Dance With Me
Tony and Ziva moments on New Years' Eve 2019, post 17.11.
I want to dance with you under the light of a thousand stars. I want to feel your arms around me holding me tight. For only then will I feel safe; only then will I feel that I am finally home.
"Are you sure you're okay with Dad taking Tali for the night?" Tony asked Ziva for the tenth or eleventh time that evening. She'd only been back with them for a bit over a week; he didn't want to trigger an anxiety attack with the absence of their active five-and-one-half-year-old. They'd planned to have dinner at a nearby bistro, and then let the evening and the countdown to the new year take its own direction.
Ziva nodded and squeezed his hand, "I will be fine." She stroked his face with her free hand, "Besides, it is New Year's Eve, yes? We need some time for just us."
He nodded, "We do. I'm not being mean about this, Ziva, but just in case, we need a safe word. Something you can say to let me know if you need to get out of the current situation or if the anxiety is building too much. Okay?"
She tried to deflect, "I will be fine." At the look he gave her, she relented, "Yes, it is best to be prepared and not need it. That thing with your hair? All sticking up; what was it? Porcupine, yes?"
Tony stopped buttoning his shirt and just looked at the Israeli.
"What?"
"You… you… got the name correct; that is all," he smirked at her. "I kinda liked how you first said it. Por-cu-swine."
Ziva chuckled softly, "Por-cu-swine it is then. Are you almost ready?" She turned from the small mirror where she applied light make-up. Tony mumbled something that she didn't catch, but when he looked up from tying his shoes, his mouth dropped open.
"You are… you…," he was at a loss for words. Instead, he walked over to Ziva and just looked over her from head to toe; that dress that she had chosen as his Christmas gift to her was just WOW! He loved the rich navy-blue color on her, and the make-up was enough to accent the features of her face in a very pleasing way. "You are beautiful," he whispered.
With a teasing grin, she gave him the elevator eyes, "You are not half bad yourself." His new suit fit well, and the charcoal gray was a good color on him. The pale aqua shirt with its matching blue and green tones striped tie brought out the green in his eyes. She was reminded of their NCIS days; he was still eye candy.
With a twinkle in his eye, Tony stepped back from Ziva slightly. "One more thing to do and then I'll be ready to go," he backed out of the bedroom door with a grin. Once out of sight, he grabbed his wallet and keys and bolted out the door to the hallway. In the small utility room at the end of the hallway, he quickly retrieved the bouquet of roses that he'd left there on his way back from taking Tali to his father's hotel. With the flowers in hand, he strode to the apartment door and knocked.
Ziva heard a knock on the exterior door. "Would you please answer the door, Tony?" she called out as she slid her feet into her comfortable heels. The shoes were dressy but also practical; she could walk in them on the city streets without her feet hurting.
A second knock; no sound of Tony, so Ziva made her way to the door, looking for the man as she walked. He was nowhere in sight. She opened the door carefully more out of habit than of need.
"Good evening, Miss David," Tony grinned and bowed slightly. He held out the roses with a grin, "Red roses for a special lady."
Ziva gave him a frown with a confused look, "You are being a bit ridiculous, yes?"
"No ma'am. I want our first date to be a proper date," he shrugged as she opened the door to let him inside. "You deserve to be wined and dined and all the accoutrements that go with a proper date." He followed her to the kitchen where she placed the bouquet of roses in a vase of water.
"We live in the same apartment, Tony, and we have a child together. A five-year-old child…"
"Five-and-one-half," Tony grinned at the mother of his child. "Do not forget that one-half or Tali will never let you hear the end of it."
Tony held Ziva's coat for her and helped her into it, "I know you can do it yourself, but remember this is my first night to show you how to be courted as you should be…" He held out an arm for her and she tucked hers into his. "Never letting go of you again," he whispered as the pair entered the elevator and he wrapped his hand around hers.
On the street, the couple walked to a nearby bistro, one that Tony and Tali often went to eat. Tony liked it for several reasons; it was inexpensive, the food was good, and Tali liked many of the menu items. The bistro was also not swarmed with tourists or overly large.
