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this chapter i dedicate to tivaandmcabby (my 100th reviewer ;D), TheRoseShadow21, guest, SilverStella, EowynGoldberry, Yadoonkeanjaani (sorry for freaking you out :P and to answer your question, no, Ari is going to be a good guy :)), LivyRox, Robern, bdn1313, lumza, ana, guest, tenahi, route56 (awesome name!), ilovencis3214, NCISNumber1Fan, neon-death and EVERYONE who is reading this right now! :D

i thought i would do you a little present for the 100 reviews... ;D

disclaimer: disclaimed

Chapter 10

Today was the day. The day that Tony was finally being discharged, after what seemed like a lifetime. No-one had ever seen him complaining so much about spending extended periods of time in bed, but he seemed to be defying all expectations and being the worst patient ever, almost rivalling Gibbs after he had been blown up. But they had to admit, Tony had been there for quite some time, and everyone had a breaking point. In the time that he'd been laying there doing nothing the case had been opened and closed, murderers and drug dealer had been caught after a less that above board methods employed by Gibbs and life had gone on. That was, for everyone apart from Tony. Until today.

Everyone was feeling something. It was impossible not to. Abby was a nervous wreck, back in the confines of her lab where Gibbs had insisted she stay to continue with her work for another team. Ziva was also a nervous wreck, standing by the hospital bed. But she didn't show it. And Gibbs, much like Ziva appeared to be feeling nothing. The doctors on the other hand, couldn't wait to see Tony go.

"So, I want limited physical activity, and no unnecessary letting of blood," Dr Lawson said talking to Tony, looking him straight in the eye as if talking to an unresponsive child. Clearly Dr Lawson knew Tony well.

"You hear that boss," Tony said turning to Gibbs, who was leant casually against the wall, his arms crossed over his broad chest. Gibbs decided not to even acknowledge Tony's attempt at humour. Not today. Gibbs could tell that as usual Tony was playing up to the class clown persona. But this time, he wasn't just doing it to look good, or to irritate his partner. There was something different. Or more accurately, someone.

"He would not dare," Ziva said softly or firmly. Gibbs understood that she was referring to the physical activity part of the doctor's words. Tony, of course, did not.

"Or what? You two would fight? I would pay to see that…"

Tony received two equally sharp death glares from two sides of the room. But clearly he was a man with a death wish.

"Because you know, that kind of content is illegal in some countries…"

"Physical activity. You will not dare involve yourself in physical activities," Ziva clarified to shut DiNozzo up. And it worked.

Gibbs had to admit, he was impressed. Not only was Ziva a strong woman, but she had the ability to control Tony. Not in a violent or dictatorship way, but somehow she had commandeered his respect just by being herself. And Ziva clearly had the same level of respect for Tony. The two of them fought like a married couple and had eye-sex like passionate lovers. And yet they seemed determined not to be together. But Gibbs was pretty sure that things were about to change. Call in his gut instinct, or call it the two weeks of mandatory rest. Something was going to happen, he was certain of it, whether they initiated it or karma and the fates got bored of waiting for the inevitable to happen. Ziva had taken so much time off work to be with Tony, and was taking even more time off to help him recuperate. Gibbs knew that the studio meant a lot to Ziva; he had learnt that much over the long sleepless nights by Tony's bedside. They were two normally reserved people. But under the circumstances they had began to open up and talk, the cathartic refuge being good for both of them. They were united in their love for Tony, even though it was in two very different ways. He learnt so much about this woman that Tony had fallen in love with (he had. Whether Tony wanted to admit it or not). Through their time Gibbs had learnt about Ziva's life, that mostly revolved around the studio. Whenever she spoke of it her eyes lit up, and there was a brightness in her voice that was only ever present during these times. And when she spoke to or about Tony.

"You have been scheduled for a follow up appointment in 2 weeks. Please don't miss it, we will not clear you for field work if you do not attend," Dr Lawson continued. Finally, he added, "and for goodness sake, don't do anything stupid."

