A/N: Hey guys! I could tell from the reviews of Ch 8 that you all were expecting this story to last a lot longer, but I'd only ever planned it to be less than ten chapters. So this is the last one. I really wanted to see T&Z get back to the kind of relationship they had before she got her memory back. I hope you enjoy and thanks again for all the reviews, you guys are awesome!
It was a Thursday and the MCRT was at a crime scene. McGee was on perimeter, Tony bagged and tagged, and Ziva sketched and snapped photos. Gibbs had his notebook in hand and was interviewing witnesses and coordinating with Metro police. When he finished, he turned and scanned the area to check on his team. What Gibbs saw made his heart a little lighter.
Tony and Ziva were talking as they worked, their interaction once again familiar and welcomed. Ziva said something and Tony laughed, cutting his eyes to McGee who had added his two cents' worth to the moment. Tony leaned over and kissed his wife's cheek, then jumped up to take the evidence to the truck before she could do more than smile after him. Gibbs watched the way Ziva's eyes followed her husband and he nodded in satisfaction. They were slowly fitting back together again.
Later that day when they arrived at their main suspect's house to bring him in for questioning, Gibbs and McGee took the front and he sent Tony and Ziva around back. Kicking down the front door, they cleared rooms quickly and got to the livingroom just in time to see the guy take a swing at Ziva.
She barely blinked before dodging the blow and hooking her foot around his ankle to put him on the floor. Tony rolled him over and handcuffed him, then grinned at his wife while she recited the man's Miranda Rights. She hadn't even broken a sweat. It was good to see the seamless way their partnership had fallen back in line.
At the office Gibbs' eyes rarely left the couple. He let the partners do the interrogation and watched in fascination as Ziva started and Tony stood in the corner, arms crossed. As soon as a point needed to be made or reinforced, Ziva barely paused before Tony stepped in and they worked the good cop/bad cop, sarcasm and brutal honesty routine as if they were writing the book, nor merely working from the same page. They reminded Gibbs of another set of partners long ago who'd never lost their flow, even after eight years of not working together.
Between getting answers from Abby and doing background on their victim, there always seemed to be time for the couple to flirt with each other. It had taken three whole weeks before that had become an integral part of their interaction again and Gibbs was surprised. Flirting for them was as natural as breathing. Tony leaned over Ziva's shoulder to look at some information on her computer, Ziva stood close enough for her body to brush Tony's in Observation.
His hand would fall to the small of her back every time they entered or left a room. She made a habit of sliding her fingers over his hand or down his arm whenever they were in the same space. The looks and touches, smiles and fleeting glances exchanged all day made Gibbs and McGee feel like they were intruding on a private conversation in a language only their team members knew. But then again, Tony and Ziva had never needed words to talk.
By the time they made it home, both husband and wife were drained. It had been a long day and they needed sleep, but first a movie was in order to give them a chance to unwind. Tony put in Finding Neverland, a movie he knew Ziva had fallen in love with despite the sadness of its ending, and lay down on the couch, settling his head in her lap.
Ziva smiled and got comfortable, running her long fingers through Tony's hair until his eyes closed and he sighed in pleasure. When she thought he was asleep, she leaned down and gently touched her lips to his. But Tony was only almost sleeping and his arms encircled her neck instantly.
Surprised, Ziva broke away and laughed. "I think you are cheating Tony," she said lightly, amazed at how easy she was finding it to be married to him. For days and weeks she hadn't known what to think, but now she knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she loved her husband and she couldn't imagine life any other way than this. They had come up with their own normal, separate from any of the lives they'd lived, and it was better than anything Ziva had been able to dream of.
Tony looked at her for a long moment before grinning, loving the flashes of thoughts running through her eyes. Ziva was happy, that was all he could ask for. Finally he grinned. "Hey, I was almost asleep. You're the one who picked a great way to wake me up."
She smirked. "Do not worry. Go back to sleep."
Tony sat straight up and frowned. "You're just going to leave me hanging like that?" he demanded.
Ziva raised an eyebrow. "I thought you were tired Tony."
He repositioned himself to sit beside her. "Never too tired for this," he murmured, sliding his hands along her neck and into her thick hair, bringing Ziva's face close.
She angled her head to meet his lips, kissing him lightly at first but not resisting when Tony leaned in to deepen it. Ziva's hands skimmed over Tony's chest and around the back of his neck, ghosting over his skin in such a way that made him break out in goosebumps.
Ziva smiled and Tony pulled away. "You're teasing," he said huskily, the darkness in his eyes bringing back memories of another time, another life.
She shrugged, unconcerned. "Maybe a little. But you are enjoying it."
Tony narrowed his eyes and tipped her chin up, molding his mouth to hers as their lips met again.
He'd been kissing her a lot more lately, ever since she'd brought up the topic of kids. And Ziva didn't seem to mind, she had not once asked him to back off or take things a little slower. He held the kiss until he couldn't breathe anymore and then Ziva buried her face in his chest, taking deep breaths and trying to fight the desire that flowed through her. Tony wrapped his arms around her body, holding her tightly against him.
Somehow he knew it was enough for tonight. They were both so close to being ready to give themselves physically again - well, he'd been ready for weeks but it was Ziva he didn't want to rush, so they had to wait. Still, their anniversary was just around the corner and Tony could hope.
NCIS
Tony and Ziva lay in bed one night almost a month after all of her memories had returned. Things had been slow between them, as they worked their way back to the relationship they'd had before she remembered. They still hadn't had sex, or done more than kiss. Tony was trying to give Ziva the space to figure out what she wanted now, and Ziva was trying to turn her jumbled mass of memories from the past into a way to redeem her present.
