Chapter 7 – My Lips are Closed

She was back. She was in America- in DC. Ziva couldn't take the smile off her face as she stood in the lift on her way back to the bullpen. The doors dinged Ziva put her head down and was able to control her excitement. She just wanted to run forward into Tony's arms but knew she couldn't, after all, Gibbs would be right there.

"Oh, hi." Said a voice, Ziva stopped and looked up to see Agent Lee.

"Michelle, hi."

"There she is!" Called Abby's voice, "Ziva!"

Ziva looked at Agent Lee, and there was a small silence. "Welcome back."

Ziva nodded, "It's good to be back." Understatement of the century! Thought Ziva, before walking over to the team.

"You're back, you're back! Yay!" Ziva welcomed Abby's hug gladly.

Ziva then walked to Gibbs and hugged him to. "Shalom, Papa." She whispered to him.

She pulled away and looked around. Something was wrong.

Where was Tony?

Ziva pulled the cardboard cup of tea from her mouth slowly. She stared at Tony's empty desk.

The rhythmic tapping of McGee's pencil against his coffee echoed. He turned his head and looked at Tony's desk as well. He stoped tabooing and shook his head.

"Nice morning." He looked at Ziva.

"Beautiful morning." Agreed Ziva.

"How's uhh, how's your tea?"

"Fine. And your coffee?"

"It's good. Good coffee."

Ziva tapped her pencil against her lip. "Quiet day, huh?"

"Yea, quiet week."

"We got a call from DiNozzo." Gibbs had walked into the room.

"Tony?" Said Ziva, just a little too quickly.

"It's gonna be tough." Said McGee as he and Ziva walked up the front drive of their supposed victim's wife.

"You think it's hard for us? Imagine what it feels like to be him."

"Who him?"

"Tony! We're all here, and he's still stuck on that ship."

"Not Tony, I meant-" But McGee's explanation was cut off.

"Completely alone, away from all those who care about him." Continued Ziva, oblivious of McGee's strange looks.

"Wait." She said, "You weren't talking about Tony?"

"No, I meant it's gonna be tough, telling Wendy Evans her husband is missing."

Ziva tried to hide her blush.

Gibbs, McGee, and Ziva walked into the bullpen to find Abby at Tony's desk with a box.

"Need something Abs?" Asked Gibbs

"Nope. I'm just prepping Tony's desk for his big return."

"Do you know something we don't?" Asked Ziva, almost hopefully.

"I just know he's coming back. I don't know how, I don't know when, but I do know, he's coming back." She shoved his Mighty Mouse stapler in Gibbs' face.

Later that day Gibbs and Ziva were looking over McGee's shoulder at the computer screen.

"I'm gonna talk to DiNozzo on the Seahawk." Said Gibbs, and as he walked away Abby came up behind him.

"Tony? When? Now? Can I talk to him? Please Gibbs; I just wanna tell him that Sister Rosetta pulled a two-sixty last month, and I finally ta-"

"Abby." Interrupted Gibbs, "It's not a social call."

Ziva followed Gibbs very closely, he turned and she almost walked into him.

"Ziva."

"You want me to join you?" Asked Ziva, avoiding his eyes. When he walked away Abby took Ziva's hand a squeezed it comfortingly.

It was the next day and Tony was at the counter of a café, holding the phone to his ear, listening to it ring.

"Agent Gibbs' desk." Said the voice of McGee.

"McGee?"

"Tony. Back on dry land?"

"Yea, it's a tropical paradise really. Just like The Blue Lagoon, except no white sand beaches, magical waterfalls, and definitely no Brooke Shields."

"I've got some good news for you."

"You're coming to relieve me?"

"No. But Director Shepard sent-"

"Tequila? 'Cause I'm gonna need at least a case, to get through the next three months…" He ranted on unaware that Jenny had walked up to McGee and put the phone on loud speaker. "…and everyone hates me."

"Agent DiNozzo." Said Jenny,

"Oh, hey Jen."

"Director Shepard." Corrected Jenny, "How's life afloat."

"Peachy, when am I coming home Director?"

"Your time afloat doesn't cease for another three months, Agent DiNozzo, after that, we'll see."

"Ok. How're the others?"

"Gibbs and Ziva flew out last night."

"To Cartagena?"

"Yeah, Tony. That's what I was trying to tell you before."

"Well when do they get here?"

"Already have?" Said the familiar voice of Gibbs. Tony turned around and had to resist the urge to run to Ziva. A smile spread on his face.

"Nice tan." Smiled Ziva, eyeing him up and down.

"So, let me guess. You guys caught a bad case of DiNozzoitis, had Jen to send you down south." Tony, Ziva, and Gibbs were walking into a morgue where there vic was.

