Alright this is something that I had in mind for a while and I just found the time to sit down and type it. I haven't written anything in months and getting back to it was harder than I expected. So I apologize for the poor quality of this.

« I have put in some time for my vacation. You never know, maybe our paths will cross ? » (Ziva - 9x01 Nature of the Beast)

What if Tony had taken Ziva's words seriously and embarked on his own little trip to Central America ?

No spoilers. Reviews are not mandatory but they do make my day a lot better.

I still don't own anything at all.

He hadn't really thought about it when he had jumped into the first plane for the Costa Rica a few hours earlier. He had just decided that he wasn't going to let her go away again if it meant having her come back with nothing but a new lame boyfriend and another promise of a broken heart.

He would admit though that his confidence had taken a serious blow seeing the confused look on her face when he had showed up at her door - or rather, her friend's door. She hadn't seemed upset or angry though. Just surprised and curious. She had asked him what he was doing there and he had made up something about not wanting her to miss him too much. It was obvious from the way she had rolled her eyes and sighed that she hadn't bought it at all, but she had left it at that and asked him to wait for her outside while she told her friend she was going out for a moment.

He walked down the beach of white sand that was behind the apartment building until he reached the edge of the blue ocean. What was he thinking? She hadn't said or done anything that could have made him think that she wanted him to follow her here. He had just acted on impulse and he was now starting to think that this might have been the stupidest thing he had ever done. He had jumped over that thin line they had spent so many years avoiding to cross and it might cost him just about everything they had very carefully worked for to get where they were now. What was he thinking? He felt like head-slapping himself back to DC.

He was standing there on the shore, barefoot and with his hands in his pockets, seriously considering his sanity when he felt her walk up from behind him and stop right beside him. Strangely enough, the tension and awkwardness he had been expecting to fill the air wasn't there. Instead, it was surprisingly peaceful around them. Tony took a deep breath and shook his head in disbelief.

"I can't even remember the last time I went to the beach." he said, wriggling his toes in the wet sand as tiny waves came crashing at his feet.

"I guess it is a good thing that you decided to come here then."

Ziva was looking straight ahead of her, staring at the ocean, not once looking up at him. The confession was sudden, unexpected. Tony turned his head towards her and raised an eyebrow at the sight of the hint of a playful smile on her lips. That's when it hit him. She wasn't upset or angry because she was actually okay with him being here. The realization made him release a breath of relief he didn't even know he had been holding.

"Does that mean that you're happy to see me, Agent David?" he asked with a curious smile. Since she seemed in a good mood after all, why not take his luck a little bit further?

"Yes Tony. I am... glad... that you are here."

Her gaze was still fixated on an invisible point on the horizon and he knew she could feel his eyes on her. He was the one to be genuinely surprised and confused now. She hadn't even tried to deny it and she was rarely that honest about her feelings. He could see the smile on her lips growing and when she started biting her lower lip, he knew she wasn't just humoring him.

He suddenly felt very confident about his spontaneous trip again and he turned his head back towards the ocean hoping that it would prevent her from noticing the huge grin of satisfaction that was now plastered on his face.

"I knew you were missing me." he said proudly, straightening his posture and raising his chin up.

She laughed.

"That is not what I said."

"It doesn't mean that I'm wrong."

She inhaled deeply, as if wondering what to answer. He didn't have to look at her to know that she was still relaxed and at peace with that new side of her she was letting him see. From the corner of his eye, he noticed her gaze shift to her feet for a second before going back to staring at the endless expanse of azure water.

"No. It does not."

Later, he wouldn't remember how long they stayed like this, standing in silence, with the warm evening wind blowing in their faces and the fresh water passing back and forth over their sand-buried feet. He'd just remember that when she finally moved to snuggle against him and lace her fingers with his, it felt so right he could only wonder why it had taken them so damn long.