Author's note:

I hope you all have a wonderful Monday, guys! I want to thank all of you, again, for all the support you've expressed and all those nice words you've told me – you really have no idea how much I appreciate it and I'm honoured to have you as readers.

Thank you Debbie, as always! :) I know that to kill you with the suspension is a bit cruel, but I hope you still enjoy it.

Dear Asia, if you have any worries that this story won't have a happy ending, then I can assure you it will. :)

Thank you, Celine Krause, for your review. :) I'm glad you like it, I'm trying to do my best with the descriptions (even though they are sometimes too deep) but it's a pleasure for me to write it. As for the cliffhangers – not going to stop with it ever. :D It's just too amazing... I hope this chapter will satisfy you a bit. :)

Anyway, go on reading! I've learnt a lot of ways how to die for what I did in the last chapter – still think that the Klingon Disrupter would be the best – and if I could ask, I'd take Zat'nik'tel if I could (sci-fi fans probably know I'm talking about), so I think it's time to make the waiting worth. ;) Enjoy and find out what the mysterious sound is... :)

Disclaimer:

I do not own NCIS or the characters.

Towel – Chapter 14

*** WHERE WE LEFT OFF ***

Ziva couldn't tear her eyes off of him, watching him motionlessly. Her heart threatened to explode because she knew that this was the moment she would hear the words she'd wanted to hear for so long. Although there was the second part of her that begged him silently not to say anything because it was just easier to deny it than to expect another disappointment, she couldn't fight the desire to hear him out.

It was just stronger than her. So, the moment he released one of her hands and gently brushed his fingers across her cheek to keep her attention, she tilted her head to lean into his touch, watching him without a blink. Her eyes were sparkling with eagerness and tears she was refusing to let fall down, waiting for the magical moment like a five-year-old kid on a Christmas Day.

He smiled at her warmly, glad for her evident anticipation, but he was nervous as Hell. He couldn't believe that the moment he'd dreamt about for years was finally here. But he managed to calm his nerves and took a deep breath. "Ziva, I lov-" He began but was cut off immediately by a strange, rather noisy, sound.

*** AND NOW WE CONTINUE ***

He trailed off and turned his head in the direction of the sound with his mouth still open as the words still hung in the air. She did the same, furrowing her eyebrows as she became aware of the nature of the sound. Since the door that interconnected their separated rooms was still open, because he hadn't bothered closing it when he'd entered hers, they could hear very clearly that somebody was banging on the door of his room.

"Tony! Open the door! I know you're in there!" McGee's annoyed, but muffled, voice filled the silence between them.

They looked at each other, not quite believing to what was happening. The lack of time they had and their carelessness, since they both knew that they friends had been looking for them, finally caught up to them. To their luck, in the most inconvenient moment of their lives. But there wasn't any time to give it a deeper thought because McGee was probably angrier than they expected, as they judged by his following sentences.

"Look, if you don't open up, I warn you, I have keys to your room! So, I'll get inside, anyway. Wouldn't it be better if you just let me in?" McGee tried to convince Tony to let him in, feeling as the wrath inside him boiled. His partner was like a brother to him, but sometimes he had an unimaginably strong desire to kill him. He started to understand Ziva in some points.

He wouldn't be that angry if Tony had just picked up his phone, answered him or at least let him know where the hell he had been. He had disappeared ages ago and nobody had heard from or seen him. Tim was just worried about him, not to mention there were certain things they needed to sort out before the rehearsal dinner that was supposed to start in thirty minutes or so.

But it seemed that Tony had vanished into the thin air or something. Abby had tried to help him find Tony, but she had been unsuccessful. According to her words, even Ziva hadn't had any idea where Tony could be. So, he had managed to convince the hotel's staff to give him the spare keys to Tony's room so he could get inside and look around for something that could give him a hint as to Tony's whereabouts.

