OOO!!!!

So I know I promise a chapter for One Step At A Time.... but this little one shot just got stuck in my head. I'll update OSAAT later today. Promise. And the entire thing was inspired by ONE line...:D I'll tell you at the end...but try to guess before!

and YES this IS out of Character..... but well.. it had to sorta be to make it work!

Enjoy!!!

Tony knocked on the door. He recieved no answer and stood there frowning.

Damned woman. She'd asked for a week off, and Gibbs had granted it. Tony knew why- her citizenship test was coming up... or maybe it had already passed? He wasn't sure. But Ziva hadn't answered his calls or texts all week. Abby even had a hard time getting hold of her.

Obviously, something was wrong with her. Making up his mind that she could kill him after he made sure she was alright(he'd die happy at least!), Tony picked her lock. It swung open and he glanced around the apartment. He'd never seen this one before, but the layout was almost the same as her previous one...... He moved his eyes from the kitchen area to the small table covered in papers and books like American History fo Dummies and The Civil War: Why the South Lost.

Shaking h head,he allowed his gaze to roam the living room before they rested on....

"You didn't answer," he said as he met her stare.

"So you picked my lock." If he didn't know better, he'd say she was amused.

"Well, yeah. I... we... everyone was worried about you. You haven't talked to anyone all week." His eyes left her face and he noticed she was in grey sweatpants and a light blue t-shirt, barefoot, and the clothes were too big for her.

"Am I not allowed solitude?"

He moved to an empty pizza box on the coffee table. He lifted the lid then let it fall, his nose turned up in disgust. "No, not when there is five day old pizza sitting on your table which looks like only two peices were eaten out of it." His eyes snapped to hers. "You HAVE been eating, haven't you?"

Ziva snorted. "No. I saved all my food and then sacrificed it to the birds that worship me outside my window every morning," She stooded and headed into the kitchen. "Would you like a drink?"

Tony grinned. Ziva used sarcasim. That was a surprise. "Well, as long as the birds are fed then,"

Ziva closed the cabinet and placed her hands on her hips. "Why are you here, Tony?"

Now she was annoyed? Moody...he'd have to watch himself. He flicked a few of the papers on her table around, not really looking at them. "Because we were worried."

"We who?" Ziva asked, then before he could answer she shrieked, "Don't mess with those!"

He pulled his hand away from the paper he'd been about to grab. Talk about having OCD apparently he couldn't displace any of them or she'd panic. "Sorry. And we.. as in the team... McNosy, Abby, Ducky... Gibbs."

"And you?"

The tone of her voice caused him to look directly at her...something he'd avoided since he noticed the pizza. For good reason. "Would it matter if I'm just the messenger bird?" Though what he was really asking was, would you like me to worry about you? It was almost a challenge, but at the same time, it wasn't.

"Maybe," she answered before suddenly breaking the eye contact and opening the fridge.

Alright, something was wrong with her. Maybe not physically..but either emotionally or mentally, something was bugging her. She was all over the place, friendly one second, sarcastic the next...slightly flirty... it wasn't normal. Not for her anyway. Frowning he went back to the papers on the table.

"You know, you should put these in a pile... it would look neater and be easier to study," he said picking up a letter and moving to place it on top of a small stack of neat papers he'd already done.

"No..!" Ziva lunged toward him, knocking them both to the floor, the paper still in hand.

Instinctively, Tony wrapped an arm around her to brace her fall. "What is up with you, Ziva?" he asked softly, noting the either slightly panicked look or the fearful one (He wasn't sure which) in her eyes.

"I... just do not want anyone messing with my...study papers."

Even to Tony that sounded like a lame excuse. He sat up, helping her to sit right in front of him. She snatched the paper, the letter he realized, from him. "Liar. Something is wrong. You're all over the map. What's going on? You can tell Uncle Tony,"

Ziva sat there for all of fifteen seconds before standing and placing the letter on the table. "Nothing, Tony," she tried to discreetly cover it with some other papers, but Tony wasn't having that.

Standing as fast as he could, he grabbed her wrist. "It had something to do with the letter you're trying to hide from me."

"I do not know what you are talking about,"

He sighed. Fine. She wanted to play that way, he could too. "Oh good. Then you won't mind if I read it," he snatched it back from her as she lunged for it again. He had to move around the the room and block out the "Tony, No!" and the "Stop.. that is my business...!" coming from Ziva as he read. When he finished, he found himself standing still, allowing her to take the letter from him.

