Title: Sometime Around Midnight

Disclaimer: I don't own the NCIS characters, I just borrow them for my own selfish devices… bwahaha, I also don't own the song/lyrics. The song is Sometime Around Midnight, by Airborne Toxic Event.

Summary: Alternate ending for the S6 Finale, Ziva stayed w/ NCIS, but there's awkwardness and tension between her and Tony.

A/N: Sorry if it sucks, I haven't written anything in a while. Today was the last day of school, and I completely bombed my A.P. Euro final, (which says something because I'm insanely good at history/social studies, lol.) So please play nice :)

Sometime Around Midnight-

And it starts...
sometime around midnight
or at least that's when
you lose yourself
for a minute or two

Tony stood and glanced across the bar, past his teammates to the end of the line where Ziva sat, quietly chatting with a man who'd had more than his fair share of fine liquor for the evening.


As you stand...
under the bar lights
and the band plays some song
about forgetting yourself for a while

It'd been a long time since he'd seen her smile and laugh lightheartedly as she was doing now, and he stood still, gazing at her.


and the piano's this melancholy soundtrack
to her smile
And that white dress she's wearing
you haven't seen her
for a while

Ziva glanced over her shoulder at Tony, causing him to glance around the bar and climb back onto his barstool, ordering another drink to drown out his sorrow.


But you know...
that she's watching
She's laughing, she's turning
she's holding her tonic like a crux

Both the agent and the officer became suddenly aware of each other's surveillance, and both became more self-conscious as well. Ziva excused herself from the conversation and moved across the bar to Tony's position.

The room's suddenly spinning
she walks up and asks how you are
so you can smell her perfume
you can see her lying naked in your arms

She was closer to him than she'd been in months, standing inches from him to avoid the commotion of the crowded lounge. "Hey." He uttered, trying to sound far less nervous than he actually was. "Hey." As soon as it'd begun, the exchange was over, and Ziva immediately regretted her decision to try to talk to Tony.


And so there's a change...
in your emotions
and all of these memories come rushing
like feral waves to your mind
of the curl of your bodies
like two perfect circles entwined
and you feel hopeless, and homeless
and lost in the haze
of the wine

Tony stood in the same spot, mentally kicking himself for not telling Ziva the million and a half things that he'd considered bringing up. The alcohol was getting to his head, so he sat back on the barstool, looking up just in time to catch a glance from Ziva, who was being led by the hand out the door by the man she'd been chatting with.

And she leaves...
with someone you don't know
but she makes sure you saw her
she looks right at you and bolts
As she walks out the door
your blood boiling
your stomach in ropes
oh and your friends say what is it
you look like you've seen a ghost

"Tony, maybe you should slow down on the whiskey there, you don't look so good." McGee offered, concerned about Tony's now green-ish appearance. "Yeah, I'm just… I think I'm gonna go." Tony responded blankly, rising once more, and walking through the doors and out onto the cold, busy sidewalk.

Then you walk...
under the streetlights
and you're too drunk to notice
that everyone is staring at you
you so care what you look like
the world is falling
around you

He walked aimlessly for nearly an hour, trying to build up the courage to do what he needed to.

You just have to see her
You just have to see her
You just have to see her
You just have to see her
You just have to see her

"Ziva." He whispered, barely audible, as he stood at the doorway of her apartment. "Tony, what are you-" Ziva began. "I'm sorry." He cut over her. "No. I can't do this now, just please, Tony… just go."

You know that she'll break you
in two

So I don't know if this is a song-drabble or a songfic, so I didn't specify in the summary. Sorry about the unhappy ending, but I'm not in a happy-ending mood right now b/c of my Euro final, lol. Thanks for reading, thoughts and constructive criticism are (as always) welcome.

A/N 2: