Warnings: Spoilers for Season 7 but at this point...very minor!

A/N: Had a great time at the wedding but four days in D.C...man what a whirlwind of a weekend! Hope everyone is enjoying :) I'm thinking I'm going to have to rely on fanfic to get to see Tony in healthy relationships because it appears that the producers and writers are just willing to let him idle around waiting for Ziva. Sigh... at least there are some good stories here I can sink my teeth into. ENJOY!

They were being given the run around. Gibbs of course had not expected anything less from Mossad when they had shown up. It had been two days since they had arrived and they had yet been to see Eli.

Gibbs patience was already thin when he'd arrived. Two days of being told that Director David did not have the time for them was not helping matters. He'd like to see how the all-powerful Eli David enjoyed the same kind of run around if NCIS had done this to him back in May. Perhaps they should have. Then Ziva wouldn't have physically assaulted Tony. He was going to have a chat with her about that. Gibbs was not leaving Israel until she knew there was no place for her on his team anymore, liaison officer or not.

Vance himself was furious. He hated being lied too…but to be played on top of that…

"Director Vance?" a kindly secretary chimed happily from her desk. "Deputy Director Bodnar said he can see you today."

"I came here to see Director David," Vance snapped, clenching his fists at his sides.

"Unfortunately, Director David has a full schedule today."

Gibbs didn't buy that for a minute. Eli was dodging them. And not because he believed he had done anything wrong…but because he honestly believed he did not owe Leon an explanation as to why he'd used Natalie and Tony in such a way to rescue Ziva. "We should take the appointment, Leon."

Vance straightened his shoulders. "We'll meet with Deputy Director Bodnar…but I want it on record that I still want to speak to Director David."

The assistant looked at him sheepishly and nodded her head. She picked up her phone and spoke into the receiver in Hebrew. When she hung up she pointed to a couple of chairs and silently instructed the pair of NCIS agents to sit.

Both chose to stand, waiting silently in their spots. Almost thirty minutes later a tall, broad shouldered man appeared, dressed in a sharp suit. He buttoned his suit coat and held his hand out to Vance. "Director Vance…Deputy Director Ilan Bodnar…I am sorry that it has taken so long for someone to see you and your agent. Please…come back to my office were we can discuss your issues with our latest operations."

"I was hoping to get to speak to Eli," Vance snapped as they followed Bodnar down the hall towards his office.

"Director David is a very busy man, Director Vance," Bodnar replied, allowing the two other men access to his office. "Please. Sit down."

Vance took a seat, smirked slightly when Gibbs shook his head and declined with a, "No, I'm good."

Bodnar shut the door and sat at his desk. He smiled at both Vance and Gibbs, like a true politician, sneaky and broad. "I was happy to hear that your agents made it back to the United States, safely. It was a happy ending all around for everyone."

"Happy ending?" Gibbs spat, angrily. "I almost lost two agents!"

"Who were recovered with minor injuries considering where they were for forty-eight hours."

"Minor injuries?"

Vance held his arm out to stop Gibbs from striking at Bodnar. Although…he echoed the desire of wanting to do it himself. He fished his newly minted smartphone out of his pocket and placed it on the desk, calling up a series of photographs. "These photos are of Agent Callahan's torso…do those deep, purple bruises look like minor injuries to you, Deputy Director Bodnar?"

Bodnar glared at him. "Those bruises are nothing compared to what Officer David went through."

Gibbs was suddenly glad DiNozzo wasn't there—he would have had the Deputy Director in a choke hold for that comment—dismissing what Natalie had gone through. The team leader was certainly protective of his team, no doubt about that...but Tony had not left Natalie's side from the moment they were transported out of the camp to the moment their flight touched down on the deck of the Enterprise. He'd even been reluctant to be separated from her when they were in sick bay getting cleaned up, stitched up, and checked up by the doctors. "With all due respect Deputy Director—Agent Callahan did not go to North Africa to raid a terrorist camp to kill Saleem Ulman—she was not aware of what might happen to her if she was caught—which I suspect Officer David was fully aware of."

"Are you implying that Officer David got her comeuppance?"

"No, sir, just implying that Agent Callahan's experience should not be downplayed just because she wasn't raped."

"Then she is lucky. She left that camp with her dignity still intact."

Vance had read the Enterprise's ship psychologist's accounts of her interview with Natalie. Yes…her dignity as Bodnar liked to put it was still intact…but her emotional state was very fragile. "Agent Callahan never should have been put in that position. She was in the region with Agent DiNozzo conducting an investigation of a dead marine—her job."

