A/N: Hey everyone; I want to say a big thank you to my awesome beta CALLEN37 all of your hard work is truly appreciated. Also I wanted to say a big thank you to all of you who left your wonderful reviews last time. I was so thrilled to have such positive feedback =D I also want to address a few questions that came to my attention.

1st. To guest number one; I can understand how you would want Gibbs to 'save the day' but it's not time for that, yet. Rest assured that the pace will pick up and that there will be lots of angst and hurt/comfort to come.

2nd. To guest number two; To clarify Guardians are considered to be like celebrities known where ever they go because of their markings and so forth but also because of their unique gifts they were also being taken and tortured or manipulated into using their gifts for acts of terrorism and things like that. This is not really a crossover at least not one I'm aware of any ways. I would like to think it is a completely original idea but I'm sure it is not.

3rd. To NCIS fan; I'm glad you like the story. Yes and no, since they were kept a secret most of society didn't know that they existed; if they had they would have integrated into society like they were when they were eventually discovered. The science community saw them as anomalies and they took them to study them and to try and harness their powers. There is a third kind of Guardian called a mover there will be some introduced a little later on.

So I hope you all enjoy this next chapter and as always I hope that you will leave me a review. =D

Chapter Three

Reacquainted

~~NCIS~~

It was some time later when Tony finally awoke from his nap. He wasn't sure what exactly had awoken him but something had startled him into awareness. Quickly looking around, he at first—due to the residual pain from his procedure—did not notice the silent figure standing in the dark by the door. It took his hazy mind a split second longer to finally register that he was not alone in the room anymore. Tony was not happy with this at all. As a cop he was well aware of the fact that it was the tenths of a second that could save your life and those of your team or get you all killed.

Finally having registered the newcomer's presence, he sat up on the side of the futon and found that he was much more relaxed and that his muscles didn't hurt as much. He cleared his throat and said, "You can come out of the dark now and turn on the light."

He cringed slightly when he heard the tone of his voice. He hadn't intended for it to sound as demanding as it had. He sighed internally and tried to shake of the irritation that he had woken up with. He had his head down, trying to put off the inevitable for as long as he could, when the lights flipped on and the sound of heels clicking on the ground came towards him. He carefully analyzed her from the sound of her footsteps.

Listening he determined that she was a smaller woman. He guessed, from the tempo of her stride that she was a laid back person, but he also noticed that there was an air of determination about them. All in all he would guess that she was a petite woman who was used to authority.

Slowly Tony lifted his head to look at the woman and what he saw took his breath away. The face; It was so familiar. He was sure that this was just a cruel twist of fate to bring him her look alike, rubbing in his face another of his many failures. He sat there starring at her and her; staring back at him. He noticed that she had stopped about half way to the chair that sat a few feet in front of him. The look on her face matched his he was sure. It was one of complete shock and disbelief. He was having trouble comprehending why she would be looking this way, unless . . . NO! It wasn't possible! He had seen her go down. He knew from experience that the wounds she suffered would have been fatal. Unless . . . he shook his head; it just couldn't be. Looking at her again he saw the same twelve year old girl who had helped him escape so many years ago.

She seemed to be having the same doubts as him.

Her face was a mask of incredulity and she openly searched his face questioningly, as if she were seeing a ghost. She slowly came forward and timidly reached out to touch him. But Tony shied away from her. Unwilling to be touched with so many suppressed memories and emotions swimming through his mind. He quickly moved to take a defensive position behind the couch. He felt infinitely in more control with a barrier between them.

He didn't understand why but Tony couldn't help the feelings that were taking over him. It was all so over whelming! One minute he was sure she was a ghost and the next just the sight of her was enough to make him become aroused. He was actually quite shocked by his bodies' reaction. As much as he proclaimed all of his conquest at the office, in reality he wasn't that active. Between his job and his bad experiences with women, he had become extremely cautious.

They stood a few feet away from each other silently observing and studying.

Without warning she moved closer and stood mere inches away from Tony's face. She inhaled deeply and smiling said, "I thought you dead."

"You did?" Asked Tony, uncertainly, while looking at her like she had gone crazy. If he remembered clearly she was the one who had sacrificed herself to help him escape.

She nodded hesitantly saying, "He . . . he told me you were dead and . . . he even showed me your body. Granted at the time I was very confused. I was weak from my injuries and he . . . he kept me heavily medicated. I . . . grieved for you . . . after that."

Tony nodded slowly before saying, "I thought you had died as well. I saw you go down and was for sure it was a kill shot. If . . . if I had known . . . I . . . I would have come back for you."

She smiled; it was a true smile that changed her whole face. It lightened her somewhat serious features and made her appear innocent. She sighed happily saying, "It all makes sense now; the way we bonded, how we have obviously grieved each other's assumed deaths, even now how our bodies are reacting to each other. We are matches!"

Tony looked at her incredulously. He instantly backed even further away from her and began to look somewhat frantically for the nearest exit. He had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. He had never heard of matches or what that even meant. And she didn't look like she was older than twenty-five. As if she had read his mind she smirked and said, "I am older than I look."

