony's heart skipped a beat, he tries his best to keep his breathing steady and his mind focused. Otherwise he'd go crazy and kiss her the moment she took her seat. It was funny how she could make him like that, a crazy love sick puppym committed to more than just a one night stand some random girl he picked up at a bar. Or how she cured his wandering eye, though occasionally he'd find a stunning beauty...if Ziva wasn't with him.

She came towards him, taking the seat she had left when the lawyer had come out of her office to call her for her portion of the interview Curiosity was getting the better of him, he was dying to know the details, "So, how did it go?" She didn't answer, "That bad?"

Ziva leans back against the couch, folding her hands in her lap and staring at the wall above the couch McGee and Abby sat, "It was not...that...bad," They were whispering, "they had a lot of questions."

"What kind of questions?" A stupid thing to ask, though Tony believed it to be justified. Otherwise she'd close up and never speak of what happened with the lawyer.

Instead of smirking and giving her usual 'i'm going to make you suffer' response, she met his gaze. His mind drew a blank and the desire for answers was gone. Her eyes were beautiful, not that he didn't know that before, but every time their eyes met he could feel his heart pound in his chest. It was like a spell had been casted on him by a witch, "Questions. About Rashid. Our...relationship. NCIS."

"Aren't you specific..." Tony mutters, "What did you tell them?"

"The truth."

Now it made more sense, why Ziva had been in there so long. He could remember when Ziva took forever to tell him something whether it was about her father, her younger sister, anything.

Just then the door to Tony's left opens slightly, and a head pops out, "Agent DiNozzo," He takes his eyes off of Ziva for a moment, gazing up at a middle aged woman, "I'm ready for you."

The moment of truth. What he had been waiting for, the reason he was had been sitting in the lobby for so long. Tony nods, and after glancing at Ziva once more, he gets up and follows the woman into her office. He wasn't nervous, but he wanted answers. He wanted to know what was going on exactly, why they were there. And what she wanted with all of his colleagues.

As soon as he enters the small office with bookshelves stacked on the walls, and a large window behind the desk, she shuts the door. There are two chairs in front of him, she gestures to them as she walks around her desk, "Take a seat, Agent DiNozzo."

"Its Special," Tony throws in, taking a seat in the uncomfortable chair, "Special Agent DiNozzo."

The lady follows his lead, taking a seat behind her desk and elegantly placing her right hand on top of her computer mouse, "Special...Agent DiNozzo," There is a pause for a moment, she glances at her computer screen, "do you know why you're here?"

"Because I'm incredibly good looking and charming?" Tony flashes a smile, believing this to be a great justification for a woman to get in a enclosed space with him. The lady glares, "or some other reason…"

"You were involved in several linked cases over the last year and a half connected to a serial killer from Israel," The lady smiles, clicking her computer mouse a few times with her finger and taking a second to look a the computer screen, "as the lawyer for NCIS it is my job to find out what happened. Collect as many details as possible," Tony couldn't recall a time when they had needed a NCIS lawyer, usually each person had their own when they got in trouble. He frowns, "I have questioned all your colleagues, . But I still don't have the full picture..."

Tony looks up towards the ceiling, then to his left, "This reminds me of some of those old television shows," There were so many he could think of; Perry Mason, Matlock, the good old murder mystery, "The suspect sits in the office of a very distinguished lawyer, being questioned about past events, circumstances that don't make sense-"

"Agent DiNozzo, this is very serious," The lawyer interrupts, "whether you like it or not, this isn't a television show. Its reality. And reality demands a trip back in time..."

"Oh! Back to the Future; it redefines the…" Tony stops mid-sentence, "and we shouldn't talk about that now."

The lawyer crosses her arms over her chest, leaning forward in her chair her upper body is hovering over her desk, "As I said, the full picture is important. Some pieces of the puzzle are still missing. I believe you can fill in some of the blanks."

"What can I say?" Tony shrugs his shoulders, his smile widens, "my knowledge is enlightened."

"Then enlighten me," The lawyer states, "Take me back to what happened. Every detail you recall will help when this goes to trial next week."

"Excuse me, I'm confused. What are we being charged with exactly?"

"Just tell me what happened Agent DiNozzo."

"I don't know what offenses I'm up against..."

The lawyer sighs, "Revealing details about this case does not assist you or your colleagues," There is a short pause, "I would rather we move to what happened." The answer didn't satisfy Tony. His desire to know why he was sitting in this office had grown, but instead of pushing it any farther as he usually did, he remained silent. The lawyer smiles, "Why don't you start with the Hashan Raphael case?"

