The sunlight beaming through the only window in the cold room was what woke Ziva David the next morning. She shielded her eyes from the sun and nuzzled further into Tony's chest, and while he remained asleep, he pulled her body even closer to his. Sleep almost overcame her again as she shut her eyes, breathing in that wonderful scent of her boyfriend.
That thought caused her to smile.
Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo was her boyfriend.
As she lay there, she listened as Tony's stomach growled. She smiled up at him, and then leaned up and gave him a gentle kiss on his lips. So gentle, in fact, that he didn't even stir. She managed to slip out of his grip without waking him, dressing in silence as she left the room, closing the door behind her.
Soon after, she returned, two take out containers in a bag, filled with bacon, sausage, eggs, and toast, all items she knew that Tony loved. She smiled when he groaned in his sleep, turning over onto his back. Several ways to wake him crossed her mind, but her original thought was her favorite.
With a kiss.
She grabbed one of the containers out of the bag, holding it in one hand as she crawled on the bed, one leg on either side of Tony. She continued walking on her knees until she was right at his thighs, and she sat down, setting the container of food in the empty spot next to him. Slowly, she ran her hands up his chest and finally leaned down, pressing her lips to his. He moaned quietly and opened his eyes, immediately wrapping her arms around her, pulling her into a deeper kiss. They finally broke and Tony smiled up at her, keeping his hands on her hips.
"Good morning." He said, his groggy morning voice making Ziva smile just slightly.
"Shalom." She replied.
"Can you wake me up like that every morning? I could get used to it."
She chuckled slightly and reached for the container that was in her spot, "I have brought you breakfast."
He smiled at her, sitting up as much as he could with her sitting on his thighs (which he didn't mind). "Thank you." He said, and pulled her head to his with both hands, pressing another kiss to her lips.
She was the one that broke the kiss, backing up from him slightly, both hands on his chest, "It is going to get cold, Tony."
He sighed as she got off of him and walked over to the dresser, collecting the other container as she sat down on the bed next to him, handing him a plastic fork in the process. He leaned over and kissed her temple, "Smells delicious." He commented, and pulled the top off of the container, sticking his fork in the now slightly cold eggs.
"Yes, well, I wanted to tell you again how..." she searched for the right word, though there was really only one word that fit, "...sorry I am for not listening to you." Tony put down his fork and placed his large hand on her knee, shaking it softly.
"Ziva, it's ok." He said and then smiled, "I understand why you were so upset." He stabbed more eggs on his fork and shoved them into his mouth.
"It was...childish of me to act that way." She sighed, "And I am sorry." She repeated. Tony looked down at the remaining food in the black plastic container. It was now cold, for the air in the room was cold as well. He looked down at Ziva's hands, which were now empty, her plate sat on the floor next to the the bed. Tony did the same, the top loosely on it as he leaned over, placing one leg on either side of Ziva, just as she did that morning.
"It's o-k." He said slowly, his voice soft but reassuring. As he moved closer to her lips he muttered, "The only thing we lost is time." He used his hands to hold her head, guiding her lips to his, a grin now on his face, "And we can make up for that." She smiled as he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers, the kiss quickly heating up as he hovered over her. "Mmm," He moaned into her kiss, "I can't get enough of you." He muttered and finally parted from her lips, moving down down her neck. Ziva tilted her head as he continued south, and was just about to rip his shirt off and have her way with him, when there was a rather loud knock on the door.
"DiNozzo! It's Terri. Wake up!"
Tony stopped his kisses on Ziva and looked directly into her eyes, his eyes as big as golfballs. He looked down at his watch, "Shit!" He said in a whisper, "We have a shift!"
Ziva chuckled but stopped when Tony jumped off of her and pulled her off the bed, opening the small closet door and leading her inside. Ziva felt her mouth fall open, "What are you doing?!" She asked.
He put his finger on his lips as Terri knocked again, "I'm sorry." He said and then grinned, biting his lip, "Remind me to make it up to you later." Ziva clamped her mouth shut as he leaned in and quickly kissed her lips, closing the door in front of her. She crossed her arms under her chest.
He was going to pay for this.
Large time.
Tony hurried over to the door and opened it quickly, revealing a very pissed-looking Terri. She had her arms crossed under her chest and a very sour look on her face.
"Morning Ter." Tony said cheerfully, and she stormed into his room. Tony looked into the hallway before closing the door. He walked into his room, stuffing his hands in his sweatpants' pockets. "So uh, what brings you here this chilly morning?"
