Note: I got down to 2,000 words while writing this one and usually when I put something down it just sort of flops out of my brain and well…computers are butt faces so there is that. [Basically the stupid thing decided it wanted to close out of Microsoft without my consent…] Anyways, I am surprised to see someone actually coming back to me after that last chapter [Jeez, who wrote that?] but thank you for your enthusiasm of this story? Or you just came here to make fun of how sucky my romance skills are? That works too. I never said I was good at writing romance, but we all have to start somewhere eh? Any ways, I am pretty sure this next chapter down below will make you the most confused person ever but hey, my brain comes up with these pretty confusing storylines and sometimes you just have to write 'em down….Thank you for the reviews/favorites/follows – I keep forgetting to add that in these things.

. J is for Juncture .

His dreams had always been pleasant as a child. There was always these rare moments when a nightmare did occur, but somehow, someway or the other he always found a way to deal with them. Typical nightmares of course consisted of the average monster coming to feast upon his fragile bones or after his mother died, watching her die over and over again. During his teenage years, the dreams were consumed of girls and cars, of course basketball had been high up on that list too but not as far as the girls or the cars. As a young man, the dreams continued to be of girls and cars, he never said he was classy. He had been thirty four when his dreams stopped being about girls and started being about women, one woman. Those dreams put an aching in his heart, left him speechless beyond compare.

She was the beautiful woman who sat across from him in the squad room, she slouched provocatively, insulted him, teased him, and often gave him more hassle than she was probably worth. Then one day out of the blue, when he thought she was safe or maybe he just forced himself to believe that, he thought she had died and that was when the nightmares came back. Nightmares that he hadn't protected her enough. When she discovered to not have actually died the nightmares became more of he hadn't saved her from caffeinate addicted psychopath. That went for months before he started seeing her smile again, hearing her laugh, and just look beautiful because she was happy. Then the dreams turned good to dreams of marriage, proposals, sex of course, and maybe a few kids…the dog dreams were his favorite because who didn't love Lassie?

It came no surprise to him when he awoke at 0200, the sheets around him ruffled and sprawled about from his inability to sleep in one place, to realize that the dream of holding her, kissing her, and telling her over and over again that he loved her had only been a dream. A dream that started out with him painfully experiencing that she was dying and she needed to tell him that she loved him and ended him proposing something lame that he couldn't quite remember because he really hadn't paid attention to any of their conversations but he did remember the yes and the feeling of excitement that washed over him due to that yes. A yes that he would probably never get, several miles away and many oceans apart where their only connection were phone calls and skype. He was all alone here with no Ziva David to wrap his arms around, to kiss whenever he pleased, or to shout the skies that he loved her.

He rolled out of bed, scratching his jawline that was fixed with a shadow reminding him that he better shave before the big day…well, today. His gaze fell onto the city below wondering what it would be like to have her here with him now. The dream had felt real, but most of his dreams consisting of her did and his heart ached for that.

Tony stretched out his arms, yawning in the process. He then followed through with stretching out the rest of his body parts, there was no way he could go to sleep now after such a vivid dream. He would just have to keep himself busy with thoughts of becoming a boss that would be certain to help get his mind off of her.

He decided to check his phone just in case any emails or phone calls had come in and after a good twenty minutes of shaking the comforter, looking under the couch, pillows, and the bathroom, he found it lying on the kitchen counter were he had placed it earlier that morning when he had first arrived at his new complex. Stifling another yawn against the sleeve of his OSU t-shirt he clicked the button only to be blinded by the rays of light. He quickly scrambled to tone down the brightness before pulling down the notification tab. Sure enough he had three missed calls from Ziva and a voicemail, man she must be missing him.

Stifling yet another yawn, the young man would hold the phone up to his ear as he started for the fridge in search of something to drink. He closed it several minutes later, realizing that he hadn't been to the store yet nor had he pressed the "listen to voicemail" button. Yep, he was functional at two a.m.

He headed towards the cabinet for a glass as her voice came on the line, slightly strained he noted. "I told you I would call you back but apparently you are asleep…um…we really miss you Tony. I really miss you. Stay safe." And then her voice was gone with a 'click'. Tony groaned inwardly as he mentally smacked the back of his head because one he hadn't turned on the sink and two, he had missed Ziva's calls. That always put her in a bad mood, but at least he wouldn't have to deal with her at work today. Luckily for him he would get to spend the day with whizz kid and man hands.

After another yawn, Tony somehow managed to fill his glass and take a few swallows. He decided to head straight for the shower even if it was still early, but maybe he could catch Ziva at a good time. Taking his phone back in his hands he headed for the balcony, mind quickly remembering the dream where they had danced. Had he made some sort of promise to her? He stared at the traffic down below for a moment as he tried to remember, but finding none he decided to just sit down on the only chair and then press 'one' on his emergency contacts.

Three rings later her wonderful voice answered. "Tony." He imagined her smiling while sitting up in bed or maybe lounging around the house. If this had been his dream she probably would've been in her underwear or absolutely nothing at all.

"Hey gorgeous." He grins, knowing well that she can't see it but they often say it's the thought that counts. "What are you up to and what are you wearing?"

"I am sitting in the squad room running plate numbers while McGee," Her voice pitched in a somewhat annoyed tone. "eats a nutterbutter, he refused to buy me one can you believe that? And, if McGee was not here clothing would not be an option." He can practically imagine the seductive grin that falls upon her face and the gulp of the middle agent at the possibility that his colleagues are having a very dirty conversation.

