All of you who review make me so happy! Thank you for the support and love. I hope you all can enjoy the drama that unfolds this chapter.
-Sam
Abby was over first. She walked inside like the whole house was made of glass. She glided her fingers over all their new furniture and stared out the back window where Ziva liked to read. Her exploring took half the day, not to mention all the questions she asked about this and that. Ziva expected nothing less. And she did eventually finish to meet back with her two friends with a smile slapped across her face and her arms open. "You guys have a home!" Like she needed to yell it to the world to actually believe it. It was okay, Tony and Ziva both loved hearing it.
"Wow. An actual house. Both of you. Together." She couldn't contain her happiness any longer and Abby attacked both Tony and Ziva in one of her tight grasps she liked to call hugs. The hug seemed longer than waiting for Abby to finish wandering around the house. And when she did let go she was eager and more happier than before. "Okay, I'm all ready to help."
"Lets finish unpacking upstairs." Ziva suggested, "Tony is going to look for some oil to grease the door hinges." Ziva shot him a look. "Like he promised." It was a command and Tony obeyed.
They started in the small bathroom upstairs. It was a tight squeeze but Abby was doing a great job of speeding things up for Ziva. Tony was right on point when he described the goth's ability to hold so much energy. They did lots of stuff like scrub the counters and unpack little nick-nacks that bathrooms always had like toothbrush holders and cute soap dispensers Ziva had taken from her apartment. She never had to deal with silence; Abby happily took care of that. "Seriously Ziva, this is the cutest house I have ever seen. I might have to come over more often now that I know where it is. I was unsure driving down that driveway. It just keep going on forever and ever and ever..."
When they finished, the bathroom looked like a bathroom and Ziva only wished the rest of the house looked that way. Instead, the house looked like some sort of warehouse...for boxes. So the two continued to attack every corner of the house, occasionally running into Tony oiling the hinges on the doors. The girls joked at him about his tool belt and Tony's face immediately flushed with red as soon as they did. Ziva actually thought it was cute but wouldn't say it out loud until Abby was gone. The jokes made Tony finish the upstairs quicker and soon he was running downstairs to escaped their wrath.
So with nothing left to joke at, Abby and Ziva shifted their attention to the bedroom. They quickly dove into the boxes of clothes. The cleaning was going by fast when Abby suddenly stopped. She seemed absolutely stunned, like a deer in headlights. She was looking around now like a child in a candy store. Ziva just stared at her friend, wondering what the hell she could be doing.
"Ziva this is it." Abby suddenly said. "This room is perfect for you two. Just think, you'll be making babies in this. Very. Room."
"Abby...can we not talk about that..." Ziva hid her smile well though. Because they would be. She was going to get her family.
"The wallpaper may need...well it might...I would honestly just change it."
Ziva laughed at this. "It is surprisingly better than the walls down in the living room." She took another look around, "but I am inclined to agree with you."
"Ziva!" They heard Tony call from downstairs. "McGee's here!"
"Tim! I'm going to go down and see him real quick. I will be right back." Abby informed her.
"Just tell them I will be right down. I am going to hang our last box of clothes." Ziva explained and with a nod and a small jump Abby was running down stairs to see her partner in crime.
It was strange when Ziva began to feel the breeze. And she was getting chills again and the goosebumps were slowly appearing with every second she spent in the room alone. It happened so quick...right as Abby had left. Maybe she had been too focused on Abby's talking before and now that it was silent...
She was having trouble believing that. Now she was struggling to even attempt to hang the clothes.
Ziva left them and walked up to the window to try and shut it. She remembered Tony shutting them last night so her effort was all but useless. Still, Ziva felt the draft. And the silence; she couldn't even hear her friend's voices from downstairs. She wanted to ignore it and go back and finish the clothes, but why would she do that? She was walking around the room now and feeling the walls and trying to figure out anywhere that stupid breeze was coming from. The more she looked the louder the silence grew. She was frustrated and defeated.
McGee's voice could now be heard and the draft vanished like nothing. She was questioning it now. Had there even been a breeze? The room was fine, windows were as closed shut. It was only her and silence now.
Ziva left the room, refusing to be alone in there any moment longer. The clothes could wait until both her and Abby were unpacking together.
McGee met Ziva with a hug and a compliment. "The house is beautiful Ziva. I couldn't be happier for you two." She hugged him again after that. Ziva was happy to be down here with him, Tony and Abby. It was better than being alone. She hadn't been doing well with being alone lately.
"Is Gibbs coming over?" She asked Tony once her and McGee were done admiring the house and talking about the move.
"Boss said he's working on something with Vance." Tony said, sounding distracted.
"What are they working on?"
"Beats me. He said he was going to read me in later."
"Just you?" She was offended.
"I don't know Ziva. Can we just focus on finishing the move?"
