Just a little piece I have written whilst laying in bed feeling ill. I do not really know entirely how good it is, but I shall leave you to judge that. It also does not fit in anywhere specific.

Enjoy.

Hawaiian Shirts

The dropping sun was warm on her olive skin as she lay on the white sand, the relaxing sound of the waves lapping the beach lulling her mind into a peaceful state. The salty smell of the briny water furthered the restful feeling that washed over her and she was for once grateful for her partner's crazy ideas. Her eyes were closed behind her sunglasses and it was only the shadow that fell across her face that alerted her to his presence as he loomed over her, grinning. "You should wear a bikini more often." He chuckled and dropped down next to her, settling back onto the soft, powdery sand.

"Where would I carry my gun?" She snorted and shook her head, keeping her eyes closed. "Do not answer that, DiNozzo."

"Fewer suspects would run if you apprehended them wearing that." He turned his head towards her and looked at the red two-piece, needing very little imagination to picture what was underneath the swimwear.

"And you would be so distracted that it would not matter." She laughed and removed the sunglasses, turning her head to face his and cringing when she saw his shirt. "What are you wearing?"

"It's a Hawaiian shirt." He looked down at the bright blue and yellow design.

"It is ghoulish."

"Garish."

"Same difference." She shrugged.

"It's what people wear to the beach."

"I have never seen anyone wearing something like that to a beach." She narrowed her eyes and sat up, looking at the deserted strand.

"Remember the case we worked with the guy who had all those Hawaiian shirts? It was one of the first ones you worked with us."

"I remember. The one with Max the monkey, yes?"

"I thought the monkey was called Tim?" He joked and looked at her golden back as she stretched with a feline manner. She just turned and rolled her eyes at him. "So, are you glad I had a spare plane ticket, Zee-Vah?"

"It is nice to get away from the Navy Yard." She admitted, looking out to the blue sea and even bluer sky that was beginning to tint with pinks and oranges as the sun set. "Who was the ticket for, anyway?"

"It doesn't matter." He shrugged as he tried to imagine what it would be like to run his hands through the dark curls that cascaded down her back.

"Who, Tony?" She furrowed her brows as she turned to him one more time.

"Melanie." He shrugged.

"The waitress from the restaurant the other month?"

"No, that was Michaela."

"Melanie was the receptionist at the hotel we collected that witness from last week?"

"That's the one."

"You had been on two dates with the girl and you were taking her to Hawaii?" She stared at him, incredulous.

"Yeah, well. It was our annual two weeks off. I wanted to spend it with someone who doesn't spend every day surrounded by dead people and thieves and drug dealers and killers." He sat up too and they both stared at the empty, cloudless sky. The last of his list hit her like a hefty blow to the chest.

"I am sorry, Tony."

"What for?"

"For ruining your holiday." Ziva stood and walked towards the sea. "For being a killer." Tony groaned and stood up after he let her reach the water's edge, wishing he could for once think before he spoke. He followed her footprints, the light outlines barely visible compared to his heavy ones. Her thin, toned figure was silhouetted against the sunset as she stood waist deep in the warm water. He reached out his hand and brushed his fingers down her spine.

"Don't apologise for who you are." He said quietly.

"It was not what you wanted for your two weeks away."

"No, it's not. I had planned a week of sex and sunbathing and swimming." He shrugged. "But I wouldn't swap this for anything. When else will I get the opportunity to see you in such little clothing again?" They chuckled together, Tony staring at her as she ran her hands through the water, creating gentle splashing sounds.

"Well, you never know… We may be required to go undercover again."

"There's always hope."

"But you have still only done one of your three things you wanted to do." She sighed. "Sunbathed." She clarified when he didn't reply.

"Okay, then." He took her hand and pulled her further into the water, swimming as it got deeper. "Two out of three. Not bad."

"Your shirt will get ruined."

"I don't think the colour really suits me anyway." Tony's face split into a smile and then a grin as they swam in a peaceful silence, only the sounds of the water breaking it. "Watch." He clasped her hand and stopped swimming, flipping onto his back and floating in a star shape. He indicated for her to copy and she complied, keeping hold of his hand and watching as the first stars started to show in the purple sky.

"What do you think McGee and Abby are doing right now?" Ziva asked, breathing shallowly.

