Alrighty! So I'm going to try to write a multi-chapter fic about Tony and Ziva. I have an unofficial Beta-Pocketrocket911- and she's great. Anyways... I'm busy so updating is hard but I will do my best! Enjoy!
Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo sat in traffic, anxiously tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. He watched the green block letters of the dashboard clock change to 0700. Great, he sighed sarcastically. He was still five miles away from NCIS and the traffic caused by the recently fallen snow was not going to get faster. It was the middle of January and the DC area had just gotten another eight inches of snow; which added to the grimy eleven they had received in the previous week.
Mossad officer Ziva David was in a similar situation. She was always on time for work and if Tony beat her there, she would never hear the end of it. He could be such a child sometimes. She could not understand why he always had to flaunt his scores with blonde bimbos. Her light turned green and she slammed on the accelerator. Her small car protested at first but gained traction and sped off toward NCIS.
Tony finally pulled into the Navy Yard and parked his car. He had made decent time considering that everyone seemed to be driving like an eighty year old. He opened the door and got out of the car, being cautious so as not to damage his door. He leaded back in and grabbed his coffee and backpack before closing the door. He crossed the parking lot right as Ziva sped in. Tony was taking a sip of coffee and didn't notice her. She slammed on the brakes and her car started sliding. By then Tony realized the dilemma and dove out of the way into a pile of brown slush.
Ziva got her car under control, threw it into park, and was at Tony's side before he could even think about getting up.
"Tony!" she gasped, kneeling by his slumped body. "Are you okay?"
He was lying face down on the pavement. His coffee cup was emptied a few feet away, its contents melting the snow.
"Yeah, Zee-vah…" he growled into the snow, stressing the syllables of her name, "Other than my partner almost killing me with her car!" he yelled. Tony rolled over so he was facing her but his eyes remained closed. His entire front was drenched with muddy water and god knows what else from the parking lot surface. "This is why McGee and I always tell you to drive carefully, so you don't kill people!" he said through clenched teeth.
He opened his eyes and almost felt bad for yelling at her because her brown eyes showed so much concern for him. They held each other's gaze until it became uncomfortable, then averted their eyes. If they had been in the bullpen with McGee, he would have made an excuse to go to Abby's lab or on a coffee run to give them privacy. Tony reverted to his jokes to lighten the mood.
"You know, I could get used to this view though…" he said, waggling his eyebrows while his eyes dropped to her chest, emphasized by her crouched stance.
"Pig." Ziva muttered and any concern that she had had for him vanished. She stood up and turned to leave, kicking slush at him as she walked away.
Tony shielded his face with his numb hands until he heard the car door open and knew it was safe to get up. He slowly rose to his feet and brushed himself off the best he could before heading towards the building. He figured Ziva would want to be alone after the awkward encounter they had just shared.
NCIS
McGee was the only one in the bullpen; he was about to call Gibbs when the elevator chimed and disheveled Tony walked in. He was wet and muddy and didn't look happy. McGee decided to take his chances.
"Hey Tony, rough morning?" As soon as the words left his mouth, he knew it had been a bad idea. McGee immediately turned back to his computed and began typing again. Tony noticed that the brief confidence streak had disappeared into thin air. It was his time to strike.
"Did you say something Probie?" he asked after tossing his bag behind his desk and sauntering over to the younger agent.
"Uh… no. It's just that, well–" Gibbs chose that moment to walked into the bullpen. Tony grinned at McGee; he loved making the younger agent squirm. Ziva was fun to mess with but she was an assassin and her threats could become reality if he didn't tread lightly. McGee couldn't defend himself. He was, after all, the little Probie. Tony liked to think of his joshing as character building.
While Tony had been lost in his own thoughts, McGee had continued working. Tony looked up and noticed right as he received the all too familiar slap to the back of his head.
"DiNozzo, did you forget when work started? Or how to walk?" he asked upon noticing the agents soggy clothing.
