He had every intention of getting up early and making her breakfast. He intended it to be a spread she would never forget; omelets, muffins, bagels, ... all of his culinary skills displayed in one meal.
But when he finally rose, it was already half to lunch and he found her lounging on a chair on the back porch, reading.
For a mere moment, he was distracted by her swimsuit. It was a chocolate brown halter that accentuated her figure in all the right ways.
Not that the other suit – the one from LA – wasn't flattering. But this one would stick in his mind; the brown made her eyes sparkle and caught the rich subtle shades in her hair.
He forced himself to swallow and stood, leaning on the doorframe, watching her before he interrupted.
"I was going to make you breakfast."
She looked up and a small smile graced her features. "But you were too tired from a night of rampant sexual prowess? With... small woodland creatures?"
"Ha, Ha," he said. "Mock all you want, Zee-vah. Looking this good is exhausting. It takes beauty sleep." Their tone was good-natured and both enjoyed the familiar banter.
Ziva slid her sunglasses up and rested them atop her head.
"Where's your camera, Tony?" she asked, grinning.
She was met with a quizzical stare.
"The last time you saw me in a swimsuit, you managed to take a million photos which you then displayed to a small floating city, yes?"
He had the good grace to look somewhat abashed. "They weren't displayed to the crew."
"Oh. I see. Just displayed to the sailors in trouble?"
After a small stare-down, he relented. "Does it really bother you?"
She shrugged. "A bit, yes. Not that they were on display. But I am more upset that you didn't tell me you kept them," she paused. "And more upsetting that you don't respect me more than a pin-up model."
He looked up at the bright blue sky, unable to meet her eye. "I didn't tell you because I knew you wouldn't let me keep them. I needed ..." he stopped, his voice threatening to break. "I needed to keep you with me. Those photos were all I had."
She opened her lips to speak, but his gaze – now firmly trained on her – warned her otherwise and she promptly thought better, shutting her mouth.
"When a man displays a photo of someone as beautiful as you, Ziva, it's not always disrespect. Sometimes it's pride," he set his jaw as he prepared to do something he rarely did- apologize and mean it. "I'm sorry if you -- If I made you feel that it was anything other than that."
Ziva nodded, unable to find any words.
"I'm going to go for a run."
"I will be here," she said, instinctively knowing he didn't want company. He was running to clear his head, something she often did.
Tony just apologized to me. The world must be coming to an end. She thought, returning to her book but barely able to follow the story any longer as her mind reeled.