Holding Onto Hope

By wanna-be-bold

He's been holding onto hope that she would come back to him. Now that she has made it home, he's holding onto a whole new Hope.

Ch1

It's been almost two years. Two years since he left her standing on that tarmac. Two years since he had last seen the woman he loves. He's tried not to think about her. Oh how he's tried. But, whenever he looks across the bullpen he still pictures her sitting there, still expects her to be coming up behind him like the sneaky ninja he remembers. The talk with Abby helped a little. It made him realize that, while he still loves her, as long as she hasn't come home he needs to move on with his life. When he ran into Zoe Keats on a case, he realized that this was the perfect opportunity to take Abby's advice. He had known the relationship with Zoe wasn't going to last. It was unfair to both of them to stay in a relationship while he was still in love with another woman. Although short-lived, the relationship proved a great distraction from thinking about Ziva.

However now, sitting here in his living room, staring at his fish tank, he knows that, no matter how hard he tries, he won't be able to forget about his soulmate.

Suddenly he hears a knock on his door. He's always hoped one day it would be her, coming home and saying she loves him. But tonight, like every other night, he looks through the peephole to see his very perky and slightly annoying neighbor Cecilia. Ever since she moved in down the hall she has been pushing him to go out with her.

"Tony. Toonnnyy. Tony, I know you're home. I saw you get off the elevator."

'Yeah, because that doesn't sound like a stalker at all.'

"You know, a handsome man like you shouldn't be home alone on a Friday night."

He groaned. Cecelia just couldn't take a hint. He had expressed many times that he wasn't interested in her and he never would be. Sure, she wasn't bad looking, she would have even been his type at one point in time, but since Zoe, he's realized that the only wants to be with one woman, even though that woman is half way around the world.

'Maybe if I just stay quiet long enough she'll think I'm asleep and will go away. Who am I kidding, it's only 7:30.'

"I know you can't be asleep Tony. Are you avoiding me again? I bet you're avoiding me. Fine, I'll go home, but you know I'll be back later."

'At least I can get some peace and quiet.'

5 minutes later, there's another knock on his door and he grudgingly makes his way to open it.

"Cecelia, I already told you…. Ziva?"