I'm back from my weekend trip and let me say one thing: Being up 20 hours a day and have only 4 hours of sleep on the hard floor is quite exhausting, but it was worth the lack of sleep and pain!
Also: I have to admit that this chapter was a pain in the ass & I struggled a lot writing this!
It's not quite what I usually write but it's really important for the story & I hope you like the outcome (because seriously, it took me two days to write it)!
On another note: I loved reading your guesses, and most of you guessed Paris or Israel as a destination, and yes it would have been wonderful, but hey, Ziva is still in danger and pregnant!
And now: Enjoy reading & please review (:
"Ready?" He asked her the next morning after they had finished eating their breakfast.
"Yeah, ready." She smiled in reply and grabbed her bag while Tony began locking the door behind them.
Once seated in the car Ziva began to ask him about their destination again.
"So you're still not telling me where we're going?" She playful pouted and he couldn't help but laugh at her impatience.
"You'll see it soon enough Ziva." Tony now teased her and began driving towards the highway.
And he was right, the scenery quickly flew by and after about an hour she slowly sensed where they were heading to.
"Tony, is this…" Ziva started but soon trailed off as she took in the sight in front of her.
They were now facing the bay of Chesapeake Beach and it made her speechless.
"Yes, I thought some time at the beach would be great to get our minds off things." Tony smiled at her, glad to see that she liked the place.
A few minutes later they arrived at their planned destination, a small house right at the beach.
Ziva gasped at the sight and for a moment she was unable to voice her thoughts.
"This is beautiful Tony." He smiled when he saw a stunned smile appearing on her lips and thought that they would spend a great time in this house.
"Yeah, I immediately fell in love with it when I saw it on the internet. Seeing it now is even more beautiful." He quietly agreed before opening the car door to get their bags from the trunk.
It was almost time for dinner when Ziva found herself standing on the patio and staring at the water in front of her.
The sun was already setting and she had put on her cardigan since it was still cold at this time of the year.
Tony had insisted on making dinner for them which left Ziva alone to her thoughts.
Watching the small waves of the water made her wonder how much her life changed throughout the past weeks.
She knew there was still a lot she needed to talk about but on the other hand she also knew that her future was now full of promises.
It was really overwhelming and she absentmindedly caressed her stomach while thinking of the small wonder growing inside of her.
"Pretty thoughtful tonight, huh?" She hadn't noticed Tony coming up behind her until he spoke up and wove his arms around her waist.
She didn't reply at first as she was still lost in her thoughts and was now inhaling the unmistakable scent radiating off his skin.
"I can't really believe that all of this is happening." She stated and her voice gave away how emotional she was over all of this.
Tony slightly pulled her closer into his chest and waited for her to continue.
"I mean after all that has happened in the past you are still here and sometimes I wonder what makes me deserve this. All of this." Tears were now pooling in her eyes and he knew her thoughts had taken a turn within seconds.
He softly turned her around to make her look into his eyes before replying.
"Hey, don't even think like this Ziva. You're the most wonderful and strong person I've ever met and you deserve being surrounded by people who love you and will always have your back. Everything is the way it is supposed to be, ok?" He stared at her intently and knew that she was still having her problems with accepting what he had just said.
The tears were now trickling down her cheeks and before he knew what he was doing he slowly bent down until his lips softly met hers while his thumbs carefully wiped away the tears from her face.
She effortlessly melted into his touch and he was almost overwhelmed at the sensation of such a gently kiss.
It was their first real kiss after all and nothing compared to the kisses they had shared weeks ago during their encounter. This one was a kiss exchanged by lovers and almost felt like a soft summer breeze but nevertheless more meaningful than either of them realized.
Neither of them commented on the situation and Tony simply pulled her into a tight hug again, her head coming to rest against his chest where she peacefully listened to his steady heartbeat.
After a while Tony interrupted the silence between them and quietly whispered into her ear.
"By the way…dinner is ready." He could feel her smile against his chest before she looked up at him.
"I guess it is cold by now." She replied, still smiling at him and blushing slightly.
"Don't worry, I kept it warm." He said while leading her towards the living room where the dining table stood.
Once she was seated in one of the chairs he quickly went to get their dinner.
He had made a typical Italian lasagna and Ziva hummed in approval once she had taken a few bites.
"This is really delicious Tony; you should definitely cook more often." He grinned in reply and enjoyed the time they spent together while eating their dinner and chatting quietly.
"How about we take a walk at the beach?" Tony suggested when they had finished eating and the sun had finally set.
"Sounds great, just let me put on something warmer." And with that Ziva made her way to the bedroom to grab a sweater while Tony patiently waited for her in the hall.
When she reappeared she was already wearing her jacket and her hair was tied up in a rather messy bun and Tony still thought she looked radiant.
He simply took one of her hands and intertwined their fingers before closing the door behind them and with that they walked towards the beach in front of them.
A fresh breeze was tingling on their skin by now and Ziva took a moment to inhale the salty scent of the sea.
The sky was clear enough to see most of the stars and they soon stopped walking to take in the night sky.
Ziva easily came to rest against his chest again and Tony wrapped his arms around her so she wouldn't freeze while they were standing there.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" She whispered and relaxed into his embrace, enjoying the serene moment.
"Yeah, pretty much." Tony agreed and followed her gaze into the sky.
His hands came to rest on her stomach once more and Ziva instinctively cupped them with hers.
"I can't wait until we're able to show our kid all these wonderful things." Ziva could tell how thoughtful he was all of a sudden and could easily imagine how it would be like to show their child the wonders of the world. It was a calming and happy thoughts and made a smile appear on her lips once more.
"Yeah, me neither." The smile was evident in her voice as well and with that they both let themselves wrap in the silence surrounding them again and for once everything felt more than right in their lives.
PS: I don't think they would jump into a relationship at full tilt and to be honest I quite enjoy those sweet little moments between them because they're way more precious, right?