In the meantime, Tony couldn't believe that the curse somebody had casted upon him, apparently, still worked. He had tried numerous times to tell Ziva how he felt, but something had always interrupted him right in the moment he had opened his mouth. And now again – this time it had been McGee who had made him to stop in midsentence and swallow the words he'd so much wanted to say.

During his mulling over his unfair fate, Ziva was gathering her thoughts and trying to find some solution to this situation. She wanted to hear those words very much, but McGee obviously didn't want to leave until he found Tony. He'd even managed to get the keys from Tony's room, and because Tony was in her room, in her bed and pretty much naked, McGee could catch them in any minute.

She might have started to believe Tony's feelings, but she certainly wasn't ready for the whole world to know what they had been doing here while everybody had been looking for them. There were still some issues she needed to deal with, and she didn't want anyone to know until she would be certain that it was all worth the risk. She cursed under her breath because the lack of time made her angry, but she couldn't do anything about it.

"You have to go, Tony." She told him, squeezing his hands to make him to look at her, getting all anxious because of the compromising situation they had found themselves in.

He turned his head towards her with a confused expression on his face, trying to absorb the words she just had said. "What? No! Let him bang on the door. He'll go away eventually." He told her, waving his hand at it like if it was nothing he should be worried about. His interests were her and his feelings for her. He didn't care about anything else. And he wanted to break the stupid curse.

Her eyes bulged out, smacking him into his arm to make him to realize what kind of a situation they were facing. "Tony, he said that he had keys to your room! This door is open! What do you think he will see when he enters?" She hissed and pointed her finger at the door that interconnected their rooms, trying not to yell because that might raise McGee's suspicion since he had fallen silent, apparently giving Tony a chance to open the door voluntarily.

Tony looked at the door in puzzlement, wondering what her problem with it was, exactly. "So, we will close it. I don't see any problem with that." He stated the obvious solution, suggesting what they might do if McGee really dared to enter his room.

She rolled her eyes because she had the impression that, in the moment she needed him to understand things quickly, he always decided to play dumb. It wasn't about some stupid door that was open. This was about the fact that McGee was about to go inside and catch them without their clothing in her bed. She really needed some time to deal with herself and, even if she wanted to tell their friends about what had happened between her and Tony, she certainly wouldn't choose this way.

"Even if we close it, he will open it trying to find you. I don't have a key to lock it and I highly doubt we have enough time to hide somewhere. You have to go!" She persuaded him to do what she had told him to do and not argue with her. She knew what she was doing. And she swore that she didn't want to get rid of him. She really wanted to hear those three words more than anything, but this was a far more important issue.

Tony stared at her in puzzlement, trying to read in her eyes why she was suddenly so agitated. He wondered whether she even wanted to tell their friends about what had happened between them. However, he had to admit that McGee walking into his room and catching a sight of them and how they were sitting on the bed, pretty much naked, apparently in some after-sex talk, wasn't the best way to inform the world.

His gentleman side couldn't let this happen. He had to defend her honour because she wasn't responsible for this mess, at least not that much as he was. They really needed to talk thoroughly about the whole thing just between the two of them, and then they could consider telling their friends. Too bad that time was their greatest enemy at the moment. Not to mention that he didn't have any idea about how to explain McGee what was happening here, in the case that he really would enter the room.

He opened his mouth to tell her that he would leave, but before that he still had few things to say. He didn't want this chance to slip away, because it was probably his only one for expressing his feelings. Although he understood the need of leaving her room and go to deal with McGee, he was frightened to leave her there alone. He truly needed her to believe him that his intentions had been as pure as he'd claimed and that he really loved her.

But he didn't have any chance to say anything, because Tim completely lost his patience behind the door. "OK, your choice. I'll count to ten and then I'm going in. One..." He started to count, giving Tony one last chance to open the door, getting tired with standing on the hallway like a fool.

