A/N - This chapter is taking place after the episode Shiva, since I didn't include anything on either funeral in my other chapter. I hope you like it. Let me know what y'all think!

Chapter 16 – Shiva

Plane Ride

"Never apologize…. Take care of her DiNozzo, and bring her back in one piece, okay? … You just worry about you and Ziva."

The lines kept ringing through his head as he sat on the plane that was now flying him from Washington, DC to Tel Aviv, Israel. His hand tightened around Ziva's and Shmeil was sleeping peacefully. He could hear his boss's words over and over again and the more he heard them in his head the more he realized that Gibbs hadn't been speaking as a boss when he had said those words to Tony, he had been speaking as someone who saw Ziva as his daughter and saw her hurt and was talking to someone he trusted with her, no matter what the situation was.

Tony quietly snaked his arm around Ziva and she leaned into his side, looking a little down and a little glum. He gave her shoulders a squeeze without saying a word. She looked up at him.

"Thank you," she whispered and pressed a soft kiss to his cheek before allowing her head to rest on his shoulder.

"You're welcome, my ninja," Tony whispered back, pressing a kiss to the top of her head and holding her tightly, knowing that she would need a lot of comfort in the coming days.

For a few hours the ride was silent and there was nothing going on around. Tony couldn't sleep, because his boss's words were still ringing out in his head. He wondered if they would ever leave him. They had worked hard to hide this from their boss and he now wondered if it was all in vein and there was a head-slap waiting for him when he returned home or not. But, Tony knew that he didn't actually have to worry about it until the return trip from Israel and when things would look up a little bit, hopefully, for Ziva.

Ziva stirred and woke up on her own, without a nightmare, thankfully. She felt that Tony was still awake, as his breathing wasn't deep enough for him to be sleeping. She traced nondescript patterns on the arm that was around her shoulders and his arm tightened around her in response. She was genuinely thankful that he had come when she had asked, which was a spontaneous decision on her part, which was entirely unlike her. But, she needed him and this was exactly what she needed, this small comfort of knowing that someone was there to hold her through everything if that was what she wanted. She needed that person who could read her better than anyone she had ever met. She needed that man who knew her better than she knew herself and would give her everything she wanted and needed without her needing to ask. She was more than grateful and often wondered what she had done to deserve this man. But, she didn't question it; it was too good to question and she enjoyed it far too much.

"The plane is descending a little," Ziva finally whispered, without sitting up or ceasing the patterns on his arm. "I can feel it in my ears."

Ziva made a face and Tony pressed a kiss to her head again, repressing a chuckle. She looked up at him to see this and laughed.

"It's good to hear laughter out of you," he said quietly.

"It's good to be laughing," she said.

They were silent the rest of the descent. Tony woke Shmeil up and the arrangements were made as soon as they were on the ground. The morning would hold a funeral and the next day would be spent doing very little. It would be a day for Ziva and Tony to do whatever they needed to do. Then, the following day they would return home on another very long flight.

After the funeral

The service, of course, was beautiful. Tony had stood by Ziva's side, holding her hand proudly and receiving many amiss looks from those that belonged to Mossad. Ziva had held her face completely composed and with the hardened expression that had been trained into her by Mossad. But her hand had slowly tightened around Tony's letting him know that she was not nearly as okay as she appeared.

There were many that came to offer their condolences to Ziva and many that Tony did not know or recognize. The ones that he did know, however, had actually stopped and shook his hand as well. That was a short list. Officers Ben-Gidon, Bashan, Hadar, and Liat Tuvia.

There was another who shook Tony's hand and had a brief conversation with him. "I am Adam Eschel," he said quietly. "You must be the Anthony DiNozzo that Director David often spoke of. He thought highly of you and it is good to see that you came with his daughter to his funeral. He regarded you as something of a son in many ways, though he often wished to know you better."

Tony was taken aback and uncertain of what to say. He and Ziva were the last two there with this person he had just met. "Um… thanks, but I don't think he liked me that much," Tony said trying to disregard the statement.

"No, he did," Adam replied. "He thought you were good for Ziva and was sad to say that he had not seen that relationship progress yet. I must admit that he might have said that wrong, since you are here by her side now. It is good for her to have someone she can trust. Director David trusted you also, even though you quite often annoyed him."

"Thanks, I guess," Tony said shaking his hand again and Adam walked away without another word or another backward glance.

