I got a message from Cookie-Stories earlier today, asking if I was ever going to continue this, so I went back to take another look at the file on my computer and realized I had quite a bit more written! I wrote this way back when I posted the first chapter, but I got stuck, and never went further than this... I never posted it, cause it seemed much too short too be a real chapter, and a section is obviously missing in the end (it stops kind of abruptly)...
But I figured that I'd try to post it anyways before attempting to add more on to it, just to see if anyone are even still interested in in this story at all! (So if you want me to continue it, please let me know in a review... cause otherwise I doubt I'll find the will/imagination to do so considering how long it's been...)

CHAPTER 2

The second the doors of the elevator opened to reveal the squad room, Tony hurried out of the small metal box not caring whether his father could keep up with him or not. And in truth, he was hoping that his older namesake would somehow get lost between the elevator and the bullpen.

"We're here. Let's get this over with." He didn't care that he sounded angry when he strode determined towards his desk. He was in a really crappy mood and all he wanted was for his father to get as far away as possible. And while he sort of wanted to get a moment alone with Ziva, he wasn't sure if he could handle it. After what he'd witnessed the evening before he wasn't sure how he was going to react, or how he should act around her, especially if they were alone.

Forcefully throwing his gun into the open upper drawer, Tony allowed himself to look across the bullpen to the desk opposite his own, letting his eyes settle on his partner for the first time since she'd entered a cab on the security footage the night before.

She hadn't even looked up when the two DiNozzos had entered, just continued staring at her computer screen, seemingly very engrossed in her work. While she'd pass off as completely calm to the majority of people, Tony instantly saw how tense she was, as if it was a physical presence in the room. Her back was too straight even for Ziva standards, something Tony hadn't ever thought possible, her fingers' movements seemed too controlled, her jaw too tight, every line on her neck protruding through her skin.

And even with the NCIS sweat clothes she was wearing two huge hickeys were visible on the left side of her neck. One just below her ear and the other right on the collarbone where her neck met her shoulder. Knowing how she had gained them hurt Tony more than he'd thought possible.

"Director's office." While Ziva instantly closed down whatever she was doing on her computer to follow Gibbs and DiNozzo Sr. upstairs where Tony suspected everyone else involved in the case were already present, he found himself unable to move away from his spot next to his own desk as he followed Ziva's retrieving form with his eyes. It wasn't until they were all well on their way up the stairs that Tony pushed himself away from his desk, following them with a much less determined stride.

He hated it when Ziva purposefully avoided him.

"Glad you could join us, agent DiNozzo." When he entered Vance's office he quickly sat down in the only available seat, which was also as far away as he could possibly get from Ziva, who had strategically placed herself between Gibbs and an FBI agent.

Throughout most of the debriefing Tony remained silent, only participating when he was spoken to directly. He didn't care for any of the details surrounding their early investigations, and he purposefully tried to shut out the conversation completely when they went over the previous day's part of the mission with the FBI. He wasn't sure whether he was ecstatic or pissed that no one mentioned how it had actually turned out, but he figured, he hoped, that they only disregarded it officially and Vance and Gibbs would personally deal with the situation later on. Because if there was one thing DiNozzo was certain of, it was that his father shouldn't be able to get away with something like that especially not if he had a say in it.

So while the others were all busy discussing the case, Tony's entire attention had been focused solely on his partner, who never once took her eyes off the director or the papers and evidence reports presented to them. While it unnerved him how unusually quiet she was and how it seemed she tried to make herself as unnoticeable as possible, he took a little solace in the fact that she seemed to be avoiding everyone, and not just him. Not in the physical sense, and she answered when people asked her something, but she refused to make eye contact with anyone or react when they were looking at her. Though she did seem to squirm slightly whenever his father's gaze lingers on her for more than just a few seconds at a time, that tiny smirk never leaving his face.

Tony paid slightly more attention when they talked about how they actually caught the guy, while still not taking his eyes off of Ziva. He knew they'd be using Ziva as bait, but he still didn't like hearing about how they had her pretend to be asleep on the couch in the living room with the TV on so loud that she supposedly wouldn't hear anyone enter. This was of course designed so that their murderer could easily access the room, which is also why they'd used a house where the entire side of the living room was made of glass, so the killer could see her being 'asleep'.

And of course she'd conveniently opened a door to backyard to get some fresh air after DiNozzo Sr. left before accidentally falling asleep.

The killer hadn't even known what hit him. He'd barely even managed to sit down on top of her, about to place his hands on her throat to strangle her when he'd found himself lying face down on the floor with his arm twisted painfully behind his back and surrounded by feds. And because Ziva had still been itchy from the day before, something that wasn't said out loud but her team knew because she could've easily taken him down without it, the killer had also suffered a broken nose, a shiner and a knee to the groin somewhere in between the couch and the floor.

Tony couldn't suppress a tiny smile at the thought of ass-kicking Ziva, so different from what he'd seen the day before, and so much more believable and likeable. But while Ziva didn't even react to or acknowledge it when they went over this, Tony knew that if she hadn't been allowed to release some of her anger on the killer that morning she'd have been even more tense than she was at the moment.