Eyes of both lovers in the bed widened in horror, suddenly realizing that the compromising situation was more real than they had been admitting. McGee was really determined to go inside, no matter the sight he may be welcomed with, because his only concern was to find Tony. Time really wasn't their friend. It was as if fate just didn't want them to solve everything so easily, and, instead, constantly put obstacles in their way.

Tony recovered quickly, slipping his gaze over to hers, and catching her as she stared at him, her eyes emphasizing the insistence of his leaving. "You're right. I have to go." He said with noticeable regret, because it was the last thing he wanted to do, but he didn't have any other choice if he wanted to keep things that had happened between them as a secret.

The corners of her mouth twitched in dejected agreement, because she really didn't want him to leave, but it was necessary. She regretted it in the same way he did, but the circumstances were against them. To stress her sadness over it, she drew small circles on his palm, watching his eyes in the process. She wanted to let him know that, despite her uncertainty, she understood why he had to do this and leave.

He sent her a small smile, actually feeling satisfied because they were able to communicate without words, which signified about very deep connection between them. Nevertheless, he wanted to do something to assure her that this wasn't the end. That he still wanted to talk about it with her and express his feelings as soon as possible. So, ignoring McGee's counting, which had reached three by now, he leaned forward, grabbed her by her head and kissed her soundly.

She didn't resist, only welcomed his lips on hers, whimpering in protest when he immediately pulled away, because it could turn into something more and, for that, they really didn't have any time. So, she rather mouthed the word 'go' to which he replied with a nod and, for the last time, raked her hair, cupping her face to memorize it like this was the last time in his life he was going to see her.

Then, he threw the sheet around him away and climbed out of the bed, looking around for his clothes. He had to congratulate himself, because the only pieces he had to find were his jeans, T-shirt and boxers. He had come barefoot into her room, so there were no socks or shoes to pay attention to. He scanned the room and quickly found what he needed, immediately reaching for it.

He grinned widely, because he could feel her eyes on his naked butt as she feasted them all over his body, apparently appreciating it, since he could hear her sighs and whimpers. If he had the time he would have turned around to face her and let her to enjoy whatever she pleased. But that was not possible at the moment. He just hoped that he would have the chance to do so some other time, like they had promised to each other.

He hastily put his boxers on, struggling a bit with his jeans since he wasn't used to putting them on so fast. "Hurry!" She whispered urgently, because McGee had just reached number six. She had to admire Tim's patience and the slowness of the counting. She would be inside already if she were him.

Tony just huffed in annoyance because it wasn't the easiest thing to do. But he managed to zip his jeans up and grab his T-shirt from the ground but he didn't put it on. It could wait. He had the most necessary clothing on him and that was enough. The more important thing was to come up with something plausible for McGee to explain why he hadn't answered the door.

He knew it was better just to say goodbye and leave, but he couldn't resist not looking at her, which was a terrible mistake. Seeing her sitting on the bed, wrapped in the sheets with the desirous and greedy look she was giving him, was just too much for him to bear. He had to tell her, no matter what. He couldn't leave without telling her how much he loved her. It would kill him inside to just leave her without saying it.

Ziva recognized in his face the new determination, but since McGee was about to say number eight any second, she, rather, urged Tony to leave. "What are you waiting for? Go!" She insisted on his leaving, trying not to think about how sexy and yummy he looked with the tousled hair, bare chest and his jeans on.

But instead of making a step towards his room, Tony's legs chose the other direction and led him back to the bed, not caring about McGee's counting. He also ignored her frown and her following urgent whispers that begged him to leave and deal with McGee to keep their secret safe. He really needed to get this out, and he would never forgive himself if he didn't prove his feelings by words as well.

He leaned in, grabbing her by her neck and watching her eyes in the process as he swallowed the rest of her pleas with a sweet, passionate kiss. She melted the second he had touched her, still too weak to fight against it as she responded to his lips naturally, palming his cheeks and lifting herself up a bit from the bed to get a better angle. She really couldn't get enough of his lips. She would be contended if kissing him was her job for the rest of her life.

