Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS
Paris, January 2010
Tony sat up on the bed. He had laid down for a split second and next thing he knew, he had fallen asleep. Stupid thing to do considering the potential jet lag. Tony and Ziva were only in Paris for one night to escort a witness back to the US. It would not be good for either of them to oversleep or even under sleep.
On autopilot, Tony stood up, rubbing his eyes. He picked up his toiletries bag and made his way to the bathroom. Perhaps a shower then some food would help. He looked around the room for a towel and couldn't find one. Assuming they were kept in the bathroom, Tony opened the door and walked in. However, the bathroom already had an occupant.
'Oh God, Ziva. I'm so sorry. I forgot you were in here.' Tony quickly turned back to the room and went to close the door.
'Tony.' Ziva's voice sounded quiet.
'Yes, Ziva?' asked Tony, still looking away from the bathroom.
'Can you come in here please?' she asked.
Tony put down his toiletries bag and tentatively opened the bathroom door. The bathroom was small, but then Tony was comparing it to American bathrooms. Ziva was standing in by the sink, completely naked.
'Are you sure…' Tony began to ask.
'What do you think?' cut in Ziva.
'Think of what?'
'Of me. Of this?' she gestured to her body.
Tony looked at Ziva. He knew that she was dealing with what happened to her Somalia. It had barely been six months since she had been captured. They had rescued her in September, and it was now January. No one, not even Ziva, could move past what had happened to her in four months. Tony himself, had experienced some sort of PTSD, as had Tim. They had spoken briefly about it to each other. Tony could only surmise that Ziva was dealing with at least ten times what he and Tim had gone through.
Tony looked at Ziva's completely naked body. Scars ran up and down it. Some had faded over time, others were newer. He had seen it before, when they were undercover as married assassins what seemed like a lifetime ago. He took in every feature of Ziva's body, from her dark hair tumbling down her back, to the curve of her breasts and bottom. She looked at him, with her brown eyes, desperate to be innocent again, desperate to not know what men like Salem Ulman could do to a woman
Tony spotted a towel on the side. He picked it up and walked over to Ziva. He found that she was shivering slightly and draped the towel over her shoulders.
'You, Ziva David, are the most beautiful woman in the world. Anyone who tells you otherwise is a liar.' His voice was quiet and soft, almost a whisper. He had spoken with such a raw honesty that Ziva had not heard in a long time.
'You believe that?' She asked, just as quietly.
'I know it' Tony whispered back. They were standing incredibly close now. Tony raised a hand and stroked his knuckles softly against Ziva's cheek. She let out a sigh at the feel of something so intimate.
To both them, it felt like they stood there for hours, when in reality it was only a few seconds. Tony dipped his head slightly and brushed his lips against Ziva's ever so lightly. Ziva placed her hands onto Tony's arms, kissing him back. They deepened the kiss, hands moving over each other's bodies. Tony started kissing down Ziva's neck and chest, then back up to her lips.
Slowly, he began to guide them both back to the bed. The edge of the bed hit Tony's legs, and he sat down, pulling Ziva on top of him. She reached for the bottom of his t-shirt and pulled it off, over his head, tossing it on the floor. Tony picked Ziva up and laid her on the bed, both of them reaching to undo his belt. Quickly, Tony's jeans were on the floor next to his t-shirt. Ziva pushed herself up to meet Tony and as they kissed again Ziva laid back down the bed.
Tony then started to kiss his way down Ziva's neck, chest and arms again. He reached her waist, and stopped, moving so that they were face to face again. He smiled. She smiled and closed her eyes. When Ziva opened them again, she did not see Tony in a Parisian hotel room.
As fast as she could, Ziva pushed Tony off her, scrambling to get off the bed and away from him, crouching in a corner of the room. The flash of memory had come so quickly and been so real, taking her right back to that hell hole and the monsters that infested it. Her breathing got faster and shallower, and Ziva placed a hand on her chest, trying to stop her heart from beating so fast.
'Zi?' Tony's voice rang out, but it sounded small and quiet, as if it was far off in the distant. Ziva turned around. Tony had crouched down the by bed, wanting to be near her but not overcrowd her. His face was illuminated by the small lamp that was still on. He didn't look hurt or upset like she thought he would. No, he looked worried, concerned for her. Tony was afraid that he had hurt her, afraid that it was his fault that she had experienced such a painful memory.
'Zi?' Tony asked again. 'Are you...? Can you say something…?' he tailed off, unsure what to say or do. He was afraid that he would push in the wrong direction and make the situation worse for Ziva.
Instinctively, Ziva crawled over to where Tony was crouched nearby. He pulled a blanket off the bed and wrapped it around her. Then Tony pulled Ziva towards himself, wrapping his arms around her and drawing her close. Ziva sobbed into his chest.
They sat there for a while, as Tony waited for Ziva to make the first move. This was something that she needed to lead him, so that Tony could help and support Ziva the best way he could. Eventually, Ziva stopped crying. She looked up at Tony.
'Are you alright?' he asked tentatively. Stupid question he thought, but what else was he supposed to say? Ziva knew what he meant though. She shifted herself so that she was sitting up a little bit more. Tony kept his arms around her, wanting to make Ziva feel safe.
There, in the arms of the man she knew she could not live without, Ziva told Tony everything that happened to her in Somalia.
Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoyed it.
Something happened between Tony and Ziva when they were in Paris. This is my idea.
I've personally experienced something similar to Ziva's anxiety/ panic attack symptoms, though for different reasons.