I've come to realize that I don't really like having a set schedule for posting. I probably won't go back to every two or three days like before, but I'll definitely be posting more than once a week. Anyway, here's chapter three, enjoy and tell me what you think!
Three
By Thursday morning the feeling of waking up to a cell phone ringing had become familiar.
Ziva reached to grab the phone off the nightstand and hit talk.
"Hello?" She asked.
"Oh, I must have the wrong number, I was looking for Anthony DiNozzo." A female voice responded.
Ziva shook her head, even know she knew the woman couldn't see her. "No, no, he's right here." Ziva said.
She shook Tony, who had seemingly fallen back to sleep. He groaned and opened his eyes.
"Phone." Ziva told him.
Tony took the phone from her and pressed it against his ear.
"Hello?" He grumbled.
"Agent DiNozzo, it's Doctor Oliver, how are you this morning?"
"Fine, you?" Tony asked shortly.
"I'm alright thanks, anyway, I was just calling to let you know that you've passed all of your psychological evaluations, and you've been cleared for restricted duty starting on November ninth." Doctor Oliver said.
Tony looked up at Ziva. He was a bit surprised.
"Alright, thank you." He said simply.
Doctor Oliver nodded. "Good luck agent DiNozzo." She said before hanging up the phone.
"What was that?" Ziva asked curiously.
"I can go back to work next Tuesday." Tony told her as he dropped the phone back on the table.
Ziva laid back down beside him. "That's good, isn't it? That's what you wanted."
Tony nodded. "Yeah… I just wasn't expecting it that fast." He told her.
Ziva wrapped her arm around him. "I'm sure everyone would understand if you wanted to take a few more days." She said.
Tony shrugged. "I don't really want to though. I'm going crazy just sitting here." He said. "I mean, I love spending time with you, but there's only so many movies you can watch."
Ziva laughed. "I know what you mean. It does get rather… boring, after a while." She agreed.
Tony rolled onto his side and rested on his elbow, looking down at Ziva.
"Breakfast?" He asked.
Ziva smiled up at him. "You want me to cook, yes?" She asked.
Tony smiled. "I mean we could always have something delivered."
Ziva rolled her eyes. "Have you seriously not had enough pancakes in the last two months?" She asked.
Tony chuckled. "You can never have too many pancakes."
"The café knows my phone number now Tony! And my name!" Ziva told him, laughing as she reached for her phone.
"Then they know what I like." Tony said, smiling brightly.
He sat up and leaned back against the headboard as he watched Ziva order the food.
"Fifteen minutes." Ziva said as she hung up.
She put her phone back on the bedside table. Tony reached out and wrapped his arms around her to pull her back to sit beside him. Ziva tossed her arm over his torso and rested her head on his chest comfortably.
"Maybe we should just stay in bed all day." Tony suggested.
Ziva laughed. "So you can complain about your stiff back all day tomorrow?" She asked.
Tony shrugged. "Fair point." He agreed. "Alright, what do you say we have breakfast, and go take a nice long bath?"
Ziva looked up at him. "I wouldn't object to that." She said.
Tony smiled. "Then we should put clothes on before the delivery guy gets here."
"I suppose." Ziva groaned as she reached above her head, stretching.
Tony watched as Ziva stood up from her side of the bed and walked toward the dresser. She opened the drawers, rooting through them for a pair of pants and some sort of shirt to throw on until they were done with their food.
Ziva stood straight up and turned around, it was like she could feel Tony's eyes on her.
She smirked. "Can I help you with something?" She teased.
Tony smiled and shook his head no. "Just admiring the view." He told her. "It's beautiful."
Ziva smiled a bit and she felt her cheeks heat up, blushing at the compliment, but she really didn't know what to say. She still wasn't used to receiving compliments like that. At least not from anyone whose opinion actually mattered to her.
Tony stood and walked toward her, smiling brightly. He stopped in front of her and his hand came up to cup her cheek.
"I mean it. I always do." He reminded her.
Ziva nodded and wrapped her arms around Tony's neck, pressing her lips to his briefly.
