Chapter 4: Welcome to Arkansas
Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS, I promise that I don't...because Ziva and Tony would not've faked it in "Under Covers" if I ran NCIS...and Abby and McGee would be together...totally...man, that would be awesome! Tony and Ziva and Abby and McGee...
Oh, but I do own the town of Judson Hill, Arkansas (unless there's a real Judson Hill that I've never heard of); the character Brice Talbot...and none of the songs in this story. Thank you for your cooperation.
Tony's Point of View
Me and Ziva were laughing when we reentered the car and I started it for the short drive to the airport.
I wasn't really sure what to expect from Ziva after the way she had acted in the diner.
Was she only acting?
Was I only acting?
I've got to focus. There's no way I'll get through this case if all I can concentrate on is Ziva.
But she is so beautiful and...she would totally kill me if she knew that I had just thought that.
Focus, DiNozzo!
I stopped the car at a red light and chanced a glance at Ziva.
I know our eyes met for an instant before she jerked around to look out the window.
There were so many ways I could react to this, but I chose to play it cool.
"You were staring at me, Zee-vah," I taunted her, trying to remain casual, hoping it covered up my insecurity.
Ziva's Point of View
In all actuality, I, myself did not completely understand some of my actions in the diner.
They just happened.
It was so...natural with Tony.
I usually remain in control, that is how I prefer to keep things, but this time I had no control and to be perfectly honest, it didn't bother me very much at all.
When the car stopped at a red light, I was jolted back into reality just in time to see Tony's eyes meet mine.
I quickly twisted in the passenger seat to gaze out of the window at nothing.
"You were staring at me, Zee-vah," Tony's cool voice taunted, my heart thudded rapidly as he drew out the syllables of my name, something I liked, but would never admit.
I turned back to him and gave him a look that he would not dare question, before chuckling softly to myself.
He closed his eyes lightly and accelerated the car as the light turned green.
Tony's Point of View
Since awkward seemed to be the name of the game for this car ride, I decided that some music couldn't hurt anything, so I turned on the radio.
The song on the radio was about half over.
Insanity laughs
Under pressure we're cracking
Can't we give ourselves one more chance?
Why can't we give love that one more chance?
Why can't we give love give love give love?
Give love give love give love give love give love give love?
'Cause love's such an old-fashioned word
And love dares you to care
For the people on the edge of the light
And love dares you to change our way
Of caring about ourselves
This is our last dance
This is our last dance
This is ourselves
Under pressure
I laughed a little. Who'd ever thought that Queen and David Bowie would have helped me out of an awkward situation?
Another song started on the radio, I drummed along on the steering wheel, it had a good beat.
Ziva's Point of View
Anthony Kiedis's words had deeper impact on me than usual, maybe I should not listen to Red Hot Chili Peppers so early in the morning.
It was as though the song was written about my life, the way I wanted it.
I said now
I'll take it
It's better for you
When I had first came, Tony had offered so many times to be with me, I had always refused.
Now, I am beginning to think that if he offered again, I might just take him up on his offer.
It would be better for him, as well.
I would not be like one of his usual one-night-stand, blond beauty queens.
I would be his...something else.
Somehow we'll make it
'Cause that's what we do
Given Tony's commitment track record- or lack thereof- you'd think that I would have written him off rather quickly.
On the contrary, I knew that if I ever was with Tony, I'd fight for him,
I would not be easy to part with, we would make it work.
Something out there where love is your only friend
And we are the ones that will make you feel better
And someone to spare when love is the only end
And we are the ones that will make you feel better
Tony's Point of View
We were making good time toward the airport, we were about ten minutes out when another song came on the radio and my mind began to wander.
But you always hold your head up high
'Cause it's a long, long, long way down
She carries herself so tall and proudly, I wonder what other kinds of problems she is keeping hidden from us.
I mean, she managed to keep the Ari-thing hidden for this long, there's got to be something else.
People who are as strong as she is don't just happen, they have to be hardened, and to be hardened they have to have witnessed all sorts of awful things.
This town was meant for passing through, but it ain't nothing new
Now go and show them that the world stayed round
Why had she came to NCIS?
