A/N: Oh, look, double digits! And I've still got a bit to go! Don't forget to please keep leaving reviews, they really encourage me to keep writing. Thanks, guys.

Chapter 10 –

Raimey gave Tony a subtle nod at the sight of Ziva's very work-appropriate attire. This was, after all, a good start. He gave Ziva a friendly smile and gestured that she follow him. For just a moment, she whipped around and looked at Tony. Her shoulders were tensed and her eyes were full of fear. For a moment, she was a scared kid. She looked as if it had hit her what she was doing, how big of a change this was. And at the end of the day she probably didn't feel like the place she could run to was constant at all. She was in the world; the world that had been hard on her early on, and the world from which she had stayed hidden away for years.

He automatically felt concerned at her sudden fear, but gave her arm a squeeze as if he was steady as a rock. Danny began calling to him across the floor, and Tony's eyes darted back and forth between the two.

"Go with him," Tony whispered to Ziva. "You'll be fine, I promise."

She took a deep, visible breath, slowly turned on her heels and followed Raimey towards a conference room. It was a small, rectangular room with dusty blinds blocking the eyes of intruders. In the middle sat a long table with two seats either end. Raimey told Ziva to take a seat, which she did, smoothing out her skirt as she did so. She hated feeling like this. Nervous. Inadequate. Unworthy, even.

"So," Raimey began, licking his finger and flicking through his copy of Ziva's resume page by page. "Miss. . . David, is it?" He pronounced it wrong, like the male first name.

"It is pronounced Dah-veed , actually," she said with a slight stutter. She didn't want to seem...what was the phrase...snooty? Yes.

"David," he repeated, testing it out. He nodded, seemingly in approval. "Okay, Ziva, why do you want to work here at Baltimore PD?"

Ziva's heart leapt into her throat. She tried to shake away her nerves. After all, she still had her 'old life' to fall back on if this didn't work out – however dismal that old life was. It occurred to her that while she would not rather be riddled with self-disappointment, what she most cared about was making Tony happy. In such a short time he'd brought so many smiles to her face, and to Tali's too, that she owed him nothing less than her best.

"I am not happy at my current occupation," she answered. "And I am looking for new experiences, to learn, and I am interested in law enforcement."

"Now, that doesn't come from watching those late night crime marathons, does it?" Raimey said. He was kidding, and Ziva gave an unconvincing laugh (she actually did catch a late night crime marathon or two when she had the time, or when sleep was simply fleeting).

"I would like to learn about your processes too," she continued. "I would like to meet good people."

Raimey seemed a little intrigued by her answer, but all in all it was a routine interview. He did not dwell on her. "What kind of skills do you think you can bring to this job? As an office assistant, I mean."

"I am a fast learner," she said. "I pick up new skills quickly and I would say I am intelligent." She tried not to sound unsure of that, even though in truth she was very intelligent. "I am good at talking to people. I am committed."

"That's right, and I see you've been committed to your sister for a few years now?"

Ziva nodded.

"Would this job in any way interfere with your ability to be her guardian?"

"We live just around the corner – in the event of an emergency we are close to each other. She catches a school bus on weekdays."

"Okay, good, good," he mumbled, scribbling things in his notes. Just a few more questions."

Ziva nodded again.

...

"You know, watching the door won't make it open any faster, Tony," Tim called to his friend across the room.

"They've been in there kinda a long time though, don't you think?" Tony replied, not adjusting his gaze.

Danny consulted his wrist watch. "It's been ten minutes," he said flatly. At that, Tony turned around.

"Only ten? You sure?" Tony felt a little embarrassed. He'd been worrying sick since Ziva walked through that door.

"Somebody's got a crush on the stripper," Danny said in a sing-songy voice, trying to cheer him up. It didn't, really.

"A stripper, Tony? That's a little cliché, don't you – " McGee began, but Tony cut him off before he could finish.

"Alright, McGoo, Danny and I have already had this conversation once. Yes, she's a stripper. Yes, she's the stripper from your bachelor party. Yes, I may have some resemblance of . . . feelings for this woman," she slowed his speech down a little. "No, I never said it was a good idea." Tim opened his mouth to speak but Tony held up his hand. "And no, we aren't sleeping together. Okay? Are we happy now?" Tony seemed flustered, partly from being tired of this, and partly from the waiting.

"I was gonna say, actually, that I hope everything goes okay. You know, with you, and her." Tim gave his friend an encouraging smile, and Tony grinned back, for probably the first time in days.

"Thanks, man."

The conversation ended when they all saw Raimey and Ziva walking out the door and shaking hands.

McGee and Danny exchanged whispered questions, rapid-firing like school girls when they see something scandalous, like no one could hear them. Tony could.

"She looks so different," McGee said. "You know, not dressed up."

"She's hot," Danny said, a little more blunt than his friend. "I can see why Tony goes for her."

Tony turned again and gave his friend a glare.

"Her amazing personality, of course," Danny said, trying to save himself. Tony wasn't even paying attention, really. He hurried over to Ziva. The two other men shrugged, accepting that perhaps things would be this way from now on.

"How'd it go?" Tony asked practically as soon as he was within earshot.

"I suppose we will see," She was being ominous but she was smiling. He felt relieved.

"Good, good," he said, patting her arm. "I'll walk you home."

"No you won't!" Raimey called out. "We got work to do, DiNozzo."

"I'll come by later," Tony assured her, and she left with a wave as she disappeared into the stairwell.

"Nice pick, Tony," Raimey said, when Tony was back at his desk. "She's good."

"Did she get it?"

"I gotta deliberate a little," he said. "But she's got a good chance."

Tony grinned again and the other men laughed and returned to their work. Things were looking up yet again.

...

Ziva felt better about herself than she had in months after walking home from that interview. She had a bounce in her step that had been dearly missed and a confidence that radiated.

But it didn't last long.

She arrived home to see her phone sitting on the kitchen bench.

Three missed calls from Scorpion.