Tony walks into the bar to see Ziva sitting by herself while sipping on a mojito.
"Hey, Zi" He says with a Dinozzo grin as he sits down in one of the empty seats next to her
"Hi, Tony" She replies without looking at him and takes another sip of her drink
"I, uh, just wanted to make sure you're okay after today. I know that case really bothered you and…" He trails off while trying to get a read on her
"I am fine, Tony, really." She answers quickly while distractedly stirring the rest of her drink
"Don't even try that with me Ziva. I'm your partner remember? I know when you're hurting"
His words linger for several seconds before she finally looks up at him with tears beginning to form in her eyes
"Just leave me alone Tony"
"Listen, I came here as a friend. And friends don't let friends drink alone. Come on, let's go back to my place for a movie and some pizza, my treat."
She slightly nods and they both get up and walk to his car without saying a word.
They finally get to his apartment with the pizza they picked up on the way and he picks a movie to watch while she sits on the couch, staring down at her hands in her lap. She had spent the car ride there quietly staring out the window and even though he knew she would talk when she was ready, it was still difficult to see her so distraught.
When she finally speaks up, it starts off as an apology and frankly, it catches him slightly off guard.
"I-I am sorry if I hurt you in any of this Tony…it was not my intention. I just find it easier to keep it all to myself, but the truth is, I…I almost died." She says looking down at her hands as she fidgets with them
"I know, but you didn't" He says putting the movie down on the coffee table and coming over to sit on the couch next to her
"But I could have. I should have moved earlier" She closes her eyes briefly before opening them to continue looking at her hands on her lap
He can tell she's trying her hardest not to cry because he can see her bottom lip quivering.
"Stop with the could have and should haves Ziva. If you could have, you would have. You're here now and that's all that matters. You're all that matters" He surprises himself by the last part that slipped out, but before he could try to cover it up, she looks up at him
"You are just saying that Tony"
"No….no, I mean it. Listen Zi, we've been partners for quite a while now and you've always had my back and I've never had anyone like that before. I know I may tease you once in a while…"
"…once in a while?" She cuts in sort of giggling
"Okay, a lot" He says rolling his eyes "But it's just because I care about you. I love seeing you smile, seeing your sassy side"
She slightly smiles at that but still returns to her previous position of looking back down at her hands. He then tilts her chin up with one of his fingers to capture her face in his hands so that she is back looking at him. He wants to make sure that she can see how sincere his words are by the look in his eyes.
"I mean it, Ziva. I love being around you. You mean a lot to me Miss David"
"You mean a lot to me too Tony"
They spend what seems like forever, when in reality is only a few seconds, staring at each other wondering who will initiate the next move and what it will be.
He finds her looking at his lips and knows that she wants the same thing he does, so he leans in to kiss her and she meets him halfway. The kiss is passionate, but frantic, and endures while she moves in to straddle him as he grabs her waist. He stands up while holding onto her so she can wrap her legs around his waist as they clumsily make their way to his bedroom. They are standing in front of his bed when he throws her on it and thinks about how glad he is that he finally decided to get a full-size bed. She smiles while he makes his way to her on the mattress and hovers over her. Right before he's about to kiss her again, she cuts in and says, "Thank you Tony", and the kissing continues.
She wakes up the next morning cuddled into his side and can't help the smile that slips onto her face when she looks at him and remembers the events from the night before. A few seconds later, he opens his eyes as he wakes from his half-sleep because he sensed her staring at him.
"Good morning, my ninja" He says and smiles as his leans in to kiss her tenderly
"Good morning, my little hairy butt" She says as she smiles back
Turns out, everything was going to be just fine. They were going to be just fine.