Why would Moussad have her on Ari, her own older brother?
Why did she stay in Washington after everything with Ari had been cleared up?
What do I really know about Ziva David?
But it's a long, long, long way down
You better run for the hills before they burn
Listen to the sound of the world don't watch it turn
If I never can have a relationship with Ziva, I would have no one to blame but myself.
I've done absolutely nothing that would ever make her think that I am worth an attempt at a serious relationship.
I just want to show you what I know
And catch you when the current lets you go
I know I've changed.
Even if it wasn't meant to happen, Jeanne taught me how to have a real relationship.
I really wish that Ziva could see it, I wish that I could show her how much I've changed.
I promise, I really can be relied on, I'll prove it to her.
I'll be there for her
Ziva's Point of View
Tony turned off the main highway, so I assumed that we must be nearing th airport.
I began to prepare to exit the car. And a new song started on the radio.
I reached for an ink pen I had sat on the dashboard when I got in the car, but it rolled just out of my reach.
Tony stretched his out his arm to help me, we both reached for the pen at the same time
The pen slid along the dash just before we caught it, so instead of clamping the pen, my hand slapped against the dash and Tony's hand grasped mine tightly.
For some unknown reason, we did not move our hands and I instantly flashed back to when we were undercover.
His hand felt just as strong and...nervous now as it did then.
Tear me off a piece of blanket
Keep me warm and we can make it
Here's my heart, I'll let you break it
Touched your skin and I can't take it
Tony finally move his hand to turn off the radio, I sighed.
I wear my heart on my sleeve for the man and he acts so oblivious to me.
We pulled in at the airport and I finally caught my pen and glared at it.
Tony's Point of View
I was glad to arrive at the airport, it gave me an excuse to do something that I didn't want to do, but knew I needed to do: let go of Ziva's hand.
I was also more than ready to turn off the radio, I was willing to bet that if I had left the radio on, it would have only been a matter of seconds before an announcer came on and said,
'This is WATZ, and you're listening to The Make Life Awkward for Tony DiNozzo Morning Show!'.
But, I know I heard Ziva sigh as I let go of her hand.
I laughed a little as Ziva caught her ink pen.
I drove up to a guard shack and we flashed our i.d.'s for th guard to see then continued driving up to a hangar where Gibbs's and McGee's cars were already parked.
We climbed out of the car and I pulled our bags out of the trunk and handed Ziva's to her.
No sooner than we had entered the hangar than we heard Gibbs's familiar bark, "DiNozzo! David! Where were you?"
"You said be here at four am, boss," I argued, which wasn't a good idea.
"It's 4:15, DiNozzo," he snapped, slapping the back of my head, "Get on the plane."
I followed Ziva onto the small plane, I looked around and counted about twenty seats.
"It's not much," I grunted.
"No, but it's better than the-" Ziva began.
"Jump seat of a C-130 Hercules with turbulence?" I finished for her.
"Lucky guess," she smiled, leading me down the aisle of the plane.
"No such thing, Zee-vah. I'm a mind-reader. Just another of the patented DiNozzo superpowers, Miss David," I laughed.
She took a seat and I sat next to her.
"Tony, there are four people on this plane and twenty seats, why are you setting here?" she asked, eying me curiously.
"I get lonely," I whined, earning an elbow to my gut, "and bored," I added in a whisper.
"I heard that," she smiled.
Ziva's Point of View
I looked out the window as we took off and then looked over because I heard Tony digging through his backpack.
He raised back up with something in his hand.
I looked at it curiously.
"My Zune," her explained, "it's like an iPod, only, like, ten times better."
He put an earbud in and offered the other to me, I accepted.
He hit play and a song started.
Watching the days burning out like a cigarette
Just a few drags to go
You built me up
And you broke me down
Somehow
Everything just seemed so clear to me
Nothing left to know
I'll love you right and I'll love you pure
Right now
The next thing I knew, Tony was slumped over on my head, asleep, and quickly my lack of sleep was catching up to me.
My head began to feel heavy and I rested it on Tony's shoulder, before I knew it, I, too was asleep.