It was sinfully slow and fervent kiss that made them sweat with desire again and they would give in if it weren't for a very impatient McGee in the hallway. She understood what he tried to tell her by this and, even though she was aware of the fact that he had to leave, she didn't want to let him go and give up his lips. He had become her drug and she didn't want to experience the unpleasant withdrawal.

So, every time he wanted to break the kiss, she applied more pressure on her hands and made him to stay glued to hers. He relented, but when McGee said the number nine and obviously started preparing for opening the door to the room, he managed to pull away, trying not to hear her unhappy whimper. He apologized through his gaze, tracing his thumb across her bottom lip and making the eye contact he so much needed for what he was about to say.

"I love you, too." He said, smiling at her warmly and hoping that she would believe him. He was aware he had used the word 'too', which insinuated that he knew about her feelings for him, but he didn't care. The most important thing was that he had finally said it.

She stared at him with mixture of love, adoration and happiness, glad for those words that filled her heart with unimaginable warmth and joy. She was on cloud nine at the moment and couldn't do anything else but smile silly. She believed him, now, because, even though it hadn't been for the first time she had heard a love confession after such passionate moment like the one they just had experienced, nothing in world could compare to sincerity and seriousness of his words. He had spoken from the bottom of his heart as if she was his soul mate, and that had given her the proof she needed.

Since McGee was done counting, Tony quickly said goodbye with a peck on her lips and winked at her as he turned around and went out of the room, taking the doorknob. With the last one look, he closed the door behind him, closing his eyes to retain the image of her face when he had been leaving. He wanted to remember this moment so he could tell about that to his grandchildren in the, hopefully possible, future.

Ziva was casting lustful looks on the door as if she expected him to return, but then she laid back on the mattress, sighing deeply in relief. She smiled to herself widely, feeling like teenager in love, because what she had just experienced was an indescribably amazing moment, and she knew it would stay on her mind for a very long time. What made her a bit uneasy was the usage of the word 'too' in the love confession, because she wasn't aware of ever telling him how she felt. But she decided not to rack her brains over it at the moment and, rather, listen to what was happening on the other side of the door.

Tony made it on time because right at the moment he opened his eyes, McGee began to unlock the door. He quickly jumped aside from the door that interconnected his and Ziva's room and, rather, stood in front of the door from the bathroom to make false assumption that he had just come out of there. He then realized that he didn't have his T-shirt, and wondered for a while where it might be, coming to the conclusion that he had to have dropped it when he had kissed Ziva, so it had stayed in her room.

He just waved his hand at it, rather, fishing around in his database of excuses he had learnt throughout his life, trying to come with something believable and doing his best to not look nervous at all. He actually had a hard time keeping a straight face because McGee stuck his head inside carefully as if he was afraid what he might expect in the room. When his eyes found Tony, he immediately opened the door, ready to kill him.

"Hi, McGee!" Tony greeted him with a smile that was able to light a Christmas tree, hiding his uneasiness behind it.

"So, you're really here. Can you tell me where the hell you've been?! I've been trying to find you for ages!" Tim assaulted him verbally in an instant, closing the door behind him because he didn't want to disturb the hotel's staff after they had been so nice to him and had provided him the key to this room.

Tony swallowed hard, but he didn't let himself become disconcerted, because he couldn't give any reason to make McGee suspect something. "Calm down, McNervous. We're here for, like, three hours, so you definitely haven't been trying to find me 'for ages'." He said, trying to play the jokey part and downplay it all, adding a chuckle to make it more believable.

Tim just crossed his arms and leaned against the door, determined to get the truth out of him, whatever it cost. "Doesn't really matter. You're not picking up your phone, you're not answering your door and nobody has seen you since we got here. Where have you been?" He started to interrogate him, not really caring that he sounded like a jealous wife or concerned father. He had been truly worried about Tony, so his natural, annoyed reaction was more than understandable.

