Author's note:

Hello, readers!

I know it's been a while but I have to admit I struggled a bit with the chapter I was writing and took a little break at times to focus on my Star Wars fic I started to write on the side to prove myself that I am still capable of writing. But I finally finished it and can post a new chapter. :)

This is kind of special day for me because I have started my new job today so let's see how this will turn out. As of now, I am excited!

Thank you all for the reviews, on the last chapter, and especially to those I didn't have the chance to thank in PMs – Tiva4Life (my pleasure to keep writing TIVA, I have no intention of stopping anytime soon), Guest and Debbie.

As for the little quiz in the last chapter – the name of the two detectives are Columbo and Hercule Poirot. Congrats to those who guessed right!

Special thanks to Randy, who kindly offered to be a very helpful and kind Beta.

Dedication goes to my surrogate sister Athina and also to Eve to wish them both happy birthdays they share on Friday!

Enjoy, people!

Disclaimer:

I do not own NCIS or its characters.

Christmas Meeting – Chapter 36

Rotating the knife between her fingers, Ziva sank the blade into the carrot and masterfully diced it with the precision of an assassin she had used to be. Dinner preparation for Tony had become one of the most favourite moments of the day for her. She could still feel connected to her past persona like that and not being her in the same time.

Time was passing quickly, actually quicker than she would like. February had neared its end and she was sucked in the school life fully with Tony being completely engrossed in his team leader position for two weeks, catching up with paperwork in those weeks he wasn't. One could say that this hectic life was grinding the life off them but it wasn't the case. They still found the time to be with each other and enjoy it.

Intimate dinner for two was one of the ways they kept their relationship intact without any disruptions. In the days she managed to get home at a reasonable time, she either cooked for him or stopped for some take-away food on the way home, or it was him who assumed the same role. The arrangement was fine with both, it was the quality time they had spent in each other's company that counted.

Ziva sighed nostalgically for a moment, reflecting on the recent video call she had had with Terri last week. In a way, she missed her life in Israel and studying in Haifa. But in the same time if it meant to give up what she had now in DC, she wouldn't exchange it for anything. While she had lost something that was dear to her, she had also gained minimally the same amount of happiness.

Her morning routine in Haifa could be called monotone but after the whole life being turned upside down for various reasons, she had enjoyed it immensely. Waking up in the morning, putting on her jogging sweat suit and having a run around the neighbourhood either with Rex or alone as it had depended in what time Terri had managed to pull herself out of the bed.

Some days, she just drove the car to the port and ran across the shore, breathing in the salty smell of the sea. Then she usually returned home, had a quick shower, ate some breakfast and she and Terri drove together to Haifa for school. Luckily, their schedules barely started early in the morning so they had enough time to make it there. Returning home after school then included some walk with Rex, cooking a dinner and either meeting with friends or studying.

The Potomac River was nothing like the Mediterranean Sea and yet, she felt drawn to it for some strange reason and so her jogging trails always led towards it. She no longer jogged early in the morning but she alternated between mornings and afternoons, adapting to a different school schedule. The university was closer and so she didn't spend that much time in traffic, having more time to study at home.

What she really enjoyed was the local student's life. Although she had had a wonderful group of people to study with, aside from Terri she hadn't been spending much time with them out of school. Now, she was part of a larger group that regularly visited the same classes, helped each other with notes and papers, went to have a lunch together and so on. And everybody had been so nice to her so far.

Maybe it was given by the fact that University of Maryland – much like most universities in the United States – was sort of a town inside a city. Completely sufficient for the students and their needs. Haifa had been slightly different in this. She also adored the architecture of the school, it made her feel homely and she loved returning to the buildings and looked up at all the architectonic features.

As for the subject matters, she found out that studying in the US was more demanding but it was caused by her duty towards Haifa, as well. She had to manage exams at both schools and since she didn't want to leave everything until the last minute, she had been dutifully studying schoolwork for both universities, keeping up the most she could. Her head was throbbing often with the amount of information but she coped with that quite well.

