Finally, their stake out was over. It had turned into a stake out after all, despite them not calling it that in the beginning. Well, it was over for them anyway. She and Tony were being replaced by Gibbs and McGee who would now continue. Something she was definitely not going to argue about. It meant that the two of them could go to their respective homes and sleep. She was so very, very tired. And cold. And a little bit damp. She just wanted her bed. Now.

Preferably with all those blankets that Tony managed to find the other day piled up on top of her. Even that many blankets (It had been eight in the end, had it not?) might not be enough. Where had she put her hot water bottle? She was definitely going to be using that as well. Or maybe she would just hug the kettle. Whatever got heat into her the fastest.
Except, she was not doing that right now because Tony had pulled the car over and then scrambled out telling her to "wait here" and then disappeared without any explanation.

If he didn't show up soon she was just going to drive herself home and leave him here. It would serve him right. He had let in all the cold air again and she had just started to regain feeling in her fingers. Granted it was warmer now than it was in the middle of the night but her body did not want to deal with any level of cold right now.

She really wasn't made for it, she would freely admit that. Desert born and raised and all that. Warmer temperature, even extreme ones, were far easier for her to deal woth. Cold. There was nothing pleasant about the cold at all. It was like it sank into your bones and you could not get rid of it no matter how hard you tried. Urgh.

Thank God she never had to take part in any Mossad missions to Russia. She did not think she would have survived. Not without some drastic action being taken anyway.
Where was Tony? Why had she not asked him what he was doing or where he was going? The cold really must have got to her. Cold that was annoying her more and more. She was only going to give him one more minute and then she was out of here.

Nothing was worth hanging around like this, not when she could be in bed. Grumbling to herself, she counted slowly and it was only when she got to forty that Tony wrenched the door open.

"Close it!" She hissed as the cold air rushed in.

She had had too much of that tonight. What she needed was warm air. Lots of it.

"Let me get in first," he grumbled, messing around with his seatbelt.

Somehow his coat had got stuck on it and there was an awful lot of awkward twisting until he was sorted. It was made even more awkward looking because he was holding something he didnt want to drop while he was doing this. The door got closed quickly after that, thankfully.

Before she could complain a warm mug was pressed into her hands. Her fingers were still cold enough that they actually stung when they automatically wrapped around it, seeking the heat. Oh, that felt good.

"Thank you," she said gratefully, her irritation at her partner magically gone.

Ah, heat, how she had missed it. She could just sit here and absorb it and she would be happy. But of course she wasn't going to do that. Something warm going straight to her stomach was definitely the best and most attractive option right now.

"It's hot chocolate, not coffee," he warned her before she took a sip. "I don't think either of us want caffeine right now."

Now that was something she could agree woth. She was falling asleep as she sat, she did not need to be cabled up, no, that was the wrong saying. What was the saying? Oh, she did not know and she was too tired to try and remember. Either way, she did not need to be kept awake right now. Sleep. She needed sleep.

"Thank you," she remembered to say, honestly grateful for it.

"No problem," he dismissed. "Figured it was the least I could do since I dragged you outside last night."

"It was fun," she told him and he gave her a doubtful look. "Well, maybe not fun exactly but it was nice."

The stars they saw had been kind of worth losing all the heat she had just regained last night. It was quite the sight. She hadn't seen the stars properly since coming to America. You didn't really see them in Tel Aviv either but there were some more remote places in Israel that she used to go to in Israel where she could see them. She did not have a place like that here. She had liked seeing them again. It was odd just how much she had missed them.

"It was," she told him. "Thank you for showing me them."

He cracked a small smile.

"Even though I basically dragged you kicking and screaming out into the cold."

"You did not drag me and I definitely did not kick and scream. I walked out on my own volition."

After he he used those puppy eyes of his but she was not going to mention that.

"It's a figure of speech."

Of course it was. Was she ever going to get used to the English language?

She took a sip of her hot chocolate to prevent herself from saying sarcastic. She felt like Tony had dealt with enough of her biting remarks over the past few hours. Hmm. This was good hot chocolate. Nice and smooth and creamy, just how she liked it. She could literally feel it warming her up from the inside out. Which was so nice. Now, if only she could also do the reverse and then she would be perfect.

"Hey," he asked, interrupting her thoughts. "What are you thinking?"

"That I could really do with that nest of blankets right about now," she said honestly, the cold making her more unfiltered than normal.

Tony stared at her for a moment before he threw his head back and laughed.