'C'mon, you wanna live here, let me show you what you'll be a part of.'

Ziva looked at Gibbs as though she was trying to weigh something up, trying to work something out, trying to see the real meaning of his words. As her eyes cleared and her gaze softened, he felt a surge of pride run through him. He had passed whatever small test was residing in her mind; now he just had to make good on it.

They took a walk out from the Navy Yard, following the sidewalk for about a mile until they reached a hotdog stand. Gibbs ordered two, covering them both with sauce before handing one to Ziva. The Sun was shining brightly, and he took a bite first, squinting to see what she did. Once again, there was a split second of emotion that covered her face; she quickly covered it up by following his lead and taking a bite from the hotdog. They moved over to a bench and sat in silence while they finished eating.

'Gibbs, what is the aim of today? It is not as though I am new to America - I have lived here for several years, and I have most certainly eaten a hotdog before...'

'Why not spend the day out seeing things? Experience some down time with me. This way you can properly prepare yourself for everything.'

Unspoken words hung between the two agents, and Gibbs was almost sure that Ziva was going to pick up on them, but thankfully she didn't, choosing to pursue a different route of conversation.

'What is next then? I am sure it will not be shopping. Not only do I know all about it, but it does not strike me as...How do Americans say it...you kinda thay-ng'.

'Got the whole day planned. Baseball game first, the rest you'll have to wait for. '

The game finished mid-afternoon, so Ziva and Gibbs went to grab a coffee. He wouldn't tell her what was up next on his agenda, but his blue eyes had seemingly turned a darker shade than usual leading her to believe that it was to be something spectacular. She had loved the ball game - it was completely different to anything she had ever seen on television, and the atmosphere was simply electrifying. They stayed in the coffee shop until the sky began to darken. Gibbs downed the last part of his coffee before grabbing her hand and pulling her into a standing position.

'Time to go, c'mon. Got a bit of a walk though.'

They were walking for about half an hour, stopping on a street corner. Gibbs produced a blindfold from his pocket and asked permission to use it. Nervous, Ziva nodded. He then lead her by the arm for another five minutes. Once they stopped, he gently pressed on her shoulder, whispering for her to sit down. She questioned him, but when his reply was 'trust me?' there were no more words to speak. She would never have allowed any other man to blindfold her in the street, let alone put up no protest at letting him control her.

So down she went, surprised to feel that there was a rug under her body, its warmth contrasting to the slight nip in the air. She was left alone for a minute or so until she felt rough, calloused hands undoing the blindfold. When she opened her eyes there was a picnic laid out in front of her, with two candles lending their light to the evening.

There wasn't a great deal of food - they'd eaten at the coffee shop and game - but once it had gone, they were lying on the rug, staring up into the sky.

Gibbs was acting out of the ordinary, despite being exactly the same person, and Ziva couldn't help but like this side of him. She could imagine that this was how he would act outside of work if there was someone to share time with. The look in his eyes when he turned to her to point out certain stars and constellations let her hope that it wasn't just her feeling like this.

So when Gibbs pointed out the planet Venus and kissed her softly on the lips, it couldn't be described as anything other than inevitable. They'd shared a connection since they first met, and this had been the culmination of it. A fantastic day, and the dawn of a new life in America - something she was very much looking forward to...

Here is my second 2012 SeSa fic, written for the awesome Zivacentric as a thank you for organising the SeSa :)

Hope you all enjoyed it, would love to hear from you, even if just a little line.

Woody2792x