At the eatery, Tony held the door for Ziva, grinning at her, "Don't be surprised if the maître d' calls me by name; Tali has made an impression on the staff here."
"Monsieur DiNozzo!" the hostess greeted one of her favorite customers. "Where is Tali tonight?"
"Bonsoir; Tali is with her grandfather for the night," Tony explained. "But I have someone who is just as special with me tonight. Monette, this is Tali's mother, Ziva."
The woman smiled and extended a hand, "Ah, Madame DiNozzo, so glad to meet you. You have a lovely daughter." Ziva grasped the woman's hand in a firm handshake and smiled; she did not bother to correct any assumptions mostly because of the complicated story of her relationship with the man at her side.
"Your usual table? Or perhaps you and your wife would prefer one of our regular tables?"
"Our usual is just fine," Tony figured Ziva would appreciate the corner booth that he and Tali frequented. It had a clear view of the dining area, an L-shaped bench, and two walls behind it. He liked the idea of having Ziva sitting next to him rather than across from him. They followed Monette to the table and Tony ordered two glasses of bottled water as the hostess handed the pair the menus.
Ziva looked over the selections, "What do you recommend?"
"It's all good; my favorites are the onion soup with a baguette and tossed greens with vinaigrette, or the beef bourguignonne with a baguette. Tali adores the steak frites and the quiche Lorraine," he suggested. "I think I'm going to have the onion soup combo."
"That sounds delicious to me as well," she looked up from the menu. "This place is nice. I guess that you and Tali come here often, yes?"
"About once a week; we found this place when we first got here. It has a lot of advantages and Tali likes the food." Tony noticed the waiter moving in their direction with two glasses in his hands. The young man placed the beverages on the table.
"Are you ready to order, sir?" Tony nodded to Ziva to place her order.
"I will have the onion soup, with a side of greens with the vinaigrette and a baguette," she handed her menu to the young man.
"Same," Tony handed his menu to the waiter. "Merci."
"May I suggest the pinot noir to accompany your meal?"
Tony looked to Ziva; he didn't know if she wanted wine, especially since she'd told him about the anti-anxiety medications. She thought a minute and then nodded, "One glass will be fine."
As they waited for their meal, Tony fidgeted some. He really wanted to move closer to Ziva, to touch her and be in physical contact. Since she'd been back, he needed to have her body touching his in some way. They often had their knees touching under the table when the family ate a meal; when they watched television or a movie, he had Ziva cuddled against one side and Tali on the other or the little girl snuggled between her parents until she fell asleep. Once she was in her bed, Tony and Ziva would cuddle to watch the remainder of the movie or another one. At night, Ziva curled into his side to sleep; many times, he had drifted into consciousness with an arm wrapped over the woman spooned at his side.
She sensed his restlessness, "Is something wrong?"
He hesitated, then replied, "I just… I want to move closer to you, to touch you… is that okay?"
Ziva put her hand over his and slid over in her seat. "Yes," she spoke softly, "I would like that."
He flipped his hand to interlock their fingers and pressed his thigh against hers. "Ziva, I…" He was interrupted by the arrival of the food.
"This smells delicious," Ziva commented as the bowl of soup and the sides were placed in front of her. She stayed where she was and moved her utensils and plates so that she could maintain contact with the man to her side. "I am glad you recommended it."
"Wait 'til you taste it!" Tony grinned at her as he broke a chunk off his baguette and pushed his spoon through the crusty cheese on the top of the bowl.
The pair ate in companionable silence until Ziva reached over and speared a crouton from Tony's soup with her fork. At his surprised look, she laughed. He grinned back and started chuckling with her. The sound of her laughter was music to his ears. He would do anything to make her laugh so that he could hear.
"Now I get to steal one of your croutons," he smirked as he scooped one from her bowl. He locked gazes with her as they shared the laugh; he could get lost in her eyes if she let him. He inched closer so that his face was just about in hers. She maintained the gaze but licked her lips; he noticed her action. He wanted to kiss her; he moved in to place his lips on hers.