But night was when things happened for the couple - when they could talk, when they could share, when they could be honest and lay out their hearts. Tonight it was Ziva who began the conversation, her finger tracing Tony's wedding band as his arm lay across his stomach.
She sighed and he turned to look at her, sensing the topic would be a serious one. "You would not have asked me to marry you when I was just your partner."
Tony rolled over on his side and wove his fingers between hers, thinking before he spoke. "You wouldn't've said yes if I had," he pointed out, knowing it was the truth.
Ziva's eyes met his and Tony saw in them something that made him wonder. "Ask me now, Tony," she said softly.
Tony's eyes widened and he took a deep breath, laying his palm against her cheek. "Ziva David-DiNozzo, will you marry me, Tony DiNozzo, in spite of all my past mistakes and screw ups and jerky moments, because I love you with all my heart and I can't live without you?" He paused, pondering what needed to be added. "Will you promise never to leave me," his biggest fear after watching her run out of the office that awful Thursday afternoon, "never to run away again, never to put up all your old walls and keep me out?"
She nodded, blinking back tears as she leaned in to kiss him. "Yes Tony," Ziva smiled, "I promise, and I will marry you." She pressed her hand to his chest, feeling the steady beating of his heart, smirking when it sped up a bit at her touch. "And will you, Tony DiNozzo, marry me? A woman who has been so many different people that I still sometimes do not know who I am even though I can remember everything. A woman who has hurt you deeply, made just as many mistakes as you, but has come to love you more than I ever thought I could love another person. Will you promise to always love me like this, like I am your treasure, to never let me go, to never let me push you away?"
Tony pulled her close and kissed his wife passionately, his lips caressing hers, his fingers winding into her hair, delighted when Ziva responded with equal feeling. When he let her breathe again, he rested his forehead on hers. "I promise, and I'll say yes a thousand times Ziva, I will marry you again if you want. I just want you, need you, as my wife. I love you."
"I love you too," Ziva smiled, her eyes lighting with something he hadn't seen since her memories returned. It was the first time she'd said 'I love you' since before she'd remembered, and Tony had begun to wonder if he would always see the love in her eyes but never get to hear the words from her lips.
Gratefulness overwhelmed him and he had to kiss her again, slowly, wanting to mark every second on his memory to look back on later. The night he got his wife back. When he pulled away slightly to see her, the emotion in Ziva's eyes hadn't changed, and Tony remembered that look. He swallowed hard. Almost afraid to ask, he took her hand and kissed each fingertip. "Zeev?" He hoped she knew what he was asking and would understand his question.
"I am ready Tony," she whispered, pressing against him, giving him the permission he'd wanted for weeks.
Tony wrapped his arms around her, capturing her lips and deepening the kiss immediately. His tongue touched her bottom lip, asking for permission, and Ziva opened her mouth without hesitation. Tony groaned as he tasted her, sliding his hand under her t-shirt to explore the skin on her lower back.
His touch was needy and impatient, his mouth possessive and urgent on hers. It had been weeks since they'd had sex and he wanted her so badly. He wanted to give her comfort and reassure himself that this was real, that they were still together even after everything. He wanted to get the pleasure he'd become used to from Ziva's body, and bring her to the point of ecstacy, when she collapsed sweaty and trembling into his arms.
But for all he wanted, Tony held back, because now she remembered Somalia and he didn't know how that would affect their intimacy. Ziva felt his hesitation and broke the kiss, her eyes searching his, trying to understand why he wasn't as enthusiastic as she'd expected him to be.
"What is wrong Tony?" she asked. "I thought this was what you wanted."
The way she worded the sentence made him pull away even farther. He frowned. "I don't want to make love to you if you're only letting me Ziva." Tony searched her gaze. "Do you want this?"
Her eyes softened. "Tony, I am your wife, you know me. You have known me for years and learned how to read me. We are partners who have never needed words to speak." Ziva touched his face. "What did you see in my eyes? What do you see now?"
He swallowed. "That you want me to do this, that you want me. But the memories Ziva..." Tony sighed. "I don't want to hurt you."
She shook her head. "Somalia was almost three years ago Tony. And for the last year you have loved me so carefully." Ziva traced his lips with her thumb and shook away the darkness from that event. "I do not like to remember, but I am yours now and I am not afraid." She kissed him slowly. "It is alright ahava, to show me how much you love me."
His eyes grew smokey and Ziva smiled, recognizing his look of desire. With aching tenderness Tony pulled her back into his arms, his lips seeking hers, his hands roaming over her body with experience, his touch laying an invisible claim to any skin others may have touched.
Ziva returned the kiss with anticipation, refusing to give into the fear niggling at the back of her mind because she knew that her husband was always gentle and loving. He had been since the beginning of their second chance. When he took her that night, slowly and sweetly, Ziva felt whole again, as if being with him was the last piece of the puzzle that she'd been missing.
She fell asleep much later wrapped around Tony, safe in his arms, content finally with where and what she was. She was Ziva - former Mossad assassin, former ice queen, former soldier. Now she was an investigator, a friend, a daughter, and a wife. This was her life. She had a past, a present, all of her memories, and a husband who loved her more than she deserved. He was her future, her heart, her home - everything that she'd never had before.
After everything that had happened, her life had still been redeemed, their love had been redeemed, and Ziva would never take it for granted again. Lacing her fingers with Tony's, Ziva snuggled a bit closer and closed her eyes. Nothing had ever felt so right. No longer would she have to try to remember something good, because she'd be waking up beside him every day for the rest of her life.
THE END
