Sunday April 24

"Have your husbands been acting weird lately?" Emma inquired of the other girls as they hung out over conference call while their guys were bonding at a frat brothers only basketball practice. The wives had decided that if they were having girl's nights out their boys needed time alone too. So on the rare occasion they stayed home from basketball all five of them patched into the same call and chatted while folding laundry, doing dishes, cleaning the bathroom, working on craft projects or, in Ziva's case, cleaning her weapons.

Allie laughed lightly. "I thought you'd be used to Adrian's quirks after nine months of marriage."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm used to his regular quirks, but this is odd even for him."

"Care to elaborate?" Cassie asked as she set another plate in the drying rack.

"He's been dropping pick up lines into our conversations. At first I thought it was just a one or two-time thing, but it's been going on for the last month! And, I mean, it's stuff I haven't heard since college. Don't you think that's a little strange?"

"Pick up lines?" Allie echoed. "Cass?" They'd actually had this conversation recently.

"Yeah, Mark too."

"And Tony," Ziva put in, sliding the pieces of her gun back into place.

"Okay, that just sounds dangerous," CJ put in. "And to weigh in on the vote, Brent's been doing it too."

"Oh my gosh." Cassie shook her head. "I can't believe we didn't catch it sooner."

"What?" the other girls asked almost in unison.

"It's a challenge. They used to do this all the time when we were in school. One of them would suggest something, the others would take it up because none of them ever back down from a dare, some frat brother initiation rule or some such nonsense, and then they'd bet on it. Winner got a prize worth fighting for and off they'd go. I can't tell you how many times I watched this play out. And now they're doing it to us."

Ziva chuckled. "Kind of like when they wanted to stage a kissing competition?"

"I remember that," Cassie put in. "Girls, we need to meet this head on."

"Oh?" CJ asked, always a little wary when the group leader's wife had an idea. "How so?"

She smirked. "Turn it back on them, of course. Starting as soon as they get home today. We have to the end of the week to throw them off their game because I guarantee this is going to come to a head at our group date night. I wondered why Mark was so insistent we schedule it for the end of the month and do the dinner a week early. Their deadline is the final day of April."

Already thinking of lines she could use on her husband, Ziva grinned. "They will not know what slapped them."

A few of the girls couldn't hold back their giggles and Emma ventured the correction. "They won't know what hit them Ziva." She laughed. "Slapped just seems a little more violent for some reason."

"It's our turn to have some fun with this ladies," Cassie declared. "Let the games begin."

NCIS

Tuesday April 26

Dedicated as she was about her contribution to the household finances, it was very rare for Cassie to take a day off from teaching. She had, however, conceded on this the anniversary of her birth. Having taken extra PT sessions prior to visiting Kevin, the money Mark needed for her special birthday gift had been available when he picked it up at the jeweler's yesterday and he'd been itching to give it to her since the moment his fingers closed over the white box.

Wanting more time with her and not willing to wait for their Friday date night to do so, Mark had shuffled regularly scheduled clients and managed to make it home just after noon. He walked in the door and immediately had to smile. The frosted French doors to her music room stood half-open and through them floated the haunting strains of Cassie's violin. Edging closer, he watched as she drew the bow across the strings, her fingers finding the correct places on them from memory, eyes closed as her body swayed in time to the music. Mark never tired of the feeling Cassie put into her music - though it was always apparent when she skated that her heart was truly in that sport while music was merely something she enjoyed rather than had a passion for.

When she set the instrument back in its case he knocked on the door, wincing when she jumped. "Delivery for Mrs. Reece."

Cassie's expression lit up at his unexpected appearance and she crossed the room to join him. "Is it you?"

Mark chuckled, pleased she considered his presence a gift. "Nope." A bouquet of flowers was displayed with a flourish from behind his back. "These however..."

"They're beautiful," Cassie beamed, kissing his cheek. "Thank you."

He slid his arms around her waist. "I love listening to you play."

She tilted her head. "You were spying on me."

"One of my favourite pastimes."

Her gaze strayed to the clock. "Did one of your people cancel? I don't usually get to see you midday on Tuesday."

Mark tucked a curl behind her ear. "I shifted things around. I'm yours for the rest of the day."

"Really?" Cassie's blue eyes sparkled. "That's a pretty good present."