Tony stares at the lawyer, "Yes, that case. I guess I'd have to revisit it eventually." As Tony started to revealthe details of the case, the lawyer started to record and type his words. All the while finally putting the pieces together.

One and a Half Years Previous

The early morning hit NCIS main office building hard; or at least, Special Agent Anthony Dinozzo thought so as he left the elevator and walked on to his floor. The usual phones are ringing randomly from different sections of the floor; it was the only noise vacating besides his own footsteps. It was true a lot of people didn't like mornings, in fact it was why the office often smelt of coffee until lunch time. So it doesn't surprise Tony to see the usual coffee cups on the desks as he glances around; the usual scent drifting to his nostrils.

But what was abnormal was the empty bullpen. He stops as he steps into the outer part, frowning slightly, "Okay…" Of course the order in which people would arrive was always random, but sometimes Pammie would arrive first if not much earlier than the rest. And yet this was normally predictable, Gibbs coming in and barking orders at the new Probie about some sort of paperwork related incident a week or two before, Pammie keeping late hours and early mornings to finish whatever she neglected...again. Slurring her words, glaring at Tony as he poked fun at her state of mind...or growling at his impractical jokes.

Then there was the empty desk to his right; but what was tempting was NOT JUST the lack body in the space, but the unharmed keyboard. It is the empty desk chair in which McGee would sit, tapping away at his computer or glancing over his shoulder. Now it was Tony's turn to glance over his shoulder. Dropping his bag at his desk, Tony glances around, then laughs and snaps a body of super glue off his desk, "You're mine McGee." This was going to be fun...plastering super glue all over the geeks keyboard, and watching him as he struggled to get his hands free, "Time for some fun!" There was no particular reason for this...honestly it had been way too long since his last attack on the McGanster. Tony approaches the keyboard and eagerly squeezes the super glue on to it, being careful not to get any of it on to his clothes. Changing didn't seem like a good idea, not after Tony had taken longer than normal to pick out his outfit. It wasn't his fault. He wasn't aware that a truck was going to splash mud all over his suit twice.

"And that…" Tony says to himself, holding the now half empty bottle of super glue in his hand, "...is how you pull off a successful prank."

He turns so he faces the empty desks on the other side of the bullpen, bowing as if an audience of a thousand are watching him at that moment, "Thank you! Thank you! I'm here all week." Now he felt like celebrating. Tony quickly enters his desk corner, smiling and mentally patting himself on the back.

"Got the prank itch Tony?" A voice pipes up. Tony looks in the direction the voice came from, and stares at a slightly plump, red haired female with a small face and thin arms. A purple top with bling along the collar extends to her waist, met by a black band attached to her black pants that extend down her leg to her ankles. On her feet are a pair of black, short height high heels. On her shoulder is her black backpack.

Tony smiles, dramatically seating himself on to his seat and lifting his legs so his feet are comfortably on his desk. He leans back, folding his hands so they support the back of his head, "You need to understand Probie 2 that the prank itch, if it did exist, only applies to amateur pranksters-"

Pammie rolls her eyes, "Tony. You aren't a prank master, you're-?" The woman plunks her backpack on the ground beside her desk and takes a seat in her chair.

"Excuse me Probie, are you interrupting me?" He frowns, "Are you aware of the phrase 'Do not speak unless spoken to?' "

Pammie frowns, "But you just-"

Tony laughs loudly, gesturing for Pammie to remain silent, "Be a good Probie. Like I was saying before you…" He glares, "...very rudely interrupted the Senior Agent, IF this prank itch did exist which I'm not saying it does because it doesn't," He adds quickly, "but IF it existed, I wouldn't need such a amateur feeling to pull a successful prank." The usual routine was already starting. Pammie was beginning to tap away at her computer keyboard, while trying to multi-task as Tony continued to babble about the art of pranks, "The king of pranks and entertainment does not need that to do something so...amazing…"

"What's so amazing about a stupid prank?" Pammie asks. She looks over at Tony for a moment, then towards the empty desk beside him.

"Stupid prank?" Tony exclaims in disbelief, "pranks are an important part of our culture. Comedians for example, funny guys. Very educated background in humor...or the class clown. A stereotype in the high school classrooms."

"Comedians tell jokes Tony," Pammie argues, "I wouldn't categorize them as class clowns."

"Then open your eyes Probie, because you're about to witness the top class clown/comedian prank of all time."

