Rewrote the tag I already had posted on tumblr, too.

Sometimes he doesn't know how to act around her. How to interact with her. Because he knows that opening up about her feelings is hard for her sometimes and then there's other times when it seems like it's the easiest thing for her to do and he doesn't always know which way it is.

He notices her missing in the squad room but doesn't dare ask Gibbs about it because it implies they're not talking to each other and the last thing he needs is their boss asking him about his relationship with Ziva. Him knowing about it is bad enough, really, and that coupled with how Tony has been acting recently… Well, he doesn't want to remind the boss that he is having sex with one of the team members and responsible for the current high tension on the team.

When he finds his own apartment empty and Jethro whining at him, he grabs the dog and drives to her place. He lets himself in with the key she gave him a few weeks ago and lets Jethro do the first scouting. When he hears the dog bark happily he thinks it's safe to enter. He finds them in the living room, Ziva sitting on the floor in front of her couch and ruffling the dog's fur before hiding her face in it. Tim just walks over to the armchair and sits, watching them.

"No comment?" she asks after a while, looking at him over Jethro's back before the dog tries licking her face and Ziva gently turns his snout away. Tim shrugs.

"Merry Christmas?" he tries and there's amusement sparkling in her eyes for a brief moment.

"Merry Christmas." she returns, nodding to the tiny artificial tree that sits on her window sill. Spying the presents under it, he rises and walks over. Ironically, the largest one has Jethro's name on it and he laughs when he lifts it up and hears the sound of dog biscuits shaking in a bag. The dog's head shoots up and he stares at Tim, tilting his head to the side slightly.

"No, you're fat enough." Tim shakes his head, setting the present down again and Jethro gives a soft whine, as if he understands him.

"Just because you're jealous doesn't mean you have to be mean to him." Ziva narrows her eyes at her boyfriend before petting the dog again and Jethro plops down next to her, resting his head in her lap. Tim groans lightly. From how they first barely got along he never thought his girlfriend and dog would one day gang up on him. But he supposes it's only natural, because really, isn't that the way it's with kids? The aunt and visiting friends are always the ones spoiling them and letting them get away with things when the parent has to be the strict one? He quickly shakes his head. Jethro's a dog, not a child, and he rather not think about these, anyway.

"If you are going to go by size, look for the smallest one." Ziva's voice cuts through his thoughts and he feels himself blush slightly, because she got him there. Frowning lightly, he lifts the slim rectangular present from the pile and walks over to her to open it.

"Yours is still at my place, do you want me to wait with opening it?" he asks her, suddenly having second thoughts. Ziva shakes her head but grabs the present from him still, toying with it before she puts it on the coffee table. Jethro gets up and retreats to her kitchen where he knows he'll find a bowl of water.

"Did you feed him?" Ziva asks, looking after the dog. Tim shakes his head and she gets up to sit down next to him on the couch. When he frowns lightly she shrugs. "I filled his bowl with some dry food earlier as a treat…" she trails of, reaching up to run a hand through her hair. "You didn't come here for your present, did you?"

"No." he shakes his head, watching her. "I was worried." he admits, reaching out to grab her hand. Ziva turns hers and entwines their fingers, squeezing gently.

"I… needed some time. I went to the hospital and then Arlington before stopping by Tony's apartment." she tells him. Tim frowns slightly. The only reason she visits Jenny Shepard's grave these days is when she is deeply troubled and needs to talk but doesn't know if she wants someone to hear it. Having her go to Tony, of all people… it's confusing. Not to mention that he feels actually hurt that she didn't come to him instead.

"When I went to NCIS to get a change of clothes before going to the hospital, there was a present sitting on my desk, and the tag had Tony's handwriting. When I went to give him one in turn, he actually told me that it wasn't for Christmas, but his way of apologizing for his behavior. He won't go tell on us, but if Abby outright asks him..." Ziva trails off and Tim nods.

"Well, that's a relief." he draws a breath. "Though, I'm a little confused why you went to Arlington?" he quietly asks her and watched Ziva bite her lip.

