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"The beach?" Ziva was surprised at Tony. She had not expected this.
"Come on, Ziva, the beaches here are some of the best in the world. Let's have a little fun."
He predicted she would simply lie on the sand, but her mind was made up to let loose a little, and within minutes, they were both knee deep in the salty water, splashing playfully. Ziva had discovered that she liked the bathing suit and had kept it on under her clothes, just in case.
Ziva let out a rather loud and girlish laugh as Tony was knocked over by a small but powerful wave, his Hawaiian shirt now clinging to his torso. All he could do now was look at her. He had not seen her this happy...ever. For once, she looked like she was having a good time.
A young boy of about ten came gliding through, forcing Ziva to jump out of the way and bump into Tony and for him to come crashing to the ground again, this time taking her with him.
"Sorry, ma'am!" the kid yelled out.
She just laughed some more. She did not remember being like this with many people before, if anyone, and she certainly did not remember the last time she had so much fun.
On the beach, under the shade of a beach umbrella, Jeanne Benoit sighed. Even on her vacation, she couldn't seem to catch a break. He had broken her heart and only a few months later, she sees him with some exotic beauty. She did not believe that none of it had been real for him. The look in his eyes when he told her he loved her, the candlelit dinners they had shared, not all of it could have been a lie. And yet, he had never been this happy with her. She stared some more and then she recognised the woman, from NCIS, Tony's real workplace. His co-worker, really? How pathetic. She did not understand how you could love a person you work with. It just didn't make sense. She tried to ignore him, flicking through her Vogue magazine like she didn't care he was there at all.
Meanwhile Tony was enjoying himself, being close to Ziva in a way he had never imagined would happen. She was being normal and human. It was actually a pleasant change of character. Unfortunately, her brilliant eyesight spotted Jeanne on the beach and recognised her immediately, and she didn't doubt herself for a second. No, she would ruin everything. Ziva knew there was only one way to ensure that she didn't approach Tony and bring up the past. And also, she wanted revenge for making Tony nearly die and also for feeling so sad. She gulped and told herself she was doing this for him, not for her own personal benefits.
Then with a twirl, she planted a passionate kiss on his lips. Oddly, he did not seem shocked at all, in fact he acted completely in character. Ziva wondered if he knew Jeanne was sitting there.
Ziva's timing had been perfect. She had seen every second of it, and was furious. It was too much like a scene from a romance movie, which in this case seemed extremely appropriate. Her fingernails clawed her beach towel and her eyes formed slits behind her dark sunglasses.
"You think she bought it?" Tony whispered to her when she pulled away. Relief washed through Ziva. He had not thought the kiss was real. She was reminded of the time they were undercover married assassins together.
She laughed. "Don't get me wrong, I don't like her either but going that far would be cruel."
"Going how far?" Tony obviously wasn't on the same train of thought as her.
Ziva cringed. Suggesting that had been a bad idea. "Oops."