It was killing the Italian, but it got his heart racing. He had no idea what his partner may be planning to prove him that her opinion was right, but he knew exactly what she was capable of. At the same time, he had to come up with something which would prove her wrong, and wrong he would prove her. Once in a challenge, especially with his partner, he wouldn't back down without a good go. He had spent pretty much the last five hours of his shift planning a way to make this challenge much more interesting, without resorting back to his fraternity pranks which he used to pull in College. It was much harder than he thought; he couldn't act too quickly or it'd look like he was desperate, but if he acted too late then there was a high chance that Ziva would act before him. His mind was filling quickly with thoughts, varying in their nature, and picking one would be just as hard as picking between two movies on his movie night.

His emerald eyes glanced to the small clock in the bottom corner of his computer, a grin instantly appearing on his lips as he registered that the end of his shift had arrived, just in time. Standing, Tony grabbed his jacket, gun and badge, holstering the last two items at his hip before slipping his jacket over him so he'd be protected from the falling rain outside. As he bent down to grab his backpack which stood neatly beside his desk, his gaze wandered to his partner who was still working away, possibly oblivious to the time, "Staying behind, Zi?" He asked, swinging his backpack over his left shoulder, his fingers clutching on to its black strap to hold it in place.

"Just have a little bit more to finish up on," Ziva replied softly, her accented voice running like velvet. Quickly finishing a sentence, her big brown eyes looked up to the Italian as he prepared to leave, "You are in a hurry, yes? Date night?"

A soft laugh left Tony's throat, giving a small shake of his head, "Sadly not. I was supposed to be going out with some old college buddies, but they had to rearrange. Kinda good really, a quiet night it might not be such a bad idea."

Ziva offered a small, yet soft smile, "Hope you enjoy," Her gaze momentarily locked with his, and although she somehow found it hard to tear it, she forced her attention back onto her last piece of paperwork before she could make her way home. She could hear Tony's footsteps falling ever fainter as he left the floor, heading towards the elevator which would transport him down and out of the building. When Ziva knew she was safely out of his sight, she let out a deep breath, one she wasn't even aware she had been holding. That single moment where emerald and chocolate eyes had locked had made her heart soar, lit a fire deep within her stomach and all she could think of was that same moment years ago when they had been undercovers.

Admitting she felt something for Tony was hard, especially with her background. Ever since she was little, and living in the Middle East, her father and brother had told her that to have emotions for a co-worker was dangerous and not to be explored, but every time she had felt something for people outside of her line of work, nothing good had ever came of it. Michael, somebody she had trusted, was a prime example of her emotions leading her down the wrong path. Tony, on the other hand, she knew inside and out. His up beat personality was something she admired, and even though is incessant movie quotes were sometimes annoying, she secretly loved them. The two had been partners for years now, watched each other go through thick and thin and they'd always been there for the other, offering guidance when needed. Yes, as much as she was apprehensive to admit it, there was something there.

After a final ten minutes of finishing up her last file for the day, Ziva shut down the equipment at her station, gathering her things together before standing up from her desk. Just as she was about to leave, along with a few others from various floors, an item discarded on Tony's desk caught her attention. Wandering over, Ziva rolled her eyes as she picked up his wallet. He must have forgotten it in his rush.. She thought. If it had been something irrelevant she would have left it for him to find the next morning, but Ziva knew this was important and for that reason, she placed it in her jacket pocket with the intention of dropping it off on her way home.

Battling through the rain on the way to her Mini Copper, Ziva unlocked the vehicle as quickly as she possibly could, the heavy raindrops falling over her, her usually wavy hair going straighter as it became covered in the rain water. As the driver's door finally opened, the Israeli practically threw herself inside, sheltering herself from the storm. Throwing her things on to the passenger's seat, Ziva slid the key into the ignition slot and turned it, the roar of the engine soon sounding out. In her usual aggressive style, Ziva hit her foot on the gas, sending the car zooming forwards and onto the roads, which were far more slippery than usual but this didn't phase the Israeli.

It had taken Tony a little longer than usual to get home, but as soon as he had stepped into the comfort of his apartment, he was more than glad. He had changed into a pair of grey sweatpants and white vest shirt, which managed to cling to his torso perfectly. Heading into the kitchen, he scoured the produce he had in the refrigerator, deciding that he had earned a nice, cool beer. Flipping off the top, he took a quick swig, allowing the near ice cold liquid slowly work its way around his system, feeling the satisfaction instantly course through his body. Letting out a contented sigh, he made his way through his tidy apartment, heading towards the living room with the intention of watching some genre of movie. His attention was suddenly pulled away from the looming movie when he heard a knock at the door. "One moment!" He called, placing he beer down on a nearby table. He lightly jogged over to the front door, pulling it open without looking through the peep hole. "Ziva, what are you doing here? You're soaked…"

"It is still raining." Ziva commented plainly, reaching into her jacket pocket as she retrieved his wallet, "You forgot this, and I thought you might be needing it."

Tony smiled gratefully, taking his wallet from her, "Thank you. Come on in. I can't have you standing out there all soaking wet. I've got some towels you can dry off with and at least wait till the storm wears off."

Ziva shook her head, "I couldn't, Tony. I don't want to intrude. It's fine, honestly."

Rolling his eyes playfully, Tony took her by the hand, pulling her into his apartment, "I'm not taking that as any excuse. You'll catch a cold, and I'm not allowing that. Make yourself at home and I'll go grab you a towel."

Watching as the Italian wandered off in search of a towel, Ziva allowed a gentle smile to cross her lips as she looked around the space around her. Unusually, the apartment was rather tidy, something she hadn't particularly expected from a guy like Tony. Finding her way into the kitchen, her eyes caught sight of a notice board full of pictures and pieces of paper. Heading in its direction, she looked up, looking at the photographs which were pinned up. Some were clearly of Tony's family, College friends, even some childhood ones but the one which stood out the most was the photo in the centre. Ziva guessed it was about a six year old Tony with his mother, and the two looked so happy. With a gentle smile gracing her lips, Ziva turned round, only to bump straight into Tony who had clearly come to find her, "I'm sorry.." She apologised quickly, glancing up to him. "That's really sweet," She commented, gesturing to the notice board behind her.

Smiling, Tony glanced to the photos of his before returning his gaze back to Ziva, "Just a little something for family. It's important to us Italians."

"I can tell," Ziva said, her voice dropping in volume and tone as she was more taken in by the mutual look which had developed between them.

A small drop of rain slid down the Israeli's cheek and naturally Tony raised his hand, his thumb softly brushing the raindrop away. He'd done it without even a thought, but the added contact between them seemed to light a spark in the air separating them. He controlled the urge to grab her and pull her closer and consequences be dammed, but when he felt her warm, soft skin beneath his fingers, he no longer wanted to hold back. Heck, he had been holding back years and by now, the proposal he had made earlier had gone way out of his mind.

His palm cupped her cheek as he swiftly closed the gap between their lips, pressing his softly, tenderly to her own. He had expected a slap across the cheek but when that didn't come, a small smile etched over his lips. Purposely, it wasn't filled with passionate need, more of an emotion-filled, one which expressed his feelings perfectly. His free hand came up to caress her cheek softly in his palm, the feelings bringing memories zooming back in an instant. It felt like tiny fireworks were going off inside him, the sparks possible of lighting fires. Their lips seemed to fit perfectly against one another's, like two pieces of a jigsaw, a sure sign this was how it was supposed to be.