Tony actually considered it sweet that there was someone out there who had such an interest in him and was worried because of his disappearance. To be honest, if he was in McGee's place, he would probably try to carry out the same interrogation. But even though Tim was like a brother to him, Ziva was more important since, she was the woman he was in love with. So, he decided to keep his mouth shut about the real truth.

"Aw, it's nice of you to be so caring, Tim. But you really didn't have to worry, I was here in this room. Actually, I was in the bathroom." He replied, leisurely leaning against the doorframe, trying to support his claim that he had been a good boy and hadn't done anything bad.

McGee raised his eyebrows suspiciously, wondering whether Tony was telling the truth. It wasn't usual for him to spend so much time in the bathroom and forget about the whole world because of some shower. "In the bathroom? The whole time?" He asked him, the tone of his voice filled with such scepticism that Tony began to get really nervous.

He knew that he had to come up with something solid, something that would explain credibly enough as to why he had vanished. And he needed to find some excuse very soon because it didn't really look good when he was just standing there and staring at McGee, biting his lip in contemplation. It only raised the suspicion and that was something he truly didn't need.

"OK, you got me. I was having a bath." He raised his hands in surrender, taking this as the easiest way to explain things. He tried his best to look rather apologetic, so he would convince Tim.

"Since I didn't get much sleep over the last few days, I just dozed off, I guess. The next thing I remember is you banging on my door." He added to support his statement and give McGee enough evidence. He had to congratulate himself once again, because it was actually a pretty good and plausible excuse.

Nevertheless, McGee didn't look convinced at all. Tony certainly didn't look like someone who had just come out of the bathroom with the tousled hair, somewhat self-satisfied smile he couldn't just wipe off his face and widened eyes like if he had just gotten the best present of his life. Something was off and he pledged that he would find out what the real truth was, no matter how disgusting, surprising or unpleasant the truth might be.

"A bath?" He asked Tony in another of his unbelieving tones that signified how much he had to struggle to believe whatever Tony was saying to explain his disappearance. He really didn't guess that Tony was the type who liked to soak himself up in the warm water, do nothing and just relax. Especially because he didn't have a TV in his bathroom, so he couldn't watch movies like that. And he needed to see a movie on a big screen, as he'd claimed once, to actually enjoy it, so a tablet or phone was out of the question.

Tony nodded enthusiastically as if having a bath was his greatest hobby, hoping that McGee really took the bait and actually believed him at least a bit. "Yes, you know – bathtub, hot water and bath salts. It's pretty relaxing, you should try it sometimes." He immediately rushed in with a recommendation that McGee shouldn't be ashamed and should spoil himself, as well, from time to time. It wasn't just a woman thing. Men had their needs and ways to relax, too.

Tim watched him incredulously for quite a while, trying to figure out whether Tony was lying or if he was that nervous because he might find it a bit embarrassing that he had been having a bath. It had sounded plausible, he had to admit that. But he still couldn't shake the feeling that Tony was withholding some information from him, and such a fact troubled him even more. He couldn't imagine what could be so serious that Tony didn't want to tell him.

He scanned the room with his eyes, trying to use his 'X-ray vision' to find anything that might give him any evidence as to what Tony had really been doing. However, nothing was out of normal. There was Tony's baggage on his bed, half unpacked, as he apparently had been working on unpacking it when he had decided to take a bath. Other than that, everything looked completely normal. Like in every other hotel room.

"What did you want, anyway? And I'm sorry for worrying you, of course." Tony cleared his throat, trying to ignore the thoroughness with which McGee examined his hotel room, and, rather, wanted to focus on the reason why he had been so rudely interrupted during his love confession.

He didn't get his answer because McGee, unfortunately for Tony, found a new interest in the door that interconnected his and Ziva's room, completely ignoring his question. And that was bad. Nobody was supposed to know that they rooms were designed like that, especially when he had dared to disappear and everybody would think the same thing as McGee probably did at the moment.