It appeared that in the very short time Tony and his father had been gone they'd not only managed to catch the guy, but Gibbs had even gotten him to confess to everything in a matter of minutes. The fact that they hadn't allowed him any treatment or pain relief for his Ziva-sustained injuries until after the interrogation likely hadn't hurt either.

"I think that covers it all. Thanks for your time." When they all got up to leave, some much faster than others, Vance just had to let out a cough to get everyone's attention to return to him. "Gibbs, DiNozzo, if you wouldn't mind staying for a bit?" When Tony looked questionably towards the director, Vance just shook his head to let Tony know he was referring to his father. "The rest of you, go home. Enjoy your weekend and be back at 07:00 Monday morning."

Ziva just gave a curt nod like the perfect officer she'd been raised to be before following a squealing Abby and McGee out of the office. Sending a grateful look to his boss, Tony sped out of the room so he could catch up with his partner on the stairs. He really didn't know how to handle this serious and closed-off Ziva, so he figured the best thing to do was to just act like nothing for the time being, hoping that it would be easier for Ziva if he fell into his normal character.

"Off work before noon on a Friday. Can you believe it?" While it wasn't very sincere, Tony offered her a huge grin, hoping he'd manage to loosen her up a bit. She finally looked at him, and while it was only a sideways glance the tiny smile she offered him was enough for his own to grow, even though hers had obviously been faked.

"What do you say? Wanna go grab lunch somewhere?"

"Tony..." She let out a deep sigh as she returned to her desk and started turning off her computer, once again refusing to meet his eyes.

"Come on, Ziva! We need to celebrate." Truthfully he wasn't in the mood to celebrate himself, but he didn't know what else to say to her and he felt that he couldn't just let her leave on her own. Girl might be a crazy ninja chick, but he'd learned long ago that even this ninja had a lot of emotions bottled up inside of her, and this situation was more than enough to get him concerned.

"I just want to go home." Throwing her backpack over her shoulder and leaving her cubicle, she didn't even offer him a look as she set off towards the elevator.

"At least come to my place, then. We'll have a movie marathon." He practically had to run to keep up with her fast paced strides. "I'll even let you choose the movies as long as we don't have to re-watch that new Halloween movie. Worst remake ever!" He leaned up against the wall as Ziva pressed the button, trying unsuccessfully to catch her eyes.

"I said no, Tony. I just want to go home and sleep." He didn't move from his spot when the elevator arrived and she stepped into the metal box, couldn't move, but the split second she looked at him before the doors slid closed between them was enough for him to see just how exhausted she looked, and at that moment he felt like beating himself up for not having noticed earlier.

What a great partner he was, huh? He hadn't taken his eyes off of Ziva at any time and still hadn't noticed something so vital. No wonder Ziva didn't want to talk to him.

When Ziva opened her front door hours later, still clad in her NCIS sweats and looking like she'd just been pulled out of bed, she didn't seem at all surprised to see him.

"What are you doing here, Tony?" Rubbing the palm of her hand against her eye her voice was rough with sleep and her accent much stronger than usual, and Tony knew his banging on the door most likely hadn't managed to wake her up until the 3rd try. Not that Ziva could ever sleep through something like that, no matter how exhausted she was, but she'd most likely managed to shut out the sound at first when knowing who it was.

"Brought your favorite ice cream." He held up the white Wall-Mart bag for her to see, but Ziva settled for just sighing deeply and never taking her eyes away from Tony as she leaned up against the door frame.

"Why do I have feeling that I cannot get you to leave?"

"Because you're Ziva, and you know me too well." Closing her eyes, Ziva let her head fell back against the wall as she kicked the door further open for Tony to enter. She waited until he was far into her apartment before letting out a deep breath, carefully closing and double locking the door behind her. By the time she entered the kitchen Tony was already filling the ice cream into two bowls, offering Ziva a dazzling smile as he handed her one of them.

"If I eat this, will you leave?" While the way she acted worried Tony, it being too compliant and so un-Ziva-like, he knew that she only let him see this side of her because she on some level trusted him. Because she knew he wouldn't fall for her I'mfine crap, so she couldn't even be bothered to hide her displeasure.

"Not until we watch this!" He held up a copy of 'PhoebeinWonderland', deliberately having chosen a movie that had nothing to do with sex or evil people.

"Tony, what part of Iamtired do you not get?"

"Why is that anyways?" Scrunching her eyebrows together, Ziva seemed to be thinking about his question for quite a while as she tilted her head slightly.

"Because I had to sleep in the same bed as your father in case we were being watched." With the way she said it Tony wasn't sure whether it sounded most like a question or a statement of the obvious, but he still understood her perfectly. Of course she wouldn't have been comfortable going to sleep, she'd probably had to avoid Senior's wandering hands and touches all night, even while said man was asleep himself.

"What! No comments about how busy I must have been all night?" Her words felt like a slap to the face. No – more like a brick to the side of his head, and Tony was left standing dumbfounded in the kitchen as Ziva disappeared into the living room with the chocolate chip mint ice cream she'd taken from his hand. She couldn't seriously think he thought she'd enjoyed what happened the day before, could she?