"DiNozzo, you and David have a shift."
He chuckled nervously, "Oh really? Wow. Well you see, I was actually going to talk to you about something."
"Where is David?"
Tony shrugged, "I don't know." He lied.
Terri looked at the bed, the covers and sheets wrinkled on both sides, "Rough night, DiNozzo?"
He laughed nervously, "Yeah, I tend to roll around a lot in my sleep."
"And do you also...tend...to have two breakfasts every morning?"
Tony put his hands on his stomach, rubbing slightly, "Yep. Man's gotta eat."
Terri crossed her arms, "Where is David?" She asked again. Tony gave a quick glance to the closet that Ziva was standing in, and chuckled. "She's not in her room." Terri added.
"I need to find her, because," he put one finger in the air for emphasis, "I wanted to take her with me for a visit to my Grandparents'."
Terri stared at him blankly, "Why?" She finally asked.
He chuckled nervously again, "I uh...kinda told them that I was married. Yeah, you see, they always pressured to get married by the time I was 25, but, of course, that didn't happen. So one day when Grandpa called I told him a little white lie."
"And what are we supposed to do about Corrado?"
"Yeah, I've figured that out you take my shift and Russell takes Ziva's, then we'll take yours tomorrow night."
Terri sighed, closed her eyes, and shook her head, "Fine."
Tony grinned from ear to ear, "Thanks!" Terri waved her hand as she left the room. Tony closed and locked the door behind her and bolted over to the closet, opening the door. "Hey sweetcheeks."
Ziva narrowed her eyes at him, speaking through her teeth, "I am going to kill you." She said and then grabbed his t-shirt, also grabbing a few chest hairs with it, "Slow. Painful. Death."
Tony groaned, "Ziva...chest...hair." She let him go and he breathed a heavy sigh of relief. He placed both hands on her shoulders, "There is a reason to my madness."
"Really?" Ziva asked, "Not just because you are loco?"
"Well that, and I really need to you to come with me to visit my Grandparents." Ziva furrowed her eyebrows together, "...and to be my wife." He added.
She sighed, "Fine, Tony. I will be your wife today." He grinned like a four year old who just got a toy car for his birthday, "Why did you stuff me into the closet?"
"I don't know, habit?" He said, placing his hands on her hips, "You see, when I used to have girls over all of the time, and Mom would walk in, had to put her somewhere."
Ziva rolled her eyes and he leaned down and placed a kiss on her lips, "You are so juvenile."
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
"So we're married now, sweetcheeks." Tony said, a slight smile on his face, "That means we'll need rings." He pulled her into a jewelry shop, "Just some cheap ones to convince my grandparents that we're married." Ziva nodded in agreement as they walked to the counter, greeted by a man who spoke heavy Italian to them. Tony spoke a few words in Italian, and, much to Ziva's relief, they switched to English.
"You two are getting married?" The man asked.
Tony looked at Ziva and smiled, and turned back to the man, "Well, in a sense. We just need wedding bands."
The Italian man nodded and walked to one part of the counter, pointing down through the glass, "These are our best selection."
"Yeah. These are great, but we wanted to go for something cheaper." Ziva crossed her arms and stood in one spot as Tony and the Jewelry man walked down to the 'cheaper' rings. She stared at the bands, a smile on her face as she imagined how it would be to marry Tony.
And, right now, she couldn't think of a reason that she wouldn't want to.
Tony listened to the man tell a long story about his wedding as he glanced over at Ziva, who stood in the same spot, staring down at the rings. He smiled as the man finished his story, two rings now on the counter, "So you would like these two, correct?" Tony looked at him, smiled, and shook his head.
"Nah." He walked over to Ziva and wrapped his arm around her waist, "We'll take these."
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Ziva looked down at her left hand again, where the 'fake' wedding and engagement rings sat.
But they weren't fake at all.
In the cab, Tony reached over and grabbed her hand, "You're going to stare the shiny off, sweetcheeks."
Ziva stared at him and prepared to make her argument again, "You should have not bought these, Tony." She commented.
Tony smiled, pulled her closer to himself and wrapped his arm around her, "Ah, I wanted to." He smiled, "That means that you're mine now anyway."
Ziva scoffed, "You should not have spent all that money on a fake marriage."
"All the better for my grandparents to believe." He grinned from ear to ear as the cab driver took another left turn. "Now, my grandfather's name is Giovanni DiNozzo." Ziva nodded and he continued, "And my Grandmother's name is Paola DiNozzo."