Suddenly, a pair of large and firm hands embraced her from behind, whispering the words of greetings laced with the loving tone into her ears. She shivered mightily, her knees turning into a jelly as the butterflies in her stomach started to toss around. Tony's body pressed onto her back and she could feel the proof of his desire in his pants through their body contact. Her hand reached out...

Ziva hissed when she cut her finger slightly, a drop of blood smearing on the chopping board as she missed the carrot. She shook her head violently, trying to disperse the erotic vision that had played out in her mind and checked her surroundings to be sure. No Tony in sight so it had to be a figment of her overly sensitive imagination. The deep desire within her had lingered on, though.

While she was sucking the last drops of her blood out of her minor injury, she contemplated what the hell was happening with her. It wasn't the first time she'd had a vivid sexually fantasy and her appetite had risen thanks to that over the past few weeks. They were coming in the most unexpected moments, making her flushed and horny because they weren't always as innocent as this one had been.

She couldn't explain what the cause for all of it was, after all, they made love regularly so she wasn't sex-deprived. And Tony was sufficient lover for her, she didn't crave any other man in the world. She felt worshiped, adored and loved. She felt saturated and satisfied. Multiple times, all over again. Then why the hell did she feel like a sex-obsessed maniac?

And it wasn't just her libido that played mind tricks with her. The food cravings she had recently noticed were also something to worry about. It wasn't about some weird mixture of meals, she'd just suddenly picked a dish she hadn't had in years, not being able to fight the urge to assure herself that she still detested or didn't like the particular taste. She simply couldn't help herself, she blurted out her order or bought the ingredients before she realized what she'd been doing.

And when she was at listing symptoms of her strange mood – she had also vomited a couple of times in the last few days. She'd attributed it to the fact that she had eaten before jogging so her stomach just didn't agree with the subsequent physical load and so she had refused to eat anything before going for a run and it had helped. Now, she wasn't all that sure that it had been the right solution.

Stop it. She silenced mentally the little nagging voice inside her head that simply loved to undermine her confidence and broaden her innocent thoughts into wild theories full of speculations without concrete evidence. Everything was completely right with her. Just because some of her bodily functions behaved out of the ordinary didn't mean that the world would collapse.

Sound of rattling keys snapped her out of her musings, as well as Tony's loud greeting that reached her ears right after. She swept the rest of the diced vegetables on the baking sheet, threw in the onion rings and garlic and slipped it inside the own under the grill. It wouldn't ever strike her that Tony would love grilled vegetables as a garnish to the main course (a chicken steak with Roquefort sauce) but she was more than pleased to fulfil this wish for him.

She leaned against the doorframe of the kitchen's passage, watching him to get comfortable in their home, shooting her a smile she gladly returned. As he went over to her, he flashed the bottle of wine in front of her eyes to show her that he also participated on the dinner preparations by buying a good wine as an accompaniment to the meal.

She swatted his hand with the wine away and embraced his neck, seeking his mouth to obtain a kiss she was dying for all day since they had different sleeping schedules now and she hadn't gotten one in the morning. Holding the bottle in his hand, his hands sneaked around her waist and rewarded her sweet eagerness with a kiss that he intended to be a loving but brief one.

Her plans were apparently of a different nature, though. Before he knew it, she pressed him towards her like a child clutching a plushie during sleep, and pulled him forward while she walked back inside the kitchen. She forced him to pin her against the counter, the edge digging into her loins, still kissing him like crazy and not giving him any chance to take a breath.

Without looking, he put the bottle of wine behind her on the counter so she could fulfil the intention of her hands and that was to strip him of his jacket, deliciously touching him in all the sore places on his body that ached from the whole day sitting in the office as today was uneventful when it came to cases. Thanks to that, he momentarily forgot his own name and just enjoyed the beauty of her care.

She discarded his jacket and slipped her hands straight to the zipper of his pants, having no intention to stall things any further. Her lungs were screaming for air by that moment, though, and she had no other choice but to release his lips momentarily. He used that little while to still her hands, embracing her more comfortable so she could snuggle to him and give him at least a little explanation where this sudden amorous assault had come from.