"Oh, I have a better one." He took the flowers from her and they sat down on the piano bench. "When I told you about taking in-home PT to pay for my trip to visit Kevin, I left something out." Her brow furrowed and he smoothed it with his thumb. "The other reason I picked up the extra sessions was to get this made." Mark set the small box in her palm. "I saw something similar awhile back and it seemed perfect for you. I probably should've held onto it until Mother's Day but I can't wait that long."

She cracked it open and her lips parted. "Oh Mark, it's gorgeous." One finger ran delicately over the interwoven ropes of gold that went all the way around the middle of the band creating an unbroken circle of infinity symbols. Inside the ones facing up were four birthstones, one for each member of their family. On the outsides of the ring were two thin borders of diamonds. The effect was absolutely dazzling.

When his wife was done admiring it he pulled the jewellery from the box and took her hand. "I had it made to fit your right ring finger." He slid it on and Cassie couldn't contain the smile that burst forth.

She leaned in to kiss him. "You are the most thoughtful man. Thank you so much." Touching the stones again, she was surprised when the whole middle section moved. Her gaze darted to Mark's and he just grinned.

"It's called a spinner ring. Gives you something to fiddle with that doesn't include taking off your wedding rings and playing with them. Reduces the possibility of losing important items."

Cassie's gaze narrowed. "I've never lost them." Technically. But one might've fallen out of her grasp and landed a few rows down at a play they were watching. There was also that one time on the plane... She cut him off before he could mention those. "Well, I always got them back."

His hand cupped the back of her neck and he claimed her lips again. "I love you."

Her eyes twinkled. "That'll do." After a couple more minutes sitting with him she suddenly remembered the flowers. "I better get these in some water."

Mark trailed her into the kitchen. "Any chance I can entice you into taking a walk with me since it's so nice out?"

Cassie glanced over her shoulder. "Do I get ice cream?"

"You'll get a treat of some form. Maybe we'll try something not ice cream today."

That was usually her go to dessert, so he had a point. "Fair enough."

They wandered out of their neighbourhood and kept going for several blocks until he led her into a smoothie bar she and Allie sometimes came to. After they got home the couple spent some pre-celebration time in the privacy of their bedroom, then Mark sent her to the rink for an hour of skating while he and the kids cooked dinner. Later that night the whole family went over to Matthew and Claire's for dessert - Claire had taken great pains to make her step-daughter's favourite, angel food cake with fresh strawberries. Almost two months after she'd started piano lessons Claire's skills were improving, but even more important was the relationship forming between she and Cassie. That was the biggest gift for both Matthew and Mark. For a decade and a half something had been missing but now their family truly was complete.

NCIS

Wednesday April 27

Tony was sitting in the livingroom chair playing his guitar when she got home from Ops. With his back to the door he didn't notice her entrance, so she got to just stand there and listen for a long time with a fond smile playing over her lips before making her presences known when he finally stopped. She walked up behind him and sat on the arm of the couch, leaning forward to hug him. "That was beautiful."

He jumped at her touch and glanced over his shoulder. "Oh hi, you're back." Tony chuckled a bit nervously, fiddling with the instrument. "Uh, glad you like it. It's...well, it's actually for you. I just...haven't figured out how to finish it yet."

Ziva pressed a soft kiss behind his ear and one to his neck, then she asked in a whisper, "Will you play it for me again? You have such a good voice and I forget, because I do not often hear you sing for pleasure."

The compliment flustered him. "Yeah, okay, sure."

This time she listened practically melded to his side, one hand on his back as he strummed. Tony played and sang and in every part she heard his heart and how much he loved her. It awing and humbling for their story to be put to music that way and became an incredibly special moment for husband and wife, something Ziva had to share later in her journal to make sure she would never forget.

NCIS

Thursday April 28

After leaving the house of a family member they were interviewing, Ziva waited until they were by the car to wrap her arms around Tony's neck, glad for the freedom of no one watching. "How about you guess which piece of clothing I didn't wear to work today?"

Tony knew she was teasing him and grinned, pulling back enough to look her up and down. "Sock?" he chose first, going with innocuous rather than jumping right to the fun stuff. She shook her head. "Well, you're wearing pants, so that can't be it. And also eliminates underwear." He tried to put his hands on her to further the investigation but Ziva shook her head.

"You can look, but no touching...yet."

The 'yet' was enough to plaster a lecherous expression on her husband's face. His gaze slowly rose from belt buckle to chin, eyes narrowing at her shoulder. "I see straps under that shirt." Though long sleeved, it was thin and light celebrating the return of spring-like weather following a too cold for her liking winter. "So I'm kinda running out of options here babe."

Ziva smirked and moved away from his reach. "Too bad. I guess you will just have to wait until later to find out." Although it had been six days since the beginning of their break from intimacy, her purpose with this game was more to cheer her husband up rather than goad him into changing his mind. It was, however, fun to try.

He stared after her and shook his head. It was impossible to guess what his wife would come up with next, but not knowing was half the fun.

Later Tony saw her adjusting her shirt and caught a glimpse of the straps underneath again. He immediately realized they were too thin for a bra and therefore must belong to a tank top. The truth hit him like a lightning bolt and he almost had to clap a hand over his mouth to stop himself from blurting out that she was braless, aghast at her boldness even as he appreciated that she did it for him.

Ziva could feel the heat of his stare and chuckled quietly. Like she could read his mind she sent a text, I noticed that earlier, but on your phone they're bars, in reference to their day spent trapped in a shipping container before the night of his surprise party when they became friends.

She signed the text xxxo - always with more kisses than hugs and Tony began thinking that he'd have to take her somewhere soon and cash in on those kisses. The little bit of making out they did in the shower this morning after they both went for a run with Meira had not been nearly enough to satisfy him. He decided right then and there that they were going out for dinner tonight. He still wasn't sure if he was ready to jump back into their regularly scheduled bedroom activities yet, so the less time they spent alone at home the better.

NCIS

Hours after they'd been let out of work for the night, Tony and Ziva were walking home from dinner holding hands. The restaurant chosen was further than the diner, their usual go-to place, but Tony had reasoned that taking more time walking to and from the restaurant wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It left them with less private alone time and gave him a chance to really savour the innocent intimacy of holding his wife's hand.

They headed down the second alley they came to, which was a shortcut to the street before their neighbourhood, and suddenly a guy stepped out of the shadows, grabbed Ziva, and stood in front of Tony with a gun to her head. The whole thing happened so fast he barely had time to react until he heard the demand. "Purse and wallet man, come on!" he shouted, sweating and jumpy and clearly high off something. "Purse and wallet or I hurt the lady."

Tony, moving into agent mode, could see his wife was ready to unleash her inner Mossad assassin on the unsuspecting thief and shook his head subtly. "Easy," he said for her benefit, reaching slowly into his inside coat pocket for his wallet. "You want it, you can have it buddy." He tossed the leather holder to the guy and in the instant he was distracted trying to catch it, Ziva did the SING thing that reminded him of Miss Congeniality and dropped him like a rock.

When the guy was unconscious on ground, Ziva made a face at her husband. "You ruined all my fun."

Tony hugged her tightly. "I was more worried about you not getting dead." He breathed a sigh of relief that she was okay. Together they just stood there looking at their would-be mugger and Tony shook his head. "We can't report this."

She frowned at the out of character declaration. "Why not?"

"Because they'd have to take our statements and it would go on a record somewhere. And someone is going to wonder what we're doing together this late at night in an alley." His eyebrows rose. "Unless you've changed your mind about the secret?"

Ziva chewed on her lip. "Not yet." Especially considering Gibbs' reaction to just a hypothetical situation with Tony and EJ. She crossed her arms and glanced towards the street. "What about an anonymous tip?"

That had promise and he nodded. "Okay."

The couple crouched down and made certain the suspect was contained before phoning in a tip at a nearby payphone, where Ziva used a foreign accent to further confuse identification, then they made their way home. The cops arrived five minutes later to find the bad guy hogtied with his own belt and shoe laces. A note paperclipped to his shirt read - It's not nice to take things that don't belong to you. Maybe it's time to try a new line of work. They pushed their hats back a bit and shook their heads.

"Well," one officer commented, "that's a new one."

It gave them a chuckle while they untied the guy and wondered out loud who their Good Samaritans were.

Meanwhile at the DiNozzo household Tony was busy kissing his wife breathless. She pulled back with half-closed eyes and ventured, "What about-"

He stopped her. "Yeah, I think I'm done needing a break and this seems like the perfect time for I'm-glad-we're-alive sex." One eyebrow arched. "Any complaints?"

