So sorry for the little delay.

Thanks to those who followed, favourited and reviewed this story. It means a lot to me.

Enjoy the next chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS.

Chapter 4

Tony was tired when he arrived at NCIS. Gibbs had told him that Vance wanted them in on Saturday. He couldn't sleep. Soon after Ziva had left him standing on Gibbs' porch, he and Jo have said their goodbyes, too. The evening was ruined and Tony felt miserable. He had the feeling to have betrayed his partner and best friend. When they arrived at home, both DiNozzos went to bed, but Tony couldn't fall asleep. All night he thought about how to straighten things out with Ziva again. Maybe it was time to introduce Amelia to the team. Simply spill the truth and hope that it wouldn't be as bad as with Ziva. For her, he definitely has to contrive something else to get on her good side again. But what?

Tony brooded almost the whole night until sleep caught up with him at 3am. Three hours later his alarm clock rang and Tony reluctantly got up. He got dressed and wrote on a short slip of paper a message for his daughter, telling her that she should come to NCIS after visiting her best friend.

Disgruntled, Tony sat down at his desk. He only hoped that today was not another one of these days where Parsons tries to snoop around. Today, he didn't need this. He also didn't know at all how he should behave in Ziva's company.

When Tony's computer started, he felt his mobile phone vibrating in his pocket. He got it out and saw that he has a text from Jo.

Are you sure? Apparently she had found his note. Even if he would have liked to talk personally with her about her coming to NCIS, he didn't want to wake her up so early. Not when she has the chance to sleep in.

I am sure. I've kept this secret now too long for myself. You are right, it will nothing happen to you if my colleagues know about you. You will certainly like it here. I'll inform Luisa that you'll spend the midday at NCIS. See you later, love you.

Just as he wanted to put his mobile phone away again he got an answer from Jo. I love you, too. Don't worry, everything will be alright.

Tony had to smile when he read the words. His daughter had always had a reassuring influence on him. Tony looked briefly around. None of his team members were here. However, with Gibbs he never was sure. If he wasn't there in the mornings, then it was because he was away again to get a coffee or to do other things. If Tony wouldn't know better, he'd think the man sleeps at NCIS.

Tony got up and went to the stairs. He had to talk to Vance. It was time that Amelia was noted in his personnel file. He considered briefly how Vance would react if he heard that he has a daughter.

„Good morning." he welcomed Cynthia who is, as usual, freshly and cheerfully at work as the secretary of the director.

„Good morning agent DiNozzo. You're quite punctual today." she smiled at him friendly.

„Well, couldn't sleep properly. Can I go in or is this a bad time?" he pointed to Vance' office.

„No, you can go in."

„Thanks." Tony knocked at the door to announce his entry and opened it. Vance looked up and was surprised to see Agent DiNozzo.

„Agent DiNozzo. What can I do for you?" asked Vance. Everyone who went to Vance has always the feeling that he concentrates completely upon the guest and tries to solve the problems of his agents.

„I'd like to have a correction be made to my personal files." Good start, very neutral.

„And what should be corrected?"

„I have a daughter." And from neutral to jumping from a cliff. Very well DiNozzo. Simple like a band aid. If you tear it of fast, then it hurts not that much.

„A daughter?" Vance looked calmer than Ziva did yesterday. He hoped that the others will take it also better than Ziva.

„Yes, sir. Amelia Joan DiNozzo. She is 14 years old. Her mother died while giving birth to her."

„Does that mean that you kept your daughter as a secret for the last 14 years?"

„For safety reasons I wanted that this information remained confidential. Only Gibbs and Ducky knew about her. I've made too many enemies during my time as a cop and even more here at NCIS. I didn't want to challenge destiny."

„The father in me understands that. I will inform the personnel department and they'll get in contact with you. Is there anything else?"

„No, that was all, sir."

„Then go back to work. It's bad enough that Parsons keeps my Agents from doing their work."

„Understood, sir. Thanks for understanding my situation."

When Tony arrived at the stairs to go down to the bullpen, he saw that his colleagues were finally there. But while McGee sat at his desk, every trace of Ziva was missing. Though her bag stood next to her desk, she was nowhere in sight. Did she avoid him?