Abby tugged at Ziva's arm, pulling her upstairs to finish the bedroom while the boys finished the furniture and tore down the wallpaper that reminded Ziva of throw-up. They finished fast and were able to sit around the kitchen table and eat some of Ziva's famous lasagna and laugh and talk and be friends in a house that was homely and perfect.
They waved to Abby and McGee and watch them each drive down the gravel driveway before they disappeared and Tony and Ziva were left staring in the darkness holding each other. Tony kissing her cheek was the cherry on top of the perfect domestic scene that she wished would have lasted forever. She felt warm even though they were outside in the late autumn breeze. It was most definitely warmer than their room which always felt raw and icy.
"I know what Vance and Gibbs are doing." Tony admitted to her as they stood in the darkness. It couldn't be perfect all the time.
"Are we going to have to go back to work early?" She didn't want to, at all. It was perfect here with Tony. They were talking about marriage and children and having sex without any worries of waking their neighbors next door. And God, she just loved everything about the past three stress-less days just working on the house one box at a time. He wrapped his arms around her tighter and dug his face into her shoulder.
"Not you. You are going to stay here and invite Abby and McGoo over everyday after they are done working and finish this whole moving thing quickly just like we want."
It was not the answer she had been looking for. "Where are you going?"
"Vance is sending Boss and me to Mexico tomorrow night because..."
"Wait, Mexico?" She faced him now. Her face was getting red. "Why?"
"Some navy officers got caught up with the local Cartel and SecNav wants some agents down there..."
"That sounds dangerous Tony."
"Well when I signed up to be a cop I didn't exactly to expect everything to be safe."
Ziva put her head on his shoulder. She wasn't ready to give up but it was nice listening to him breath for a few moments. She liked the way he sounded and how tight he held her and the fact that he was here and she had him and she wasn't alone anymore.
"Why am I not going?"
"I...I told Gibbs that I...I don't want you there."
Ziva pulled away from his grip. "What?"
"I don't want you to go. I want you to stay here."
"Tony I am going with you." And that was how she was going to end it so she began storming towards the front door until he grabbed her wrist and stopped her. She didn't know whether to be scared or completely pissed off. And she wasn't sure why she felt the way she did. Tony risked his life everyday, with or without her. There hadn't been a problem before.
"Ziva we have this house now. You love this house. I won't be gone for long, three days tops I promise. I'm begging you to stay here and be safe."
Now she was just pissed off. He made her boil and she whipped her hand away from his useless grip. And she yelled because he was being a stupid idiot and she was trying to remember how she dealt with him before today. "I need you safe! Good things do not happen for us in Mexico, Tony."
"God Ziva, you aren't listening to me!" He was yelling now too. Nothing else made a noise. It was like the birds and the bugs and the wind all stopped to listen quietly at what their new house owner's recent developed drama.
"I heard you just fine! You and Gibbs are going to Mexico! Fucking Mexico, Tony! To deal with the Cartel. And I won't be there if something goes wrong and I won't be there if something happens to you!" Jesus, she was crying now. She was being too weak and too emotional but Tony was crying now too and it made her feel better.
And suddenly he was just walking towards her. Ziva didn't want to touch him but as soon as he held her she melted into him almost too easily. Her face was in his shirt and she had immediately calmed down as soon as Tony's arms were completely around her body. He brushed through her hair with his fingers and kissed the top of her head gently until it was safe to talk.
"You...are my entire future." He whispered. "It's selfish and hypocritical, I know, but you're not going because it's too dangerous. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if anything happened to you. I can't...I won't be able to do it, Ziva. I know I won't."
"I can take care of my..."
He hushed her with his finger. "Shut up, Ziva. I know you can. Hell, you can probably take care of both of us better than me but I'm asking you to just. Stay. Here."
His eyes were pleading with her, even in the dark. They shined bright green when the moon hit them just right. She even saw the tears at one point. She didn't understand any of it. Why he was going, why he wouldn't let her come, what made him think that having her tag along would be anything but good. Nothing made sense. She was stunned and shocked and angry and sad and so thankful to have someone that cared about her this much.
She couldn't tell him no anymore. She had tried and she had failed. It meant too much to him; his job, her, their future...
He was going, she was staying.
"Three days." She whispered, trying to accept it. "Three days."
"At the most. Boss said it could be two. I'm sure it will be two. Me and Gibbs work well, we should be able to wrap things up quick so I can get home and fix those windows and build you a porch."
She smiled at this because the porch wouldn't be put in until spring but at least he remembered their deal. And she pictured watching him fix the drafty windows and her running around trying to find the right curtains to put where and what wallpaper would go nicely with them. She could last two or three days without her humble visions of domestic life with Tony. The days would fly by especially with her other two best friends constantly visiting.
"Lets go inside and get warm." He suggested, throwing his arm over her shoulder and walking them into the house.
They made love that night. She never felt cold with her body pressed against his. The silence wasn't loud with Tony next to her, arms holding her securely to him. His breaths against the back of her neck helped her get to sleep fast and she slept through the night having his body near her's.