April 2019 (Chaya = almost 10, Ben = almost seven)
Tony got a letter in the mail one day and walked in the door, bewildered. Ziva was in the kitchen starting supper. It was an evening off for them as Chaya and Ben were spending the weekend at Abby and McGee's with their kids. She glanced up, frowning at the look on his face.
"What?"
He leaned against the counter, still staring at the letter. "You're not going to believe this."
"Attempt me."
Tony groaned. "It's been fourteen years Zi, is that the best you can do?" She crossed her arms and lifted one eyebrow. "It's 'try me'. Anyhow, I guess my great uncle, James Paddington died last year."
She hadn't heard that name before. Ziva's forehead furrowed. "I am sorry."
He shook his head. "Honestly, I barely remember the man. Mom took me to London just once, when I was five. It was the only time we met."
"So why are they telling you now?"
Tony ran his fingers through his hair. "Apparently his lawyer's been trying to track me down. He only just found me recently."
"Lawyer?" Ziva asked, the word tinged with contempt and concern.
Tony took a breath. "Great Uncle James was loaded. He left me his estate Ziva."
"That is money?" she asked and Tony shook his head.
"No, I mean his property in the Hamptons and his estate in the English countryside - several acres of land, the mansion he lived in and his money on top of that. He never had kids but according to this letter, my mom was his favourite niece so he wanted his possessions to go to her son."
"Wow." Ziva was just as stunned as he was. "What does that mean?"
Tony folded the letter. "It means if we sell the properties and put everything in savings, we could probably retire now and not have to worry. But since we both like our jobs, it means the kids' tuition for college are already paid for, and their weddings, and probably at least half the cost when they're old enough to want cars. And," he pulled her against him, leaning down to claim her lips, "it means I get to take you away somewhere fabulous for our tenth anniversary, a reward for putting up with me all these years."
She grinned and kissed him back. "It was not all bad."
He tickled her in revenge and Ziva shrieked, dashing away. Tony chased his wife upstairs and pulled her down onto the bed, wrapping his arms around her. "Just for that, I'm picking the movie tonight." Then his lips found hers and Ziva could think of no reason to make him stop.
NCIS
True to his word, a month later Tony and Ziva stepped off a plane in Puerto Rico holding hands. He breathed in the air and grinned. "Thank you Great-Uncle James! Now this is called doing a second honeymoon in style."
Ziva shook her head and led the way to get their bags. "You are such a tour guide."
"Tourist Zi," he chuckled. "And since I've always wanted to come here, I think I'm entitled."
They collected their luggage and took a cab to the hotel. Tony had splurged for a very nice suite and Ziva immediately kicked off her sandals and sank onto the luxurious king sized bed. "Mmm...I could just stay here all day," she murmured, eyes sliding closed.
Tony leaned over her, his hands one either side of her body. "That could be arranged," he whispered, and Ziva squinted up at him.
"Such an appealing offer." Her tone was low and seductive and Tony was seriously entertaining the thought of forgeting all about being on vacation in favour of being with his wife when Ziva sat up and pushed him away. "But right now I am hungry and we need to stay busy today so the jet-delay does not win."
It was hard to tell now which of her idiom mistakes were real and how many were made up for his amusement. Tony gave a long suffering sigh and offered her a hand up. "Fine. Let's go out on the town mi bella."
Ziva changed into a cute red and orange sundress and slipped a bag over one shoulder, waiting while Tony put on his Hawaiian Magnum shirt and exchanged khaki pants for light cotton shorts. Sunglasses and a hat completed Ziva's look, and Tony's aviator shades made her smile. They left the hotel and wandered down to the market on the waterfront, browsing everything that was on display.
Of course, Ziva fit right in with the natives, speaking Spanish as if it were her first language instead of her fourth. Despite his passing knowledge of Spanish, whenever Tony had a question about something Ziva might like and didn't want the vendors to know, he asked her in Hebrew, which after ten years of language lessons and private instruction he was proud to say he'd mastered. His favourite part was the look Ziva got in her eyes every time he spoke the language she'd learned from birth. There was something incredibly special in knowing he'd learned it for her.