"Probably playing some geeky computer game. Definitely not doing anything as good as this."

"Do you think they would be a good couple?" She asked, voicing a question she had been wondering since she had first turned up at NCIS.

"Who? The McGeek and Abby?"

"Mm."

"They were for a time. A couple at least. Romance between co-workers – Gibbs is right, it never works." He fiddled with the fingers that wrapped around his own. "I never really found out much, they were both kinda quiet about it, you know – private."

"I wonder why?" She muttered sarcastically and rolled her eyes. "It ended well, then?"

"At times I don't think it really ended at all." He made a shrugging movement as they floated in the salty water. "But yeah. Neither McGee nor Abby are able to hold a grudge or be angry with someone. They just don't have the capacity for it."

"You know, you are much more..." She tried to think of the right word.

"Handsome? Hot? Funny? Charming?" He suggested.

"Gentlemanly when you are not trying to impress everyone. You're kinder, more human." She whispered. "I like it."

"I'm sorry for not being so gentlemanly, Ziva."

"Do not apologise for who you are." She righted herself and looked at him, moving his fringe out of his eyes as the damp hair flopped across his face. "I like your jokes, most of the time." He stared at her as he too trod water, the moonlight beginning to reflect off of the dark sea. "But I like this Tony too. The respectful Tony." She moved closer, fearlessly cupping his face in her hands and pressing her lips to his. He responded as soon as his shock at her boldness subsided, his fingers tangling themselves into her hair. "How about that third plan on your list. Go for a trick of hats, yes?" She grazed her lips along his jawbone and his once coherent thoughts floated away on the gentle waves.

"Hat trick."

"Does the order of the words make a difference?" She puzzled as they started moving gently closer to the shore, still entwined in one another's arms.

"Yes." He murmured in her ear as his toe scraped the sand on the bottom and he stood up properly, hoisting her up and carrying her to the shore, her legs wrapped around his waist.

"If all the world were paper,
And all the seas were ink,
And all the trees were
Bread and cheese,
What would we have to drink?" Tony murmured as he they lay on the white, moon-bleached sand, wrapped in one-another's arms and staring out at the inky black ocean.

"Hm?"

"My mother used to read it to me as a child." Tony looked down at her head as it rested on his bare chest, his blue and yellow Hawaiian shirt discarded somewhere on their private beach. She had a loose knit woollen sweater covering her bare skin and a beach-towel covering their sand-crusted legs.

"What does it mean?" She drew invisible patterns onto his torso with her finger, pressing the occasional kiss to his salty skin.

"I don't think it really means anything… Just a nonsense poem." He shrugged, running strands of her messy hair through his fingers.

"What made you think of it now?"

"I was thinking of what we do, every day. How we catch criminals who maim and kill and steal for no reason. Its just nonsense."

"You do not think we should catch them?" She snapped her head up and stared at him.

"No, I meant that its nonsense for them to commit their crimes. The world is so beautiful, peaceful. I can't see how anyone could cause such devastation in such calm."

"Not all the world is so peaceful, Tony." She closed her eyes and goose bumps spread across her skin despite the mild air of the night.

"I'm sorry." He rubbed her arm slightly. "I know." She knew that on a level he did know, and on other levels he did not, but she was not going to ruin the night by arguing.

"What are we doing here?"

"Lying on the beach, listening to the waves." He replied, knowing that it wasn't the answer she wanted.

"Tony…"

"I know." He took her hand and played with her thin, lethal fingers. "We are living life. Taking everything one moment at a time."

"No commitment." She smiled slightly. "Perfect."

"Do you ever worry that we'll never settle down? Never be able to find someone who wants to settle down with us? Never find someone who will tolerate our work?"

"Yes. Every day." She moved her head up to his shoulder and he wrapped an arm around her as they lapsed into another silence and the dark sky gradually lightened to grey then lilac then blue with pink streaks. As the tendrils of light dusted across the sand they both stood up and collected the stray garments and objects that had been scattered across the beach the previous day before heading towards the house that overlooked the sea, silently climbing the steps to the back deck and walking through the French windows into the kitchen. Tony took her hand and led her towards the large bathroom with the large shower, dropping everything in their hands and grinning as they lived life…

Just one moment at a time.

I do not own the poem.

For my reference: 16th NCIS fic.