Ziva woke up when the sun came through her window shining directly into her eyes. She rolled over; facing Tony she buried her face in his chest. She groaned when she realized that she had to get up, but for once she did not think of what the day could bring. Tony woke up with all of Ziva's moving around. He looked at her through heavy lids laughing when he saw the pissed look on her face.
"Do not laugh," Ziva said sharply.
"I'm sorry, but you look kinda cute like that." Tony said smiling. Ziva pinched his stomach causing Tony to squeal and Ziva to laugh. "Good morning" Tony tried again, this time giving her a kiss.
"I do not want to get up. We should just stay here." Ziva said kissing him back.
"As wonderful as that sounds, work awaits us." Ziva groaned again and pulled the blanket up over her head. "Wake up Ziva." Tony sang.
"No." Her response muffled from under the blanket.
"Come on…time for work." Tony said pulling the blankets off her and scooping her off the bed.
"Ah!" Ziva screamed, "put me down!"
"Not a chance. Time to get ready…first coffee." Tony said carrying Ziva into the kitchen and setting her down on the counter while he made the coffee. Once he had the coffee pot going he walked over to her, shill on the counter, and stepped between her legs placing a kiss on her lips and down her neck. He stopped and turned to walk away, but Ziva grabbed him and kissed him hard. When they finally pulled apart Tony walked to the cabinet with her coffee cups and grabbed two and prepared them for their coffee. Once the pot was full he filled both cups before handing Ziva hers.
"Thank you." Ziva walked away with her cup to get dressed for work as Tony went out to his car to grab a change of clothes. When he was changed he walked back into the kitchen and saw Ziva sitting at the table.
"You waiting for me?" Tony asked. Ziva stood up and turned to face him. "Are we riding separate again?" Tony asked sounding slightly depressed.
"Yes, I do not wish to be stuck at work if you have to go…" Ziva said her sentence fading away, because for the first time all morning she remembered what was going on, Tony was dating another girl and he might have a date tonight.
They arrived at NCIS, Ziva not too far ahead of Tony. They walked inside and to their desks, when Tony got off the elevator he saw Vance and Gibbs on the catwalk, waiting for him.
"Morning DiNozzo" Vance said when Tony finally made it upstairs. "I hear you did good last night, and it sounds like you secured another date."
"Yes sir, it seems that way."
"Good work, get another meet."
"Yes sir." Tony said as Vance and Gibbs walked away.
The next few days went on like this. Each night Tony would have to meet Chloe at either The Hideout or they would go out. Every night Tony would track Ziva down and go to wherever she was that night, sometimes her place sometimes his. Every night they would start a fight, before letting the exhaustion overcome them and hoping to be able to forget everything for the remainder of the night.
One week after Tony's first meeting with Chloe he was told he needed to take her to a nicer place than the deli's and diners they had been going to.
Ziva watched every date from Abby's lab. Every time her stomach would turn and her blood would boil. It got to the point where she was unable to tell who she was angrier at, the girl who was staring at and flirting with and kissing her boyfriend. Or Tony, who was letting this girl do all of these things. Who was actually flirting back.
The 1 week date was no better, in fact it was worse. Ziva paced back and forth in Abby's lab, slamming supplies as she passed them.
"Ziva!" Abby yelled. "Ziva!" Abby yelled again, still getting no response. She walked over to Ziva and slapped her arm. Ziva froze and looked at the screen. Chloe's face was pressed up close to the camera, she knew what that meant.
"Why do they have to keep doing that?" Ziva yelled gesturing to the TV.
"I don't know Ziva, but tearing apart my lab isn't going to help."
Then they heard Chloe's voice over the speaker, "would you like to come inside?"
"Just say no Tony, just say no!" Abby yelled at the screen as Ziva held her breath.
"Come on Tony, you keep avoiding it, do you not like me?" Chloe asked putting on her best pouty face.
"It's not that…it's just…" Tony was cut off by Chloe kissing him again. This time Tony's body jerked, signaling to Abby and Ziva that he had been pushed against something. Chloe opened her door and pulled Tony inside.
"That is it! I cannot do this!" Ziva said as she stormed out of Abby's lab.
"Ziva, wait" Abby said wanting to go after her, but currently on her shift of Tony watching. "Tony" Abby whispered into the mic, "Ziva…" That was all she had to say, and Tony knew.