"Giovanni and Paola. Got it."
"But they'll insist that you call them Granny and Papa. They're old school."
"Old...school?" Ziva questioned.
Tony stared at her blankly, "You know, old timey?" Ziva, who was confused, stared at him even more, Tony sighed, "It means that they believe in old practices, you know. Like old traditions."
"Then why didn't you just say that?" Ziva asked.
Tony thought for a second before answering her, "Because I speak English."
"I speak English as well, Tony." She retaliated.
Tony scoffed as the cab driver pulled into Mr. & Mrs. DiNozzo's driveway. Tony paid him and walked around to Ziva, grabbing her hand and intertwining his fingers with hers. "You don't speak English. You speak..."
"Six. Other. Languages."
Tony reached over and pressed the doorbell, the chime playing a slight song inside. Tony whistled along with it and Ziva looked up at him, "So if I do not speak English, darling, what do I speak?"
"We'll have this argument later." Tony said, a slight smile on his face. Ziva rolled her eyes just as the door opened.
"Anthony!" Giovanni yelled, taking his grandson into a tight hug, which Tony returned. Ziva stood awkwardly in the doorway as Paola came and also took her boyfriend into a hug, placing a kiss on both of his cheeks. Tony stood in the middle of them, one arm around each of their shoulders, and turned to look at Ziva.
"Papa, Granny, this is my wife Ziva." He smiled proudly as they both walked over to her. Ziva held out her hand and Giovanni pushed it away as he leaned down and pressed a hard kiss to each of her cheeks.
"Welcome to the family, bello." Ziva smiled up at him as he moved out of the way so that Paola could walk up to her, also pulling her into a tight hug.
"Why are you standing out here in the cold? Get in here. I have made some lunch. You are hungry, no?" Ziva slowly walked into the house and Tony smiled at her, wrapping his arm around her waist as they followed the older couple into the kitchen. Tony leaned down and whispered into her ear as they walked, "They love you already, Mrs. DiNozzo."
Ziva smiled back up at her husband.
She actually...liked the sound of that.
Whoa, Ziva. She thought, you are getting way ahead of yourself. Stop it.
Her thoughts were interrupted when Tony pulled out her chair for her, allowing her to sit down before sitting in one of the empty ones. Paola set the hot dish of Italian food on the table, and then proceeded to serve it on each of the plates.
"I want more that that, moglie!" Giovanni said loudly, causing Tony and Ziva to chuckle. Paola pointed the metal spoon at him.
"No! You heard your doctor. You need to lower your colesterolo!"
Giovanni scoffed and rolled his eyes, "Abbassare il mio colesterolo. Che il medico non sa cosa sta parlando."
Paola put one hand on her hip and the other was being wiggled at her husband, "No, il medico ha sempre ragione. Si tratta di te, amore mio, che
sono sbagliate."
Tony laughed as he prepared to take a bite, switching back to english, "Granny is right, Papa." He struggled with the fork in his left hand, for his right hand was still wrapped up and in minor pain, "You need to stay healthy." He added.
He scoffed and rolled his eyes, "She never lets me have any fun, Anthony." As he tried to take a bite, the food fell off of his fork and onto the plate.
Paola walked over to her grandson and grabbed his right hand, "What happened, bambino?"
Tony sighed, quickly thinking of an excuse besides the real reason, wanting to kill Jason, "I uh, fell over one of Ziva's shoes, and tried to catch myself." Ziva used her eyes to look at him again, Tony grinned and turned to Ziva, "Typical of a wife, leaving her stuff everywhere." Ziva gaped and he laughed, using his finger to close her mouth, "Just kidding, sweetcheeks." Poala stroked his fractured hand softly and placed a kiss on it before returning to her seat. "Ah, it's ok Granny. Ziva's been taking very good care of me."
"Yes, Anthony! I am furious with you! Why didn't you invite us to your wedding? We are important to you, no?"
Tony chuckled nervously, "Yes, Granny, you are important. But we didn't invite anybody." Paola nodded and turned to Ziva as she took a bite.
"So tell me, bello..." Ziva smiled. She didn't know much Italian, but she knew what that meant, "...when did you two marry?"
Ziva used her eyes to look over at Tony, "We were married on August 15." She smiled contently.
"Ah so you two are still newlyweds, I see." Paola replied. Tony reached over, grabbed Ziva's hand and nodded, the grin never leaving his face. It was quiet for a few seconds when Paola spoke again, "Where did you get married, love?"
