Chapter Two - Snowed In
"Of all the women in the bar, I never pictured taking you home." Tony winked at Ziva. She scoffed and rolled her eyes.
"I provided more support up the stairs, I think it is I who is taking you home." Ziva moved away from him, closer to a car that Tony recognised as her own.
"Hey!" He lunged at Ziva, as she unlocked her car. He pinned her to the side of the car, his hand over the one that held her keys, their arms extended so his chest pressed against her back. "Buddies don't let buddies drive drunk, or didn't you take high school drivers ed?"
"Firstly Tony, I'm not that stupid. Secondly, you saw what happened today, being pinned like this is far from comfortable." Chastised, he released her, kicking himself mentally for not remembering her injuries. Leaning briefly into the car, she emerged again and showed him an olive green satchel bag. "I was just collecting my bag. Your concern is appreciated. If you have to play the hero, do it by raining a cab." She shook her head and passed the strap over her body, straightening her collar and scarf once it was settled.
"Hailing." Tony murmured to himself, turning toward the road. The wind picked up, and snow began to fall thickly as a cab pulled to the kerb next to them, and forgetting his previous chivalrous offer, Tony dived into the back seat ahead of Ziva in his eagerness to get out of the wind. Giving the driver his address, as Ziva settled beside him on the seat, they headed off into the night.
"Keep the change." Tony leaned forward to pay the driver. "Move, David or I'll climb over you!" The heater in the cab had cheered him, and he was playfully, obnoxiously chatty, keeping up a monologue the entire way home.
"Fine! I will move Tony!" Ziva pushed him away and scrambled out of the cab as Tony attempted to come good on his threat. She stepped quickly up the kerb, snow piling thickly in the gutter, although the sidewalk was not much improved. Tony groaned at the thought of his expensive leather shoes in the snow and retreated to the steps of his apartment block. The cab door swung shut behind him as he bounded up the kerb. Ziva reached to the door handle, finding it locked.
"You're on your own from here lady." The driver informed Ziva, winding down the window. "Only place I'm going in this weather is the Depot."
"We told you this was a double fare. How am I to get home?" Looking around the street was dark, deserted and the snow was falling more thickly now. The only vehicles likely to be on the road now were snowmobiles.
"Beats me lady." The driver shrugged, pulling away without another word. Ziva swore after him in Hebrew.
"You should have shown him your badge." Tony observed, fumbling for his keys.
"Somehow Tony, I doubt he would have understood if I'd held him at gunpoint." Ziva replied darkly, studying the sky. "I can make it before the storm really picks up, goodnight Tony." She turned and made to walk down the street.
"Zi, wait. You're not going to walk in this are you?" Tony called.
"As far as the train station, yes, and I don't exactly have a choice. I do not intend to spend all night in the cold." Ziva called back, turning toward him again.
"I can't let you walk alone in this." Tony protested, jogging from one foot to the other, trying to stay warm.
"I will be fine Tony, it will only take me 20 minutes to get there, and another 10 to my apartment, I walk fast. I will see you on Monday."
"I'm not ruining $400 shoes to walk with you... I guess you can sleep on the sofa." Tony offered, not exactly sounding thrilled.
"Thank you, but no Tony." Ziva replied firmly. Snow was still falling around her, white flakes settling in her hair.
"Gibbs will kill me if I let you walk 4 miles in the snow." Tony responded.
"Gibbs will not find out Tony. Goodnight." With that the street lights flickered and died, leaving the pair in darkness.
"C'mon Ziva, that man knows everything he'd know first thing Monday morning. It's dark now, just come upstairs and stop arguing with me." Fortunately for Tony, looks that could kill could not penetrate the dark, but Ziva's face glowered at being told what to do so harshly.
"Very well, but no funny business Tony." A light appeared where Ziva's voice came from, a small torch attached to her bag, and she climbed the steps, aiming the beam so Tony could see the keyhole.
"Funny business... trained assassins aren't my thing. I prefer knowing I'm not at risk of being murdered in my sleep." The stepped into the dark lobby, the cold and damp having sobered them up somewhat, and their moods resetting to the beginning of the night, irritable and sore.
Ziva made an incredulous huff, "Well this is not exactly my ideal Friday night company either. An arrogant jerk who does not know when to stop quoting movies!"
"That wasn't a movie quote!" Tony snatched the torch from Ziva in order to lead up the stairs. At his door, he stopped so abruptly, Ziva had to pull up short to avoid crashing into his back. She retrieved the torch, holding it again so that he could unlock the front door. He opened it, letting Ziva into the surprisingly tidy (given the state of his desk at NCIS) apartment.
"Sofa is there, sit down so I know where you are." Tony reclaimed the small torch again and gestured with the beam of light and Ziva followed. Although the heating had died with the power, some residual heat remained, and Ziva was able to shrug off the dark red overcoat she was wrapped in. Tony disappeared down the hall, and returned quickly, holding five long white candles in silver holders.
"You do not keep your candles in the kitchen? Where... never mind." Ziva quickly put two and two together regarding where Tony had obtained the candles. He lit them quickly, and set them on the table before Ziva, taking one to light his way.
"So you do understand something of the art of seduction." Tony smirked, heading to the kitchen. Unfortunately the lack of power ruled out coffee and he swore under his breath.
