Bad Luck Turns to Good
Chapter 9
Jethro and Ziva didn't get back home until late Wednesday night. The case was still going but after pulling an all-nighter on Tuesday and working through supper on Wednesday, Jethro knew they all needed a break. By this time, Ziva wouldn't have noticed if the sheets were dirty and the bathroom a wreck; she was too tired to care anyway. She and Jethro shared the shower and then fell into bed and were both asleep within minutes. Not the wedding night most couples have but then this was no ordinary couple.
The meeting with Director Vance had been postponed until they had time and that didn't come until Friday morning. The case was closed and Jethro and Ziva met with Leon before anyone else was in the office. He assured them they could remain on the same team as long as their work wasn't affected. Both Jethro and Ziva told him there would be no change in how they operated.
When they got back into the routine of working together, Jethro made it a point to continue to send Ziva out with Tony just as he had always done. They were a good team and he needed their experience working together. Things were going smoothly at work and mostly smoothly at home. Living with another person, even the person you were so deeply in love with, was difficult for both of them after living alone so long. Ziva hadn't moved very many of her belongings to the house yet and despite his conscious effort not to let it, that began to both Jethro after a couple of weeks. The little voice in the back of his head that always mocked his happiness was back sometimes when he was alone, and it began to scare him. Finally, one night while they were sitting on the couch enjoying the fire he decided he had to ask.
"When do you think you want to move your stuff over here?"
"I have not thought about it. We talked about doing some work on the house so I guess I was waiting until we discussed all that. Why are you asking?"
Ziva saw a look pass over his face and understood immediately what was going on.
"It's just that you still have the apartment and I well. . .I was hoping . . ."
Before he finished his sentence Ziva had moved and was sitting, straddling his lap. She took his face in her hands and kissed him sweetly and then more passionately. She let him catch his breath but just barely and then she kissed him again. Jethro's hands managed to get under her sweater and the feeling of his big, rough hands on her bare skin was amazing. When she eventually had to have some breath of her own, Ziva leaned back and looked into those blue eyes she woke up to every morning.
"You were hoping what, my love?"
"Huh?"
Ziva laughed and kissed him on the forehead. Jethro held her against his chest and nuzzled her hair. God, he loved this woman! He couldn't get enough of her and he was ashamed of letting the little voice get the best of him.
"I was just wondering when you were going to move in that's all."
"You were worried were you not?"
"No, not really. I just want you here, all of you and your stuff. It's stupid I know but it makes me kinda nervous that you still have the apartment."
"Well, we had talked about some work being done here and I guess I was waiting to see what that would be."
So, they talked that night about all the things Jethro wanted to do to the house. As the list of things he had in mind kept growing Ziva had an idea.
"My lease isn't up for another three months and it will cost me too much to break it. Maybe we should just move into the apartment while the house is being done."
"Why didn't I think of that? That would be perfect, Ziver. Great idea."
And that is what they did. Jethro rented a storage pod and they moved a few pieces of furniture and other things from the house Jethro wanted to keep into the pod in the driveway. Jethro had an ambitious plan in mind for the house including adding on a breakfast room off the kitchen and after meeting one Saturday morning with a contractor he was convinced the work could be done by the time Ziva's lease ran out. He planned to do some work himself but all the major construction would be done by the contractor and his crew.
Ziva helped design the kitchen and much to Jethro's delight, she had lots of good ideas about the rest of the house as well. They were blessed with good weather and everything was on track as the holidays approached. Jethro went by the house every day to check on the progress. The addition was finished by the middle of November and as Thanksgiving approached the kitchen was taking shape. The floor plan was opened up and before long the downstairs was completely new. The upstairs wouldn't need as much work and the contractor was waiting to start work up there until after Thanksgiving.
Jethro and Ziva went to Stillwater to visit Jack over the Thanksgiving holiday. When they got home the team was swamped with cases until the second week of December and Jethro lost track of what was happening at the house. By the time he checked in on the work, the kitchen and downstairs were practically finished and the workers had moved upstairs. They had made such good progress and done such good work that Jethro gave them several days off at Christmas time.
