So sorry this took so long! I've decided I'm probably the world's worst story updater. I just want to say thank you so much to those of you who have followed this story and to those who have sent reviews. They really mean a lot to me. I think you'll enjoy this chapter :) or at least I hope you do…
Tony awoke the following morning to a faint smell of lavender, a tickle on his nose from a head of wild curls, and a hand tracing light, absentminded patterns across his torso. Amid the night heat, the sheet that had acted as a barrier between the partners had been kicked to the end of the bed, allowing Ziva's bare calf and thigh to hook around Tony's leg as the rest of her body molded along his side and her head came to rest on his chest. He began to mimic her movements as he used the arm that was wrapped around shoulders to trail his fingertips lightly along her upper arm.
"Good morning," Ziva spoke softly, his gentle touch indicating he was now awake.
"Mmm, go back to sleep," Tony mused, his voice heavy with sleep.
"Tony," Ziva called in a slightly musical tone, trying to pull him out of his sound slumber. "It is almost nine."
"Ughh…" he groaned, burying his face further into her curls. "How long have you been up?" he questioned against her hair.
"An hour or so," she guessed, continuing her caresses up and down his shirt.
"Why didn't you wake me?"
"I was comfortable- you make a good pillow. But you squirm a lot," Ziva added with a chuckle.
Tony laughed. "Have since I was a kid. I quite like being your pillow, but my arm's kinda falling asleep."
"I am sorry," Ziva spoke while beginning to try and disentangle their legs.
"Oh no you don't," he scolded in a playful voice while tugging her closer.
She did not resist his pull and cuddled back into his side with a sigh.
"It has been almost six months…" Ziva spoke in a contemplative tone after an extended lull in the conversation.
"Since-" Tony began to question.
"Yes," Ziva confirmed softly before he could complete his sentence. "I miss him," she added in an even quieter voice after a long silence.
Tony was unsure of how to respond. Eli David had been far from his favorite person in the world. He had betrayed Ziva's trust and left her broken, nearly beyond repair. He had trained her to be a killer; taught her that emotions were sources of weakness that were required to be buried in order to complete the next mission. He never cared for her like a father should, and it broke Tony's heart that she had had to endure so much heartache at the hands of the man who was supposed to love her.
"I know he did terrible things and was not a good man, but he was-"
"- your father," Tony finished for her.
"Yes," she agreed meekly.
"He was never the father you deserved though," he began, slowly raking his hand through her tangled curls and twirling a ringlet around his finger. "He should have been the first face you saw when you looked out in the audience during your dance recitals. He should have been home every night to read you bedtime stories and tuck you in. He should have loved your mom unconditionally and fought for her when things got hard. He should have taught you how to slow dance instead of teaching you how to shoot a weapon. He should have been so much more for you," Tony finally finished, tucking a loose curl behind her ear before dropping his hand back to rest on his chest.
Ziva remained quiet and reached for his palm, allowing her fingers to lightly dance across his calloused skin. Tony soon returned the motion and their fingers gradually intertwined.
"He did… you know… teach me how to slow dance," she revealed after a prolonged silence.
"Yeah?" Tony asked in a surprised tone, running his thumb along the length of her index finger.
"He told me once that someday I would dance with-" she cut herself off however, reluctant to finish her thought.
"Dance with…?" he probed, hoping to pull the memory from her now tightly sealed lips, yet she remained silent.
"Your hair's tickling my nose," Tony finally admitted after determining she would not be finishing her prior thought.
Ziva laughed quietly before drawing herself further up his chest so their faces were level with one another. "Better?" she questioned, her lips now mere inches from his own.
"Uhuh," he nodded softy, his breath fanning across her face.
Their eyes were locked momentarily in a deep stare while Ziva released his hand and gently trailed her fingertips along his jaw line before bringing her palm to settle on the back of his neck. Tony barely had time to register the diminishing gap between their faces before Ziva's soft lips were pressed against his own. Yet before he could react, the warmth of her kiss was gone as she pulled back a few inches, her eyes frantically searching his face in hope that he was not alarmed by her complete obliteration of the carefully constructed boundary line they had previously been so cautious to never cross.
Yeah, so this chapter is super short, and the cliffhanger… sorry! It was originally much longer but then I was second guessing myself about things and decided to just cut this off and ask you lovely readers for your opinions about how fast things should move forward (like how this scene should end) and who should say I love you first. Would love some thoughts- pretty please! I'm not gonna say anything about the next update because clearly I'm horrible about that haha