"Alright!" Tony could hardly refrain from pumping his fists in the air. He loved going undercover. It was probably his favorite part of the job.

"Ziva, Director Shepard has informed me that you've done undercover operations before, correct?" Gibbs asked, ignoring his senior agent, having expected that very reaction from him.

"Correct." Ziva verified.

"Good. You two will be posing as Sophie and Jean-Paul. You check in at the Barclay on the 8th at 5:00 p.m. Everything you need to know about the two of them is in the files you have in front of you." Gibbs nodded to their reading materials, which Tony and Ziva then opened and began skimming over. "We don't know much. As it turns out, assassins are pretty private people."

"Who knew?" Tony remarked.

"We're counting on you two to fill in the blanks, get your stories straight. It's looking like we won't have the bodies or their personal effects for a couple of days, so Ducky and Abby won't be able to help you, nor will they be informed of the operation until then. We're having McGee pose as hotel staff, but he hasn't been briefed yet either. This one is largely in your hands. Unfortunately, we're sending you in pretty blind," Gibbs admitted. "It's highly likely that your contact will have you under surveillance, so you need to be on your game at all times. Always assume you are being watched, and heard."

"And NCIS? You will be watching as well?" Ziva asked.

"Yes, but you two have to be the first ones in the room, to keep up appearances. If we send agents in ahead of you to wire the place we could blow your cover," Gibbs said. "We'll send McGee in later that night as hotel staff with some camouflaged surveillance and communication equipment once you can confirm that there is no immediate threat."

"Uh, Boss?" Tony spoke up, having finished perusing the thin file in front of him. "Is this really all we know? That they're assassins, and that they're married?"

"Uh-huh," Gibbs nodded.

"We really are going in blind," Tony murmured.

"I trust that the two of you can handle it," Gibbs said calmly. "For the next two days you'll have full use of the conference room, and I expect you to use that time to coordinate so you can go into this thing prepared. If you need anything, you ask me or Director Shepard, no one else. Understood?" The two members of his team nodded. "Any questions?"

"It all seems rather straightforward," Ziva said. Their leader then looked to Tony, who had a puzzled look on his face.

"What is it, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked.

"It's just…" he started, brow furrowed. "Well… how, um, convincing do you want us to be?"

"Convincing," his boss replied, matter-of-fact.

"Well, I know that, but I mean… married people… well, they do stuff." Gibbs only responded with one of his signature looks, so Tony stammered on. "That is to say, to be a convincing married couple, or any couple for that matter, wouldn't we… I mean, we'd have to… have, um…"

"Sex."

Both men looked at Ziva, taken aback by her bluntness. She merely shrugged and went back to reading her file, not knowing why they were so surprised, knowing it was clear where the conversation was going.

"Right…" Tony continued. "Is that… part of the job description?" He glanced at Ziva. She was smirking, eyes scanning the dossier in front of her.

Gibbs took his time before responding, being careful to formulate his answer. "Well, like I said," he began, "I trust that the two of you can handle it."

It was then that Gibbs made for the door. Tony's mouth practically fell agape, and Ziva continued to smirk.

"Wait, Boss, what are you saying?" Tony squeaked, unfreezing and turning in his chair just in time to catch his boss before he shut the conference room door behind him.

"What I'm officially saying, DiNozzo, is that you and Officer David are to act professionally. Yes, you will be playing a part, but there are still boundaries. I know I don't need to remind you that this is a government agency," Gibbs said, leaning his head back in to the conference room. "That being said… be convincing."

Tony looked to the woman next to him. She was still reading, a coy smile still tugging at the corners of her mouth. He felt a small shiver run through him at the thought of what exactly it would be like to be "convincing" with his sexy new partner. Sure, he had had those thoughts since the day that they met, but never before had they felt so realistic.

Gibbs must have noticed. Before he shut the door to leave the two alone, he added, "Don't make me wish I had picked McGee for this one, DiNozzo."

Tony called out after his boss as the conference room door clicked shut. "I thought you said you wanted this to be convincing!"

Tony stared at the closed door for a long moment before slowly turning to face Ziva. She was no longer studying her file, but rather waiting for Tony to look to her. Her dark eyes locked with his, and he noticed a mischievous glint within them. He swallowed hard.

"So," Ziva purred, "Where should we start?"