Ziva gulped and chuckled slightly, for she and Tony should've rehearsed for questions like these, "We got married in DC." She finally said.
"So tell me, Anthony," Ziva closed her eyes and let out a silent sigh of relief as the older man switched to him for questions, "How did you two meet?"
Tony was rubbing his thumb on her hand, their fingers still intertwined under the table, "She started at NCIS a few years ago." He told them, "And asked me if I was having phone sex."
Now the older people looked confused, "Were you having this...phone sex, Anthony?" Giovanni asked, a slight smile on his face.
Tony chuckled, "No! Of course not. But I had just lost my partner, and somehow, she made me feel better." He turned to her and grinned, and she returned the smile.
That wasn't a lie.
That definitely wasn't a lie.
She was snapped out of her thoughts when another question was asked, "Where are you from?" Giovanni asked.
"I am from Tel Aviv, Israel." She told them, "But the US is my home now." She added.
"When am I going to have a great grandchild, Anthony?" Poala asked next. Tony chuckled and looked at Ziva.
"Not yet, Granny. We want to wait a few years."
"Ah, well, you must come back and visit us when you do, yes?"
Tony nodded, "Of course we will." He then pushed his plate away from him, "That was delicious, Gran." He said, still holding onto Ziva's hand as he stood, "I think we're going to...take a little walk. Out by the lake."
Paola nodded and stood, taking Tony and Ziva's plates with her to the small kitchen, "Very well." She said, and waved her hand at them, "Go on."
Tony walked ahead of Ziva out of the back door. They walked down hill and Tony wrapped his arm around her waist as they started around the pond. He leaned down and whispered in her ear, "Thank you for doing this."
She looked at him and smiled, "Your grandparents are great, Tony." She said.
"Yeah, they are." Tony agreed, "But they're officially your grandparents now too, Zi. You see, once you step into their house, you don't leave. So consider yourself a part of the family."
Ziva sighed, "That will be easy, since I do not have much of a family in Israel." Tony pulled her even closer
Giovanni and Poala walked onto the back porch, sitting in the two rocking chairs and watching the couple, "Do they remind you of anyone, amore mio?" Poala asked.
Giovanni reached over and grabbed her hand, "They were just like us when we were young." He said, and reached over and planted a kiss on her cheek.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
After running errands for them, looking at young Anthony DiNozzo, and making a promise that when they had babies they were to return, Tony and Ziva walked out of the beautiful house and into the waiting cab. Tony kept her hand in his and leaned over, pressing a kiss on her lips. "Thank you, Ziva. It really meant a lot to them."
Ziva smiled and removed the rings off of her finger, "It was fun." She admitted.
Tony smiled down at the rings and looked back up at her, "Keep them."
She chuckled nervously, "Tony, no, they are yours. You should keep them."
"I want you to keep them, Ziva. As a thanks."
"There is no need to thank me, Tony. And we are not married." She reached for his hand and placed the rings in it.
He sighed and decided there was no need to argue as he pulled his wedding band off of his hand, placing all three rings in his pocket. He stared out the window and had a bright idea, "Hey, it's still early, we don't need to go back now." He then spoke some Italian to the cab driver, who turned around and went the opposite way.
Ziva was confused, "Where are we going?"
"To spend some time in La Città Eterna." Ziva nodded slowly and chuckled.
"You are going to be in trouble with Terri."
"Nah. Told her we'd be gone all day." The cab driver stopped the cab and Tony got out quickly, practically pulling Ziva along by her hand. "Ok, where to first?"
"I do not know." Ziva said, "I have been to Italy many times, but only on missions."
"Ah, well, Italy is a beautiful city, and it should be explored." He wrapped his arm around her waist as they walked down the street. "There's the Colosseum, Castel Sant'Angelo, Catacombs, Capitoline Museums..."
He was stopped when Ziva's finger was over his lips, "Wherever you want to go, Tony, is just fine with me." She said and he smiled, looking down at his watch.
"Then lets hurry and get to the Colosseum before it closes." He said and started walking faster.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
A couple of hours later, they walked out, Tony's arm never left from around Ziva's waist. The sun was setting, and the night air was becoming colder as they walked through the city when a man called, grabbing Tony's attention.
"You two are in love! Come take a ride with me."
Tony smiled and looked over at Ziva, who had her arms wrapped around herself, "No, that's ok. She's cold, I wanna get her back."