"DiNozzoitis? Sounds venereal." So I have a diagnosis then, Thought Ziva, DiNozzoitis.

"Okay, don't admit it. I know you missed me. I missed you, boss."

"Yeah, I know, DiNozzo." Murmured Gibbs, as he answered his ringing cell phone, "Yeah, Gibbs." He walked away.

Tony looked at Ziva and she looked at him.

God he wanted nothing more then to walk her into that wall and kiss her.

"What?" He asked, as she stared at his face.

"You seem, uh... different."

"Taller? Hotter?"

Hotter, "Older"

"Well, it's been over four months." He defended. He looked into her eyes, and dared to put his hand on her hips.

She didn't push away, but she didn't move either.

Ziva squeezed back a shiver at his touch. She knew if she moved she'd loose self control and kiss him right there in front of Gibbs.

"I miss you, Tony." She whispered pain in her eyes.

"God, Ziva, I missed you so much." He raised a hand to tuck some hair behind her ear.

"You could've called and she walked out of his grip just as Gibbs turned around, having finished his phone call.

"COD's on the way from the Seahawk. You got an hour, DiNozzo."

"Okay. Listen, I was thinking maybe we should let Ziva handle the coroner… I got a hunch."

Tony watched as Ziva flirted with the old M.E. and grimaced slightly.

"Got a hunch, huh?" Asked Gibbs, after eyeing the big poster of a woman (that surprisingly looked a lot like Ziva) on the wall.

"The powers of observation."

Tony, Ziva, Gibbs, and the Captain of the USS Seahawk were in Tony's quarters.

"This is where you have been the last month?" Asked Ziva.

"Yeah, it's just like the squad room, only I'm the squad and there's no room."

"Captain, we need to talk to the officer of the deck who let Lieutenant Evans' killer on board." Said Gibbs.

"Whatever you need."

"Officer of the deck cannot be the only sailor who has had contact." Ziva pointed out.

"She's not. Lieutenant Jonah Kaplan works in the communications room where Bizarro Evans clocked in for an hour."

"Talk to him." Ordered Gibbs.

"I already did, boss… I'll talk to him again."

Tony and Ziva went to leave when Ziva noticed a cork board by the door.

"What are those doing on your wall?" She asked, indicated the three pictures of her in her bikini, the ones Tony took when they were in LA.

"How did those get there?" Tony chuckled, before opening the door and walking into the cramp hall space.

"McGee was specifically told to destroy those photos."

"I guess he forgot."

"Then perhaps I should remind him." Ziva crossed her arms and looked at Tony.

"Go easy on the lad. He's had a rough summer."

"Well, we all have."

"Well, I think it was especially difficult for McGeek. He doesn't handle
change well. Never has."

"He seems fine."

"Please. Cooped up in that techno basement for four months? You know how much he loves pounding the pavement, working leads, interrogating."

"McGee?" Asked Ziva laughing.

"Yeah, not to mention Gibbs, Duckster, you and me, Abs. I mean, everyone knows how close those two are."

"McGee was in the sub-basement, Tony. They had lunch every week."

"It's not the same. You get used to seeing someone every day, talking to them, relying on them, and suddenly they're not there." Said Tony, hoping she'd get what he really meant.

"It's all part of the job."

They were walking closer then strictly necessary but neither moved back.

"Excuse me." Said Tony as they passed someone. He looked down at Ziva and took her hand. "Doesn't make things easier… for McGee." He added as he dropped her hand.

"I hate it when you don't know what we're looking for, but it might kill you if you find it." Said Tony as he and Ziva searched Kaplin's bunk.

"Morphine." Said Ziva as Tony held out a small bottle and a syringe

"Kaplan's the only one who can identify Lieutenant Evans' killer."

"And he overdoses." Added Ziva.

"Hell of a co-inkidink."

"What's a co-inkidink?" Asked Ziva, confused

"Coincidence."

"You believe this is a dowinkyquink?"

"Sarcasm, Ziva. You're back in America. Flip the switch.

"Technically, we are not-" But she is cut off by Tony,

"American ship, American soil… Oh, American soil."

"Enough already. You have three more months. What's the big deal?" Please say me, please say me, please say me. Thinks Ziva.

"Easy for you to say." Says Tony

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're back in D.C. which is what you wanted… Isn't it?"

Silence.

"You get orders, Tony. You may not like them, but you follow them… That's why they're called orders."

"That's not what I asked… Something happened in Israel, didn't it?... You'll say you don't want to talk about it, but your eyes won't shut up… Something you left behind maybe?... Or someone?" He added as a small after thought.

"You're right." Ziva looked into Tony's eyes, "I don't want to talk about it."

I don't want to talk about it because I think I'm in love with you and I don't want you to hurt me anymore.