"You would be surprised what I know about seduction Tony." Ziva replied, her tone lightening again. The warmth was doing them both good, taking the hard edges from their attitudes. Tony returned to the sofa, a bottle and two glasses in hand. The label was unreadable in the dim light, but the dark red liquid was obvious enough as Tony poured them both a generous measure.
"This will warm us up as well as coffee I guess." He offered with a shrug, handing Ziva a glass. The wine was warming down their throats as they took a sip each, trying not to meet each others' gaze, the significance usually surrounding drinking wine by candlelight not lost on either party.
"We should have gone to Gibbs's house, he probably has a generator and camping stove." Ziva mentioned.
"He does." Tony admitted with a laugh. "He's prepared for anything."
"Do you have a spare pair of sweatpants I could borrow Tony?" Ziva asked after another mouthful, shifting in her seat, realising her clothes were still damp. "I only have work pants in my bag."
"Don't take advantage of my hospitality or anything will you?" The light teasing went over Ziva's head.
"Tony, I'm cold and wet, I do not think it is too much to ask!" Ziva stood up. "If you feel that this is such an intrusion, I will go home instead and let Gibbs deal with you on Monday."
"No need to threaten me with the Boss man." Tony set his glass down. "Learn to take a joke would you? Come on." He stood quickly and taking a candle in hand, led the way. Ziva picked up a second candle and followed him through to the bedroom.
She was not surprised to find that a large bed held pride of place in the room, or that there was a TV set up on the wall opposite. Entering the room behind Tony, her eyes fell on the basket of clean unfolded laundry sitting on an armchair.
"Here." Tony rummaged through the laundry and handed her a pair of pale blue women's yoga pants. Ziva decided it was best not to ask the origin. Digging some more he produced an old t-shirt, also a woman's, and some socks. "You can change through here." He opened one of two doors in the room, the second presumably a closet, revealing an ensuite bathroom.
"Thank you Tony." Ziva had shaken her hair loose from the bun she'd been wearing, and as she leaned into him to take the bundle of clothing, he realised the silky tresses were damp, the snow having melted into it immediately on entering his warm apartment.
"The towels are clean. You can dry your hair." He took the candle from her, placing it on the counter near the mirror.
"Thank you... out!" Ziva's hands had reached for the buttons on her blouse before realising Tony had remained in the doorway, leaning against the door jamb and grinning. He chuckled softly and shut the door. He returned a few seconds later though, opening the door without warning.
"Zi, you can wear this too, that shirt won't keep you warm. Wow!" Ziva spun, her arm across her bare chest snatching the robe he offered. "Well, I expected thanks for letting you stay, but this was not what I imagined!"
"Tony, I have never killed a person with a lit candle, but I am willing to add it to my dossier." Ziva hinted, turning her back and sliding the fluffy white robe over her shoulders.
"Point taken." Tony left again, leaving Ziva to towel her hair and dress. The pants were tighter than she usually wore, the worn flannel hugging her hips, and she found the shirt, although not as tight, still skimmed over her breasts and belly lightly, showing off her elegant torso, and ending just below her navel. Between the hip hugging cut of the pants and the shortness of the shirt, about an band of smooth olive skin was exposed, she rolled her eyes, not entirely discounting that Tony had selected the clothes on purpose. Still, the worn fabrics were soft, warm and dry, and she was grateful for the comfort, and the robe hid what the clothes accented anyway. She could hear Tony moving around outside, between the living area and the bedroom and guessed that he was setting up her bed. Glancing at her watch, the time read almost 1am, and it suddenly hit the Israeli how tired she was.
"Uhh... Tony. What is going on here?" Ziva emerged from the bathroom, and paused uncertainly on the threshold as she noticed Tony had brought all the candles and the rest of their wine into the bedroom.
"It's colder out in the lounge, and we didn't finish our wine. May as well have our nightcap in comfort." Tony explained. In his rummaging he'd also shed his work pants and button down shirt for comfortable workout pants, and old varsity t shirt - which Ziva noticed were much looser fitting than hers - fluffy socks and a navy bathrobe, which hung open over his clothes. When Ziva didn't make a motion to come any closer, Tony held his hands up appeasingly. "No funny business."
"Thank you Tony." Ziva came into the room, she approached the end of the bed, and stopped short, her shins colliding with something solid at the end of the bed. "What is in that?" She lowered her candle, the flickering light revealing a wooden trunk.
"Nothing to your liking..." Tony began mischievously. Ziva rolled her eyes. "Sci fi DVDs." He added, and could have sworn he heard a soft chuckle in the darkness. She came around the side of the bed, Tony had already sprawled full-length along the the other, half reclining on some pillows. She perched uneasily on the edge, still not quite comfortable with the setting.
"Thank you Tony..." She began hesitantly, not quite sure how to keep the awkwardness she was feeling hidden without being rude.
"Someone's always got your six Zi, we're a team." Tony shrugged nonchalantly. He had no such qualms with the unusual situation, laying back sipping his wine, his feet twitching to an unheard tune. "Sorry about before..." He gestured vaguely to her torso, "I didn't think you'd get down to your birthday suit so quickly."
"Rule Six Tony. Besides, I will just have to see you..." Ziva trailed off. The playful comeback suddenly over-intimate in their surroundings. Finding he'd set her remaining drink on the bedside table, Ziva picked it up and sipped, eventually stretching herself into the same semi-reclined position as Tony, as the two agents drank in silence.