"I am fine, Tony." She said, "I would like to go on it."
He smiled at her as the man happily got on the gondola, "You sure, sweetcheeks?" Tony watched as Ziva past him and got into the boat, settling down in one of the seats. Tony sighed and sat down next to her, wrapping his arms around her. "We should come back here." Ziva looked at him, "When, of course, we're not chasing a terrorist and McGee's not watching us have sex."
Ziva chuckled, "Yes, I would like that."
Tony felt a chill run through him, "And in a decent hotel that has heat."
She raised and dropped one shoulder, "The showers are warm."
Tony couldn't help but grin from ear to ear, a chuckle escaping his lips. "Yes they are." He leaned down and pressed his lips against hers, and she suddenly was warm again. Tony broke the kiss, only because the need for air was desperate, and reached into his pocket, pulling out the ring that Ziva wore as an 'engagement' ring. "I want you to wear it." He said softly, "Not as an engagement ring, but, just a ring. From me." He took her right hand and slid it on her ring finger before she had a chance to protest. "See?"
"You two are a beautiful couple." The gondola man said, and they both looked up at him, a slight smile on their faces.
"Thank you." Ziva said, and returned the kiss that was now being placed on her lips. She wrapped her arms around him and played with the base of his hair.
And for the first time in a long time, she realized something.
She was happy.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Tony and Ziva had really lost track of time.
They had wandered through the city, and by the time they had gotten back to the hotel, it was nearly midnight.
Tony glanced at his watch on his left hand as they rounded the corner, Ziva's hands shoved into the pocket of Tony's sweatshirt, "We're so dead." Tony laughed.
She turned and glanced at him, "I thought that you told Terri that we would be gone all day."
"Yeah, I did...all day, not night."
"Then why did we go out at all?" She demanded and he turned on her, abruptly, knocking her back in her step. The cool air nipped at her skin and she suppressed a shiver that threatened to run up and down her spine.
"Because I wanted to spend time with you." He muttered under his breath, "Make up."
She paused, no expression on her face before a small, slack smile formed, "We did-" She moved towards him, "-make up, Tony."
He let his famous smile stretch on his face as he nodded, "Yeah, we did. But we won't be able to do that if we don't get back up to the FBI team."
She nodded slowly and gestured towards the hotel that was now in their view, "Let's go." She quietly said, moving them forward.
They slipped into the hotel, bid goodnight to the hotel staff, and then hurried up the stairs, making sure that they stayed quiet, in order not to awake the sleeping federal agents that were already there.
Tony fumbled with the key in his pocket, hurrying to open up the door, Ziva all but pressing up against his back, when he heard a voice from behind him, "Where the hell have you two been?"
Tony turned around so quickly, he nearly knocked Ziva over as she, too, turned around to come face to face with FBI Special Agent Jason Scott.
"We..." Ziva started, but was cut off by Tony.
"Why do you wanna know?"
"'Cause Russell and Terri took your shifts today. And I wanted to know where the hell you two were and why you weren't there. Terri told me you guys took off this morning."
"Look, Scotty, we were just-" Tony started, but Jason stopped.
"With me. Now."
"I'm not going anywhere with-" Tony started, once again, but was cut off by Ziva's elbow in his stomach.
"Give me a key, DiNozzo."
"A key?" He questioned and Jason rolled his eyes.
"To your room, idiot."
Tony groaned and shared a look with Ziva before sticking the key into the lock and turning it, opening it up, "Get in." He urged them on and they just furrowed their eyebrows together as they entered the room, "I'll be right back." He said as he closed the door in front of them.
Tony and Ziva just stared at each other, "This is extremely odd." Ziva commented as she took a seat on the bed.
"I agree." Tony sighed, running a hand through his hair, "I feel like I'm about to be interrogated." he glanced at her, "Not a good feeling."
She sat cross-legged on the bed, picking at her nails as she looked down in the darkness, "They are upset. Just like you said." She admitted as Tony placed a hand on her thigh, running it up and down it, keeping her slightly warmer.
"I'm not afraid of them. I mean...come on...Jason?" He laughed.
She shrugged, "You do not have a very strong right wrist." She pointed out.
"I doubt he's gonna fight me, Ziva."
"He would be extremely stupid to do that." she admitted.
"So maybe he will." He grinned just as the door opened.
Tony removed his hand from Ziva's thigh and let his eyes match Jason's as he, Terri, and Russell entered the room, silently closing the door behind him.