"I have to go" Abby heard Tony say through the speakers.
"No, we just got started, you can't go anywhere yet." Abby heard Chloe argue as she ran out of the lab calling McGee.
"Hey Timmy, keep an eye on Tony, I have to find Ziva, but Chloe is getting more aggressive."
"Got it Abs." McGee said into the phone.
"Ziva?" Abby said running around the halls of NCIS, checking every bathroom, closet or corner she could find, but no sign of Ziva. She called her phone following the ring to the break room. She saw Ziva sitting on the floor in the corner with her head in her knees.
"Ziva," Abby sighed.
"No now Abby," Ziva pleaded as Abby went to sit next to her. After a long silence Ziva spoke. "He is going to sleep with her Abby."
"No he isn't, he was leaving when I came to find you."
"Abby, he is going to sleep with her and I do not know if I will be able to look at him again. I do not think I can do this." Ziva said sounding more defeated than Abby had ever heard.
"Ziva, do you love him?" Abby asked.
"I do not know"
"Yes you do and you need to tell him, you need to talk to him, and you need to hear it from him. If you do not then this jealousy you have will drive you mad and break you guys up."
"I am not jealous of…her." Ziva spat standing up and walking out the door heading to her car.
Ziva walked into her apartment two hours after she left work. Tony was sitting on her couch when she walked in, he walked up to her.
"What are you doing here?" Ziva spat at Tony.
"Ziva" Tony said trying to grab her.
"Do not Ziva me." She said moving out of his grasp. "I am sick of this, I cannot do this anymore!"
"Ziva, what the hell is going on and where were you? Abby said you left two hours ago." Tony asked concentrating on not raising his voice.
"What if I told you that I picked up a guy in a bar and slept with him?"
"I would be pissed!" Tony said starting to get angry.
"Exactly." Ziva yelled.
"Ziva, you are drunk." Tony said raising his voice.
"You slept with her!"
"You know what? You don't know what you are talking about." Tony yelled back, unable to keep his voice steady anymore. "Anyway this was all your idea! I remember saying I wasn't going to take the job, but you insisted! I even warned you that this might happen." Tony paused staring straight at her "But it hasn't happened yet, because I have not had sex with her!"
Ziva stormed out of the room, into her bedroom and slammed her door.
"Zi," Tony said opening the door to her room, surprised when he saw her curled up on her bed. He went to climb on the bed but was stopped.
"No Tony, not tonight. I cannot do this tonight. I cannot pretend that everything is alright." Ziva paused "Just do not leave, okay?" Ziva asked shyly as Tony's phone started to ring. Ziva watched his face as he checked the caller ID. "It is her," she said when she saw his face drop.
"Ziva?" Tony questioned as he let his phone go to voicemail.
"Tony, if you leave…"
"Ziva, this is my job!" Tony defended. His phone started to ring again this time he ignored it completely.
"Not tonight, you promised me the nights." Ziva said staring at Tony; she finally broke the long silence. "If you leave tonight, and you go to her, then you might as well not come back."
"Really?" Tony questioned. "We are going to play this game tonight? This was your idea! I didn't want to do it in the first place!" Tony screamed.
"I know all of that!" She screamed back.
"Ziva what do you want from me? This is my job on the line now." Tony said softening his voice, knowing the screaming would get them nowhere. He sat down on the corner of her bed facing away from her.
"I know Tony, but I cannot live like this anymore. I do not like this feeling." Ziva stopped and placed her hand on his, "I am tired of waiting for you."
"Zi…" Tony said turning to her, but she quickly pulled away. Tony pulled out his phone and checked his messages.
The first was from Chloe "Tony, I was wondering if you wanted to come by, we have some unfinished business from earlier. Call me."
The next was from Gibbs "DiNozzo, you better not be screwing this up, if you aren't in this then you damn well better get out now."
Ziva watched him pace around the room, he was debating something, she just could not believe that this was such a big decision for him. She had thought it would be simple, he would pick her, he always told her he would pick her. She suddenly got the sick feeling of worry in her stomach and her chest started to ache. It should not be this hard she thought. She fought back the tears before speaking one last time. "Tony if you walk out of this apartment tonight and go to her, we are done."
Tony looked at her and the turned around and walked out of the apartment.