Appearance from McGee in this one!
Disclaimer: I sadly do not own NCIS or the characters.
It was still raining when they got outside and finding a cab in that weather was usually next to impossible, but luckily for them someone from Tony's building had just pulled up in one. Thanking the neighbour profusely for his excellent timing, they quickly got in. They sat closer to each other than they probably should have, but neither commented on it. Their fingers were still intertwined and resting in Tony's lap.
Nothing was said during the drive to McGee's house and Tony could sense Ziva's nervousness. He only traced circles on the back of her hand with his thumb in an effort to reassure her. Because of the rain and everyone being in a hurry to get back indoors, traffic was moving excruciatingly slow and it was going to take them almost twice as long to get to their destination as it would have in normal circumstances. About halfway through the ride, Tony felt Ziva's head drop hesitantly onto his shoulder. He squeezed her hand to assure her that it was okay and immediately felt her relax against him. He felt so protective of her and was once again amazed at the strength of the soulmate bond. That a few blobs of ink on their skins could make them feel such a connection made his head spin, but he was grateful. They might not have met under ideal circumstances, but they met all the same. He wasn't going to complain.
By the time they got to McGee's house about an hour later, the rain had let up and it had started snowing. Tony knew they had to hurry their errands and get back inside to the safety of his apartment. The cab parked on the curb outside the building and Tony could spot his Mustang parked a few spaces over. He paid the diver and pulled Ziva out by her hand. As the cab pulled away, he almost ran toward his own car, forgetting that Ziva was still attached to him and almost yanked her to the ground with his sudden movement.
"My baby!" he said as he tapped the roof. "Did the probie treat you right? I'll get him back if he did! He better not have abused you!" He stopped talking to his car when he heard a laugh from next to him. Turning around, he spotted Ziva holding her hand to her mouth in a effort to stop the giggles from escaping her lips.
"You talk to your car, Tony?" she asked incredulously.
"Yes!" he exclaimed. "What is wrong with that?"
"It is an inanimate object, Tony. It cannot talk back."
"Of course it can! We understand each other," he insisted as he lovingly stroked the hood.
"This is absurd. Is talking to your car an American thing?"
"No, that's just Tony," came the answer from a few feet away. "Hi Tony, Officer David." They both turned to see McGee walking towards them with the keys in his hand. "I must say, even though I was angry that my cab had been taken, that car is a sweet ride."
"Thank you, Probie. Remember that, because you're never going to drive it again. And if I find one single scratch…"
"I know: I'm dead."
"Good. Now, can I have my keys back?" He almost cringed when McGee tossed them to him, not only because the keys were as much royalty as the car and they deserved to be treated that way, but because his dominant hand was currently clutching Ziva's. He had texted McGee on the ride over that Ziva would be with him, and he was sure Gibbs had filled him in the night before, but he didn't want to draw attention to their handholding and have McGee start making assumptions. He tried his best to catch with his left hand, seeing them flying straight into his face, but Ziva with her ninja ways had been quicker than him. He gasped as she caught them inches before they smashed into his nose.
"How do you do that?" he asked with wide eyes, looking over at her.
"Mossad," came the simple answer.
"Nice catch," McGee commented.
"Thank you, Agent McGee. Be should get going, Tony. The snow is starting to fall quicker."
Tony watched McGee out of the corner of his eye as she said this, hoping that he won't catch the first name basis he had established with Ziva. He relaxed a bit when the junior agent didn't react in any way. He knew he must have heard it and as an investigator, he had probably spotted their clasped hands before they had spotted him. Tony made a mental note to thank him later for not saying anything about it.
"Yes," he answered Ziva. "Thanks for looking after it, McGee. Stay safe with the weather."
"You too. Bye," he greeted them and then turned to go back into the warmth of his building.
Looking back at Ziva, he again thought she was utterly beautiful with snowflakes lightly dusting her hair and sticking to her eyelashes.
"Come on. You better direct me to your hotel."
She nodded as he unlocked the car and opened the door for her. He reluctantly let go of her hand when she was seated and closed the door securely behind her. He got in himself and they drove off. He was very tempted to reach over and take her hand again, but he didn't know how to do it without it being awkward. They rode in silence for a few minutes until he reached over to turn the radio on softly. This time he made sure to tune it to a music channel that didn't report the news. She only spoke to give him directions and soon they were parked a ways down the street from the hotel's entrance.
"Will you come with me?" she whispered while not looking at him – probably afraid he will say no.
"Of course," he answered. He had to smile at the look of relief on her face.
"Let us get going then," she said as she made to get out of the car.
"No, wait! You sit. Just a second!"
She watched in disbelief and confusion as he quickly got out of the car himself and all but ran around the front for the car to her side. A smile graced her face as she realised what he was doing.
He opened the passenger door as if she was some form of royalty.
"Milady," he stated with a bow. She kept smiling at him while she stepped out onto the cold sidewalk.
"Thank you, sir."
The door was closed and locked.
"May I?" he asked her as he held out his arm for her to take.
"Certainly," was her only answer besides her smile as she hooked her arm through his proffered one. They both enjoyed the closeness of their bodies pressing against each other while they walked the distance to the hotel's door. They didn't separate as they entered the lobby and got on the elevator. She pressed the button for the fifth floor and they rode up with the elevator music being the only sounds. When the doors opened, she directed him down the corridor to the left. They encountered a problem when they stopped in front of her room's door.
"I do not have my key," she stated. "It is in my bag at the NCIS office. I left it there when…" she trailed off, not wanting to relive it at the moment.
"Hey, it's okay," he reassured her while taking her face into his hands, folding his fingers around her cheeks to look into her eyes. "We'll go down to the desk and ask them for another one. Problem solved, okay?"
"Okay. Thank you, Tony."
"Anytime." He punctuated his statement by pulling her face closer and placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. He pulled back to see her eyes hiding a few tears and a slight smile on her face. "Come on, let's go," he said as he pulled her back to the elevator.
A few minutes and an argument with the manager later, they were finally turning the spare key in the lock and entering her room. Tony wasn't surprised that the bed hadn't been slept in as they have been working non-stop since she got here. It only took her a minute to grab her bag and then they were locking the door behind them again and returning the key to the angry manager. He was carrying her bag for her and had a hand on the small of her back as they walked out of the building and into the icy air of the city again. He put the bag into the trunk and they were off to the grocery store. This time he had the courage to lean over and take her hand in his. He braced himself for either bodily harm, or worse: her pulling away. He felt relief flood through him when she turned a smile his way and linked her fingers with his. He wanted to jump with joy. She had done it this time. She had taken the initiative. He knew they were going to be okay. He just had to see it through and not allow her to run away.
As they drove to the store, she was looking out the window at the city passing by. But the thing that he liked best of all was that she was absentmindedly tracing her thumb up and down the back of his hand.
And that gave him hope.