Vignette Two was about DiNozzo, Sr. coming for Christmas. With the new spoilers regarding Tony's home, and the TIVA of the past few episodes, I decided to write an alternate story to this spoiler/preview. In my first Vignette on this spoiler, T& Z were already in a relationship. They are not in this one. Don't be confused- treat it as a standalone.

Vignette Ten: "You Better Watch Out" – Part One

Tony busied himself about his apartment. His Dad's flight was due in two hours. DiNozzo, Sr. insisted that he could take a cab to his son's place, instead of Tony coming to pick him up.

"Of all the years, why did he have to pick this one to come for Christmas?" Tony grumbled to himself. He had volunteered his place for the annual Christmas get-together, which he had been looking forward to. Until now.

Adding his father to the mix was stressing him out. He loved his father, but he had been hoping for a nice, relaxing party; of having fun with his friends.

Now he would have to be constantly on guard, making sure his Dad didn't make a fool of himself, or of his son; lusting after Ziva…

Ziva.

Tony had hoped this little party would include more Ziva time, maybe even talking her into staying after everyone left, you know, for some more one-on-one sharing. That's not gonna' happen now, thanks Dad!

"What is not going to happen now?"

Tony turned to see Ziva come out of the kitchen. He hadn't realized that he had spoken out loud. Ziva had on oven mitts, so she must have just been checking on the turkey.

Much to his surprise and pleasure, Ziva had agreed to come over early to help him with the food. She had immediately settled in the kitchen and was making one delicious dish after another.

"Uh…" Tony looked like he wished he could disappear. "That turkey smells great. Definitely not going to burn, is it?" Tony turned, and winced, knowing she would not fall for that being the reason for his comment.

She took off the mitts and flopped on the sofa. Tony looked at her amused. "Tired already? The party hasn't even started yet!"

Ziva looked at him, her eyebrow cocked. "And you? You have cleaned your bathroom now, four times, yes?"

Tony flopped beside her. "You are worrying too much over your father, Tony. You would not be going to all this fuss if he was not going to be here."

Tony opened his mouth to protest, but he knew it was true, at least about the over-cleaning of his apartment.

Everyone from the team had been to his place at some point in time, collectively or separately; so it wasn't like they hadn't seen how he lived.

Not that Tony was a slob. His apartment was always fairly neat. He wasn't one to leave clothes on the floor (they cost too much!) or leave empty take-out cartons in the living room or kitchen (who liked bugs?).

But his Dad hadn't seen this place yet. He wanted to make a good impression. Despite Tony's seemingly wild, single guy lifestyle, his home reflected his taste in clothes: tasteful, conservative, expensive and well taken care of.

"Thanks for coming early to help out." Tony said, looking at Ziva.

"My pleasure, Tony. As soon as I heard you say your father would be here, I knew you would panic and run around in circles."

"Hey, I'm not panicking. And I haven't been running around in circles." Tony pouted. Ziva looked at him, giving him her "you are kidding me, yes?" smile.

"Ok, I'll admit to being slightly, repeat, slightly unnerved, at the thought of my father being here tonight and for however long he is staying."

"God, I hope I don't have to go through New Year's with him, too." Tony shuddered.

Ziva laughed. "He has not told you how long he is staying?"

Tony looked into Ziva's face. Her smile lit up the whole room. What had her friend Shmeil said? "Who could say no to a smile like that?"

"Tony?" Tony had been staring at Ziva. "I'm sorry, what was the question?"

Ziva just chuckled. She patted his arm. "It will be fine, Tony. Do not worry. Gibbs will be here. Your father will behave."

"Well, in case he decides to maneuver you under the mistletoe, please promise me you will not let my father kiss you on the lips. That is an open invitation to him."

Ziva looked at Tony in surprise. "You are worried that your father will try to hit on me? I got that right, yes?"

Tony leaned his head back into the sofa cushion and turned to look at her. "Ziva, he either hits on you every time he sees you or…"

"Or what?"

Tony bit his lip. Aw, what the hell, he did say it in front of her after all.

"Or, he tells me to get off my ass and sweep you off your feet before someone else does."

Ziva looked at Tony for a long moment. "So what is it going to take for you to get off of your ass?"

Tony sat up, not sure what Ziva was saying. Ziva stood up. "I want to discuss something with you." She was all business.

Tony's mind whirled at the change of mood. "Ok, sure. What is it?"

Ziva pointed along his bookcase. "These pictures."

Tony got up to see where she was pointing. There were dozens of framed pictures on his bookshelves. There were pictures of the team and of his family. In one area, he had individual pictures of the team, including Kate and Paula Cassidy.

"Yeah, ok. What about them?" Tony was confused.

Ziva turned on him, and he could tell she was upset. "One is missing is it not?"

Tony looked again, and realized Ziva's individual picture was not up there with the others.

"Oh…" Privately, he was pleased that one, she had noticed it's absence and two, seem unhappy by it.