Dr Lawson put out his hand, and Tony shook it with a firm grip. The doctor had been patient throughout Tony's entire stay at the hospital, and had gone above and beyond the call of duty to help Tony get back on track (no-where in his contract did it mention talking stubborn senior field agents out of eating pizza when they were on a strict diet that did not include food that were going to get him back into hospital, this time with coronary heart disease).

"Thank you, doctor," Tony said softly. It was the quietest and most sincere that the doctor had ever seen the man. It didn't, however, last for long.

"Let's blow this joint!"

oooOOOooo

It had been an epic battle to get Tony up the stairs to Ziva's small apartment. Ziva had reasoned that Tony was incapable of taking care of himself (even more so than on an average day), and she would be the best person to help him recover. She also said how she needed to look after her house, so she could kill two turkeys ("does it really matter which bird I kill, Tony" was her reply once Tony had corrected her) with one bullet and he could stay with her. However, no-one had given much thought to the stairs.

"This isn't funny," Tony muttered under his breath at Ziva's smirking face. Gibbs currently had his arm firmly on Tony's waist, and Tony's arm was over his boss' shoulder. However, collectively, they were extremely wide. Wider than the corridor. As a result of this, they were currently walking sideways, Gibbs practically dragging Tony along as he couldn't put his full weight down on the ground.

Wordlessly Ziva closed the rest of the distance between her and her front door and unlocked the door.

An age later, Gibbs finally managed to drop Tony on the couch. Tony bounced once, then twice, before the momentum from the throw was lost and he settled onto the sofa.

"Call if you need anything," said a crabby Gibbs to Ziva. If Tony had been irritated by the whole situation, Gibbs' anger was off the scale. He had to get out of there, before he killed the man.

There was an awkward silence as Gibbs close the door behind him. It was only and this moment that Tony realised that Ziva hadn't spoken to him since they had been at the hospital. And now they were alone in the house together, and the tension was defiantly there.

"I'm just going to make us something to eat…" Ziva mumbled, and she walked off to the kitchen.

Tony could hear the sound of pots and pans banging around and the switch on the kettle being pressed. Tony leant back on the sofa, the heels of his palms coming up to rub his eyes. It was clear that Ziva was mad at him. He was no stranger to making woman mad, he had a rap sheet as long as the eye could see. But most of the time, he knew what he had done, and he knew that he deserved it. He deserved the slap on the face, or the harsh words, or the cold tears that traced down their faces. But this was different. This was Ziva. Ziva, amazing, wonderful, beautiful Ziva who had spent the last few weeks by his bedside watching him as he slept, who was now no longer talking to him. And he fully intended to find out why.

Pressing himself up with both hands, he winced as the muscles protested under the weight that had been suddenly placed on them. He had been so used to the weeks in hospital spent being partially lifted or in a wheelchair that it was almost as if his muscled had forgotten how to work. But they were going to have to learn quick. Because there was a pissed off ninja chick in the kitchen who he needed to speak to. And he needed to get off this couch.

The first thing he noticed was how good Ziva was with a knife. She stood there, slightly to one side chopping vegetables with such deadly accuracy and precision, that it was scary. And not only that, but the anger that she seemed to be harnessing terrified him. He suddenly felt the need to intervene.

"What did those poor vegetables ever do to you?"

Tony could not have predicted how she would have reacted next.

Ziva spun around, hand still gripping the knife, pointing the blade directly at Tony. Tony raised his hands in alarm, watching the steely gaze in her eye as her knuckles whitened under the pressure against the knife. When she saw who it was, her gaze seemed move worried.

"You should not be up," she said putting down the knife and moving to help him back to the sofa.

"You are angry with me," Tony said bluntly. It had been the most truthful he had been in a long time, and even if Ziva had not got that from his voice, his eyes would have given him away. They were darker somehow, piercing and bright, not joking and guarded as they usually were. The words and the look stopped Ziva right in her tracks a few steps away from Tony.

"I am not," Ziva denied immediately.

"I don't believe you."

