Warnings: Ziva is back, might be OOC. Just fair warning.

A/N: Hello everyone! Ready for more? Please let me know what you think and enjoy!

Guest- Thanks for pointing out that error, I'll make sure to go back and fix it when I get the chance. And you're right, Tony and Natalie are not Gibbs and Jenny, I actually have thought about Tony using that argument with Gibbs when the time comes.

"Where are they?" Tony asked, softly, entering the bullpen with Natalie behind him.

"Gibbs took them upstairs to Director Vance's office," McGee replied, anxiously. "Apparently they've been here for two weeks looking for the missing officer."

Tony glanced up towards the Director's office. His nerves had already been frayed at the crime scene, but to find out that Ziva had been in the States for two weeks, without NCIS knowing it, made his skin crawl. "Ducky narrow down the time of death yet?"

McGee's brow furrowed in confusion. "Two weeks. Probably just before the Israeli soldiers went home."

"So, if our dead guy has been dead for two weeks... and the soldiers home for two weeks, how could Ziva know he was missing before he went missing?"

"She was already here, in Washington when he went missing."

Tony licked his lips and nodded. "Our victim traveled under an alias... see if he traveled with someone."

McGee quickly called up the travel records of the dead Mossad officer, briefly glancing around to make sure Gibbs didn't return with Ziva and Malachi. "Okay," he said, in a near whisper, "he left Israel two and a half weeks ago... and traveled with a woman."

"Ziva and the officer were here, together?" Natalie asked, trying to get clarification. "Doing what...exactly?"

"I don't know," Tony stated, heading towards his desk. He grabbed his weapon, badge, and jacket. "But I'm going to go find out."

Natalie dashed towards her own gear and struggled to keep up with him. "Hey! Wait up!" she shouted as he climbed into the elevator. She barely slid in before the doors slid shut and he hit the button for the garage. "Where are we going?"

Tony slipped into his coat, keeping a cool, confident mask in place. "Base to talk to the base commander. I think he left some details out when he spoke to Gibbs. You don't have to come."

"What? Yes I do. You can't go out there without backup."

"I'll be fine."

"Tell that to the guy who was executed on that base two weeks ago."

He glared at her slightly as the doors opened and he stepped out. Tony didn't need her to protect him. He could take care of himself. "No one is going to execute me," he assured her.

She matched his brisk walking pace towards their car and grunted. "Tony. That's a ridiculous statement to make. Anyone could walk right up to you at any given moment, put a gun to the back of your head and fire."

"They can't kill me if I kill them first."

"Don't be a cocky son of a bitch right now. Not with her around!"

Tony stopped and spun about to look at his partner. Her gray eyes weren't angry like he had predicted, rather they were nervous, worried for him. "Are you afraid that she's here to hurt me?"

Natalie looked at him, exasperated. "Yes! She's hurt you before! She assaulted you in Israel!"

"I can handle Ziva."

"I know you can, Tony, but you don't have to do it alone this time."

Simple words but they meant a lot. Tony unlocked the Charger and opened the driver's side door. He leaned against and gazed her, gently. He knew she had his back, but it was nice hearing her say it. "Come on," he said, gesturing towards the car with his head, "Let's go."

Natalie climbed into the car with him, slamming her door shut. But he didn't start it up right away. "Something wrong?"

Tony turned towards her and shook his head. "No. Just... thanks."

"For?"

"For having my back even when I don't realize I need someone to have my back."

"That's what partners are for, right?" she asked with a soft smile.

"Yeah," he replied, starting the car up. It is exactly what partners are for.

Gibbs did very little to hide his displeasure that Ziva had shown up at NCIS, proclaiming that she had been in the United States for two weeks looking for their murder victim, Officer Benjamin Eshkar. Vance had been in a meeting when the pair of Mossad operatives had shown up, and Gibbs had immediately taken them up to his office, where he watched them for almost an hour, barely saying a word before Vance returned. Now, he sat on the ledge of the window in Vance's office, clutching a cup of coffee in his right hand, and keeping his heated glare on Ziva as she explained to the Director why her father had not informed him they would be coming.

"We did not think that Officer Eshkar's disappearance had anything to do with the military training he went to oversee," Ziva stated, coolly. "If we did, my father would have called you."

"Do you care to explain why your officer traveled under an alias?" Vance questioned, his voice dark, angry.

