An extra one for today as these last two were a bit short. thanks for the reviews, guys. Lovely to know there's people out there reading my little tale :) And on we go...

Chapter twenty five

"Let me do this, Ziva."

"No."

"Come on, you can trust me."

"This isn't about trust, Tony, and you know it."

"I disagree. This is all about you trusting me, Ziva. What do you think I'm going to do? Scream and run away in disgust?"

Tony bit his tongue at his stupid words as he watched Ziva's dark eyes fill with tears. "I'm sorry, that didn't come out quite like I intended."

"I am disgusting so no need to apologize. However, I am still not going to let you do it." Ziva considered the repetitive conversation done with and turned away from the man standing before her, but not before snatching back the bag of medical supplies that the hospital had given her. But this time, when she reached the bathroom door to shut herself away from the world - and Tony - for the time it took to change her dressings, Ziva did not get the opportunity to close the door.

This time he followed her right on in and suddenly the bathroom became overcrowded. Tony's bulk hovered beside her, his defiance oozing from his masculine pores as he waited for the inevitable outrage to pour from her. Well, he wasn't going to take it this time. They'd been at the cottage for almost a week and he'd given her the privacy that she's craved, in and out of the bedroom. Spending their days walking along the beach, or curled up on the sofa watching old movies, the couple had forged an unbreakable bond between them.

But Ziva's outright refusal to let Tony help her with her dressings was still a sour point for them. But not tonight, tonight Tony wasn't going to take no for an answer. He knew that the sensitive issue was the reason that the relationship hadn't stepped over that crucial threshold that they needed to make to become more than what they were.

And they were friends. Good friends. The best of friends, but Tony needed more from her. He wanted her heart, body and soul. He was pretty sure he'd gotten her heart, and her soul, it was just her body that was missing from the mix.

Well, enough was enough.

"What are you doing, Tony?" Ziva asked uneasily, already knowing that she had pushed her luck too far. She recognized the determination written on his handsome face earlier on in the day and knew her luck had run out. Tony was hankering after more from her, but more meant revealing things that she didn't want him to see, especially while those things were still red and raw, twisted and ugly.

She felt herself go cold as Tony stepped closer still and she had to look up into his face. He didn't say a word as he reached down to her waist and gently took the edges of her sweater in his fingers. His eyes locked with hers and for the life of her, Ziva couldn't do or say anything to stop him from lifting the cream sweater up and over her head, carelessly throwing it at the clothing hamper tucked away in the corner.

Both Ziva and Tony held their breath as he ripped his eyes from hers and slowly let his gaze drift down her body. She still wore a cotton camisole that hid the bulk of her dressings, but she'd never felt so naked, or so scared, in her entire life.

She lifted her arms to cover herself but Tony moved at the same time and took her wrists in his gentle hands and replaced them back to her side. "Don't," he murmured thickly, his eyes lifting to meet hers again. "Ziva, you are so beautiful."

And at that moment in time, Ziva believed him. Her breath left her lungs on a nervous whoosh and she felt her body tremble with an emotion that she couldn't figure. Her fingers trembled as she lifted one hand to push her hair away from her face, and then suddenly embarrassment washed over her.

Tony watched her movements with curiosity, and desire. Didn't she know how beautiful she was? He wondered silently. Even half dressed and as jittery as hell, he still found her to be utterly desirable. But this night wasn't about him. This night was about dissolving another layer of doubt that still held Ziva captive.

His breathing was ragged as he reached down for the snap of her jeans and popped it open. Ziva visibly started at his bold, but relaxed movement as she realized he'd only released it to enable him to pull out the camisole that was tucked in. And then as he began to gently lift the camisole higher another wave of terror cascaded through her. But she fought it down as she became aware that they both needed this moment to happen. Ziva was astute enough to know that what was happening was a crucial link to her healing, on more than one level.

Tony needed to see her to help him understand what had happened to her body, and she needed him to see her to help her get over the same thing. If she was going to live in this world then she was going to have to accept that she was scarred, and she wanted to live, so much now. She wanted Tony. She wanted his love and his acceptance of who she now was. And she was Ziva David; a little older and a little more battle worn. But she loved Tony DiNozzo and she wanted to be the woman that he wanted her to be, and if that meant showing him her body, then so be it.

tbc...