"Well, I put it some place special." Tony said.

Ziva glared at him. "Some place special?"

"Yes, somewhere so that it would be the first thing I see when I got up in the morning."

Ziva looked confused and not appeased. "You put a nicely framed picture of me on your toilet tank?"

Tony laughed out loud at that. He was laughing so hard, he had tears in his eyes. "Oh, God." He wiped his eyes.

He looked at Ziva, who was neither laughing nor crying, just glaring.

He took her hand. "Follow me." He said.

"Please?" Tony smiled.

The corners of Ziva's mouth twitched a little bit. "Ok, since you said please."

Tony took her into his bedroom. She would never forget the first time she saw this room and saw his bed.

"I still can not believe you have a canopy bed, Tony." Ziva shook her head.

"Never heard you complain about it." He answered. Ziva gave him another one of her looks.

"OK, lay down. No really. Humor me, Ziva." Tony lied down on his bed and Ziva lay next to him.

They both stared up at his canopy, which was just a sheer fabric and barely noticeable in the dark.

"Ok, the alarm has gone off, and up I roll on my left side to get out of bed." Tony mimicked his morning wake up. He looked at Ziva and indicated she should do the same.

"What's the first think you see?"

Ziva stared straight ahead, from her position on Tony's bed. There on his nightstand, was the missing picture.

"It's the last thing I see when I go to bed, and the first thing I see when I wake up." Tony said quietly.

Ziva scooted over so that they were sitting next to each other on the bed.

"Why?"

Tony shrugged. "Feels right, I guess."

Ziva was silent. "Tony, why do you have a canopy bed?"

Tony looked up at the bed and turned his head to take it all in. "I think my mom wanted a girl. I told you she used to dress me up in these ridiculous little outfits.

Well, the first bed I ever had was a canopy. It wasn't girly or anything. She had to have the bedding hand-made to make it gender neutral."

Tony laughed ruefully. "Gender neutral. She had a son and wanted his room to be gender neutral. That's something for the psychiatrist's couch, don't you think?"

Tony sighed deeply and felt Ziva take his hand. "But you know; I didn't mind it. I actually kind of liked it. I was in my own little cocoon. The top of'course was regular fabric, not this see-through stuff. So it was almost like being in a dungeon, or a fort, or a cave."

"It was a small, comfortable place for you to escape to." Ziva murmured.

Tony looked at her. "Maybe. Almost to the minute after my Mom died, Dad had the bed taken apart and replaced it with a twin bed. Then off to boarding school.

I never liked my room again after that."

Ziva never took her eyes off of his face. "I am sorry, Tony."

"Don't be. Besides, I have it back now."

He looked concerned. "Do you think that's weird, Ziva? To want the same bed I had as a child? Isn't there some medical term describing how crazy this is?"

Ziva smiled and placed her hand on his cheek. Tony leaned into it, closing his eyes. "No, Tony. I do not think it is weird. I am happy that you have something happy to hold on to, to carry on with you in your adult life."

Tony smiled. "I knew you liked it. Tell me honestly: what did you think about it the first time you saw it?"

Ziva stifled a laugh. "Well, as I recall, it was dark, so I am not sure I realized at first it was a canopy bed."

Tony's eyes were wide. "But you did in the morning!"

This time Ziva couldn't hold back her laugh this time. "Yes, and I admit it, I was…stunned? I thought maybe this was an Italian thing."

Tony was laughing so hard that Ziva couldn't help it and they both fell back on his bed. "Honestly Tony. I have no idea what I thought, but it was probably something like you were stranger than I had first decided."

"That bad, huh?" Tony was still laughing, tears in his eyes. Suddenly, he turned on his side and faced her. "And what about after?"

Ziva turned on her side to face him. "After…what?"

"You know…" Tony said slowly.

"Hmm…well, I think I answered that question well before morning, yes?" Ziva laughed. Tony grinned and flopped back onto his back, his hands behind his head.

"Yes…you…did!"

The laughing died down, a slight awkwardness developing.

"That was fun, wasn't it?" Tony turned to Ziva again.

Ziva eyed Tony, measuring her response. "Of'course mindless sex is fun, when that is all you are looking for. But…"

"But that is not what you are looking for any more, is it Ziva." It was not a question, it was an observation.

"Tony, I have not been looking for 'mindless sex' for years. You should know that. And you shouldn't be either."

Tony looked surprised. "Who says I am?"

Ziva opened her mouth, looking shocked. "You! Every time you come in, you are bragging about some woman you have conquered with your DiNozzo charm."

Tony sat up on his elbow. "That's not true. Ok, it used to be true. But can you give me one instance since May that I have waltzed in bragging about my sexual exploits the night before?"

Ziva regarded Tony closely. "Why since May? What significance does that…?" She didn't finish her thought.

"Well, you did 'lust' after that murderer Judy." She said, keeping her voice controlled.

Tony shrugged. "That was just to keep up appearances. I had a certain reputation to protect."

