A.N: I'm Back!
Wow the last few months have been hectic! I am soo sorry for having to postpone this fic but hey, better late then never! (Well at least I think...) I have graduated school now, been to phuket which let me tell you is AMAZE! (I misss it sooo much!) And I have then came back and been busy with Birthday, christmas and camping haha but until I find out about whether I have a place at uni it should be pretty laid back... Hopefully! So anyway back to business, this took me ages to write because I only had time to do it in bits and pieces and in the end I am pretty happy with it. I mean it is by no means perfection but I will let you guys be the judge. Get ready for some Tiva people!

Hope you Enjoy! :)

Ziva paced the small bathroom of her apartment as she brushed her teeth fiercely. She stopped suddenly in front of the mirror and stared at her pale face before spitting in the basin below. Again returning her gaze to the mirror she inspected her teeth and then her tongue for the second time before admitting to herself that if she brushed her teeth anymore she would cause her gums to bleed. Not only had she become highly self-conscious in the last hour, she knew she was stalling. She promised herself that she would see Tony as soon as she left Gibbs apartment and yet it had been almost three hours. She put on some of the makeup Abby had bought her a while ago and stared at her reflection before rubbing most of it off and splashing cool water on her face. Her nerves had the better of her as she shook and stared at the pale face in the mirror; taking a deep breath she tried to calm herself, repeating in her head that it was just Tony, but the butterflies in her stomach would not ease. Her biggest fear was rejection, and from the look on his face last night she wouldn't be surprised if that's what's coming her way.

"Stop being a coward Ziva…" she said to her clammy reflection before pushing off the ceramic basin and storming out of the room. Grabbing her keys, gun and badge she forced herself out of the apartment and down the hallway. Glancing at the digital clock on her phone she realised she was meant to meet Tony half an hour ago. Picking up her pace she dashed for her car, only hoping that he had waited for her.

The rain began to fall on the tin roof above Tony as he sat in the gazebo. He had watched hundreds of runners, cyclists, dog walkers and children fly past him in the last hour but none of them had been of the ninja type. His hand fished through his pocket until he felt the smooth, rounded edges of his mobile phone and he hesitated there, contemplating whether there was any point calling her; because her absence was obviously for a reason. His heart sank as he could only come up with one explanation, she didn't want what he wanted, she didn't feel the same, and she couldn't face him about it. There was a little anger but mostly disappointment and heartache that flooded over him as he pulled his hand from his pocket and started walking back towards his car. The rain became heavier until it was a downpour, but he couldn't care less, soon he was the only one walking sluggishly through the park and when he finally got inside his car the dark navy blue shirt clung to his wet skin and his hair fell in clumps over his forehead. A dark cloud hung over him and he sat almost catatonically in his car while the rain continued to pelt against the glass windows. It wasn't until a sharp knock at the window that Tony noticed his surroundings. The twilight illuminated a black silhouette at his window and his breath caught in his throat as he realised what was happening. Turning the ignition on, he wound down the electric window and stuck his head out to talk to the woman on the other side. Clearing her throat she leant forward so that he could see her face.

"Sir you can't park here anymore." She raised an arm and pointed at the small sign a few meters away. Looking around he noticed he was the only car parked there and the clock on the dashboard confirmed his suspicions.

"Sorry ma'am, I must have dozed off." His voice came out throaty and he tried a weak grin before turning on the ignition and waiting for the officer to step aside. After a moment's hesitation and a sour look she moved back towards her car with her parker drawn over her dark brown curls; curls that reminded him off someone else he knows. There was a pang in his heart as he thought of her and he pulled away from the curb with a new destination in mind.

Tony clutched the small brass key in his fist as he surveyed the empty apartment, no Ziva. Pulling out his phone he pushed speed dial and waited until it finally rung out and a recorded voice told him to leave a message.

