Disclaimer: Oh, the things I would do if I owned them…
Upon exiting the elevator, Ziva saw Tony sitting behind his desk, staring across the space to Kate's desk. She knew how extremely difficult it must be for him to have lost Kate. She knew somewhere deep down he felt guilty for being involved with her killer's sister, but she pushed that thought to the back of her head. She was not responsible for Ari's actions.
Looking around, she saw they were the only ones in the office. Gibbs had rushed up the stairs to Jenny's office and would probably stay there for a while. She snuck up behind Tony without making a sound and placed a kiss just behind his ear. She laughed internally when he jumped about a foot in the air, spinning around and capturing her in his arms.
"Ziva! God, don't do that!" he exclaimed when he saw it was her and not an intruder.
"But it is so much fun," she countered, smiling up at him.
"For you maybe. I could have shot you."
"You are not wearing your weapon," she pointed out.
"True, but still."
"Still," she relented.
"What did you talk to Gibbs about?" he asked her.
"What did you talk to Gibbs about?" she turned the question unto him.
"I'll tell you later," he said, not thinking the bull pen was quite the place for this discussion.
"Then I shall tell you later as well."
"No fair!" he whined.
"Fair has nothing to do with it," she said before reaching up and kissing him. His arms tightened around her waist as he kissed her back, their location completely forgotten. They carried on for another few minutes, neither noticing Gibbs's footsteps down the stairs. They were alerted to his presence a second later when a headslap to both of them made their foreheads smack together.
"OW!" Tony yelled, followed by a curse word in Hebrew coming from Ziva.
"Didn't need to see that, DiNozzo!"
"Sorry, boss."
"Don't apologise."
"Sign of weakness, right."
Gibbs walked around his desk and sat down while Tony and Ziva went to stand in front of him.
"DiNozzo, the funeral in is four days. We're flying there in three. Be here at two in the afternoon."
"Yes, boss," Tony answered solemnly.
"Ziva," Gibbs continued, looking up at her sympathetically. "Transport for Ari has been arranged for the same day. Your plane leaves at eleven in the morning."
"Thank you, Gibbs," she nodded.
"The director has given us this time off. Go home. Pack."
A duet of "Yes, boss!" and "Very well, Gibbs!" was heard before Tony pulled Ziva in the direction of the elevator. They waited in silence for the box to arrive and stepped inside just as silently when the doors opened. It took Tony only two seconds to flip the switch and pin Ziva to the metal wall with his body. His lips were insistent on hers and she kissed back just as hungrily. His hands trailed her sides up and down while hers fisted his hair, desperate to pull him closer.
When they finally broke for air, Tony was the first to speak as they panted against each other.
"That day… when you found me in here… I was thinking about this…" he managed to say between pants.
"So that is why you look so flustered, Agent DiNozzo," she said smiling.
"Yes, Officer Dah-veed. I was having a fantasy about you."
"Good," she said before grabbing his mouth with hers again. He kissed back with vigour, pressing her harder against the wall and smiling against her lips triumphantly when a small moan escaped her mouth.
"Ziva," he said after a while. "We should stop."
"No. I do not want to," she moaned as he kissed down her throat.
"Me neither, but we should get out of the elevator."
"Good point," she conceded.
They pulled away then, after kissing each other again for good measure. They made sure they were presentable before Tony turned the elevator on again. Once inside Tony's car, he took her hand firmly in his, not intending to let go. The ride was silent, both comfortable in their thoughts as they watched the city flash by.
It was starting to get dark by the time they got to the apartment again and they decided to order in now that the roads had been cleared. Chinese it was, considering they had pizza just two nights ago, although Tony argued that one could never get enough pizza. Ziva only laughed and dialled the nearest place that delivered.
Their food arrived half an hour later and they sat in companionable silence as they ate.
Tony was thinking about the best way to approach the soulmate-subject. He knew he had to tell her that night. He couldn't wait any longer. He just had to come up with the right way to do it.
Meanwhile, Ziva was trying to figure out how to tell Tony that she was planning on staying in the States. And working at NCIS on his team on top of that. She was afraid he would run the other way and say it is too much too soon. However, she was never really one for beating around the bush, so she decided to tackle the conversation after they had showered. If he rejected her, she would just go back to a hotel for the remaining nights she had to spend there. If not, if he accepted her, she was planning on wearing something nice underneath his t-shirt. She smiled inwardly at this thought.
They had just finished eating when Tony suggested they hit the shower. She happily obliged, opting to go first. She gathered his shirt and opened the hidden part of her bag to take out her something nice for him.
She sprinted through the shower, washing her hair because she had deducted he likes it curly and crazy.
She walked past him in the hall when he was on his way to the bathroom and pressed a long kiss to his lips. He smiled back at her.
"I will meet you in the living room," she said, wanting to have this conversation in their fort.
"I'll see you there."
He panicked a little in the shower, scared she will reject him, but knew he had to persevere. When he arrived in the living room a few minutes later, he saw her waiting for him underneath the fairy lights. Sitting down next to her, he froze when he heard what she was saying.
"Tony, there is something I need to tell you."