"Whoa, someone's really hungry here and I don't think it's for food." He teased her with a smile, holding her chin in his right hand to direct her gaze towards him.

She sighed and lowered her eyes, wondering whether she should share her thoughts from earlier. "I am sorry, I do not know what is up with me lately." She then said, apologizing for her nymphomaniac behaviour. "I just missed you today and..."

Her next words were swallowed by his kiss as he wanted to show her that she didn't have anything to apologize for, let alone for enriching their sexual life. Hell, they had wasted so many years fighting the tension between them that even the rest of their lives couldn't ever be enough to make up for the long period of denial. Letting loose was the only reasonable thing to do.

She moaned as she still tried to speak up, unable to stop the words forming in her throat but soon, her libido won over. His kiss made her incredibly dizzy and the world around her melted into insignificant puddle of nothingness. She breathed only for the delicious taste of his mouth, for the delicate touch of his fingers on the nape of her neck as he kept her head locked up in a specific angle so he could devour her.

Nimbly, she pulled his shirt out of his pants and started to undo the buttons, loving the touch of his heaving chest against her skin. He reciprocated the action by doing the same on her bright red oversized flannel shirt she had bought the other day and he absolutely loved it on her. The angle of the kiss had changed and she thrust her tongue deeper into his mouth, making him groan.

The beeping sound of oven's alarm made her return to reality – the vegetables inside were done and needed to be pulled from the oven. Feeling the duty not to put everything on fire in this beautiful kitchen, she slipped out of his embrace in one unguarded moment and did exactly so, turning off the oven and putting the baking sheet on the counter.

Then, she turned around to face him, her erotic sense in the overdrive over the sight of dishevelled Tony with the shirt hanging open on his shoulders, casually leaning over the counter of the kitchen island, throwing her a hungry look. He breathed in the tasteful smell of the grilled vegetable and hummed in appreciation of the fragrances that filled in the air with a homely atmosphere.

"You are distracting me." She accused him, her body shivering upon the pointed gaze he subjected her to. "Get out of the kitchen or I will never finish this dinner."

Tony shrugged in response, hinting that he couldn't care less about a dinner consisting of food. The moment she had kissed him, he was certain that he would rather starve than miss an opportunity to make love to her. He could see that she had made an effort to prepare healthy, yet hearty dinner for them and he had no intention to downplay it. However, she had managed to fire him up more than enough to just cool down without a release.

To defend herself and actually prove herself that she had still some control over her body, she snatched a wooden spoon out of the counter and aimed it at him when he took a step towards her. "Out of the kitchen. NOW!" She growled in a bossy tone that told him not to mess up with her.

He put his finger on his mouth contemplatively as if he was testing her resolve but then he raised his hands in the air to sign his surrender and made a move to exit the kitchen. Watching him closely, she sighed in relief once he was out of the sight and turned back to the counter, dropping the wooden spoon on the counter and buttoning her shirt back up.

The lack of her vigilance was soon punished because once he stepped out of the kitchen, he turned around and went right back. She was turned with her back to him so her chance to react defensively was absolutely minimal. Once he swiftly approached her, he pressed his chest on hers, catching her arms in the mid-air to stop her from reaching the wooden spoon and finishing her job with the buttons.

Assaulting her neck with feathery kisses was a great strategy to quieten the threatening growl of a cornered animal inside her. She turned into a puddle in a couple of seconds, completely relaxing in his arms as his hands undid the buttons on her shirt again, caressing the heated skin beneath the fabric. The strange mixture of the grilled vegetable fragrance and the smell of lust and desire in the air in the kitchen made him want her twice as much as he would have ever expected.

Soon, she turned her head in an angle so he could attempt to kiss her on the mouth, albeit very sloppily but when the sexual drive had the first say in everything running through their mind, it didn't even matter. Their mouths fused in a moist lip-lock that was getting deeper and deeper as Ziva turned her whole body around to face him and the angle provided more opportunities to explore further.