Pammie rolls her eyes, whether she was actually interested didn't matter to Tony. He was looking forward to McGee walking in any moment. With that backpack on his back.

Almost on cue, the elevator door opens and McGee walks in. Tony couldn't tell if he was in a good mood as he walked passed his desk and took a seat at his own. He glances at the keyboard, his small frown deepening, but after a moment shrugs his shoulders and places his hands on the keyboard. "You super glued my keyboard!" McGee exclaims after attempting to use the keyboard. He gets up, the keyboard sticking to his fingers as he lifts them into the air.

"And so I did," Tony smirks.

McGee glares.

"You should have seen it coming McGee," Gibbs walks quickly from the direction of the elevator into the bullpen carrying his usual Starbucks coffee, "Gear up. We got a dead ex-marine at the park." Everyone begins to quickly stand, except McGee. He glares at Tony one last time, and then attempts to free his fingers. Gibbs tosses him a bottle.

"I thought we didn't handle dead ex-marines, boss..."

"We're handling this one."

"Have fun getting yourself free McGeek," Tony laughs, unaware that Gibbs had approached him as he left his desk. He flinches when a hand makes impact with the back of his head, "Ouch boss! What was that for?"

"Pranking McGee."

Tony touches the spot where Gibbs hand made contact with his head and winces; it didn't hurt that bad...but it still hurt. He was use to it by now, it was practically tradition to have Gibbs hit him on the back of the head at least once a day. It was part of the routine.

Just the usual day at work.

"No ID boss," McGee says quickly. The fresh smell lingers around them, Tony smiles at the memories it brings, "no footprints either. Rain must have washed them away."

"I see that McGee."

"The jogger says she found him his way," McGee gestures towards the body. From his ankle, he is hung to the a high tree branch, "hung upside down and...completely naked."

Tony laughs, holding the camera by his face, "In the nude." Gibbs turns to the Special Agent, and Tony could see that look in his eye, "Sorry boss."

"Wanna tell me something useful, DiNozzo?"

The usual routine, "The only significant thing so far is this odd tattoo on his left butt-cheek," Tony states, "its an odd shape. Like a bunch of swirls or something,"

"And it looks like his fingers have been cut off," McGee adds, seeing only bloody stumps on the mans hands, "his face is pretty bashed in."

"Trying to make it hard to identify him," Gibbs comments.

From the corner of his eye, Tony spot a familiar figure approaching them from the ambulance truck. He wore glasses and a hat over his grey hair. "I'm sorry we're late," Ducky exclaims, coming from the road where the vehicles are parked.. Palmer is on his tail, pushing a gurney and awkwardly trying not to step in any deep mud spots, "Palmer had a difficult time navigating through the extensive traffic."

"Its hard with all the traffic during rush hour and…" Palmer looks at Gibbs, "...sorry."

"Good heavens," Ducky says once reaching Gibbs by the tree trunk, "this is going to be a nuisance to get down."

"Already working on it Duck," Gibbs says, "should be down in a few."

"The murderer must be strong," Tony states as Gibbs walks away, "i mean, hanging a man this big on a tree branch that far up. He must be superman."

"Last I checked superman didn't kill people, Tony."

"It's an illustration Probie."

"And a pretty bad one," McGee approaches the body, but keeping away from it.

Pammie appears beside McGee, "The jogger is a dead end. She found the body this morning but didn't recognize him."

"What about the locals?" McGee asks.

"Nope. Not one person knows this man…" Tony shuffles in front of her suddenly, blocking her view of the body, "What are you doing?"

"We don't want your innocence scarred for life at the sight of a nude man,"

"Relax," Pammie pushes Tony out of the way, "I've seen a naked man before."

"Really?" Tony inquires, following Pammie as she went around the body and started staring at the tattoo, "may I ask how-?"

"No you may not," She says quietly, glaring, "I've seen this before," Pammie gets closer to the tattoo, "I just don't remember where."

"What?"

"This tattoo," She slowly observes the lines, "its familiar."

"Watch out below!" Someone exclaims from the tree's, "alright, lower the body slowly."

The three NCIS agents move from under the tree into the open space and back away far enough to be out of the way of the body.

"Careful…" Someone says.

Suddenly, the body falls quickly, crashing against the ground face first. Everyone jumps, Tony and McGee backing up quickly while Pammie's eyes widen. There is silence for a moment.

"Well, that adds a level of difficulty into my examination." Ducky says, glancing at Palmer.