"Well boss, McGee just asked me that question and–" He was interrupted by a second slap. The elevator chimed and Ziva stormed in. She set down her bag and started up her computer before unclipping her SIG Sauer and placing it into here desk drawer, which she slammed shut. She felt the three male team members' eyes on her. She looked up and narrowed her eyes at them.
"What is the matter? Have I grown another nose?" she asked suspiciously.
A small chuckle escaped Tony's mouth. "It's head Ziva, not nose."
"Whatever." She replied, returning her attention to her computer.
The agents sensed her caustic tone and decided they would be safe to leave her alone. They all settled in and began the day. Since there was no case, they finished up their seemingly never-ending piles of paperwork and sifted through cold cases looking for leads. Tony had gone to the bathroom and changed his wet clothes with the wrinkled spare set he reserved for occasions like this.
By 1030 hours, Tony was bored of paperwork and seemingly hopeless cold cases. Gibbs wasn't around, so he tried to entertain himself by computer games, which got old too. He began playing paper basket-toss in McGee's trashcan, missing on purpose to hit the younger agent in the head. Eventually, McGee couldn't ignore him any longer.
"Tony. Will you please stop that?" he asked, exasperated.
"Stop what McTarget?" he said, shooting another wad which banked off the desk and into the trashcan. "Ooooohhh!" He exclaimed as he threw his arms up and celebrated his 'perfect' shot.
McGee returned to ignoring him, knowing that he would only fuel the fire if he complained. Tony was so bored that he decided to move his game to Ziva's trashcan. He began his shots again, this time with obnoxious commentary. Then he challenged himself by spinning around and shooting backwards. Ziva used the opportunity to creep over to his desk, she squatted below the front of it and Tony turned back around. The look of sheer horror on Tony's face caused McGee to choke silently on laughs that were threatening to be made audible.
Tony slowly stood and walked around his desk. Right before he was far enough around to see her, she sprung up. Tony gasped and it took all of Ziva's self-control to keep her features stoic.
"Tony, would you like me to demonstrate how I can kill you with office supplies?" she warned, trying to ignore the fact that their faces were inches apart. I took all of her concentration to not let her gaze slip to his lips.
"No… I –" The partners were interrupted by dual head slaps. They both took steps back so they weren't invading each other's personal space.
"DiNozzo, gas the truck. McGee, call Ducky. Got a dead Navy Lieutenant." barked Gibbs as he strapped on his SIG and grabbed his coat before making his way to the elevator. The other three agents scrambled to gather their things and managed to slip into the elevator before it closed.
NCIS
They pulled up at the crime scene: a modest apartment complex called Autumn Oaks. Gibbs had arrived first in the Charger while Tony, McGee and Ziva arrived a few minutes later in the truck. He had already started getting information from the police when Tony and Ziva walked up, arguing with each other like usual. They quietly stood behind Gibbs, waiting for him to finish so he could tell them what to do. He finished getting the statement from the police man and turned to them.
"What do we got, boss?" asked Tony.
"Dead Lieutenant. Neighbor saw her on the fire escape. She must have been pushed out a window above. Name is Bethany Moore. Units are backed up so I want you and David to check out her apartment." He ordered. McGee had appeared midway through the description, carrying all of the gear. Gibbs looked at him, and then turned back toward the scene, calling over his shoulder for McGee to talk to the neighbor who found the body.
Tony and Ziva walked into the office and up to the counter. A little old man sat at the computer, pecking away at the keys. He apparently hadn't heard them come in.
"Excuse me sir." Ziva said politely, flashing her badge at him when he looked up.
"What can I do for you, dear?" he asked.
"We need to know if you have a tenant named Bethany Moore."
"Yes, of course, she is a very sweet young lady. " He crooned. Ziva realized that he wasn't aware of who the victim was and proceeded cautiously.
"We would like her room number please, so we can visit her. She's an old friend." Tony added.
"Sure thing." he pecked at the keys before turning back to them. "Room 416." He said, "But she had company late last night so she might still be asleep. Have a nice time you two." He grinned, giving them a wink.