She pushed his already opened shirt down his shoulders, hastily forcing him to run his hands through the sleeves so she could discard it and devour his naked chest with her touches made both by her delicate fingers and her mouth. Shivers rand down his spine as she planted open-mouthed kisses up and down the upper half of his body, her arms possessively locked up around his waist.

In the meantime, he took care of her shirt, focusing his sight momentarily on her breasts wrapped up in the lacy bra of the salmon pink colour. The heaving movement hypnotized him completely for a couple of eternal seconds as if her natural bodily function of breathing was a wonder worthy of an award. And he granted it in spite of not having any kind of trophy at his disposal, considering pay in kids as the best option.

Ziva threw her head back to give him more space for scattering the titillating and enjoyable kiss in the swell of her breasts, stroking the stiffened muscles on her lover's back. Her shoulders danced in the unison as he unclasped her bra and moved it out the way, the straps falling down her arms. Shortly after, his hot mouth tasted the recently uncovered parts of her chest and she considered herself lucky to be pressed on the counter behind her because her legs weren't that confident anymore.

Her fingers ran through this hair from the nape of his neck up to the crown of his head, her thoughts shifting briefly to wondering about the silkiness and softness of his hair like if he didn't have to care about it at all, unlike her. Shampoo, conditioner, heat protection spray, hairdryer and curling iron were the merest necessities to make her hair look at least a little bit normal.

A moan escaped her lips as his tongue flickered over her nipple and she felt a familiar tug inside her belly. Her hands quickly slipped down his back to his front to get to his pants, banishing all other unimportant and mundane thoughts. Down there, things were quite simple. Belt buckle, a little move to loosen the belt, button on the pants, zipper down and his pants were free.

His excellent sense for cooperation was very known to her so when he kicked off his shoes, shook his legs to help his pants to fall down on the ground and managed to get them off his ankles together with his socks, she wasn't even surprised. What impressed her was how he had managed to keep sucking on her breasts with occasional kisses on her neck in the meantime.

But thanks to all of that, her body was on fire and it desperately screamed for release. The whole foreplay was nice and all but she needed more, she craved for more. She didn't want to let him to tease for far too long so while he kept giving her hickeys all over her chest, she took off her light blue sweatpants, leaving them both naked barring the underwear.

He noticed her actions despite being occupied and withdrew his head from her chest to look into her face. "Do you want to move this to bedroom?" He asked her, thinking about her comfort first. His right hand held her nape firmly to ensure her undying attention.

She shook her head mutely to sign the negative answer on his question. In all honesty, she didn't care where it would happen, she just wanted it. Today's sexual desire didn't crave unusual position, unusual environment or anything like it. She just wanted him. Him inside her. She didn't even care for the dinner, anymore. Her body looked down at the food at the moment. Only thing she wanted was sex.

He nodded in comprehension, kissing her profoundly to make her dizzy and compliant. Taking into account her reply, he assumed the role of logistician who had to take care of the various tasks to provide the appropriate delivery. His calloused hands rand down her torso, firmly grasping her ass cheeks as he pressed her to his body, making her moan appreciatively in response.

Almost toppling over when she sensually rubbed her body against his, he spun them around slowly, still kissing her deeply as if he found a vein of gold inside her mouth. She used his shoulders and biceps for support because she didn't trust her legs at all. That was why she stubbornly resisted his attempt to lift her left leg up, wondering why he wanted to deprive her of the little balance she still possessed.

All he needed to do, though, was to brush his fingers lightly across her panties and she started to tremble like jelly. He put left arm around her waist firmly, lifting her flabby left leg up and hooking it around his waist to gain some advantage for what he was about to do. And as if she foresaw his actions, she interwove her arms with his, holding onto him for her dear life, feeling that she could drown without a float like him.

Then even her second leg deserted the comfort of a firm ground as he lifted her in the air and hoisted her up on the kitchen isle behind her back. He grunted as the physical effort had taken its toll on his back, not that she was somehow too heavy but he wasn't getting any younger, despite his quite fine shape. She giggled in return, feeling suddenly more confident with a solid surface beneath her buttocks.