An hour later the couple wandered down to the beach and strolled along the water, sandals in their hands, safe from the waves that licked at their ankles. It was beautiful and peaceful and the kind of memory Tony had so often longed for in their first few months of marriage when everything was so off-kilter. Supper was eaten in the hotel restaurant, but by then the time difference was catching up with them and neither Tony nor Ziva had any complaints about falling into bed and drifting off to dreams in each other's arms.
The next morning they slept in and woke only to indulge in each other and fall back asleep. It was afternoon before they even got out of bed and then it was only because Ziva insisted they shower and go do something they couldn't do at home. Tony agreed, since his joy was found in spending time with his wife no matter what their plans were. Ziva chose their activity and Tony got his first taste of scuba diving to check out the coral reef and mostly harmless ocean life. He took her out to eat at a restaurant with a patio and they watched the sunset and enjoyed local cuisine Ziva ordered without telling him what it was.
That night Tony waited until Ziva came out of the bathroom and handed her a small bag. "Abby helped me pick this out, made sure I got the right size and everything." He swallowed. "Don't kill me, okay?" Raising an eyebrow, Ziva looked inside, her mouth falling open slightly. Slowly she pulled out a very modest bikini in shimmery green and made of satiny material. "Remember my promise? That on our ten year anniversary I'd take you somewhere warm where I could see you in a bikini again? I want to see you Ziva."
She'd long since stopped being conscious of her scars around Tony and to her pleasure, some of them were so faint now as to be almost invisible. The marks on her legs and torso were nearly gone, as were the cuts on her forearms. Most of the burns were shinier than the rest of her skin but nothing to make note of. The acid burn under her left breast was still quite obvious, as was the mess on the soles of her feet, but they were rarely seen. It was her back that made Ziva most self-conscious, even if it looked a hundred times better now than a year after she'd been rescued. Ducky's cream definitely helped, but the marks were still too visible for her liking.
Tony knew all this and watched it flash through her eyes while she held the suit, so he moved closer and slid his hands under the collar of her robe. He slipped one side off her shoulder and pressed his lips to her olive skin. Ziva closed her eyes and focused on his touch as Tony did the same to the other side and soon the white robe lay in a puddle at her feet and Tony's hands and lips traveled slowly down her back, sending a message that shouted into the silence. I love you. You are beautiful. There is nothing to be ashamed of. Things he'd told her a thousand times in ten years of marriage, determined to one day get her to believe.
Tony turned her around and kissed the scar that began on her collarbone, lighter but still one of the most obvious reminders of her captivity. "Put it on for me Ziva, please. I won't ask you to wear it out."
His patience and understanding continued to amaze and humble her, even after a decade, and Ziva wouldn't've dreamed of refusing him. She set the bottoms on the bed and drew the straps up over her shoulders, reaching behind to fasten it, but Tony's fingers replaced hers and he did it up. Next she shed her underwear and pulled the bottoms on. Tony stood back, his eyes drinking her in, and settled his hands on her hips.
"Have I told you recently how gorgeous you are?"
If there hadn't been absolute truth shining out of his gaze, Ziva would've accused him of lying, but there was no ulterior motive behind his words except love. She draped her arms over his shoulders, linking her fingers behind his head. "I am not sure, but I will accept it now." His mouth covered hers and it quickly became obvious that her new swim suit would not be staying on long, but Ziva was more than happy to let her husband be the one to take it off her.
The next morning Ziva was drawn out of sleep by the feel of something soft sliding across her cheeks, over her nose and forehead, and finally landing on her lips. She opened her eyes and found Tony very close, staring at her. "Happy tenth anniversary Zi," he whispered, replacing the rose with his lips.
She was left breathless when he pulled away and Ziva sniffed the subtle scent of the flower before cupping Tony's face in her hands. "I could not see ten years when we got married, at first I counted the hours just to make sure it was real. Then Chaya came and after three years we had two children. At five I still could not believe this was my life. Even now I wonder how I got to be so blessed. Thank you ahuvi, for giving me this dream."