"I killed a man today. On Christmas Eve. And Gibbs… helped a little girl into the world in the next room. And all I could think about was how that wasn't fair." Ziva admits, drawing a shaky breath and looking away from him. Tim scoots closer and pulls her against him gently, feeling her resist briefly before she gives in and rests her head against his shoulder.

"I'm sorry you had to kill him." he mutters, kissing her hair and running his hand up and down her arm. Ziva gives a short laugh.

"It is not being forced to kill." she says, giving a soft sniffle. "He was a threat and had to be taken out."

"What's it then?"

"I ran out of bullets." Ziva mutters, a shiver going through her. "My head wasn't in it, I kept thinking of what was happening to the Marine, how Gibbs was doing, what would happen if I failed… I couldn't concentrate properly. I missed him with every bullet." she confides, shivering against him again. Now he's starting to be able to get the picture together. She's angry at herself, but more than that, she's worried and confused. This isn't something that happens to her; she once told him that whenever she engages in a physical fight, her brain shuts out all other thoughts. It's her ability to focus and she takes pride in that, having it suddenly fail her must have been terrifying.

"Well, nothing happened. You got him, in the end." he tries to reassure her but feels her shake her head.

"Don't." she breathes. "Do not brush this away; do not act like it is no big deal. Because it is. At least to me."

She turns slightly and looks up at him and he nods, giving her a gentle kiss.

"Okay." he nods. "What do you want me to do, then?" Ziva hesitates, biting her lip, before drawing a shuddering breath.

"Hold me?" she whispers. He's just about to when she suddenly leans forward to hand him his present again before snuggling up against him. "And open your present."

Tim slowly pulls the red ribbon from the silver package and lifts the top. When he sees what's inside, he gives a bark of laughter and Ziva sits up, frowning at him.

"What is so funny?" she asks him and he holds up the tickets to the National Museum of Crime and Punishment. Her shoulders sag and she looks away, muttering a "I thought you would enjoy that." and he quickly puts her gift away to pull her back against him and kiss her forehead.

"I love it. Honestly." he promises, chuckling lightly. "So much that I figured that it would be the perfect Christmas gift for you."

Ziva stares at him, blinking slowly. "You got me tickets to the National Museum of Crime and Punishment?" she asks and he nods, watching as she relaxes and a small smile starts playing on her lips before she starts laughing. Ziva shakes her head, falling back against him and drawing a calming breath.

"Wow. We really are quite a pair, huh?" she mutters. His arms tighten around her and she senses his shift in mood and turns to look at him. He slowly brushes a curl from her face, nodding.

"Yeah, we are quite a pair." he agrees before kissing her gently. She responds to the kiss and he's just about to slip his hands under her shirt when the scraping of claws on hardwood gives them half a second of warning before Jethro's weight crashes into the couch and he lands partly on the furniture, partly on Ziva.

"Ooof!" his girlfriend groans, shifting and sending the dog tumbling back down, where he sits back on his haunches and gives a short bark, his tongue lolling out.

"You deserve to be locked in the bathroom for that." Tim scolds Jethro before giving Ziva a worrying look, but she shakes her head.

"I'm fine." she assures him, leaning back and dangling her hand so that Jethro walks up and she can pet him. It's not his aggressive "That is my human you are stealing my time from" behavior he showed in the beginning when Tim and Ziva got together, but his more endearing "Cuddling? I want in!" that has often delayed their alone-time before. Still, Tim can't help but glare at the dog.

"Come on, it is Christmas. He just wants to be cuddled."

"He's getting in the way of my cuddles." he growls, making Jethro turn his head sharply. "Yes, I am talking about you. Buzz off."

"Tim!" Ziva reprimands him with a laugh and stands, getting their jackets and Jethro's leash. When Tim hesitates to take his jacket, she rolls her eyes. "Come on, we will drive to the park, play in the snow with him for an hour, wear him out. And then we go to your place to get warm again. You and me alone in the bed and Jethro on his blanket in the living room."

He's pretty sure he never beat the dog to the door before.