A/N – This is also from Extreme Prejudice. This is more than one place throughout the episode, because I had short conversations and pieces in my mind. So this is a collection of them. In this chapter we have Tony, Ziva, Gibbs, and Vance as main characters.

Disclaimer – I don't own NCIS or the characters.

Chapter 2 – Extreme Prejudice

Looking for Dearing

"Those were my people he blew up last night! Loraine was one of the best we had!" Fornell said angrily as we walked through the cleanup of NCIS.

"I am truly sorry Agent Fornell," Ziva said, her head down and hiding some anger within her.

"Traps won't work Tobias, I told you that," Gibbs said casually, glancing between Ziva and Fornell.

"That guy set spark," Fornell said.

"Yea," Gibbs said as though this was obvious.

"But he did not start the altercation, we did," Ziva argued. "He was just defending himself."

"Whose side are you one anyway?" Tony asked.

"Whose side am I on? Look! I am merely trying to point out he is no longer taunting us, we are taunting him!" Ziva said in an agitated tone, her hands waving back and forth as she tried to get her point across to everyone.

Tony shifted his gaze from Ziva, already knowing why she was angry and looked at Gibbs. He removed his sunglasses.

"Uh oh," he said. "I know that look. That's the stay up all night, no sleep, take one for the team, I've got a plan look."

"Jethro?" Fornell asked.

"Ziva's right," Gibbs said. "Force the turnover. We take the fight to him. Make him keep playing."

Then Gibbs walked away. And they watched him go, looking on in confusion, wondering where he had gotten that out of Ziva's words.

"What was that?" Fornell asked.

"You've never seen him make a realization and not reveal it?" Tony asked.

Fornell walked off after him. Ziva turned to Tony.

"I am sorry. I overreacted," she apologized.

"No need to apologize. We all knew that it would be a stupid move to try to trap him," Tony said. "I was agitated too. I am sorry for asking whose side you're on. I know you're on our side. I trust you."

"Thank you, Tony," Ziva said. "We need to talk about it."

"About what?" Tony asked curiously.

"Things are different now, Tony," Ziva said hesitantly. "We shared some personal information in the elevator. We need to talk about it. It has changed us already."

"I know, but now is not the time," Tony said back. "Dinner when this is all over? You can cook if you want, or we can do like old times and have take-out and a movie?"

"That sounds good, Tony," Ziva said and hugged him in front of whoever was cleaning up right then. They both wondered how much Gibbs could see the changes in them, since they were obvious to even Tony and Ziva who had remained nearly oblivious to the jealousies of the other through the last several years of working together.

They were at Ziva's place with a pizza in front of them. That was all that they could do was sit and look at the pizza. Ziva was hungry, she reached out and took a slice and handed it to Tony and then took one for herself. They had not talked and they had already been there for a half an hour already. Neither of them had said a word.

"Something about this doesn't sit well with me," she said to him. "I don't think Dearing would just blow himself up."

"I agree," Tony said and then they ate.

The difficult part of the conversation was over between them. The difficult part being the one about the terrorist. Ziva had something else that she wanted to say.

"This has all been very difficult for me, Tony," Ziva said. "I feel like dealing with a terrorist was like going through my past all over again. That was all I ever dealt with. But Abby's discouraged attitude earlier today was what really got to me. It was how I felt when I got captured. I could understand but was trying to look at the good."

"Nothing wrong with seeing the good, Ziva," Tony said. "Nothing wrong with it at all. You have to look at the good."

"That was what I said, but she couldn't see the good, Tony," Ziva said, looking at him while taking another bite of pizza. "I do not know how to help her."

"I don't either, Ziva," he whispered and took another bite.

When they finished Ziva leaned back on the couch and closed her eyes. She could smell the scent of Tony now that she was relaxed again. It was intoxicating to her. She sat up and looked at him.

"Ziva?" he asked.

"In the elevator… I… I felt something that I have not ever felt before," Ziva said uncertainly and Tony nodded for her to continue one. "I felt safe with you there. I trust you, Tony. I trust you more than I have ever allowed myself to trust anyone. It was not a conscious decision, it just happened. I trust you completely."

Tony smiled softly at her. "I trust you, too, Ziva," Tony said.

"Did you mean it?" Ziva asked.

"What?"

"When we were in Somalia, Tony. Did you mean what you said then?"

Tony wanted very much to avoid the question. He knew that he had to answer, but he was going to dodge as long as he could. He wanted her to be specific to see if she really remembered exactly what he had said to her.

"When I said what?" he asked.

"Did you mean it when you said that you couldn't live without me?" Ziva clarified, her back straight and her eyes locked on his.