Ziva was about to question him on whom the visitor was when Tony wrapped his arm around her waist and said a quick 'Thank you' over his shoulder before moving them to the elevators. He pressed the button and they opened a few seconds later and they walked in. As soon as the doors closed, Ziva twisted out of Tony's grasp.
"What are you doing?" she hissed. "He has information!"
"I know Ziva, but he doesn't know that she's dead either. We can talk to him later because I'm sensing it will cause a commotion. He seems pretty attached to her."
"But he has seen the killer!" she said, clearly exasperated with him.
"Might have seen the killer Ziva, might." He stressed, stepping out as the doors opened.
They walked down the hall until they reached apartment 416. The door was slightly ajar so the two agents quickly drew their guns out of their holsters. They made eye contact, silently arranging a plan. They had always been able to communicate without words. Ziva opened the door and Tony rushed inside. She followed closely behind him as they systematically cleared the main room, kitchen, and dining room. The apartment was trashed, broken lamps and knocked over furniture covered the floors. Blood had pooled on the carpet in front of the TV. Two halls branched off of the main room, one on either side. Tony started towards the one on the right, Ziva trailing behind. They cleared a closet and what appeared to be the master bedroom. The bed was unmade and clothes, both men's and women's, were scattered around the room. Ziva elbowed Tony once she noticed the lustful glance he gave the unmade bed. He snapped out of it and checked various hidden spaces while she cleared the bathroom. Then they heard a crash from the other side of the apartment. Their eyes whipped towards each other and Ziva tore out of the room towards the other hall. Tony followed, and noticed an upturned basket of kid's toys in the living room.
Shit. He thought. Hurrying into the first open door on the right where Ziva was standing. It was a small yellow room with a crib and changing table. A baby's room. Tony drew his breath sharply, expecting the worst, and walked into the room. He cautiously glanced at Ziva but her eyes were unreadable. He followed her gaze into the crib to see a small sleeping baby lying inside. He released his breath and turned to Ziva. Her body was tense and she refused to meet his eyes. Tony was about to touch her arm when they heard another noise. She raised her SIG again and they silently stalked into the adjacent room.
It was pink and had little dolls and stuffed animals all over the room. The blanket covering the small twin bed in the corner was rumpled. Ziva heard muffled breathing from inside the closet and silently stepped towards it. She looked over at Tony who gave her a curt nod. She pulled the door open and saw a small little girl with tangled blonde hair tucked into the corner of the room. Then Ziva did the unthinkable, she dropped her gun. Ziva David dropped her gun on the floor.
Tony was shocked; he couldn't get his feet to take the two steps over to her to make sure she was okay. He knew she wasn't; his always-calm partner never dropped her gun. He watched as Ziva shrunk to her knees.
"Shalom." said Ziva quietly. Her voice was trembling. Tony finally gained control of his actions again and holstered his gun, walking over to Ziva and kneeling next to her, close enough for their shoulders to brush. The little girl was shaking and he could feel a tremble escape Ziva's body every few seconds. She didn't seem like she was even in that room with them. No one said anything until Tony realized Ziva couldn't say anything and the little girl probably didn't understand Hebrew.
In the meantime, Ziva was having a war with her mind. The little girl was so much like the one she had encountered on Damocles.
She had walked into a storage room to fins a tiny batter girl covered in filth. She walked over to her and reached towards her but she cowered further into the corner.
"Shalom." said Ziva. Then the door flung open and Ziva squeezed back in between two boxes. Two men walked in and grabbed the child. She began crying and one of the men slapped her. She quieted and they left as quickly as they had come. Ziva could not move. She was shocked. That little girl was going to die before her life even started. Just like Tali…
"It means 'hello.'" Tony offered softly.
"The little girl gave an almost imperceptible shake of her head, trying to push further into the dark corner of the closet.
