Author's Note: Now, the fun begins. Since all of the ships have been firmly established, it's time for me to get them closer. This chapter is going to focus primarily on TIVA and Jibbs but the others will there. It's late October going into November and that means it's leaf raking season. Some of the most awesome memories I've had with my friends and the occasional dude happened over a huge pile of leaves so I'll be using that. Hopefully you guys will like it.
PS: My "One Update a Day" system is a wonderful success and in celebration, I'll be putting up my IPS fic by Monday or by the end of today, if I'm lucky. Look for it. Also, the TIVA campfire scene was totally jacked from Chasing Liberty, a predictable but guilty pleasure chick flick.
Disclaimer: "Honestly, it's not mine!"
Knocking on the door, he swallowed nervously. He didn't know why. He had been invited over for leaf raking and s'mores. He wasn't trespassing. Why was he nervous? Then, the answer dawned on him. It was because he'd be seeing Ziva again and possibly touching her. Gym class had been a hoot and he had never had so much fun with a girl…well, with his clothes on, that is. The feelings that she had invoked in him in the detention room had deepened so fast and it scared him.
Fortunately, he wasn't scared enough to run from them.
The door opened and he was immediately given a Hobbes worthy hug by a squealing Abby.
"Tony! Yay, you made it!"
Chuckling, he carried her inside and gave her a fond squeeze. Abby was like the crazy, loud, fun little sister he never got to have. Other than her questionable taste in men (seriously? McGeekLord?), she was pretty kickass. That was another thing he was grateful to Ziva for. If it weren't for her being a badass ninja, he wouldn't have met her.
"Hiya, Abby. Where is everyone?" he greeted as he put her on her feet.
"Backyard with us. Come on. Ziva's waiting for you." she urged as she hauled him towards the sliding doors.
"She is?" he questioned dumbly as they got outside.
"Yes. Shalom, Tony."
Turning to the left, she saw Ziva sitting on a chair, tying a leaf bag shut. She had on a deep orange sweater and red flannel pajama pants. Instead of shoes, she was barefoot with sparkle orange polish on the nails. Finishing her task, she began to approach him. Moving to meet her, he was surprised to be wrapped in a tender hug. She was just as soft and pliant as she looked and he took a whiff of her loose hair. She smelled like roses and fall and Ziva, delighting him.
"Hey, Zee-Vah. Need some help hauling these?" he asked after pulling away slowly and looking towards the gate.
There was a pyramid of at least 30 bags waiting to be taken to the curve.
"Later. Let's go get in the pile."
Following her, he spotted a massive pile of leaves dead center in the backyard. Abby shoved McMircochip into it and they were promptly swallowed. Kate and that Ari dude were playfully throwing leaves at each other until she jumped up onto his back, making him collapse like a red oak into the middle. Palmer and a pretty Asian girl were the only ones really raking but they were laughing about something or other. Ziva ran forward and did a back flip deep into the pile. Her head came out and he couldn't help but smile at the leaves that were in her hair and the glow in her eyes.
"Come on, Tony! They're just leaves!" she called.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do…and follow the sexy Israeli chick.
With that, he charged and jumped in after her, her sweet laughter urging him on.
////////////
Watching them from the kitchen, she let a tender smile curved her lips.
It had been a long time since Ziva had been so happy and it was nice to see. Jen had always worried about her. When her father, mother, and sister had been taken by suicide bombers, 12 year old Ziva had been sent to her, according to Ava's will. Ava had been her partner while she had been working with Interpol and her best friend. When Ziva and Tali had been born, she had been made her godmother and guardian to both of them, shocking her to the core.
"What Eli does is dangerous. What I do is dangerous, as well. If, god forbid, something took us both from our babies, I could not think of a better Ima for them than you, Jennifer. Please, my friend. Let us do this."
She had never been happier with a decision than to accept her plea. Unfortunately, Tali had been killed too so Ziva had come to her broken, sad, and quiet. It had been over a year and Jen had been about to lose her when Abby arrived, just as sad and broken by the system. She had needed to be kept safe and loved. She had needed…a big sister. That had been Ziva's reason for healing. Abby had drawn her out and now, they were as good as blood family.
It seemed like Tony would be the one to fill in those last missing pieces in her life.
Jen knew that high school relationships were notoriously flaky but there was something about the two of them that told her that they would last long after they got their diplomas.
Ziva had found her other half and Abby had with Tim, for that matter.
Thinking about the boys inevitably made her think about their father.
Gibbs was supposed to be over soon for supervision purposes and Jen was a little nervous. Logically, she knew that she shouldn't be. She was in her house, her turf, and he wouldn't dare try something with their kids nearby.
But, you want him to try something…you want him to try and touch you and kiss you with those lips of his and lay you down and…
A knock at the door made her jump guiltily and break out of her fantasies. It was maddening. She had barely said 10 words to the guy and now he was all in her head. What was worse was that she liked it. Steeling her resolve, she answered the door, determined to show more dignity than before.
Her mouth went dry as she looked up into his eyes and her knees promptly went to mush. He was in all black today, looking every bit like a badass James Bond.
007 has nothing on him…
///////////////
The last time had felt so off kilter around a woman was when he had met Shannon.
His heart was pounding, his palms were sweaty, and he could feel an asthma attack threatening for the first time in years, throwing him back to his high school days. Of course, no one as beautiful as Jen had given him the time of day back then.
"Hi. Come on in." she greeted before withdrawing quickly to the kitchen, her bare feet slapping on the floor.