He found her in the living room a few minutes later, curled as far into the corner of the couch as possible with her knees pulled tightly against her upper body and the bowl of ice cream lying idle in her hands, still untouched.

"Do you really think that little of me, Ziva? You think I'm that insensitive?" He'd stopped in the doorway, watching her still form for multiple minutes before he'd spoken. Took in the way her loose, still mostly straight hair shielded her face completely, making it obvious she hadn't yet taken a shower. Took in how her back was stubbornly straight, but her head was hanging defeated.

When Ziva just shrugged her shoulders as an answer to his question, Tony took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before making his way towards the middle of the room where he sat down on the table right in front of his partner.

"Ziva?" When she didn't react he gently took the bowl out of her hands and put it on the table next to his own. Placing three fingers under her chin he moved her head so she was looking at him, even though she kept avoiding his eyes. "He sexually assaulted you." She visibly squirmed, but Tony knew he had to be direct if he wanted to get through to her. She managed to pull herself out of his grip, but she had nowhere to go but sink further into the couch, allowing her back to slump just slightly. "Ithought he was gonna rape you, so don't you dare tell me this doesn't affect you!"

"That is the thing, Tony. It should not!" For the first time today she seemed just a little bit like herself, placing her feet on the ground as her voice rose determined.

"He molested you, Ziva! So of course it does!"

"I guess it just means I really have gone soft, then." Her voice was so full of self-disgust when she stood up from the couch, pushing her way past a stunned Tony. But before she'd made it halfway across the room he grabbed her arm, turning her around so she was facing him without releasing the firm grip on her arm.

"Would you listen to yourself?" Ziva's perception of the event equally angered and disgusted him. Couldn't she allow herself to be human just once? "This isn't about acting tough, Ziva. No one would ever think less of you for feeling something, anything, about what happened!"

"I am over it!" The fire in her eyes was almost enough to make Tony take a step backwards. Almost. But while Ziva sounded completely convinced of what she was saying, Tony wasn't so sure.

"Yeah, right!" For the tiniest split second Tony saw something resembling hurt flashing through her dark eyes before getting replaced by a determined rage. She pulled her arm free from Tony's grip, staring daggers at him.

"Well if you distrust me so much then why the hell are you here?" Pushing him out of her way, Ziva stormed into her kitchen, hurriedly pressing his things against his chest when he followed her in there before continuing on to the front door. But before she could open it Tony forcefully placed a hand on the door, making Ziva freeze with her back still turned towards him.

"How can I not doubt you, huh? We both know you always downplay everything, that you refuse to show your feelings. And with the way you've been acting today? Tell me, Ziva," Once more grabbing her upper arm with his free hand, too worked up to bother whether it left a mark, he vigorously spun her towards him. "Would you trust you?"

"Well I'm telling the truth now, so if yo..."

"Then why don't you act it?" This time when the hurt flashed through her eyes she didn't bother shoving it away instantly; instead she just stared at her partner with those big, wide eyes. "Why don't you act fine?"

"Leave." For a moment he actually contemplated it, not able to stand her looking so broken, but he knew he couldn't let her win that easily so he settled for just raising his eyebrow indignantly. It seemed to do the trick as Ziva violently pulled her arm out of his grip, taking a step back until she hit the wall.

"Fine! I am humiliated, okay? I am angry! Is that what you want to hear?" Frozen to his spot, Tony was sure he saw tears glistering in her eyes, but for his own safety he chose to ignore it for the time being. "I do not care about what happened, only that I let it affect me at the time. It shouldnot have! I should not have letit!" Not able to just stand by and watch her break down, Tony reached out for her, wanting to give her some much needed support.

"Ziva..."

"No!" She pushed his arm away before it'd even reached her shoulder. "It was unprofessional! I failed! What am I good for if I cannot even do what I was breadfor without losing every sense of control? I am weak, Tony. Weak!" For what felt like hours, Tony could do nothing but stare at her as she was panting slightly, her eyes red and glassy from holding back so many emotions and tears. He couldn't even properly process everything she'd said because he felt more and more nauseated by each statement that had rapidly left her mouth.

"That is ridiculous, Ziva." He'd never had to deal with an emotional Ziva before, so since he didn't know how he should react, the words had left his mouth before he was able to stop them. It was the arrogant tone that really surprised the both of them, though. While Ziva's anger and hurt instantly seemed to evaporate and her features returned to their usual cool, guarded composure, even her eyes losing their fire, Tony just wanted to bang his head into the wall. Could he have said anything more stupid? The one time Ziva actually opens up and lets him in on her emotions, and he fucks up.

"Whatever, Tony. Now may I go back to bed?" There was absolutely no emotion present in her voice. Tony opened his mouth, wanting to protest, but she didn't give him a chance. "Thanks." She didn't even spare him a glance as she walked away from him towards her bedroom, nor did she even seem to care whether he stayed or left. So waiting until he heard the door to her bedroom slam, Tony groaned as he made his way to her living room.

Picking up the discarded ice cream, Tony fell back into the couch. He'd steal her TV until she woke up and dared face him again.

Well, let me know what you think! Should I try to continue this or not?

And thanks for reading! :D