"Hey Ziva, its Tony… Would you… ummm… Just give me a call back." Hanging up he looked around the apartment once more before heading out and driving to the naval base.

An all too familiar 'ding' indicated the arrival of the elevator and Gibbs' head snapped up. His senior most field agent rushed out with anticipation etched across his face before his eyes zeroed in on the empty desk and his expression drooped. Dragging his feet he moved towards his desk and dropped into his chair before looking up with a questioning gaze at Gibbs who immediately shook his head sadly.

"Am I…. Missing something?" McGee piped up after watching the exchange.

"I think Abs needs some help, she was asking for you earlier." After a moment's hesitation he stood up slowly taking the hint and headed for the elevator.

"Sure thing Boss." Tony waited until he heard the elevator doors close before walking over to Gibbs desk and rubbing his face. He could see the anticipation and anxiety was getting to his senior agent and only hoped that news on his partner will come soon. After a moment of silence and watching the man standing in front of his desk he could see his agitation and posed a question.

"Did she sound fine on the phone this morning?"

"Yeah I guess, I mean she sounded a little nervous but… It's understandable right?" Gibbs shrugged his shoulders as he glanced at his watch. "I shouldn't have done that, she was going through too much already."

"Exactly" Tony's head snapped up and he almost looked betrayed.

"Jeez Boss, thanks for the support!"

"No Tony, I'm saying that a lot has happened, she has a lot to soak in from the past twenty-four hours." He looked away before returning an even gaze. "She has only been gone for five hours; let's not get too worried just yet." He seemed to contemplate this for a second before turning on his heels and returning to his desk. Turning on his computer Tony let out a sigh and his boss across the room watched him from behind his folder. Five minutes passed before his computer beeped and he bashed the keyboard.

"You better not be doing what I think you're doing." Tony's frustrated expression turned on him as he gripped the keyboard fiercely.

"Depends what you think I'm doing." He said through gritted teeth.

"I'm sure she is fine Tony; and besides I don't want to attend your funeral if she finds out your trying to track her phone." Scowling he turned back to his computer.

"It's not working, maybe if McGoo…"

"Tony, no."

It was dark and cold but she couldn't force herself to move. Fear welded her to the spot she had curled up in and she shook uncontrollably. She didn't understand why she was acting the way she was, she didn't understand the feeling, the emotions but she knew it wasn't herself and she cursed thinking about how weak she had become. She tried to listen through the downpour outside but she heard nothing but the rain hitting concrete and Aluminium. While trying to even her breath she pulled in her knees towards her chest as she leant back on the cold concrete. She wasn't one hundred percent sure where she was but she didn't feel safe, not yet. She kept an ear out for any indication that he was coming, that he was still following her but her heartbeat hammered in her head making it impossible to concentrate. Dropping the gun that was gripped in her right hand she fished through her pockets until she found her mobile phone. Flicking it open she read the screen indicating she had 3 new voicemails. Pressing the cold plastic to her ear she listened as they played one after the other.

"Hey Ziva, its Tony… Would you… ummm… Just give me a call back."

*BEEP*

"Hey, it's me again. Look I understand if you don't wanna talk anymore but… At least let me know if you're Okay… Yeah…"

*BEEP*

"Look you have been gone hours, just let me, us, let us know where you are okay… Please…"

*BEEP*

She felt her chest constrict as she listened to the messages and let the phone drop to her side before groaning to the sky. She let her head drop back with a thump against the concrete as she decided what to do. She was pretty sure that she had shaken off the suspect but still fear rooted her to the grounded and she didn't dare go back outside by herself. Although she felt like a coward she knew what she had to do. After a while she picked up her phone and pressed the keypad before holding the phone to her ear whilst it rang. She was answered by silence at the other end and when she finally found her voice it came out quite and small.

"I need you to come get me."

