Apparently I sort of joined in on NCIS fandom week this year... I have no recollection of this one, only vaguely remember the other one I wrote for this event.
Day one: Favorite line/scene - 05x08 Designated Target
You'll never get it.
The words had been at the forefront of his mind ever since she had uttered them with certainty and a hint of disappointment.
Tony glanced up from his report. It was getting late and the bullpen had mostly emptied, Gibbs and McGee were tying up loose ends in the lab, Ziva was reading over her report. Studying her face he was reminded of how deeply affected she had seemed earlier, when Sayda found out Thomas had thought she was dead and moved on.
Ziva had never struck him as the type to believe in soulmates and fairy tales, yet she had been in an odd mood ever since her meeting with Sayda, desperate, almost, for a happy ending.
Love never works that way. Nevertheless, he wished he hadn't given her that look right after the happy ending she had longed for was torn to pieces.
Chewing on his bottom lip, he went back to his report. One more paragraph to check, the old John Hancock, and he was free for the night. Free to go home. Alone.
Nothing sticks to you.
He clenched his jaw, signed the report, and closed the folder. While he had mostly gotten over Jeanne, accepting they never would have worked to begin with, the old feelings he harbored for Ziva were increasingly more difficult to ignore. Having her think he was incapable of being in a committed relationship bothered him more than he cared to admit.
Heaving a sigh, he shut down his computer, and glanced in her direction, only to find her staring at him.
She tilted her head slightly. "What?"
"I'm hungry," he replied, some of the testiness he had felt the past few days seeping into the words.
"You are always hungry," she said matter-of-factly, and returned her attention to her file.
He stared for another moment, wondering. Life was full of what-ifs. But what if the few failed dates he had been on since his break-up, and Ziva's less than subtle fishing were a sign. What if the risk of losing your soulmate due to extreme circumstances, like Sayda and Thomas, was worth it in the end. Sayda certainly seemed to have thought so.
You don't waste good, after all. And while he and Ziva had the potential to go terribly wrong if they didn't work on certain aspects of their relationship, their potential for an actual happy ending was too great to ignore.
He grabbed the file and walked over to Gibbs' desk. Another glance in Ziva's direction, before placing the file in the middle of the desk, and casually asking, "You wanna have dinner?"
Ziva didn't bother to look up. "No."
He narrowed his eyes. "You have to eat, my treat."
She signed her report, and looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
Tony shrugged. "A peace offering for being so crabby with you lately."
Ziva pinched the bridge of her nose, then shut down her computer. "Thank you, but I just want to go home." She got up and placed her report on top of Tony's, before gathering her things.
Tony walked up to her, and sat on the edge of her desk. "Come on, Ziva, you can tell me more about your thoughts on soulmates."
Her head snapped up. "Are you making fun of me?"
His eyes went wide. "No, I…" He shook his head. "This isn't easy for me, Ziva."
She narrowed her eyes.
"Look," he started, trying to organize his thoughts. While he wanted her to know they were on the same wavelength, or so he hoped, he wasn't quite ready to be completely frank and risk everything, either. "Some things are worth…investigating." He fidgeted with his tie. "It would be a shame to look back on a missed opportunity for something good."
"Rule five," she said softly, eyes questioning, as she took a step closer.
His heart skipped a beat and he couldn't contain his smile. "Rule five," he repeated with confidence.