Ziva squinted across the bullpen at her partner. He seemed agitated, his eyes flitting across the computer screen erratically as the fingers of his left hand drummed the desktop with dull syncopation.
'Tony, will you cut that out?' McGee pleaded, his annoyance evident.
'What is wrong with you?' Ziva cut in abruptly, 'you have been very tightly strung all morning'.
'I think you mean highly strung. Tightly wound. And it's nothing really, just this stupid reunion tonight and I'm still not sure if I should go or not'.
Tony pursed his lips and inhaled sharply through his nose as he pondered aloud.
'My high school reunion was last year' McGee offered as both Tony and Ziva met him with a look of surprise, 'it was nice. You know, as adults you can look back and see how stupid some of the things that mattered then were. Besides, Joel Hammond, the biggest jerk from our year level, turns out life hasn't been so kind to him,' Tim finished jubilantly.
Tony jumped in without hesitation, 'Overweight? Divorced?'
'Both. And unemployed. Turns out being a full time jock can only get you so far in life.'
'I have never been to such a thing but I can imagine that it must be…interesting. I mean are you still in contact with anyone from high school Tony?' Ziva asked.
'Not really' Tony replied, 'I pretty much stuck to the basketball court, I guess I was probably one of those jock jerks to some poor McNerd equivalent'. He paused, almost pensively, before quickly adding, 'even more the reason not to go. I mean, the awkwardness, feeling like I need to apologize…it just seems like too much effort for a group of people that I'm not going to see for another twenty years'.
Ziva's expression softened, 'it would be good for you to go. Perhaps you can reconnect with some of your old friends'.
'Or you could focus on connecting the missing marine and the three bullet casings we found behind the driving range '.
Gibbs' acerbic tone preceded his arrival and once at his desk, he directed a tiny, yet evidently frustrated, shake of the head at Tony who promptly jumped to his feet.
'Right, on it boss'
'Take Ziva' Gibbs asserted, 'and don't come back until you find something'.
The rhythmic hum of the idling car lulled Tony and Ziva into a comfortable silence as they waited for their target to exit the building across the street.
A sharp 'crunch' broke the peace as Tony bit into a tortilla chip. Ziva turned her gaze to her partner, his relaxed demeanour indicating it would be a good time to revisit the conversation from earlier in the day.
'So what have you decided?' Ziva asked casually, watching Tony from the corner of her eye as she feigned interest in the view through the windshield.
'I prefer the nacho flavoured ones, these have a little too much salt for my liking' came the reply, a cheeky grin creeping across the Special Agent's face as he dramatically bit into another chip while meeting her eyes with his own glint-filled pools of green.
Ziva tipped her head to the side as she raised an eyebrow, no words necessary as the expression she wore credited him the humorous response but clearly showed she did not buy it.
'About the reunion Tony. Are you going to go?'
A considered quiet hung in the air momentarily before Tony answered.
'No, I don't think so. It's not really my kind of thing'.
He peeked into the bag in search of any hidden snacks and added, 'besides, we're pretty busy with this case and it's not really fair to you guys if I…'
'What's the real reason Tony?'
Ziva interjected because after all they had been through, knowing each other as well as they do, she knew that there was something more significant filling Tony with trepidation. Besides, they had been opening up to one another about the stuff that mattered a lot more lately and she wondered why either even bothered with the charade of dodging meaningful discussion anymore. Tony clearly shared her sentiment as he exhaled and bit his lower lip, the bag crinkling noisily as his right hand fell to his lap in defeat.
'I guess it just feels a bit weird going to something like that, when everyone will be talking about what they do and I can't even talk about my work really, not to mention the whole 'what's NCIS?' question I'll have to explain over and over and I just…don't know if I can be bothered you know?'
Tony turned to face Ziva as he finished his explanation, locking eyes with his partner.
'And perhaps it is also because by now you thought you would have more than just work to talk about?'
As the words escaped her mouth there was an almost audible shift of mood between them. No more needed to be said because in that moment both sat there in the yearning for something more in their lives; a partner, a family, something permanent. Ziva peered into her partners' eyes, transfixed by this mutual desire that was so evident right then and there, and she felt her heartbeat quicken as it leapt into her ears.
She realised that this was the first time either of them had ever acknowledged it to one another and it excited and frightened her. Because until now she was able to dismiss the idea of anything more between them; they were friends and yes, if she was to be completely honest he was her closest friend. And while she was quite certain that he found her attractive just as she found him to be, she was able to convince herself from time to time that they were on different paths when it came to wanting to settle down. But deep down, she knew that this was not the case and now he had all but said it to her directly.
'That's our man'.
Tony's voice cut through the lingering moment of tenderness and both agents switched to professional mode as they leapt from the car.
As far as cases went, this one had been fairly straight forward. McGee and Abby had already left for a charity bowling night and Gibbs had disappeared into MTAC with the Director not long after. Only Tony and Ziva remained in the bullpen, the 'clack clack' of Tony's keyboard providing a soundtrack to her paperwork. As Ziva signed the last page and closed the folder, she looked across at her partner, concentration etched into his brow.
Since their moment in the car she had not been able to shake the thought: what if? What if she and Tony Dinozzo, despite their differences, despite the years of innuendo and heartache and toing and froing and things unspoken…she still couldn't quite finish the thought as her heart once again started racing and her stomach flipped.
He was always, unequivocally, there for her, no matter what. It was time to show him that she too would always have his back and while she knew this would only be a small gesture, Ziva figured it was better to start small than not at all.
She stood up, suddenly aware of a thin film of sweat on her palms. Ziva berated herself for being so ridiculous, nerves never got the better of her and they most certainly would not over something so trivial. She calmly strode over to Tony's desk and plucked his jacket from the corner of the partition.
'Are you nearly done with that? We're going to be late'.
Her matter-of-fact tone, despite the lump lodged firmly in her throat, was accompanied by a coy smile. She extended her arm so that the jacket was within easy reach
'Late for what?' Tony asked, his eyebrows drawing together to accentuate his genuine confusion.
'Your reunion' she replied.
Tony's face relaxed and a tiny smile almost resembling a smirk appeared, 'we?'
'Yes, we' Ziva echoed as he took his coat and shut down his computer.
'These things, reunions and such, they are important Tony. You are a very successful person and you should be proud to go and tell people what you have achieved since high school. It would be a shame for you to miss out because you feel that perhaps...'
'…the only thing in my life I have been successful in is my work. Yeah, that was kind of the thing I didn't want to draw too much attention to' Tony finished. Though as he did, he smiled tenderly, reached out and gently squeezed Ziva's arm. His mouth opened to continue but Ziva cut him off.
'And you have me, your partner of almost 8 years. These people tonight, they do not need to know the context in which we are partners'. Ziva grinned mischievously as he joined her side and they made their way towards the elevator.
'Besides' she added somewhat flirtatiously, 'if it really is that bad we can go and have a drink somewhere and you can fill me in on some of your high school antics'.
The care emanating from her dark eyes tugged the corners of Tony's mouth into a soft, warm smile just as the elevator let out a familiar 'ping'. Possibility filled the air and as the doors began to close, Ziva couldn't help but drop her gaze to the floor as she stifled the excitement that threatened to take hold.