Title: Follow Up

Rating: PG

Spoilers: 6x08 "Cloak"

Disclaimer: Don't own 'em.

Author's Note: Sorry it took me so long to update this one, I've been moving over the last couple of weeks and just have not had time to post. Also, I decided to take this story in a little bit of a different direction. Instead of taking the first chapter and continue with it, I decided to create a couple different scenarios that could have happened after the scene in the elevator. Enjoy!

The elevator doors started to slide shut but Ziva stuck out her hand and stopped them. She stepped out of the car and followed Tony down the hall.

"Tony!" she shouted, catching up with him and forcing him to stop. "I am sorry that you were hurt but it is not my fault that Vance threw us to the tigers."

"Wolves," Tony corrected automatically, "Threw us to the wolves."

Ziva rolled her eyes, ready to continue their argument, but Tony took her by the arm and forced her into an alcove off of the hallway.

"Look, what I said back there," Tony began, " Yeah, I didn't exactly appreciate getting knocked around because you can't control your reflexes –"

"I-" Ziva began but Tony held up her hand and she stopped talking.

"Will you let me talk, ninja-chick!" Tony snapped, "It's hard to get a word in with you interrupting me every ten seconds. I'm trying to apologize."

Ziva did not speak. She stood across from him in the small alcove, arms crossed over her just, waiting for Tony to continue.

"Do I get to finish?" Tony asked. Ziva glared at him.

"Fine. Look, like I said, I could've done without taking the butt of a gun to my face, but it isn't your fault. And I do appreciate you fighting to protect me. But I'm still pissed off at Gibbs for letting Vance put us in this situation."

Ziva dropped her gaze to the floor. She knew that he was angry, she was angry also. But she had not come after him to talk about Gibbs or about how Vance had set them up. She had come to talk to him about the other thing he had said.

"I angry as well, Tony," Ziva said calmly, "I did not like watching you get hurt and I did not enjoy not knowing what had happened to you when I woke up."

Ziva did not say anything else. She stood across from Tony allowing him to process her words. She had never been comfortable telling anyone how she felt for them and Tony was no different. She had known for a while that the feelings she had for him were not going to disappear and leaving him for three months had simply made those feelings stronger. But she could not tell Tony that because even though she thought that he felt something similar for her, she did not want to have her heart broken.

Tony didn't know what to say. He had meant exactly what he'd said about not wanting to pretend anymore but he hadn't expected Ziva to pick up on his double meaning. He was truly tired of pretending with her, pretending that nothing had happened between them, that there was nothing there, when he desperately wanted to be with her. He lifted his had to her face, mimicking her earlier movement, only he brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"So, if I kiss you right now, are you going to kick my ass?" Tony asked lightly, smiling when Ziva met his gaze. She smirked and stretched up on her toes to get closer to his face.

As Tony leaned in to meet her halfway, Gibbs voice interrupted them.

"She may not kick your ass, Dinozzo, but I will."

Ziva froze, her face just millimeters from Tony's, as Gibbs so rudely ruined the moment. Tony's hand dropped to his side as he noticed the security guards flanking Gibbs, Ducky and Palmer. They were ushered out of the alcove and Tony braced himself for Gibbs' hand across the back of his head but the smack he heard wasn't aimed at him. He turned to see the shocked expression on Ziva's face, eyes wide, mouth opened.

"What was that for?" Ziva asked, shock evident in her voice.

Gibbs shrugged and headed after security, "For not kicking his ass."