She placed a searing kiss on his lips. "Not in the least." Mischief sparkled in her eyes. "Why don't you make me the happiest woman on earth tonight?"

Tony's mouth dropped open at the blatant plagiarism of a pick up line that was supposed to come from the guy, and Ziva used his distraction to her advantage. The next thing he knew her lips were on his and only thought, in his head and not at all serious was, Wow, we should totally have life-threatening moments more often if this is what happens after. Then he stopped thinking about anything that did not involve taking his wife to bed for an activity much more fun than sleeping.

NCIS

Friday April 29

McGee was watching the news the next morning when they walked in, for once at the same time, and looked back when he heard the ding of the elevator. "Hey guys, come check this out." He turned up the TV volume where a reporter was talking about a couple Good Samaritans who reported being mugged and then practically gift-wrapped the perpetrator for cops but were gone when they arrived on scene. He shook his head and chuckled. "Can you believe that? It would be so much easier if all our cases got solved like this one."

Tony and Ziva purposefully avoided eye contact with each other and did their best not to smile or comment. Instead Ziva delivered the coffee cups they'd picked up for the others to Gibbs' and McGee's desks and distracted him with a video game question and the day proceeded normally. The end, however, was far from usual. Ziva kissed her husband goodbye in the parking lot and he stared forlornly after her. "You sure about this? It could just be an evening, right? The overnight part isn't mandatory?"

She gave him a look. "Do you know what Cassie will do to you if you crash Girl's Night again?"

He sighed heavily. "Yes, and it isn't worth the punishment. But seriously Zi, a whole night?"

"I believe that is how sleepovers are most often conducted. And there is always tomorrow to look forward to."

That thought brightened him up a bit. Tomorrow and their first ever group date at a fancy restaurant. It had the potential to be pretty awesome, the only drawback was that husbands were banned from girl's night so all the guys were crashing at Brent's and it would be almost a full twenty-four hours before they saw their wives again. Tony shoved his hands in his pockets. "Can't I at least get an extra kiss to tide me over?"

Ziva rolled her eyes at his pathetic plea but returned to her spot in front of him and drew him down so their lips met. It was a rather involved kiss and by the time he recovered she was already in her car, leaving him alone and lonely for the day to come. He drove home and entered listlessly, took Meira for a rather lackluster walk, and wandered aimlessly around the house, completely at loose ends without his other half.

On his second circuit of the room her sketchbook on the end table caught his eye and he began flipping through it. One of the most recent was a drawing of them dancing and he whistled, appreciating her attention to detail. It was nearly as close to real as one of Adrian's photographs and he sincerely hoped to see this moment duplicated tomorrow. They'd purposely chosen a restaurant that had a live band and dancing as part of its charm. Then, because she'd left him unsupervised, Tony finally took a peek of his portrait, the one she'd done the first night he'd given her the book.

His first thought, after acknowledging to himself that his wife the ninja was somehow going to know he'd peeked and possibly get him in trouble, was that it reminded him so much of the way Kate had captured him. After Ziva found Kate's drawings in her desk, Gibbs had held onto them for quite awhile before parceling out to the team those Kate had done of each one. Tony kept his in the back of a Natural Geographic magazine, grateful for the lone keepsake from his friend. But Ziva had a similar way of seeing him as he affected a laid back posture on the couch while watching a movie. She said she got to know him better from drawing him, but Tony had a feeling she'd always known him so well. Regardless, he still counted it an honour that the first thing she'd wanted to draw after years away from art had been him.

At that point he was done brooding and grabbed the stuff he needed to spend the night at Brent's. He loved his frat brothers and it was bound to be a fun night with all of them in the same room, but Tony knew he'd be counting hours until they got their wives back. He never felt quite like himself when she wasn't around.

NCIS

Saturday April 30

The night before had been fun - romantic movies, facials, and mani/pedis - and late, so the girls took advantage of their husband and kid-less states to sleep in the next morning. Then they got up and went out for brunch. "It's so nice not to have to cook for once," Cassie exclaimed. "Not that Mark never does, but just knowing I don't have to make sure my kids are fed is kind of freeing."

