The elevator doors slid open as a simultaneous ding echoed throughout the empty squad room. Out of the elevator stepped Tony DiNozzo who gazed around at the empty headquarters of NCIS. The only light was provided by a few desk lamps that were accidentally left on during the rush home, a hall light to the lounge, and a decorative Christmas tree next to the windows.
Tony's footsteps rang out as the clomped against the carpet. On a typical day, he couldn't hear them due to the commotion of everyone working hard to aid and investigate usual Navy crimes. But, tonight he could hear them, acting as a cruel reminder of how he would spend this Christmas eve. Alone.
He tossed his back pack on the ground next to his desk and tossed his travel itinerary from JFK airport into the trash can. After flying back from following up on a lead in New York City, he was exhausted and didn't feel like driving his car home across town.
Opened up the bottom drawer to his desk where he kept his stash of movies he could watch if a situation like this ever arose at work. He thumbed through the DVD collection until he found his desired selection. After making some caramel popcorn and getting a drink from the vending machine, he inserted "It's a Wonderful Life" into the plasma television between his desk and McGee's. Even though he was spending it alone, again, he figured he keep the DiNozzo Christmas tradition alive.
The seat cushion was soft and much more comfortable than that on the airplane, and his nostrils were so teased by the aroma of the warm caramel popcorn that he began to salivate. He leaned back in the chair and felt the tension in his muscles begin to disappear. As the opening credits to his movie began to roll, he popped a few kernels into his mouth and savored the pleasing taste of the caramel butter against his taste buds and satisfying crunch with every chew.
To his surprise, he was actually getting comfortable and was beginning to enjoy this Christmas eve. Everything was so serene within the office it didn't bother him that he wasn't with anyone. In a rare moment the atmosphere with the movie, combined with the food, drink, comfy chair, quiet office, and the steady snowfall outside, Tony began to appreciate some of the little things that he often overlooked.
Then, just as he was reaching his uplifted state, his cell phone began to ring. It might as well have sounded like a scratching record player or an alarm clock that cruelly awakes one just as the best part of a dream is occurring.
He huffed and muttered some frustrations to himself, cursing his luck that it would happen that someone would notify him just as he was actually starting to enjoy his lonely Christmas. After pausing the movie with a frustrated press of the button on the remote, he wheeled himself over to his desk where he opened his phone to see a text message.
"For your secret Santa, come to your place!"
Tony furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at the text. He'd forgotten about the secret Santa tradition that occurred in the workplace every year. In fact, it usually slipped his mind because he usually never received anything useful. Usually, someone he'd never met was assigned to get him a gift and it always ended up being something general. Useful, but uninteresting. Stuff like staplers, or maybe a nice pair of shoes.
More importantly, who could be at his house? It was an anonymous phone that had wrote him. Who could it be?
He was tempted to ignore it and just continue his movie. But, he couldn't just leave his secret Santa hanging out to dry at his apartment. More importantly, he couldn't just leave his apartment in the hands of some random secret Santa who might have more the inclination to be in the taking kind of mood in the season of giving.
His shoulders slumped over in disappointed and he hung his head for a brief moment. After finishing his moment self-pity, he turned off the television, grabbed his backpack and made his way to the parking lot as he finished his popcorn.
Tony made his way up the stairs to the floor of his apartment. He heard no noise from the outside of his door, so he expected some sort of surprise party from Abby and friends (for obvious reason it didn't occur to him that Gibbs would somehow be involved).
After preparing himself for whatever he would see next, he reached out and turned the doorknob and opened the door in a slow and cautious fashion. He peered around into his apartment, only to have his eyes widen in shock. His apartment was clad with all sorts of Christmas decorations. A fire burned at his gas fireplace, and on the other side of the living room, a Christmas tree clothed with lights and ornaments illuminated the otherwise dimly lit room. The smell of freshly baked snicker doodles hovered throughout the apartment.
In this moment he'd forgotten completely about his secret santa, about the people that weren't there. Instead he just took in the beautiful sight within his apartment that reminded him of his house when he was a child.
He first stood next to the tree and just soaked in its beauty. Then he turned and looked at the fireplace. Even though it was a traditional fireplace, it nonetheless once again reminded him of Christmas eve early in his life. He walked over and touched his stocking made by his grandmother. Touching it was like symbolically touching his past that he'd forgotten in recent years.
Then he noticed the stocking next to his. It wasn't nearly as well made as his. Instead, it looked like a long tube stock which someone had written neatly on with green and red marker. There was a Christmas tree scrawled on to its side on across the top in written in cursive was a name. Ziva.
His heart began to race when he heard a smooth voice from the kitchen.
"Merry Christmas, Tony."
Tony recognized the voice. Every day he worked with it, and often it had the same tinge to it. He whirled around to see Ziva, and once again be surprised in a night of surprises.
Ziva stood in the doorway to the kitchen, clad in a Santa skirt that hugged every curve of her body. The bottom of the skirt only reached her mid-thigh at best, and was trimmed with a small line of white fur, and was topped off with a leather belt around her waist and complementary hat.
She shot a playfully seductive smile at the gawking Tony as she leaned one arm high on the doorframe, and propped her other hand on her hip that she was popping outward to further extenuate her curves.
"What," she asked in a playful tone. "Cat scratch your lung?"
Any other woman, and such a question would have killed the mood. But knowing Ziva, Tony could only find such a slip up in speaking even more beautiful. He brushed it off and decided not to correct her. Instead, he composed himself and managed to turn on his famed DiNozzo charm.
"So you're my secret Santa then," he inquired.
"I guess so," she replied with a grin. Her eyes burned with passion as she gazed at him. They might as well have been screaming for Tony to take her.
Tony casually walked towards her, standing only a few inches from her.
"How'd you get in here anyways," he asked in a tone charged with masculine swagger that sent a shiver down Ziva's spine.
"I picked the lock," she replied the sexiest tone she could muster.
A grin crept onto Tony's face as he huffed slightly.
"Of course you did!"
"Well it wouldn't have been a secret if I asked for the key," she rebuttled maintaining her playful, yet seductive countenance.
"What about the tree and decorations?"
"Some of Santa's - midgets - helped me," she replied softly as inclined her face towards his.
This time, Tony couldn't help it.
"Elves, Ziva!"
"Whatever!"
She then leaned her body as close to his without touching him and her eyes shut as she began to offer up her lips towards him. Tony's nose brushed her face softly, then the passion became to much to bear.
He pressed his lips into hers gently and cupped her face in his hands. She wrapped her hands around the back of his head and melted into his embrace. She pinned him into the wall, removing any space that still separated them as began to run his fingers through her to her lower back and all the way back up again. Under the mistletoe that Ziva had placed in the doorway, the two passionately set free the long restrained desires for each other that filled their hearts.
They stumbled across the floor together, remaining attached each other as the made their way to Tony's bedroom. Bliss filled the air as they gave their hearts to each other, with the snow falling outside.