Hey, I know it's been a while. I blame real life. But thanks to the amazing AliyahNCIS who did a great job betaing this, I have this one ready. Actually, I have a lot written, but without a beta I tend not to post. So! Without further ado, I present the new one-shot.

Shimmer

Put up your little arms / and I'll give them all to you to hold / every finger shall have its ring / and there won't be a single place dark or unhappy

Three times. Three times he had planned it all out, got down on one knee and done the very thing he thought he would never do - ask Ziva David to marry him. And all three times she had shot him right out of the sky. No remorse, just "No". The first two times she had humored him and listened to his spiel. The third time she said no before he even opened his mouth.

She had given him reasons for saying no, even though they had been together for so long. It was the longest relationship either of than had been in, real or other wise. The reasons she had given had been logical, well thought-out and reasonable, but that didn't lessen his frustration. He loved her deeply, of that he was sure. He was also sure that he didn't want to spend the rest of his life with anyone else. And he was sure there was no one in the world he wanted to have Ziva but him. She was his, and he wanted the whole world to know it.

Her reasons were that they were an exclusive couple with no need to change; they were practically married anyway; she was a new citizen, it would look suspicious; it was easier with their job if they were not married - reasons of that nature. He didn't believe a single one of them. He knew her, his partner. He had known her too long for that. She had let him in before, when she had come home from Africa, and in Paris, when she had allowed him to comfort her in her nightmares. But now she was shutting him out again, in a way that seemed unlike the strong woman she was, as if she was afraid of something. But every time he asked her if she was okay, she would blow him off with a non-answer that told him nothing.

He had tried hard all three times to get her to say yes. Planned elaborate dates and done everything she liked before popping the question. And every time it had gone up in smoke. He knew he would ask again, but he had no idea how he go about it.

As the days passed, Tony continued to toy with ideas on how to convince her to marry him. He picked up an idea, examined it mentally and then cast it aside. Nothing was gelling, and he was quietly bothered by the fact that he felt like such a hypocrite. After all, for so long he had been the playboy and then he had settled down somewhat with Ziva. Now he who had never been one for permanent relationships was trying to convince someone that it was a good idea.

He had to do something different this time, but he didn't know what. He couldn't ask for advice, mostly because of his own pride. He wanted this to be completely his own brainchild, no way was he going to admit defeat and ask for help.

He was sitting in front of his computer and was supposed to be working, but in reality he was reviewing the past three attempts to see what he could have done differently. Again and again he played it out in his head, trying in vain to find something he could fix.

His assignment was to run a background check on a suspect, but he just couldn't concentrate. He was just about to shut down his search and look for something else, perhaps bank records would prove more interesting. For some strange reason, he doubted it.

Then his cell phone rang.

"DiNozzo" he answered it, not paying attention.

"Tony, this is Ziva" gasped the voice on the other end of the line.

"What's up?" he asked, sitting up straight in his chair.

"We are returning from the suspect's house. A car is following us. I am sure of it. I am attempting to lose the tail," she replied, and Tony could hear the car noises in the background.

Ziva and McGee had gone to check out the suspect's house and on the off chance they were home, speak with them. Gibbs was checking in with Abby and Ducky, and Tony had been doing desk work. But it seemed that had just changed.

"Where are you?" Tony asked, starting the program to trace her call. Ziva replied with her approximate location, and Tony matched it with the trace that came up. "Do you need back up?" he asked.

There was no reply. All he heard was a gunshot.

Tony paced back and forth, unable to stand still. Back and forth he moved; his mind as active as his body. It raced from one frantic scenario to another, each more frightening than the last. This is what I get for having an active imagination, he thought.

All he knew was that his girlfriend and partner was alive as was McGee, though both were injured. He didn't know the extent of the injuries, and what types of injuries both had. Police had assisted in ending the chase, that he knew, and the man who had been chasing them was now in Interrogation, being given no mercy by Gibbs.

"If you keep pacing like that you will wear a hole in the floor." The voice from behind him belonged to Abby. She had just joined him in the waiting room of the hospital in which he now paced, and her worried expression matched his mood. He changed his course to move to sit beside the chair she sank into. "Do you know anything?" she asked him.

"No." he replied with a sigh, and glanced at the doors behind which he was forbidden to go, willing a doctor to exit through them and tell him that Ziva was just fine. They sat quietly side by side for a few moments, both concerned and waiting to hear how their loved ones fared.

Abby broke the silence first. "You know how hospitals force you to confront your feelings about something?" she said, her voice quieter than normal.

"Yeah," he replied. "I know what you mean."

Abby opened her mouth to say something else, but then a doctor came through the double doors and asked for the family of Ziva David. Tony stood, going over to the doctor to explain that he was Ziva's primary contact and asked for the umpteenth time if he could see her. The doctor finally agreed.

He stood in the doorway, visually checking her over. He cataloged a few cuts from broken glass, some bruises and a dark smudge on her forehead. He relaxed slightly that her injuries weren't worse. She watched him watch her, dark eyes guarded and cool. He finally moved away from the door to sit in the chair beside her bed.

He didn't speak. For once in his life, Tony didn't know what to say. He wanted to tell her how glad he was that she was okay, how worried he was, how much he loves her and why it was so frustrating that he had to wait to see her just because he wasn't technically her family.

Ziva at last shattered the quiet. "I am alright, Tony." She reached out and took his hand, squeezing it to convince him she was as okay as she said.

"Yeah, but you almost weren't. You called me for help and all I heard was gunfire before the line went dead. I've been in enough car chases, I know how they can go wrong. The doctors wouldn't tell me anything and all I knew was that you're alive. I couldn't help but assume the worst. They wouldn't tell me because in their eyes I'm just your partner. Because you won't say yes I am stuck waiting and worrying when I could at least be worrying and holding your hand. I've almost lost you so many times. I love you so much. Please, sweetcheeks, I can't live without you. Don't make me."

Ziva was quiet for a moment, and then asked, "Did you just propose again?"

Tony considered the question seriously. "I suppose I did."

"Yes."

"What?" He couldn't possibly have heard right.

"Yes, I will marry you."

Tony broke into a wide grin. He lifted the hand he held to his lips and gently kissed it. "Guess that means for us fourth time was the charm."

Ziva chuckled softly. Tony dropped her hand, dug around in his pockets, muttering and then triumphantly drew out a small velvet box. He opened it to reveal a white gold ring with an opal and two diamonds set into the band.

"Tony….you have been carrying this around with you?"

"For a while now. When I saw it, I knew it was the one for you. It shines with an inner fire, just like you." He leaned over and kissed her, gently. He drew back slightly and rested his face against hers. "I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too," she whispered back. They turned their heads to gaze, green eyes and brown, at the ring where it shone on her slender finger, shimmering and dancing under the florescent lights.

It wasn't how Tony had planned it, or anything he had even remotely considered. But somehow it felt right, just like them.

Put up your little arms / and I'll give them all to you to hold / every finger shall have its ring / and there won't be a single place dark or unhappy