CJ chuckled. "I know what you mean. Brent and Ryan love to do the cooking for supper, but breakfast is mine unless he beats me to it. I forgot what it was like to have a morning of no responsibilities."

"Tony considers it a huge victory when I sleep in past eight in the morning," Ziva confided. "The work I did before NCIS required a 0500 start and he has been years breaking me of that habit."

"Oh, I'm sure he could be quite convincing if he wanted to be," Allie replied, winking at her friend.

"Saturday mornings for Adrian means cereal and cartoons. That part I actually miss," Emma shared.

The others understood. It was a rare thing for all of them to wake up without their husbands in reach. Regardless, they finished their meal and then the name of the game was shopping. They started at second-hand boutiques and moved up from there, trying on scads of outfits to the delight of Cassie's inner fashion show host, and spent hours giggling and admiring, always looking for the one dress that would make their husband's jaw drop. "After all, our goal is to leave them speechless when they pick us up for dinner, right? From newlyweds to the longer married we have to outdo ourselves this time."

Cassie's rules were strictly adhered to and they all traipsed back to her house with something special in tow designed to wow their significant others. They took turns showering and dressing and doing each other's hair and make up and by the time the bell rang at exactly five pm on the dot, they were ready and sincerely hoping the hard work would be worth it. All five of them gathered in front of the door and swung it open to reveal their men, dressed to the nines in their best suits and ties. The women grinned at the formal appearances while the guys worked very hard not to stare like love-struck college kids. They weren't very successful.

Tony found his voice first. "Uh...wow. That was totally worth having to listen to Mark snore last night."

Mark shoved him. "For the last time, I do not snore."

Adrian grinned. "He was your roommate Red, let's have the whole story."

Darien rolled his eyes. "I'm just here to babysit. Where are my charges?"

"Grandparents should be dropping them off in about ten minutes," Cassie answered. "So if you gentlemen are done bickering, we were kind of hoping for escorts."

The guys all crowded close to the door but Mark muscled his way to the front. "Oh, we're definitely done. But for you ladies...the evening has just begun." He flashed his brightest smile and offered Cassie his arm. "M'lady."

"That's my line," Tony grumbled to his wife's amusement.

They followed what seemed like a specific order, with Jordan next, then Tony and Adrian and Brent all proudly walking their wives to the first surprise - a waiting limo. There were gasps and delighted smiles and shining eyes all around so it was already worth what it cost them to rent it for an evening. Emma's eyebrows arched. "Wow. When you guys plan a date, you go all out."

"So do you," her husband murmured into her neck. "I am going to be the envy of every man in the room with you on my arm."

She was too busy feeling special to wonder if he'd snuck another pick up line in before his time was up.

Jordan and Allie waited while Mark and Cassie got settled inside, and he couldn't keep his eyes off of her. "There is not a word in existence for how good you look right now."

Allie blushed but leaned close to whisper, "Statistically speaking, the most effective pick up line of all time is 'I love you'."

His mouth fell open and he was at a loss for words. The only thing registering in his mind was, Oh crap! They're onto us. But then it was his turn to get in and he didn't have a way to warn the other guys. Jordan had a feeling they were headed for a very interesting evening indeed.

The five couples walked into the restaurant like royalty and were shown to a large table in the corner and not too far away from the dance floor. They took their time perusing menus and discussing among themselves what the best options were. Cassie, of course, asked for a dessert menu before she'd even look at the dinner one and the girls all decided that was a fantastic way to start the meal. A little reluctantly they shared a few bites of the confections with their husbands while waiting for main courses to arrive.

It was a really fun, laughter-filled time and they got to thinking this was another thing worthy of becoming a group tradition at least once a year. When the eating part was winding down a couple of the girls excused themselves to the restroom and when Cassie returned she stood by her husband and pointed at his lap. "Excuse me, is this seat taken?"

Jaw dropping, Mark looked helplessly between his wife and friends, wearing a chagrined expression. "Oh man, busted."

Cassie settled herself on his lap and put her arms around his neck. "Yes, you most certainly are."

He swallowed. "Does that, uh, mean there will be consequences?" He had no doubt that if all the wives teamed up together he and the guys could be in for a very uncomfortable couple of weeks.

She laughed and shook her head, leaning in to claim his lips briefly. "No. We just wanted to have a little fun with it once we figured out what was going on."

Allie scanned all the guys' faces. "So, who won the bet?"

