"Tony, did you get the chance to mail me one of those disks?" Tim asked.

"Hi, McGee! Will be in the mail today. Have fun with it." Tony smiled in anticipation of the excitement Tim and Abby will have trying to figure the thing out.

"Great, thanks!" Tim said. "By the way, I like the "new" looks. Didn't realize it was you in the picture until I stared at it for a while."

"Well, that was the point, wasn't it?" Ziva chuckled. "Sometimes we look at each other and don't recognize ourselves."

Gibbs and Vance looked at each other. "Agents, I have a delicate question for you. Perhaps, Agent McGee, you should step out." Vance interrupted the levity.

McGee looked startled, as did Tony and Ziva, who looked at each other warily.

Vignette Eleven: Part Nine

"Uh, Boss? Anything you want to ask us you can ask in front of McGee. We have nothing to hide." Tony decided to be strong and truthful if what was coming down was what he expected.

Vance nodded at McGee, leaving it up to him. Tim was burning with curiosity so he sat back down. Gibbs smiled slightly, at both McGee and at Tony's bravado.

"You two are married, correct?" Vance asked bluntly.

Tony and Ziva looked at each other again, not really wanting to have this conversation right now, but knowing they have no way to get out of it.

"Our aliases are married, that is correct, Director Vance." Ziva answered.

"Un-huh. And what aspects of married life are you two currently enjoying, if I may ask?" Vance pressed.

Tony winced and squeezed Ziva's hand. They talked to each other with their eyes, and nodded, knowing they needed to be totally honest.

"That would be every aspect, Director." Tony answered quietly.

Gibbs sat down and rubbed his face. He pretty much had anticipated that this was the case, but to have it confirmed was still a bit of a shock.

"How long?" Gibbs barked.

"How long what, Boss?" Tony asked. "Ziva and I met eight years ago. We became partners eight years ago…"

"DiNozzo! You know what I am asking. Just spit it out!" Gibbs growled.

"For a while, Gibbs." Ziva answered, almost defiantly. "We have been committed to each other since the beginning of February."

McGee's eyes bugged out at this revelation. He gulped and looked at Gibbs. He was surprised to see resignation rather than anger on his face. The timing was telling: after the murder of Ziva's father, coming off a horrendous year at NCIS.

If any lessons were learned it was that life was precarious and it made perfect sense to Gibbs that they would gravitate toward each other, and finally do something about their relationship. He had seen it, but he didn't realize they had acted on it. And now Gibbs truly understood why Tony was willing to risk everything and leave with Ziva, other than a partner's desire to "have her six".

"And when you come back, how do you think that's going to work out for you?" Gibbs asked wearily, not really wanting to get into the details, but Vance had insisted on knowing where things stood between his two Agents.

"To tell you the truth, Boss, we have considered the consequences but we can't afford to reflect on what may or may not happen when we return. Our focus needs to be on what we are doing here, and not be distracted by how you are going to punish us." Tony tried to keep his voice even, but he was not pleased this was brought up at this point in their venture.

Gibbs and Vance looked at each other, Vance raising an eyebrow. McGee studious looked at his shoes, not wanting to make eye contact with Gibbs.

Gibbs sighed. Tony was right. They didn't need to be worrying about their lives in the future; they needed to focus on the here and now.

"You're right. You need to be thinking about the job at hand. But just so you know, I have no intention of punishing you. I'm not the bad guy, Tony, Ziva." Gibbs took a deep breath.

"I understand how the events of this past year can make you re-evaluate where you are going with your life and to make changes. I've also been in your shoes before. You can't pull off a successful long-term undercover assignment as a married couple if you aren't sincerely attached or at least attracted to one another."

Gibbs took a breath. "I can't blame you for that. I'm not really surprised you two finally got your shit together, and personally I hope it all works out the way you want it to. I'm on your side."

Tony looked at Ziva in surprise. He mouthed "Jenny?" to Ziva, who nodded, but indicated she didn't know specifics. "Well, we appreciate that, Gibbs. We did not wish to go behind your back, but well…"

"Yeah, I know. The heart wants what it wants. I've been told that before by someone…who would know." Gibbs didn't clarify.

Tony held Ziva's hand. "Thanks, Boss. We…well, I guess to ask for your blessing is silly, but…we would like it."

Gibbs looked startled. "I'm not your father, Tony. Your Dad still thinks that you two are really on your honeymoon and not off searching for bad guys. I think you already have his blessing."

