Only a filler chapter. Sorry this is moving so slowly, but I want to really concentrate on what they are feeling.
Special thanks to trixie111 for your feedback and motivation.
Disclaimer: If only.
On the ride over to his apartment, Tony pondered many things. He was often distracted by the beauty currently sleeping in his arms, but then again he was pondering her and their future together. He knew that she would need him to get through this ordeal and he prayed to the gods that she would allow him to be there for her. He had seen her stubborn side, and he did not have the strength for it at the moment.
A few times during the ride, her fist had clenched his shirt again, and he knew she was most probably reliving those terrible moments in her subconscious mind again. His reaction was only to keep holding her and whispering comforting words to her. The cab driver most likely thought they were together, for the intimacy they shared in the back seat was intense, even though she was asleep. If she needed to be close to him that much while she was unaware of her surroundings, it frightened him to think how much she would need him when she woke and had to face stark reality. It frightened him, but he wanted to do it wholeheartedly. He would do anything for her.
When they finally arrived in front of his building, he paid the driver and was glad that it had stopped raining for the moment while he carried her inside. She only stirred when he sidled out of the back seat with her still held securely in his arms and he was glad she did not wake. He was faced with a dilemma when he confronted the locked door to his apartment. He had to unlock it, but in order to do so he risked dropping her. His keys were still in his NCIS bag back at Gibbs' house, but he kept one under the matt. He thanked whoever it is who was watching when his next door neighbour walked around the corner just as he was about to wake Ziva so that they could get inside. Mrs Jenkins took one look at the woman with tear tracks across her cheeks sleeping in his arms, bent down and without a single word took the key from the floor and unlocked the door for them. She put her hand briefly on his arm in saying good luck, while he nodded his head at her in thanks.
As soon as the door shut behind them though, Ziva awoke.
"Tony?" she asked confusedly and still in a state of sleep.
"Shh, it's okay. We're in my apartment. Let's get you dried off."
She nodded and let him carry her down the hall and into the bathroom. He sat her down on the vanity and turned to go to his bedroom. She seemed very reluctant to let him go and grabbed his arm to pull him back before he got too far away from her.
"Stay here – I'll be right back. I promise. I'm only going into the bedroom to get us some dry clothes, okay?" he said while tracing her cheek with his fingers.
She nodded mutely and let go of the grip on his arm to hug her arms around herself. She looked so fragile sitting there on his vanity that he almost did not want to leave her alone, but he knew he had to get them dry otherwise they will be sick in the morning.
He walked calmly out the door but sprinted to the bedroom as soon as he was out of her line of sight. He grabbed the first clothes he could find that were at least acceptable and sprinted back to the bathroom to find her in the same position as he left her in. She was shivering a bit from her still wet clothes clinging to her body.
"Would you like to take a nice hot shower? It'll help you feel better," he asked.
She nodded again, but made no move to get up.
Suppressing a sigh, he turned on the water and waited for it to heat up. When he was satisfied with the temperature, he returned to where she still sat trembling.
"Come on," he said, holding out his hand for her to take.
She eyed him suspiciously, but reached out to him nonetheless. He walked her into the shower and under the spray, clothes and all. She hissed when the hot water hit her frozen body, but a moment later relaxed and let it soothe her. Tony only stood in shock at the sight. He had a goddess in his shower – his soulmate no less. She wasn't even naked and he thought that it was the most erotic thing he had ever seen when she lifted her arms to gather her hair at the back of her head.
He must have gasped, because in that moment she looked at him and he could see the self-consciousness and trepidation in her eyes when she silently and almost nervously held her hand out to him. He immediately stepped forward and joined her under the spray, he too letting it relax him. He held her again and marvelled at the feeling of her being so close.
They could have stood there in each other's arms for hours, but soon the hot water began to run out and he turned it off. He stepped back and pulled a towel off the rack just outside the shower. He looked into her eyes while he wrapped it around her, smiling at how tiny she looked buried in the fluffy white material. It contrasted her skin so beautifully.
"I'm going to get dressed," he said while pulling a towel around himself. "I'll be just down the hall if you need me. I'll be back in five minutes."
"Thank you, Tony." It was the first time she had spoken since they entered his apartment and he didn't know how much he had missed her voice until he heard it again.
He couldn't help himself and pressed a light kiss to her forehead.
"Any time," he replied before strolling back to his bedroom feeling very giddy.
If he didn't know better, he would've thought he saw her blush.