The husbands felt as if they were treading on dangerous ground and Jordan cleared his throat, shrugging one shoulder. "We were enjoying ourselves too much to keep score. Decided to call it a draw."

"Right answer," CJ murmured and Brent coughed to cover his reaction. Yeah, some of the responses to their pick up lines were things that shouldn't be shared with the group. They were trying to keep it G rated, being out in public and all.

The orchestra struck up a new song and Adrian saw it as a way to work themselves out of what might be a hole if they kept digging. He stood and offered his hand to Emma. "May I have this dance?"

She smiled and accepted and soon the others were all leading their girls out onto the floor. Being held close and swaying gently to the beautiful music made it impossible for the wives not to feel incredibly cherished by the effort their husbands put into this night. It was a fabulous way to conclude their time out, but if the deep looks the couples were giving each other could be interpreted, the night was far from over yet.

Tony, holding his wife's hand over his heart while they moved in slow circles around the space, happened to look over and catch another guy staring at Ziva. His gaze narrowed and he muttered, "Keep your eyes to yourself mister, she's taken."

Ziva smirked. "Are you jealous Tony?"

He spun her away from the prying eyes of the other guy and grinned, totally disarming her with his sincerity. "Me? Never." He put his mouth right by her ear to finish. "Jealousy is for everyone else because they don't have you."

She looked at him with brown eyes full of love and skimmed her lips over his. Tony stopped moving and cradled her face in his hands, deepening the caress and drinking in the affection she poured out. Without a doubt this had to be one of the best nights of his year so far.

NCIS

Sunday May 1

After basketball Darien plopped down on the grass and leaned back on his hands. "I found a new place the other day." About time when he'd been looking for almost a month, since he got back from visiting his family. "I can move in next Friday."

Mark grinned. "That's great man, I'm glad. Where is it?"

Darien gestured in a vague direction. "Not too far. Close enough for me to get on your cases a whole lot more than before."

"What kind of home is it?" Ziva inquired.

He shrugged. "It's nice. Enough space for me and a few of you clowns now and then."

Cassie drilled him with a stare. "Could you give any less specific answers?"

Darien smirked. "Probably." She sighed and he gave in. "I want it to be a surprise when you see it."

Adrian's brow furrowed. "That means it's either a really cool place you can't wait to show off, or something we should be very concerned about walking into without steel toed boots and hard hats."

"So, when do you want us to come over and help?" Mark asked, then noticed the questioning looks the guys were giving him. "Oh, right, forgot to mention that. I volunteered us to assist with the move."

Tony groaned. "You do this every time man. A little warning would be nice."

"What do you call this?" Mark tapped his watch. "That's five days worth of notice. It was less when I dragged you over to Brent's to muscle furniture into place."

"The Pi Kappa Alpha movers, back in business," Jordan said dryly. "Yay."

"Is a little enthusiasm too much to ask?" Mark demanded.

Darien spread his hands. "I can always hire a company."

"And deprive us of the joy of boxing up and moving everything you've collected in that condo for the last fourteen years? How dare you sir?" Adrian demanded.

"Sarcasm much Zip?" Cassie asked. "I think it's going to be fun."

"I guess we'll see," Tony agreed. Whatever happened, it was impossible to have the whole group in the same place at the same time and not enjoy themselves. And that was always something to look forward to.

NCIS

Thursday May 5

At the end of the day Abby came up to the squadroom, shared a smile with McGee as she walked by, and stopped at Ziva's desk. She looked up in surprise. "Abby, is there something you need?"

The dark haired girl sighed. "A long time ago we talked about having a sleepover but the timing never seemed to work out. I thought maybe we could go out for a drink tonight instead? Just you and me?"

Since she couldn't confer with her husband without raising suspicions, Ziva nodded. "Of course." She shut down her computer. "I can finished this tomorrow." Now that the weather was nice enough she didn't bother with a coat and only pushed a few bills in her back pocket rather than taking her whole purse. Hopefully Tony would think to bring the rest of her things home with him.

Linking arms, the girls turned back to the remaining team members. "And to all a goodnight," Abby declared, while Tony and Ziva locked gazes briefly. She knew he didn't like to give her up for any length of time, but this was a very worthwhile cause.