She immediately drew him closer and locked him up in a mighty embrace of her thighs and calves around his waist, her arms hugging his chest desperately. They were now equal in their height which provided a new angle of their kiss and she took advantage of it to become the one in control. After all, he was busy enough with peeling her panties off of her body.

Tearing her mouth away to let out a lustful yelp, she threw her head back as the first wave of pleasure washed over her when he stuck his fingers inside her and instantly started to massage her inner walls. The sultry look she gave him was an image that burnt in the back of his mind for sure and it only encouraged him to masterfully carry on in his actions.

However, her appreciation was short-lived. She started the squirm to thwart his efforts to bring her to heaven with his fingers, leaning forward to his face when he looked at her with a puzzled expression. "Not enough." She whispered, her hand slipping alongside his hip to reach the desire destination in the front, squeezing the hardened member inside. "I want this."

When her warm hand released his throbbing shaft inside his boxers, he breathed out shakily with closed eyes to gain some composure. Then, he opened them and looked inside her coveting eyes that watched him with anticipation. He didn't need anything else to know what his orders were so he made a quick work with his boxers to get this piece of clothing out of the way and ready himself for the blissful occasion.

Her hands together with the adorable purrs coming out of her mouth impatiently urged him to hurry up and let the passion explode between them. He put his palms on her cheeks and claimed her mouth for umpteenth time, sliding his right hand on her back as he began to push her down so she would lay down on the kitchen isle's surface. She obediently followed his silent command, feeling secure with his support.

For a little while, he kept kissing her, pushing her hips down because she didn't want to stop moving them in attempt to make him slide inside her as his erected manhood hovered over her hot and wet core. He had in mind a different position this time so he stalled the main event for a little bit more until she was more compliant and devoted to his cause, her curiosity getting the better of her.

Her eyes shone searchingly when he abruptly straightened up, smiling down at her as she lay in front of him in her whole naked beauty, breathing heavily and shooting him her best seductive look. Then, he unwrapped her legs from around his waist, using more force than he had anticipated at first because she couldn't give up the last piece of control without an effort.

Only after he looked at her meaningfully, she giggled evilly and eased off her clasp, sticking her right forefinger into her mouth cheekily. He shook his head helplessly at her behaviour but continued in carrying out his original intent, lifting her legs up in the air. That made her draw her body closer to him, pursing her pussy and ass on the edge of the kitchen isle. Judging by his appreciative click of his tongue, he had her right where he wanted her.

Kissing both her slender and beautiful ankles, he propped them against his shoulders, caressing them down to her curvy backside, gripping her hips firmly to place her into the right angle. He loved the kitchen isle beneath her body. It was smaller than the other counters by the wall so her delicious pussy entrance was right in the same height as his own intimate parts. As if it was done exactly for the purpose of Mermaid sexual position.

She moaned loudly and arched her back, sinking her teeth into the finger in her mouth when he entered her. It felt so erotically slick and incredibly tight that the sensual receptors in her brain had a hard time to deal with all the pleasure that flooded her. With such an angle, he also felt so much fuller than before inside her and she couldn't think of any other words to describe it than fulfilment of her greatest desires.

And he had similar thoughts, hardly recalling any other moment in his sexual life when he felt so fantastic while being enveloped by the woman's heat like right now. He didn't mean to reduce the importance of his other encounters, especially with the woman he loved in front of him but somehow, this felt more satisfying and pleasant than ever before. Reasons for it were unknown to him and honestly, he couldn't care less.

His only goal right now was to bring the blissful feeling of gratification for both of them. And so, he moved inside her, their moans of pleasure bouncing against the kitchen's walls, complementing each other to express the physical and mental satisfaction. Then, he did it again. And again. And again. And all over again until the delightful friction between their bodies forced them to lose their minds.

Although their current sexual connection could hardly be described as rough, it had something primal and raw in it. He firmly held her calves for support, digging his fingers into the flesh so much that it had to be painful for her. But it seemed that she welcomed it and decided to channel it further into her body to add it to the incredible feeling of pleasure that didn't want to leave her for a single millisecond.