He lay back down, staring at this canopy top. "May changed things. Changed my perspective: on my life, on my job, on the things that matter; and the things that don't."

"So…" Ziva said. "You are saying you are no longer interested in 'mindless sex?' You are only interested in…"

"Ziva." Tony turned on his side again to face her. "The only thing I am interested in is having a meaningful relationship with a woman who means a lot to me and who feels the same about me."

"No sex?" Ziva looked at his mouth.

"Meaningful sex." Tony answered quickly, smiling.

"I see." Ziva answered. "And have you met this…meaningful woman?" She asked lightly, not sure she wanted to know the answer.

"Yes."

It was as simple as that, and it cut like a knife. "Oh." Ziva responded quietly, keeping her voice neutral. She started to get up.

Tony caught her arm and brought her back down beside him. "Ziva, what have we been doing the past few months?"

Ziva looked perplexed. "We have been working cases…"

"No." Tony interrupted. "I'm talking about you and me, and not about work."

Ziva blinked her eyes several times. "You and I have been talking about ourselves, being more open about things, sharing things that matter, baring our souls…"

"What we have been doing is sharing important, private thoughts that we have maybe not shared with others. Sharing things that are…meaningful." Tony finished her sentence.

Ziva fell silent, searching his eyes for some sign that he was mocking her. All she saw was the Tony she had learned to appreciate these past few precious months. A Tony that was thoughtful, caring and mature.

Tony took a chance and brushed a lock of hair back from her forehead.

Ziva took a deep breath. "Is that what these past months have meant for you?" She asked. Tony looked at Ziva, scared to admit his feeling, especially if she did not share them.

"Yes." There he said it. He wasn't going to ask Ziva the same question. She would answer it by whatever her next action was.

Ziva stared at Tony, her mind a whirlwind of emotions. She was afraid, but she was also elated. After all these years, could it possibly have been this simple? After everything that they have been through; that in the end, it would be the two of them, together?

She knew Tony was waiting for some sort of response from her. She didn't know what to do. When she heard Tony sigh and roll back onto his back, she was brought back from her musings.

She realized he thought she had rejected him. She sat up next to him and placed her hands on his face.

"Tony…" She said quietly.

"Yes." He answered unenthusiastically.

"Look at me." She said a little louder.

Reluctantly, Tony tore his eyes from the ceiling and looked into the eyes of the woman he just told he wanted a 'meaningful relationship' with.

"My hesitation was from surprise, not because I did not…"

"Sometimes it is best not to say anything, yes?" Tony looked at Ziva in surprise. His eyes opened wider when she suddenly kissed him.

He quickly got over his surprise and wrapped his arms around her, deepening the kiss. Feeling her response, he flipped her over so that he was now on top of her.

They both stopped for much needed oxygen and looked at each other. "Are you sure?" Tony asked. "I don't want this to come between our friendship; and certainly not work."

Ziva smiled. "I will have no problem keeping our private life from our work life. Will you? You have not been too successful, in the past."

Tony flipped her again so that Ziva was on top. "That was because it was wrong. It was never meant to work."

This time Ziva flipped Tony so he was back on top. "I got the impression that you did intend for it to work; in fact you told Gibbs your personal life was none of his business."

Tony looked shocked. "He told you that? He never would have told you that. Would he?" He flipped them again.

"Are you trying to talk me out of this?" He asked seriously. Ziva looked down at him. "No, I just want you to be absolutely sure that you are serious about this and will not run at the first sign of trouble."

This time Tony raised himself up. "Do you really need to ask that, after all we've been sharing?"

Ziva placed her hand on his cheek. "Not really, I am just…"

Tony kissed her. "Don't be afraid to love, Ziva. Not every man you love is going to be an idiot loser. I can't promise that I might act occasionally like an idiot, but I can promise you that I will do my absolute best to not disappoint you."

This time, Ziva smiled and Tony pulled her down to him, flipping them again so that he was on top. Just as Tony was considering removing her top, the doorbell rang.

Tony groaned and collapsed on top of Ziva. "No! It can't be time for my Dad to be here yet!" Ziva just laughed and rolled him off of her. "Go wash all of that lipstick off of your face. I will let him in."

Tony looked at Ziva as she stood up. "Well then in that case, Ziva, you better straighten your clothes. You look like you just made out in the backseat of a car."

Ziva gasped and looked at herself. She made a face at him and gave herself a quick look in the mirror. Her hair was all messy and her shirt has half-undone.

"You had better move that picture back as well." Ziva said, pointing to her picture on his bedside table. "I will not be the only one to notice its absence. You may not want to answer the question."

Tony smiled and grabbed the picture and ran it out to the bookcase. He then went back into his bedroom to make himself presentable while Ziva composed herself to answer the door.

Hope you enjoyed. Next up, Tony's dad and the party, but only if I get lots of feedback. I don't know how some you guys can write multiple stories at the same time.