The house was large but comfortable, going back to the English time. The walls were painted a rich ruby red, making her hair look even more like fire. She was wearing a white skirt and pink top, softening the dark mahogany of the floors and paneling.
Looking out the sliding doors, he spotted Tony tying bags with a dark haired girl, presumably Ziva. He smirked as she slugged his arm for something and he picked her up, heading for the much smaller pile of leaves, her struggles failing against him.
"Tony, if I am going in there, so are you!"
"…Okay."
The rest of the group collapsed into helpless laughter as they fell in and Ziva started pounding on him with a gardener's glove.
Gibbs shook his head and turned to see a steaming mug of coffee on the counter for him.
"I didn't know how you liked it so I just kept it black. It's okay, right?"
It's perfect…like you.
"Yeah, it's fine. Thanks."
She grabbed her own mug and headed outside, sitting on a black futon.
He joined her and looked at the setting sun, already starting to see the stars.
It would be a clear, crisp night, perfect for a campfire.
Looking at her, he saw that she was watching her daughters tenderly, adding more appeal to her.
Slowly, shyly, Gibbs took her free hand in his, tracing the knuckles gently.
After a moment's hesitation, she held back, squeezing it with a small smile.
//////////////
Ziva noticed it after a few minutes and shared a knowing look with Tony.
"It's like Noah's Ark, here." he quipped.
She chuckled and helped him haul the last few bags. Once the horseplay stopped, the many hands around made short work of the pile and now the yard was clear. Looking, she took in where everyone was.
Ari and Kate were under the oak tree, she was dozing a bit and Ari was reading a…Cosmo article? Odd. The material seemed to be a bit too vapid for him but he was intently studying it, most likely memorizing it for later....activities with a willing Kate. Ziva decided not to dwell on that and focused on Palmer and Michelle Lee.
Ziva knew Michelle from band class. She was the seamstress for the uniforms and Dr. Mallard's co-op student. An intelligent yet kind girl, she was a good match for Palmer. He was lying in the grass with her and they were pointing out the constellations as they became visible. One good thing about their home was that it was excellent for stargazing. Occasionally, a kiss would be shared but nothing obscene
They were a sweet couple...
Like Abby and McGee. They were on Abby's laptop doing something and she was sitting between his legs, her back flush to his chest. He would press light kisses to her jugular and she would stroke the sensitive flesh on the inner bend of his elbow, making him shiver. To her knowledge, they hadn't kissed yet but she had a feeling that it would be soon.
Just like myself and Tony…
Their friendship was wrought with chemistry and heated looks and Ziva was eager to explore it. She knew that them pairing up would cause the school to be in an uproar. The MVP and the Nerd? "Unthinkable! Impossible! Unholy!" they would howl. Not to mention his ex. Ziva now remembered meeting Jeanne Benoit once for 5 minutes and that was all that she could take without wanting to slit her throat. She would definitely want some form of "revenge", something that Ziva was wary of.
Oh, she wasn't afraid of a fight. In fact, if the little hussy decided to start something, she'd shove her down the stairs. No, she'd throw her down the stairs and then go have a cup of tea with Dr. Mallard afterwards with cream with two lumps of sugar.
However, Ziva had built a reputation as a classy, reasonable young woman amidst the staff and students of DC high, above the immature and misguided desperate girls.
Would Tony be worth all the hassle of bringing herself down to their level?
Looking at him, the fading sunlight played over the light tan of his skin and made his already deep green eyes sparkle like emeralds.
She swallowed thickly and looked away.
Yes, he is. Fortune favors the bold, Ziva. It's time to step things up…
//////////////
Molten marshmallow and chocolate was wiped on his face and he turned to look at her innocently munching on her graham cracker.
"Just so you know…that's really hot." he deadpanned.
She giggled and he sighed, wiping it off with a napkin. She was wrapped in a blanket and the firelight plus the moonlight made her glow like marble. His hands literally itched to touch her but he held back. Ziva was not like the other girls. He couldn't just go at it willy-nilly. He needed a plan.
Plus, he meant what he said to his dad.
He wanted to get to know her and not just in the naked way.
Getting to know someone took time. Well, it took more than a week and a half. Had it really just been a week and a half? God, time flew when it felt like it. Now, if it could just feel like it during Calculus…
A very soft and cool hand went to his cheek and Ziva was right in his space. When had she managed to do that? And where the hell did everyone else go? Instead of dwelling on that, he let her do what she wanted. The hand traced over his fading bruises and then her lips followed, her tongue tracing hot swirls over the flesh.
Tony moaned and his hands went from itching to burning.
You know what, we do know each other enough…after all, I don't think she's the type of girl to do this with some random stranger…
Justification found, he let his hands span her narrow waist and dig into the flesh, pleased that he couldn't feel her ribs.
She moved with him and straddled his lap, looking at him with onyx eyes.
When her tongue darted out to lick her lips, it broke him.
There, in front of a burning fire and God, Anthony DiNozzo kissed Ziva David with tongue, teeth, and hands.
It was the best decision he had ever made.
///////////////
Abby's squeal got everyone's attention and they came to the sliding door.
She pointed and everyone could see a passionately making out Tony and Ziva by the fire.
Jumping up and down, she faced her boyfriend.
"Benevolent interfering rocks your socks off!" she crowed triumphantly before sticking out her tongue.
Being the good sport that he was, Tim merely rolled his clover green eyes and headed back to the living room smiling.
He'd never question Abby again.