"No." Ziva said. "For me. You are the only father I have, Gibbs. It would mean a great deal to me, to know that…you are ok with Tony and me being together." Ziva's voice broke as Tony rubbed her back.

Gibbs took in a deep breath, staring at the phone. Vance tried to not smile, but he wasn't very successful at it. McGee was totally blown away by this whole conversation, and was trying to figure out how he was going to tell Abby.

"Ziver." Gibbs began huskily. "I want what you want. We'll talk when you get back."

"Ok, well this has been enlightening and embarrassing, so we're going to sign off. We'll get in touch with you when we get to Rome, sooner if we have something to report. Uh, Bye. We'll call tomorrow or the next day." Tony ended the call.

He rubbed his face with his hands, and then looked at Ziva. "I really wasn't ready for that conversation yet. Why did he have to bring it up now?"

Ziva rubbed his back. "He is just concerned about us. He wants to make sure we understand what the stakes are, and to be careful. Frankly, I feel better now that he knows. He understands, Tony. He has been there, but it did not work out for him. He does not want us to have the same sad ending."

Tony looked at Ziva, understanding she was talking about Gibbs and Jenny.

"What do you know?" He pressed.

Ziva looked uncomfortable. Jenny was still a hard subject between them. Tony never was able to come to terms with the guilt he felt at her death. "Jen…never went into specifics. She often mentioned being with another partner, one that she had feelings for. But she had other things in mind for herself."

"Her career." Tony guessed. Ziva nodded.

"She had always indicated her desire for advancement to me. And she did advanced rather quickly as well. She was not an Assistant Director to my knowledge."

Tony nodded. "I would have heard of her before she showed up if she had. Now I know who most of the Team Leaders are, but back then, I wasn't quite as interested in what was happening outside my own backyard."

Ziva took his hand. "When I came to NCIS, as the Liaison, I quickly figured out that she had been speaking of Gibbs. I felt bad, knowing how badly she felt for not giving him whatever it was he had asked of her."

Tony looked sharply at Ziva. "Do you think he asked her to marry him?" He was trying to figure out which wife she would have been and which wives were before and after Jenny.

Ziva shrugged. "I do not know. All I know is he asked her to make a choice and she did, just not the one he wanted." She leaned against Tony. "I do not think Gibbs will ask us to make that same choice. He knows…the consequences."

Tony stroked her hair. As upset as he was to have to put their cards on the table without being prepared, he would be lying if he didn't admit to a sense of relief that their secret was out.

He looked at his watch. "Ok, let's get something to eat and then hit the road. We should make it to Marseilles before it is too late."

Ziva nodded and stood up. Tony caught her waist and drew her to him. He kissed her softly and touched her forehead with his. "This isn't going to end, you and me."

Ziva smiled. "No, it is not."

Palermo, Italy

Ilan Bodnar reviewed the intelligence reports that he had been able to intercept, becoming more frustrated as he read.

"Harah!" He swore under his breath as he read about the capture of his friend and colleague Marcel Favreau. He did not know this Sanger person, but he was very familiar with the Hamburg cell.

He tried to discern how this capture took place but the report only stated it occurred. He shrugged. He had not planned to use him, but he had spoken to him recently. Whatever information he had given him was now compromised.

He checked his watch. Officer Rivkin should be arriving momentarily. Bodnar was pleased to offer this chance at justice to the young man. He remembered when Michael Rivkin had been killed. It was unthinkable that the American Agent had not been held accountable for his actions.

That would soon change, and Bodnar would right another wrong. His phone rang, interrupting his thoughts. "Shalom? Ken, toda."

He sat in his chair behind his desk and waited for the knock. "Enter." He commanded.

Samuel Rivkin hesitantly opened the door and came into the office. He took Bodnar's hand, bowing over it in supplication.

"Please, sit Samuel. Would you like some tea?" Bodnar oozed of charm and friendliness.

Samuel looked startled. Since the tea was there, he felt it would be rude to decline. He nodded once. "Yes, thank you, Sir."

"Sit, sit!" Bodnar pointed to a chair. "I am pleased to give you this assignment. Michael was a dear friend of mine, and it is time that justice has been served." Bodnar handed the tea cup to Samuel.

"I am honored that you selected me for this most important mission." Rivkin bowed his head again, trying to not betray his emotions.

