A/N: Thanks for the reviews and alerts! I appreciate it, and I hope you enjoy chapter 12!

Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or any original characters.

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"So, I had driven home, and Tony had driven to his place. We were both going to change and get ready for dinner, and Tony was scheduled to pick me up in one hour," an elderly Ziva explained to her daughter and grandchildren.

"You were nervous?" Raya asked. Ziva smiled in reminiscence.

"I had no intention of it being a date," Ziva replied. "Or so I thought. Tony and I had known each other a long time and cared a great deal for each other. We had spent so much time together and had had dinner or drinks together before. But for some reason, this time was different."

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"No, I can't wear that," Ziva muttered to herself as she rummaged through her closet. She had already showered and curled her hair and was searching for the perfect dress, one that she would look nice in but not appear as though she was expecting the night to turn into anything. Something casual that one would wear out with a friend.

"Why did I agree to this?" she asked aloud as she pushed another handful of hangers to the side. Ziva finally settled on a simple deep blue dress, the hem cut a few inches above the knee.

"It will have to do," she said, looking at herself in the mirror after dressing. A little while later, she heard a knock on the door.

"Right on time," she muttered, and she crossed her apartment to the front door. Before opening it, Ziva took a deep breath to calm herself and reminded herself that it was only Tony, a man that she had spent every day with for years, and it was only dinner. Finally, she opened the door to reveal Tony standing there, designer suit as usual, but looking exceptionally handsome.

"Wow, Ziva," he said, his eyes widening. "You look great."

"Thank you," Ziva replied with a smile, which Tony returned. They stood in the doorway, holding eye contact for a moment, and Ziva felt her heart skip a beat. Finally, she broke the silence. "So, where are we going?"

"Well," Tony began, clearing his throat. "I have a place in mind." Ziva closed and locked her apartment door and walked next to Tony out of her apartment complex and down to his car.

Tony drove for several minutes, and Ziva looked out her window at the people on the sidewalk, the street lamps that were just beginning to come on as it was turning to dusk, and the sun that was beginning to set. They arrived at a small, quaint restaurant downtown. The entire back wall of the restaurant was made of glass, and it overlooked the city. Tony and Ziva were sat at a table along that back wall. Moments later, they had given their order to their server and were alone to take in the beauty of the setting sun over Washington DC.

"Listen Ziva," Tony began, finally breaking the silence that had been between the two of them since the car ride. "I didn't ask you here tonight to try and get you to talk about anything you don't want to talk about. I asked you here to hopefully keep your mind off of whatever is bothering you. Don't feel obligated to tell me anything. I just want to have a nice, normal dinner with you."

"I appreciate that," Ziva said. She was then quiet for a moment longer. "But why is it so important to you?" Tony shrugged.

"I guess I was hoping that if I could take your mind off of whatever is bothering you, I might be able to see that smile of yours again. I do miss it," he explained. Ziva felt her body becoming warm and her heart rate increased slightly.

"You are being very…sweet, Tony. It is almost unlike you," Ziva said. She felt herself wanting to give in to his charm and confess her feelings, but she knew she was still too scared to let that happen. The risk of their relationship failing had too many great consequences.

"Yeah well, this is a side of me that not many people get to see," Tony replied.

"Then, why me?" Ziva asked. She felt the butterflies in her stomach as she waited for his reply, and she wanted to kick herself for feeling like a school girl with a crush.

"Because you're special to me. I can let my guard down around you," Tony replied. He was silent for a moment before adding, "And because you deserve to know how a real man treats a woman." There was silence at the table again as Ziva let Tony's words sink in. She knew that he was being sincere. Ever since she had met him, she had known there was something about this man that she was drawn to. And ever since Somalia, they had shared more and more intense moments and conversations. But Ziva knew how important Tony was to her and that anything going wrong between the two of them would be more painful than anything she had ever experienced.

"It is beautiful," Ziva said, looking out at the sunset over the city. Tony turned to look as well. The setting sun allowed for the perfect combination of pink, blue, and purple. It was as if the city lights were shining under a water-painted sky. The view was simply breath-taking.

"Yeah it is," Tony agreed. As Ziva continued to gaze at the natural beauty outside, she felt Tony's eyes shift their focus to her. When she turned to meet his gaze, she saw an expression in his eyes that she had never seen directed toward her before.

"Yes?" she asked, just above a whisper.

"You look really beautiful tonight," Tony replied softly. A warm sensation flowed through Ziva's body, and she felt goosebumps. She couldn't control as her lips formed her first genuine smile in months.

"There it is," Tony said just above a whisper.

"How can you tell the difference?" Ziva asked just as quietly. Tony's own lips formed one of his signature half-smiles.

"Because when you smile like that, there's a certain sparkle in your eyes. Your whole face lights up. You light up the whole room, and then it's like you're the only person in it. You can't fake a smile like that. It's truly breathtaking," Tony replied in a low voice. Ziva could not believe what she was hearing. How could she keep hiding everything from this man when he has been nothing but honest with her?

