Ziva pov

Ziva didn't mean to run off. She'd had promised both herself and Tony that she would start letting people in and the old her would have never run. But the new Ziva, the post-Somalia Ziva, all she seemed to do was flee. It's like a switch had gone in her brain changing her from predator to prey. This time, instead of running home like had become normal she sought the safety of Tony's apartment. She grabbed the spare key from under the mat and let herself in. The smell of his cologne instantly worked to lower her heart rate. Ziva made her way over to the sofa, collapsing onto it in a tight ball. She tried to organise her thoughts, to get a handle on all that had happened that day but it was all so jumbled. Her brain felt like, not cloudy what was the English word for it? Tony would know what she was trying to say. He always understood her.

She gave up trying to navigate her mind and instead decided to try and distract herself. She paced in front of Tony's large movie shelf and grabbed a film, she didn't know what one and didn't really care as long as it drowned out her mind. She curled up on the sofa, wrapped in Tony's blanket as the title sequence for Die Hard started to play.

Tony pov

Tony had left work after talking to Ducky with a different frame of mind. He was still undoubtedly scared, but he was determined to be there for her. To help her in whatever way she needed him to. He was planning on getting changed and making his way over to Ziva's apartment as he opened his front door only to find Ziva asleep on his couch. The title page of Die Hard playing on a loop accompanying the sound of her snoring. Tony stopped and stared at the scene in front of him, a content smile played on his lips. As gently and quietly as he could he walked over and picked her up, still wrapped in his blanket. Ziva stirred a little as he did so.

"Shh Zi, it's me go back to sleep" she mumbled a response and buried her head into his chest breathing deeply before relaxing again. He placed her into bed tucking her into the duvet and laid down next to her. It was way too early for him to sleep but that didn't matter. What did matter was that Tony knew she was safe and happy. And so there he laid with Ziva cradled in his arms drawing small, comforting circles on her back. A part of him wished they could stay like this forever, hiding from all the evilness of the world but that wouldn't work. The best way to face an opponent was head-on, offence, Ziva had taught him that and now it was his turn to remind her of her own advice. 'She is the strongest person I have ever met' Tony thought 'She'll get through this, we will get through this. Together.'

Ziva pov

Ziva slowly opened her eyes and immediately panicked. She was trapped, something heavy lay over her. It was dark and she didn't know where she was. She quickly jumped up pushing off the heavy object.

"Hey what?" came a grumbled response from the body in the bed next to her. Ziva's brain finally caught up to what was going on as her flight response diminished.

"I am so sorry Tony."

"Hm no it's okay" Tony responds rubbing the sleep out of his eyes "What time is it?"

Zivas glances at the alarm clock on the bedside table "Just after 8."

"Oh, I didn't even realise I had fallen asleep" Tony stretches as he gets up and Ziva braced waiting for the bombardment of questions, why did she run, what did the man do to her, why did she break in. "You hungry?" was the only question asked however.

"Um, sure?" Ziva responds still feeling rather apprehensive and waiting for his interrogation to begin.

"Great I'll order us some pizza, why do you find us a film to watch or something"

"Really Tony, your going to let me pick the film?" Ziva questions with a raised eyebrow and slight smirk

"Hey you picked a pretty good one before I came home."

"Yeah, I did not actually watch it though."

"Well we will just have to fix that then won't we"

Ziva smiled, she's missed the way they fired off of each other like this. She regained her previous position on the couch and Tony sat down next to her, having just got off the phone with the pizza place down the street. They sat in silence for a little while as the opening scenes played out but neither one of them where really paying attention to what was being said, they were too content just being sat hand in hand away from the complications of their lives. Soon the buzzer sounded indicating the arrival of the pizza which couldn't have come at a better time as Ziva's stomach let out a loud growl prompting a chuckle from Tony.

They ate in front of the movie with Tony quoting lines as it went and doing his usual annoying director's commentary which Ziva always secretly found quite endearing. As the plot began to wrap up her mind got restless again. 'why wasn't he asking her questions, He's a trained investigator and she essentially ran off and broke into his house?' Tony could clearly sense something was wrong as he pivoted around shifting his weight so she would have to move out of his lap to face him. "Everything alright?" he questions.