They didn't bother to turn on the light as Jason took the incentive to go 'first'. He moved towards the two, clasping his hands behind his back in a military stance, both Russell and Terri behind him, their arms crossed and glaring at the two. Jason stopped in front of them, staring down, "Now I'm gonna ask you one more time." he paused, "Where the hell did you two go?"
Tony and Ziva just looked at each other, Tony desperately trying to think of another lie before Ziva spoke up, "We went out." She finally said, confidently.
"Where?" Terri interjected, quickly.
"You know!" Tony accused and Ziva pretended to ignore him.
"To visit Tony's grandparents." She answered, politely. She figured that the easier and faster they answered the questions, the more alone time they could have together.
"What?" Jason demanded, "Are you serious? You ditched us to visit some old, Italian, raisins?"
Tony narrowed his eyes at him, "They're still my grandparents."
"Oh sorry..." Jason feigned that he was scared, "You're a 'grandparents' boy!"
Ziva locked eyes with Tony and spoke with her eyes, "So you spent your day with your grandparents?" Russell spoke up and Tony and Ziva both nodded.
"I freaking told Terri where we were going, what the hell is you guys' problem?" Tony demanded.
The three looked at each other before looking back at the two, "You're hiding something." Terri finally said, "And we've been trying to figure out what it is the entire day."
"And?" Tony prompted.
"We have no idea." Russell admitted.
"But you need to tell." Terri said, "Now. Or else you two are gonna have to go back to DC."
"Why?"
"Because we can't trust you. If you won't tell us..."
"I promise you, it is not that big of a deal." Ziva sighed, straightening up and trying not to look nervous. She didn't exactly want the FBI team to know that she and Tony were dating and already completely head over heels for each other in just a matter of hours.
Jason turned around and the three were in a small huddle, Tony taking the moment to carefully wrap an arm around her waist and run his hand up her sweatshirt, rubbing the soft skin there. She turned to look at him as he pulled her closer, her eyes becoming more prominent through the darkness.
He didn't even notice that Jason had turned around, or that Terri did, or that Russell did.
In fact, he didn't even notice that the three FBI agents were staring at them until Jason spoke, "You're freaking together."
The two jumped away as if the other was a hot plate, Ziva shoving her hands into the pocket of her sweatshirt. Ziva looked down at her lap as Jason ran a hand through his hair, turning slightly in a circle before walking behind Russell and pacing there, "Damn it." Jason muttered as Terri tried desperately to keep the smile off of her face.
"I did not know that you were going to be gone that late." She smiled and then watched as Jason started out of the room.
"Going to bed! Alone!" he shouted over his shoulder as they heard the door across the hallway slam.
Russell just rolled his eyes, "Can I go now, Ter?"
She nodded, "Sure."
"Thank goodness." Russell sighed as he left the bedroom, leaving Tony and Ziva with Terri.
She smiled at them, "Congratulations, you two."
Ziva just gave her a small smile, "Yeah, what the hell was that about?" Tony demanded, cutting in.
She sighed, "Jason doesn't like when he has competition for 'Alpha Male' status. And you're majorly cutting into his title. He thought he could find something to cut you down with, but he really just found someone that cut him." She glanced at Ziva and then back at Tony, pointedly.
"Ah." Tony grinned, "Well...that's just what I do." He boasted and Ziva rolled her eyes.
"I would like the details." Terri gestured to Ziva as Tony stood up and moved to the dresser, unbuttoning his dress shirt after pulling his sweater off over his head.
"I will tell you tomorrow when we have a shift. Do you have the night shift?"
She nodded, "Unfortunately. With Jason. Which means that I have to drag him out of bed to do it."
She smiled sadly at her, "Good luck."
"Goodnight, you two." Terri waved to them as she exited the bedroom, closing the door behind her. Tony turned on the light next to the bed as Ziva stood up, grabbing her sweatpants...actually...Tony's sweatpants that he let her borrow off of the floor. She changed quickly, exchanging the shirt underneath Tony's sweatshirt for a t-shirt and then crawled into bed.
Tony just stared at her, "Sleeping with me again, eh, sweetcheeks?" He started to crawl into bed next to her, "Can't resist me, huh?"
She just rolled her eyes as he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tightly to him so that her chest was flush against his own, "It is just warmer in here."
He laughed, "Make up all the excuses you want. You're crazy about me. And I mean, who can blame you?"
She just shook her head and buried her face deeper into his chest.
