I guess you could consider the first half of this chapter a missing scene from Strangers in the Night. The second half is set on November 1st, 2010, the day after they close that case.
Track Eight
Nothin' at All
I would walk home every evening
Through the pyramids of light.
I would feed myself on silence,
Wash it down with empty nights.
Amber streetlights cast a glow on the Israeli as she strolled down the streets of her neighborhood. Ziva held her head high, enjoying the coolness of the evening. She wasn't afraid of any human dangers. If someone attacked her, she could easily dispose of them without having to shift into wolf form.
She made it into her apartment undisturbed and shrugged out of her coat, suddenly aware of the silence and loneliness. It hung in the air, thick and heavy, smothering her skin; her eyes, nose, and mouth. She could almost taste it.
Ziva shook her head to clear it, and the sensation dissipated. This was ridiculous, anyway: she'd never wanted a mate.
Then your innocent distractions
Hit me so hard.
My emotional reaction
Caught me off guard.
Exiting the elevator the next morning at NCIS headquarters, Ziva found her gaze immediately drawn to Tony DiNozzo. Like her, he was a Shifter, capable of becoming a wolf at will. Right now he was teasing the probie, Tim McGee, by throwing wads of paper at him. The sudden rush of affection for the senior field agent surprised her.
It was nothing at all
Like anything I had felt before.
And it was nothing at all
Like I thought, no, it's so much more.
No one else has ever made
Me feel this way.
When I asked you how you did it,
You just say
It was nothing at all.
The Israeli Shifter had never been really serious with anyone before. Due to her genetic makeup, she just didn't find Statics all that sexy. Good-looking, maybe, but not her type. Oh God, if Tony finds out about that . . .
Well, there was no reason why he should. Ziva tried to convince herself of that as she entered the bullpen. Leaning over Tony's desk, she teased in a low, throaty voice, "You having fun, Tony?"
Startled, he jumped and let fly. The wad of paper hit McGee on the head, causing the already ticked-off probie to leap out of his chair in DiNozzo's direction. Tony dodged easily and McGee hit the floor. With a smirk in Ziva's direction, the Italian Shifter answered, "Oh, yes, Zee-vah."
"How many times have I told you two to keep it out of the office?" Gibbs said as he strode in, cup of coffee in hand. The two Shifters sprang apart, giving Gibbs a clear view of McGee. He frowned. "McGee, what are you doing?"
Flustered, the probie scrambled to his feet. "Nothin, Boss."
"Hhmm." The former Marine turned and went to his desk. Sitting down at the much-hated computer, he ordered, "Back to work!"
"Yes, Boss!" the team chorused. Ziva returned to writing up her notes on the Phoebe Madison case that they were currently investigating. Try as hard as she might, she just couldn't concentrate. She was all too aware of Tony working across from her. Ziva risked a glance upward and saw that his moss-green gaze was trained on her. The resulting emotional onslaught was nothing like she'd felt before. Catching his eye—which wasn't difficult—she jerked her head in the direction of the staircase. He gave a barely imperceptible nod and followed as she headed for their more-often-than-not meeting place. Although to her, it seemed as if they held most of their impromptu meetings in the men's restroom.
"What do you want, Zi?" Tony asked once they were alone and Gibbs and McGee couldn't overhear them.
You, corny as it was, popped into her head. She quickly shoved the thought aside. "Tony, how do you do it?"
"Do what?" He tilted his head, a perplexed expression on his face.
Ziva gave a low growl of frustration before she was able to reply with, "Make me feel this way."
His eyebrows shot up in surprise, but a smile crept slowly across his face. "Oh, it's nothing at all. Ziva, if it's your wolf—"
"Tony, to be honest, I don't even know." Why had she even brought this up? Ziva looked past his shoulder, suddenly fascinated by the way the steel railings of the staircase joined with the floor. "Look, sorry I bothered you. I shouldn't even have mentioned it. Forget I said anything—until we close this case, at least."
