A/N: :O I forgot to publish this! Lol I'm so busy doing everything else these days. So here's the story for April Fools'! It'll consist of six chapters, the first written by me (Soph), the last written by Ash. It's more of a team fic. Enjoy!
Summary: Tony has a plan to prank everyone for April Fools' Day.
Disclaimer: Ash and I spent the entire of yesterday trying to figure out Cote de Pablo's vocal range. We thought that if we could figure it out she would convince Bellisario to let us own NCIS. We've decided that she's a mezzo-soprano. NCIS? No go.
.::.
Wrapped around His Finger
.::.
I. Phase One
.::.
It was the perfect plan. It was one she would never suspect.
Tony watched Ziva as she entered the bullpen on a sunny Wednesday morning. She went behind her desk and plunked down her bag, her beautiful brown curls swaying gently as she glanced over to smile at him.
"Good morning, Tony."
"Good morning, Ziva." Tony grinned at her, trying to look as innocent as possible.
"Had a good night?"
"Quite. The Terminator was on TV."
"I see," she answered disinterestedly as she swept her hair over her shoulder and began to power up her computer.
"Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Linda Hamilton. It's a really good movie, you know."
"I know about it, Tony." Ziva replied in amusement as she sat down, looking up at him.
He propped his feet up on his desk and folded his hands behind his head, leaning back into his chair and observing her. "So how was your night?"
"Pretty good. I actually got to turn in early, for once."
"We all did, Ziver," Gibbs interrupted as he strode into the bullpen with a cup of coffee. "But McGee here still looks like he needs more sleep." All three turned their heads to look at McGee, who was fast asleep, his head on his keyboard and his mouth slightly agape. Tony tossed a ball of paper across the bullpen, hitting McGee squarely on the cheek and making him jump. He sat up violently to find Gibbs right in front of his desk, staring him down.
"Uh…uh…sorry, Boss."
"Don't apologize, McGee! C'mon, we got a case!" Gibbs threw the keys to Tony and walked out of the bullpen, the other three agents scrambling to catch up with him. Tony watched Ziva out of the corner of his eyes as they waited for the elevator. She was standing perfectly still beside him, her face expressionless.
It was too perfect. She didn't suspect anything at all.
.::.
The elevator dinged and Abby looked up, smiling at McGee as he shuffled into her lab carrying an evidence box, and looking dead on his feet. "Hey, McGee. What's eating you?"
McGee placed the box on her lab table. "I stayed up all night writing a chapter for my new book."
"Ooh, goodie! So what's happening between agents Tommy and Lisa?"
"Nothing yet, but I'm thinking of letting them have some kind of romantic thing going on later in the book." McGee tried to hold back his yawn, but finally gave in. "Gibbs sent me down here to give you these."
Abby dragged the evidence box towards herself. "Thank you. Here, have some of my Caf-Pow!" She plonked the humongous cup down in front of McGee and started unpacking the box enthusiastically.
"Thanks." McGee took a few grateful sips of the caffeinated drink.
"So I hear you guys found the body in the middle of the woods."
"Yeah, we did. As usual, Tony whined all the way there." He blinked sleepily and put down the cup as Abby chuckled to herself. "Anyway I gotta get back to the bullpen, Abs, or Gibbs is gonna kill me."
"Okay. Bye!" Abby called after the junior field agent as he dragged his feet back to the elevator. She frowned worriedly. McGee was overworking himself, and he needed to relax a little and have more fun. And then it hit her, and she brightened.
She had just thought of the perfect idea.
.::.
"Psssst. Ziva," Tony hissed at her, his eyes darting around the bullpen to check for signs of the Boss or the Probie.
"What?" Ziva asked without looking away from her computer.
Tony got up from his desk and sauntered over to her, crossing his arms as he leant against her table. "I just had the greatest idea."
"You have many ideas, Tony, but none of them are great, so I am not sure I want to hear it," Ziva murmured.
"Well, you'll want to hear this one." He bent down to her ear. "Competition, you and me. Let's pull pranks on the others on April Fools' and see who wins."
His breath tickled her skin, and she shuddered involuntarily. She looked sharply up at him. "Are you insane? Gibbs will have our heads."
He frowned. "Since when did you lose your sense of adventure?"
"Since before I had one," she retorted, turning back to her computer to continue with her typing.
He spun her chair around, making her gasp, and placed one hand on either armrest. "It'll be fun."
She furrowed her brows at the face that was one inch from hers. "Why do you want to do this, Tony?" She asked, her voice uncharacteristically soft.
He paused and thought. "This team needs some light, some laughter. Look at poor Probie, constantly falling asleep. He needs something big to wake him up. We have to be the ones to do it."
"And why us?"
"Because it's my idea, and because I've already told you about it, so I won't be able to prank you anymore. The next logical step will of course be to enlist your help in the form of a competition."
Ziva stared at his lips. "So what happens if I win?"
"I'll pay you."
"I do not need the money."
"Okay. I'll do anything you want, then."
Her eyes lifted up to meet his. "Anything?"
He shrugged. "Well, most things. I find it a bit hard to touch the back of my head with the tip of my toes, so please don't ask me to do that."
A gentle smile curved onto her lips. "Okay."
His returning smile was radiant. "Does that mean you're in?"
"I am in," she said in a low voice, giving him a short nod.
His grin broadened. "Excellent." His green eyes searched deep into hers for a few more moments before he straightened up and went back to his own desk, and she breathed in, finding that his lingering scent gave her a sense of comfort she had never been able to find anywhere else.
.::.
Phase one of his plan – throwing her off the track – was complete. Tony felt slightly guilty as he stepped into the elevator, preparing to put phase two into action. Ziva had looked so trusting when she made him the promise, and it had almost caused him to tell her everything. But pranking her was too good an opportunity to miss. While he had vowed to himself never to lie to her, the temptation of seeing her react to his prank was just too strong.
He loved Ziva with all her colours; all her various faces. She was an incredible woman; she was calm and collected, wild and passionate, lively, brave, loyal, strong, and beautiful all at the same time. She was humorous, too, and that was the side of her that he really wanted to see. He wanted to make her laugh, at herself and at life, at everything; nothing on earth made him happier than hearing her laugh.
Autopsy was dark when the elevator doors finally opened. It was 2230; he had stayed until a time when everyone would have gone home, and he would be free to do as he wanted. He stepped through the sliding doors and was halfway across the vast room before he noticed the shadow moving in the corner. It froze mid-step and stood still, as if unsure of what to do next. Then it spoke.
"Tony?"
Tony's heart thudded in his chest as he answered.
"Abby. What are you doing here?"
.::.
A/N: Tada! I know, I couldn't resist a bit of Tiva. Next chapter is by Ash. Please review on your way out!
-Soph