A/N: Okay so here's the chap you've all been waiting for. Hope I did okay :) Thank you again to everyone who reviewed and holy smokes I continue to be overwhelmed by the wonderful reviews and their amount. I can't help but smile when I read them so thanks for the smiles :) Not sure how many more chapters there'll be after this one, I'd imagine at least two or three more. The next chapter probably won't be up until Wednesday evening/night.
Anyways I hope you all enjoy and Just to be on the safe side ...*hides under the bed*
Tony heard the sound of the door slamming and the hurried footsteps approaching their location. He didn't have time to extract himself from Gibbs' comforting embrace before an angry voice sounded from the doorway.
"How dare you!" Tony turned his head so that his face left the safety of Gibbs' shoulder and as he looked at Ziva standing just a short distance away he realized that her words weren't directed at the older man or himself but she was addressing the both of them.
"What?" Tony asked in a confused tone as he really wasn't sure what she was talking about, and to be fair it had been her that lied to him about the proposal and all that and who had made him feel like shit for the past four months by parading her place in Gibbs' life right before his nose, so it should be him demanding an explanation from her not the other way around.
But he wasn't angry at her, he was more disappointed with himself for being such a idiot that he let her get to him like that.
"I cannot believe that you would throw yourself like that to a man who is involved with someone and that you Jethro would cheat on me with such a male slut!" She was pacing the length of the room as she once more waived her arms widely and the disgust was easy to hear in her tone.
Gibbs didn't want the conversation to go on any further, he knew he really wasn't willing to deal with Ziva right at the moment and god knew Tony wasn't up to handling the accusations the woman threw his way. The look in the younger man's face told him he had to put a stop to this. Now.
"Ziva." He tried to stop her tirade but she refused to be interrupted.
"And you did not answer your phone. That is one of your rules is it not? Never be unreachable, and you did not answer just because that little-"
"That's enough!" Gibbs barked as he stood up from his position on the couch and moved to stand in front of the angry Israeli woman, blocking her path and forcing her to stop the pacing so the two stood face to face by the living room doorway.
"You have no right to talk to me or to Tony like that. And you especially have no right after you told Tony I had proposed to you. I have tolerated your over flirty behavior at work and kept the reprimands between us and I have tolerated a lot more from you but I won't tolerate you lying and I will not let you walk into my house and insult me and my guest."
"So he is your guest?" She was shocked and pissed that Gibbs knew about the lie she'd told Tony but she was determined to turn this conversation into her favor. "I am your lover so does that not mean more than a mere guest?"
She almost smirked as she caught a glimpse of the shocked look in Tony's eyes. Oh yeah, she could salvage this.
"How about we kick the spare wheel out and I will show you how sorry I am about the misunderstanding about the proposal? I really did think you wanted to talk about marriage and I may have jumped the gun a bit." She pressed her body closer to his and licked her lips before moving so that their lips were almost touching.
Tony had been watching the events unfold but as it looked like Gibbs was swaying under Ziva's seduction, he decided to make himself scarce. He stood up and quickly tried to slip past the two people standing by the door way and he cringed as Ziva threw him a look of victory as he neared them.
He was almost out of the room when a hand on his arm stopped him with a firm grip.
"No." Gibbs stepped away from the attractive woman and pulled Tony to stand beside him.
"You knew full well what you were doing when you told Tony about our plans to get married. Now what the hell are you playing at?"
Gibbs stared at Ziva until he felt Tony wavering beside him. He looked at the younger man who had seemed to lost all his color during the little display Ziva had put and he was again looking as bad as he had before dinner.
"Tony, Are you okay?" He raised a hand to cup Tony's cheek and felt worried by the way he tiredly leaned into the touch as his body swayed.
"Lets get you lying down." He turned to guide Tony back to the couch but was stopped when Ziva grabbed Tony's arm.
"Stop your act Tony" She hissed angrily. "I will not fall for your little damsel in distress- act and neither will Jethro. You will not get him like this, I have worked too hard to get him for you to snatch him away from me."
Gibbs was angry at the woman for keeping Tony from getting of his feet and getting some rest. Couldn't she see how badly off he was?
Tony on the other hand looked shocked before understanding dawned.
"Is that what you rubbing my face into your relationship was about? Getting me to give up hope and maybe even leave so you could have him all to yourself? And the lie about the proposal was supposed to be the final thing that would get me packing?" He rubbed his forehead as he tried to wrap his mind around how far the woman was willing to go to have Gibbs to herself.
Jethro's eyes hardened as he realized what Tony was implying. Ziva was jealous? This was all because she thought Tony had feelings for him and that he might be a threat to their relationship. Gibbs was sure Ziva didn't know he had those kind of feelings for Tony and since Tony was as straight as they came he couldn't figure out where she'd gotten her ideas.
"I know how you feel- " Ziva started as she tightened her grip on Tony's arm enough to make the man wince, but her words were cut off by Tony's tired voice.
"You should also know Gibbs doesn't feel that way about me. " As if saying the words aloud had weighed Tony down, his exhausted body started to sag slightly, only keeping up because of the support lend by Gibbs.
Jethro made sure that the bruising grip Ziva had had on Tony's arm was gone before helping the younger man on the couch and getting him to lie down.
He ran a hand through Tony's hair before straightening and turning back to the woman looking angrily at them.
"So the lie was all about some misguided idea that you should be jealous?" Gibbs demanded from his soon to be ex-lover. He wanted to get to the bottom of the issue with Ziva so that she would leave and Tony could get some much needed rest.
"Misguided?" The sneer on Ziva's face made her beautiful featured turn twisted and Gibbs wondered how he ever fell even slightly for her.
"It is not a secret that Tony has the hots for you. Even Abby, McGee and Ducky know about his sick obsession with you and how he wants to bend over for you like the little whore he is."