"Sweetheart," Tony continued cautiously. "We are the good guys. You can trust us, we're here to help." He offered her a kind smile. Ziva hadn't moved a muscle yet. "Come on out, it's okay, I promise. We are from the Navy too." He added.
The little girl relaxed at that word and slowly crawled towards them. She sat in front of the closet and Tony noticed a nasty bruise on one of her cheeks. He reached towards her but she shrunk backwards. She was scared of him. He nudged Ziva and turned his head so his breath tickled her neck.
"Ziva, help me out." He whispered in her ear. She seemed to relax again and leaned closer to him for just a second like she was coming out of a trance before blinking her eyes and returning to an upright position.
"My name is Ziva. This is Tony. We are going to help you. Can you tell us your name?" She said, but her voice was still shaky and vulnerable. Not to others, but Tony could tell something was going on with Ziva.
The little girl gave Tony another weary glance before looking at Ziva. "Sadie." She said in a voice so quiet that Tony almost didn't catch it.
"Come out of the closet Sadie, it is okay. You are safe with us." said Ziva.
She little girl nodded before crawling out and staying as far away from Tony as possible. Her big blue eyes were red and puffy from crying and she looked exhausted. She got to Ziva and crawled onto her lap without hesitation, circling her arms around Ziva's neck and burying her face in her shoulder.
Ziva froze for a second before circling her arms around Sadie's trembling body. She blinked back her tears before turning to look at Tony, whose mouth was hanging open. He snapped it shut and rose to his feet, moving out of Ziva's way. She joined him, moving to stand slowly. Sadie's legs went around Ziva's waist.
Then Sadie began crying, which quickly turned into heart wrenching sobs. Ziva bounced on her feet, whispering soothing Hebrew words into her hair. Sadie only clung to Ziva tighter. Tony watched them very closely and caught Ziva's troubled brown eyes.
"Are you okay?" he mouthed. She nodded her head, trying to school her features into showing no emotion. Tony knew she wasn't fine but decided not to push.
Sadie's sobs eventually quieted into small whimpers. Ziva walked out of the room into the hall where Sadie's grip tightened even more. "Ginger." She mumbled into Ziva shoulder.
"What, metuka?" She asked. Sadie didn't seem to notice the Hebrew name.
"My doggie." She mumbled.
Then Ziva had another flashback.
She was with Tali in her room. Tali was only 3, Ziva was 8. They were the only ones at home and Tali couldn't find her blanket. She cried until Ziva was able to find it under her sheets and give it to her. Blankie was her company… her friend…
She went back into the bedroom and bumped into Tony. He stepped back and she went to Sadie's bed and looked around. One hand was holding Sadie, the other tossing the sheets.
"What are you looking for, Zi?" asked Tony carefully.
Ziva turned around and looked at him; something he didn't recognize glinted in her eyes. "Her stuffed dog."
Tony went to the closet and crouched down. He reached inside and returned with a small brown and white dog. It looked worn and tattered from constant use. He handed it to Ziva.
"Sadie, here is Ginger." She said, holding the stuffed animal close to Sadie's face. The little girl undid one of her arms from around Ziva's neck and held the dog between her and Ziva's chests.
"Thanks." Ziva managed to say as she went to the baby's room. Tony followed quietly.
"Sadie, is this your brother?" Tony asked gently from behind Ziva. Sadie didn't answer him.
"Sadie? What is his name?" asked Ziva.
"Chris." She said.
At the sound of his name, the little baby's eyes popped open. He surveyed the strange faces looking down at him and then began to cry.
"Uh-oh." said Tony, moving to the side of the crib next to Ziva.
"Pick him up Tony, he's probably hungry." said Ziva. Tony reached down to the squirming baby and gently lifted him out, cradling him carefully in his arms. The little baby smacked his lips and nuzzled Tony's chest. Not finding what he was looking for, Chris started screaming. Tony looked wide-eyed at Ziva, silently asking what to do.
"Give him to me." She said. "Sadie, can Tony hold you?"
