It has been a very long time since I have written anything. Five years ago I woke up one morning and decided to become a scientist (really I did!). Anyway that resulted in a stifling of creativity, but recently I have really begun to miss writing so I thought I would give it a go again.

This is my first NCIS story and my first attempt at any kind of fictional writing for quite sometime. I would be extremely grateful for reviews, even though it is just a short piece. If feedback is good maybe I'll attempt a longer story.

This is from Ziva's point of view. Her thoughts on a lonely night in.

I do not own any of the characters, etc.

Hope you enjoy & thank you for reading.

The wine had made her warm and fuzzy, but still not relaxed. She had not had enough to be drunk, but her hopelessly irregular diet of late was ruining her ability to hold her alcohol as usual, so her head was beginning to feel fluffy. This was how most people relaxed in the evenings after work, so what was wrong with her that meant every muscle in her body was still tense and her mind still racing? Her eyes were growing heavy, but she saw little point in heading to bed knowing that as soon as her head hit the pillow she would be more alert than ever, staying awake for hours simply getting more frustrated.

She groaned and stretched out her body to full length, trying to work out the kinks of the day. She desperately needed to sleep. She had work the next day, on a Saturday no less. She should not have been drinking at all, but it was Friday night and some lingering beliefs from her younger, freer days always made her have at least a glass of wine on Friday night for the sake of the weekend. A sorry excuse, but everyone has comforting rituals they cling to.

She took another sip trying to focus on the fact that this was normal, grown up habit and not on the fact that she was sitting alone at home on a Friday night drinking cheap wine and staring blankly at the television, because she had no better way to spend the evening.

Despite the stretching the knots in her back would not subside. Having failed to relax her body she decided instead to try relaxing her mind. She let her thoughts drift to what she would rather be doing with her Friday night, who she would rather be with and how his hands could untangle her knotted back muscles and maybe continue to relax the rest of her body.

She pictured Tony's face in her mind. Heard his voice draw out her name, "Zeevah". Remembered how it felt to have his hands touch her. Imagined how it would feel if those fingers were stroking her naked flesh instead.

Unconsciously her fingers reached up and stroked her lips, swollen with the anticipation of her fantasy. She sighed as she leant back into her sofa, wondering if her dreams would ever become reality, then mentally slapped herself for allowing herself indulge in such frivolous thoughts.

The loud beeping of her cell phone shocked her back into reality. Stunned, her automatic reactions caused her to grab the phone and open the message before her brain had caught up with her actions.

Tony: "Hello Sweetcheeks. You looking forward to a Saturday of work? You know you can't get through the weekend without a slice of DiNozzo."

She smiled. Even though she knew it was just Tony's humour, a sign of friendship and nothing more, she allowed the fantasy to creep back in.

"It's true. You know me so well. In fact I've been sitting here all night thinking of nothing but you," she typed back.

She knew he would see it as her trademark sarcasm and read nothing more into it, but for now that is okay. He makes her happy still just the way they are and if anything more is meant to be it will be.

Finally succumbing to tiredness she rose for bed, less tense than before, but still not as relaxed as she would have liked. However, she was confident that once she got between the sheets her mind would drift back to her secret place, where she is in the arms of her partner and that would carry her off to sleep, refreshing her before she saw him again the next day.

Hope you liked it. It's a silly little piece with no point other than to get me writing again.

Please review.

xx