That was the piece of the puzzle he had been missing. Tony had feelings for him and that's why everything Ziva did hit him so hard.
Gibbs' epiphany was short lived though as Ziva continued to spew hateful words and disgusting names at Tony.
"Even if that's true, why would you think he had any chance with me."
From the corner of his eye he saw the devastated look in Tony's eyes and he almost head slapped himself for the way that had came out.
"You do not remember do you?" Ziva said, the anger draining from her features, leaving her looking lost and even a bit hurt.
"Remember what?" Gibbs demanded, the situation was frustrating him and he hated that he felt like walking on a mine field where one wrong step would have devastating results.
"The first night we were together and we had sex. It was not my name on your lips that night, but Tony's" The last words were a mere whisper and Ziva closed her eyes as she remembered the sadness at hearing the name pass Gibbs' lips and the determination it had sparked to be the one who Jethro would choose.
Gibbs hung his head slightly, he had hoped she hadn't noticed his lapse in control and the whisper of Tony's name that had escaped him. Obviously he should have known better and maybe things wouldn't have gotten so out of hand.
Tony listened to the words in stunned silence. He was on an emotional roller coaster that seemed to be going on and on and never letting him off. First to think Gibbs doesn't even care about him and then having the older man practically confirm it and then throw in the fact that Gibbs had said his name in the heat of passion? How the hell was he supposed to interpret that?
Gibbs looked with fury in his eyes as he thought of how Ziva had manipulated him even when she knew he had feelings for Tony and that evidently Tony shared those feelings. The sadness in Ziva's eyes was almost enough to make some of the anger die down.
Almost.
"So you planned the announcement of our relationship, the flirting, the lies just for what- to get rid of competition?" He asked incredulously. "You wanted him to up and leave and you nearly killed him in the process!"
"Gibbs- " Tony tried to intervene from where he was now sitting on the edge of the couch, but Gibbs just waived him off.
"Have you seen what this is doing to him? He's so run down he fucking collapsed in the elevator today! It's a freaking miracle he hasn't gotten really sick. Or was that part of your little plan? Make him unable to continue as a field agent so we wouldn't be able to work together? "
Ziva looked stunned and for the first time she really took a look at Tony and upon seeing just how bad he looked she felt some remorse for her actions. It was like a switch had been turned and she realized how crazy she'd gotten in her battle for Gibbs' affection. Her face showed her how horrified she was at the idea that she might have ended up seriously hurting Tony, and as she looked at the Italian who was rubbing the arm she had grabbed she realized with a start that she really had hurt him. Physically and emotionally.
"I would not do that! I did not think- " She stuttered but her excuses were cut off short.
"Damn right you didn't." Jethro could see how shaken she was by the realization of how out of control she had gotten, but he wasn't going to let her off so easily.
"I want you to know that our relationship is officially over."
She nodded her head, resigned to her faith. "What about work, do I still have a place in the team?"
"Do you think you even want to keep working with me and Tony? What if we were to pursue our feelings for each other."
Tony looked sharply at Gibbs at the words, was he really suggesting that there was a possibility-
"I do not know." Ziva answered honestly as she looked at the older man.
Gibbs nodded at the confirmation of what he'd suspected. "I won't make any decisions yet, but no matter what happens there will be repercussions for your actions. This is about our personal life but it was you who brought all of this to the workplace so I your punishment will extend to your job and there will at least be a reprimand in your file for inappropriate office behavior.. You will have to earn back the trust you lost with your actions and I can assure you that will not be an easy task especially once Abby, Tim and Ducky finds out what you did to Tony. I also expect you to apologize to Tony for all the lies and for the way you hurt him with your actions and words. And God help me if I ever hear you call him a slut or anything like that again-"
He took a breath to calm himself. He wasn't really sure what he'd do if she ever said those things to Tony again, but seeing as he was willing to do just about anything to protect the young man that meant so much to him, it surely wouldn't be pretty.
Gibbs thought for a minute before he came to a decision. "I expect you and McGee to go to work tomorrow and interrogate the man he and Tony brought from Baltimore today. Then I want you to write your reports. DiNozzo will be taking the day off as sick leave and I'll stay home to make sure he rests. Since it's Friday tomorrow and we're not on call this weekend, I don't want to see you before Monday when we will discuss your future in my team."
Ziva nodded again and tried to hide the emotions in her dark eyes. She looked at Gibbs before turning her attention to Tony and making her way over to him.
"I am sorry for what I said to you and for what I have put you through. I do not know what went over me but I know that is not an excuse. All I can say is that I am sorry." She had really thought about it when Gibbs had asked if she wanted to work with them anymore and she realized how bad it really must have been for Tony to have her rub his face daily into the fact that Gibbs was with someone else. She had been blinded by her jealousy and treated the whole thing like a game, not really thinking of how this all would affect Tony.
She turned to walk away now that she'd said her piece even if she knew that it wouldn't be enough and there was a lot more she needed to say and do to make it up to them.
"Came" The quiet voice stopped her and she turned to look at Tony who was still sitting on the sofa but now had Gibbs' hand on his shoulder for support, emotional or physical, she wasn't sure.
"What?" She looked confused by the response from Tony.
"It's what came over you, not went. And I think I might know at least some of it." There was a sad little smile on the Italian's lips, but Ziva knew that this was Tony's way of telling her that even if she wasn't forgiven, there was hope for it in the future.
She nodded her head once more before leaving the house without looking back. Once she was sitting in her car and there was no one to see her she let herself shed a tear for everything she might have lost because of her irrational jealousy and madness. She wiped away the lone tear before starting the car.
Her eyes glistened with unshed tears but she didn't let them fall. They could wait until she got home.
TBC...
*Peeks from under the bed* sooo, Okay? :D