Currently living on the other side of the world, so haven't done much writing during the adjustment. Hope you likey. Please reviewy
Tony was used to late night phone calls. Painfully used to them, in fact. Countless cases had begun with a rude awakening at the hands of his cell phone as it buzzed from the night stand or coffee table. It happened so often throughout some months that it kind of made him feel like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day. Unfortunately, the cases were never as funny as that movie, and his boss was not exactly the type who woke you up using music and a friendly greeting. If Tony had to sum it up, he'd say it was more like being head-slapped back into consciousness.
So, it was no shock to the system when he found himself being not-so-gently coaxed from his slumber at midnight on a Saturday. Well, he supposed it was technically Sunday now, but whatever. He was still too sleepy to call it the morning. By the time his eyes managed to focus on the screen, he was mildly surprised to see Ziva's name lighting it up. His first assumption was still that it would be somehow case-related, but he would rather hear her voice at this time of night than anyone else's— (for reasons he should never delve into in this sleepy state)- so he would take her over his boss any day.
''Shalom,'' he greets after a yawn.
''Tony?'' Her voice sounds somewhat distressed. ''Did I wake you?''
The concern her tone elicits makes him sit up and feel more alert. ''I was having a great dream about a world where a full night's sleep actually exists,'' he jokes, hoping it might calm her down somehow. ''What's up? Are you okay?''
''I am fine. It is the damn ice and snow!'' she rages, before Tony hears her grunt as she presumably kicks something hard. ''I thought these stupid tires were supposed to be designed to handle it.''
His level of concern dropped a few notches when he was fairly sure she wasn't hurt. ''What happened, Ziva?''
There was a heavy sigh and he could picture her looking up to sky in that cute way she does when she's embarrassed. ''I went off the road.''
He couldn't help but smile. ''You crashed?''
''Wipe that smile off your face,'' she mutters. ''I did not crash. It was icy around a corner and the car lost traction. And now it's stuck in a snowy ditch.''
''That sounds a lot like a crash to me.''
''It was not my fault.''
This time it was him sighing. ''If you say so. Did you call me just to tell me I was right about your terrible driving all along, or do you need help?''
''The second one,'' she answered eventually. ''I know you have been borrowing Gibbs' truck, and I thought that would handle the conditions well enough—''
''—For me to come and get you,'' he cut in.
''If you would not mind. I can walk if it is too much trouble.''
Tony suddenly remembered just how cold it was outside and found himself jumping out of bed and getting dressed before he knew what he was doing. ''No way am I leaving you out there, Ziva.'' He was slightly taken aback by just how determined he was feeling suddenly. Not to mention worried. ''And you should stay in the car with the heating on. It's freezing outside,'' he told her.
''Yes, I noticed. But the car is on its side.''
He used his shoulder to hold the phone to his ear as he hopped around to get his socks on. ''Jesus. Are you sure you're okay?''
''I am fine, Tony.'' Her tone had softened significantly since the start of the call, but he could practically hear her teeth chattering now. ''I was wearing my seatbelt.''
Tony stumbled into his shoes and grabbed his coat from the rack. ''Great. That's step one of driving safely. Now we just need to teach you how to slow down around corners.''
It was easy to tell she had no patience for his usual criticism of her driving. ''Are you coming to get me or not?''
He picked up the truck keys off the side. ''I'm leaving now. Where are you?''
...
As it turned out, Ziva was a lot further away than Tony had hoped. It felt like the bend he found her on was in the middle of nowhere. He could see the silhouette of his partner, hunched over and arms folded, no doubt an unsuccessful attempt to keep warm as she stood next to her wrecked car. He also felt even more concerned for her welfare when he noticed she wasn't wearing a coat. Not even a jacket. As soon as he pulled over and brought the vehicle to a halt, the passenger door was ripped open as Ziva practically dived into the truck.
''Please turn up the heating,'' she begged breathlessly. ''Full blast.''
He did as she asked, and looked her up and down. ''Ziva, you're practically blue.'' She turned her head towards him with chattering teeth. ''Are you sure a hospital isn't a good idea right now?''
She just about managed to squeeze out a 'no.'
''You might have hypothermia, or pneumonia, or—where's your jacket, by the way?''
