A/N: Just in case anyone cares, I wrote this before the spoilers came out about whatever episode it is Tony talks to Ziva about his mom. Also, this can be considered an 'in between scene' something that could've happened in the show, and also something that fills in the spaces in Chapter 1 between T&Z in the elevator and the happier ever after at the end. So anyhow, enjoy :) PS. Saw Eli David in an old Touched By An Angel episode yesterday...weird, lol.
Once Gibbs left, Tony sat at his desk and watched Ziva pound away agitatedly on her keyboard. When that did nothing to release her frustration, she began stapling documents in a far more aggressive way than necessary. Finally his ninja moved onto sharpening pencils and it was then that Tony scribbled something onto a piece of paper, balled it up, tossed it over to her, got up, and walked away.
Ziva frowned and uncrumpled the note, smoothing it out on her desk. After a moment's consideration, she sighed and rose to follow him. Ziva entered the break room with negative emotions still roiling off her and crossed her arms at her partner, who was leaning against the counter drinking a cup of coffee. "What Tony?"
Wordlessly he handed her a steaming mug of tea and smiled. "Sit. Relax. Breathe."
Her fingers wrapped gratefully around the hot beverage and she dropped into a nearby chair, setting the cup on the table in front of her. Tony waited several moments for Ziva to take the rest of his advice and finally placed his drink beside hers. When he moved behind her, Ziva tensed and Tony put his hands on her shoulders. "You've been rubbing your neck all day. Let me try."
Ziva considered his offer briefly and deliberately relaxed, which Tony took as a clear sign of agreement. His large, surprisingly soft hands began mapping her muscles, and as the heat from his skin began to sink into hers, Ziva gave an inaudible sigh of relief. Her obvious enjoyment of his ministrations made Tony smile and he was content to keep quiet and just savour these moments with his partner.
He'd worked all of the knots and most of the tension out of her neck and continued to her shoulders before Ziva spoke, leaning her head forward to give him better access. "I am sorry your father did not call."
Tony paused for the space of a breath and shrugged nonchalantly. "No biggie, I'm over it. Why start acting like he cares now?"
Ziva could hear the hurt under his forced joking tone and turned slightly. "He does care Tony, I have seen it. Perhaps he is just not sure how to show it yet."
Tony ran his hands over her shoulders one last time and sat down beside his partner. "It's been over thirty years since my mom died Ziva, I don't think he's ever going to figure it out." He chuckled mirthlessly. "We used to be a normal family, y'know? Mom, dad, kid. Big house with a staff. Dad was a charmer even then, but he only used it on my mom. I was only ten, but I remember how he looked at her, how she smiled. He was head over heels in love with her Ziva, and when she died everything changed."
Ziva put her hand over his and Tony gave a ghost of a smile before squeezing her fingers gently. He appreciated her support. "Dad did his best to take care of me while Mom was in the hospital - taking me fishing and on roadtrips to nearby states and cities. Then we'd go visit her and I'd lay in her arms for hours while we watched all these old movies she wanted me to remember. As much as I was sad that she was sick, those are some of my best memories."
He sighed. "But when Mom died, it was like a switch got flipped in my dad, and from that day forward he never seemed to want me around. Too many memories, I guess. I was in one boarding school after another. I caused all sorts of trouble, tried everything I could think of to get his attention, but nothing worked. When I got old enough, I chose a university hours away from home and hoped the distance would make it hurt less. But the funny thing is, it never stopped hurting. Three decades and I still miss my mom."
Ziva touched his cheek and slid her arms around his neck. Tony returned the embrace and they shared that comfort for several heartbeats. Then she pulled away and looked into his eyes. "You never forget. My mother died when I was twelve, and I still miss her and think of her often. I try to remember her hug, the way she smelled, the light in her eyes when she smiled. There will always be something you hold in your heart for your mother. She gave you a love of movies, yes?"
Tony nodded, his thumb moving over the back of her hand. "Yeah. It started with silent films and we explored all the classics together. Everything started with her."
Ziva smiled. "Then you will not forget. You have shared something your mother loved with everyone around you, even if sometimes they do not appreciate it as much as you hope." She tilted her head. "What was her name?"
He stared out the window. "Dad called her Mia, but her full name was Amelia Elisabeth Paddington DiNozzo."
"That sounds like the name of a princess," Ziva commented.
"She was," Tony agreed, then shook himself and changed the subject. "He's going to be fine you know."
Ziva feigned innocence. "Who?"
Tony gave her a look. "Gibbs. He's survived everything the past two decades at NCIS and another two in the Marines have thrown at him. One deranged pyromaniac isn't going to take him down."
"We are a team Tony, we are supposed to do this together."
"No, we're his family." Tony countered. "And deep down Gibbs is just a dad trying to protect his kids."
Ziva swallowed. "I need him to come back."
Tony pushed some hair over her shoulder. "We all do." He stood up and offered his hand. "Come on ninja, we've got paperwork to do."
She rolled her eyes. "You hate paperwork."
"Then we'll do it together," Tony offered. "I'll even share my desk."
Ziva put her hand in his. "You have a deal."
At that Tony smiled, because the look in his partner's eyes said that she was talking about so much more than working together here, and he would do whatever was necessary to make sure that they finally took this chance. Next time they might not be so lucky and Tony didn't want to miss a moment.
Replies:
NCISProbie (Snapshots 39) - So I'm not sure if you're reading just the RofS series or other stuff I write too, but I'm posting my reply here in hopes that you'll see it. I promise I read your review the day you left it and it really touched my heart :)
Really? Cool, always nice to have a follower :) I'm your first ever review? Wow, I'm totally honoured, thank you :) Oh...gosh, you're gonna make me blush here, that's really sweet of you to say. I honestly never expected it to become as big as it did nor to last as long, but I'm proud of how it turned out. lol, the hours and days of research were worth it in the end. Not sure I can take credit for getting the characters right - they're in my head, I hear their voices, that's why it sounds familiar, but thanks :) I'm always glad to hear that my stories have elicited emotion, because I love making people feel something when I write. If only the show could build Tiva into something like this...*sigh*
You may have seen it in one of my A/N's, but I wrote RofS because I was looking for something that dealt with post-Somalia and nothing was really what I wanted, so I fell back on the quote that says if there's a story you want to read that hasn't been written yet, you should write it. Ta-da! The series was born :) I always like to find things the show never tells us - because clearly everyone apart of that mission would ahve been affected. I'm glad you found Z's healing to be believable. Well, I'm pleased to have offered you a brief respite from life in general. Your friend might be right, but clearly I'm invested too, so you're not alone :P
You may be one fan, but I am so thankful for each person who has read and contributed to these stories and there are many who stand out. Your review was very meaningful to me and I thank you for taking the time to leave it - thank you :) You are very welcome, thank you for reading my work. FF readers have continually amazed me throughout my time here and I feel so blessed to be part of this community. lol...I'll tell you a secret - I'll probably post one more Snapshot before the final Christmas one. Sometimes my stories aren't ready to end :P Thank you so much for your lovely review, I appreciate it :) ~Aliyah
