A/N: So many people asked me to continue this, so I decided I would just go for it ;)
Please enjoy reading! :)
"I miss you and nothing hurts like no you.
No one understands what we went through.
It was short, it was sweet, we tried."
~ "Dear Darlin'" by Olly Murs
Tony took a deep breath as he approached the door. He had hinted what he was about to do but he was pretty sure she hadn't taken it seriously. To be honest, he was slightly worried what her reaction would be. If she was in the same mood as three weeks ago when they'd talked on the phone and through a video call, she'd be happy to see him. But if she wasn't..well he'd be screwed. Of course, he had known about the risk all along. He knew there was a strong possibility that she'd reject him. But he'd still been willing to take the chance. And so, he'd requested personal time, gotten on a plane to Israel and well, here he was.
Trying to convince himself that this was indeed the right thing to do, he knocked on the door carefully. For an awful long moment nothing happened. He couldn't even hear footsteps behind the door. However, then someone did approach the door from the other side and only seconds later the door swung open and his breath caught in his throat.
"Tony," Ziva breathed.
She stared at him in surprise. She had definitely not expected him to actually come here. When they'd talked through the video chat three weeks ago, he'd told her he wanted to see the snow for real and had half-joking, half-seriously declared he'd come over to Israel to check out the snow. However, she hadn't expected him to actually do it.
"Is it still cold?," he asked softly.
A huge smile spread across her face and before she could even think about anything else, she had taken a step forward and fell into his arms. He held her close to his chest and buried his face in her hair, inhaling her scent. Her arms went around his neck as she pulled him even closer to her. God, how she'd missed him, how she'd missed having physical contact with him.
"Not anymore," she whispered into his ear before kissing his skin there softly.
He shivered when her lips made contact with his skin. It had been far too long. He'd missed her so much. Her touch. Her kisses. Her smile. Her laugh. Just her.
"You're not gonna ask me again why I'm here, are you?" Tony asked carefully as she pulled back to look into his eyes.
She chuckled softly and cupped his cheek. He leaned into the touch easily and she leaned closer until her forehead was resting against his.
"I do not think I have to," she whispered.
"I wanted to see the snow," he joked, shrugging.
"Of course you did."
"Well, that and I wanted to wish you a merry Christmas."
"Merry Christmas to you, too."
Before he was able to say anything else, her lips were on his and dear God, how he'd missed that feeling. She seemed to feel the same way because she pressed her body even closer to his, trying to get as close as possible.
"Do you want to come in?" she eventually asked.
He smiled at her. "I thought you'd never ask."
Wordlessly he let her guide him into her house. He was surprised to notice that she didn't change much about the place. There were a few more books here and there and she bought a TV. He couldn't help but grin when he noticed a few DVDs in front of the TV. Movies he loves. Seemed like she did pay attention to his rambling after all.
"Do you want anything to drink? Eat? You must be exhausted after the flight," Ziva asked softly, heading into the kitchen.
He was quick to catch her arm and spin her around though. Once they were face to face again, he leaned in and kissed her lips yet again.
"I don't need anything to eat or drink," he mumbled against her lips.
Her chuckle vibrated in her chest and made his heart beat even faster. God, the things she was able to do to him.
"You came here for the snow, yes?" she asked again.
He groaned. "That's just a bonus point."
She cocked her head and smiled at him. "I just thought you might like to go for a walk in the snow, yes?"
That idea he did like. A huge grin spread across his face and he grabbed her hand, interlacing their fingers and pulled her towards the door. She giggled at his sudden enthusiasm and somehow managed to grab her coat and keys on their way to the door.
They walked side-by-side in silence for a while, nobody dared to say a word in fear it would ruin the moment. And for now, they were both content with just being close to each other. At some point, his arm found it's way around her waist and he pulled her into his side.
"Are you here to bring me home?" Ziva asked eventually.
He sighed and came to a sudden stop in the snow. He looked around and couldn't help but wonder whether it was fate that they'd come to a stop here. It was the exact same place they'd stood three months ago. He stood in front of her and wrapped both arms around her waist, holding her to him.
"If you want to come with me, I won't say no. But if you're not ready, I'm not gonna pressure you into anything, Ziva," he told her softly.
She rested her forehead against his. "I am not sure, Tony."
