Oh wow!!! I've gotten alot of story alerts, adds to favorites lists and forum subscription alerts!! Thanks!! And thanks to everyone who reveiwed!! IF I didn't send one back personally yet, I will!! Unless of course you aren't registered to the site. Then I can't! :(
I'm going to apologize for my sever lack of updating. I have no excuse, except the fact that it's coming up to on the one year annivesary of a very sad date for me (those that follow me from story to story or chapter to chapter might remember. If not its ok too!) and I just haven't had the will power to write. Especially this chapter...it was hard for me to write it. And on that note................
All I ask is that I'm not killed by the time you reach the end of this chapter..... ::Cringes at the murderous looks.:: This is already been long planned out and I may have a surprise or two at the end of the story (even though we are not close to it...yet!) . And if you promise not to kill me, I'll give you another chapter, sometime today. My sisters are back in school after spring break and so I have four hours of time where I have to help them with school work, get my own son and husband their dinners and take care of my animals. Then after 7 est, I'm all yours...minus the time it takes to watch NCIS! :D
oh.. and CROSSOVER (sorta) begins with this chapter!! And it a long chapter!!
Song: Miley Cyrus- The Climb (go on..laugh I DARE you!! Because i dont care if you do!! )
For two days, everything was great. Perfect, even though he and Ziva had only kissed since their totally hot-on-the-couter-sex moment. Then, it all went downhill for reasons Tony couldn't even explain.
I can almost see it. That dream I'm dreaming but
There's a voice inside my head sayin,
You'll never reach it,
Ziva started brushing off his touches. She moved away from him whenever she got the chance, would hardly look at him or touch him, and to top it all off, he was practically being ignored! The only words spoken between them were when it was absolutely required. Even the tension that had disappeared when they first kissed was back!
What the hell was going on??
Damned if he knew. With a few weeks left of her leave from work, Tony could tell it was going to be hell. Which was why after about four days of her pretty much ignoring him, he snapped.
"I'll be back later," Tony slammed out the door without waiting on a response, though he was sure she wasn't going to give him one anyway. On the way to NCIS, he calmed slightly. He had to be if he had any chance of getting his leave terminated early. Four weeks early at step I'm taking,
Every move I make feels
Lost with no direction
My faith is shaking but I
I gotta keep trying
Gotta keep my head held high
Before he went up to see Vance, Tony made a stop in Abby's lab.
"Tony!!" The energetic scientist strangled him half to death before he was able to breath again.
"Hey, Abs," Tony laughed as he pulled away from her. "You should work on not strangling me everytime I'm gone for any length of time.
Abby smirked. "And who was the one that gave me a lung crushing hug when I came back from L.A. after being kidnaped? You so owe me for that."
Tony rolled his eyes. "So what's it like around here? Busy?" He almost hoped it was because then he wouldn't have to beg to come back. If they were swamped with cases or paper work, they would surely give him his job back a little early, right?
Abby shrugged before typing something out on her keyboard. "Slow, really. Boring without you and Ziva stiring up trouble. How is Ziva by the way? I miss you both so much, and between you and me, Tony, your TAD's are NOT the brightest two people they could have gotten for the last couple weeks. Not to mention one of them tried to tell me how to do MY Job!! Can you believe that, DiNozzo?"
Tony shook his head. Abby liked to ramble, but it always amused him and gave him the boost of happiness he was looking for before going up to see the director. "Should I feel bad for the poor TAD that pissed you off?"
Abby smirked and shurgged, leaving Tony to believe that the answer to that was yes. "So why are you here, anyway?"
"Had to get out for a bit, that's all," he said purposly being evasive.
Abby raised an eye. "She's driving you insane, isn't she?"
Tony shrugged, not answering. Abby didn't know what had gone on between them the last few weeks, and she wasn't going to, if he could help it. "I'm gonna go find McGeek." He hopped off the table he had plopped on and gave her a hug. "Nice seeing you Abs. "
There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an up-hill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose
Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb
Tony took the elevator straight up to the top floor. He had no desire to see Gibbs or McGee. Polietly he asked to see the director and was granted immediate access.
"Agent DiNozzo, I wasn't expecting to see you for a few more weeks," Leon Vance said, turning from the window as the door shut behind Tony.
"Sorry to disappoint you, then," Tony half joked.
"I assume you are here to ask for your leave to be terminated early?" Vance asked, as usual getting straight to the point.
"Uh..well, yea," he said with a nod. Vance was a lot like Gibbs in being able to read people.
