Disclaimers, Spoilers, Warnings: See previous chapter.

Pairings: McAbby, Tiva, Janto

Warnings: Unlike my other chapters, this one does have swearing, including the F bomb. You've been told.

A/N: Okay, so this is the last chapter. Thanks to Helen for letting me play with a couple of her toys for this story. Anyways, straight to the fict. Enjoy the chapter.

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Rule 11 supersedes Rule 12

And No Koalas on Submarines.

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The hardest thing to learn in life is which bridge to

cross and which to burn.

~David Russell

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Just because I'm losing,

doesn't mean I've lost,

doesn't mean I'll stop.

~Cold play, Lost

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February 22, 2010

Horn of Africa

After getting back to the mini-command-centre, everyone hurriedly packed their things, ready to get out of Somalia before the hammer came down. With a major terrorist dead, the area would soon be in a state of disorder, not quite chaos, but bad enough to make them vulnerable to attack.

Tony still wanted someone to explain how Jack had taken a bullet to the chest and gotten up out of his own blood pool to tell the tale. Abby and McGee couldn't help but remember the Christmas when Tony and Jack had met, and how he only remember part of the encounter.

"Seriously, he's like a freaking Jack in a box." Tony was trying to rationalize something he couldn't explain.

"HE is standing right here." Jack was extremely unhappy about getting shot, and it was worse when he had the NCIS agent wanting to know how he was still standing. Though, the Jack in a box comment was clever.

"What are you? Superman?" Tony looked the captain in the eye.

"Tony!" Ziva's first words since they'd made it back to the hovel they had based themselves in.

Tony's head whipped around. Ziva's voice had been small, but her tone had caught his attention.

"Get yourself together. We need to get out of here, yes. I wish to know as well, but I can wait, so should you."

"Fine, but someone better explain this as soon as we're free and clear." Tony stomped off to finish putting away what he had with him.

February 23, 2010

Cardiff, Wales

Upon arriving in Cardiff, they met Bobby and Ianto at the airport. Bobby gave Ziva a precursory exam at the airport and opted to go back to the Hub to finish. Despite not wanting to reveal any more of Torchwood to Tony, Jack figured at this point if Tony had seen so much already that it really didn't matter. Besides, if he even thought about retconning Tony AGAIN, Abby would probably kill him. Twice.

At the hub, Tim and Bobby helped Ziva into the exam room, Ianto dragged his husband off for less than obscure reasons, and left Abby, Gibbs and Tony alone.

"You gonna explain this to me now?" Tony asked. Abby, Jack, and Tim had been dodging the question all the way home.

"You want me to explain how Jack can take a bullet and still be off…" Abby waved around vaguely, "where ever with Ianto right now."

Tony nodded.

"Uh… How do I explain this? Oh, did you watch much of Wormhole X-treme?" Abby spun on her heels, trying to lose the nervous energy se was full of.

"Heck yeah! I love that show. But what's your point?"

"You know how the one archaeologist dude, I don't remember his name, you know how he got killed in season 6 or something and then came back. It's like that, only faster.""I think that makes sense. But, how? Why can't he die?"

Abby took a deep breath, "Maybe someday you'll find out, but that's not my story to tell." She looked off in the direction Jack and Ianto had left.

In the infirmary/exam room, Bobby was looking over Ziva, drawing blood, and giving her meds he suspected she might need.

"Do you remember when your last tetanus shot was, Ms. David?" Bobby asked, labeling another vial and setting it aside to run a basic work up on.

"Uh, no. Maybe, three, four years ago?"

"Okay, I'm going to give you some antibiotics for your infection, and as long as nothing shows up in you blood work, you should be physically fine."

"Thank you, Dr. Chase." Ziva nodded, looking down. That one word wasn't lost on her, or Tim for that matter. Physically, she would be fine, but that left her mental state in question.

Bobby grabbed the vials of blood and headed for Abby's lab, leaving Tim to walk Ziva back into the main part of the Hub.

"Can you walk on your own?" Tim asked, worried by how pale Ziva looked.

"I will be fine, McGee. Thank you." Ziva pushed herself off they table, finding her feet less stable than she'd hoped and falling against her former coworker.

"I've got you." Tim set her straight-ish. "Maybe you should sit back down."

"No, I do not want to stay in here." Ziva sounded slightly defiant, and then in a quiet voice told McGee, "The room is too small."

"Okay." Tim nodded and walked her into the main area of the Hub. At that moment, Myfanwy swooped over head and shrieked, probably just getting back from her evening flight, wondering who the strangers are. Tony, Ziva, and Gibbs' heads shot upward.

"What the hell was that?" Tony asked.

"A Pteredon."

"No shit, McSherlock. I mean how'd it get here, now?" Tony glared at McGee. He now understood why the probie had high security clearance them him.

Abby sighed, more to explain. Jack had better not retcon any of them, or she'd have his head on a silver platter.

"There's this rift in space and time that runs through Cardiff. All the time, things from other times and other worlds, even other times and worlds, fall through the rift. Sometime its nothing more dangerous than some piece of metal, sometimes its an alien or something alien that's dangerous."