"You will travel to Napoli. I have a contact there, who will give you the necessary papers. You will fly out of Rome to Washington, and kill Agent DiNozzo in his apartment." He smiled in derision. "They are very…haphazard in their safety over there, a false sense of security. That is why it was so easy to kill Director David. The stupid fools!"

Rivkin was both shocked and pleased that Ilan Bodnar was being so open with him. He smiled tentatively, agreeing with his mentor that the Americans were indeed lax and stupid.

"When you have returned, we will discuss your position in my organization." Bodnar put down his cup, indicating their meeting was at an end. Samuel stood and stammered his thanks, taking a small envelope from his leader.

He strode out of the office proudly, his chest puffed out. "He had the trust of Ilan Bodnar!" He thought proudly to himself. "I will avenge you, Michael and make you proud of me as well." He promised.

NCIS

Gibbs and Vance looked at each other after Tony had hung up. McGee stood up. "If you don't need me, I think I will go downstairs." He said, knowing they didn't care if he was there or not.

"Go ahead, McGee." Gibbs waved at the door. He looked back at Vance.

"Well, that was not fun. I don't blame Tony for being pissed." He paced about the room.

"You know as well as I do that it needed to be done. Now they can quit worrying and focus totally on their mission." Vance reasoned.

"I don't think they were too worried about it in the first place, Leon." Gibbs interjected.

Vance chuckled. "No, probably not. They should have been, but I guess that's the part of the excitement of being undercover and playing at things that are real. It doesn't usually work, does it?"

Gibbs didn't take the bait. "Maybe, Leon. But if anyone will make it work, it will be these too. They've been heading in this direction since, well, probably since the day they met. I'm not worried."

Vance nodded, agreeing with Gibbs' assessment. "So the question is how will they conduct themselves when they come back? It's going to be hard to act like there is nothing going on."

Gibbs smirked. "You heard Ziva, Leon. They've been together since February. They were in this office for at least three months while they were together and I had no clue about it. I think they're going to handle it just fine."

Abby's Lab

Tim practically ran out of the elevator. "Abby! Abbs!" He called out as he rushed into the lab.

"Over here, McGee!" Abby called out. She was cataloging evidence she had just received.

"Oh, my God, Abby you are not going to believe this!" Tim blurted out.

"Timmy! What is it, you're scaring me." Abby frowned at the now Senior Field Agent. "Take a deep breath, and then tell me what's going on."

Tim gulped and nodded. He took a deep breath. "Tony and Ziva are together." He said as one long word.

"Well, I know that, McGee. They're in Europe." Abby shook her head and went back to her packages.

"No, I don't mean together in Europe. I mean…together. You know…" Tim nodded his head and waggled his eyebrows.

Abby stared at Tim. She burst out laughing. "Well, duh, McGee. Do you think Ziva would let Tony go with her if they weren't a couple? Or that Tony would go if Ziva and he…well, he still might have gone even if she said no. But she wouldn't have said no, so, there you go." Abby smiled at her explanation.

"Wait a minute. This whole time, you knew…that Tony and Ziva was a couple. Like they were seeing each other?"

"Well, I can't say I really 'knew'. I mean they didn't confide in mean if that's what you're saying. But it's the only thing that makes sense." Abby was rationale and calm.

Tim looked at Abby, still slightly panting from rushing down to see her. "Huh. Well, I didn't get that."

"So how do you know? Or why do you think it?" Abby asked confused.

"Oh! Tony and Ziva called and Director Vance asked them if they were a couple. They admitted to being together since February." Tim was pleased he actually had some news to share.

"What? February? How did I miss that? Oh, Tony DiNozzo, you got some 'splainin' to do when you get back."

"What about Ziva?" Tim asked.

Abby looked at McGee with wide eyes. "Oh, I'm not grilling Ziva on this. But Tony? He is toast!"

Marseilles, France

Tony and Ziva made good time and arrived at their hotel around eight pm. After a late dinner, they retired for the evening to discuss their plans for the next day.

"I really like that Stan can be used as a resource. I vote that we go directly to Naples and contact him. He could use this software and some of these tracking dots. We have plenty."

Ziva nodded. "It would be nice to have someone in the field to discuss things with. We must be careful, though. I remember when I was Mossad we always knew who the other foreign operatives were. I am sure he is being watched."

Tony's face fell at that. "I didn't think of that. Shit. Well, I guess we'll have to be sneaky people then." He smiled again, remembering Ziva's label for the FIB's watching them when they were pretending to be Jean-Paul and Sophie.

