Disclaimer: We own nothing. Seriously. That's really, really depressing.
A/N: Woo! TIVA and 2nd person PoV… two of our favorite things combined! This is post Nine Lives… Hope you enjoy it! PLEASE review… don't make us beg!
Tony
She's going to Tel Aviv. She'll be gone for days. And, seriously, she just went there. There has to be an underlying motive there.
You can't believe the picture you found on her desk. There's the underlying motive, you just now it. You were right (As usual). She was headed there for romantic purposes.
"See you next week," she says, getting into the elevator. You stare after her sadly. Something is telling you to run after her, stop her. But you don't
You realize you're jealous of her possible other man. That you'll miss her.
Could this be because you, Anthony DiNozzo, are in love with Ziva David?
Ziva
It is quiet on the plane (Then again, this is First Class, yes?) and you can't sleep. You never noticed how far Israel was from America. It is quite far.
Your thoughts begin to wander. You think about Azari and Kale, and Gibbs, Abby… And then your thoughts drift to him. Tony DiNozzo. The whole conversation of 'intrigued' and 'curious' comes back to you… and you smile.
He was jealous. And jealously, although usually not a pleasant emotion makes you feel warm inside. Because he felt jealous of a possible other man. And he'll miss you.
It occurs to you to call him… but you cannot use your cell phone on the plane. So you will have to wait.
Tony
She's coming back today. The week without her was quite… dreary, to say the least. You missed her. A lot. More than you intended. More than you anticipated. And Abby was being quite annoying about this. You shake your head and smile. Abby and her ADD-ness.
Your thoughts drift back to Ziva. They always seem to do that. Start with Ziva and go back to her. Or just end up there anyway.
You should go pick her up, you think. And that settles it. You get into your SUV and start driving.
Ziva
You were surprised when he came to pick you up at the airport. You were going to call one of those… uh, cars for hire, to take you home. But as you came into baggage claim, there he was, holding your suitcase, waiting for you.
"Miss me, DiNozzo?" you ask, a smile on your face. You weren't expecting this, but it makes you very happy.
He grins back at you, that mischievous smirk you've always loved. "Depends. Did you have fun with Mr. No-Shirt over there in Israel?"
Suddenly, it all makes sense. You frown, because he's been going through your desk, but mostly because of what he's been thinking the whole time you were gone.
"It was an arranged marriage, Tony." You see him frown, and suck in a shaking breath. "I went to Israel to tell them no."
Tony
"Oh." You can hardly believe it. It's... it's great. She was going to get married, and she told them no. Could this mean... You don't know.
So you do what you've wanted to do since before she left. You open your arms to invite her in for a hug. She accepts and leans into you, your arms wrapped around her.
It feels… amazing. You never want to let go. But you know that you, of course, have to. So you kiss the top of her head and let go of her… mostly. You keep your hands on her elbows.
She just looks at you with those big brown eyes, looking sweet, not hostile. You le your hands slide down her arms until you have both her hands in yours.
Ziva
You were surprised by Tony's affection. It is not like him. But you cannot say that you do not like it. You are quite happy to see him. A week is a long time...and this makes you think. Before, a week was nothing. A snap of the fingers, and it was gone. But now, weeks take forever, this week, took forever. And you wonder, why? You realize that you missed him (more than you missed anyone, even your family, before), and you don't know why. Could it be, that you Ziva David are in love with Tony DiNozzo?
Tony
You don't know what to do next. You really don't care. If it was up to you, you'd stay in this position forever, her hands in yours, her brown eyes lit up. There's something in them. A look that seems familiar but you can't seem to place.
People are looking at you like they're expecting you to do something. That's so not cool. So, even though it's the last thing you want to do, you let go of one of her hands. "Ready?" you ask. You have no idea where you're taking her.
Ziva
"Ready?" He asks.
Ready for what? You wonder, but then you realize, you don't care. Anywhere with him is perfectly fine.
He picks up your bags and the two of you start walking, ignoring the stares of curious onlookers. You wonder where you're going, and you know that secretly, he wonders this too, when your stomach grumbles.
"Dinner it is." He says, and you smile. Dinner sounds good right about now.