"This is why you took a week off?"

"That is not your-"

Tony grabbed her arm, spun her to face him. "I'm making it my business. Is this letter the reason you needed a week off?" Why, he probably wouldn't understand... but he could try.

Ziva eyed him before she sighed. "Fine. Yes. I... needed time to process it myself before I told all of you...and my job was.." She stoppped, unable to continue.

Oh, his poor Ziva! It dawned on him why she was so....weird. "You think you'll loose your job just because you didn't pass the Citizenship Test? That we would think less of you because you didn't pass?"

Ziva didn't answer, but she did look away. Tony waited her out and after a few minutes, she muttered something like "Saleem was right. I am not worthy."

It took Tony a few seconds to process her words. "What are you talking about? He was a bastard,"

Ziva pulled away from him and turned to the table. "Nothing, Nothing..."

"Oh no. We are not playing this game. It's been going on for awhile. We're talking about this," he was angry, but it wasn't a I'm-going-to-yell angry. It was a we-are talking-about- this- now-no-excuses angry. "Saleem was a bastard. What does he have to do with this test?"

Ziva shook her head, well aware she was testing Tony's resolve. She couldn't talk about this..not with him....and yet she felt herself wanting to. Words he'd spoken a few months ago came back to her. "You never talk about it. But it's ok to talk about it you know. I'm here if you want to talk,"

"When I was in..Somalia....he would torture me, justify his actions and tell me that I was not worthy of anything, even my father,"

"You don't believe that do you?" He interrupted, knowing that wasn't the smartest thing to do. But seriously, she could not believe she wasn't worth anything! She was worth EVERYTHING to him.

"It is hard not to, Tony," she admitted. "I realize it has been awhile since I was anywhere near him..but that letter enforced his haunting words. I am not good enough for my father or country, why should America want me too? Obviously, they don't and my failure of their stupid test just confirms that."

"Zi..! That test is hard on purpose. You've studied for months for it and so what it takes a little longer... you'll pass it anyway."

"And my job? They let me keep my job until the test. My job, my status as an American Citizen depended on that test. I am nothing, not even worth taking a chance on to see if I pass next time."

Tony had heard enough. He took her hand and led her into the bedroom, where he knew her dresser was.

"What are you doing?" Tony pulled her to a stop in front of her dresser, both of them looking at the other in their reflections of the mirror that attached to it.

Standing behind her slightly, he pushed her hair out of her face. He then took her by the shoulders, holding her in front of the mirror, and whispered, "Why can't you see what I see?"

"Wh..what are you talking about?" Ziva whispered back. What was he doing?

Tony let one hand slid from her shoulder, down her arm, to her hand. He brought it up to their eye level. Still holding her gaze in the mirror, he said, "You have five fingers. Five beautiful deadly fingers. " He laced his fingers with hers. "Flawless skin," his free hand trailed her jaw line in the mirror. "A stunning face that holds so much emotion behind those dark eyes of yours," His knuckles grazed her neck, "A tempting body that I want to kiss," He heard the sharp intake of breath from her, but he wasn't done. " A wonderful if at times scary, personality. A strong, stubborn will..." Both of his hands were now entwined with hers and he wrappped his arms around her waist as he hugged her to him, their gazes never leaving the other in the reflection of the mirror. "The list is endless. You are worth everything, Ziva."

She started to shake her head, but he tightened his grip on her waist. "You ARE. Especially to me." He daringly placed a quick kiss on her shoulder, through her shirt. "You are my everything and I don't want you saying anything otherwise."

Had he just admitted that out loud? Well, it was there, let her take what she wanted from it.

Ziva was speechless. Turning, she untanlged herself from his hands and wrapped her arms around him. Burrying her face in his neck, she muttered, "Thank you..."

Tony smiled. He'd at least gotten through to her a bit. He hugged her to him. When she pulled away, there was a grin on her face. "You are right. I will pass next time. Next time I will. I can always find a temporary job somewhere else..."

"You know," Tony said casually. "There are other ways to become an American Citizen,"

Ziva raised an eye, knowing exactly what he was talking about.

Tony just smirked.

Review?! :D And the entire idea from this came from the line " He then took her by the shoulders, holding her in front of the mirror, and whispered, "Why can't you see what I see?" "