Naples, Italy

Tony and Ziva arrived around six pm, leaving early for the ten hour drive. They called ahead and made reservations in Rome as well, so they would have a place to stay if they needed to get the hell out of Dodge quickly.

Tony remembered that Stan never left the office before seven, so they parked outside the building and waited for him to leave. Sure enough, he came through the front entrance.

"There he is. He looks just as handsome as I remember." Ziva smiled.

Tony glanced sideways at her. "Cute! Let's get out and follow him. I think he likes to stop at a bar before heading home."

Ziva chuckled and exited the car. Holding hands, they casually followed Stan, stopping to take pictures now and then. As predicted, Stan ducked into a small bar.

Tony grinned in anticipation and pulled Ziva into the bar. They squeezed onto two bar stool next to Stan. Stan looked up briefly and nodded, but returned to his beer.

"I say, can we have a pint of lager and lime, and a club soda for my lovely bride. Thank you so much." Tony asked the bartender in his best sophisticated accent.

Ziva wrinkled her nose. "Why are you drinking, Thomas? We made a deal." She leaned into Tony and patted his cheek.

"Well deserved after driving ten hours, wouldn't say my love?" Tony took an appreciative sip of the lager and grinned widely at her when she shook her head.

Tony turned to Stan. "Excuse me, you don't look local, but you have clearly been here before. Is there anything on the menu you can recommend?"

Stan looked up at the stranger. He smiled at the comment. "Well, it's true that this is not on the tourist's map. I'm surprise you found yourself in this area. But the Risotto here is excellent." He looked at Tony's outstretched hand and returned the gesture.

"Thomas Paddington and my beautiful wife Lisa. We are on our honeymoon."

Stan smiled. "Stan Burley. First time in Naples?"

Tony's eyes crinkled in amusement. He was enjoying himself. "Actually no." He whispered conspiratorially, as if he didn't want Ziva to hear. "We've been here before, a little over a year ago. My Uncle Jethro sent us."

Stan's eyes widened in recognition, then resumed a neutral expression. Stan took a big sip of his beer and shook his head. "I don't believe it." He said to himself.

"All too true." Tony smiled. Ziva leaned over and smiled at Stan.

Stan looked closely at both of them. Now that he knew, he could see it, but if you didn't know it was them…they had done a very good job with their disguises. "Wait, did DiNozzo say they were married?"

"So." Stan began, whispering. "Your honeymoon?"

Tony put his arm around Ziva and kissed her soundly, much to Stan's surprise. "Yes, we got married over a month ago, in our home in Montreal. This is a long-awaited trip for us."

Stan understood the truth of that statement and what he was really saying. He couldn't believe Vance and Gibbs would send Tony and Ziva out for this assignment. Ziva was just too close to the situation. And Tony was probably just as invested, if only because of how close they were.

Stan had seen it last year, but if they did anything they were very discreet. He never saw any overt signs that they were seeing each other, it was just a "feeling" he had.

"So, where are you staying?" Stan asked under his breath.

"At the Hotel Majestic, know where that is?" Tony said quietly.

Stan took a sip of his beer and nodded imperceptibly. Speaking louder he continued. "Well, have a nice trip. I have a meeting at nine pm, so I have to go." He shook their hands again, lingering slightly over Ziva's.

She smiled softly at him, nodding that they would see him later.

Stan threw some Euro's on the bar counter and walked out. Tony finished his beer and looked around. He frowned slightly and looked back at the bartender.

"Lisa" He whispered quietly. "Can you see that guy in the back corner getting up and following Stan out?"

Ziva looked in the mirror and sucked in her breath. "No…" Her voice was pained.

Tony grabbed her hand and looked into her eyes in the mirror. "Tell me I'm wrong." He begged.

Ziva shook her head. "We need to go." She grabbed her purse, but Tony stopped her. "Sweetheart, I left something in the car. I'll be right back."

Tony quickly got up and walked outside. He went to the car and looked around nonchalantly. He spotted the man getting into a car. Carefully, Tony took a picture with his cell phone.

He rummaged in the car while keeping his eye on his target. He momentarily saw Stan drive by. Sure enough, the other man put his car in drive and started to follow him.

"This is not good." Tony thought to himself.

Thanks for being so patient. Work is taking a lot out of me, so it's been hard to write lately. Hope you stay with me, even if the updates aren't as frequent as they usually are.