Chapter Two

Ziva walked into the bullpen setting the file Vance had handed her on her desk. She sat down and stared at the folder un-aware of Tony and McGee's eyes on her.

"Ziva?" McGee said after a long moment of them watching Ziva.

Ziva's head popped up and she looked at them. It was almost as if she was dazed. Like she didn't understand where she was.

"Are you okay?" McGee noticed her look and was obviously concerned for his co-worker and friend.

"What?" Ziva still looked confused. She saw Tony staring at her, a worried and confused expression on his face. "Yes. Of course I am fine McGee. Why wouldn't I be?"

"Because your acting strange." McGee said. He was trying to figure out what was wrong without prying.

"Oh. I am?" Ziva said softly.

"Cut the crap Ziva. What's going on? Why did Vance and Gibbs want you in the office?" Tony said frustrated Ziva was avoiding what McGee was hinting at and how long McGee was taking.

Ziva looked at Tony trying to decide if she should ignore Gibbs and tell him anyways, "just about something I did wrong." She finally decided to say.

"What did you do wrong?" McGee looked confused now. Ziva never did anything wrong. If she did it was a tiny mistake and she fixed it.

"I contaminated some evidence." Ziva lied. She hated lying to McGee. Especially after how quick he had become her friend when she joined NCIS. She remembered that so easily.

"How?" McGee asked. He wanted to know what exactly Ziva had done wrong so he would know.

"My glove had a hold in hit when I grabbed it." Ziva shrugged hoping McGee would stop asking.

"Oh," McGee went back to work. All his curiosity gone.

"Then what's this?" While McGee and Ziva had been talking Tony took the chance to walk over. He was about to grab the file Vance had given her.

Ziva grabbed it out of his fingers. "Mine. Do you want me looking through your personal items?"

Tony grinned mischievously. "I might. Now answer me, what is it?"

"I told you it is mine. Get to work Tony." Ziva stood, set the folder on her seat and sat on it. She smirked at Tony.

Tony gave her a glare for a moment. "I will find out." He walked to his desk and went to work.

Ziva sighed. Sadly you will. She looked at him, "Tony."

Tony looked at her, "yeah?"

"Can we do our movie night tonight? I won't be able to make it next Tuesday." Ziva wanted to be able to have something happy to remind her of Tony before she left.

"Yeah sure. Why won't you make it though?"

"Uh, my father is coming and he's bringing my mother along. Their only going to be here that Tuesday." All these lies were going to be revealed anyways on Friday. So it didn't really matter. So why did Ziva hurt having to tell them all those lies?

"Oh. Okay." Tony nodded. "Yeah we'll have it tonight." He smiled at her then went to work.

Ziva tried to smile. "That's great." She looked down and started working.

Gibbs was standing at the top of the stairs. He had watched the exchange between the three agents. Now he definitely hated Vance for making him agree to sending Ziva to Iraq for the case. It wasn't fair. Anyone else could do it to. He could send Tony and Ziva both. That way if any harm came to either one's way the other one could help protect them. It wasn't fair.

Deep down, Gibbs had a feeling in his gut, it wasn't going to end well.

Ziva had to blink a few times to hide the few tears that kept wanting to fall. She swore in Hebrew under her breath. No matter how hard it was going to be she wasn't going to cry. She couldn't. The team was Ziva's family. They'd be there when she got back. She'd have to come back just for that reason alone. She would come back to. But those were all just Ziva's hopes and what she truly wished would happen.