Author's note: Don't forget to feed the feedback! This chapter has mentions of sex but no actual sex so I'd rate it a T :). Enjoy!

Tony slept next to her, his arms holding her tight, in their -their- new bed. At any other point in her life her heart would be doing flips to rival cirque du soleil acrobats. But now?

Ziva wanted to enjoy this time with Tony, wanted to forget day nine but she should not let herself forget, one of them had to be aware. Tony was burrowing...no that was not right...nesting, yes that was it. Tony was nesting.

He was building a nest for the two of them. Yesterday they had bought this bed and sheets and pillows and a bed skirt. She had wanted this silky dark beige bed skirt so they could use different color comforters and Tony agreed. Then she caught herself doing it too; nesting. They had not even been together a full day in DC and she had become caught up in their ...nest.

The big surprise though was going to the storage. All her things where there, her sofa and tables and pictures and coats. She did love her coats. She didn't know how Tony did it; he had movers meet them there and while she and he were picking pieces to take back to the apartment his doorman had accepted delivery of the new bed. It had suddenly all become so real.

Tony had insisted on bringing most of her clothes and had scoffed and told her it was such a small haul compared to his stuff. He thought it would only take up a quarter of the walk-in closet. Her knife and gun collection though; they'd have to find special storage for that later.

They took her sofa and club chairs. Tony fell in love with one of her rugs and thought it would be perfect in the bedroom and he took the framed sheet music from Tali's first recital; one of the few things Ziva took from Eli's place in Tel Aviv. Ziva had gotten completely caught up in this combining of their lives that she forgot. It had all felt so natural, so perfect that she let herself believe it was real.

But now, now Tony had given away his black leather sofa in favor of her overstuffed cream sofa with the large pale blue pillows stitched with colorful birds and flowers. It wasn't exactly a sofa suited for a bachelor landing. And he'd hung Tali's sheet music and made room for her clothes and coats. They'd spent hours moving things into place, unpacking her boxes and making the bed up that she thought they'd just fall asleep. But a shower under Tony's delicious water pressure later and they'd made love first in the shower then on the bed and then on the kitchen floor after cold pizza.

It was such a beautiful day. Seven more left.

Did she have a right to all of this? Wouldn't this just hurt Tony all the more when she was gone? A tear slipped from her eye as Tony pulled her closer. The sun had fully risen as they lay in bed and she wondered what today would bring? She wondered if she should find a way to get her things out of the apartment when she left.

"I can hear you thinking," Tony muttered as he brushed her hair aside and kissed her neck.

Ziva moved her shoulders up when it tickled and turned to face him. "Can you now? When did you get psychic powers?"

"Oh you'd be surprised how long I've had them; just call me Kreskin." Tony kissed her, covered her and they made love again. He consumed every bit of her; everything she was, everything she had he now owned and she wished she could just let him keep all of her.

Afterwards, they showered together and went about getting dressed for the day. Ziva noticed that except for a few moments here and there, Tony didn't even like being one room apart from her. They puttered about the apartment like a couple of inseparable kids playing house. And she knew that was exactly what this was - playing house because she could not promise him she would or could return.

They were about to go up to the rooftop grill for breakfast when the knock came. She didn't even need Tony to open the door to know. On the other side of the door stood Gibbs, McGee, Abby and Ducky. Gibbs was first to enter and he went straight for her and took her into an Abby-style hug. She spent long moments hugging her friends and they all wound up in the living room while Tony called up to the grill and asked them to deliver. Abby chattered on about NCIS and missing her and telling her not to take any foreign jobs anymore because she didn't like it when her friends were away. McGee sat next to her on the couch and whispered how much he missed her and that he agreed with Abby - don't do that again.

Ziva looked to Tony as Ducky informed her that she had nothing to worry about any longer; Gibbs had made Parsons go away. Ducky then asked when she'd be returning to NCIS?

"Not now, Ducky," Ziva replied. "I have taken on a job and right now I am on a ...break. But I have to return to finish the job in a few days."

"No, Ziva, you can't go again," Abby practically yelled. "You just got home! And...And we know! We know you and Tony are together - we knew it would happen this time. Not that we haven't thought it would happen other times because believe you me I thought it would have happened years ago already but you know now we know! We were talking about it on the way over - we knew when we saw you here that you and Tony were finally coupling! And Gibbs is OK with it - he said so in the elevator! Right, Gibbs?! No rule 12 for Tony and Ziva! Tell them!"

"She's right, Ziver," Gibbs stated.

"Tell her," Tony stared at Gibbs and for the first time ever Ziva saw Gibbs acquiesce to Tony.

"DiNozzo," Gibbs started, "came to me and informed me of his intentions with you. I had no choice but to void rule 12."

Ziva turned to Tony and saw his chest puff out like some proud caveman and could not help the huge smile that overtook her face. "Well, I guess that is settled."

"Yup," Tony stated as the doorbell rang and he went to get the delivery.

Ziva craned her head to Tony, "I would have liked to have been a bee on that wall," she said to him.

"Fly," Tony corrected.

"Ziva," Gibbs stood up and gestured towards the dining room, "let's talk."

Ziva stood and headed to the dining room with Gibbs. She went to the window as Gibbs closed the door to the room.

"What is going on, Ziver?"