DC had changed little from what she remembered. It seemed colder or perhaps, that was just her heart icing over. Walking down the city street, she kept her hands inside her pockets and glanced around at the markets. Eventually, she would need something to eat so she trudged along inside one of the open stores.
Since traveling the world for two years, she had gained a few pounds. Not too much, but enough to show a change. She supposed it could have been from trying all the new foreign foods along Europe and the Caribbean. The difference being that she stopped working out for the first time in her thirty five years of being on Earth.
After spending an hour in the market, Ziva did little shopping in the main district area. Finding it hard to take her mind off everything, she debated on just leaving. Getting out of here, starting over for real in another state or hell, country.
Nothing here she needed and if she did, well, it wasn't hers to have anymore. She could leave, clean slate and all. But one little shiny thought struck into her mind. A piece of her was still missing. Heaving a sigh, she held her hand out to catch a taxi and head to the one place where she knew to find that piece of her.
"The love we had, we had to let it go"
Anthony Dinozzo Jr. popped a DVD into the player and sank back into his leather couch. Debating whether to sit through the previews before or to skip over them, his mind wandered. He hadn't got much sleep the night before, the shock of the woman who showed up never exiting his thoughts. Every time he had tried to close his eyes and lay in the whiskey coma state he was in, her face flashed into the depths of darkness. Every tear drop that had left her eye that night, hitting him like a round of bullets.
He hadn't meant to let her see him with Zoe, let alone see Zoe at all. Truly, he had never thought she would come back and his relationship with Zoe to last longer than a couple fucks on her couch. Now, Zoe was questioning him about the woman that stormed in, ripping him hell and not bothering to say a word to anyone in the bullpen before she left.
Sitting on the couch, his phone kept lighting up with Zoe's name on the screen. He tossed the device into the crevices of the cushions, it falling into the pretzel crumbs that live beneath the fabric. Not tonight, he sighed and noticed it was finally time to press "Play" on the remote.
Before processing his actions to watch 007, he heard a faint knock on the door. Letting out a groan, he sat up quickly, feeling the dizziness start to fade into his head.
"If I wanted to talk, I would've answered your calls Z-" He swung the door open and paused, mind whirling.
"I did not call you," Her eyes mirrored the spirited animal she was.
"I know… I'm sorry I thought-" He tried again, but was interrupted.
"You thought I was her… yes, I see that now. Sorry to disappoint you," Ziva stated bluntly, peaking a look around him to see his apartment.
"No, Ziva. I'm not- Christ. Can we not do this again?" The annoyance in his voice rose at the roll of her eyes.
"I suppose. You reek of whiskey anyways. I would not want to fight with the drunk," She was testing him now.
Tony stepped aside, allowing her room to walk past him and into his apartment and quickly closing the door behind her. "So, what's up?"
Ziva stared at the TV, smirking when she saw Sean Connery on the screen. "I came to get my necklace,"
If he thought he was going to pass out from dizziness before, he was wrong. The world felt like it had fallen out beneath him, his legs going to give out at any moment.
This was it. They really were ending things. Things that had never been determined or stamped with a name. Things that never got the seal of approval. Things that just weren't meant to be.
"Your necklace…" Tony sighed, rubbing the back of his head with his palm.
"Yes, my Star of David necklace." Ziva stared at him quizzically.
He stood in place still, not moving. She watched him, confused at why he wasn't moving when it hit her, "You don't have it anymore, do you?" The flames of anger brightening up in her brown pupils.
"No- no. I do, it's just… Come on," His legs started towards his bedroom and motioned for her to follow him.
Entering his bedroom, her heart froze at the sight of the king bed that now lay where his twin had once. Oh yes, he had most certainly moved on. Tony made his way over next to the right side of the bed, where a wooden box lay beside the clock. Opening it, he slowly pulled out the chain of the necklace, followed by the star. He took a good, hard look at it before glancing back at her in the doorway.
"How great it must feel for your girlfriend to fuck you with another woman's necklace in a jewelry box beside the bed," A bitchy look crossed her features as she leaned against the door frame, arms crossed protectively over her breasts.
"She hasn't been here actually, but thanks for the quaint thought," Tony bit back harshly, meeting her half way across the room. His body taking a step back if she was ready to attack.
Rolling her eyes, something that must have newly become a habit for her she returned with another punitive comment, "and the lies keep spouting out! Bravo, Dinozzo. Should we just give you the Oscar now?"
"Pouring. Pouring out- actually. Spouting does work, wait, I don't know how you got the terminology right, but no, Ziva. I actually am not lying. Zoe hasn't been in my apartment." He threw his hands up in defeat.
"Interesting. How does one date a woman, but not have her over?" Ziva's arms tightened around her body.
"You believed my word years ago, still works the same. This is my sanctuary, I don't want anyone ruining it," He stepped forward towards her, gearing up for the fight that was about to track on his heels.
"Oh. Well if that is the case, I am so very sorry, Anthony. I am ruining your sanctuary now and when Eli died, I must have really ruined it." Her head turned to the side, glancing at the bed.
Tony laughed bitterly, "Ziva, you are so self-centered. If you really, truly believe that I got rid of the twin bed because you had slept in, you are out of your fucking mind."
"I am out of my mind? You are forty years old and still think it is appropriate to drink like you are seventeen again. Playboy Tony cannot fathom the fact that maybe women are not breaking down doors for him." She pushed the boundaries, stepping closer to him so that their faces were inches apart.
"Sweetcheeks, you seem to be forgetting that you just came knocking on my door and asking for me," His whiskey breath made her nose curl.
"Asking for you?" She laughed, the fakeness in her voice settling, "I would not ask for you ever again. Luckily I have made note of what getting my heart ripped out by you feels like,"
"Oh okay, Ziva. Let's not forget how many times I put myself in death row to fucking save your stubborn ass. My bad, won't do it again," They stared at each other intently.
"You are pathetic," She yelled.
"Yeah? If I'm so pathetic, take your stupid necklace and never come back then," He held out the necklace in his palm.
Ziva's cell phone began to rang and she answered quickly in Hebrew. She kept her eyes connected to Tony, staring him down as if he were prey she was about to rip apart, bone by bone. Her hand grazed his, snatching the necklace away from him and leaving a mark from her nail scratching his skin. She answered a few sentences in Hebrew, nothing that Tony could understand before he saw her face fall.
Her body went stiff, her legs taking multiple steps back away from Tony. Those chocolate brown eyes growing widely, filling with tears and her hand flew to cover her mouth from crying out.
"Ziva…what's wrong?" Tony started walking after her, but she kept backing away, almost to the door of the bedroom.
Before she could make it out of the room, her body dropped and Tony's arms flung out to catch her. Her cell phone crashing to the floor, glass shards flying everywhere from the screen, still on call.