"Mmm." He hums, smacking his lips with his tongue for good measures. "Can I expect to see that no clothing side of you when I get back?" He prays he hasn't gone too far with the conversation, they are both trying to move forward with short simple steps but he feels like that dream was telling him to hurry up and move along, he isn't getting younger after all.

"Do you want to see me naked, Tony?" Her voice is low, breath almost hitched as she awaits his response. It's the kind of voice his fantasies play out as being her bedroom voice.

"Is that a problem?" He shifts from his position, practically leaning forward to jump to his toes if she tells him that there is no hope, that he should just go get ready for the day and forget about her.

"Not at all." He can hear the smack of her lips in the phone followed quickly by a snort. "I think we scared McGee."

"Good, he's sensitive little brain can't handle grown up conversations but seriously, what are you wearing?" He combs his fingers through his hair before running the tips against the ducts of his eyes to clear them of yellow substance.

"I am wearing a blue t-shirt, the color of your eyes to be exact, and a pair of very, very tight jeans." She replies seductively and he quickly wonders how she knew it was his favorite look on her.

"Very sexy." Tony barks as he jumps to his feet with a sudden blow of a car horn, just a few drunken parties down below. "I had a dream last night, we got engaged."

"That is the third one in a month." Ziva points out, with the distant clicking of her mouse as she continues to busy herself with work.

"Yep…I think I'm trying to tell myself something." He scratches his scruff as he breathes in some much needed oxygen only to release it back out into the stuffy city air. "You want go out with me sometime?"

There is silence on the other line as she stills her clicking and her breath draws in. This might've been the crossed line, the point where he should take back those words and act as if nothing happened but he is tired of taking back words that do have meaning, he is tired of not pouring them out over and over again. He wants her as much as he is sure she wants him.

"I get that we are in different cities, different countries to be exact but they made skype for a reason and I plan to be home every single holiday. You told me before I left that you wanted me to be nothing but happy, Ziva and I do want to be happy but I don't think that is possible without you." He runs his tongue along his lips as he tries to think of something more, but realizes there is nothing more. All of that is the truth so he waits in silence for what feels like hours.

"I would love to go out with you, Tony." He tries to imagine her smile or the look in her eyes but he knows none of that would ever compare to actually seeing it live up and personal. "But we are in different places as you pointed out…we cannot," Her voice stills for a moment to what he assumes could be an interruption of McRuiner or the old boss man. "Do this now, I have to go." He wonders if she frowns as the words leave her lips because he knows he does.

"Alright, goodnight."

"Good morning."

A click and she is gone. Did it really take them being oceans apart to finally grow a pair and sort out there undefined relationship? He knows it isn't fair to either of them being so far away when they want to be so close. Why did he have to dream that stupid dream…

….

His team his wonderful, lively. They treat him with respect and work as they are meant to.

He doesn't get to talk to Ziva for four whole days, in fact their whole conversation is only a few bits and pieces of sparred voicemails and quick emails. As the days drag on he realizes that they can't try the whole distance thing because while he is busy with catching a serial killer he can't at all get her off of his mind, the struggle is real.

On day six, with a very heavy Ziva withdraw they managed to squeeze in a quick thirty minutes of just them, face to face in video chat. He was seated in the breakroom, for once not at all surrounded by orange but more so a caramel, looking through a couple of documents as he chowed down on a granola bar when she requested a chat. Five seconds later her gorgeous face, while slightly flushed popped up onto the screen.

"Well, hello sexy." She smiled mischievously, as she positioned the laptop to get a better view of him in his dark suit and red tie – the one she had bought him last Christmas.

"Hey that's my line!" He cried, gripping his chest as if she had stabbed him in the heart. "How are you, sweet cheeks?" Tony's brow arches slightly as he takes a bite of his bar, the files before him long forgotten with the simplicity of having her.

"Pretty good since the last time you asked, how are you my hairy butt?" Ziva props her elbow up onto her table, to which he believes to either be her desk or the breakroom back in DC. Orange had always been a popular color back then.

"Missing you like crazy…plus, I need an assassin to come help me track down this killer. I can't find any connection to anything besides they wore the same color shirt can you believe that?" He sighed, taking another bite of his bar. "I asked Vance if I could come home…he threatened to fire me. Guess he knew I was wanting back for a women."

"It is alright, Tony. We will find a way." She smiled half-heartedly, the kind that didn't quite meet her eyes. "Besides…boss looks very sexy on you." Her bottom lip drew in as her eyes did a quick once over of his visible body parts. "Very, very sexy."

"See, that makes me miss you more." He frowns, aiming to take another bite of his granola only to find out that he finished it off during the last bite. He quickly crinkles the wrapper and shoots it to the trash can, but not even the perfect shot can make him smile. "If we have to stay like this, Ziva…"

"I know, Tony…I know." Her saddened gaze his all he needs as reassurance and he opens his mouth to add something more only to be cut off by Gibbs' voice and Ziva's hurried goodbye. He isn't sure how much more of this he can take. The job has always gotten in the way of himself and the girl, but this time he refuses to let it.

So basically all of those chapters were Tony's dreams. [coughscoughs] And like I said earlier, there might not be a chapter up tomorrow but it just depends on my schedule. Hope you guys aren't too mad about this, but eh, some fictions kill the duo.