"I can't do that."
Tony blinked. "What? Seriously? You aren't going to give me my job back? I'm fired?" No way. He did not work for NCIS for nine years to be fired because he was taking leave that Gibbs pretty much had MADE him take....!! If that was the case, Vance was going to have a law suit on his desk by the end of the day.
Vance raised an eye as if he could read Tony's thoughts. "I can't give you your position back because the TAD I have sitting in for you is here for four weeks and won't be transfered until then."
"Van- Director.. Please. I need to come back to work. I'm going stir cazy at home..." And the woman currently living with me is driving me up a damned wall. "I'll take anything you've got. Even the Cyer Crimes Unit.." He hate begging, but Tony needed a distraction other than Ziva. His apartment was only so big.
"Can you even work a computer, DiNozzo?"
Tony smirked. "I'm not Gibbs, Director. OF Course I do."
"Well enough for Cyber Crimes?"
Tony shrugged. "Guess we'll find out?" he asked hopefully.
The struggles I'm facing
The chances I'm taking
Sometimes might knock me down but
No I'm not breaking
"No...." Vance paused in thought for a moment before turning to Tony once more. "How's L.A. sound?"
"Seriously? You're gonna let me come --- L.A.?"
"Yes. The undercover team we have there is one agent short. Agent Dominic Vail has been missing for awhile and Agent Callen is short handed. If you're up for the job, I can send you there for a bit, until your leave is up here. I will warn you that this is not like the job here. Everything there is strictly run by Hetti Lange and she runs a tight ship."
"I'll take it," Tony said before Vance could explain anymore.
"Pack your bag. Your flight leaves at 0600,"
I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I'm gonna remember most yeah
Just gotta keep going
And I, I gotta be strong
Just keep pushing on
Vance went back to his work and Tony took that as a cue that he was dismissed. Apparently Vance would handle everything else.
Now he just had to tell one person. Ziva. Though since she wasn't talking to him, he doubted it would be hard.......
*****************
When Tony arrived home, he found Ziva curled up in a chair, sleeping, a book she'd obviously been reading on the floor spine up as if she'd dropped it after falling asleep. Tony sighed. As much as he hated to admit it, she could be the ost horrible person in the world to him and he'd still care for her. Covering her with blanket from the back of the couch, Tony set off to start his packing. Four weeks worth of clothes. When that was finished, he placed the bag by the door and started a dinner meal for him and Ziva.
And started to regrett his decision to go back to work and L.A. How could he just leave Ziva alone for four weeks? She was injured...... But Ziva was pretty self sufficent, more so now than she had been a few months ago, or even a few weeks ago. She could take care of herself for a few weeks.......right?
There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an up-hill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose
Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb
Just as he was draining the veggies in the strainer, he heard a noise behind him.
"Going somewhere," Ziva's soft voice asked, indicating she'd noticed the bag by the door.
Without turning to her, Tony answered, even as he scooped the dinner onto two plates. "Yes. L.A. Vance is sending me there because they are short handed."
If Ziva was shocked or surprised, her words didn't convey it. "For how long?"
"Four weeks," he asnwered, dumping the dirty baking pan into the sink and placing water in it. "I leave in the morning." He could practically hear the mental math she was doing in her mind, calculating that he'd be gone the rest of the time she'd be on leave.
"So I am being kicked out,then?" she said.
Tony finally turned to face her with both plates and a frown. "Of course not. You can stay here for as long as you want. You think I'd do that to you?" He knew for a fact that she'd arranged to have all of her things moved to storage when her lease had expired a few weeks before. They had talked about it because she hadn't been home in months ( three to be exact, not that he was counting) and while she was still paying rent, neither of them had seen a reason for her to continue it. They'd figured that she was going to be staying with him for another month and a half and that she could look for a new place when she was able to. So now, other than his apartment, she had no place else to stay.
"I don't know," Ziva answered as she automatically at down next to him at the small table he owned.
"I wouldn't," he reassurred her. "You can stay here for as long as you need or want to. I don't mind. I trust you."
Silence hung in the air. It was the first time he'd said such a thing out loud to her since...well in almost a year. Normally, he'd just agreed that he did. Ziva stared at him and he stared back.
"Thank you, Tony." she finally said before they both started on their dinner. Half way through, Ziva finally asked what he'd been waiting for.
"So Vance just...called you and told you he needed you to go to L.A.?"
"Uh..not exactly," he said taking a bite bere continuing. "I went to see Abby."