She could see his chest heave as he took a deep breath. "Okay. If that's what you want." He was gone and back at his desk within seconds. Watching him leave, Ziva wasn't sure if she could hold out. The pull that alerted her to the fact she'd found her mate was nothing like she'd thought it would be. No, it was so much more.
Now I walk home every evening,
And my feet are quick to move.
Cause I know my destination
Is a warm and waiting you.
It wasn't long before the case was closed; and the day after Halloween, Ziva was on her way home from work. Suddenly her peripheral vision picked up a familiar figure and she pulled over. Not surprisingly, Tony was on the sidewalk, leaning in the doorway of the bar they frequented. She stepped out and joined him.
"Hi, Zi," her partner greeted her.
"Shalom, Tony."
"You wanna join me?" he asked, jerking his thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the bar door.
The Israeli Shifter tilted her head and studied him. After a few heartbeats she said, "No, I have a better idea."
"What?"
"You want to take a walk with me?"
DiNozzo's eyes lit up. "Of course."
"Good," she said before turning and walking away. With a playful growl, Tony chased after her.
From our first communication,
It was clear
Any thought of moderation
Would soon disappear.
The door to her apartment opened, sending a laughing Tony and Ziva tripping over themselves and onto the floor. Ziva scrambled to her feet and tried to run away, but Tony, quick as thought, reached out and snagged one of her feet, sending the Israeli crashing to the floor once again.
A low growl rumbled in her throat. "Tony, you're gonna pay for this!"
"Oh, I don't think so," he murmured low, flipping her over. Ziva could feel her heartbeat speeding up, knew he could hear it. Already she was afraid her scent was laced with passion, with desire. Trying to fight it off, she snarled, "Get off! At least let me move so you can be more . . . comfortable, yes?"
A wicked smile crept across his face. "I like the sound of that."
Well, both of them had known any signs of moderation would disappear just from their first conversation.
It was nothing at all
Like anything I had felt before.
And it was nothing at all
Like I thought, no, it's so much more.
No one else has ever made
Me feel this way.
When I asked you how you did it,
You just say
It was nothing at all.
Lying in bed a half hour or so later with Tony beside her, Ziva felt content. Being with him brought feelings that she'd never really felt before. When she was younger, she'd heard about the connection between mates, but to experience it for herself . . . it was so much more than what she'd thought it would be. It was intense, terrifying, and scared her to death.
She was snapped out of her thoughts when Tony's warm hand snaked around her bare waist. Surprised, Ziva tensed and turned over so she was facing him.
His green-gray eyes sparkled. "Well, glad to see you're still with me. Can you believe Director Shepard is making us see a shrink?"
Ziva chuckled softly. "No, not really, but I can see why." She paused. "Tony, you know no one else has ever made me feel this way."
"Considering the whole mate-for-life thing, I would hope not," he replied. He drew her closer to him. "Now, what's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong. How do you do the things you do on cases and not get in trouble for it?"
Her mate grinned. "It's nothing at all. And it helps that Gibbs likes me. However, enough serious talk."
Then your innocent distractions
Hit me so hard
My emotional reaction
Caught me off guard
Before Ziva could react, his warm lips pressed against the soft skin of her throat. Heat flooded her body and she released a soft moan. The she-wolf wasn't sure why his distractions were hitting her so hard, but she didn't care. Running her hands over his body, she pulled him closer, the torrent of emotions running through her letting down her guard. She wanted him now, and she was sure he knew it. When Gibbs found out about their relationship, hopefully he wouldn't kill them.
It was nothing at all
Like anything I had felt before.
And it was nothing at all
Like I thought, no, it's so much more.
No one else has ever made
Me feel this way.
When I asked you how you did it,
You just say
It was nothing at all.
Like anything I felt before.
It was nothing at all.
No, it was nothing at all.
Nothing at all . . .