"Where does this door lead to?" Tim asked curiously, pointing his finger at the door, his eyes boring into Tony and daring him to lie.

Tony shifted his weight from one leg to another while scratching his head, pondering whether to tell him the truth or not. But because McGee would try to find out by himself, he rather chose the truth, not wanting to put Ziva in a compromising situation. "This one? To the adjacent room, I guess. They're probably connected." He replied casually, trying to show that it hadn't even occurred in his mind to take the doorknob into his hands; that he'd just assumed the purpose of the door.

McGee's eyes widened as the realization dawned on him, maybe finally getting closer to the 'real' truth. Not the truth Tony had been trying to foist to him. He knew very well who occupied the next room, who was Tony's neighbour. The only question was whether Tony really had been that brave and had decided to resolve his feelings as well as feelings of the person behind the door. Because that would perfectly explain everything.

"Ziva is in the adjacent room." Tim stated the obvious, watching Tony very closely for any reaction he could get. He tried to make his tone neutral. He didn't want to insinuate anything until it was really necessary.

Tony's heart rate quickened, but he didn't let it to overwhelm him. He needed to stay strong, not only for himself but for Ziva as well. He was actually dying to tell everything to his friend, to share this amazing piece of news with someone. But he also knew very well that it wasn't the best time to do so. They still had plenty of things to talk about with Ziva, and he respected her wish to tell their friends after they resolved it.

So, he just licked his lips to water his suddenly-dry mouth and swallowed the lump in his throat, hard, so he could speak properly. "Yes, I'm aware of that. What does that have to do with anything?" He continued in his leisurely stance like if he wasn't excited at all with Ziva being in the next room. It was a great lie, he knew that, but he needed to play this part.

McGee raised his eyebrows in surprise, as if Tony had gone crazy or something. This was far more obvious than anything he had ever seen. What else could he think when he saw Tony standing in front of him only in his jeans with a face that clearly signalled that he had experienced something very pleasant, and now he had found out that Ziva was just few steps away from him because, the only barrier between them was the door that connected their rooms?

No, he wasn't that stupid and oblivious. If anybody knew for certain the kind of feelings Tony had for Ziva, it was him. He'd heard about it numerous times when he'd tried to get Tony out of few depression states he'd been through over the last few years. And although Tony had been really good in hiding his feelings for most of the time, he'd sometimes slipped and let the world know who the woman was that had stolen his heart.

Tim had decided long time ago that he wouldn't interfere since Tony had begged him not to. Even though it had been breaking his heart when he'd seen his friends suffer from time to time, he'd kept his mouth shut. And that was really hard because he knew a few secrets of both and had a well-founded inkling that Ziva might not be that indifferent to Tony as she'd sometimes claimed. Even she, the queen of the pretending, had let her guard down occasionally and had shown how deeply she cared about Tony. And Tim, as a good observer, could tell with indisputable certainty that the nature of her concern had been far off from friendship and had had more to do with love.

That's why he didn't believe a word Tony was saying. It was just too great a coincidence that Tony had vanished off the face of the Earth with Ziva just behind the wall. And since Rule 39 was clear about coincidences, he decided to stick with it and, rather, suspect that something could have happened between his two friends. Because, even though Tony's story about dozing off while having a bath had sounded credible, McGee considered Ziva to be the reason why his friend had disappeared.

"Seriously, Tony? You and her? Separated only by that door?" He nodded with his head in the direction of the door, trying to insinuate that he had a pretty good idea what was going on here and some cock-and-bull story wasn't going to convince him otherwise. Judging by Tony's shocked look, he had been right.

Tony sighed inwardly, his complexion turning pale as he flashed a nervous glance at the door that was causing him so much trouble. He distinguished immediately what McGee's words had been implying, because Tim was aware of his feelings towards Ziva. His friend was actually the first person he'd had the courage to confide in with them, knowing that the secret would be safe with him. This wasn't something he could go to solve into Gibbs' basement.