That was it. The simple statement, and Ziva knew he had her. She could barely admit it to herself. But yes, she was angry with him. And then he asked the question that neither of them could answer.

"Why?"

The silence deafened the two of them, the energy crackling through the air as the magnitude of the situation hit them both.

Ziva didn't want to look him in the eyes. She didn't want him to see her, didn't want him to read her like he did so well. He was not just any man, he could look straight at her and see straight through her. She was naked in front of him and his scrutiny. And she didn't know how to feel about it. She was scared, yes, but there was something else. Some knowledge, some unknown passion that she didn't even know she had the capacity to feel. With a look she was burning from the inside out. It had always been there, a gentle simmer when they were first getting to know each other, increasing to a burning feeling when they shared a look or a touch. And now she was so angry. Why did he have to be so stupid and get himself shot? Now the fear had gone, she could afford to feel angry, and the anger seemed to fuel the burn until it was a white hot flame. It consumed her, made her blood rush all through her body and make every feeling in her body seem magnified ten-fold. And she had to do something about it, or the fire would consume her and she would burn from the inside out. So that's what made her do it.

Taking three strides over to him, she crushed her lips against him, almost violently in a desperate attempt to get closer to him. She could feel her blood rushing through her ears, her eyes dropping closed as they couldn't contain the emotions that bubbled to the surface. She felt one of his hands come up to cup her neck, as he tilted her head to push her lips against his exactly how he wanted them. His other hand came to her bare biceps, and the gentle caress against her skin juxtaposing with the feeling of his lips against hers, and intensifying the passion of his lips. She felt his tongue slip into the confines of her mouth, and just as she moaned in agreement he withdrew. She murmured in protest, but Tony was not finished with her. He mouth moved to devour her neck, biting and sucking at the skin of her neck. Ziva felt her knees buckle as his mouth came to touch her just where her jaw met her neck, and before she knew it she found herself backed into the counter. She could feel his body aligned with hers, and everywhere she felt his touch felt like it was alight, burning and tender and so, so hot.

Tony's lips moved to her ear, biting her ear. Ziva whimpered in response, not recognising the sounds that Tony seemed to pull form the depth of her heart. She had never felt this enflamed before, full of the passion that was Tony DiNozzo.

"Tell me that you want this," Tony ordered huskily into her earlobe. She had always been a strong woman, and none of her past lovers had dared order her into saying something. And yet she found her lips take up their own mind, and a response form.

"I want this," Ziva whispered into his ear, her voice cracking slightly with the passion. Ziva could feel the response that she evoked in Tony, and even for her the simple submission made her heart beat just a little bit faster. Tony sealed his lips against hers again.

He hadn't seen it coming. And yet, now in the moment he could not think of any other way that the situation could have resolved itself. Ziva was ravishing him, and despite his previous words and the apparent dominance he had, Ziva was giving it back as good as she could. She squirmed and moaned under his tongue, and he could not remember the last time he felt desire like this.

Tony tried to pull her onto the countertop, but that was the moment where his injuries made themselves known.

And sharp gasp brought Ziva out of the red she was seeing, and she saw his face contorted in pain. And then she remembered why Tony was there in the first place.

"Shit," Ziva said softly.

"Was I that bad?" Tony said, the cocky tone in his voice showing her that he knew that was exactly the opposite of what had occurred.

Ziva sent him a look, but Tony was too busy to notice. He was looking at her. Her air was mused by his own hands raking through it, her lips swollen with the abuse and love they had just been shown. He moved his hand to ghost across her neck, and she felt her shudder in pleasure as his touch hit a sensitive part of her neck, the senses newly heightened by the previous touch from his lips. He eyes were fluttering shut, and Tony marvelled at how powerful a response she had to him. But she wasn't the only one. Ziva gave him something that he didn't even know he was missing. And it terrified him.

"Ziva?" he asked, and her eyelids fluttered open once more, "I'm glad that happened."

Ziva's smile reassured him of one thing. That she was glad that happened too.

THEY KISSED! :D :D is it worth a review? *bats eyelids*