Christmas was spent in Israel visiting Ziva's father and other relatives. Jethro and Eli took a long walk one afternoon and when they returned to the house, they understood each other better and agreed they would each be lost without Ziva.
When the new year rolled around it looked like the house wasn't going to be ready in time after all. The crew had run into some problems in the master bathroom and the walk-in closet Jethro wanted was proving problematic. Ziva was able to negotiate another month with the landlord and after that everyone breathed a little easier.
Even long married couples often struggle during a house remodeling. Jethro and Ziva being newlyweds were not immune to the problems and disagreements that went with choosing everything from door knobs to flooring; from cabinet pulls to paint colors. Jethro had definite ideas about what he couldn't live with in terms of colors and Ziva was happy to abide by those ideas. He was less concerned about bathroom fixtures and drawer and cabinet pulls and all the myriad of small decisions that had to be made. He trusted Ziva's judgment on those things and was pleased with what she chose. Since the kitchen would be her territory Jethro let her choose whatever she wanted in there and in the end he loved what she decided upon.
There were definitely some rough patches for them as the house was nearing completion and more and more details had to be finalized. Jethro's readiness to allow Ziva to choose what she wanted seemed a good idea most of the time but every now and then she wanted his approval rather than his "whatever you want, Ziver" response. After a while it sounded more to her like, "I don't care". She found she didn't want to make all the decisions.
"Jethro, dammit I want you to tell me which one you prefer. Do not simply say I can choose. I have chosen the last thing I am going to without your input!"
When that small explosion had taken place late one Friday night Jethro was surprised and not at all sure how to respond. They were standing in the new master bathroom looking at the catalog of fixtures the contractor had left for them. They were trying to choose a new toilet and Jethro really and truly had no preference. As far as he was concerned they were all fine as long as they did the intended job.
"Ziver, honestly I do not care. As long as it works, it fits in the space and it's white that's all I care about. I don't care if it's round or oblong."
"Well you need to care because I do not want to make this decision by myself."
Something else was going on. That much was obvious to Jethro but for the life of him he couldn't figure out what it was. He knew Ziva was tired; they had had a rough week, and the house remodeling had gone on longer than they'd expected. But really, the toilet?
Jethro reached for the catalog and studied the choices. First of all he thought the prices were outrageous which showed how long it had been since he'd purchased a toilet. He couldn't imagine paying such a price even for a true necessity.
"Okay, the automatic flushing one is out; costs too much. The oblong one is out because it looks like it belongs in an office bathroom. I like this one."
He pointed to a plain, white commode with a traditional flush handle. Nothing special about it at all. It was a name brand he recognized as being known for quality and it seemed moderately priced.
Ziva looked at his choice and then at him. She liked the one that flushed when you waved your hand over the tank lid. It was very expensive though. She hesitated to disagree with Jethro after making such a big deal about him choosing.
"You like the auto flush one don't you?"
Sheepishly she admitted that she did.
"What if you want to put things on the lid like we do now? You know, your lotion and the Kleenex and like that?"
"I had not thought of that. Okay. We will get the one you chose. Now, what about the fixtures?"
"I prefer the brushed nickel. I don't really like the shiny one. Isn't the brushed nickel what you picked for the kitchen?"
"Yes. I prefer that as well. For all the fixtures here and in the guest bathroom?"
"Yes, make it all the same. Door knobs, all over, everywhere."
"I get it , Jethro! Which light fixture do you like?"
Jethro sighed. He looked through the catalog and pointed out three that he could live with. Ziva liked two of the same ones so they were at least narrowing it down. When they couldn't choose Jethro flipped a coin and the decision was made.
"Can we go home now?"
"Yes, I am tired and hungry and would love to be in bed with you in the not too distant future."
They closed up the house and headed back to the apartment stopping along the way for take out since neither of them wanted to cook.
Later that night, Jethro came out of the bathroom to find Ziva already in bed. She was sitting up reading. He sat on the side of bed beside her hips and motioned her to move over a bit. He leaned down, one hand on the bed beside her.