"Fine" she responds

"Ziva look" he gently holds her shoulders to keep her facing him. "Today was. A lot. And I am so proud of you for how you handled yourself in there. I would not have been able to keep my cool like that."

"Stop it Tony, just stop" she responds abruptly tears beginning to brim her eyes

"Zi, what?"

"You should not be proud of me. I was a coward. I ran away and broke into your apartment, I basically invited myself to stay here why aren't you mad at me?"

Tony raised his eyebrows and starred at her eyes wide "Mad? Ziva why would you ever think that. i mean for one I could never truly be mad at you even with your inability to learn English phrases. Just please hear me when I say this," he stares deeply into her eyes. "If you will let me I would do anything to be the person you can turn to, the person who will be at your side at a moment's notice, who knows everything about you. I mean let's face it we are already that for each other. I just need you to understand how much I want to help you. You are not a burden Ziva David please trust me on that."

Ziva looked at the floor, and thought for a moment, if the shoe was on the other foot ( find a way to put this out loud) then she would do the same for him, she had done the same for him before.

"I understand thank you Tony I needed to hear that"

"Good. If you have any other stupid thoughts like that tell me so I can destroy them"

She chuckled "That is probably not the most delicate way to put it but I see your point."

They both turned back to watch the movie and continued in silence for a while. Which was unusual because he was rarely quiet for this long

"Any stupid thoughts happening in your head Tony?"

"hmm what oh um sort off"

"well this is not a way one road so please talk"

"one-way street Ziva"

"You're stalling"

"you know me so well. It's just I've been so worried about you ever since we got you back and I didn't know how to help you or if you were okay. I mean you clearly weren't no one would be but I mean you're Ziva you know. You're the strongest person I've ever met and.. I'm rambling aren't I"

"Yes, is there a point in there somewhere?"

"I'm just sorry"

"Tony you have nothing to be sorry for. You saved me"

"No I'm sorry for not being there for you after, I was just so determined for things to get back to normal and to move on from it. I should've done more for you back then."

"No Tony. I don't mean you rescued me from the desert I mean you saved me. Coming into work; seeing you and McGee and Gibbs was what I needed then. Normalcy. To feel like nothing had changed and no time had passed, it allowed me to pretend for a while that nothing had happened."

"And now?" Tony asks having muted the film

Ziva sighs "Now. I do not know, my mind is a complicated place. I no longer feel in control of it and that is not just from what happened the other day but that was definitely, how do you say, a catalyst?" Tony nods indicating she had the right word. She pauses for a moment and Tony looks at her pleading her to keep going but it was too much.

Ziva's philosophy had long been to keep moving forward, to not dwell on the past. She did her best to never think of the traumatic experiences of her life. That is except for her family. Ziva often spoke of Tali and privately thought of young Ari in order to keep their memories alive. It was a Jewish belief that the final death of a person is when their name is uttered for the last time. This was something she latched onto and took great meaning behind. But to talk about her personal demons was a different battle.

"I am sorry Tony, this was a mistake I should go" She got up to leave and Tony leapt up to stop her.

"Hey first of rule 6 and secondly no it wasn't. Ziva you don't have to talk if you don't want to but I think it will help if you try. And I think I can help if you'll let me. Tony held out a hand to her, "Just please stay it's been a long day and I don't want you going home alone."

Ziva weighs up his words and gingerly reaches out to take his hand. "There's just too much of me to fix Tony." Tony opens his mouth to respond "It is okay" she responds, "This is not your burden to bear, but I will stay. Besides I want to see the end of this film"

She drags him back to resume their previous seat on the sofa with Ziva leaning against Tony's chest and unmutes the TV. Tony leans down and whispers into her ear "You are no more broken than I am Ziva, but together we mend each other." Ziva smiled at this and held his hand close to her heart as they settled in to finish the film.

Tony and her relationship to an outsider may seem confusing but to her, she knew everything she needed to. Of course, they were more than co-workers, more than friends. They were each other's person. Someone who, despite everything, will always stand by you. With all the loss Ziva has faced in her life, this was a blessing and something she knew in that moment she could rely on. Ever since Michael Rivkin Ziva had been slightly unsure of her place with Tony. She had said so much that she now regrets that she felt like she lost a part of him too. But here now, she can see how wrong she was. If anything Tony has grown into the man she knew he was deep down and she loved that person. Even if she would never admit it rule 12 and all.