Chapter 33: Sweet Recognition!
Disclaimer: ...I got an assault rifle (airsoft gun), two Jack Johnson CDs, two U2 CDs, an all-meat cookbook, a new TV, black overalls, shirts with skulls on them, a skull tie, monkey slippers, CANDY!!!...but no NCIS...
Author's Note: OH MY GOSH!!! NOTRE DAME WON!!! YAY!!!
...Wait...Author's Note, not Rabid-Fan Note...I got jack.
They drove from Bald Knob back to Searcy and told Brent, the desk worker, what the situation was and he let them keep the same room, but they would pay for it themselves tonight.
They went to a computer and booked the earliest, available, non-stop, flight from Little Rock to Washington. It was a 10:30 flight on Southwest to BWI.
They would have to be at Little Rock by 9:00, they would have to leave Searcy at 6:30. They would have to wake up by 4:30.
The next day's schedule disappointed Tony, that meant that they would have to sleep tonight. In fact, they would need to go to sleep earlier than normal! Damn the circumstances! He had really wanted to...well, never mind that now, it wasn't going to happen tonight, anyways.
They walked back up to the room and she insisted that he smelled worse and, therefore, needed the shower first.
He had to admit, the warm shower felt really nice and he would almost physically feel the dirt and sweat leaving his skin.
It was perfect...almost...It would have been perfect had a certain someone, who was waiting outside the bathroom, had joined him. Then it would have been perfect.
He put on his "pajamas" (once again, just his boxers) and exited the bathroom. He walked over to Ziva and said, "There! I'm all clean! Is that better?"
"Much," she said, walking toward him.
He held out his hands to stop her and said, "I don't think so! I just got out of the shower. I'm clean. Maybe when you get out, Stinky," he teased with a big grin.
She scrunched up her nose and mocked him before going to take her shower.
Tony climbed into the bed.
Ahhh! Mattress! I'll never leave one again!
It felt so much nicer than just a bench in a cold, concrete storm cellar.
He turned on the television just as the local news was coming on.
The top story was the tornadoes, obviously, and they showed video from the clean up in Judson Hill. As usual, there was no video of where Tony and Ziva had been working.
Ziva walked out of the bathroom in actual pajamas, he hair still wet, and went over to the bed and lay down up against Tony's side.
He wrapped an arm around her and she said, "We really should get some sleep."
"I know, I just want to see if they say anything about Gibbs and Probie getting that kid."
"Even if they do, you know they never mention NCIS by name," she pointed out.
He ignored that.
The weather came on, the weather was going to be much nicer this next week.
Of course, Tony thought, the only week all freakin' month that there's a tornado and not only am I in the state, I'm in the tornado!
"Things this week are looking much better, Mike," the weather lady said.
"That's good to know, Meredith," the anchorman replied, before turning to another camera and starting the next story, "The murderer of Marine Lance Corporal Daniel Stewart was killed in a shootout Saturday morning near Hector, in northern Pope County."
A map showing the area came onto the screen, then it blinked back to the anchorman, Mike.
"David Cooper, 18, of Judson Hill was found in an abandoned barn by Arkansas State Police searching the area surrounding the site of Lance Corporal Stewart's murder. Cooper had also kidnapped 18-year-old Justin Spencer, also of Judson Hill. Upon arrival at the barn, police and agents from a federal agency were involved in a shootout, during which Arkansas State Police shot and killed Cooper and Arkansas State Police officer, Beau Sampson, was wounded. Spencer was found alive in a trailer in the barn and both Spencer and Sampson are now in stable condition at a Russellville hospital. The Arkansas State Police have extended their gratitude to the federal agency, the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, for their assistance in this case-"
"Ha!" Tony shouted, pointing at the screen.
"Wow...and he didn't just say the initials, either," Ziva said, in awe.
"Nope! He said the whole damn name!" Tony was grinning from ear to ear.
"You're really proud if yourself, aren't you?" she taunted.
"Naw, I was just thinking about how I've watched this news for all of, like, eleven minutes and I already like this guy better than those ZNN anchors," he replied, regaining his cool, calm composure.
"Well, I figure that there aren't many national events that happen around here and they have to take full advantage of the ones they get. They're appreciative of every moment in the spotlight, even if it's for something bad," Ziva reasoned. Tony nodded.
"We should sleep," he stated, as he began to pull blankets out from underneath himself.
"Yeah," she agreed, helping him.
He set the alarm and turned off the TV and the lights.
He dreaded having to wake up that early after such a rough night last night. Neither of them wanted anything more than a long night's sleep in a comfortable, warm bed.
Unfortunately, that probably wouldn't be happening tonight.
She curled up against him and he laughed, "I never thought that you would be so clingy."
"You're warm," she said as an excuse, which just made him laugh more.
"You're strange, Zee-vah," he teased.
"I'd have to be to love you," she teased back.
"Got me there," he smiled, leaning down to kiss her.
"Goodnight, Sweetcheeks," he laughed, wrapping his arms tightly around her lean frame.
"Laila tov, Hairy Butt," she smiled, sleepily, putting her hands on his chest.
They slept through the night curled up together, savoring each other's body heat.
Morning came all too soon and their alarm clock rudely broke up their revelry.
A.N.: I know it's nothing big...or particularly good, for that matter...but it's your Christmukkah present.
My uncle works for Southwest Airlines, so that's a shout-out. I dig Southwest.
The Tony-bit where he says that the one time he's in the state a tornado hits, is also a shout for my uncle. Every time Jimmy would come in, there would be a tornado. We started asking him to not come in.
Mike (not the weatherman) and Meredith are real weekend anchors on the local CBS affiliate, Today's THV. I decided that they needed to acknowledge NCIS just because. And ZNN is the name of the news on NCIS, in case you've never noticed. It made Dad laugh when he found that out, he thought it was really cheesy.
Oh, and notice that Tony didn't use his new nickname for Ziva, he realizes that she thinks it's a big deal. I think I will cover that later...sounds like good plane conversation.
I wish you peace, love, joy, and a very happy Christmukkah...and Kwanzaa, Eid, or anything else (as Mugglenet suggested, a warm greeting to those who might worship the Flying Spaghetti Monster).
Please review as a late Christmukkah present to me, then maybe I'll update a nice New Year's present for you.
**Timpani**