She also didn't let him to do the work all by himself, not because she would be a control freak but because she wanted him to feel at least the same amount of delight as she had. And judging by his expressions and groans, she was doing a fine job. Her hips bucked rhythmically to meet with his deep thrusts to multiply the friction between them, her hands braced by the edge of the kitchen isle to find more strength to do this and to reinforce her efforts.

Occasionally, she lifted her legs off his shoulders and widened the gap in a large 'V', then put the legs back together. As they found out, the magnificent feelings of tightness had always returned with this movement, making them both gasp for air and driving them wild. Not to mention that whenever she did this, he always looked for support on her body, touching and squeezing her breasts, grasping her hips and rearranging the angle.

However, it was getting harder to keep the balance, anymore. Her legs were tingling due to the lack of blood inside them, shivering from the exertion to keep them up but it also could be contributed to how close to her orgasm she actually was. And because he wasn't doing any better, he decided to speed things up to give them both a short moment to recuperate.

His thrusts quickened as he bent forward, forcing her legs to bent in her knees over his shoulders while he started a kissing trail up her torso from her bellybutton. And oh, it worked for her perfectly. His manhood buried deeper inside her, hitting her sweet spot and she came with a loud moan, feverishly holding onto his head because the edge of the kitchen isle wasn't simply enough.

Just like her, he channelled the pain she was causing him by tugging at his hair desperately and let it to arouse him to maximum. It wasn't that difficult when he absolutely loved to engross himself in sucking her nipples while her chest heaved up and down as she panted in attempt to suck some of the fresh air into her lungs and return her blackened mind into its normal state, plus the amazing sensation of satisfaction, of course.

Yanking his head forward, she crashed her lips on his in a grateful kiss to award him for that he had given her what she had been craving for the whole day. She had felt elevated beyond the imaginary seventh heaven, cloud nine or whatever. Returning back to Earth from the heights she had been fired to after the blissful climax struck her was nice only thanks to his continuous care of her pleasure.

And as she kept inspecting the deepest corners of his mouth with the profound movement of her tongue, making them both moan at the sensational rubbing, she also lifted herself up a little bit, her back leaving the kitchen isle's surface. She wanted to straighten up, to bring their bodies closer, to feel his hot skin beneath her fingers while his penis carried on in penetrating her in such a terrific fashion.

He could be completely wrapped up in her, enjoying the delightful love-making but he was also perceptive enough to get a hint when it was presented to him. And so he moved his hand on her lower back, raising her heated body up together with his. He had to adjust his arms so her legs could fall down his shoulders on his sides where she immediately applied a firm leg lock, their pelvises meeting in the close contact.

This new angle was a gift from heavens, providing him with a solid ground beneath his feet, opportunity to lean his knees against the counter and although it was more physically demanding to hold her in this position, it offered him an incredibly helpful support. For her, it meant that she had something to hold onto and touch him wherever she pleased – both with her hands and her mouth.

And so their resumed their wild tempo with fiery looks on their faces, building more and more pleasure. She kept alternating between reaching for his shoulders, digging and raking her nails across his back and chest, and propping herself up on her hands against the kitchen isle's surface to give him an opportunity to snuggle with her proudly stuck out endowed bosom.

He made use of her arching her back towards him, bending her body down and making a little circle with the upper of her body while she threw her wild curls in the air. To say that such a view was sexy as hell would be an understatement. Every single time it had happened, he pumped his manhood into her more urgently and almost violently, but she didn't mind it whatsoever, prompting him to do so more often with the squeeze of her mighty muscular legs around his waist.

Their mouths were unstoppable, fusing together in one second and in the other worshipping some other part of their scorching bodies from earlobes, face and neck to collar bone, chest and breasts. It was an eternal conquest without a clear winner, all about giving and be given. And their gratitude for it had been vocally voiced in countless sensual groans and moans in pleasure.