"Tell me what's wrong babe."
"Why do you think something is wrong? Because I required you to make a decision tonight?"
"Because you're still upset and you had a minor breakdown about a toilet."
He was almost kidding but not entirely. He shifted and ran his hand up her arm and around the back of her neck, pulling her in close for a kiss. Ziva raked her nails down his back and kissed him back with more energy than she thought she had. When a breath was absolutely necessary, Jethro sat back and waited.
"I am just very tired I think. There are so, so many tiny little things to be chosen. I never gave any thought to what all we had to decide upon. I am really okay, I promise. I love the house and I am just very anxious to be living there with you. I am very much over apartment living!"
"Me too. You know I would live in a hut if I had you there, right?"
"I know. But we need to get moved pretty soon."
Now Ziva was having trouble concentrating on what she wanted to say because Jethro's hands were roaming and his mouth was following. They had not had much time for each other lately and they were both in need of the other's undivided attention.
Jethro pulled her cami off over her head and any thoughts of wall colors or drawer pulls or light fixtures were erased from her mind. The only thing on Ziva's mind was Jethro and what he was doing with his hands at the moment. Likewise, Jethro wasn't concerned about flooring or insulation or which window to buy; all he cared about was his wife and being as close to her as humanly possible for as long as possible for the rest of the night.
Finally, a few weeks later the house was finished and ready for them to move back into the third week of February. Jethro and Ziva spent almost an entire Saturday shopping for furniture. Jethro sat on more couches that day than he had in his entire life. Once again they both had definite ideas about what they wanted.
"Jethro, I want you to have a comfortable chair that is yours to relax in in front of the fire. It does not have to be something I would choose but it cannot be ugly."
"Ugly is in the eye of the beholder, Ziver."
"Very funny. I like both of those," she pointed to two leather recliners that Jethro had indicated he liked.
"Pretty pricey."
"But you are worth it. Just sit in that dark brown one and tell my you would not enjoy sitting in that and falling asleep in front of a fire."
"I'd rather fall asleep on the couch with you."
"But you know, Jethro there are times when I might not be there. Just sit in the darn chair!"
Jethro sat in the chair and just as Ziva had known he would, he fell in love with it.
"Damn, this is really comfortable. You're right, I need this chair. And, I think you might fit in here with me!"
"I thought so. Now the couch over there goes very nicely with the chair."
Jethro agreed and they moved to the bedroom section to spend some more of Jethro's savings. Next was a new table and chairs for the breakfast room. By the time they got home that night Jethro could almost hear his credit card crying. He told himself it was only money and considering how long it had been since he'd spent any money on the house it wasn't that bad.
Later that night as they got ready for bed Ziva brought up something that had been bothering her for days.
"Jethro, I do not think you should pay for all of what we bought today plus all that was done to the house. I have money and I want to pay for some of what we are doing."
"What do you mean you have money? Have you been holding out on my all this time?"
Ziva crawled across the bed and settled on his lap. She let her hands skate across his chest playing with the soft curly hair which she loved almost as much as his blue eyes. She leaned in and kissed him on the mouth.
"I have not been holding out on you. My aunt who died last month, my mother's sister, she left me some money and it just showed up in my account this week."
"Nice. Did you know she was leaving you money?"
"No, it was a complete surprise to me. Apparently she inherited some land from my grandfather and then sold it and kept the money in a trust fund or something like that. Anyway, she left the money to me. It is not a fortune but it will certainly help pay for all the fun we had today."
"You sure you want to do that? You don't have to."
"Of course I want to. It is found money really and I do not expect you to pay for everything in this marriage. We are partners, Jethro. I want to do my share."
"Okay. That's great. Now, let's not talk about money for a while."
"Hmmm, what would you like to talk about?"
"Nothin'."
So for the next hour or so they didn't talk about anything. They communicated but in their preferred, non-verbal way. They fell asleep then, wrapped up in each other, anxious to move into their house and leave apartment living behind.
TBC