„Good morning, McGee. Where is Ziva?"

„Morning, Tony. Parsons is with Ziva in the interrogating room. Apparently he hasn't finished his interrogating yet."

„Thanks, McGee." Tony walked in direction of the lift. As soon as Parsons was done with Ziva, he will speak to her about yesterday. Why needlessly postpone it? They are partners and as partners they have to be able to work together. Tony prayed that Parsons didn't need too long.

Tony stood bewildered behind the one-way-mirror of the interrogating room. He couldn't believe what he just heard. He had told her at the airport, before she had flown to Israel to bury her father that she is not alone and after eight years she should know that he was always there for her. He would give her everything she'd need. He'd do everything for her, but apparently she had another view. It had to be that when she feels alone, she'll rather sleep with the next best man instead of calling her partner who would always protect her.

Tony felt sick. Why did she feel alone when she should know that the whole team stood behind her? Has she even taken it into consideration to call him? Tony felt how his heart broke. He had thought that after so many years and so many missed opportunities, something would finally happen between them. They were so close to each other like never before, but obviously they were more distant to each other than ever and Tony it hadn't noticed it. How often did he want to allow a woman to break his heart?

Tony gathered all his courage and swallowed the fury, disappointment and pain. At this moment he had decided that this was the last time a woman broke his heart. He won't ever let that happen again. Never. He straightened his shirt and his jacket and stormed out of the room. He tore the door open to the interrogation room and saw that both Parsons and Ziva were staring at him with a questioning look.

„The interrogation is over." His glare was of full determination and his face was rock-hard. Tony only looked at Parsons who broke off the eye contact after one minute, took his things and left the room without another word.

Ziva just stared unbelievingly at Tony. How much had he heard? Had he heard about Adam? Though she still was angry with Tony, she began to worry. The situation between them was not good and another blow would make everything even worse. However, the expression on Tony's face and the hurt in his eyes, which he tried to hide, told a different story and she was sure that he knew it.

„Tony." Ziva started to explain, but she didn't know what she should say. Though she had said to Parsons that it was a moment of weakness and loneliness, but it explained not why she had slept again with Adam just yesterday. If Tony would know this, something surely would have broken in their relationship, something that wouldn't be able to be repaired. If this had not already happened of course. Lately they have gotten closer to each other, but this relationship was still growing and is still very fragile at the moment.

„You know I'm pretty sure that I have told you at the airport that you are not alone. I've said it even in Hebrew." Ziva didn't like the tone at all that he used. He looked resigned. She felt more and more guilty. Though they have no exclusive rights on each other, but it was an unspoken agreement that they wouldn't see other people, but that was exactly what she had done. She had met another man and slept with him. Twice if you count last night too but fortunately Tony knew nothing about that.

„I thought that we got to a point in which we can trust ourselves unconditionally. We can talk with each other, without this whole drama." Tony continued. When Ziva heard this, she remembered that he has hid his daughter all these years from her and all emotions, the fury, the hurt and the disappointment, came up again.

„Well, Tony. This is exactly what I thought until yesterday, until I found out that my partner has a child! Tell me Tony, why out of all people you are raising a kid? You, who himself is still just a big kid!" Now spoke the fury from Ziva and she held nothing back. She let everything out. „You, who runs after every skirt he meets. Actually, are there more little DiNozzo's out there? I mean, with your number of one night stands this could be the case, or am I wrong? No wonder that you have to raise Amelia alone. What woman, who isn't completely crazy, would want to be with you?" Immediately after she had said this sentence, she tore her eyes open. She didn't want to say this. She saw that he looked surprised at her. Surprised about that, what he has just heard. Ziva gave herself mentally a head slap. Technically, she wanted to improve the situation and save what still was to save. But instead, she had made everything even worse. Well done. You can certainly be lucky if he even wants to speak to you again Bravo!