It was only a matter of time until the world around them would shatter into a blissful and delightful darkness where they could endlessly drink from the chalice of satisfaction. The information who reached their climax first was absolutely futile because in a certain moment of their love-making session on the kitchen isle, they had become one being as a result of faultless fusion.

They fell through the hole in the ground together, drowning in the beautiful feeling of delight willingly. Suddenly, the direction changed and while they held onto each other firmly, trying to catch their breaths, the pleasure shot them up in the sky at the breakneck speed into dizzying heights. The inseparable connection between them felt more profound than ever before.

Their eyes met in a meaningful stare after they had landed back on Earth, arms tangled together to provide the support for each other. Hungrily, they sought the mouths of one another, sealing their love for an umpteenth time with a kiss. It was this lip-lock that energized them, shooting the sparks of electricity to the farthest corners of their nerve ends to make them aware of their bodies again.

And for a brief moment, Ziva sensed another force materializing around them. She couldn't explain it in any words, but it seemed to her as if she hadn't heard only hers and Tony's heartbeat. Someone else was also there, embedded in their mutual existence. However, the thought itself was very vague and she dismissed it immediately to focus more on her exceptional boyfriend.

Unbeknown to her, Tony felt it, too. And just like her, he had no explanation for it, no way to express the strange, yet likeable tingling that challenged him to realize something. And because he couldn't think of anything else, he took it as one of the countless proofs that he and Ziva belonged together. They were made for each other, they were soul mates. One jigsaw piece clicking into place with another.

When he released her lips, looking at her blushing face intently, he smirked proudly. "Now when you're sated... Hungry for some edible dinner?" He asked her, palming her face lovingly and nudging her nose.

She giggled in response – always bet on DiNozzo's stomach, it had never forgotten about real food, no matter how Tony himself was preoccupied with something else. Pretending to bite his nose off before pushing him away, she jumped back down on the ground from the kitchen isle. His arms went immediately around her to steady her since she hadn't sensed a firm ground beneath her feet for some while.

Thanking him for his gentleman-like behaviour, she awarded him with a peck on his cheek and went to retrieve her clothes so she could continue in the dinner preparation. When he joined her, she didn't fight back and let him help her, knowing already that they made a good team in the kitchen. In no time, their dinner was ready to serve and eat, although in a slightly different lukewarm version than was original planned.

It was sometime in the middle of the night when Ziva finally resigned on attempts to lull herself in the sleep by using all the mental techniques she'd been advised. Imagining sea, listening to the waves crashing against each other, repeating to herself that she had to sleep, snuggling next to deeply sleeping Tony and breathing in his scent that always calmed her – none of that worked.

Frustrated, she rolled onto her back, staring at the ceiling with wide opened eyes. The storms raging inside her head were simply impossible to stop, always rousing her from the shallow slumber she'd fallen into. It didn't have a concrete form, all she could hear was 'you should think about this', but she had always tried to shut her mind down before exploring the this inside her thoughts.

Turning her head sideways, she made sure that Tony was still asleep and her musings hadn't woken him up. Then, she looked back at the ceiling, closing her eyes and focusing her attention on the damn, nagging thought somewhere in her mind. If she was supposed to get some sleep at all tonight, she needed to face it and deal with it appropriately. And running away from it didn't apparently have the desired effect.

'What do you want?!' She asked silently the poor, battered being living within her that could also turn into her greatest enemy whenever it had gotten the better of her, plaguing her mind with worries and doubts. Instead of a verbal answer, she was offered a flash of a memory that caused familiar type of heat washing over her, considering its nature and the tangible reaction of her body.

It was that brief moment in her momentary consciousness she had experienced during the kiss with Tony after the delightful orgasms they had both reached. But the reason for this memory flash wasn't in the omnipresent feeling of pleasure. It was in the 'another force' she had felt, that heartbeat she had supposedly perceived in a different rhythm than hers and Tony's heart.

Although she willed her mind to focus on the moment as much as she could, she only heard the heartbeat while her thoughts set off in a different direction. They reminded her of her recently increased sexual libido, the insatiable desire for love-making with her boyfriend and her intensified enjoyment she had from it, making her crave more and more as it was a drug she couldn't live without.

