A/N This chapter took longer to write than I expected. Gibbs wouldn't cooperate. Then I realized it was my fault. I wasn't letting him be himself. I hope everyone likes it.

Disclaimer Do I really have to do this for every chapter? You all know they're not mine and I'm still not making any money from them.

Jethro held open the door and waited for Liz to enter the restaurant. He placed a hand in the small of her back as he ushered her to the maître' de. As they followed the rather uptight looking young man with a pretentious, French accent, Jethro took a deep breath and tried to calm his nerves. He would have definitely been more comfortable doing this in his worn out jeans and a t-shirt at his favorite steak house.

Once they were seated and the waiter had taken their drink orders, Jethro sat back and tried to relax. Liz was, in his opinion, absolutely gorgeous. She had worn a simple black dress that hugged all of her curves. She had worn her shoulder length hair lose, the way she knew he liked it. Jethro smiled at something Liz said and hoped he didn't look like he was about to throw up.

Liz leaned forward and placed her hand over Jethro's right hand. "Jethro, is everything all right? You've been quiet ever since you picked me up."

Jethro turned his hand over and clasped hers. "I'm fine. I've just had a lot on my mind."

"Is everything okay at work?" She asked.

"Work is fine," he answered.

Liz waited until the waiter placed their wine glasses on the table. That was unusual enough to tip Liz off to the fact that something was bothering her date. She had seen him drink beer and the occasional shot of bourbon. Leroy Jethro Gibbs did not drink wine.

"Is anything wrong with Ziva or Tony?" Liz was determined to not give up until Jethro told her what was on his mind.

Jethro took a sip of the Chardonnay before he responded. "No, they're fine."

Liz studied his stiff posture and furtive glances around their elegant surroundings. It didn't take a trained profiler or a forensic psychologist to tell he was nervous.

"Jethro, you've given me three 'fines' in less than two minutes." Liz stated. "Please tell me what's bothering you."

Jethro looked at Liz and saw how concerned she was. He could see she was worried about him. He felt a twinge of guilt. He wanted tonight to be perfect and he was messing up big time. Then a thought struck him. Jethro had once told Ziva that Liz loved him for who he was, not for who she thought she could change him into. In trying to make the night perfect, Jethro had tried to change himself. This stuffy French restaurant definitely wasn't him.

Jethro made a decision. He squeezed her hand. "Can we get out of here?"

Liz smiled. "Of course."

He threw a few bills on the table and then led Liz past the shocked maître' de. As they waited for the valet to retrieve the Charger, Jethro had to think fast. He just hoped he hadn't completely screwed up his chances. Then inspiration struck. Liz and Ziva had watched an old movie about a guy who had proposed on top of the Eiffel Tower. By the end of the movie, both women were weepy. He had never seen Ziva act so girlie. His new idea was perfect.

When they were back in the car and on their way, Jethro reached over and took Liz's hand. "I promise I'm not completely nuts. Give me a little time, okay?"

Liz turned in her seat so she could watch Jethro drive. She had no idea what was going through his head. For him, his behavior tonight had been a bit bizarre. Liz squeezed his hand. Ducky had advised she go with the flow when Jethro got into one of his moods. She figured that without more information, that was sound advice in this situation.

Jethro pulled over and parked in the lot closest to the Washington Monument. Tightened security since 9/11 made parking close to the monuments impossible. Jethro opened the door and waited for Liz to slide from the antique sports car. He took her hand and led her towards the visitor center.

"Jethro…" Liz started before Jethro stopped her.

"Give me just a few more minutes. Please?" Jethro asked without slowing down.

Jethro knew getting to the top without tickets would be difficult but not impossible. He released Liz's hand and approached one of park guides. He pulled his badge from his jacket and showed it to the guide.

"Agent Gibbs, NCIS." Jethro nodded towards Liz. "We need to go to the top." Jethro used his most authoritative, lead agent voice.

Even though he had no idea what was going on, the guide was eager to cooperate with a federal agent. "Of course, please come with me."

The young man led Jethro and Liz through the visitor center and to the elevator. Liz followed Jethro and the guide. She tried to look like she had a reason to accompany a federal agent. She just hoped no one thought that reason was because she was a criminal.

Liz stood next to Jethro in the elevator. She refrained from touching him or talking to him. Jethro tried not to smile. He could tell Liz was confused. He just hoped his idea would work.

The elevator reached the top and the couple moved to the observation platform. Jethro reassured the park guide that he didn't need assistance. When they were alone, Jethro took her hand and led her to one of the windows. He hoped she couldn't tell how much his hands were shaking.

Liz looked out at the lights of the city. She had never been up here after dark. The sight was magical.

"It's beautiful," she sighed.

"Yes, it is." Jethro answered. Liz turned and found Jethro was looking at her, not the view. He smiled. "I had a whole speech planned. I had thought this all out. I wanted to impress you with how suave I could be. Then, in the restaurant, I realized I just needed to be myself."

Jethro continued to hold Liz's hand as he bent down on one knee. Liz's other hand flew up to cover her mouth as she realized what was happening. Jethro pulled a small, velvet box from his jacket.

"Elizabeth Dixon, will you marry me?" Jethro asked softly.

Liz was too shocked to speak. She could only blink back tears and nod her head.

"Was that a yes?" Jethro smiled.