She looked away angrily, but he expected it was more aimed at herself. ''At home.''
Realisation dawned on him that his big, puffy, blue coat must have been a hell of taunt for her right now. He unzipped it and shook it off his shoulders before wrapping it around her. She seemed reluctant to take it, for some unknown reason, but apparently lacked the energy to fight it off.
''No,'' she protested weekly, ''your lungs.''
He could only offer a confused frown at that. ''What about my lungs?''
''The cold will make you sick.''
Although he was touched by her concern for him, he couldn't help but feel like she was worrying about the wrong person. ''Hey, don't you dare worry about me,'' he ordered in a soft tone. ''You're the one who looks like a they should have icicles sticking out of their nostrils.''
To his monumental relief, she cracked a smile. He felt his heart become all warm and fuzzy suddenly—not exactly an unfamiliar feeling in her presence—but then she started rubbing her hands together over the heaters and he was forced not to dwell on it for too long. Probably for the best, really.
''Besides,'' he added, reaching over to hold both her hands between his, ''I'm warm.'' He rubbed her icy-cold fingers as gently as he could. ''Really warm. See?''
He lifted their conjoined hands upward and breathed hot air over them from his mouth. When he looked back up at Ziva, her eyes were on him and the look she was giving him was so desperately longing and grateful that it immediately brought Tony's warm and fuzzy feelings back. Tenfold, in fact. He wasn't sure how long they spent staring at each other like they were each the most valuable thing in the world, but after what felt like a lifetime, Tony swallowed the newly-formed lump in his throat. Her shivering had already begun to slow down, and he could feel some warmth returning to her hands, but that didn't make him any less worried.
''I'm sorry,'' Ziva murmured after a few more seconds.
Again, this only confused Tony. ''What for?''
Her eyes fell to their bundle of hands. ''For dragging you out of bed in the middle of the night.''
''Well, if the alternative was you freezing to death out here on your own…'' He shrugged, hoping he wouldn't have to explain himself any further. She seemed to get what he was saying, and he even felt her give his hand a little squeeze before she let go of him and allowed him to set about driving the car once more.
''You are a good man, Tony,'' she said sincerely as he pulled back onto the road.
Damn fuzzy feelings. ''Only to you.''
''That's not true.''
Was she trying to make him blush? ''You rarely see me rushing to McGee's rescue in the middle of a blizzard.''
Ziva chuckled quietly this time, a sound that he always enjoyed immensely but that sounded even better now he knew she was okay. ''I'm sure if he asked you to rescue him you would be there in a heartbeat.''
He considered that for a moment. ''Maybe not this late. For him, I draw the line at 2200.''
Again, she seemed unconvinced. ''What is your rule about never staying on the bench when your team is in trouble?''
''Side lines,'' he corrected. ''And that rule doesn't mention anything about side lines that contain warm, comfortable beds.''
''It is heavily implied by the word never.''
Tony supposed she was right, but before he could acknowledge that in any way a question entered the forefront of his mind and completely hijacked his brain. He was almost in a state of shock that it wasn't the first thing he'd asked her that night, in fact. When it came to Ziva's private life, he was ordinarily very unashamed of how curious he was. However, when he'd answered his cell earlier, nightmarish thoughts and concerns about her welfare took priority before his brain could catch up. Now, though, he figured he was free to resume normality.
''What exactly were doing out on the road at this time on a Saturday?''
As he'd partially expected, the question caught Ziva off guard slightly. Tony figured it wasn't so much his changing of the subject that muddled her brain in this shivery state, but more the abrupt manner in which he did it. Either way, it took her a few seconds to answer. ''I was having dinner. And it is technically Sunday now.''
Tony felt his heart sink, but was still stupid enough to ask his next question after a tight nod. ''Hot date?'' His attempt at sounding casual was a bad one, and he felt her eyes burning into him after she turned her head his way.
''Just some friends,'' she said, perhaps a little too gently. ''They live quite far out of town.''
The pressure in his chest lifted, and he had to focus an embarrassing amount of attention on not giving away just how relieved he really was. ''Sounds nice.''
''It was,'' she confirmed.
''Did these friends not warn you against driving in this weather.''