"I trust that everything is okay with your food," the young waiter startled them both as they pulled apart.
"Excellent," Ziva replied.
Tony smiled at the young man, "As good as always!"
"Would you like to order dessert?"
"No thank you; I have plans for dessert later tonight," Tony declined. He and Ziva finished the meal; he noted that she ate all her food, a good sign to him. He'd been concerned about her picking at her food when she first came home to them on Christmas Eve.
"So, what other plans do you have in mind?" Ziva washed down the last bit of bread with some water.
Tony grinned again, "We did say we would see where the night takes us, but the idea of ringing in the New Year at the Eiffel Tower did cross my mind. But they will have fireworks and there will be crowds; I'll understand if you would rather pass on that idea."
"We shall see. I cannot promise that I will stay or not. Let us walk anyhow to wherever we may. I would like that," she replied. "And yes, you may hold my hand…" a mischievous grin flitted across her face.
"It's a deal!" he reached for the check that the waiter had slipped on the table. He placed his credit card in the slot and signaled to the young man that he was ready. When the processed payment slip was returned, Tony added a tip and put the card and his copy of the bill in his wallet. He stood and held out a hand to Ziva.
"Your evening awaits, Mademoiselle," when she put her hand in his, he drew the locked hands to his lips and kissed her knuckles with a smile. "Where to, my lady?"
The couple walked hand in hand in the general direction of the Eiffel Tower; several places that they passed along the way advertised Countdown parties and they could hear music blaring from many of them. Neither had much interest in the crowded bars and restaurants with the noisy atmospheres; both much preferred the ambient noise of the Parisian streets.
The setting crescent moon hung low over the street as they turned towards the west. Ziva commented on the night sky and both stopped to look at the stars in an area that was not as bright from streetlights as others.
"When was the last time we were under the stars alone?" Ziva wondered out loud.
"Cairo? I think, and before that at the olive grove the night…" Tony drew Ziva to him; he felt her shiver slightly and wondered if she was cold. "Are you okay? Cold?"
"It has been too long; I have missed so much," she tried to apologize for the long absence yet again. "I feel like a stranger to you and to Tali…"
"Hey, enough of that kind of talk," he wrapped his arms around her and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. "What matters now is that you are here, with me, and you aren't going to have to run ever again…" He tipped her chin upward so that the couple met gazes.
"Tony, I…" she looked at his lips and back at his eyes. Her lips crashed into his; oh, it felt so good to be kissing him and having him kiss her. She wanted to kiss him forever.
Tony locked his lips on Ziva's; he would never tire of the feel of her kissing him and him kissing her. He was addicted for life to the taste of Ziva David.
A bunch of twenty-somethings burst from the nightclub nearby, laughing and obviously feeling no pain.
"Man, if they are gonna play that old time stuff, I'm history," one commented as the group passed by the older couple.
A second one added her agreement, "Yep, no oldies for this party girl!"
The sounds of I'm Glad There is You wafted out of the open club door; Tony recognized the tune and moved them closer to the music.
"They're playing our song, sweetcheeks," he smirked as Ziva recognized the music from the nightclub in Berlin.
"Indeed, they are," she grabbed his hands, and the couple began to dance in the street. She looked into his eyes, feeling slightly like she was drunk. "I want to dance with you under the light of a thousand stars; I want your arms around me," she whispered to his grin.
"I can do that," he whispered back and drew her in tighter and closer. "Ani ohev otcha, Ziva David."
Ziva snuggled into her one and only, her soulmate, "Right here, right now, with you, I feel like I am finally safe and finally home. Ani ohevet otach, Anthony DiNozzo."
Tony bent his head towards hers, "I am glad there is you, and I am glad you are mine…"
"Shut up and kiss me." They locked lips as they continued to sway to the music; lost in their own world on a Parisian street on New Years' Eve. Two souls finally at peace because they were together again.