Bodnar's brow furrowed into a scowl. "Agents DiNozzo and Callahan were a threat to our entire operation to rescue Officer David. They needed to be dealt with. Officer Ben-Gideon handled it accordingly."

Gibbs felt his anger rising. "By handing them over to Saleem Ulman? So they could be beaten, drugged, and terrorized? Seems like there could have been less violent ways to handle them, Deputy Director. If my agents knew they were interfering with your operation, they would have cleared out of the area. They were under orders from me to stay out of Mossad's way. Unfortunately your boss wasn't forthcoming with information. This entire situation could have been avoided if he had told the truth."

"Agent Gibbs we run a much different agency out here than you do," Bodnar said, sternly. "One has to when a suicide bomber could be lurking around every corner. Agents DiNozzo and Callahan we an essential part of our operation—it is after all…business."

"Business?" Vance repeated, frustrated. "My agents are not contracts that you can hand out to be signed for your purposes."

Bodnar leaned back in his chair, dark eyes shifting between Vance and Gibbs. "I believe we are done here, Director Vance. Director David apologizes for not being able to meet with you himself and hopes to catch you on a later date."

Vance stood and pulled his suit coat tightly against his body. "You can inform Eli that I am not leaving Tel Aviv until we talk. I kept Officer David at NCIS to continue peaceful relations with Mossad, Deputy Director. I hope that Eli has the good sense to remember that and see me—soon."

Gibbs opened the door, looked briefly at the officer waiting to escort them out of the building. He paused and glared at Bodnar. "I want to speak to Officer David."

"Impossible. Officer David is recovering from traumatic injuries right now."

"Then take me to her hospital room for all I care!"

Vance could see that Bodnar was not going to oblige Gibbs this wish. "We will be speaking with Officer David before we leave. Just to make a few things clear to her."

Bodnar sneered at the two men. "Are there any other demands you wish for me to pass on to Director David?"

"Yeah," Gibbs snarled, "provide better coffee." And with that he stormed out of the office.

Cupcakes were waiting on each of their desks when they returned to work. Along with a dozen black, long stem roses in a glass vase on the filing cabinet behind Natalie's desk. It had Abby written all over it.

McGee was surprised there were no balloons and a banner. Perhaps Ducky and Palmer had told her to go easy on the team upon returning. He placed his gear down by his desk and opened his bakery box to look upon a sweet smelling, chocolate cupcake. It was going to go wonderfully with his cup of coffee that morning and even though he always tried to watch what he ate…well…didn't he deserve a sweet treat after North Africa? Natalie and Tony deserve about twenty cupcakes each.

"Did someone leave me dead flowers?" Natalie inquired when she noticed the vase behind her desk.

"Abby…they're alive…she knows this florist that dies roses black," McGee replied, taking a bite of his cupcake. "I think this is her more subtle way of welcoming us home."

Natalie took a deep breath and situated herself at her desk. With the exception of the roses and the box with a cupcake in it…everything was just as she left it before her and Tony got on that flight out to the Indian Ocean. It seemed like another world now…in reality it had only been a week ago. Before she turned her computer on she caught a glimpse of herself in the reflection of the monitor. She had done her best to make herself look presentable. But her braid was slightly off center and the concealer was not covering up the dark circles underneath her eyes.

Being a profiler she knew how to fake her way through a psych evaluation and the shrink that had given her mandatory one upon returning had really been none the wiser. She knew that she probably was not going to be able to fool Tony.

She pushed the sleeve of her knit top back, studying the bandages wrapped around her flesh. The Navy doctor that had stitched her arm up didn't think it was going to leave too much of a scar…nothing that wouldn't fade over time…but the emotional scar…that was always going to be there. Natalie pressed down on the wound, pain shooting through her arm and up her shoulder. She winced…but just happy to feel…something. She went to do it again when a hand came out of nowhere and grabbed her by the wrist, stopping her. She wasn't surprised to gaze up into Tony's green eyes.

"Don't do that," he said, softly. "It will only make it worse."

"Pain lets me know I really am alive," she snapped, angrily.

"NCIS shrink said you were ready to come back to work…"

Natalie yanked her hand back from his grasp. "I'm fine. You can call and ask the shrink. Tell her I said to wave confidentiality."

Tony sent a quick, quiet glance to McGee. Both men were concerned about her, no doubt. She had been closed off to everyone around her since arriving in sick bay on the Enterprise. Even on the flight home from Naples…in the comfort of a private jet…she had seemed tense and kept her distance. This wasn't the Natalie the pair of agents had come to know over the last several weeks. "If you're fine…why does it look like you haven't slept in days?" Why are you hurting yourself?