The regret was clearly evident in her voice but he wasn't surprised by her answer. He hadn't expected her to suddenly be ready just because he decided to come to Israel.
"That's okay," he whispered, his eyes closed as he inhaled her scent.
She closed her eyes as well and her hands came up to frame his face, her fingers gently caressing his cheeks. It was funny. This was the exact same position they'd been in three months ago. The only difference was that now they were closer. Not just closer together but a step closer to finally being with each other for real.
"What are we doing?" She eventually managed to ask.
She could hear his sharp intake of breath. But she didn't dare to speak again. With bated breath she waited for him to reply.
"I don't know, Ziva," he admitted eventually.
She could feel tears pooling in her eyes. To be honest, she had hoped for a different answer.
When she didn't reply, he spoke up again: "We can't pretend that this is nothing."
Upon hearing his words she released a breath she didn't know she'd been holding.
Her voice was shaking when she repeated her question. "What are we doing, Tony?"
By now they'd both opened their eyes and were looking at each other again. She could see the pain and insecurity but also the love in his eyes. And she was pretty sure he was able to see the same in her eyes. He had been right after all. Her eyes never shut up.
"Ziva.." His voice sounded pleading and she could see tears pooling in his eyes.
He was begging her not to make him say it. He didn't want to say it because he feared she'd reject him. It was all there in his eyes. She was able to tell.
"We are not partners anymore," he eventually managed to say, his voice clearly laced with tears.
"This is not what friends would do," she whispered back.
"And it's not what siblings would do either," he added.
They were silent for a moment, neither daring to speak out what they were both thinking about. But eventually Ziva couldn't take it anymore.
"What are we doing?" she repeated her question yet again.
Three times was the charm after all, wasn't it? And apparently it applied here as well. Tony's expression suddenly changed. He looked more determined than before. His mind seemed to be set.
"We're having a very-long-distance relationship," he whispered almost inaudibly.
Her heart skipped a beat, possibly two. Finally. She'd waited so long to hear those words. They had finally defined the thing between them, they'd finally put a label on it. They were in a relationship. Very-long-distance or not. It was still a committed relationship.
"I want this to work," she whispered.
A smile spread across his face and she couldn't help but smile as well. This was it. They were finally on the same page. Well, almost. She still needed to find the right way for herself. But she knew that it'd be easier now. She'd be ready soon. She just knew.
"Ziva?" His voice was soft and sounded almost scared.
She caressed his cheek again. "Yes?"
"Please don't run, okay?"
"Why would I..?"
His lips on hers cut her off. Why would she run because he kissed her? It wasn't like they hadn't done that before. They had even kissed only minutes ago. So, what was going on?
"I love you."
His voice was barely above a whisper and his lips moved against hers with every syllable he spoke. Her heart skipped a beat and her eyes fluttered open, immediately locking onto his.
"Tony," she breathed.
He closed his eyes, pain etched to his features. Obviously, he'd taken her reaction the wrong way.
"I love you, too," she whispered.
Immediately his eyes opened again and he stared at her with wide eyes. "You..really?"
She nodded. "I told you three months ago, remember?"
Yeah, he remembered that moment all too well. Seriously too well sometimes. Coming to think about it, she had indeed told him. In a round-about-way, yes. But she'd still told him.
"We're gonna make this work, right?"
He sounded so insecure that it broke her heart into a million tiny pieces. She kissed him on the lips gently, trying to reassure him with her actions first.
Then her words followed. "We are going to make this work."
Their lips met again in a slow, yet passionate kiss and both poured their feelings into that one kiss. They were going to make this work. No matter how long it took them. But they were on the right track already. All they had to do now was walk forward. Together.
When they broke the kiss, Ziva smiled softly and snuggled against his chest.
"It has started to snow," she said just like she'd done three weeks ago on the phone.
Tony looked around them and kissed the top of her head. It had indeed started to snow. But they were together, so the snow didn't bring loneliness. It brought peace. They were here. They were together. They were going to be okay.
"I know. But it's beautiful, isn't it?" he replied.
She smiled up at him, her arms tightening around his middle as she snuggled even closer to him.
"Yes, it is beautiful."
A/N: I love snow haha :D
Please let me know what you think in the reviews section! :) I'd love to hear whether you liked this or not :)
Love y'all,
~ C.