"Tony, I-" Ziva was interrupted when the server returned to their table.

"Sorry to interrupt," he said as he politely delivered the bill. Tony handed it back to him with his credit card and returned his attention to Ziva.

"Yes, Ziva?" he urged her to continue. She opened her mouth to speak, but the butterflies caught the best of her, and she knew she would be unable to open up to him at the time.

"Would you like to come back to my place, and we can talk in private?" she asked. Tony smiled, and Ziva knew his answer was yes.

"Of course," he said, confirming so. The server returned Tony's credit card, and after signing the slip, he and Ziva left to return to Ziva's apartment.

Once inside Ziva's apartment, Ziva poured the two of them each a drink, and she and Tony seated themselves on her couch. As much as she wanted to return to their conversation from the restaurant, Ziva had no idea how to start or what she should even say to Tony.

"Thank you for taking me our tonight," she said. Tony smiled and sipped his drink.

"The pleasure was all mine," he replied. Ziva looked down at her glass and swirled the liquid inside it for a moment.

"Tony, you know that I trust you," she began. Tony nodded. "And tonight you said that you can let your guard down around me. I really want to be able to let mine down as well."

"You're doing that right now, Ziva," Tony said softly, and she shook her head.

"I want to be able to let it down and not have to fight to keep it down," Ziva explained. "Every time I start to feel comfortable and relax a little, I remember that it is dangerous, and my guard comes right back up. I want to be able to be honest with you, like you are with me." Tony nodded and was silent for a moment.

"I understand," he said.

"You do?" Ziva asked.

"Yeah," Tony replied. "Ziva, you've been hurt. You've been hurt in ways that no one should ever experience, and in ways that I wish I could erase for you. The way you feel, everything you just said, isn't your fault."

"But how can I ever overcome it?" Ziva asked.

"Just like this," Tony replied quietly, moving ever so slightly closer to her on the couch. "You can overcome it a little bit at a time. I want to help you, Ziva. All you have to do is let me in."

"Tony…" Ziva's voice trailed off. Her feelings were going crazy inside her. Her heart was pounding, and her palms were sweating. Tony was getting too close, and ordinarily this is when her guard would shoot back up and she would shut him down. This time, she closed her eyes and fought to regain control of her emotions and keep her guard down.

"Ziva," Tony whispered. Ziva opened her eyes and saw Tony's just a few inches away from her own.

"Tony, I don't want to be scared anymore," Ziva whispered. She saw in Tony's eyes that he knew how vulnerable she was, and she knew there was no turning back.

"You don't have to be scared," Tony said gently, "Of anything. Just let me be here for you, and I'll help you through everything."

"Every time I start to feel better, I look in the mirror, and I see his face," Ziva said. "I get out of the shower, and I see the scars. I hear his voice in my dreams and I wake up. I'm haunted, Tony."

"Ziva, I wish I could have gotten there sooner," Tony admitted.

"No, do not do that to yourself. The fact that you came at all…you saved me," Ziva smiled.

"Well, I couldn't have lived with myself if I didn't do everything I could to bring you back," Tony replied.

"You said you couldn't live without me," Ziva whispered, the memory playing in her head.

"And you know I meant it," Tony said, and Ziva nodded. "Ziva, you are such a strong person, but even the strongest people need someone to lean on. I'm right here."

Ziva looked deeply into Tony's eyes. She finally felt safe and at home. She saw his sincerity and knew he truly cared for her. In his eyes, she saw the honesty of a man who would never hurt her, and she owed it to Tony to give him a chance. No matter how scary the thought of taking such a risk was, the thought of never knowing was even scarier.

"Ziva, I have never noticed how beautiful your eyes are," Tony said, just above a whisper. Ziva saw Tony's face inching closer to hers, and felt her face doing the same. She closed her eyes, and in an instant the whole world stood still as their lips locked. Ziva felt her heart pounding through her chest, and she placed one hand on Tony's knee and the other on the back of his neck, intertwining her fingers in his hair. She felt Tony's hands on either side of her face and neck as well. After a long moment of passion, Tony and Ziva pulled apart, and Ziva opened her eyes.

"Tony, that was incredible," she whispered. Tony smiled a smile that made him look more handsome than Ziva had ever seen.

"Yes it was," he agreed. "Thank you for letting me in, Ziva."

"Thank you for being here and caring enough to open me up," Ziva replied. "Would you stay with me tonight?"

"Zi, I would love to," Tony answered softly. "I just don't want to take advantage of you."

"You won't," Ziva whispered and smiled reassuringly.

"Alright," Tony smiled back. They stood from the couch, and Tony pulled Ziva in to embrace her. Ziva wrapped her arms tightly around his waist and laid her head against his chest, listening to the beat of his heart. She sighed deeply, thankful that she was finally able to show Tony how she felt. She finally wasn't scared anymore to admit what she was feeling. She knew that if any man could help her move past what she had been through, it was Tony, and she knew that he would do just that.

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A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please remember to review, and I'll post more soon!