Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or the characters portrayed, I do however, still lay claim to my own creations, whom you will be meeting shortly.
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Recap:
"Right, we are partners and well, you aren't even my type," Tony added, moving closer to her.
"What – breathing?" Ziva smirked, tilting her head to one side.
"Hahahah… funny. You know what I mean. But, just to be sure…" Tony whispered, closing the gap.
Chapter two - fight or flight
He reached his hand up behind her head, pulling her closer, her lips parted slightly in surprise and he took the opportunity. What was meant to be a gentle kiss escalated quickly into a passionate embrace.
Breaking away to catch their breath, they stared, daring the other to say something, anything to break the moment that hung between them.
"So Zi-vaahh," Tony broke first. "Feel anything, anything at all?"
"Aah-no…no not at all. And you?" her tongue fell over the words.
"Nope, nothing."
"Well, that's good then, makes this all the more challenging. Um, we had, we had better… we due in the gym." she added, as she backed away from him, stumbling towards the door, her hand reaching behind her as she fumbled for the door handle.
Only when she was out in the passageway, the door solid behind her, did she give into her shaking legs and sunk to the ground, her head in her hands.
"Ziva," Abby peered out of her open door. "Are you okay," she asked curiously, stepping out into the passageway.
Ziva lifted her head and looked at Abby. "Fine, totally, fine. Why do you ask?"
Abby took in the heat in her eyes, the flushed cheeks and tousled hair. "Ziva, is that stubble burn on your chin?"
"What. No. No. Of course not." She answered, rubbing her chin furiously.
What's the time anyway?" A glance at her watch made Ziva realise just how late they were. She stood quickly and tugged Abby along with her. "Come on Abs, we are going to be late and Gibbs is taking this session." The two of them tore down the passageway.
Tony meanwhile, was himself trying to regain some semblance of normality. Without looking at the door Ziva had recently exited, he marched over to the bathroom, turned the shower on full blast and stood, fully clothed underneath. He rested his head against the cool tiles. "DiNozzo, what are you doing?" he muttered to himself.
The rest of the agents were busy running suicides and Gibbs blew his whistle to keep them moving. The whistle dropped from his mouth and he raised one eyebrow as Tony tried to get past him and join the rest of his team.
"Aaaaah, sorry Boss. Something came up."
"I'm sure it did, DiNozzo, I'm sure it did." Gibbs answered drily, adding "Enjoy the cold shower?"
"You know me, got to be nice and squeaky clean…." He looked around at the gym."…. when I work out and get sweaty."
"Drop and give me 30 DiNozzo," said Gibbs, shaking his head.
"Sorry, Boss? I mean, that old knee injury is acting up…" Tony's voice trailed off.
Gibbs' hand snuck out, catching Tony unaware on the back of his head.
"Make that 50 DiNozzo."
Watching out the rest of the team out of the corner of his eye, he added, "Oh and Ziva, you can wipe that smirk off your face, unless you want to join him."
The smile that had been tugging at Ziva's lips disappeared immediately and a dull red flush tinged her throat and face. She dropped her head and sped up, already ahead of the rest of the pack, now leaving them in her wake.
Agent Lani Sedgewick came up to stand next to Gibbs. Her long brown hair wrapped in a loose bun on her head, wisps escaping and resting on her cheeks. She smiled, her blue eyes twinkling. "Running the team hard I see, some things never change."
Gibbs looked over to her, his eyes taking her in from head to toe, before leaning over and giving her a gentle kiss on her cheek. "No, no they don't" he said appreciatively. "It's been a while."
Snapping back, he looked over at the agents breathing heavily, all at various states of collapse. Except for Ziva, who stood, leaning against the wall, arms and legs crossed, a bemused expression on her face.
"What's this," snapped Gibbs. "Holiday camp? Time for hand-to-hand combat. I want one of you to act as the assailant. Oh, and Tony, partner Ziva on this one." He added almost as an afterthought.
"What, you are kidding me right? She is a trained assassin…" Tony's words trailed off, as he saw Ziva straighten up and glared at him.
"Which is why I am partnering you up. You are the only one who has the skills to take her on," Gibbs said, before heading towards the bleachers.
"You really think so, Boss?" He puffed his chest up as Ziva marched purposefully up to him. "Come on Tony, beast up," she muttered.
"Ahhh, I think you meant man up… but, I suppose, beast works just as well…" Tony said, following her to the training mat, slight trepidation in his step.
"You don't really believe that, do you," Lani asked Gibbs as he sat down next to her.
"No, of course not. But, the other team leaders have specifically requested that Ziva not be partnered with any of their agents - something to do with the fact that two of them were out of commission for three weeks, following our last joint tactic training. And besides, Tony is the only one that won't go easy on her." He added, chuckling slightly.