"Look, I know where you're going with this, but I can assure you, it's not what you think." He said, using a more serious tone than before and trying not to think about how the blatant lie burned inside his throat. What McGee thought was the actual truth, he had spent the time on the other side of the door with the love of his life, but that couldn't be revealed for certain reasons.

"Do you really think that I would risk my life and go into her room, taking advantage of how our rooms are designed? I don't have a death wish, McGee. She would kill me if I even tried to open the door." He played it down once again, trying to sweep it under the carpet and describe the possible situation. It really didn't matter that he had actually dared to open the door and abuse their sleeping arrangements, luckily surprising her wearing just a small towel which had sent his seduction abilities into overdrive.

Tim looked him up and down, not satisfied with the answer at all but recognizing what Tony tried to hide in his message. He had begged him to believe him and if he wasn't able to do so, then he should drop the subject, at least for now. Even the imploring gaze of his was confirming that. Tim, of course, wondered why Tony didn't want to tell him, since he could be sure he wouldn't tell anything to anybody. But there was some apparent reason for that, so he, rather, decided to put off the interrogation to later since he had accomplished his goal, which was to find Tony.

"Yes, you're right. She would." He agreed with Tony and straightened back up to assure him that he had finished his questioning and had decided to leave him be for the time being. There were far more important issues to deal with at the moment, anyway.

"Either way, why I was looking for you. First, we have to wrap up the gift for Jimmy." McGee completely deflected the conversation to the real reason why he had tried so hard to find Tony, pointing out the fact that the gift was in Tony's possession.

"And second – both your suits are with me, they're in my room. You completely forgot about them, and that's the main reason why I was trying to find you, since you need one for tonight." He explained to Tony, whose face lit up with realization as he remembered what he had been doing before he'd found Ziva's shoes in his bag. He'd actually been looking for his suits, wanting to call McGee right after he would finish the visit of Ziva's room. Well, it had gotten twisted on the way, but he certainly wasn't complaining.

"Ah, I was wondering where they might have been. I wanted to call you and ask but I decided to take a bath first." Tony reminisced, feeling like a whole week had passed since he had found out that his suits had been missing, but he'd, rather, decided to do a favour for Ziva. Very exciting favour, indeed.

"OK, let me put some clothes on and we'll go get them. Thanks a lot, Tim." He added and moved closer to the bed, pulling out another T-shirt from the baggage and putting it on, while McGee just nodded in agreement, glad that this issue had been finally resolved.

After Tony put on his socks and shoes, he found his cell phone and the keys for the room and took a look around to make sure everything was in its place. McGee opened the door and went out into the corridor, sending a text message to Abby that his searching for Tony had been successful and she could stop worrying about it. Tony cast one last glance at the door inside his room, wondering what Ziva was doing behind it, and then he locked his room up, following McGee into his.

Ziva gave out a deep sigh of relief, because her heart had almost stopped when she had heard that McGee wanted to know where the door lead to. She hadn't dared move, not wanting to raise any suspicion, and was actually glad for Tony's nimble thinking. He had saved her this time, she truly didn't have any idea how they would explain to Tim what had happened. She knew very well that he wasn't oblivious over her feelings for Tony. On the contrary, he was actually aware of them, even though he had tried to play dumb every time.

As she was replying the events of the last hour in her head, she sighed contently this time, smiling widely and making curls with her forefinger. She still didn't know what to do about the whole situation, what her stance towards it should be, but she knew she had enough time to decide. So, she pushed the worries back for a while and just enjoyed the feeling that some man loved her and she loved him back.

It was an amazing feeling, one of those that people lived for and fought for. She felt as if she was floating on the cloud nine. The happiness had seized her and she couldn't do anything about it, only to accept it. After very long time, she felt happy. She hadn't been able to feel this way with Ray, despite her undeniable affection towards that man. But Tony was just different, somehow. She wanted to live just to see his smile and the way his eyes studied her.

