A/N: I posted this on Tumblr months ago but I am archiving it here. This is my first ever NCIS fan fic, so please bear with me. Please do let me know what you think. No real episode tag or tie-in, but this would certainly before Aliyah, most likely. Here goes…
Tony knocked on the door and waited anxiously for Ziva to answer. The grocery bags swung in his hands as he rocked back on his heels. He turned to check out the street as a trained NCIS agent often does out of habit. The door opened just as he turn back, about to knock on the door again.
"Tony, what can I do for you? Didn't expect to see you today." Ziva crossed her arms, leaned on the door jam and smirked.
"Well, Ziva, I came bearing breakfast. We had a conversation earlier today about your lack of "breakfast for dinner experience" and I came to change that." Tony returned with a smirk of his own and a raise of his eyebrows, as if adding 'are you going to let me in?'
Ziva merely looked at him for a couple seconds before stepping aside and opening the door wider for him to enter with his burden. Tony walked swiftly to her kitchen area and began unpacking his bags.
"Smoked Maple Sausage with Potatoes O'Brien, Scrambled Eggs with cheese and peppers and we close with a fruit medley: pineapple, apples, grapes and mangoes. Give me about an hour, and you will have THE best breakfast for dinner, you have ever or will ever taste." Tony put the last bag aside, surveyed his ingredients and began searching for the pots and pans he wanted.
"What am I supposed to do for an hour while you slave away in here?" Ziva asked as she leaned on the other side of her counter from Tony, "I still do not understand the significance of having breakfast foods in the evening. If you like breakfast foods, why not do it every day, and have Pizza for breakfast?"
"Breakfast for dinner is nothing to be scoffed at, it is always a special experience."
" What about that restaurant that you can get breakfast 24 hours a day, Lenny's…Renny's…"
"It's Denny's, Ziva, Denny's. Well, personally I think that place cheapens the experience but it is comforting to know that in a pinch, there is some place you can go to have it on a whim. Now, I need something to drink, you got any coffee or orange juice?"
Ziva strode to her fridge and retrieved the jug of orange juice. She placed it on the counter, retrieved a couple cups from beside the fridge and poured the juice before returning the jug to the fridge. She watched Tony has he moved effortlessly around her kitchen prepping, cutting and cooking while he talked. She sometimes envied his multi-tasking attention span. Ziva found herself studying him often, as discreetly as possible, lest she give him the wrong idea. She wondered often about how different his life must have been from hers, raised as a weapon, by a here again, gone again father. Suddenly, she was snapped from her thoughts when she realized that Tony had stopped his ministrations and was staring at her.
"Earth to Ziva, what is going on in that deadly head of yours, exactly? You look a million miles away," Tony waved his hand in front of her face, as she came back to the present.
"Oh…uh…nothing is on my mind except how delicious everything smells? How much longer before it is done?" Ziva gathered her wits about her once again, and focused on his conversation, determined to keep her thoughts from wandering again.
"Well it hasn't really been that long, only 20 minutes but if you would like to help chop the fruit then we can probably shave some time off the waiting," Tony gestured to the medley of fruits at the end of the counter opposite him, "I know you know how to use a knife to kill someone, but you can use one to cut food too, right?"
"Of course, I do, Tony, you don't think I can be domestic?"
"Well I wouldn't really know about that, but I welcome the help regardless, so by all means…" he pointed to the knife and cutting board.
Ziva began chopping the fruit and they talked, laughed and bantered for the remainder of the cooking time amicably.
When the food finished, Tony served up two plates and waited for Ziva to join him seated at the table. She brought their juice cups, now refilled, with her and sat next to him. She surveyed her plate appreciatively and raised her cup in a toast.
"Here's to a new experience, and many more to come?"
Tony chuckled and raised his cup to hers, "I'll drink to that."
They ate in companionable silence for most of the meal only Ziva's occasional expressions of approval and appreciation, and Tony's responses interrupting the quiet. When the meal was eaten and the cups once again empty, Ziva rose from her chair to begin cleaning up her kitchen. Tony joined her and together they made quick work of the task.
As soon as the job was done, Tony made preparations to leave and let Ziva have the rest of her evening in peace. "I will see you in the morning!"
"Yes, Tony, morning coffee is on me, ok?" Ziva leaned back on her counter and watched him let himself out.
"Sounds good. Lock this door behind me. Good Night!" Tony closed the door behind him and jogged down the stairs outside her apartment. Now if only I could get her to agree to have breakfast for dinner in bed next time, THAT would be fun, Tony thought as he climbed into his car to head for home.
Ziva watched the door close behind him and immediately went to lock it, as he insisted. I wonder if the experience is any better in bed, she thought to herself as she began preparing to get in bed for the night.