She is so cute when she is nervous Tony can't help but think as he bites back a smile. He watches as Ziva paces in and out of his line of vision, but eventually he is too distracted to even pretend to be looking at the screen in front of him. "McGee, I'm gonna marry her." He says absentmindedly, his eyes never leaving Ziva.
McGee's eye brows shoot up and he turns his head in surprise. He studies Tony for a moment before his eyes drift to the pacing Ziva before him and then back to Tony.
"Have you told her that?" McGee asks with a contemplative head tilt as he watches Tony gulp.
"No...not yet McImpatient." Tony replies nervously.
McGee smiles and take the jab in stride. "Yea because sitting through the years of eye-sex between you two, before you got your act together was really enjoyable."
Tony laughs. "Ah well... I guess you could say we have moved on to other forms of... communication."
McGee makes a face. "I really didn't need that image DiNozzo."
"What image?" Gibbs asks as he strides into the bull pen.
McGee turns bright red and it takes everything Tony has not to burst out laughing.
"I...uh...Tony...um...never mind." McGee stutters as he feels his cheeks start to burn.
Gibbs chuckles and come to stand between the two men. "Whatcha got?" he asks, but Tony isn't listening. Gibbs turns to look at his SFA and realizes what has him so distracted. Ziver.
"You ask her yet?" Gibbs asks nonchalantly as he turns back to look at the plasma.
Tony freezes and McGee chuckles. "I'll take that as a no." Gibbs says with a smirk.
"Why did you come and ask for my permission if you weren't planning on ever actually asking her DiNozzo?"
"You asked Gibbs if could have Ziva's hand?" McGee asks in disbelief.
Tony face breaks into an enormous grin and finally turns away from Ziva to look at McGee. "Well yeah McGee, that's usually how it works. When I guy wants to marry the woman he loves he asks her father if he can have her hand, and if he's lucky her dad says yes."
Gibbs feels a swell of pride as he looks at Ziva, it's a feeling much like the one he used to feel when he looked at Kelly.
"Wow." McGee breathed. "When are you going to ask her."
"Today." Tony whispered back. "It's the day she first walked into NCIS all those years ago...the day that changed everything."
McGee's reply dies on his lips when he looks up to find Ziva staring at them.
Her eyes narrow and she walks over to the three men. Tony instantly starts rambling on about the case and McGee scrambles to find the remote for the plasma. Gibbs, who was by far the calmest of the three, smiles and simply asks "How's your speech coming Ziver?"
"Fine..." She says as she continues to study Tony and McGee. "You are hiding something, what is it?" She finally asked.
Tony's eyes widened and he shook his head, signaling for McGee to keep quiet about the impending proposal.
Ziva turned to look at Tony who abruptly stopps shaking his head. "Do you have something you wish to tell me?"
"Who me?" Tony asks as he tried to look past her and avoid her angry glare.
"Yes you!" She huffed in frustration.
"Nope, nothing that can't wait till we're done with this." Tony says carefully.
"Not so sure about that DiNozzo." Gibbs cut in when he saw Ziva's fists clench and her posture stiffen, as if she was readying for an attack.
"Boss?" Tony questioned with wide eyes. "This wasn't exactly how I wanted to do this."
Gibbs just shrugged. "It's as good a place as any, plus it's the place where you first met right? Come on McGee, I think Abby has something for us." He called over his shoulder and he led McGee towards the elevator.
"What was that about?" Ziva asks in bewilderment as she turned back to face Tony.
"This." Tony says quietly, and Ziva gasps when she sees he is on his knee holding a little black box.
The loud 'Yes!' could be heard all the way at the elevators and Gibbs broke into one of his rare grins when he heard it. Guess I'll get to walk my daughter down the aisle after all...