Alternative Pyramid

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A/N - Thanks so much for the alerts and reviews. Sorry for the delay, hope the Tiva loving is worth the wait :)

Chapter Eleven - Declaration of Love

Two weeks had passed since Ziva had returned to work. Things were going well, and Ziva was desperate to get back in the field again. She had continued to part live at Tony's apartment, but had also survived some nights at her own place aswell. The nightmares continued to plague Ziva, although they were starting to lessen a little. It was only on the nights that the nightmares came that Ziva ended up at Tony's. Although it still hurt her to realise that she could no longer cope on her own, she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed when she woke up in the morning alone at her place having slept the whole night. Ziva had got used to the company, and she had got to know Tony very well over the last few weeks. They had been partners for a long time now, and Ziva had grown very close to Tony. The fact that she was missing him when he wasn't around made her wonder if her feelings were starting to get stronger. The sensible part of her dismissed this. A relationship would never work, and Gibbs would never approve, Ziva thought to herself. She also had no idea that Tony was slowly falling in love with her.

Ziva sighed as she woke up alone. She had managed to sleep well that night, and had not needed to visit Tony in the middle of the night. He had now given her a key to his apartment, to save her from picking the lock every time. Her bed felt huge and empty to her now and her heart felt a little empty when she didn't wake up next to his warm body.

"You have got to stop thinking like this" Ziva scolded herself as she dragged herself out of bed. Today she was going to skip her run and get into work early. She was hoping to talk to Gibbs about returning to the field. Ziva knew that she was not quite fully recovered, but she felt strong and more importantly she felt ready.

Tony woke up and was also slightly disappointed that he hadn't had a visitor in the night. He looked forward to the mornings when he woke up next to Ziva. He enjoyed making her breakfast, and making her feel safe. Ziva was now much more than his partner in his mind. She was his best friend, his confidante, and he really wanted much more for them. As he got out of bed, his phone started to ring. He looked at the caller id and smiled.

"Good morning Sweetcheeks, I missed you this morning" Tony said.

"Tony, I need you to come and get me. My stupid car has broken down and I cannot get to work" Ziva replied, sounding stressed.

"Ok, calm down. It's only 06:00!"

"I need to talk to Gibbs this morning and I wanted to do it early. Please can you come as soon as possible?"

"Sure, I'm just gonna grab a shower and I'll be there"

Tony hung up the phone and frowned. He wondered what Ziva wanted to talk to Gibbs about and hoped that everything was alright. He rushed to get ready and drove over to Ziva's in record time. Ziva was pacing outside her apartment when he arrived, cursing in hebrew and occasionally kicking the tyre on her mini cooper. Tony got out of the car and walked over to her.

"Hey, Ziva, what on earth is the matter?"

"Let us go, I am late already" Ziva replied. She was getting very uptight and anxious, and she was not sure how to control it.

"Why don't we go and have a cup of tea upstairs so you can calm down a bit Ziva. You are in no state of mind to have whatever conversation you need to have with Gibbs just yet"

"I am sorry Tony, I am just feeling quite stressed at the moment. Perhaps a cup of tea might be best"

Tony followed Ziva up to the appartment, but once through the door, he guided her to the couch. He made the tea and then sat next to her.

"Come on, tell me what's bothering you"

"I have spent the last few weeks struggling to find myself again. Going back to work has been the best thing for me, and I want to talk to Gibbs about going back into the field. I was already feeling nervous, and the car problem this morning just tipped me over the hedge"

"Over the edge Sweetcheeks. You don't need to be nervous Ziva. I'm sure Gibbs will be fine about you going back into the field, and I will back you up if he has any doubts. I have your back Ziva, and I know you have mine"

"Thank-you"

"Now, drink up and we'll get the torture over with" Tony said, instantly regretting his choice of words when Ziva winced.

An hour later, Tony was sat at his desk, whilst Ziva was upstairs in the directors office with Vance and Gibbs. Ziva had hoped to have the conversation with just Gibbs, but all decisions had to be run through Vance and it was for this reason that Tony was feeling slightly nervous. He kept glancing at the stairs, wanting to capture Ziva's face with a smile on it, and the more time went on, the more worried he was feeling. He didn't need to wait much longer as he heard movement and saw Gibbs and Ziva walking towards him. Both had expressionless faces, and Tony was unable to tell whether it was good news or bad.

"Take your partner out for lunch DiNozzo. She's got something to celebrate" Gibbs said as he sat down at his desk. Tony looked over at Ziva and his wish came true. A big smile was plastered on her face, and Tony knew that he had his partner fully back.

Later that night, Tony was sitting alone in his apartment pondering which movie to watch when there was a knock at the door. He opened it and his face lit up when Ziva was standing there.

"Come on in Sweetcheeks, it's a bit early for you"

"I thought I would bring over a bottle of wine to celebrate my good news. That is if you are free"

"For you, anytime"

They spent the evening having a nice dinner cooked by Ziva, and consuming two bottles of wine. They snuggled on the couch and started to watch one of Tony's movies.

"Thank-you Tony. You have saved me these last few weeks. I thought I was going to lose everything, and to have everything back where I want it today, it is amazing"

"There was no way Gibbs was going to let you go my ninja. And you are welcome" Tony kissed her on the cheek and then lingered over her face before kissing her again on the lips. He was going to pull his lips away, but Ziva began to kiss him back. They pulled apart after a few seconds and just looked at each other.

"Well, I wasn't expecting that!" Tony joked, trying to calm himself.

"I am sorry" Ziva got up off the couch, and started to gather her things.

"Hey, you have nothing to be sorry for. Truth is, I love you Ziva. I love you as a partner, as a friend and I love you as the bad ass ninja you are"

"Tony, we cannot do this"

"Admit it Ziva, you love me too"

"I do love you. But there are too many complications"

"Complications don't matter where love is involved. You are the strongest, bravest woman I know, and I want to spend all my time with you. When you are not here with me, it doesn't feel right. You belong with me Ziva"

"I miss when I am not with you too Tony. But I am still fragile right now, and I do not think I could take it if I ever lost you Tony"

"You won't ever lose me Ziva"

Tony pulled Ziva into him and held her tight. They began to kiss again, getting more and more passionate as time went on. Was this the start of something beautiful?

Aw, I just love those two :) Please let me know what you think, and what you would like to see happen xx