Ziva continued to rub the life back into her hands. ''Yes, but I knew I would be fine.''
He couldn't help but scoff at that. ''You can't say the same for the car, though.''
There was a chance she might get defensive about her driving—which was often the case in these conversations—so Tony was pleasantly surprised when she appeared to take it in relatively good humour with a small hum of acknowledgment. He could even see her smiling in the corner of his eye.
''Perhaps you are rubbing out on me, Tony.''
He nearly snorted. ''Off. Rubbing off.''
''Is there a difference?''
''Yeah,'' he nodded. ''There's a difference. A very big difference.'' He wasn't going to explain further, though. Not to Ziva of all people.
''Whatever.'' Her now-functional hand was waved dismissively in his direction. ''My point is that your habit of destroying cars must be rubbing off on me.''
That forced a chuckle out of him. ''You may be on to something there, detective. I certainly have a poor track record.''
''Yes.'' This time he could just feel her smile. Was that weird? ''It is almost impressive.''
''I'm still stinging over that Corvette.''
''I thought that was a Mustang?'' Ziva asked, confused.
He shook his head after coming to a brief halt at a stop sign, before pulling out of the intersection and onto the empty road back towards the city. ''No, that was the one after. My Corvette was the victim of a televised joy ride down the freeway. It will forever be in my shortlist of the worst things I've ever watched on a screen. Just behind Battlefield Earth and anything with Adam Sandler in it.''
After a throaty chuckle—the kind that always got him feeling all tingly on the inside—Ziva clicked her fingers in realisation. ''Ah, yes. You have mentioned this before. It was before we met, yes?''
Tony found it weird thinking about any period of time when Ziva wasn't a part of his life. ''Yeah, I guess it was.''
''At least you weren't at fault for that one.''
He could tell by her tone that she was trying to get a rise out of him, but that didn't stop him from giving her exactly what she wanted. ''Hey! I'll have you know, David, that I have never been at fault for any of my dead automobiles. Someone else always wrecks them.''
There was that smirk on her face now. The one that he used to simultaneously love and hate when he first met Ziva. Now he pretty much just loved it. And everything else that came attached. ''I'm sure they do.''
Pushing each other's buttons had always been fun, so what the hell? ''You've witnessed first-hand some of the atrocities my insurance premiums have faced. That Mustang you mentioned earlier? Do you happen to remember a minor incident where it was blown to smithereens?''
He felt her mood shift as he jogged her memory, and, all of sudden, guilt burned away at his insides. ''Thank you for triggering memories of watching you die,'' she said sarcastically. ''That was one of the worst days of my life,'' she answered far more seriously. ''And I have had some very, very bad days.''
Now he was really regretting bringing this up. ''Yeah, it did kind of suck.''
''However, I do concede that you weren't at fault in that instance.''
He nodded in appreciation, despite feeling like an ass. ''Well, I obviously pissed off the wrong person if it meant they wanted me to be turned into charcoal.''
Again, she hummed in agreement. ''I have done that many times myself.''
''Maybe I should take a small percentage of the blame.''
Her serious tone and mood didn't show any sign of disappearing as she looked out of the passenger window in what looked like deep thought for a few quiet moments. ''In fairness to you, I take all the blame for the last time your car was totalled.''
She sounded guilty and apologetic, but Tony frowned as he struggled to figure out what she was referring to. The only thing that sprung to mind was…Oh. Suddenly, he had a flashback to Ziva telling him about her family history with Orli, and what her finger would look like with a diamond on it, and her beautiful smile after he'd told her that he rather liked the way she'd turned out as a person. Hell, he could still feel the softness of her hand as he held onto it in a show of solidarity, support and just plain old affection. He'd never felt so close to her in all his life, and then…crash. Another day, another moment between them ruined. He hadn't even thought about that particular incident when they were talking about his vast list of dead cars, but now he was more concerned about Ziva blaming herself for the way it unfolded than he was about the red sports car he lost.
''That was not your fault, Ziva.''
He could see her shrug one shoulder in an effort to come across as casual, but when she spoke her partially choked voice gave her away. ''It was my mess, and I dragged you into it.''