Tony
Okay, you have no clue what you're doing. This is a date... right? Maybe you should ask her. But that would be stupid. What if she doesn't want this to be a date? What if, what if, what if... She didn't seem to mind your little... display there in the airport.
You put your hand on hers and give it a little squeeze, without looking up from your menu. But in your peripheral vision, you see her smile. More than smile. You see her glow.
Ziva
He took your hand. He squeezed it. He smiled. Your insides are all warm. You are so glad you did not let them marry you to that man. Because you want Tony. You want him to hold you and tell you that he loves you, that everything will be all right. That is something the Israeli man cannot provide. And you would not have been able to love that Israeli man. Because you love Tony too much.
You are sitting there, across from him, in a cozy, dimly lit booth. He takes your hand and gives it a squeeze, and you glow. Is this a date? You wonder...it seems like a date, certainly feels like one too (actually, it's going better than your other dates have...). You conclude that this is a date. And you know that he's wondering the same thing.
"Tony?"
He looks up, "Yeah?"
"This is a date, right?"
He smiles, "Yeah Ziva, yeah it is."
"That's good."
Tony
You literally feel your muscles relax. She's glad this is a date. And then, you're surprised to see a tear run down her cheek, which she quickly wipes away with an angry swipe from the back of her hand. You rub your thumb tenderly over her knuckles. "Hey," you say gently. "You okay?"
"Yeah," she says quietly. "I was just thinking."
"About what?" You don't want her to cry. Her being hurt hurts you.
"If I had not done what I did this week." She sighed. "About a lot of things, actually."
Ziva
You are crying before you realize it. This is not supposed to be happening. This is a happy moment, not a sad one. But you can't help it. You are tired.
"Tony," you whisper. "Can we go, now? Please?"
He nods and stands up, offering you his hand and then he wraps an arm around you, leaning you into him. You feel safe, secure.
Tony
You put your arm around her, and you notice how she leans into you. She looks tired, and her cheeks are tear-stained. You reach your car and open the door for her (chivalry isn't dead). She's quiet. Too quiet. You turn around to her. "Ziva?" You say, as you bring your hand up to her face. You stroke her cheek with your thumb, wiping away the tears. "What's the matter?"
Ziva
He asks you what's wrong. What's the matter. You sniff and can't help the flow of tears that starts. "Tony-Tony I...his name was Hari. They wanted me to marry him...I couldn't. I said no. They laughed. They told me it was in our customs..." She smiles slightly. "I told them 'Screw the customs', I got it right, yes?"
He smiles at you. "Yes. You did."
He waits for you to continue, his hand moves down your face, to your arm, and then he holds your hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.
"I didn't like him very much. He thought I was fragile, needed protecting...he was...he was...I hate him, Tony. I don't want him. They were mad. I don't want to hurt my family, Tony, but I can't marry him..."
"Why not?"
"Because...because there's someone else, Tony."
He lets out another shaky breath. "Who?"
"You." You say simply. "You."
Tony
Wow. You lightly touch your lips to her forehead. "Ziva..." She looks at you with those big brown eyes, and you've never seen her look the way she does now. Vulnerable, sweet, like she just wants you to hold her in your arms. So you do. Out there in the middle of your driveway, you just rock her back and forth, arms around her. And you realize she's crying. Quiet, small sobs into your chest. It almost scares you. Officer Ziva David, Mossad, NCIS, crying? But at least you have her in your arms, where she knows she is safe, protected, loved. Or does she?
Ziva
He holds you. Just holds you. And you like it. You feel warm and safe in his arms. It feels good. It feels like home. He gently rubs circles into your back and you look up at him. "Thank you."
"For what?" He asks gently.
"For everything, Tony."
"Anytime, Ziva. Anytime." He replies truthfully.
He loves you. And you love him. So you do something that you've wanted to do for a long time. You lean forward, and he does, too, and he presses his lips to yours. His lips move with your own and it feels...amazing. All your worries and fears and thoughts fade away, and you feel something you haven't felt in awhile. Happiness, bliss, love.
You both pull away once air is needed (stupid air, you think). He leans his forehead against yours, and you continue standing there, in the driveway. But, personally, you don't care. There's nowhere you'd rather be right now, than where you are. With him.
A/N: Awww! We love the ending. Hope you liked it ALL… even if you didn't, please leave us a review. Those just make our day… Fo real.