Ziva shifted her gaze towards Malachi briefly before answering. "My father did not want to alert any sleeper cells here, in the United States that a Mossad officer was coming. Apparently, it did not matter because he was murdered anyways."

Gibbs narrowed his eyes on the young woman. "What makes you so certain it was a sleeper cell that killed him?"

"Who else could it have been?" Ziva responded, hotly. "He was shot, close range in the back of the head!"

"You could have done it," Gibbs threw out, casually. "Since we're talking about who else could have pulled that trigger."

Ziva's eyes grew dark, rage filled. "What exactly are you suggesting?"

Gibbs didn't leave his perch on the windowsill. "That you killed so our paths would cross again. Is your father nervous now that he doesn't have a mole inside NCIS? Someone to keep an eye on us?"

"Are you accusing me of killing my colleague to get back onto your team?" Ziva spat, harshly.

"It wouldn't be the first time you've done it," Gibbs reminded her. "Or have you forgotten Ari?"

Her eyes flickered with anger and pain. The comment had hit below the belt, and Ziva bit down on her lower lip to stop herself from crying or lashing out at Gibbs, which ever would have come first. "Ari was out of control and needed to be handled. I had orders. I followed them."

He titled his head towards Vance as if to say, there's your answer. Gibbs pulled himself off the sill and headed towards the door. "I have an investigation to finish. I assume, that you're sticking around until its done."

"Benjamin was my friend. So yes, we are sticking around, even if you did just accuse me of murder."

"Fine. Just make sure to stay out of our way."

"I am not sitting around waiting for you to bring my information," Ziva responded, stepping into Gibbs path.

Gibbs looked towards Vance, who's shoulders straightened when he realized what the young Mossad officer was requesting, actually, rather demanding. "You want to be a part of this investigation?"

Ziva nodded, curtly. "Yes. I do."

He gestured for her to hand over her weapons. "Then give me all your weapons, Ms. David... you too Officer Ben-Gideon."

"If you take our weapons how are we suppose to defend ourselves in the field?" she asked, raising her chin in defiance.

"In the field?" Gibbs repeated with a chuckle. "You won't be going out into the field. You won't need your weapons to defend yourself on the Navy Yard."

"This is ridiculous," Ziva spat.

Gibbs shrugged his shoulders and gestured for the weapons again. "It's your choice, Ziver. What's it gonna be?"

Ziva glared at him as she handed all her weapons over. She hated how he had left her with no choice, how he treated her like some kind of villain now. "Are you happy now?" she inquired, as Malachi handed over his last weapon. "We are completely defenseless."

The former marine laughed, softly, before leading the way out of the Director's office. "I wouldn't say completely defenseless, Ziver. You once told DiNozzo that you could kill him eighteen different ways with a paperclip. Plenty of those around this office if you need one."

McGee anxiously looked up when the trio entered the bullpen, his eyes darting towards Tony and Natalie's empty desks. Gibbs didn't seem bothered that his other agents were missing, or the fact that Ziva and Malachi were following closely on his trail. "Boss...Abby says that the bullet is too damaged to make a positive match if we find a weapon."

"We'll just have to nail the killer a different way," Gibbs replied. " and Officer Ben-Gideon will be here to observe. You have my permission to share information with them. Where are Tony and Natalie?"

"They went to re-interview the base commander," McGee replied, noticing that this peaked Gibbs' interest. "He thinks there's more to the story."

Gibbs paused, realizing that McGee didn't want to reveal certain information in front of their guests. "He find something?"

McGee nodded, eyed Ziva for a second, and said, "Eshkar was traveling with a woman, who also used an alias."

"Something you and Officer Ben-Gideon aren't tell me, Officer David?" Gibbs addressed her, eyes narrowing. "How long have you really been here?"

"Yes. I traveled with Benjamin. We were here to oversee the soldiers training," Ziva replied, coolly.

"So why did you lie to Vance? You're not making your case here, Officer David, that you didn't have a hand in Eshkar's death."

Malachi intervened before Ziva could say something in anger, "Director David was afraid you would accuse Ziva of this. He wanted us to stick to the story that we have been here together for two weeks looking for Benjamin. The truth is, Ziva reported him missing and I flew out to the States to help her find him."

Gibbs tossed a legal pad at him. "You write down everything, and I mean, everything that you and Ziva did while here. If I find that you left one thing out you be allowed any access to this case." He gestured at McGee, "Take them up to the conference room. They can work from there."

