A/N: Tumblr request; Valentine's Day where Ziva spoils Tony. Yes, I know it's April, but I started this fic in February...and then stopped writing completely half-way through it. At least it's not August...
It was their fifth Valentine's Day together. Tony had spoiled her with romantic gestures, presents and whatnot the previous years. She had enjoyed the attention…to a point. Really, it seemed quite silly to try and pack so much love in one day. But Tony seemed to like the holiday, so she had always gone with the flow.
This year would be different, though. Despite not caring much for the holiday, Ziva was determined to make this year's Valentine's Day special for him.
Getting everything organized and keeping it a secret hadn't been easy. One of the few downsides of working and living together. She couldn't have done it without McGee's help. But, when Tim grinned knowingly and told them to have fun, while walking out of the bullpen Friday evening, she wanted to throw a stapler at his head, regardless of how much he had helped her.
Tony sat up straighter and looked at her suspiciously. Not quite ready to spoil the surprise, she gave him a seductive smile and reminded him they weren't on call that weekend.
Actually, she had made arrangements with Gibbs and Vance, and they weren't on call for the next five days. She didn't tell him that until he realized they were driving towards the airport instead of their apartment.
"We're going to LA," Ziva said. "Stars, sun, beach, and, well…" She quirked an eyebrow. She didn't need to look at him to know he was grinning wildly, his imagination getting the better of him.
After parking the car, they walked towards their terminal, and Ziva casually mentioned they wouldn't be returning until Wednesday evening. Tony stopped dead in his tracks and grabbed her by the arm, pulling her against his chest.
"Have I ever told you I love you?" He said with a grin and a gleam in his eyes.
"That's all it takes for you to repeat that? The promise of five days of sun and sex?" she quipped
He chuckled, then kissed her more passionately than he usually did in public. This vacation was off to a promising start, she thought, licking her lips absentmindedly and resuming their walk.
Tony dozed in the uncomfortable airport seat while they waited for their boarding call. He had told her she should do the same, so they wouldn't waste time sleeping once they arrived at their destination. The look in his eyes had made it clear that what he was about to say next was only meant for her ears. But then the six-year-old sitting next to him had started whining to his mom again, and he had merely waggled his eyebrows instead. Ziva had rolled her eyes and turned her attention to her magazine in an effort not to smile.
He startled awake, blurting out, "Wednesday?"
Ziva looked at him questioningly and nodded.
"I, um, I need to make a phone call," he said, patting his pockets for his phone.
"Need to cancel a hot date?" Ziva said sweetly.
Tony looked at her in surprise. "Sort of."
She patted his leg. "Don't bother, I already cancelled. The lady from the restaurant was very understanding." She put down her magazine remembering the conversation. "Actually, she may have gotten the impression that we broke up."
He pocketed his phone then turned towards her, frowning. "How did you know-"
"I wouldn't be a very good investigator if I couldn't figure out your plans for Valentine's Day."
"McGee," he said, snapping his fingers.
"McGee was very helpful," she admitted.
Tony slumped back into the uncomfortable chair. "You didn't find out about my plans the previous years, right?" His tone of voice didn't quite match his relaxed posture.
Ziva smiled and decided to put his mind at ease. "That's because I had no reason to."
He frowned.
"You know how hard it is to get our vacations approved. I wasn't going to let anything come between that. Not even a hard to get restaurant reservation."
The boarding call came and Tony shot out of his chair without a complaint of achy knees or a bad back. Ziva shook her head lightly, apparently a five day vacation was enough to make him feel ten years younger.
For the next three days they enjoyed the sun, the beach, and…each other.
That Tuesday morning, Ziva was certain Tony wasn't expecting any more surprises for Valentine's Day. So, when the concierge handed him the keys to a Ferrari 308, she couldn't contain her smile at the look on his face. He seemed slightly dumbfounded and she bumped his shoulder to snap him out of it.
Tony finally made eye contact and her stomach fluttered seeing the gleam in his eyes.
He looked at the keychain again and mumbled, "You beauty." Then he turned his full attention on her again.
"Are you talking about me or the car?"
Tony opened and closed his mouth, then said, "I plead the fifth."
Ziva snorted. "Probably a wise choice."
While the concierge assured her the picnic basket was in the trunk, as requested, Tony grabbed her by the hand and all but dragged her out of the lobby with a bounce in his step.
He slid behind the wheel of the convertible, still grinning ear to ear, and made a show of putting on his sunglasses while looking at her. Her stomach did that fluttery thing again, and she put on her own sunglasses as the acceleration of the car pushed her into the passenger's seat.