He was right.
Who could blame her?
"What the hell is that noise?" Tony muttered into Ziva's hair, his groggy voice filled with annoyance.
The loud rapping of knuckles on the door continued and Tony tightened his arms around her, "Someone is at the door." She murmured into his chest, not bothering to open her eyes.
He groaned and shifted his grip, causing Ziva to move as well. She wrapped her legs around his in an attempt to hold onto him, "You open it." He said into her hair and she shook her head against his chest.
"You get it, Tony..." She yawned.
"Ugh..." Tony groaned and then rested his head on top of Ziva's, "Go away!" he shouted as he smiled to himself, moving back to his original position, trying to fall back asleep.
"DiNozzo, David, open the door up, we've got an emergency." Terri's voice came through the door and Tony groaned.
"What?" Tony shouted and Ziva let out the largest, most annoyed groan of them all as she shimmied out of Tony's grip and out of the bed, her feet hitting the cold floor underneath her. She crossed the floor and opened the door, rubbing her eyes, "What?" She repeated.
"Corrado received a late night visitor. Jason's following him, but they're got a disturbance."
Tony had stood up and joined the two women at the door, stifling a yawn, "What kind of disturbance besides something passing through his intestines?"
Ziva rolled her eyes as Terri continued, "Corrado might be onto him."
Tony's eyes got wide as he shared a look with Ziva and then glanced back at Terri, "That means he knows that two of us are feds. He's gonna make the connection with the rest of us."
She nodded, "I know. It is only a matter of time."
"Well what are we supposed to do?" Tony questioned and Terri sighed.
"The only thing we can do." She admitted, "Sit around and wait for something to happen."
"Does he have any backup?" Ziva questioned and Terri shook her head.
"No, Jace insisted that he do it himself."
Tony groaned, "Idiot." He took Ziva's hand carefully in his, "Come on, Zi, let's grab our guns and let's go after him."
"He might have a gun." Terri warned, "He is meeting someone."
"We're trained federal agents, Terri, just like you," Tony pointed out, "We shouldn't be afraid if someone has a gun or not. Jason might be a complete ass, but I would hate to go home with a dead body in the backseat of the airplane, okay? That isn't Corrado's." He emphasized.
His hand still in Ziva's, they started quickly down the hallway, Ziva grabbing the keys to the car off of the dresser.
Just in case.
"Okay, we've got a visual." Tony confirmed, lagging behind Jason as much as he could. Jason pretended to be talking on the phone as he followed Corrado through the nearly empty streets of Rome. At least, in the section they were in.
At around three in the morning.
With the rain falling down, steadily, heavily. Tony and Ziva had to squint through the rain in order to see Jason and Corrado.
The only other people out were drunk ones that stumbled out of buildings, couples from night clubs, and just...couples.
Tony and Ziva fit in perfectly.
Jason on the other hand...didn't.
At all.
They watched as Corrado started down another street, Jason following him down the side road. Tony and Ziva hurried to catch up, moving at the same speed and pace as they slowed near the entrance, back to a normal walk. Using her peripheral vision, Ziva glanced down the road.
"I know you're following me." Corrado suddenly said, and Tony and Ziva stopped, Tony pulling Ziva back behind the wall.
Jason paused, "What are you talking about?" He chuckled, "I wanna visit my friend, and this is where he lives. I am sorry that you are going the same direction I am."
"Liar." Corrado snarled, "You're a cop."
"A cop?" Jason laughed, "I'm definitely not a cop."
A federal agent?
Yes.
Cop?
No.
"Yes you are. Now..." Corrado reached into his jacket, "I suggest that you back away." Jason came face to face with a gun and it was only then that he realized just how much he needed backup. He didn't even have a gun on him.
Stupid move on his part.
Trying to be too much of an alpha male, he guessed. Take the responsibility.
Impress Terri.
Before he knew it, a shot was fired and he ducked to the ground on instinct, even though his mind wasn't thinking at the moment.
Tony barely had a chance to stop Ziva as she slipped from his side, a gun suddenly in her hands as she rounded the corner, running as fast as she could possibly move.
He didn't have time to react, much less think about stopping her.
"ZIVA!" Tony shouted as he rounded the corner, the numbness finally gone from his feet. Jason was pulling himself off of the ground, dusting himself off as Tony looked around, "Where the hell is Ziva?" He demanded as he yanked Jason up by the arm.