Lani looked at him sideways: "Are you sure about that?"
"Very," he stated, without turning to look at her, his full attention focused on the mat, where Tony as the assailant was getting a beating. "In fact, watch this…"
Gibbs stood up, and blew his whistle. "Right, assailants, swop over."
"All of us, Boss?" Tony asked. "Of course, all of us," he muttered, answering for Gibbs. Ziva just smirked as Gibbs blew his whistle again.
Standing behind Tony, Ziva gripped his right hand and bending it backwards, forced him onto his knees in front of her. But, he was ready. Shifting his weight, he kicked his left leg out, hooking Ziva's leg and unbalancing her.
As she fell forward, she let go his wrist. Using this opportunity, he reached up and pulled her over his shoulder.
Ziva landed with a thud on the mat in front of him as he spun round and straddled her. Holding her wrists above her head with one hand, he ticked her mercilessly, keeping her imprisoned. She shrieked at him, trying to twist out, but too no avail.
"Good DiNozzo. Clever move," said Gibbs, overhead, sneaking up as he usually does. The tickling stopped immediately. Tony lifted his head, his eyes meeting Gibbs'.
"Although, interesting technique utilised in the last part. I don't know if you would necessarily tickle your attacker into submission. Try that again." Gibbs added.
As Tony levered his weight, Ziva took the advantage, shoving her knee up hard. Tony grimaced, and rolled oft. Taking a deep breath he pushed himself up onto his feet and assumed the position.
For a second time, Ziva pulled a move she was sure would work, and for a second time, Tony was ready for her.
Ziva thudded onto the mat, face forward, and this time her head connected with a sharp crack on the floor. She winced as Tony fell heavily on her, before scrambling up and grinding his knee in her back, her arms twisted up behind her.
"Better DiNozzo," Gibbs said, almost with a tinge of approval in his voice. From her position, Ziva glared at him. A small cut oozed blood.
"That's it," She uttered through clinched teeth. "No more good guy."
"I think you meant nice guy, Zi-vah," Tony smirked. But he eased off her back, and stood, offered her a hand up.
Ziva pushed it away, her hand lifted to her head and pulling it away, she glared at Tony darkly, waving her fingers in front of his nose. "Blood Tony. You drew blood."
By this time, the other agents had stopped, waiting to see what would unfold. They were all well aware of Ziva's assassin connections, and some had even been on the receiving end of her razor-sharp tongue and quick hand.
But for the number that were cheering on Tony, an equal number were rooting for Ziva – finding Tony a mixture of arrogance and irritation that needed to be brought down to size.
"Right," Gibbs said, noticing how his female agent was seething. "Perhaps we should …"
"No!" His two agents answered simultaneously, standing toe-to-toe.
"We finish this, yes?" Ziva asked, smiling sweetly, first at Tony and then at Gibbs.
Tony raised his eyebrows. Gibbs just shook his head, and turning back to the bleachers, he shrugged his shoulders. "Just don't kill each other," he said.
Abby and Ducky, exempt from this session (hand-to-hand tactics are not deemed necessary in autopsy or the lab) had joined Lani on the bleachers.
"What's Gibbs doing? I mean, look at them. Tony is usually such a gentleman, and now Ziva is bleeding. What are you thinking, Gibbs?" Abby's caffeine-induced sentence came out a top speed that left her breathless and Lani more than a little confused.
"They can look after themselves," Gibbs answered laconically.
"Either that, or kill each other," he added as an afterthought.
Down on the mats, the two in question were warily circling each other. Each waited for the right moment to pounce on the other.
Just then, a beautiful blonde walked into the hall. Tony's attention was caught for a moment, but it was long enough.
Ziva in mid-kick was too committed to pull back in time and slammed Tony square in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him as he thumped hard to the ground.
His eyes closed, his head lolling to the side.
"Tony," she said concerned, bending over him.
A small smile twitched on his features, as he grabbed her arms and pulling his knees up, flipped Ziva over and onto the floor.
He stood up and bowed deeply to the watching audience, not seeing Ziva scrabble up onto her hands and knees. She reached out and yanked at his ankles.
Tony fell hard, a crunch heard as his head connected with the laminated floor. Breathing heavily, the two sat, glaring at each other.
"I dink you broke my dose," Tony muttered, blood streamed out of his nose as he clutched at it.
"Okay, that's it!" Gibbs yelled, smacking them both hard on the backs of their heads as they tried to stand up.
"Ouch" they screamed, their heads knocking together.
"Ducky, please come fix these two idiots up, then hit the showers all of you. You have 45 minutes before your next session." Gibbs muttered loudly.