Tony's eyes were slightly watery and he had to swallow the lump in his throat, so that his voice wouldn't sound completely weak. „Jo's mother died while giving birth. And you are right, I am just a big kid myself and Jo is the one who does the raising. We raise ourselves mutually. And you are also right that probably no woman who isn't completely insane wants to be with me. I mean, I am a big kid who is single with a teenager daughter and has hard job. But I thought that I have found a woman who would be crazy enough and would ignore all this. I must have probably been mistaken, like I have always been mistaken. Lately I thought that we were finally on the same page, but apparently we not only are not on the same page, but we are in completely other books." Tony looked around the room as he searched for the words. „I am done. I don't want to do this anymore. Whatever this is between us that had gone on for years now, has to stop. I make an end to this right now. It's over."

Ziva watched stunned how Tony turned around and left the room. Had she just initialized the end of her partnership? She really hoped not.

Tony and Ziva avoided each other all morning. While McGee was with Parsons, Tony visited as many people as possible so that he didn't had to be alone with Ziva. One of them was Ducky. He wanted to tell him that Jo will be in at midday to get introduced to the team. While he was with Ducky, the older man couldn't stop to tell some stories about Amelia while she was younger. Tony was glad about the distraction and often had to laugh with Ducky when they remembered the funny times with Jo. She had become so big. Too fast if you asked Tony.

Because it would attract attention if he'd stay longer with Ducky, he had to go up to the others again. He was just in the lift when he got a text from Jo.

I'm here. Waiting at the entrance.

Tony looked confused at his watch. Had he lost completely track of time? 12:00 o'clock. He didn't think that she would be here so early. Instead of going to the bullpen he went to meet his daughter at the entrance.

When he saw his daughter, his mood improved a little bit. He couldn't be in a bad mood when he was in the company of his daughter and when he was in a bad mood; his daughter always knew how to lighten him up again. When Jo saw her dad, she beamed at him and he couldn't keep the gentle smile from his lips.

„Hi, dad." she welcomed him with a hug.

„Hi, Jojo. You're here earlier that I thought you'd be."

„Penny had to go and get her brother from a friend's place and I thought it wouldn't hurt if I'm a bit early. Should I come back later?"

Tony put his right arm around her and led her to the direction of the lift. „No, no. Now is a good time."

„How does your plan look like? I still have to do some homework. Do you need me long?"

„You know Jo, sometimes I ask myself whether you are really my daughter. No DiNozzo likes to do its homework."

Jo laughed when the doors of the lift opened and you can already see Gibbs' team.

„You are working here? Wow, they weren't parsimoniously with the orange."

„Even after the bomb attack they have painted the walls orange again."

Gibbs was the first one who saw the two of them and met them at their way to the bullpen, which attracted the attention of McGee and Ziva.

„Amelia. Did something happen?" asked Gibbs anxiously. Amelia never comes to the NCIS and now she is standing right in front of him. It was only naturally that he concluded that something must have happened.

„No Uncle Gibbs. Everything is okay. My dad just finally decided to introduce me to the team."

Now Gibbs looked at DiNozzo. „Is this because of what happened yesterday?"

„I think it is long overdue. I don't want to keep Jo any longer a secret to the team."

„You're sure?" Gibbs asked DiNozzo again.

„Yes. I should have done it much earlier than today."

Together they walked to the bullpen. McGee watched the situation with interest, while Ziva tried to look uninterestedly and continued with her work. But from the corner of her eyes she watched every move Tony and Amelia made. Yesterday she was so furious and confused that she didn't look at Amelia at all. She had only concentrated upon Tony that she didn't notice the person they were actually arguing about.

Amelia was pretty. Her slightly wavy, brown hair fitted perfectly to her face and her green eyes seemed to shine. She was about two and a half heads smaller than Tony and had a sporty figure. She was wearing a light blue T-shirt, jeans and white Sneakers.

While she analyzed Amelia, she didn't notice that Tony said something. „There is something that I have kept secret for a long time now. Simply because of fear that something could happen, but I was often told that this secret is unnecessary and that nothing bad would happen and I think that is right." He looked at the faces of his co-workers. Well in one face. Ziva still didn't look up. He didn't know how to tell them. Just get out with this. "Okay, I'll just say it. I'd like to introduce you to my daughter Amelia."

So the rest of the team and NCIS gets to finally meet Jo. The reaction of the Team about Tony having a teenager daughter will be in the next chapter.