"I know you do." She told him. She knew he believed what he was saying, but she didn't feel quite there yet. It was hard to feel beautiful when she looked in the mirror and saw her marred skin.
Ziva rested her head on Tony's chest, relaxing into her boyfriend as his hands roamed her back gently.
"We really should put clothes on." Ziva said after a few moments.
Tony laughed. "Easy for you to say miss David, you're the one with the dresser. I have to dig through laundry baskets."
Ziva chuckled and lifted her head off his chest to look up at him.
"That wouldn't have been a problem if you had your own dresser." She told him.
Tony scoffed playfully. "Well excuse me, I'm sorry I didn't just jump out of a Better Homes and Gardens magazine shoot." He said with a laugh.
This made Ziva laugh harder. "It would have done you some good." She said as she stepped away from him. She pointed him toward the laundry baskets in the corner of the room that held his clothes. "Go dig." She shooed, waving her hand at him.
Tony raised his hand in a playful salute. "Aye aye captain." He said before turning to dig through his own clothes.
Ziva smiled happily as she watched him. He was definitely getting more comfortable. She especially liked that he was getting comfortable in a place that he would always come back to, and where she would always be.
She pulled a pair of sweatpants and a tank top out of her dresser and pulled them on. She had actually enjoyed the freedom to stay in her sleeping clothes all day.
"And not a moment too soon." Tony turned to Ziva when he heard a knock on the door.
"I will get it." Ziva told him.
"Grab my wallet." Tony said.
"Alright." Ziva said. She ran her hand over his back as she walked out of the room and down the hallway to grab the money out of his wallet.
Tony grabbed the first pair of boxers he saw and pulled them on. He waited until he heard the door close before he exited the bedroom and joined Ziva in the living room.
Ziva pulled the food out of the bag and set it out on the coffee table, along with the plastic cutlery they had been provided.
Tony sat down on the couch beside her and reached out for the plastic platter with pancakes and bacon on it and handed Ziva her baconless platter.
"Toda." Ziva said as she took it from him.
Tony smiled. He kind of loved it when she did that, even if it was something simple. She would slip into Hebrew when she wasn't paying attention to what she was saying.
They dug into their food, eating in silence for a few minutes before Ziva spoke.
"I really should get back into running." She said.
Tony looked up at her. "Why did you stop?" He asked.
Ziva shrugged. "It was after Somalia, I was in too much pain for a long time, and then I only did what as required to be considered a bit above agency standards." She told him.
Tony nodded. "I'll run with you if you want." He suggested.
Ziva smiled. "Are you sure you could keep up?" She joked.
Tony laughed lightly. "I don't know, it's been a while since I went for a nice slow jog." He tossed back at her.
This made Ziva laugh. "The last time I went on a slow jog was when I was nine." She told him.
Tony nodded as he cut the last few pieces of his pancakes. "I don't doubt that."
Ziva smiled and handed Tony her empty platter.
Tony stood and took everything that was left from their breakfast – mostly just garbage and unused syrup – to the kitchen to throw out as Ziva leaned back against the back of the couch, relaxing.
Tony walked into the living room a moment later.
"How about that-" He was cut off by the sound of his phone ringing in the bedroom.
He walked down the hall quickly to retrieve it. He hit talk and held it up to his ear.
"Dad?" He asked.
"Morning son! How's your day so far?" Senior asked.
Tony shrugged. "Fine, how's yours?" He asked as he walked back into the living room.
"Great, I was actually calling to see if you and Ziva wanted to see the house I chose." Senior said.
Tony sat down beside Ziva. "I can ask." He told his father.
Senior nodded silently, waiting.
Tony pulled the phone away from his ear and covered the microphone with his hand.
"Senior wants to know if we want to go see the house he chose." Tony told Ziva.
Ziva smiled. "Of course, I would love to see it." She told him.
Tony nodded. "Alright." He said. He put the phone back up to his ear. "I've still got the list of the houses that we saw yesterday, which one is it?" He asked.
"Oh, no, it's not on the list Junior." Senior said.
"How is it not on the list?" Tony asked.