Ziva had memorized the general area a week earlier, and made sure to guide Tony to where she wanted him to go. When his stomach growled a few hours—and a lot of miles—later, she directed him to Griffith Park, claiming to have seen a sign.
Tony parked the car near the park entrance, and then carried the picnic basket to a quiet spot in the shade of a tree where he could keep an eye on the rental. "For security reasons", he said.
"I can't believe we've never had a picnic before," Tony said as he placed the blanket on the grass with more flair than necessary.
A small smile appeared on her lips. She had wondered the exact same thing when she came up with this plan. They both settled on the blanket and emptied the basket brimming with food.
"What do you think that building is?" Tony said and nodded to his right.
"Observatory. I told you I was going to show you stars."
"You already have." He popped a grape in his mouth and raised his eyebrows pointedly.
Ziva chuckled and dug into the French bread and cheese. She could feel his eyes following her every move and wondered what he was thinking.
"You planned to go to a museum on a Valentine's date, didn't you?" He tsked shaking his head. "You have a lot to learn about setting up a romantic date, grasshopper."
Ziva rolled her eyes and threw a piece of French bread at him.
"You're aware you can't see the stars in bright daylight, right?" He continued, layering the piece of bread with cream cheese.
She raised her eyebrows and looked down at him. "Actually, you can."
Tony made a face. "McGeek rubbed off on you during that week-long stakeout."
Ziva wiped her hands on a napkin, then placed them on either side of his face as she leaned closer.
"Don't worry, Tony, the observatory wasn't exactly part of the date."
She briefly touched her lips to his. "There is one star you love that I do want to show you, though."
His pupils dilated and his gaze flicked to her lips, the tip of his tongue slipping out to wet his. "I'm pretty sure that's gonna get us arrested."
Ziva closed her eyes and let out a sigh, "Not…that, Tony."
She sat back, leaning against the tree trunk, and pulled him down on his back with his head in her lap. His hand came up holding a bunch of grapes, and her mind flashed back to very uncomfortable heels and a vivid dream of Tony and her and a Roman bath.
He grinned up at her, jiggling the grapes. She knew he was about to repeat that damn line. For weeks after he had said it, it had been impossible for her to think of anything other than Tony, naked and slick with sweat, whenever she saw a bunch of grapes.
Ziva narrowed her eyes slightly, taking the grapes from him, and quickly said, "If you choke I'm not performing CPR."
He looked her up and down with an expression that made it clear she wasn't the only one thinking of Roman baths.
"I'll take my chances," he said, and she offered him a grape.
Two hours later they packed up their belongings and headed for the car. After dumping the basket in the trunk, Ziva slid up to him and slipped her hands in his pockets.
The grin that had appeared on his face fell as soon as she pulled her hands back and held up the car key triumphantly.
His shoulders slumped, but he made his way to the passenger's seat, anyway.
Ziva revved the engine with a wide grin and adjusted the mirror.
"When you told me you were going to show me a star, you weren't talking about Jesus Christ superstar, right?"
She ignored the comment, knowing the jibes at her driving were all in good fun these days. He'd fallen asleep with her behind the wheel too many times the past few years to think otherwise.
Ten minutes later they drove past the Forest Lawn Memorial Park sign. From the corner of her eye she saw Tony sit up straight, then turn towards her.
"It was on your bucket list, yes?"
Ziva parked the car and was about to get out when he placed a warm hand on her leg. She met his eyes and was surprised at the emotion she saw there.
Tony shook his head slowly, then blew out a breath through his nose. He reached out a hand, placing it on her cheek.
"This isn't the most romantic Valentine's date I've been on," he said, and for a split second Ziva thought she should have gone the more traditional route, after all. "But…it's by far the best and most memorable…and I love it."
Looking into his bright eyes made her nerve endings tingle. She placed her hands on his, turning her face slightly to kiss the inside of his wrist. When she locked eyes with him again, his were suspiciously glossy, and he closed them for a second, inhaling deeply.
He met her eyes once more and his voice cracked the slightest when he said, "I love you."
Ziva wrapped her hand around his wrist and gently caressed the back of his hand with her thumb, feeling her own throat grow thick with emotion.
She licked her lips and couldn't keep the corners of her mouth from quirking upwards when she said, "I know."
He blinked slowly, then snorted, and leaned in to kiss her in a way that was definitely not appropriate for a cemetery parking lot.
A/N: I've been reading up on the reviews I've received while I was MIA; thank you! I will reply personally when I can. And thank you for following, favoriting me and/or my stories. I had forgotten how rewarding that is. Anyhoo, I'm hoping the next story won't take quite this long to write, and that it will be smoother. Thanks for reading!
Line from 10x14 (Canary): Feed me grapes, woman.
Bucket list 18: visit Bogie's grave