"So, a Pterodactyl fell through this rift, into your guy's base?" Tony rubbed his scalp.

"No, she fell through the rift some where else and Ianto lured her into a warehouse, It's how he got a job here. He got Jack to help him bring her in." About halfway through her sentence Tony said 'her?' but didn't stop Abby mid sentence, he knew better. "She love dark chocolate."

Ziva and Tony shared a look. This was strange, even for Abby.

"But, anyways, I'm sure none of us want to spend all night here. There's a great pizza place that delivers to me and Tim's flat. Any takers?" Abby looked around.

"That sounds nice Abby." Ziva said.

"Okay, just a sec, I have to let Jack know…" she paused, "On second thought, I'll tell Bobby and Wendy." She ran and vanished inside the hub. About couple minutes later, Abby came back, wearing a black jacket and holding her purse.

"I'm buying."

A couple hours later, the day finally ended with Abby, Tim, and their house guests, crashed on couch and chair of their flat.

NCIS Headquarters

March 9, 2010

Ziva sat outside headquarters, waiting for Tony. She'd been back stateside for about two weeks and had a meeting today with Director Vance, with Tony, concerning her status as liaison, a position she no longer wanted. She wanted to be an agent. Why should she be liaison for Mossad when her father made no move to help her?

Ziva sighed. She felt exhausted. Between not sleeping much and working out for hours, she barely got through the day on her feet. Gibbs, whose guest room she'd been staying in, had been trying to get her to sleep more. A couple nights ago, they sat in his basement and just talked. He told her a little bit about Shannon and Kelly; and in turn, Ziva had told him about what had happened before she left and how she'd lost faith in Tony. He'd just listened to her, made no comments. Just sat and listened.

Now, she was sitting, watching as her Italian friend strode across the courtyard.

"Hey, Ziva! How you doing?" Tony gave her one of those 100 watt smiles.

"I am… good. Gibbs' guest room is not the worst place I've stayed." Ziva stood from the bench, rubbing her palms against her slacks.

"There's a reason I don't stay over." Tony laughed.

"I thought that he would not let you stay over because…"

"Never mind, let's not keep Vance waiting."

Ziva smiled at her victory. Small, but still a win. She and Tony made their way to the director's offices in an almost comfortable silence. His secretary, Velma… Veronica… Violet… whatever… asked them to wait while Vance finished his meeting with the Secretary of the Navy.

"You do not cram in, any more?" Ziva asked.

"It's charge in, and no, not any more, last time I did that we got stuck doing security for a charity event full of admirals' wives. It was like a bunch of hens." Tony shuddered. "Some of them were my grandmother's age."

"Hens? How are they like hens?" Ziva gave her former partner a confused look. Tony opened his mouth to explain, when the door to Vance's office opened. Out walked Sec Nav followed by the director of NCIS.

"Hello, Agent Dinozzo. Officer David." Sec Nav nodded at each of them. "See you later, Leon."

"Yes, soon." Vance patted his friend on the shoulder then turned to usher Tony and Ziva into his office.

Once they were seated at the conference table, Vance looked seriously at both of them. "So, Agent Dinozzo, you say you want Ziva back on your team."

Tony nodded, despite it not being a question.

"And you, Ziva, you still want to be Mossad liaison? You do realize that requires a relationship with Mossad and as far as I've heard from Eli, he hasn't heard from you at all since you came stateside." Vance gave her a pointed look.

Ziva sat up straighter. "I wish to be an agent, Director Vance."

"But, that would require you to quit.."

"I already have, this morning I resigned. Working at NCIS with Tony's team," She just barely paused between Tony's name and the possessive, small enough to be mistaken as a blunder, big enough to be seen as a side step. "It's what I wish to do, and it means I have to resign Mossad to do so."

Tony hadn't heard any of this before now. He'd thought that Ziva was trying to get her liaison position back, but that pause. He'd heard for what it was. Working with Tony… Did she mean it? If so, how far did she mean it?

Vance looked between the two of them, sensing their anticipation of his answer.

"Miss David, do you know why Sec Nav was here?" Vance learned forward, looking Ziva in the eye.

"I presume that you were discussing tactics." Ziva didn't understand where he was going with this.

"Yes and No. We were discussing the economy and where to make cuts, and I'm afraid that we can't afford to hire you as an agent. Liaison, maybe, since Mossad pays part of your wages, but I'm afraid our budget won't allow us to hire you as a full time agent." His voice implied more than what he was saying.

Sure the budget was tight, but he didn't want her back. He saw the early signs of PTSD and he didn't need a possible loose cannon working at NCIS. He knew how captivity could change people, make them jumpy, even paranoid. Soldiers who go in with cool, calm exteriors come out with fuses shorter than a firecracker with a bigger bang. What if she over reacted and shot someone, or lost it on a suspect? Did they need that possible side effect of having her here? The simple answer, the only answer, was No.

Ziva's breath caught in her throat. She couldn't believe this, Vance was leaving her out in the cold. She looked at the floor. "I understand." It was over.