"Long story. Basically, I found it and I bought it."
Tony rolled his eyes as Senior gave him the address. Of course he found it and bought it.
"Alright, we'll meet you there in about an hour." Tony told his father.
Senior smiled. "I'll be there."
Tony hung up the phone and set it down on the coffee table.
"Apparently it isn't one of the houses we looked at yesterday." Tony told Ziva.
Ziva looked up at him. "It cannot be that bad." She said.
Tony gave her a pointed look.
Ziva nodded. "Okay, yes I see your point but still, it is just a house Tony." She said.
Tony nodded. "A house that we have to be at in an hour." He reminded her as he looked down at his own state of undress.
Ziva laughed lightly. "You need clothes." She told him
Tony nodded in agreement. "And so do you." He told her as he stood up. He held out his hands for her to take and he pulled her to her feet.
XXXXX
"It looks nice." Ziva said as she put her car in park at the address Senior had given Tony.
It did look nice. It was light brown brick, with an attached two-car garage, red shutters on the windows and at least three floors, including the basement. It looked like a nice family home.
Tony eyed it suspiciously. "It looks expensive." He said.
"There he is." Ziva said as she watched Senior pull into the driveway behind them.
Tony nodded. "Alright, let's go." He said, reaching for the door handle.
They stepped out of the car to greet Senior.
Senior shut his door and walked toward Tony and Ziva, hugging them both warmly.
"So, what do you think?" Senior asked.
Ziva smiled. "It's beautiful." She told him honestly.
"Come on, let's go inside." Senior suggested.
"Wait what?" Tony asked. "You have the keys already?"
Senior nodded. "Archer gave them to me last night. It's his house, he's letting me buy it. Offered me a great deal for it."
"How great?" Tony asked.
"Two hundred thousand instead of six." Senior told him as he unlocked the front door.
Inside, the house was empty, ready for someone to move into it.
To the right of the front door was a small carpeted sitting area, with a curved window seat looking over the front yard. The far wall of the sitting room opened to what was assumed to be a small formal dining room, with a door that led to the kitchen.
Ziva was the first one to step into the kitchen, and she let out an audible gasp as she looked around. Hardwood floors and cherry cabinets gave the room a sophisticated elegance, and the island in the middle gave it practicality.
"I would kill for this kitchen." Ziva told Tony and Senior.
Senior laughed. "Come use it any time you want." He told her.
The house was very open-concept. The kitchen and living room were divided by little more than a three-foot wall, and a Greek-style pillar.
"Let's go check out upstairs." Tony suggested.
He led them down the hall way separating the dining room and the living room and entrance to the curved staircase by the door.
They found the master suite first, which included two walk-in closets, a bay window, and an en-suite bathroom with a jacuzzi tub, and a double shower.
"Four bedrooms, four bathrooms, about twenty-five hundred square feet in total." Senior said as they peeked into one of the smaller bedrooms.
"This is actually pretty nice dad." Tony admitted.
"There's even a bar in the basement." Senior told them. "Come check it out."
Tony and Ziva followed Senior back down the stairs to the main floor, and then through a door beside the stairs, leading to the basement.
"That over there is the bedroom I was thinking you two could have if you ever decide to stay. It's about three quarters the size of the master. Plenty of room, with its own bathroom." Senior said.
Ziva smiled brightly as she reached to hold Tony's hand. "I love it." She announced.
Senior smiled. "In that case, would you mind helping me pick out some furniture? My taste is awful."
Ziva laughed. "Mine probably isn't much better. Tony's however, is brilliant." She told him.
Senior looked at Tony. "Whad'ya say Junior?" He asked. "Feel like going furniture shopping with your old man?"
Tony smiled. "Sure, why not. It can't hurt." Tony said. "But you have to come." He said, turning to Ziva.
Ziva was confused. "Why?" She asked.
"Maybe my style will rub off on you." He said, laughing lightly.
Ziva rolled her eyes playfully. "Bite me." She laughed.
XXXXX
"No, dad, you cannot have a couch that's the same color your walls are gonna be!" Tony exclaimed, eyes wide as he looked at his father.