Tony tried to use his humor by saying, "Well I certainly hope so." But it came out as nervous and his voice squeaked at the end.

She just frowned at him saying, "It is not polite to judge people on looks alone Anthony DiNozzo."

"Hey!" He exclaimed, "You know my name but I don't know yours." He didn't know why that suddenly mattered but for some reason it did and he realized that he was becoming drawn to the woman in front of him. It was an almost irresistible pull. He swore he could almost physically feel the connection.

"Of course, how rude of me! My name is Layla. Layla Kandinsky."

He smiled his best smile at her and in his best Sean Connery impersonation said, "It's very nice to meet you Miss Kandinsky."

She giggled and smiled back at him saying, "It's nice to meet you too, Agent DiNozzo. Now may I come closer?"

He realized then that she had been inching ever closer, bit-by-bit.

He recognized it as the same technique that he would use on frightened victims or when he was trying to talk someone down. Something inside of him suddenly burst forth in protest at the thought of him being the same as someone that vulnerable and in an effort to counteract that image; Tony stepped forward; once again closing the gap between them. That tangible invisible connection growing stronger the closer they became. He smiled triumphantly down at her.

She smiled back at him and nodded approvingly. He didn't understand what was going on with him but he suddenly felt a twinge of embarrassment and shyness suddenly flashed through him. He looked hesitantly down at her and saw that she was watching him with understanding in her eyes. With that she stood on her tiptoes and began to kiss him. He was too shocked at first to do anything. But then it was like a primal instinct that invaded his body and took over and soon he began to control the kiss.

It was like fire coursing through his veins. He was instantly intoxicated by her taste, her smell, her very essence. It was overwhelming and overpowering taking such a strong, irreversible hold on him. Settling in his very soul and taking up residence there.

He found that as soon as this primal instinct took over Layla instantly took a more submissive role. She still pushed and demanded but she allowed him to set the pace and the tone.

Tony came back to his senses for a few seconds and quickly pulled back. Layla looked him searchingly and said, "I need you to trust me on this. I study this for a living. I know what I'm doing just let go. Our bodies will know what to do."

Tony instantly knew he could trust her. He didn't know how he knew but he just did. It pulsed through his veins like a drum. She leaned in again and began another kiss. This time Tony didn't fight it. He just allowed his body to react.

Soon he was functioning on pure instinct alone. He found himself moving his hands up and down her sides, slowly increasing the speed as his need increased.

He soon realized that she needed this just as much as he did. He found that the more his body responded, the more hers did as well and vice versa.

NCIS—NCIS

Gibbs and Ducky watched in astonishment from the observation room window as Tony and what appeared to be his new mate began what Dr. Krandle called the mating process.

Gibbs was drawn out of his reverie by Dr. Krandle; who had been explaining the mating process to Ducky, when he exclaimed suddenly, "This is really very exciting! We have never actually observed the whole entire process from start to finish! So many questions are being answered! So many grey areas are starting to clear up!"

Gibbs spun from his spot at the window and growled; "You did not just say that you are using my agent for your experiments!"

Dr. Krandle looked taken aback and quickly cried, "NO! Never! This is just simply the first time that this institution has had a mating take place from start to finish. Usually we catch them at the very end after the binding has taken place. To be able to see and then describe the bonding from observation point of view will help us understand the connection that the mated pair shares. I assure you agent Gibbs I am in no way experimenting with your agent."

"Agent Gibbs. We are on an 'observe only' basis in this facility. We do not control OR manipulate these occurrences in any way. That is why it has been so hard to catch a mating pair from start to finish. We have to catch them in the act we cannot force or manipulate the situation in any way. That is why being able to observe this phenomenon is such an exciting thing for my colleagues and myself. We will finally have firsthand knowledge of how this works."

Gibbs not totally convinced yet continued to glare at the doctor and incredulously asked, "You mean to tell me in all the years that this has been under observation that you haven't been able to catch one couple in the act from start to finish?"

The doctor sighed heavily and shaking his head said, "That is exactly what I am telling you Agent Gibbs. And it is just that simple. We have morals and a reputation that we take all precautions to uphold. Although they posses certain abilities these are still people Agent Gibbs. They process and emit feelings just like we do. They are not a sub human species. They don't deserve to be treated like it and in this facility and all its subsidiary and sister facility's you will never EVER find them being treated as such.

We have protocols that we adhere to strictly. These people are here by choice because they want to be and because we can offer them a safe place to live and raise their children Agent Gibbs and if they participate in an experiment then it is of their own free will and they are duly compensated for their time."

Gibbs just stood there finding himself justly chastised. Finally Ducky stepped up saying, "Am I correct in assuming that this is going to take awhile?"

Dr. Krandle nodded and said, "Yes at least 48 hours. I suggest that we take our leave now. I will have a guard put on the door so as to keep them from being disturbed."

With that the small group broke up Dr. Krandle heading in one direction and Ducky dragging Gibbs off in the other. Ducky just shook his head thinking that things were never easy for his young friend.

TBC . . .