A/N Thank you to everyone one who has reviewed. I've tried to respond to everyone; but, if I missed you, I'm sorry. It wasn't intentional. I really, really, really hadn't intended for this become Tiva. And, the focus of the story will still be on the relationship between Gibbs and Ziva. But, Tony seemed like the best choice for a serious boyfriend for Ziva in the context of this story. Having said that, I hope everyone enjoys it.

Disclaimer They aren't mine and I don't make anything off of this.

Jethro put his coffee mug down on his kitchen table and picked up the sports section of the morning paper. It was a rare weekend off for his team. In no hurry, he was enjoying a luxury he wasn't often able to indulge in on his workdays.

He looked up at the opening of his front door. Expecting to see Ziva, he was startled to see DiNozzo enter. This was certainly a surprise. The two agents had planned to meet later in the morning for batting practice. Jethro noticed Tony looked uncomfortable and nervous.

Tony pulled out a chair and sat opposite Gibbs. The senior field agent had received a two word text message from Ziva this morning. All she had written was "He knows." Tony had experience a moment of panic. Heading to Mexico had briefly crossed his mind.

Then Tony had decided he might as well get the confrontation over and done. During the drive to his boss's house, he had almost changed his mind several times. Then he would remind himself that apparently Ziva had already had this conversation. He felt he had no choice but face Gibbs like a man.

Gibbs had returned to his newspaper. After several minutes, Tony broke the silence, "Morning, Boss."

"Morning," Jethro replied without taking his eyes off of the paper.

Tony rubbed at a scratch on the table top. He shuffled his feet and fidgeted in his chair. Finally, he just blurted out, "Am I fired, Boss?"

Jethro lowered the paper and looked at the younger man over the top of his glasses. "No," he answered.

Jethro had spent most of the night thinking about his agents. He knew better than most the potential for disaster that existed in this situation. Either one of them could cause serious, even irreparable, emotional damage to the other. Jethro had come to the conclusion it might be too late to stop this; but, he had to make sure Tony understood his position.

Tony looked down and asked softly, "Are you going to kick my ass?"

Jethro folded the paper and put it to the side. He pulled off his glasses and laid them on top of the paper. "That depends," he replied.

Tony looked at him and took a deep breath. "Depends on what, Boss?"

Gibbs picked up his coffee cup. "On your intentions."

"My intentions, Boss?" Tony thought it would be best if he let Gibbs clarify what he meant.

Gibbs was more than happy to provide that clarity. "If this is just one of your frat boy flings, I will kick your ass. If you are just trying to satisfy your curiosity, I will kick your ass."

For once in his life, Tony wisely chose to keep his mouth shut and just listen. He had known Gibbs wouldn't pull any punches. And, because of the relationship Gibbs shared with Ziva, Tony respected Gibbs' right to have his say.

"DiNozzo, you better be damned sure this is what you want. You better be prepared to take this seriously. I won't stand by and watch you treat her the way you treat the bimbos you usually date."

"Boss…" Tony attempted to protest, but Gibbs cut him off.

"I'm not finished, DiNozzo." Gibbs waited until Tony settled back down and he had the younger man's full attention. "You will treat her with respect. You will keep this out of the office. She's not one of your conquests you get to brag about to McGee and Palmer. If you can't do that, then drop it now. If you aren't serious about a real relationship with her, then don't go any further with this. If you're just playing your usual games, then stop. You have no idea how much you could hurt her. I won't stand by and let that happen. And, I won't have the team disrupted or maybe even destroyed, just because you've decided you want to see if you can get into your partner's pants. Do you understand me?"

Jethro sat back and watched a range of emotions cross Tony's face. As for Tony, he felt shell shocked by Gibbs' assessment of him. The younger man was hurt that Gibbs seemed to think so little of him. He was angry that his boss would automatically assume he only wanted to get Ziva into bed and nothing more. And, he was disappointed that even Gibbs hadn't notice how much he had changed since the whole debacle with Jeanne.

Tony faced Gibbs and asked quietly, "Can I say something now?"

When Gibbs nodded his permission, Tony took a deep breath, "First, I would never do anything to intentionally hurt Ziva. I think I've already proved that I'm willing to die for her. Second, this is not a game. I've known how I feel about her for a long time. Why do you think I was so pissed when she was seeing Rivkin? I was jealous, Boss."

