Title: Souvenirs
Rating: T
Summary: Tony and Ziva spend some quality time together after the episode "Shalom." Very AU. TIVA.
A/N: This story started out as (strange) lemony fluff but somehow evolved into something deeper. :) It assumes that Tony and Ziva really have been sleeping together for those three months he was going over to her house every week, just as Officer Bashan thought!
Ziva watched with interest as Director Shepard gently slipped the photo back into the envelope, careful not to bend it or smudge it with fingerprints. From the fond smile on her face and the way she held the envelope as though it were something precious, Ziva surmised that it must be a treasured souvenir of her days as a field agent and Gibbs' partner.
And his lover.
Everyone knew that Gibbs and the Director had been romantically involved when they had been partners. It was probably the reason Gibbs was so adamant about Rule 12.
Of all of Gibbs' rules, Rule 12 was the hardest to follow.
All the others were common sense. Of course one would always wear gloves at a crime scene, as Rule 2 stated. Rule 18 was also obvious. She'd had to do that many a time. It was just so much easier to ask for forgiveness than for permission. And Rule 9 was no problem either. She always carried a knife. It had been a habit even before she had ever met Gibbs.
Those rules were easy. But Rule 12…
Rule 12 was really about love, and you couldn't just choose who you fell in love with. If that someone happened to be someone you worked with…
Then Rule 12 was impossible to follow.
As she walked back to her desk, lost in thought, she could feel his eyes on her. She didn't have to look back to know that he had followed her. She could feel his presence.
They'd only been apart for two weeks while he'd attended the security conference in Germany, but it had felt much longer. The time had dragged by, and she'd missed him. She'd gotten so used to seeing him every day. Not to mention at night. They'd been inseparable before he'd left.
She'd missed his sweetness, his charm. His goofy sense of humor, his jokes, which always made her laugh.
It had been hard to be left at the office while he was away. She'd had to go through her daily routine, stare at his empty desk and count the days until his return. It had made her heart ache.
She wasn't vocal about her feelings like Abby was, but the feelings were there nonetheless. Abby had been marking off the days on her calendar and obsessing all week about when Tony would return. She'd been keeping track of everything she wanted to tell him so she could tell him the second he got back.
Even though she hadn't shown it, Ziva had felt just as obsessed. Tony had called her a few times, whenever he'd had a free moment, but they hadn't been able to talk much because of the time difference.
He'd left her some movies that he'd thought she'd like, but she hadn't felt like watching them. They'd only remind her of how much she missed him.
She'd even slept in his shirt – the one with the Ohio State University logo that smelled like him – every night, but it just wasn't the same.
There was no substitute for the real thing. She needed him.
And now that he was back and her name had been cleared from the FBI's Most Wanted list, they could finally be properly reunited.
She gathered her belongings and closed her desk drawer, preparing to leave.
"Come on – I'll drive you home," he offered nonchalantly.
Their eyes met in a secret, knowing glance, and she smiled. She knew that he'd be driving her around for the next few days. Her car wouldn't be repaired until the end of the week.
They were silent on the way to her house. They'd been working non-stop, and they were both tired.
As soon as they went inside, she immediately went around to all the windows and closed the curtains.
At his puzzled expression, she grimaced, knowing she'd have to explain. And he wasn't going to like hearing it.
"My father's been having them spy on me," she said grimly. "They showed me the surveillance photos when I was at the Embassy. Photos of us together here."
His mouth fell open. "You mean they know about us?" he asked, a note of alarm in his voice. They'd thought they were being discreet, keeping their trysts secret.
"All they know is that you've been coming over at least once a week for the last three months. The rest is merely speculation. Officer Bashan had the nerve to ask me if we were sleeping together."
Tony gulped, suddenly having visions of Director David ordering a Mossad hit on him because he didn't want him dating his daughter. "What did you tell him?"
She snorted disdainfully. "Nothing. A good spy never reveals more than she has to."
He raised an eyebrow.
"Is that so? What about when we were undercover together? I seem to remember you revealing… more than necessary in our hotel room," he said huskily, pulling her close.
"I wasn't spying on you, Tony," she reminded him. "We were on a mission together, and I could reveal to you… whatever I wanted to. But only because I wanted to. Not because I had to." She smiled as she wrapped her arms around him. "Besides, I seem to remember you revealing just as much as I did. Maybe more."
"I remember you enjoying it as much as I did, Ziva… maybe more."
She laughed. "I always enjoy it with you, Tony."
"Good. Because you'll be enjoying a lot more of it tonight."
"Is that a promise?" she asked coyly.
"Only if you want it to be."
"Then it's a promise," she whispered, just before their lips met.
(To be continued in Chapter 2…)