Tony's Point of View
"DiNozzo!" Gibbs's shouting shook me from my peaceful slumber.
I lifted my head and noticed Ziva asleep on my shoulder.
I turned off my Zune and looked out the window, the plane was descending over a large river to an airport on it's bank.
I reached down, careful not to disturb Ziva, and set my watch back an hour.
6:30 Eastern, 5:30 Central.
As the plane touched down, I reached over and gently shook Ziva.
"Ziva," I whispered, she began to stir, "We're there. Wake up."
I shook her again and her eyes fluttered open.
She looked me in the eyes and we smiled.
"Hey, DiNozzo!" Gibbs called, interrupting my bliss.
"Yeah, boss?" I replied, turning to him.
"You'll need this," he said, tossing me a map, "I've marked Judson Hill on that, and here," he handed me some papers, "is your hotel's address and room number."
"Room number, boss?" I said, glancing from Ziva to him.
"Yeah, DiNozzo, one room. Even you aren't crazy enough to try something with Ziva," Gibbs smirked.
Ziva looked at me threateningly with an eyebrow raised.
The plane taxied up to a terminal and once it had stopped, the copilot exited the cockpit and opened the door.
Gibbs exited the plane, followed by McGee with me and Ziva close behind.
We walked through the airport, it was fairly empty, mostly just employees preparing for later in the day.
We passed security, where a line was beginning to form. Mostly businesspeople in black suits putting briefcases or laptop bags on the conveyor belt. Catching flights to Dallas, St. Louis, Kansas City...all work and no play makes them all so dull.
We rode down an escalator that had a sign next to it warning against riding it barefoot, why would you be running around the airport barefoot? Well, I suppose this is Arkansas, for Pete's sake...
The escalator ran underneath a big window with a banner suspended below it with pictures of a boat on a river with guys fishing from it, a big plateau, the Clinton Presidential Library and ducks; the banner had big, blue letters on it reading, 'Welcome to Arkansas'.
We went down to the rental car counters and Gibbs handed a woman behind a counter some papers and told me to show her my driver's license, I did and she handed me a set of car keys and told us to take the silver Honda in parking space D-6 on the floor of the parking deck just off the sky walk.
As Ziva and I turned to go, the woman called, "Welcome to Arkansas!"
Gibbs's Point of View
I watched Tony and Ziva leave, knowing that something was bound to happen there and I really didn't care if it did.
I didn't even need my gut to tell me that.
I turned back to McGee, who was talking to a man in a forest green jacket.
"Special Agent Gibbs?" the man asked.
"Yeah," I replied.
"I'm Brice Talbot, with the Parks' Service," he offered his hand, I shook it, he smiled and said, "Welcome to Arkansas."
Okay, so I'll tell you the names of all the songs here, so you can know them, yeah?
When Tony first turns on the radio: "Under Pressure" by Queen and David Bowie
When Ziva is thinking about a relationship with Tony: "Make You Feel Better" by Red Hot Chili Peppers
When Tony is trying to figure Ziva out: "This River is Wild" by The Killers
When Tony grabs Ziva's hand: "October Nights" by Yellowcard
When Tony and Ziva are listening to his Zune: "Cigarette" by Yellowcard
Yes, I do think Zunes are superior to iPods, don't hold that against my story, though.
Tony is just going to have a Zune. Meh! Deal with it!
The scene when Ziva and Tony are trying to catch the pen is based on areal event.
Just put in me and my friend, Walker, in Ziva and Tony's place; change the ink pen to a grape-flavored lollipop; and replace the dashboard with this doofus we call Buster.
It was awkward.
There was another awkward situation between me and Walker I would have written in, but I didn't see any way to legitimize Tony accidentally calling Ziva "Mom"...at least not in this chapter...
I tried writing this from multiple points of view, just to try something new, if you don't like it, tell me...if you do like it, you can tell me, too.
When I was writing this I was listening to The Sex Pistols, Yellowcard and Red Hot Chili Peppers; so Tony, Ziva, Sid Vicious, Ryan Key, Flea, Freddie Mercury, Ronnie Vannucci and myself beg you to review!