"So has Hannah decided how long she is going to be staying with you then?" Tony asked as he and Ziva drove back to NCIS after following up a lead which lead nowhere.
"No, she has no definite plans." Ziva replied absently as she stared out of the window.
"But you said that she had her girls enrolled in schools and stuff, so I guess that means she's here for a while right?"
"Well yes I suppose so,"
"In your apartment? With you? And her kids?"
"She's my best friend, if her and her daughters need to live with me for a while they are more than welcome-she can stay as long as she wants, what is wrong with that?"
"Nothing, nothing it's just that, I dunno-you with a girlfriend? It just doesn't seem right." Ziva chuckled lightly,
"What, you think all my friends are scary spies or intimidating soldiers?"
"No, I just didn't think you had any friends," Tony snorted at his own joke,
"Tony!" Ziva slapped his arm in annoyance,
"Hey, woah would you be careful? In case you hadn't noticed I'm driving!" Ziva raised an eyebrow,
"Oh really? We seem to be in exactly the same spot as we were five minutes ago, if I were driving we would already be back by now."
"Ok ,first of all that's a wild exaggeration, we were right way back there five minutes ago and would you look at this traffic? It's not my fault!"
"Hmmm we would still be back by now if you had let me drive," she muttered,
"Yeah back in the morgue," he retorted childishly which was followed by a few moments of silence before he returned to his original conversation topic. "So if her kids are all set up here why isn't she looking for a new place, must be pretty cramped at yours."
"We are managing fine,"
"Really? So I guess you two are sharing a bed huh?" he asked, suggestively.
" yes Hannah and I sleep in my bed and the girls on the sofa bed," she replied innocently, oblivious to his innuendo until she looked up and saw his expression. Her face changed to a sensual smile, she twisted in her seat ant leant towards him placing one hand on his thigh, pushing herself up until her mouth was at his ear, "And sometimes, if it is cold, we lie very, very close so we can heat each other up," her hot breath was prickling his ear and brushing through his hair as he carefully concentrated on the slow moving traffic ahead, "And sometimes we talk about things"
"Things?"
"Mmmmm, the people we," she paused, "like" he swallowed nervously, "She likes it when I talk about my partner, how handsome he is and," she moved even closer to his ear, until her lips were practically touching it, "how much I want him" she whispered huskily. Tony struggled to keep his composure, gripping the steering wheel until his knuckles turned white, he felt sweat forming on his palms, forehead, back, basically everywhere; borne out of the effort it took to control himself at that moment,
"Really," his voice came out high pitched and squeaky,
"No!" Ziva snorted loudly, slapping the back of his head as she slumped back into her seat laughing, Tony quickly wiped the disappointment from his face,
"Ziva, you shouldn't distract me when I'm driving," he mumbled sulkily,
"You started it! You always start these conversations it but you can never finish them!" she replied leaning against the headrest. Another short silence followed as Tony tried to return his blood pressure to normal, pre-Ziva's breath against his skin, levels. It took a while.
Eventually his phone rang, breaking the silence. He answered it and McGee told him that the missing marine had been holed up with his girlfriend off-base for the weekend,
"Want me to just drop you off on the way? Not much else to do today, Ooooh I could come in and meet this gal pal of yours!" Ziva tensed instantly, sitting bolt upright,
"No!" she relaxed slightly and lowered her voice, "No I do not think that would be a very good idea," Tony looked round at her, taken aback by her reaction. He broke the moment of tense silence,
"Geee, are you really that embarrassed by me? C'mon, I promise I'll be on my best behaviour!"
"It is not you I am worried about," she sighed and closed her eyes, "Hannah, is not very . . .well at the moment."
"She's ill?"
"Well, not exactly," she sighed again, "Hannah is depressed, very depressed" Tony turned to look at her questioningly,
"What like depressed like oh man the TV's broken and it's raining or like DEPRESSED,"
"The doctor gave her pills," she said in reply,
"Oh" he licked his lips, unsure of what to say next, "Are they, are they making a difference?" Ziva looked down at her lap, shaking her head gently,
"They just make her sleep a lot I think." she rubbed her forehead with a her hand, "I have never known her like this, it is bad. It is bad for the girls to see her like this, it is bad for her to be like this but I . . . I . . . do not know what to do, how to help her." she swallowed, "It is like she is here but not here, she is in her own world where I cannot reach her, she is trying to get better I know she is but every time she comes close to getting better she just slips back again." she turned her face to look out the window so she didn't have to see the way Tony was looking at her. And so he wouldn't see the way she was looking too, "I do not know what to do," she sighed again. Tony ran his eyes over the back over head and down to her clenched fists resting on her knees,
"Ziva," she didn't respond so he reached out his hand, gently encapsulating a tense fist, "Ziva, you are doing everything you can. She is lucky to have a friend like you, one that's willing to take in her family and her and look after them" he squeezed her hand comfortingly,
"Why me? I do not know what I am doing, people always say I am cold and emotionless, she should have gone to someone more caring. I am out of my length!" He suppressed a smile and continued,
"She came to you because you're her best friend, she'll get better in her own time, you just need to be there for her, show her that you care." he ran his thumb over her knuckles lightly, before whispering, "you are much more than you give yourself credit for Ziva," she smiled and relaxed her hand, allowing her fingers to uncurl and slip around Tony's, pressing her lips together. For a moment, silence enveloped the car until she quietly said, "Well, that was very, deep Tony," he smiled and squeezed her hand again,
"Well what can I say? I watch a lot of Dr Phil," Ziva looked up at him,
"Dr Phil? Is that one of your movies?" he removed his hand from hers and waved it round in the air,
"What? No! It's a TV show, y'know Dr Phil solves every ones problems," she looked at him blankly, " You know maybe you should watch some more American TV, I think it would improve your English and understanding of our culture"
"There is nothing wrong with my English!" she retorted,
"What? Y' know what I bet you're right! I swear you just do it to annoy me!"
"Do what?"
"Say stuff wrong, never using contractions, for example "there's nothing wrong with my English" not there is and it's out of my depth not out of my length!" Ziva frowned,
"I know, that is what I said" she replied,
"That's! That's!" Tony exclaimed in frustration, Ziva chuckled at him,
"I am sure that I will assimilate some time Tony do not worry!"
"Well maybe if you spent a little more time watching DR Phil and a little less time running round like a crazy ninja spy it would happen a hell of a lot faster!" she laughed again,
"Ok alright Tony I will watch some of this DR if it will keep you happy,"
"Good, now do you want dropped off at yours cause we are almost there or are you coming back to the office?"
"No, just drop me off, I can get an early start on making dinner before Leora gets in from school," she replied, sounding pleased with herself. He gave her a sideways look,
"What?" she asked defensively,
"nothing nothing, just never thought I would hear you sound so domesticated ," she smiled slightly and sighed,
"Well sometimes you have to make changes in your life to adapt to new situations,"