"Why not? It matches! I thought it was supposed to match!" Senior insisted.
Ziva bit back a laugh as Tony rested his head in his hand.
"Okay, you have two options. You want to paint the living room navy blue, right?" He asked, holding up a paint sample.
Senior nodded. "Yeah."
"Alright, option number one, choose a single wall to be navy blue and leave the rest white, and get a navy couch and chairs. Option number two, paint the entire room navy blue, and get a lighter colored couch and chairs." Tony explained.
Senior thought for a moment. "I think I'll take the lighter furniture." He said.
Tony nodded. "Alright, now go find a set that you like." Tony instructed.
Senior nodded. "Alright." He said before turning to walk down the long isle of couches.
"This is gonna be a long day." Tony told Ziva as they followed Senior.
Ziva reached out to take his hand, tangling her fingers among his. "Yes, it is."
"We're only on the first room." Tony groaned.
Ziva laughed lightly. "It'll go by fast, all the bedrooms really need is a bed, that is easy, and dressers, maybe a book shelf or two, and that's it." She told him.
"How about this one?" Senior asked, pointing toward a sea-foam green sectional, along with three chairs.
Tony and Ziva stopped beside him to look over the furniture.
"See, that's nice." Tony said.
He took the paint sample card out of his pocket and pressed it against the fabric of the couch.
"See what I mean? You want complimentary, not matching. You're not dressing a set of twins." Tony said, looking up at Senior.
"Alright." Senior said, writing down the product number so he could order it after they had found everything they needed. "Where to next?" He asked.
"What size beds are you getting for the bedrooms?" Tony asked.
"King for the master, queen for the rest, I've already got the mattresses ordered." Senior said.
Tony nodded. "Alright, one less thing to worry about. Let's just look at getting dressers for now and we can always come back once we know what we actually need in the house."
"Bedroom furniture is that way." Ziva said as she pointed out a sign hanging from the ceiling.
XXXXX
Three and a half hours later, Tony, Ziva, and Senior were standing in the parking lot between their cars.
"What time does your plane leave?" Tony asked.
"Five in the morning." Senior told him.
Tony grimaced. "Why in hell would you choose the early flight?"
"When I booked it, they asked me if I wanted to return on the five o'clock flight. I didn't realize they meant five a.m." Senior said. "And I don't feel like paying the hundred dollars to change it."
Tony nodded. "Lucky you then."
Senior chuckled. "Yeah, feelin lucky alright. Anyway, you two should get out of here, I've gotta go pack and I'm gonna try to get to sleep early so I'll have enough energy to drag myself onto the place."
"We'll see you when you come back to sign the papers." Ziva said, hugging Senior warmly.
Senior smiled. "You absolutely will." He told her.
He kissed both her cheeks before releasing her and walking over to his son.
He opened his arms to Tony and Tony hugged him tightly. "I love you son." Senior reminded him.
Tony nodded. "I know dad. I love you too."
Senior pulled out of the hug and started to walk around his car.
"See ya later." The elder DiNozzo called as he got into the driver's seat.
Tony and Ziva waved as her pulled away from them. Ziva turned around to look at Tony.
"Home?" She asked.
Tony nodded. "Please." She said with a small laugh. "I don't think I can take any more shopping."
XXXXX
"You know, you did something kind of amazing today." Ziva told Tony as they were getting ready for bed that night.
"Huh?" Tony asked as he pulled back the covers on his side of the bed.
Ziva nodded. "You went and spent three hours in a crowded furniture store. And you were perfectly fine." She reminded him.
Tony thought for a moment. "I did, didn't I?"
Ziva switched off the lamp on the bedside table and settled down next to Tony, wrapping her arms around him as he laid his head on her chest.
Ziva kissed his forehead. "Yes, you did. I am proud of you." She told him.
Tony smiled. "Me too."
Tony lifted his head high enough to kiss Ziva softly.
"Goodnight." He said as he pulled away.
Ziva smiled. "Goodnight Tony. I love you."
She felt Tony smile against her chest. "I love you too."