Tony turned to Ziva. They were alone now and Tony put his hands on her shoulders, seeing the mask still up and held onto tightly. He pulled her into him and she let go. She let go of the tears and of the mask that had held the tears in place. She cried into Tony's chest for a while and then they walked back to the old farmhouse where Ziva had once lived.

Ziva and Tony went out into the olive orchard and Ziva wanted to plant a new tree. Tony stood back while she did her work, knowing she wanted to do it alone. He stared at her and the trees around them. It was a beautiful place, even with as warm as it was. When she was finished she stood up and looked at the tree. Tony came to her and took her around the middle and pressed a soft kiss to her temple. She smiled lightly and turned in his arms.

They walked back inside without any words shared and closed the door behind them. Ziva was looking at Tony and trying to find the right words to say when someone knocked on the door.

"I'll get it," Tony said, holding his gun to his side, knowing where he was and what kind of threats could be at the door.

He opened the door to find the Adam Eschel that had greeted him earlier. "Hi, is Ziva home?"

"She is, but I don't think she wants company right now," Tony said with a backward glance at Ziva.

"I will not be long, I just wanted to make sure she was not alone at a time like this," he said.

"Meaning?" Ziva asked, coming to Tony's side and clinging to him.

"I... I think I misinterpreted the relationship that you and Special Agent DiNozzo have and I will be going now," Adam said quietly and ducked out, closing the door behind him.

Ziva turned back to face Tony, her eyes were filled with wonder and vulnerability. Tony reached down and brushed a stray strand of hair away from her face and she leaned into his gentle touch.

"Have I told you lately, how much I love you?" Ziva asked quietly.

"Probably," Tony said softly with a gentle shrug of his shoulders.

Ziva leaned up on her toes and kissed Tony on the lips, something she had not done in all the confusion of the death of her father. She was glad he was there and she wanted him to know just how much it meant to her, even if she did not have the words to share with him.

Tony took Ziva in his arms and kissed her like they had never kissed before; getting more than her simple message. He could read many things in the kiss. Not only was she grateful that he was there and glad, but it meant more than the world to her that he had agreed to come. He could also feel the love that she had for him and how it had grown over the last few days of going through this great hurt together.

Ziva pushed Tony backward a little and he moved his feet to keep up with where she was going, allowing her to steer him toward her old bedroom and through the doorway toward the bed. Ziva pulled back from Tony long enough to say a few words. "I love you more than anything," she whispered.

That was all Tony needed to hear right then and he captured her in his arms and with his lips and could feel all the emotions that she had felt being let go while he was there with her.

Plane ride home

Tony and Ziva had hardly let go of each other during their stay in Israel and they certainly weren't letting go at the airport, not even when Tony's phone rang in his pocket. He reached around with his other hand and pulled it out, seeing his boss's name popping up on the screen.

"Yes, it's DiNozzo," Tony said into the phone.

"How is she?" Gibbs asked quietly, wondering what kind of a response he would get from Tony.

"She's healing," Tony said honestly and held her tighter. Ziva's eyes narrowed as he spoke; she knew that he was being honest and that Gibbs needed honesty, but she would have said she was fine. "She would tell you she's fine."

Gibbs chuckled on the other end. "When's your flight back?" he asked.

"Why, do you miss me boss? That's very touching!" Tony said, feeling nervous again.

"DiNozzo!" Gibbs said sharply.

"Sorry, boss. We're about to board now. Should be back in about twelve hours," Tony said.

"Okay, Bodnar is still in the wind, seems he flew out of the country… is Ziva still safe with you?"

"Yes," Tony said, looking down at Ziva and shaking his head at her when she gave him a questioning look, knowing it was about Bodnar.

"Good, keep it that way," Gibbs said. "You have tomorrow off and I'll see you the day after."

"Okay boss," Tony said.

"No distractions, I hope," Gibbs said sternly.

"No distractions," Tony agreed with a nod of his head and looked down at Ziva, wondering how he would keep from being distracted by the beautiful Israeli who had opened up so much to him during their stay in Israel this time.

The phone went dead and Tony shrugged. The boss was in denial if he thought that Ziva wasn't going to distract Tony and Tony wasn't going to distract Ziva. But, Tony didn't really care if he was in denial or not, he had his ninja and that was important.

The plane ride was quiet and they spent it tangled together and half of it sleeping. Work was going to be hell the day after tomorrow and they both knew it, but that wasn't going to get in the way of them enjoying their day off tomorrow, since they were nearly stuck to each other at the moment.