Tony closed his eyes and kissed her forehead, her cheek, her neck, finally meeting her eyes again as his fingers tangled in her hair. "It's my dream too Zi, for forty-seven more years if we get to be so lucky." He stared at his wedding band for a moment and shook his head in disbelief. "Thank you for fighting so hard to let us get here. I am so proud of your strength."
The rose fell to the floor as Ziva pushed her lips between his and dragged him down on top of her, allowing his kisses to ignite a fire within her that only grew as his hands explored her body, knowing exactly where and how to touch. When he was least expecting it, she flipped them over and leaned down to gently tease his ear lobe with her teeth. "I would not want you to get too used to being in control."
He chuckled and pulled her down harder on his body to feel her warmth. "I can live with this."
It had taken more than a year of having sex before they could be anything other than gentle, and several years before they could experiment with things they hadn't done yet. Now, after ten years, Ziva was still quieter then he ever imagined while they made love, but she was an active participant and Tony knew it was a gift that he could touch her that way at all. They'd become more adventurous as time passed, but Ziva's favourite position would always be the one that kept his weight on her, a comfort she had grown to cherish.
They never took their connection for granted and this morning was no exception as the couple slowly worked to bring each other the pleasure they both desired. After, Tony held her close against him and kept breathing her in. The best part about being together this way was when he could smell his scent on her skin. It was his favourite way to be one.
NCIS
Later the next afternoon Tony was napping on the couch, recovering from the run Ziva insisted they take, since they'd spent the morning otherwise occupied. Ziva watched him fondly for awhile before changing in the bathroom and taking her book out onto their balconey. That was where her husband found her an hour later, in much the same position as the one which had inspired an impromptu photoshoot in LA. Except this time the book was closed and his wife was fast asleep on the lounge chair, her long legs stretched into the sunshine and the rest of her shaded by the roof.
Tony knelt down by the chair and ruffled her curls. "Zi." She moaned but didn't move, so he leaned in to kiss her lips. It was still a bit of a risk to make any moves while she slept, and occasionally he did get slapped or shoved, but those occurrences were rarer now.
Ziva opened her eyes and smiled softly. "Hi."
He rubbed her arm. "Hi yourself." His gaze flickered over her body. "You're wearing it again."
She shrugged. "Being exposed like this somewhere other than our room is something I am not comfortable with, but I am trying to get used to it."
Tony kissed her again. "Thank you."
Her smile was a glimmer, so he picked up the book and opened it. Yes, he could speak her language, but reading it was a whole other story. Though Ziva had tried, she'd had minimal success in teaching him to decipher Hebrew script. He scrunched up his nose after a minute and sighed. "I give up."
Ziva slid her fingers into his hair. "You are holding it upside-down," she informed him calmly, and Tony chuckled.
"So I am hopeless."
She sat up. "Only a little. But I still love you."
Taking hold of her hand, Tony started pressing his lips to each fingertip. "And that's why I'm the luckiest guy on earth. Come on," he tugged her to her feet, "I saw this little place earlier that looked like a good idea for a late lunch."
Giving in, Ziva changed into small white shorts and a deep blue and green gauzy blouse that made her look like a model. Every time she saw herself in Tony's eyes, she knew nothing would ever feel better than the way he loved her.
NCIS
It was five days before Ziva could bring herself to go to one of the private hotel pools in her new swimwear, and only then because Tony stayed with her. But shortly into the second week of their trip was her greatest accomplishment - slipping on a short white cover up, Ziva took Tony's hand and they walked down to the beach. They chose the end of a long dock that extended into deep water as their destination and then, in full view of everyone, Ziva pulled the cover up off and dove into the blue water.
Tony followed with a cannonball and then kissed her while they tread water to stay afloat. "You are amazing," he whispered, then touched her shoulder, "You're it!" and kicked away.
Ziva took a moment to savour her victory before going after her husband. In so many ways it was just good to be normal again. Perhaps, for them, that was the greatest victory of all.