From his desk Tony watched them go, glad that his wife was getting a night out - a distraction from her recent melancholy - but a little concerned too. She'd just completed her second laser scar treatment a few days ago and, like the first, it had prompted a couple dark, restless nights and the occasional nightmare that they were still dealing with. The laser wasn't as bad as much of what she'd been through but she still bore the bruise it produced, though the swelling had gone down with his persistent application of ice packs. Ziva wasn't in the best of headspaces at the moment which made the forensic scientist's request fortuitous - no one was better at lifting people's moods than their very own Abby-go-lucky.

Abby grinned as soon as the elevator doors closed on them. "This is going to be fun. We haven't been out together in forever."

Ziva took the clip out of her hair and shook it. "We should...let loose tonight, yes?"

The goth's eyebrows rose at the more carefree look her friend suddenly portrayed. "If that's what you have in mind Ziva, I know just the place."

Abby chose a club where she was known by name at the door and welcomed like a long lost relative. The music had a great beat, a colourful light show was playing across the walls, and there was even a disco ball. As soon as they secured a booth Ziva stripped off the light sweater she'd been wearing all day, leaving only the black, form fitting, spaghetti strap tank top underneath. She dropped onto the bench and flashed her friend a delighted smile. "What do you suggest?"

Still surprised at the difference in Ziva between leaving work and arriving here, Abby gestured to the bar. "Their Mai Tai's and Mudslides are pretty fabulous, if you're looking for dessert in a glass. Ooh, and the Blue Hawaii. Nothing quite as cool as my Uncle Teddy makes, but if you want to have a good time those'll start you on the right path."

Ziva grinned at her. "Two Mudslides it is. I'll be right back."

Abby watched her go with a bit of a frown and pulled out her phone to text Tim. Did something happen today?

His response arrived in seconds. Define something.

She shrugged. I don't know. Something that hit a nerve for Ziva. She's acting like a person who needs to forget.

Back at the bullpen McGee's brow furrowed. Not that I can think of. Want me to ask Tony? He'd know better than me.

NO! The capital letters were necessary. If you tell him she's behaving strangely he'll want to come keep an eye on her. I can do that myself. Plus we don't need him weaseling in on girl's night. I'm sure it'll be fine. Thanks anyways.

Have fun, he replied, wishing he had a reason to join them at the bar. But that was something else they'd have to work towards, just another in a long list of things he wouldn't have thought twice about a few months ago. Now that was practically all he thought about.

While she waited for their drinks to be made Ziva leaned against the counter, head tipped to one side so dark curls spilled over her shoulder. A guy started walking past and did a double take. "Wow." He swallowed. "I don't mean to come on too strong, but you're a really beautiful woman."

Her smile, though not meant to be, was enticing. "That is something we all like to hear."

"Do you also like to be asked for a dance?" He held out his hand hopefully. This time regret shadowed Ziva's expression and his shoulders sagged. "You're here with someone, huh?"

"Yes." She pointed towards the booth. "My friend."

"But not a...boyfriend?"

Ziva took pity on him and shared the rest of the story. "You seem nice and it is a sweet offer, but I'm married." She didn't get to say it out loud very often and found she liked the way it sounded to her ears.

"No rings," the guy felt compelled to point out.

She chuckled a little. "I'm not exactly a traditional girl." She glanced at Abby and back at the guy. "But if you can settle for one dance knowing this is going nowhere because I am very much in love with my husband and I will be going home to him tonight, I would be happy to accept."

He appreciated her straightforwardness and the no games approach. "I'm Tyler. And I'll take that deal."

"Lisa," she offered, feeling safer not using her real name. "Wait here. I will deliver our drinks and be right back."

"I won't budge."

Ziva returned to the table and smiled apologetically. "Will you feel terribly ignored if I dance with the tall blond gentleman at the bar?"

Abby's gaze was drawn to the guy staring at her friend. "Not at all." Her eyes sparkled. "Go. Have fun." She nodded a group of people not too far away. "They're regulars here. The guys are always glad for a dance partner."

"Thank you." Ziva went back to Tyler as she'd promised and he led her onto the floor.

"You know," he observed as they began grooving to the music, "a name like Lisa isn't nearly exotic enough for how you look."

She shrugged. "It might be short for something." The possibility hadn't been considered before tonight.