"Still adjusting to the time change," she tossed out. "And getting used to my own bed after sleeping on a floor and in a berth for a week."

"All the more reason to fall into a coma every night," he replied, calmly.

McGee could see that Natalie was getting agitated with Tony. Her jaw twitched, her fingers curled, and she was looking at him less and less. "Are you going to do an evaluation on me too, Special Agent DiNozzo?" she snapped, her temper clearly flaring.

Tony gazed down at her. "I'm worried about you, Nat."

"I said I was fine."

"You don't look fine."

"Everyone has their bad hair days."

He knew this was not a bad hair day. This was much, much, much worse than that. He'd seen it before they left Italy…had been surprised when she had come back from her evaluation with a clean bill of mental health. Obviously the shrink wasn't paying that much attention. "You can take a few days if you want. Gibbs and Vance aren't coming back from Israel for a while and McGee and I can handle all this paper work."

She groaned and pushed back from her desk. "Are you done with the twenty questions, Tony? Because if you are…I'm going to get a cup of coffee…"

Tony grabbed a hold of her non-injured arm before she could get away from him. "Agent Callahan…don't make me call security and have them escort you out of the building because we both know I'll do it. Go home, Natalie."

Natalie swallowed her tears and yanked her arm out of his grasp. She gathered up his things and stormed out, not saying a word to her colleagues as she went. Tony's eyes followed her and then fell onto McGee. In just a simple glance he knew that McGee was thinking the same thing he was—there was no amount of cupcakes and roses that was going to help Natalie through this.

Ducky came back from lunch to find someone hiding in his back room. "Natalie?"

Natalie looked up, laptop on her outstretched legs and smiled sheepishly. "Hi, Ducky."

"What are you doing?"

"Jimmy said it would be okay if I worked back here."

"Does Anthony know you're down here?"

Natalie bit down onto her lower lip. Tony had ordered her home and no doubt that information had spread around the building. She had bribed Jimmy by offering to give him some dating advice—and a fifty dollar bill to take out said date. "It was just too noisy up there…and we're just doing paperwork until Gibbs gets back from Israel…"

Ducky looked at her, seriously. "So, in other words, no—Anthony does not have any idea that you are down here. In fact, I would suspect that Agent DiNozzo is not even aware that you are still on the Navy Yard. I believe, my dear, he told you to go home and rest. Hiding back here, working is not going home and resting."

"He didn't need to send me home," Natalie snapped. "He's overreacting…more protective than my older brother."

"Come out, my dear," Ducky said, gesturing for her to join him. "I feel like a cup of tea and need someone to share it with."

Natalie crawled out of the space and sat down in the chair that Ducky pulled out for her. She watched as he began to prepare a pot of tea, gently placing two empty cups onto his desk.

Ducky had a more gentle approach than Gibbs or even Tony at times and he was very much aware of the frustration that Gibbs was going through in Israel right now. To top it all off Tony and Natalie both were barely hanging on—the SFA was just better at covering it up. "Anthony means well, my dear. He has always been fiercely protective of those he cares about. Willing to sacrifice his job or his life in a heartbeat if it meant keeping someone safe. Which…I assume you were witness to in your captivity."

"He…ordered me to go with Saleem when the camp was clearing out…they were only taking one of us…" Natalie confessed, softly.

"The other would be killed," Ducky stated, sitting down while they waited for the water to heat up. "After Caitlin's tragic demise…it was terribly hard on Tony. He always tried to look out for his partners before her death…but it was like her death turned a switch—he became fiercely protective…perhaps even obsessive with that duty. One reason things with Ziva fell apart. Tony broke protocol to protect her and a man lost his life."

Natalie sighed and swallowed her tears. "It just… he's doing fine and I feel like… I feel like I'm still in that camp. Trapped. Scared. And when…and when people look at me… it… what if I'm not cut out for this federal agent thing?"

Ducky shook his head. "Your emotional reactions to your captivity are perfectly normal, Natalie. They do not define you as an agent."

"But Tony…"

"Tony is exceptional at hiding behind masks. Years and years of practice. Trust me… the boy is hurting just as much as you."

Natalie closed her eyes, wishing she could push the images of that room from her mind completely. "They didn't force him to watch," she whispered.

Ducky was confused. "Pardon?"

Her eyes snapped open and she smiled at him, sadly. "Nothing. Just…thinking out loud." The kettle whistled and she let her smile get bigger. "So… teach me how to properly drink tea."

"Of course, my dear," Ducky said returning her smile, all the while making a mental note to call the shrink that had evaluated Natalie and then talk to Tony.