McGee quietly did as he was told, aware that Gibbs was watching their every step up to the conference room. As he escorted the two Mossad officers, he realized that it wasn't even noon yet and he needed a stiff drink.

It hadn't been a waste of a trip to the base but it hadn't been entirely productive either.

Tony entered the restroom feeling every muscle in his body ache from exhaustion and stress. The base commander could only confirm that Eshkar wasn't alone when he came to see the Israeli soldiers, that he had been with a woman, but he couldn't tell Tony much more than that. Other than identifying her when Natalie had shown him a photograph of Ziva.

Leaning against the sink, Tony stared at the floor and his scuffed shoes. He didn't like where the case was leading them. Everything was pointing towards Ziva being the killer... that she had taken out Eshkar to gain access to the team once again. Suddenly the scent of jasmine hit his nostrils and he shivered, "I was wondering when you were going to corner me, Ziva," he said, straightening. He turned towards her. "Enjoying your visit?" he asked, sarcastically.

Ziva didn't say anything. She kept a cool, calculated gaze on him. His body language told her that he wasn't happy she was here, and she didn't expect him to be, not after the way they had parted back in May. But still... he could not have possibly forgotten how he felt about her, now could he? "I would like it more if Gibbs would give me more access to the case. He seems to think I did it."

"Did you?" Tony questioned.

"No! I did not!" Ziva responded, hotly.

"Then I guess you have nothing to hide," he retorted, pushing past her and exiting the restroom. He was half-way back to his desk when he felt her hand grab onto his own, pulling him back. Tony was stunned for a second, his green eyes turning to find Ziva, a soft expression on her face.

"I was hoping we could talk," the Israeli whispered.

He yanked his hand away from her. "Talk? What the hell do we have to talk about?"

She frowned, a hurt expression crossing her features. "A lot of things, Tony."

"Oh, okay. Where do you want to start? How about when you assaulted me? Or when your friends decided to use me as bait?"

"I was angry, Tony... I never meant to hurt you."

Tony scoffed. "Could have fooled me, Ziva. I thought you had my back... I thought you were my friend. Turns out I couldn't have been more wrong. Be honest with me, Ziva... did you ever care about us? About me?"

Ziva bit her lower lip to stop her tears. Every word was breaking her heart. She could admit that she had done a lot of wrong in her life and that there were many that would never forgive her but she always thought Tony would forgive her. She opened her mouth to say something but instead of her voice filling the hall it was Natalie, "Hey! Tim and I think we found something!"

Immediately Tony was gone from her side and following after his new partner. Ziva, setting her jaw, trying to control her emotions, followed behind them, noticing how close he walked next to Natalie.

Natalie went to her desk and sat down, fingers flying over the keyboard of her laptop. Tony went to stand behind her, leaning on her desk, his body inches from hers. "I've been working on profiles of the unit the Israeli soldiers were training with and I think I found a possible lead."

"What am I looking at?" Tony asked, a confused look on his face.

"Website for a popular Neo-Nazi group in Virginia," Natalie replied. "I found one of the Marines had ties... his brother is a member."

"You think this was a hate crime?" Ziva spat, causing both Tony and Natalie to look up at her.

"Yes. It explains why no terrorist group has taken responsibility," Natalie replied, honestly.

Ziva clutched her fists at her sides, her emotions running in all different directions. Perhaps she was blinded by jealousy, rage, but the words flew from her mouth before she could stop them. "What makes you such an expert?"

Tony straightened his shoulders and glared at her. "Natalie has a masters degree in Forensic Psychology," he snapped, defensively. Reaching out he playfully mussed up Natalie's hair, watching the storm erupt in Ziva's eyes because it was something he'd always done to her to make her laugh. "Nice work, Probies," he praised Tim and Natalie.

"Actually it was Natalie's idea," Tim said with a shrug, "I just found the website."

"Either way, it's better than nothing," Tony pointed out, digging out his cell phone. "Hey boss... the Probies found a lead..."

Ziva stood there, while he was on the phone with Gibbs, clenching her fists and wanting to lash out but not sure who to lash out at. It should be her working on the team, not this... woman who had come in here on a whim from Boston and ended up landing the job. And it should be her that Tony was looking at with a gentle, soft gleam to his eyes... not Natalie. He was in love with her. It was the whole reason he had killed Michael, to protect her because he was in love with her. And by the time this case was over she was going to make sure that both Tony and Natalie were aware of this.

By the way... I think the kitty claws are going to come out next chapter... just saying lol