"No. Only you." She mumbled, nuzzling further into Ziva grasp.
"I've got to hold Chris, metuka." she said, gently shifting Sadie to one hip.
"Mommy holds us at the same time." she said. Ziva's eyes met Tony's with a pained and sorrowful expression.
"Okay." said Ziva, moving to take Chris with one arm. They gently transferred the fussy child. When Ziva brown eyes met Tony's green ones, they froze, realizing once again that they were far too close together. Tony dropped her gaze and stepped back first. Ziva exhaled a breath she didn't know she had been holding.
Then Chris began nuzzling Ziva and smacking his lips. She felt extremely uncomfortable, especially with Tony in the room. Chris was becoming increasingly angry about not getting to eat.
"Let's go see if he has a bottle in the kitchen, Ziva." She nodded and moved out of the room and started carefully down the hall. "Ziva, stop." Tony called, resting his hand on the shoulder that wasn't occupied by a child. "Don't go into the living room." he whispered, brushing past her. She remembered the destroyed living room and leaned back against the wall.
Tony jogged into the kitchen and found a bottle in the fridge. He ran back to Ziva and handed it to her.
"You have to warm it up." she said, giving it back to him.
"How long?"
"I do not know, until it is warm but not hot, check it on your wrist."
Tony went back to the kitchen and put the bottle in the microwave for 15 seconds. He tested it on his wrist like she said but it was still too cool. Another 15 seconds in the microwave made it the right temperature so he went back to Ziva.
"This alright?" he asked.
"Yeah, it should be fine. Can you feed him? It is hard since I ran out of hands." she said, stepping closer to him again to transfer the baby.
"Yeah. Can we go, though? It's making me uncomfortable, being here with them."
"Sure." Tony carefully positioned the baby in his arms and held the bottle to his lips, watching him suck hard. The little thing acted like he had never eaten. "Make sure you hold the bottle upright so he doesn't suck in air." said Ziva, moving past him and straight to the door. She made sure to press Sadie's face into her neck, shielding the girl's face from the wreckage in the living room. Tony followed, not shutting the door all the way, getting into the elevator next to Ziva. They rode down in silence other than a whimper from Sadie or the greedy eating habits of Chris.
"What took so long?" asked Gibbs, before he stopped and eyed them closely. "What the hell?"
"They were in Bethany's apartment Gibbs." said Tony. Chris finished his bottle and began fussing once again. "What? You just ate!" Tony asked the baby.
"He needs burped, DiNozzo." said Gibbs, lifting the baby out of Tony's arms and burping him. "So, what else?"
"Ziva." Tony nodded towards Sadie, then the truck, silently telling her to take the girl away.
"I am going to look for diapers in the truck." she said lamely, turning on her heels to leave.
Once she was out of ear shot, Tony continued. "Bethany was murdered in her apartment. It's a wreck. The man in the office said she had a visitor last night and doesn't appear to know she was killed. Sadie is extremely shaken up; I think she might have heard something."
"Sadie?"
"The little girl Ziva had. She has a big bruise on her face and won't let me anywhere near her, only Ziva. That little guy's name is Chris." he said, motioning to the baby that had fallen asleep in Gibbs arms.
"Alright, you and David take the kids back to the office and work from there. Ducky can check out Sadie when he gets back. One of you needs to go find a diaper back for him until we can get ahold of next of kin to take them." ordered Gibbs as he handed Chris back.
Tony found Ziva sitting in the back of the truck, still cradling Sadie, who had fallen asleep.
"She must be exhausted. I can't even imag –."
"What did Gibbs say?" she asked, cutting him off and lifting her gaze from Sadie's back.
"Um, find a diaper bag and go back to the office. Work from there on the case, Ducky will check out Sadie when he gets back." Tony relayed, trying not to show how much Ziva's brusqueness was affecting him. If she did notice, she didn't care.
"There was one inside his room on the changing table." she said, returning her gaze to Sadie's back. She hadn't stopped stroking the little girl's hair. "Grab some bottles from the fridge too."
