A/N: Well. It's been a while since you've all seen me. ;) And I have a new chapter for you. Yay! Please enjoy this. :) I don't own NCIS!

"You never changed, did you, Ziva? Well, things are far more important than you and your new team think."

The words struck her with such force that she was in shock for a moment, unable to speak. He'd obviously not been impressed by her reaction earlier, she realized guiltily. No more impressed than he had been when she'd left. But surely… surely he did not hold such a grudge for her, did he? But then again…

"Agent DiNozzo," her boss barked, and she was somewhat pleased that he had come to her rescue. If her boss had remained quiet, she couldn't imagine to what lengths the anger would have gone. "Agent DiNozzo, you do not come here to insult my agents and demand a body without reason. The body will stay with OUR M.E. unless you can get a valid reason otherwise. Until then, stay out of the way of my agents. I do not need to be scraping you off the walls; you should already know what Agent David is capable of."

Tony glowered in reply, but said nothing. He didn't even nod in acknowledgement, only stared at her, as if he couldn't hear a word the other man was speaking. But of course he could, she thought, he'd done this for years. With Gibbs…

"Agent DiNozzo! Do you understand me?"

"What? Oh… yes, sir. My apologies to Miss David," he spat the apology, draining any trace of meaning from the words. He was no longer looking at her, rather around the office, and she took the opportunity to retreat to her desk, shooting her boss a thankful look on the way by. By the small smile, appearing and vanishing too quickly for Tony to catch, her boss knew all too well what he'd just saved her from.

The rest of the day, she spent staring at her computer screen, her fingers flying over the keyboard. Not once did she allow herself to look much farther than the squad room, for fear that she'd see him. She'd even skipped her lunch break, not wanting to run into Tony on the way out. Jacob would probably notice, she thought guiltily. More often than not, they'd spend most of their lunch hours talking, over cellphone or computer, or - more rarely but much more welcome - face-to-face. 'I'll explain later,' she told herself, but her heart told her otherwise.

Ziva found herself in luck for the day, as it seemed, because she did not see Tony, and Jacob did not call her, worried that she'd forgotten him. Rather, she spent as much time as she could doing endless nothings. But as the sun set over Britain, she knew she'd have to go home soon. She'd have to brave maybe seeing him. The woman shook her head, forcing the anxiety out of her mind. It wouldn't be that bad. A man who had loved her so much - that she had loved so much - could not hate her, could he?

Yes he could. She knew him too well. He could hate her more than the murderers they strove to catch, more than Kate's killer, more than anything. And she'd have to live with it, because she let him go…

Her hand froze on the black backpack she'd been reaching for, and she shut her eyes, trying to will away the rest of her feelings, trying to make them nothing but a bad memory. When it didn't work, she opened her eyes and spun around again, surprised at what she saw.

The brilliant green eyes. The dark brown hair. The million-dollar smile. All staring at her, though the smile itself vanished in seconds. She backed up until her back pressed against the cool metal of the filing cabinets, and she only stood, watching him. He, in turn, approached her slowly, hesitantly. Fear coursed through her heart, mixed with something else. Anticipation…?

"Ziva," he whispered, reaching for her, his hands brushing her sides. "I'm sorry about earlier… so damn sorry… but… I can't take it without you…"

His eyes say he is speaking the truth, but she cannot take it. Even as he reaches to pull her into his arms, she rips herself from his grip, forcing away all feelings but resentment. And she only stops to see the shock register in his eyes, quickly replaced by anger. This time she has surely crushed him. This time he will not try anything else.

But… why does she feel so horrible?