Seeing she was serious about the dance only, Tyler refrained from any more questions. He was kind of mesmerized though, watching the graceful way she moved. Even knowing Lisa was taken didn't stop him for admiring her form. One dance bled into two, then three, and suddenly she looked up. "Oh, I did not mean to stay so long."

Tyler's hand brushed her elbow as she turned to go. "Lisa." There was a bit of pleading in his tone. Something about the woman called to him and he wasn't anxious to lose her company.

She gave him a sad smile. "This was fun and I thank you. But please go find someone who is available. I am not."

He accepted her words with a heavy heart and took her hand, kissing the back. "Thank you for the pleasure of your company Lisa. I hope your husband knows he's a lucky man."

Nodding, Ziva melted through the crowd and returned to the booth. A few minutes later Abby tore herself away from her friends and fell across the table from her. "I hope you're enjoying yourself because I'm having a blast."

She drank a third of the glass in front of her before responding. "I feel bad for ditching you. This is supposed to be a girl's night."

Abby waved her hand like it didn't matter. "I like watching you have fun Ziva. Your life always feels so heavy and serious. It's a treat for me to see you let loose."

Ziva poked her straw into the melting slush in her glass. "I am glad you and McGee have made up." That was obvious simply from the ease of their recent interactions, compared to before. "I would have been sorry to see your friendship lost."

"Me too." She drained her drink and wished for another. "It's nice to have him back. But we're being a whole lot more careful this time and slow is...challenging, even when it's necessary."

"I know." Ziva let her mind drift back to the weeks and months she'd waited for Tony to get his act together initially. "But I am sure that patience will be rewarded."

"What about you and Tony?" Abby got a guarded look in answer to her question and sighed. "I can never forget what you told me in the fall, about how you feel. Is that still true even with this...Miami guy?"

Ziva's nose wrinkled. "It is...complicated Abby." The music changed and she brightened. "Another drink and time to hit the floor?"

Abby knew a distraction technique when she saw one but played along. "Sounds good to me. We've got all night, might as well enjoy it."

The Israeli-American agreed and she planned to. But without the company of handsome men who could never hold a candle to the one who owned her heart.

NCIS

Friday May 6

Ziva walked in the door after Ops to find her husband sitting on the couch, remote in hand, wearing nothing but a towel. Her gaze raked over his bare skin. "Is this a new look?"

His eyes stayed glued to the TV. "Are you leering David?"

She smirked and countered, "Perhaps. But you like it."

Now Tony met her gaze. "I do. You can google me anytime." Her questioning expression still required an answer and he shrugged. "I had the game on while I was in the shower, got out, heard cheering and didn't want to miss anything."

"Hmm." Ziva moved to sit down beside him and after a moment began slowly running her fingers over his naked torso.

At first it didn't bother him but then her touch became slower and...bolder and suddenly that was all he could think about. "Zi," he managed through a tight throat.

"Yes Tony?" she asked innocently, still watching the game.

"We could, uh, move this somewhere more comfortable."

Ziva looked at him with wide eyes. "Oh, but I would hate to make you miss anything."

While she spoke her fingers wandered around the top of the towel and finally he couldn't take it any longer. "Keep it up minx," he growled, "and you'll leave me with no choice but to have my way with you right here."

She smirked, so far managing to avoid his attempts to join the touching game. "I hope you don't think that's a punishment."

"Hardly," he scoffed, grabbing both her hands in his and pressing her back onto the couch. "In fact," he mumbled against her lips, "it may just be the best idea I've had all day."

Ziva's eyes twinkled with mischief as if she'd planned the whole thing just for this outcome and she sought his mouth in return. "I disagree," she whispered breathily. "The best is definitely yet to come."

Replies:

Guest - Hi :) Sure, I'm happy to get questions. Oh...to my knowledge I've never used a Carrie Underwood song. Z really isn't a country fan, T's the one who likes a few of those songs. I had T introduce her to Brad Paisley's The World a few chapters back (Ch 44). Sorry I'm not very helpful, could you give me more details about the scene you're looking for? Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. Thanks for taking the time to review! :) ~Aliyah

Debbie - Since I've been trying to make this second half of the story more about Ziva being there for Tony, it was good to explore his emotions and reactions to this situation a bit more than the show gave us. So I'm glad you enjoyed that :) Thanks for reviewing! ~Aliyah