Disclaimer: I own nothing
Trust and Time
Trees and Texts
Ziva stood in the corridor as she and Tony watched Delores leave with the gift.
"What you did for her" Ziva begun "It was beautiful"
"Not really" Tony said.
"Are you being modest?" Ziva cried trying to supress a laugh.
"Are you saying I am not modest" Tony replied.
"No" Ziva said slowly as they walked toward the car park.
Tony watched as Ziva walked away and realized that he would be spending another Christmas alone. The loneliness of his Christmases spent at boarding school with only 'It's a Wonderful Life' stung him. Ziva walked slowly towards her car.
Ziva stood at her car door secretly hoping Tony would invite her to Christmas as she had to Hanukah just a few weeks ago. She frowned and got into her car she decided she would call Doris tomorrow and see what she wanted to do. Ziva just hoped that would not consist of working at the homeless shelter with the Rabbis wife who was judgmental of Ziva and her not so Jewish lifestyle.
"Zee-vah" Tony called. Ziva turned quickly which quickly destroyed the image she was trying to portray of not caring.
"Yes" Ziva said.
"I was thinking since I spent Hanukah with you and Doris Day that we could maybe spend Christmas Eve together and maybe we'll go surprise Doris Day tomorrow" Tony babbled.
"I'd like that" Ziva said. "I need to get some stuff I'll meet you at your place in an hour and a half"
Ziva stood in her apartment collecting clothes. She would never have imagined that after everything that happened that previous spring and summer that she and Tony would be spending Christmas Eve together. Then again, seeing how close they were becoming she couldn't fathom spending his holiday any other way. Doris had called informing Ziva she had plans for the evening but would not mind meeting for lunch or something tomorrow.
Tony began to clean his apartment he had put all his washing in the basket and put the cushions on the couch. He had found the tiny Christmas tree had brought to impress Jeanne, which she looked at and laughed because she assumed he was joking when he told her that was his tree. Jeaane had been raised with huge trees that her family spent Christmas Eve decorating. She had hugged Tony when he finally admitted to her that he never decorated a tree as when he came home from Thanksgiving at his Uncles his father had hired a specialist company to put one up. He stared at the barren tree trying to forget the distract himself from his painful memories.
"Oh well we'll have to go au natural" Tony commented on the lack of decorations outloud and to an empty room.
He heard the clicking of his lock. Same old Ziva he mused. Then he remembered that Ziva wasn't the same Ziva a lot had changed in the three months since she came back from Somalia. She was still on edge when she was in Abby's lab due to the smell of Caf-pow and McGee had told him that when they were stuck in an elevator Ziva had spent two hours holding her gun and was not relaxed. Tony turned as Ziva entered the apartment in the red dress that suited her so well.
"Jackson can text" Ziva cried happily "He sent me a text inviting me to Christmas dinner" at that point Tony's phone vibrated. Tony went to collect his phone on the counter Ziva picked it up and opened it. "Who's Poppy?" Ziva asked.
"Give me that" Tony cried trying to collect his phone.
"Who is she?" Ziva said running away. Tony followed her as she ran into his bedroom he cornered her next to his bedside table. She giggled and jump up trying to run over the bed. Tony seized the opportunity and tackled her.
For a few seconds but what felt like forever. Tony lay on top of Ziva they were both panting and Ziva trying to suppress a giggle. He remembered them like this after many movie nights when they fought over the remote. Tony moved her hair from her face. She had stopped giggling and was still. She pulled her hand up and stroked his cheek as if she was verifying the authenticity of the man on top of her and the moment. Then as a painful reminder of her summer he body began to ache she had this same feeling after runs and after the sessions with the physical therapist at Bethesda who was a former marine and hard on Ziva which had been exactly what she needed. With everyone treating her strangely at work, she had needed someone to tell her to suck it up. A couple of the marines in there had told her that when they were better they were taking her out to celebrate even though some of them would never walk again. Ziva began to squirm under Tony. He rolled off her and they lay in his bed silently.
"Poppy is my cousin Chrispians daughter from his first marriage she's twenty-two and sends everyone texts at Christmas" Tony said.
"My cousin Dana's eldest Hannah sent everyone on her facebook page holiday greetings" Ziva replied. They lay there a bit longer somehow getting into a comfortable position where Ziva lay with Tony's left arm over her and with her right leg drooped over his left leg. Tony's stomach made a loud noise.
"You're hungry," Ziva said starting to get up "Perhaps I could make something"
"Yeah" Tony said "I'll put It's a Wonderful Life on"
"It is a DiNozzo tradition yes," Ziva said walking into the lounge. Tony followed her. Since he was able to remember he and his mother had watched the movie together. When she got sick the various Nanny's most of whom Anthony Senior slept with while his wife was dying would sit through it with him before going off to call their families or getting the last plane or train out on Christmas Eve to be with their families. When he got to boarding school him and the other children who were left behind and the nuns at his first school that was a catholic one, which he managed to get kicked out of for having GSM at aged fourteen. At the next school it was the teachers who for that one day did not try to act scary like the had to at a military academy and everyone would watch 'It's a Wonderful Life' together.
"Sort of" Tony replied. Ziva had begun cooking with the few ingredients present in Tony's spartan kitchen. Tony then noticed his tree, which now had two earrings hanging off it. He looked at Ziva's bare ears.
"Merry Christmas Tony" Ziva whispered. She leaned over to her bag and presented him with a chocolate Santa though they had agreed no gifts the chocolate Santa fell into the same category as the chocolate coins they'd eaten at Ziva's house a fortnight before for Hannakuh. He had never been allowed one as a child his mother had ranted off about Santa being Satan. His father however had tried to buy Tony off with expensive gifts that he never played with. Each year he gave the previous years gifts most of them still unopened to Elena the housekeeper who had a son Pedro who was his age and liked flying toys and rubix cubes.
They sat an hour later eating the wonderful meal Ziva had crafted out of few ingredients an art that she had learnt after many missions of hopping between safe houses where markets were not always and option. Tony had put 'It's a Wonderful Life' on and Ziva leaned in close as he broke up his Santa and shared it with her just as she had a fortnight ago with the chocolate coins after they had driven Doris home. Ziva looked up at Tony she trusted him completely and she was sure he trusted her. As Ducky had once told her, it would all work out over time.
A/N: I'm ending it there. Its weird how something that was meant to be fillers has developed into a full blown sort of story. Anyways I digress thanks for reading and reviewing.