Her odd and incomprehensible appetite when it came to food also found its way into her thoughts. It couldn't be a coincidence that she had so excessively fancied meals she hadn't really liked before. There had to be some malfunction in her digestive system or something. And maybe the vomiting was a consequence of all this, plus the physical and psychical extortion.

'Or there could be simpler explanation...' Her inner self argued, prodding her to stop looking for a way to avoid the self-evident thing. Increased sexual libido, weird cravings, vomiting and on top of that, the long-forgotten missing period for a third cycle in a row. A person as intelligent as Ziva David should recognize the symptoms immediately, looking for an opportunity to ascertain the fact, not to ignore the possibility.

Her hand unknowingly to her landed on her stomach as if she wanted to protect the potential of the little creature inside. As the realization sank in, she expected herself to start freaking out. However shocked as she was, though, it had the opposite effect. The sleep had finally taken over her and she fell into a deep and dreamless slumber, leaving any kind of decision-making until the next day.

When she woke up in the morning, Tony was already gone. She didn't even have to open her eyes to assure herself – the feeling of emptiness and almost deathly silence in the apartment was enough of evidence. She didn't hold it against him, though, he was the one working here, after all. And she had a day off today, so she was allowed to sleep more than she used to.

A smile spread across her face when she noticed the breakfast tray on the ground with bacon and egg sandwiches and orange juice. A single red rose laid on it, making Ziva wonder where the hell he had managed to get one, with a sweet 'I love you' note stuck in between a thorn and a leaf. Tony could make her lazy mornings even lazier and pleasant, despite the lack of his personal presence. And for that, she loved him.

She polished off the breakfast tray quickly while browsing her phone for news and answering some texts, then she got up and went to the bathroom. When she looked at her reflection in the mirror, she felt as if someone else was looking back at her. Her eyes seemed hollow and her face haggard as if she didn't sleep for centuries. Definitely not a Sleeping Beauty, then.

Washing her face and combing her hair, she tried to look at herself once more, this time prying a smile in the corners of her mouth. It was better but it still didn't feel right. Maybe it was the right moment to face the realization she had come to last night when she'd desperately tried to fall asleep. Because she hadn't forgotten about it for a single second since she'd woken up.

A deep breath filled her lungs with fresh air and also with enough confidence to stand in front of a large mirror. She wasn't looking at her face, studying her body instead dressed in the dark red pyjama bottoms and white tank top. Slowly, she placed her hands on her stomach, inspecting with her fingers the hardness of her belly, searching for something out of the ordinary.

After a while, she dared to lift her tank top just enough to reveal her belly and look at it. Seemingly, there was no change from the norm she'd been used to, her stomach looking the same way. Okay, maybe some flab here and there, she wasn't exactly stern in her diet. That was why she jogged so often, after all, to keep herself in some shape. Yet, the feeling that she wasn't entirely alone persisted.

Then she focused on her feelings, on what she herself felt towards this new hunch. And she realized – to her surprise – that she was absolutely and perfectly calm. She'd felt tensed earlier, wondering what changes were happening to her body and what was the cause but if she found the right answer, she could finally find a way to accept it. However, there was still a chance that it could be something entirely different. And it wouldn't be anything nice.

She scowled at her own reflection and cursed loudly. Exactly this kind of uncertainty unnerved her to no end, playing tricks on her mind and deflecting her common sense from clear thinking. Refusing to let it win, she gathered all the courage she needed to put some clothes on and set off her way to the drugstore. She needed to know to make the right decisions for the future.

Ziva David went to buy a pregnancy test.

The End of Chapter 36

I love shameless excuses to write a smut, he he. :D And I hope you enjoyed, it was one of my favourite smuts to write. Also, can be the ending counted as a cliffhanger? Hm... maybe...

Thank you so much for coming and reading, reviewing and everything you amazing people do. I hope to deliver another chapter in August before I leave for my computer-less vacation. Have a nice July!