Tony DiNozzo has been thinking all day long. Ever since they were saved from the elevator he couldn't get what happened out of his head. Facing Ziva's white apartment door, it suddenly hit him out of nowhere.
"We almost died today." Anthony whispered to himself.
Softly his fingers ran over the wood. He was wondering what kind of state his partner was in. Was she close to a breakdown or just tired? 7 hours spent in an elevator together can actually create the urge to put some distance between the person you were trapped with. Would she want to see him? Insecure, he just stood there doing nothing but thinking. It was a day of pain and misery. A day the young agent would never forget and always remember until his very last breath.
Gathering all of his courage he finally managed to knock on the door. Suddenly it opened and Ziva stood there with messy hair, bags under her eyes, but also a hint of a smile on her lips.
"Tony…what are you doing here? Come in."
Entering her flat, Tony looked around the very neat, modern apartment which also had a slight oriental touch.
"Well, I am just checking whether you are alright. I mean not alright but… you know…" he murmured nervously.
Wearing a comfy pair of sweat pants and a tight, black shirt, she went over to grab a bottle of Bourbon from the kitchen. Silently Ziva sat down on her couch waving Tony to her who clearly didn't hesitate to join her.
Ziva David took a big sip of the strong liquor. She just wanted to kill the pain with a bit of alcohol and certainly enjoyed Tony's company much to his relief.
"Gimme some David."
"I will, but answer a question. Do you actually think there is a safe place on earth for us? Because let's face it, the headquarters were my sanctuary and now Dearing just took that away from me. They blew up your car, my apartment, our squad room. The elevator almost killed us today. Not to mention the constant threat of being attacked in the field. My own brother turned into a terrorist, my ex-boyfriends were both killers and my dad sent me on a suicide mission. In Israel my sister and mother died. It's like there is nowhere left to go. It's like I should be…dead already by now. It's only a matter of time because everywhere I go is death and destruction." she swallowed all the pain and took another sip of bourbon.
Tony turned to her and leaned in close.
"You know…" gently Anthony took the bottle out of her hands while whispering. His eyes showed concern but also expressed a lot of affection. Only inches away from her face and sharing an intense look he went on. " … you are safe with me. I take care of you. I… I promise nothing will happen to you as long as we are…partners."
Shocked, but also touched she kept staring at him. His honesty, the tone in his voice and the true loyalty reflected in his eyes gave her shivers.
"Partners. You and me…" she responded while laying her hand on his. Ziva's eyes wandered to his lips which looked so soft and delicious, but she shied away from leaning in for a kiss.
Instead the Israeli looked back at him.
"I have a code that I live by. It's -surround yourself with people you'd give your own life for-. Mentioned it in front of EJ once. It's a thing I learned from Gibbs and I know I would give my own life for you. So as long as you stay my partner I'll make sure I will protect you with all my power. And let's face it, I am one lucky dude. I survived the plague, several explosions, a fight with an Israeli assassin, a suicide mission to Africa, an interrogation with Eli David, several gunshot wounds, some violent attacks by crazy chicks I used to sleep with and most recently I survived a bad case of diarrhoea and the dreadful return of my ex-fian.." Tony felt his partner's finger on his lips. He stopped talking and just kept exchanging deep looks. There was a strong connection between them. Their hearts were beating fast and their pulses were racing. Was this the moment? A moment where they are completely vulnerable, sad and afraid?
Ziva didn't know. Part of her wanted to grab and kiss him, but another part of her didn't want it to happen like that. What he just said was perfect. It touched her soul and suddenly the female agent realized that he would be her saviour, but she simply wasn't ready to let it fully happen yet.
"I would die..for you, too. You are right. We …we will get through this. Ducky will survive, Dearing will be dead and we will be there for each other as a family. All of us. Not just we as in you and me but also we as a team. Thank you Tony. You…you are always there when I need you. I hope you will never leave." Ziva whispered while she teared up a little bit.
Today's events were traumatizing and left a deep scar in her heart, but they also brought the partners closer together. Anthony DiNozzo could have taken advantage of the situation. He could have grabbed her and kissed her, but he decided to do what was right. Slowly DiNozzo came closer and pressed his lips against her forehead while tears were running down her soft cheeks. Carefully Junior pulled the young woman into his strong arms and wrapped them around her holding her tightly, never planning on letting her go. Tony knew he would protect her at any cost and she would do the same for him. Forever.