"Okay." he said. He started off towards the building when Ziva called him back.
"Bring me Chris." she said. He obliged, handing her the baby which instinctively cuddled into her. Tony stared at them for a moment longer before hurrying to find the diaper bag and some bottles.
On his way back to the apartment, Tony saw McGee talking to an elderly woman.
"Young man, why do I have to answer your questions? I'm not under arrest." She told McGee.
"Uh...ma'am, please. We are only doing our jobs an – " she cut him off.
"I'm leaving. There is no reason for me to be treated like this." she said, walking away. "The nerve of some of the young people in this world…" she mumbled. McGee looked so confused; he couldn't understand what he had done wrong.
Tony continued to the apartment complex, chucking about McGee. He found the diaper bag and bottles and a baby seat, which he figured would come in handy. When he got back, Ziva was leaning against the Charger with the keys trying to convince Sadie to let go.
"Come on, Tateleh, let go. I am going to buckle you in and we are going to go to a nice place." she crooned, trying to loosen the little girl's grip while holding Chris too. Tony set the seat down at her feet and wordlessly took the keys and opened the trunk. He set the diaper back inside and returned to Ziva, taking Chris so she could focus on the sleepy child.
"I want mommy!" she cried. Ziva stiffened. How was she supposed to tell the little girl that she couldn't have her mommy?
"Mommy isn't here sweetie." Tony offered.
"Where is she?" Sadie yawned, lifting her puffy eyes to Tony for the first time.
"Ummm. Just let go of Ziva so we can leave please." he said, avoiding the question all together.
"No." she said, holding tighter to Ziva.
Tony gave up and bent down to put Chris in the carrier. He was really proud of himself when he was able to strap the baby in by himself. He opened the back seat door and slid the seat in backwards like he had scene in movies. There were small picture instructions on the side of the seat so Tony was able to secure it inside. He finished and gently shut the door, turning back to Ziva. She was swaying back and forth trying to stop Sadie's crying.
"What's wrong?" mouthed Tony.
"Scared and tired." Ziva mouthed back.
"Hey Sadie, how about if you sit on Ziva's lap in the car?" asked Tony.
"Okay." she sniffed. Ziva walked around to the other side of the car with Tony. She let him open the back door for her as she eased inside, being extra careful not to bump Sadie.
"Seatbelt?" Tony asked.
"Just drive carefully." She answered, giving him a forced smile. Tony shut the door and got into the driver seat. He glanced back at Ziva. Sadie had resituated in her lap. Both of her small arms hugged the dog, she was sitting on her knees and leaning on Ziva's chest. Ziva had one arm keeping Sadie from sliding off and the other one rubbed her back. The little girls purple princess pajama shirt had ridden up in back and Tony saw another angry mark on her delicate skin. He sucked in a breath and turned around, trying to slow his breathing, and squeezing his eyes shut in anger. If her mom did this to her, it's a good thing she is dead.
A little Tony sat in his room, reading Tom Sawyer when the door flung open. His dad looked extremely angry and stormed over to him. He ripped the book out of his hands and threw it at the wall behind him.
"What are you doing, boy?" he yelled, leaning towards his son. His breath smelled heavily of alcohol.
"R-r-reading Sir." stuttered Tony. DiNozzo Senior grabbed his son and yanked him out of bed, dropping him on the floor.
"Stand up!" He yelled. Tony obliged and rose, staring at his feet. "Look at me when I am talking to you!"
Tony blinked the tears out of his eyes and stared at the man who was supposed to be his father.
"Stop crying, you good-for-nothing son of a bitch. Be a man." He said, slapping his son in the face.
Tony had been 7 years old.
"Tony?" asked Ziva, she had seen her partner's reaction but she wasn't sure what happened.
"Forget it, Ziva." He said, putting the car in gear and driving toward the offices.
Sooooo, What do you think? Do you like? Well let me know by pressing the little review button there, each review makes my day!
