Disclaimer-- I don't own the characters of NCIS unfortunately
Tony looked up from his computer when he heard Ziva and Abby exchange good mornings as the latter headed back to the lab. When she came into his line of sight he couldn't push off the little stab of desire that worked at his gut.
"Aren't you a little over dressed for work Zee-vah?" he questioned, fighting to ignore that incredibly inconvenient pang of lust that was working at him.
She set her bag down at her desk and turned to glare at him. "I do not think that I am over dressed, no," she told him.
He looked her up and down, taking in the black slacks and cherry red wrap top. "Says the queen of the cargo pants."
"I really do not see how what I am wearing is any of your business Tony."
McGee looked up from his desk and smiled. "You look nice Ziva. Special occasion?"
She blew out a frustrated breath. "Why do you automatically assume that there is something on just because I am wearing a nice shirt? Maybe I just felt like something different."
Tony and Tim shared a doubtful look before they both turned to look at her again. "Something that different?" McGee asked.
"Abby dressed her," Gibbs told them as he blew past and over to his desk.
"That true Ziva?" Tony questioned, smiling mischeviously. "And why is that?"
Ziva resisted the urge to smack him as he settled himself on the edge of her desk. "If you must know, I have a lunch date."
"So how does a lunch date equate to Abby having to dress you?" Tim asked. She shot him a death glare and he shrugged. "Just curious."
"Aren't we all McGeek?" Tony questioned.
This time she did smack him, borrowing a Gibbs classic move and slapping him upside the head. "Abby asked what I would be wearing and evidently my selection did not suit her. She came over last night and made me promise that I would wear this."
"Classic Abby," McGee said with a smile.
"Yes. Now can we please talk about something other than my clothing now?"
Tony smiled. "Of course. Who's the guy?"
When Ziva took off for her lunch date Tony and McGee began to speculate who the guy was. Tim was putting money on someone from her apartment complex while Tony was going with someone from the bar. They both shut up when Gibbs told them to start betting on which of them would get slapped first if they didn't knock it off. It was wise to listen to the boss when he got that way, so they continued their debate over instant messaging.
Everyone was surprised when Ziva appeared again after less than an hour Tony and McGee shared another look, this time hesitant. She looked pissed, and neither was sure if they would be safe from bodily harm if they chose to say anything. But Gibbs was on the phone, and wouldn't have been likely to say anything anyway, so it would have to be one of them. For a moment they silently fought with each other, and after a round of rock paper scissors McGee gritted his teeth.
"You're back early Ziva," he commented.
She slammed her bag down on her desk. "I was held up."
"Held up?" McGee asked incredulously. "Where did you go to lunch?"
Gibbs took a welcome break from the phone call he was dealing with long enough to speak to McGee. "She means stood up McGee."
"Held up, stood up, whatever," she hissed.
"You were actually stood up?" Tony asked.
She glared at him. "So it would seem."
McGee shook his head. "I hate guys like that. They think they can just treat people like they don't even matter. I think you're better off without this guy Ziva."
"Thank you McGee."
"Thank him later Ziva," Gibbs told her. "We've got a dead marine and a wife who's gone missing. Gas the truck McGee."
"On it boss."
They all sprang into action, but Ziva noticed that Tony was moving slower than usual. There was a frown on his face as he gathered his gear, and she decided to wait around for him to see if she could get to the bottom of whatever was upsetting him.
Tony pushed back from his desk and Ziva worked her way around it to sit on the one corner. "You look very unhappy," she commented.
He looked up at her. "Long day."
"Really?" she asked. "You seemed perfectly fine when I got here. One cannot help but wonder if my getting stood up bothers you."
"And why is that Zee-Vah?" he asked, leaning back in his chair.
She leaned forward slightly. "Because you were fine until you heard about it."
Tony shrugged. "Who knows David."
He stood to retrieve his gun and then slung his backpack over his shoulder; still she didn't move. "Could you just for once be honest Tony?" she asked him.
"Fine," he ground out. Turning around, he stood in front of her. "McGee was right; guys like that think that women don't matter. It bothers me."
Ziva shook her head. "You do not exactly have the most considered history either Tony. So why does this bother you so much?"
There was a moment of charged silence before he shook his head and slid past her to the opposite side of the desk. "I may not have the best track record Ziva, but I know a few things for sure." He was headed for the elevator when he stopped and turned back to look at her.
Their eyes momentarily locked as she moved out from behind his desk and she saw an intensity there that made a delicious shiver run down her spine. "Like what? What do you know for sure?"
Tony turned as he answered her, and he spoke so quietly that she barely heard him. "You matter."
Note From The Author-- I originally intended this as a one shot, but depending on how much it starts to aggravate me that there isn't a whole lot of resolution there may be a second chapter