Summary: "Remember that bucket list I have? Number seventeen, 'Road trip across the United States with Ziva.' That's what we're doing." Tony and Ziva go on a road trip together. Sequel to Memoir, so it won't make sense if you haven't read that first.

Disclaimer: Wouldn't it be cool if TPTB could turn this into an episode ... *wishful thinking* ... but I hold no power over TPTB's plans, which pretty much tells you that I don't own NCIS.

Spoilers: General NCIS, from 3x01 "Kill Ari (Part 1)" up to 9x13 "A Desperate Man."

Notes: This fic takes place mid-April, and in here, Jimmy Palmer's wedding has already been held. During and after that wedding, Ziva was rather down in the dumps (with contemplating her own un-impending nuptials), and Tony noticed ... hence this fic! :D

Okay, I gave up. Haha. Not permanently; I just mean I gave up trying to write the entire freakin' thing before I published it. If it's any comfort, I currently have this prologue and twelve other chapters written! :D (And I present them with a nice little bow in apology to those whose messages I've been neglecting this past month...)

Warnings: This fic is mostly, if not entirely, Tony/Ziva. As in, the characters in this fic are Tony and Ziva, and ... that's pretty much it. If you would much rather a team multi-chapter, then this is not the fic for you. Haha! Also—this fic contains some factual stuff, since they're ... well, sightseeing in places that actually exist. Said factual stuff will be elaborated in A/Ns, which are not necessary to read ... but, yea.

I'm done rambling.

Hope you enjoy!

-Soph


Prologue

She looks up and blinks in surprise when he presses a piece of paper onto her desk and leans forward, grinning into her face like an excited puppy awaiting a particularly juicy bone.

Her eyes narrow, and she says, "If you're not going to tell me what that is, move out of the way. You're blocking my light, and I was supposed to have finished this three hours ago."

His face falls. "Oh, c'mon! Play along."

She sighs and indulges him, capping her pen. "Okay. So, Tony, what's this?"

"A request."

"For what?"

"Time off!"

She isn't prepared for the way her chest suddenly seizes, leaving her breathless and perhaps a little shocked. "You're taking time off?"

His face softens, and he bestows her with a gentle smile. "No, Zi. We are."

"We … are. W-why?"

"Remember that bucket list I have? Number seventeen, 'Road trip across the United States with Ziva.' That's what we're doing."

"Road trip?" Her heart sinks. "Tony, I don't know how to tell you this, but I don't feel up to any road trips right now."

His expression doesn't change, almost as if he'd been expecting her resistance. "Give me one good reason," he says quietly.

"Well…" She shoves the paperwork on her desk at him desperately. "I have a lot of work to do."

"Work can wait. Road trip can't, Ziva. I'm not going to wait until we're both old and grey, and have no more paperwork, before we hobble across the U.S. using our walkers."

"Gibbs is not going to let us."

"I've already asked him, actually, and gotten his 'Okay.' I just need your signature on this request form, and we're off."

"Gibbs is letting us—you and me—off on a road trip for days, alone and without his supervision?" She raises her eyebrows at him.

"Yeah. Now that I think about it, though, he did warn me not to feel you up without your consent."

She snorts with laughter, and his smile widens the tiniest bit.

"And I promised I wouldn't," he adds. "So, how 'bout it?"

She chews on her lip. "Tony—"

"Zi." He leans in even closer, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear before continuing. "I know you've been all … wonky lately. Not that that's not okay … it's just that maybe you need some time off. Some time to work things out."

She closes her eyes, fighting the sadness that threatens to fill her senses. "Tony, you don't want a gloomy person on a trip with you."

"Yeah, I do. 'Specially if I get to show off my superior planning skills. I've got the whole thing planned out; the whole month of it."

"A month?" Her eyes snap open. "We'll be gone for a month?"

"Yeah. We've more than enough comp time for it: we could actually take like three months off, but I don't think Timmy would appreciate that."

"And we're leaving McGee alone with Gibbs for a month."

"Probie will be fine. I won't be there to abuse him, so that sorta evens things out."

"Tony." She tilts her head disapprovingly.

"Gibbs'll hire temps," he supplies sheepishly. "He says he'll be paying for them with our salaries, but I think he was kidding."

"So you might be costing me a month of my salary?"

"For a good cause! C'mon, Zi, we said we'd do this."

"I know." She nods reluctantly, and looks away. "I know."

"Are you regretting it?"

She turns back in alarm. "No, of course not! It's just … I don't know how much we'll be enjoying this trip, Tony. I am not exactly the happiest person in the world right now."

"Yeah, but that's why we're going on this trip." He slips around her desk and seats himself on the edge of it, looking earnestly at her. "Remember that 'Content-Slash-Happy' conversation that we had? Well, I know you're content. You come to work and do your job and talk to us, and it's like there's absolutely nothing wrong with the world. But you look a little too tired at the end of the workday. It's like you're settling … into this pattern that keeps you going, but you're not really happy with it. Look, I don't know how good this road trip will be at lighting up your world again. But it's a different pattern, and I think it's worth a try."

She purses her lips and nods again. "Okay," she relents.

"'Okay'? Does that mean we're doing this?"

"Yes."

"Awesome." He grins again.

She picks up a pen and signs her name on the request form, everything else having been filled in by him. Then she gives the piece of paper back to him, and he runs his thumb across the back of her hand before taking it. Her heart skips a beat.

She's unsure if a road trip with him is the best idea right now, but she supposes there's no other way to find out.