Chuckling at her silliness, not at all feeling actually silly, she turned her head on the right and spotted the dress hanging on the wardrobe. She froze as she realized that she was supposed to be down at the bar very soon. She immediately checked the time to find out how much she had left. And because she needed to dress herself up, put on some make-up and do something with her hair, she sat up, cursing silently.

She tried to find the towel with her eyes, wanting to wrap her body up to it again, not daring to risk anything again, but it was far away from the bed. Then her eyes caught a sight of something on the sheets and she took it into her hands, the smile returning back to her face. It was Tony's T-shirt. He had obviously dropped it when he had kissed her and had told her he loved her.

With a smile that wide that even Miss World wouldn't be ashamed of it, she put the black T-shirt on, smelling the scent of the man it belonged to. She got up from the bed and went over to the wardrobe, standing right in front of the dress. She had loved it from the first moment she had seen it, but she had considered it a bit revealing for such an occasion as a rehearsal dinner certainly was.

But Breena had convinced her to buy it, telling her that she would look fabulous and could attract the eyes of every man in the room. Which was supposed to be the purpose, because deeply-in-love Breena was having unbelievable urge to find a man for every single girl she knew, including Abby and Ziva. So, Ziva had relented in the end, not wanting to be impolite, and had bought the dress. But she'd also asked Tony to go 'with her' to the wedding so she wouldn't actually be bothered by any men. And if somebody could protect her while still being a friend, it was Tony.

But suddenly, it had become a problem. What had happened between them this afternoon had changed their relationship radically, and she wasn't sure whether she wanted to take this dress on in front of Tony. Before that, she had seen it as a great opportunity to tease him, because she had been sure he would drool over her, which would also bring out his possessive side and he would watch her like a hawk, not wanting her to end in the arms of any other man.

But now, when she had already found out what his touch was able to do to her, and when she imagined what his reaction would be the moment he saw her in this dress, she was very uncertain about it. The dress wasn't as revealing as the towel was, but she had to admit that it still revealed more than she suddenly wanted. With his seduction skills, she started to fear where the dress could take her tonight.

However, it was the only dress she'd taken with her here. She couldn't put on the dress she was supposed to wear on the wedding, because it had been chosen particularly for the ceremony. So, she resignedly took the dress into her hands, praying silently to survive this night and that Tony will keep his hands to himself and not constantly touch her. She turned around to take the shoes Tony had brought to her and which matched the dress.

With another chuckle that left her mouth, remembering what this pair of shoes had done to her relationship with Tony, she also found some lingerie and went back to the bathroom, lifting up the towel from the floor in the process. The lights were still on. Actually, the whole bathroom looked the same way she had left it. She put the towel back on its place and turned around to face herself in the mirror.

The gaze she gave herself in the reflection spoke for itself. She was overly satisfied with her lover, it was written all over her face. Not to mention, she was able to overlook what sort of mess he had made with her hair. Smiling, she took the hairdryer and started to work on making herself presentable, pulling out the items from her cosmetic bag. It was time to get back to the real world and head off to the rehearsal dinner.

The End of Chapter 14

THE END OF THE FIRST PART

So, surprised it was McGee? Are you satisfied that Tony finally said it? What do you think it will happen next? Some misgivings? And what about the rehearsal dinner?

And this, my dear readers, is the end of the first part of this story. The second part will concern the rehearsal dinner. But I have to admit one thing – Chapter 15 which will come next Monday, is the last one for the time being. I'm really engrossed with writing my dissertation at the moment, plus the exam period is still ongoing and I have to go to work, so I have only little time to write.

I promise you that I will write during my free time as much as I am able to. However, I can't tell you when the Chapter 16 will come, but it will be after second half of March at the earliest. I hope you will understand. I won't abandon this story, no matter what happens, so you don't have to worry, you'll get your settlement and the happy ending I promised you.

Until next Monday, have a nice week! :)