"And Vance found out you were there, called you up and gave you orders?"
Tony shook his head. "I... sorta asked to come back little early."
"How early?" She said her voice suddenly taking on a "I know where this is going" tone.
"Four weeks. I told you that."
"No, you said you were leaving for four weeks. Period. Why did you ask for your job back so early?"
Tony raised an eye. "Well, other than the fact that my partner and roommate, and.....lover," she flinched at the word. "is, or was ignoring me for four days straight might have had something to do with it," he said a bit sarcastically.
"So you are going to L.A. because of me? Because I was upset?"
"Because you wouldn't talk to me!" Tony said a little louder than he intended.
"It is not something I can talk to you about. You would not understand!"
"Try me," Tony told her, even though it was more like a challlenge.
"No," Ziva said. "I cannot tell you."
"So you ignor me instead?"
"I didn't know how to handle it!"
"Handle what?"
"Us... what happened."
"What happened? You mean when we made love?" Tony was starting to understand...even if it was only a bit.
"Yes! That is my problem. How do I just get over that....sudden loss of sanity?"
"Whoa..wait..you're telling me you regret it?"
Ziva remained quiet which caused Tony's temper to flare. "You think what we did was wrong? A "lost in the moment" type of moment to never be repeated?"
Finally, she nodded. Tony snorted.
"Bullshit."
"Think what you want, Tony, but that is the truth."
He stepped (when had they both stood up from the table?) closer to her and pulled her into his arms a bit more roughly than he intended, but it suited his purpose.
"Now listen here, Zi," he started, his words loud in the silence, though he was speaking at just above a whisper. " THAT was not a one time moment. I had planned to make many many more of those moments."
Ziva shook her head. "That maybe true, but I don't do casual sex. Not with you,"
Tony froze. Say what? "Casual sex?" he repeated, a bit shocked. Shocked enough that it allowed Ziva to move from his grip. She thought that's what this was?
"Yes, Tony. That is what I said. I cannot just do that with you. It can never be just casual sex with you or even just a casual relationship. I can't do it like this. Not with you."
He still couldn't get over the fact that she thought this was casual. Maybe they should have had that "what are we" convesation last week. The more what she said sank in, the more angry he got. "Know this, Ziva," he said quietly. "This was never casual, at least not on my end," With that Tony stepped away from her and move the opposite way around the up his bag, he sighed. "I'm going to leave now, before I say something we both might regret. I'll see e you when I get back. Take care, Zi." With that, Tony left the apartment, the door shutting behind him more forcefully than he intended.
Ziva stared at the closed door. What had just happened? Frustrated, she picked up a plate from the table and threw it across the room, sliding to the floor as she heard it break against the wall. Something wet fell from her face and landed on her hand. But she didn't stop it or try to hide it. There was no one around but her.
There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be an up-hill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose
Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb
*************
Tony whistled as he entered the L.A. Office of NCIS. "Man, why can't our office look like this?"
"Ah, you must be Agent Dinozzo,"
"Yea, that's m-" Tony looked around for the source of the voice and finally realized it had come from the thing.. no wait..person, that was at least a foot and a half shorter.
"Oh good. Agent Callen will be glad you are here, though I can't say the same for Sam,"
Tony had no idea what she was talking about and as the small woman in front of him turned, he figured he was expected to follow her....but..well...."Who are you?"
The small woman was saved from answering as a colored hand hand clapped him on the shoulder. "Oh, Don't mind her. That's just Hetti."
"Hetti? As in the head of this office Hetti?" Tony wanted to laughed. How could such a small person be in charge of such a huge place? Maybe he was prejudiced, but it was a funny thought to hi.
"That would be me, yes," Hetti said crooking a finger at him to follow. "You too, Sam. Callen has a lead on Dom,"
Keep on moving, Keep climbing, Keep the faith baby
It's all about, The climb. Keep the faith
Keep your faith
Sam slung his arm around Tony. "Welcome to our group, though if yo end up missing instead, I wouldn't mind." Sam detangled himself from Tony and followed Hetti up the stairs. Tony stood in confusion. Weird place. But it was only temporary.
And he was pretty sure that was the closest thing to a friendly welcome as he was going to get from Sam.
A/N: So please don't kill me.....please?!? :D It'll all work out..eventually!! Oh and I've never seen the NCIS: LA episode where Dom goes missing... so if some of my facts are off, I apologize ahead of time for next chapter..speaking of. A Gibb/Vance confrontation is also coming up! :D Oh, and review!! Thanks!! :D