A/N So... It's a week and a bit later than I promised. And I'm very, very sorry. But rather than bore you with my endless excuses as to why this wasn't up earlier, I'll just get right to it, you've waited long enough. Short-ish chapter, because the next one will definitely be longer. If I don't get another one up by Sunday/ Monday, don't expect one for a week or so seeing as I'm off round the country for a few days and even if I worked on it there, I'd have no internet, and my beta's on holiday so she couldn't do it for me. Again, sorry for all of that, and for rambling on yet again. Anywho, this one's from Gibbs' POV, please review so I can actually see if the whole 'me writing from Gibbs' POV' actually worked or not (if it fails, I promise never to do it again). Thanks for any reviews/ alerts for the last one, and hopefully you'll enjoy this one :)

Chapter 12- The Basement Visit

Ever since Tony and Ziva had gotten back, things had been too quiet.

They can sort out their relationship problems outside of work.

But, seriously, do they have no respect for rule 12?

I made it for a reason.

But if there's ever gunna be an exception it'd probably be them.

Or Abbs and McGee.

I don't even care, why am I so bothered about this?

That's obvious.

They're family.

Family that I'm pissed at.

But family just the same.

And how did they come back from a 3 hour visit with nothing?

Nothing but an appointment?

I looked at the clock, it was getting on for ten thirty, and still we were getting nowhere.

Well, they ain't gonna get anywhere without some sleep.

"Go home," I said to them all, standing up from my desk and picking up my coffee.

"You sure, boss?" McGee asked, hesitantly.

"Yeah I'm sure, now get outta here, before I change my mind and make you stay all night," I said, heading over to the elevator.

It's not as if I didn't stuff to do outside of this place aswell.

I had a bottle of scotch waiting for me.

I jumped into my car out front and began the short drive back home.

It was made even shorter by the lateness of the hour.

That could only be a good thing.

I pulled up onto the driveway and locked up the car.

I walked straight into the house without having to pull out any keys.

Anybody who knows me knows that I never lock the door.

I carried on straight down to the basement.

The tension in the office had only built up and up as the day wore on and as much as I tried to be resilient, it was getting to me.

I had to get home.

To the basement.

It was the only safe place for me to go right now.

I walked over to the dusty bottle of bourbon that hadn't been touched in a while.

Probably because I hadn't felt like this in a while.

I poured it into a mug and downed it.

I walked over to the huge slab of wood residing in the centre of the floor and began to sand the edges of the piece I'd cut off the night before.

Manually, of course.

It wasn't until then that the dark figure brooding under the stairs, finally spoke.

"I don't know what I did wrong, boss. I love her. But she just acted like everything she said last night was a lie. It wasn't. I know that it wasn't. I saw her. I heard her. You can't fake that. Can you?"

"The two of you have something special DiNozzo. Something that nobody could ever fake."

"Well then why did she say that?" He started off quietly.

"Say what?"

"That it was all heat of the moment. Why would she say that?" He shouted. "Why? I just don't get it," his voice shrunk to barely more than a whisper, and he seemed to shrink back against the wall.

I paused for a minute before answering. "The stuff she said today, that was the heat of the moment. The lie."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that. You didn't see her! You didn't hear her!" Once again, he resorted to shouting.

"Yeah, but I know Ziva, you know Ziva. We both know what she's like. She refuses to get in too deep with anything. She won't let herself get attached. She's too scared to get hurt again."

"She should know I'm not gunna hurt her, I never have!" He yelled at me.

"I know you haven't, but other people have." I tried to remain calm, for his sake, more than mine.

"What am I supposed to do?" He said, slowly and quietly.

"Talk to her," I said simply.

"She won't listen to me. She rarely does," he said.

God, did he always have to have an issue with everything I said?

Of course he did, he was DiNozzo.

At that point, I heard a door shut quietly somewhere upstairs.

I obviously wasn't the only one.

Tony looked up towards the stairs and skulked backwards towards the wall.

The slim Israeli stood at the top of the stairs, hesitating.

After a minute of two of silence, she finally took a few steps down the stairs and sat.

"I messed it up, Gibbs," Ziva said, quietly.

"Nah, Zi, you didn't," I said softly.

"No Gibbs. I have. I lied. He will not forgive me," she looked down.

Tony shuffled out of the shadows a little.

"You lied?" He said, looking hurt.

"Tony," she said, shocked, "I did not notice you there. Gibbs, I will leave now," she said, standing up to leave.

"No, no you won't," I said, sprinting up the stairs to pass her. "You two, you need to sort this out," I said, steeping out and shutting the door. I pulled the key out of my pocket and locked the door.

Oh shit.

Hopefully David won't kill DiNozzo.

Or hurt my basement.