"I was on truth serum," he muttered, mostly to himself; this was something that normally would have annoyed her, but she chose to let it go today. She wanted him to answer her, so she allowed him more time to respond. "Of course I meant it, Ziva."

"I meant it too," Ziva said. "When I said I was not going without you. I realized it then. I realized that I could not live without you either."

Tony smiled softly at her and then frowned. "Gibbs."

She nodded slightly. "He has been what has stopped us all these years isn't he?"

"Yes, he is," Tony said. "But, how do we avoid this. It's inevitable."

"You've said that before," Ziva said. "I am starting to see that you are right. We would have to hide it for a while, as best we can."

"Then, that's what we'll do," Tony said honestly.

"Tony, are you sure that's what you want?" Ziva asked. "A relationship with someone as broken as I am?"

"You are perfect just the way you are, Ziva," Tony said. "I wouldn't have you any other way."

Ziva smiled and leaned into his side. "Thank you, Tony."

A relationship. That was the dreaded word between them. Friendship had even been a difficult word, yet they were definitely best friends. Now they were changing that at the risk of everything. They were risking it all just to be together now. They were going to change the way that they were with each other and she knew it. She knew that soon Gibbs would pick up on it, maybe. She sighed and closed her eyes and fell asleep on Tony.

Four months later the case was coming up again and Tony was by Ziva's side the whole way. Abby was more herself, but still not quite. McGee was constantly on the phone with his mother who urged him to talk to his father. Gibbs was on a manhunt for Dearing.

Gibbs had spent four months watching his agents closely. He watched Tony and Ziva talk through problems a little better and dance around each other the same as they always had, but grow closer at the same time. He watched McGee get frustrated at his mother. He watched Abby struggle and look more and more tired all the time. He watched as Vance got angrier and angrier with the new information.

They had a conversation in the basement of his house and at the end of it, just as Vance was walking up the stares Gibbs had to stop him.

"Vance, thank you," Gibbs said. "For letting me do this."

"Extreme Prejudice means at all costs, no matter what," Vance said. "You get him Gibbs and show him the true power of NCIS. He can't just walk free."

"I doubt he'll be walking when I'm done with him Leon," Gibbs said.

"I know, Gibbs," Vance said. "I am approving the mission. Get packing. You leave first thing in the morning for this. Protect our agents and navy men and women. Protect your family."

"That's why I'm doing it, Leon," Gibbs said.

"I know, Gibbs," Vance said. "Hey, what are they all to you?"

"My family, Leon," Gibbs admitted. "My kids and Ducky is a brother."

"I understand how you feel," Vance said. "Before I had a family of my own, my team was my family. I see that in you. I know that they would still be your family whether yours was here or not."

"Thank you, Leon," Gibbs said again, feeling eternally grateful again.

"Ziva is upset," Tony said, obviously aware that it was a little deeper than that.

As soon as Gibbs was gone, Tony motioned with his head toward Ziva and pulled her close in the empty break room.

"I know we agreed none of this at work, but I know you are upset," Tony whispered.

Ziva just clung tighter to Tony. She didn't want to let go of him. She didn't think she could lose Gibbs.

"He is being foolish," Ziva said into Tony's chest, hitting it lightly with her fist.

"I know, Ziva," Tony said. "Trust me, I know. He's Gibbs and will always be Gibbs."

Ziva nodded into Tony's chest and pulled away from him when they heard feet coming into the room. They were looking at each other and then Ziva turned just as the person came into the room.

"He went ahead and went for him anyway?" Abby asked.

"Yes," Tony said. "Ziva is upset."

"So is Tony," Ziva said.

"Since when do you two speak for each other, or even get along this well. It's been a strange couple of months," Abby said, squinting her eyes at the two of them. "You are oddly cooperative with each other. What happened in that elevator?"

"An understanding, Abby," Ziva said. "That is all."

"I see," she said and turned and walked away to go find McGee to see how he had reacted to this news. It was going to be difficult until they knew how Gibbs had come out of this.

Gibbs stood at the entrance to NCIS feeling better for having eliminated the threat. He watched as his agents went home that day. Tony and Ziva were standing next to each other at the coffee shop. He was going to have to keep a close eye on those two, because something had made them get closer that day. Abby walked by them with a smile on her face. McGee was next to her but he was paying attention to Gibbs. He nodded his head toward him. Vance walked out, talking on the phone to his wife. Gibbs had done what he set out to do. That was all that mattered.

A/N – There it is. That is all that I have for the first episode of NCIS season 10, Extreme Prejudice. Let me know what you think.