It occurred to Tony that they'd never really discussed it in the months since it happened. He didn't think this was a great time or place, but there was no way he was leaving her to live with this self-imposed guilt for another second. ''You've never dragged me into anything. Ever.''
He could have sworn he saw her swipe away at the corner of one of her eyes. ''You could have died. All because of my reckless desire for vengeance.''
''Hey, I wanted to get that bastard too, you know. He took a lot more than just my car.''
She leaned over and placed her hand on his knee, giving it a gentle squeeze. ''I never thanked you.''
Now he definitely knew he shouldn't have been having this discussion whilst driving. But, being the man that he was, he had to scratch that itch. ''For what? Picking you up?''
''No,'' she shook her head. ''Well, yes, but I was talking in a broader sense.'' She let out a heavy sigh and began drumming her fingers along his knee. He wondered if she even realised she was doing it. ''I have never thanked you for always being there for me. For having my back when I need it watched the most. For getting up in the middle of the night to come and rescue me from a blizzard. For…everything.''
Wow. He'd never been happier to see a red light in his life. Her show of gratitude had made it difficult for him to concentrate on driving. He looked over at her and found himself struggling to form words. God, this woman had no idea what she could do to him with a few simple sentences. Or maybe she did, and that was why it looked like there was tears forming in her eyes. What was it about the dead of night that brought so much honesty to the surface? He was just as surprised by his own willingness to be open with her than he was at the fact that her usual emotional walls had been well and truly demolished.
''You never thanked me because you never have to. Not for any of it.''
She nodded tightly. ''But I wanted to.''
He didn't think her eyes had ever looked more entrancing than they did in this moment. ''I'll always be here, Ziva. Whatever you need from me, I'm here.''
''I know you are. I have taken you for granted for too long,'' she said apologetically. ''And I know I must drive you crazy sometimes—''
''—Most of the time.''
She smiled in concession. ''Okay, most of the time. But I need you to understand that I am grateful for you. I don't think you'll ever know how much.''
This woman. He felt his own eyes start to grow prickly with unshed tears, and there was so much he wanted to say to her in response, but for some reason all he could do was lift her hand from his knee and kiss her knuckles. It brought back her grateful, longing look from earlier and immediately liquefied his insides. Well, crap. Not even the heaviest dosage of denial could hide the fact that he was pretty in love with her right now. It made him feel a little more daring than usual, too.
''Is it wrong that I really want to kiss you right now?''
Her eyes flicked to his mouth and back, and if there was any shock or doubt triggered within her by his words, she didn't show it. ''What is stopping you?''
The nervousness is swallowed back down his throat. ''The same thing that's always stopped me. I just can't tell what it is.''
Before any more could be said—or, more accurately with their history, unsaid—Ziva stretched over and did exactly what he wouldn't do. The kiss was warm and soft and very much overdue, and he found himself in an almost dream-like state from the moment it began to the moment she ended it. When it was finished, she reached up and brushed her fingers over his stubbly cheek. He could confirm with absolute certainty that it was the most important kiss of his life.
''I need to pick you up more often,'' he joked.
She smiled again. ''Well, I officially don't have a car at the moment, so you are probably right.''
Another effortless chuckle escaped from within him. ''I'm really glad you didn't freeze to death.'' He hoped the light and soft tone they'd set would remain, despite the sincerity behind his words. Luckily, it did.
''And I am glad you agreed to escort me home.''
He shrugged it off. ''That's what I'm here for.''
Ziva gestured to the traffic lights with her head. ''It is a green light.''
Part of him really wanted to know how she could see that without even properly looking at it, but then he remembered that she had always found new ways to amaze him, right from day one. As he finally pulled his gaze away from Ziva's and got the truck moving again, he couldn't help but wonder if he'd just been the given the green light in more ways than one.
As far as late night calls go, this didn't turn out so bad.
I always end up with super-fluffy endings. But, you know what, I think we've had enough tragedy and denial when it comes to these two, so screw it. Cheers for reading. And if you are looking for any other Tiva stories that are being updated on a regular basis at the moment, I highly recommend 'In Between Days' by aka-elsie-snuffin and 'Wild as the Wind' by Aksannyi. They're both awesome writers so I'm sure you'll have heard of them anyway.