Tony paused and Gibbs could see how much the younger man was struggling to control his emotions. Gibbs did not expect what he heard next.

"When we thought Ziva was dead, I wanted to die, too. I blamed myself. If I hadn't killed Rivkin, she wouldn't have been on that ship. And, everything she went through in Somalia was my fault, too. It still hurts when I think about what she went through because of me." Tony blinked away tears he refused to shed in front of Gibbs. "I've given her time to heal. Now, I'm going to fight for what I want. If that means I have to quit NCIS, then so be it. We aren't you and Jenny, Boss. We can make this work."

Gibbs had to admire Tony's guts. He hadn't been sure the younger agent would stand up to him or for himself. He had seen how much Tony had matured over the past few years. Apparently, his senior field agent had also grown a cast iron pair of cojones.

Jethro got up to refill his coffee mug. He filled a second mug for Tony. After he settled back at the table, the two men sat in silence for a few minutes. Gibbs was trying to decide just how much of his past he was willing to share. Tony was regretting bringing up Jenny.

Finally, Jethro had to admit, "You're right, Tony. You aren't me and Ziva definitely isn't Jenny. I still think it's a mistake for partners to get involved. But, like I told Ziva, I can't stop you. And, I don't want to lose either one of you. If either of you let this interfere with your jobs, you will see just what a bastard I can be."

Jethro paused for a few seconds and then said quietly, "All I ask is that you take it slowly. She's not ready for fast. You understand what I'm saying, DiNozzo?"

Tony could feel himself blushing. He looked down at the table and nodded, "Yeah, I got it, Boss."

Jethro stood up, "Good. Now, get out of here. I'll see you at 1000."

"We're still going for batting practice?" Tony was surprised. He had been afraid he had destroyed his own personal relationship with Gibbs.

"One thing's got nothing to do with the other, Tony. Not yet anyway."

Tony headed for the door. He definitely felt better than he had when he arrived. He knew this wasn't over. He and Gibbs still had a lot of ground to cover; but, this had been a start.

As he opened the door, the brash young agent smiled over his shoulder, "Do you mind if I leave my car in your driveway for a few minutes, Boss?"

"Don't push me, DiNozzo," was the growled reply.

Jethro heard, "Moving the car, Boss," as the front door closed.

As he headed to the kitchen, Jethro shook his head and muttered to himself, "Why didn't I stay retired?"

NCISNCISNCISNCIS

Ziva answered the door seconds after the bell rang. When she had returned from her morning run, she had seen Tony's car in Gibbs' drive way. She had hoped he would stop by her house. The young woman stepped onto the front porch and pretended to surveyed her partner for damage.

"I do not see any blood. It must not have been too bad," she teased him.

"Good morning to you, too, Agent David. And, actually, it was worse than I expected," Tony leaned against railing.

Ziva sobered immediately, "I am sorry, Tony. What did he say?"

"Apparently, he's not too impressed with my past dating habits. He's afraid I'm just trying to add another notch on my bedpost." Tony tried and failed to not sound bitter.

"And, is that what you are looking for, Tony?" Ziva knew it wasn't; but, she wanted to hear him say it.

"Hell, no, Ziva! Do you think I would risk losing my job, Gibbs' respect, and your friendship if that's all I wanted?" Tony was outraged that she could even suggest such a thing.

Ziva only smiled, "Then do not worry. You will change his opinion."

Tony narrowed his eyes, "You are very sneaky, Agent David."

"Yes. But, it got you to quit feeling sorry for yourself," Ziva stepped closer to him.

Before he could kiss her, they heard Gibbs yell, "Hey, DiNozzo! You want to ride with me?"

Tony straightened and gave her a rueful smile, "He isn't going to make this easy, is he?"

Ziva patted his arm. "No. But it is only because he cares about both of us. Now, go. It would not be wise to keep him waiting."

As Tony retrieved his baseball gear from his car, Ziva waved at Gibbs. She just hoped they would play nicely. And, that Gibbs would bring Tony back in one piece. A baseball bat would make a very effective blunt object.