Her words played in his mind on replay, he didn't ask anything beyond the address but he could hear the distress in her voice and he knew something was wrong. All anger from earlier that morning had subsided and pure concern had taken its place as he sped towards the address she had given him. He had no idea what to expect when he got there but she sounded pretty shaken up and he could only imagine the worse. What baffled him the most was why she had called him out of all people, after what had happened and after not returning his calls he would have expected her to call Gibbs, maybe even McGee before himself.

Pulling up he only just noticed his surroundings. The ally was dark and the buildings surrounding him were at least two stories high and made of concrete. Getting out of the car he looked up into the drizzling rain and found the building Ziva tried to describe. Although vague, the description fit none of the other buildings; so he walked over, gun drawn, not knowing what to expect. The place looked abandoned as he walked inside the concrete room, puddles of water lay on the floor as it dripped from the story above and crates lined the walls. Turning his flashlight on, he scanned the room and treaded lightly over to the stack of crates. Hearing a sound he rounded the crates to see a gun pointed at his face and too his relief one partner safe and sound. Her face held an expression of defeat and anxiety as the gun wavered before it finally was lowered and placed on the ground. She sat there with an expression on her face that brought back memories of Somalia. The same expression when she first saw him then was etched across her face now and she sat in silence just staring at him. Without a word he moved over to her and sat on the ground leaning back on the same concrete wall she was rested against. Spreading his leg he rested his elbows on his knees and let out a deep breath. Nothing would come to mind on what to say and he all of a sudden felt nervous. Nervous for how it would be between them and nervous to find out what had happened. As they sat in silence he felt pressure against his arm and looked over to see Ziva's head resting on his shoulder; he smiled to himself as he felt the tension lift.

"I'm sorry"

"No problem, it wasn't that far out here." She looked up at him with an unreadable expression before returning her head to his shoulder.

"No, I mean for everything." Although not much to anyone else, Tony knew that took a lot for her to say. Moving his hand to her face he shifted a strand of hair that covered a purple mark and frowned.

"What happened?" She picked at her cuticle nervously as she tried to form her words, her head twitching to the side as she thought.

"I was coming, this morning." She looked up slowly as he sat patiently and she gave a shaky smile before continuing. "I decided to walk, I needed some air and… To think. I was close to the park when I realised someone was following me. I did not get a good look; he had sunglasses and a baseball cap." She rubbed her face and took a deep breath trying to calm herself but he could see the frustration under the surface. "I panicked, again. I did not know who he was and I thought…" Again she took in a raggered breath and forced her eyes shut. Tony reached over for her hand and to his surprise she squeezed his slightly before relaxing into it. "I thought it was him, so I tried to lose him but he kept following me. Before I knew it we were in an ally. I just ran. I did not think, I could not think. I did not even see who it was. I found the door open and ran in here and I have been sitting here ever since."

"But it has been hours."

"I did not even notice, I just didn't want to go outside." Tony again brushed aside the strand of hair and brushed his thumb over the purple bruise.

"How did this happen." She managed a small laugh at this as she remembered.

"I hit my head on the corner of that crate." She pointed at it and smiled and he too smiled while continuing to brush her cheek. She shivered and he again remembered their surroundings. Standing up he pulled her with him and turned to go but she stopped him by grabbing his arm. He looked at her surprised and she took a step closer her eyes big and her gaze taking in his face. Slowly she reached her hand up and placed it against his flushed cheek before leaning closer and hesitating. She looked away slightly and moved to kiss his cheek instead but he turned his head and captured her lips. Her breath blew out quickly in shock but she kissed back before pulling away. The kiss was brief but he knew that was all she could give right now and when he saw the smile across her lips he couldn't help but reflect it. Grasping her hand in his he gave a gentle tug and they moved towards the door.

Thankfully for them both, actions really do speak louder than words.

A.N: What did you think? I seriously took me forever to write and I feel a bit rusty because I haven't written anything for ages! Please review and tell me what you think! :D

Keely :o)

p.s. Oh, and Happy New Year everyone!