"Well, I don't!" Tony stood so fast his chair fell over. "Ziva David is one of the best investigators I know. Considering she started this job with zero training, that's more than impressive. There is no reason that the fucking accountants can't find enough money to hire her. Sure, the budget is tight, but it ain't that goddamn tight. What's tight, in my not so humble opinion, is your ass!"

Ziva and Vance stared at Tony in shock. "Agent Dinozzo! You are WAY out of line!"

"No, your out of line! Director Vance," Tony inhaled and continued in his most mocking respectful tone, "I you will have my letter of resignation to you by end of office hours today. I am sick of you screwing us over with fucking politics and assumptions!"

"Soon to be former Agent Dinozzo, you need to leave my office. NOW! I expect your desk to be empty by the time I finish reading your letter of resignation. Ziva you're dismissed." The veins in Vance's neck were the bulging like they would explode in a bloody mess at any moment.

Outside, Ziva grabbed Tony's arm. His face was tinted red with anger.

"Tony! Why did you do that?" she spun him around and looked him the eye.

"Because you deserved the job. Because Vance is a piece of shit. Because I'm sick of this job." His voiced cracked, causing him to pause, taking a few deep breaths, calming himself. When he could control his voice again, he continued. "Because, while I was trying to work and live without you by my side, while I was tied to that chair, speaking the truth for those hours, I realized something. I love you, Ziva David."

Everything froze. Ziva felt like a whisper could make her collapse. She almost thought this was one of Tony's jokes to brighten the mood, but his tone… He loves me? After all that happened, he loves… me?

"Tony… I…" she couldn't speak. Her heart was on her sleeve. This man, this wonderfully annoying man, that had given her hell, had pulled pranks on her, that had been tortured for her… She felt like she couldn't breath all over again.

Ziva reached out and found the railing that over-looked the bullpen and clung to it, keeping her self from falling. She looked up at Tony. His eyes showed his uncertainty, his doubt in himself. She felt the same doubt. Before she could lose her nerve completely, she made her move.

Their lips met in a kiss that rivaled the movie ones that Tony thought were well done. Her passion mixed with his and the world melted away. They forgot where they were. They drew each other in, becoming more confident with what they were doing and losing their doubts to the wind.

Down below, Wyn elbowed Langer and pointed up at the new found lovers. He looked up and shook his head.

"It had to happen sooner or later." Langer laughed. He knew from how Tony had always acted around Ziva, that they were more of the married couple type than the quarreling siblings Langer was with Wyn.

"So, what do you think happened?' Wyn leaned in, whispering to her partner.

"I think we're about to find out" he snipped, spinning his chair around. Ziva and Tony had hesitantly parted, realizing they were becoming a spectacle in the open office. The pair made their way down the stairs, talking quietly, sharing whispers.

"Congrats, Langer. You just got promoted to head of major case." Tony was beaming.

Langer's head snapped up. Wyn thought for half a moment that her boss had gone mad. "What?!" They said in near unison.

"I quit. Vance-a-lot up there won't give Ziva a job, so I'm outta here." He did a little thumbs over the shoulder thing, pointing toward the elevator.

"But, you love this job." Wyn wasn't exactly looking forward to her partner being her boss.

"Not with him as my boss. Besides, I love Ziva more than I'll ever love this job. Also, now we don't have to deal with Rule number 12."

Wyn looked at Langer, she hadn't learned all the infamous rules yet. "Rule number 12?"

"Never date a coworker." Langer looked back at his former boss. "Need a hand moving out, Tony?"

"Thanks, but Ziva's going to help me. Plus, I've got to email Probie, and Abby and," he cringed, "I've gotta tell Gibbs."

Ziva smiled at him. "You will be fine, Tony. Gibbs will not kill you through the phone."

"You sure?" he smiled, still uncertain about his former boss' abilities.

Ziva thought a moment. "Honestly? No, I don't doubt Gibbs could kill you through the phone, but I think he prefers to do it in person." She laughed as Tony cringed away from his phone.

"It can wait." Tony sighed, starting to pull his few personal items out of the desk.

"So, Tony, Ziva, what now? You're unemployed." Langer asked from his desk, opposite of Ziva's old one.

"I don't know, I'm sure we can find something." Tony shrugged.

"When the job's done, just walk away." Ziva said mostly to herself.

FIN

AN: Thanks for reading. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, subscribed, and/or favorited this. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside to have finished a multi-chap fict and even more so that people like it. I hope you like the ending.

It just felt right to have Vance be an ass and for Tony to quit. Truthfully, I don't know yet where they go from here, but there is a story in there about Langer and Wyn that maybe worth writing.

I'm almost done with another Torchwood One fict, so look for that coming to a website near you and you probably caught me seeding in another TV 'verse into the AU. Daniel, oh Daniel Jackson, you are awesome.

EDIT: If you haven't seen it on Helen's Profile yet. She has already started a sequel to this one that picks up the next day. It's really good.

Hope to be out with more soon, bye.

XERO SHANE