When Liz was finally able to whisper, "Yes, Jethro, I will marry you," Jethro removed the ring from the box slipped it on her finger. He rose and pulled her to him for one toe-curling kiss. When the applause of the tourists on the observation platform registered, Jethro broke the kiss and smiled at Liz.

"I think we just became the highlight of the tour." Liz couldn't stop a giggle.

"Can we go eat now?" Jethro asked with a laugh. "I'm starving. I was too nervous to eat today."

Liz slipped an arm around Jethro's waist. "By all means. You'll need your strength later."

They rode down the elevator holding hands. Liz took a better look at her engagement ring. It had a platinum band. One half carat diamond was flanked by two smaller diamonds on each side. Liz knew she was grinning like a loon and she didn't care. She looked up into those twinkling, blue eyes and felt herself melt.

It was no surprise when Jethro drove them to their favorite Chinese restaurant. He parked the car and took a moment to thoroughly kiss his new fiancé. When his stomach growled rather rudely, they broke apart.

Liz laughed. "You weren't kidding were you, Jethro. Come on. Let's get you fed."

The hostess greeted them and showed them to their usual table. The waiter didn't waste time asking what they wanted. He brought Liz her usual hot tea and Jethro a beer. A second waiter brought bowls of hot and sour soup for each of them. Jethro had made it through half his soup before he even slowed down. He looked up to find a smiling Liz watching him. He could feel his cheeks grow hot.

"Sorry. All I've had today is about a gallon of coffee," Jethro apologized.

Liz patted his arm. "That's quite all right, Jethro. But, I wish you would take better care of yourself. I expect to have you around for a long time. I expect to celebrate our fiftieth anniversary."

Jethro smiled. "I can't promise to make it to a hundred, but I'll try."

Liz returned his smile. "I'll hold you to that, Agent Gibbs. I have to know where you got the idea to propose at the top of the Washington Monument."

Jethro felt himself blush again. "DiNozzo must be rubbing off on me. I got the idea from that movie you and Ziva watched. I couldn't take you to the Eiffel Tower. I figured that could be our version of Paris."

"Jethro, that was the most suave, romantic thing anyone has ever done for me." Liz leaned forward and kissed him lightly.

They both sat back as the waiter delivered their usual orders. The owner stopped by to chat and check on her favorite customers. Gibbs had been a regular for years. Ms. Wen had been elated when Jethro started bringing his new lady friend in for dinner. After a few minutes of small talk, Ms. Wen moved on to another couple.

"We don't have to start making plans tonight." Jethro paused and considered his next question. "I just have to know. Would you be okay if we live in my house?"

Liz placed her shop sticks on her plate and took a sip of her tea. "You don't want to leave Ziva," she stated.

Jethro toyed with his noodles. "No. I don't, Liz. I told you about her background. I can't abandon her. And, that's how she would feel if I moved. Tony would be fine. He's my loyal St. Bernard. He'd follow me no matter where I went. But, Ziva would feel like I was leaving her behind."

Liz covered his hand with hers. "I understand how you feel about them, Jethro. I've seen how wonderful you are with both of them. And, I understand how much Ziva needs you. I would never ask you to choose between Ziva and me. I assume you told them you planned to propose tonight."

Jethro laughed. "Oh, yeah. I told them. I'm surprised Ziva hasn't called yet to find out your answer."

Liz pulled her iPhone from her bag. She quickly typed in a message. When Jethro raised an eyebrow and looked at her questioningly, Liz said, "We wouldn't want to keep her in suspense. I hope you don't mind."

"No, I don't mind." Jethro shot her that devastatingly, sexy smile. "But, we're going back to your house tonight. She knows how to pick locks. There's no way we would keep them out of my house tonight."

NCISNCISNCISNCIS

Ziva laid with her head on Tony's shoulder. She was idly running her fingers through the hair on his chest. Tony was doing the same thing with the long curls that spilled over his arm. The night breeze moved the curtains. Neither one was in any hurry to leave her bedroom. When Ziva's cell phone chirped, she reached across Tony and retrieved it from the nightstand.

"Don't answer it," Tony told her. "It might be work."

"It is a text message." Ziva sat up. "It is from Liz."

Tony sat up beside her and watched as she opened the message. It was three simple words. "I said yes."

"Way to go, Boss," Tony smiled and hugged his partner.

Ziva typed back, "Welcome to the family," and then returned Tony's hug.

"So, you're going to be okay with this, right?" Tony asked her.

"Yes, Tony. I am happy for Gibbs. And, I think Liz and I can become good friends." Ziva put the cell phone back on the nightstand.

"Now that we have that settled, can we get back to our evening?" Tony ran a hand up and down the soft skin on Ziva's back.

"What did you have in mind, Tony?" Ziva purred in that sultry voice that always turned Tony on instantly.

"We could go downstairs and watch television." Tony's grin was wicked.

"I do not think so, Agent DiNozzo." Ziva pushed him back down to the mattress and lay on top of him. "We can think of something more interesting to do with our time."

"Why, Agent David. Are you trying to take advantage of me?" Tony placed light kisses along her shoulder.

"Yes, I am. Do you have a problem with that?" Ziva whispered as she placed kisses just under his jaw.

"Absolutely." Tony quickly flipped them so that he was on top. "I plan to take advantage of you."

"Well, if you must," was the last coherent sentence Ziva managed to speak for a very long time.