The prompt that my friend Jill gave me was 2 a.m. I don't own NCIS...
She knew that his door was unlocked. He had told her countless times after they came home from Somalia, "If you ever need me, my door is always open."
She thought it was a nice gesture. She knew that he cared about her, but she never thought that she would take him up on his offer.
Here she was though, standing in front of his door, her eyes red and puffy from the long hours of crying and from missing sleep. She could not believe that she was taking him up on his offer. She never thought that she would be running to Tony DiNozzo, of all people, for help.
Slowly, Ziva David reached for the doorknob and she realized that his door was, indeed, unlocked. She slowly crept inside, all while thinking of how careless he was being. He could have left a key somewhere for her instead of leaving his door completely unlocked.
Shaking her head, Ziva shut the door behind her and slipped off her shoes. She had been to Tony's apartment many times before, so she was able to find her way to his room in the dark. In the four years that they had been partners, they had weekly movie nights so Ziva frequently stayed the night at his place.
This time was different, though. Ziva had never showed up to his house unannounced. Tony always knew when she was coming over and he was always waiting for her, no matter what.
After everything that happened, Ziva could not stand to be alone. She had been alone for so long in Somalia that she did not want to be alone any longer. She could not be alone anymore. The silence was unbearable to her.
Slowly, silently, Ziva slid under the covers next to Tony in his bed. The sleeping senior field agent stirred in his sleep and Ziva held her breath, hoping that he did not wake.
Luckily for her, he didn't. She signed and snuggled closer to him, wrapping her arms around his chest. Slowly, Ziva closed her eyes and rested her head against his shoulder.
A few minutes later, Ziva opened her eyes and held her breath when Tony stirred once more. He turned on his side and slowly opened his eyes, looking over at Ziva. Yawning slightly and blinking furiously, Tony glanced past Ziva at the clock and said, "Ziva, what are you doing here? It's two in the morning."
Ziva sighed and looked up at him nervously. "I am sorry, Tony. You told me to come if I ever needed anything. And I...I cannot sleep," she murmured softly, studying his face.
Rubbing his face, Tony remembered what he said. "Ah, right," he replied, cupping her face in his hand. "Well, whatever you need, I'm here. Okay?" Tony studied her face, looking into her eyes.
Ziva nodded and smiled slightly. "I just cannot be alone. Can I just stay the night?"
"Of course, Ziva. I'll protect you, I promise," Tony replied, kissing her forehead. He stroked her cheek gently with his thumb and then smiled. "Now just relax, and let's go back to bed."
Ziva nodded and she moved on her side. Tony wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled Ziva closer to him, kissing the top of her head. He quickly fell back asleep again, and Ziva snuggled closer to him.
She smiled, resting her head against his chest. She knew that he meant every word that he said, and she knew that he would always be there for her, no matter what.