"How am I supposed to know?" He demanded, the rain dripping down his face. He wiped it away with the back of his hand.
"Damn it." He muttered as Tony heard a couple of shots being fired. His heart rate kicked into overdrive as he shot like a bullet down the alley, picking up the pace as he did so, his feet sloshing and slapping against the puddles on the ground that were forming quickly.
He rounded another building, reaching the main road nearly instantly. He looked both ways before he heard the sound of tires squealing on the pavement, the black sedan racing down the street. It ran over a curb as it pulled out of a building. Heading in that direction, he ran solely on adrenaline running through his veins before he stopped, another car joining the sedan on the road.
This one he recognized, all over.
One, it was the car they had rented.
Two, it was Ziva's driving.
Definitely.
"SHIT!" Tony shouted into the rain, "ZIVA!" He heard footsteps behind him as Jason finally caught up to him, "I need the keys to the other car." Tony demanded, and when Jason didn't respond immediately, Tony raised his voice, "NOW!"
"They're inside! With Terri! What, your girlfriend go after Corrado?" He tried to joke.
"By herself, without any adequate backup, yes, she did, DAMN IT!" He broke into an all out sprint back to the hotel, Jason following him, "I can't even imagine what Gibbs is gonna think." Tony muttered under his breath as he entered the hotel.
He was dead.
And so was Ziva.
If Corrado didn't get to her first.
Tony entered the watch room as quickly as possible, shutting the door behind him, "Where are the keys?" Tony demanded, causing Terri to jump slightly.
"What?"
"Where!" he shouted again, "Are. The. KEYS?"
"To the car?"
"No." Tony sarcastically spat, "To the Pope's safe, no of COURSE to the car!"
She dug into her pocket and pulled them out, chucking them at him, "Why?"
She, however, didn't receive a response as she watched Tony run out of the watch room, leaving behind a trail of rain as he ran.
Tony couldn't have started the car fast enough.
He had to put the windshield wipers on the highest setting, and he hadn't even started going anywhere yet.
Everyone who had half a brain in Italy knew that it was stupid to go out onto the road when it was this wet.
He glanced down at his watch and determined the time.
It had been about five to ten minutes since Ziva had taken off after what he presumed to be Corrado. That would be the only truly logical guess in the entire situation.
Knowing her driving on streets such as this, ones that were similar to the ones that she learned how to drive on, she could possibly be on the other side of the city by this point.
Sighing, he sped out of the space the car was parked in, nearly skidding into something by the lack of friction underneath the tires. Naturally, he slammed onto the brakes, but then realized that it was just the pavement, so he, again, jolted down the street.
It was dark outside, and one thing went through his mind: how in the world was he going to be able to find Ziva?
The car, which was a smaller, compact car that was slightly larger than her Mini, carried Ziva David down the road, after she had literally flown over a speed bump.
And ran two stop lights.
As much as she wanted to stay there, in Italy, with Tony, she would have much rather be back home in DC with heat and the ability to be...alone.
Ziva David was determined to catch Corrado, stop him in his tracks, interrogate him until she was able to get the answer she wanted, and needed, to go home.
Home.
Oh, she missed it.
Truly, she did.
Deciding that she needed to keep her mind solely on Corrado and not on home, she sped through the rain, the black car just barely staying in her eye sight. She pushed down the accelerator, even though it was going as fast as it could possibly go.
Damn sports car...
Corrado had a nice car, Ziva had to admit that.
It could definitely go faster than the normal, rental engine she had in the car she was driving at the moment. Even with the windshield wipers going as fast as they could, the road was still blurry for her, the rain hitting the windshield at a great amount of velocity.
What she was going to do when she finally caught up to him, she didn't honestly know.
Probably ram him in the back and then take him at gun point.
Demand to know why he was here.
Demand to know where his terrorist cell was set up.
Demand to know why she wasn't back home.
Catching up to Corrado, she smiled to herself, trying to desperately for the car to go faster and slam into the rear end of him. She pushed down on the accelerator, but the car revved back angry words to her instead.
She gritted her teeth together and tightened her grip on the steering wheel.
Because it was raining, the roads were poor, and she barely had time to register the fact that Corrado had just turned down another road.
Panicking and acting on instinct, she turned the car abruptly to the left, and everything happened too fast after that.
She didn't see the guard rail that was set up on the side of the road, much less determine that there was way too much water on the road for her to efficiently and effectively, and safely take a turn like that.
She heard the painful screech of tires on the road before the crumpling sound of metal against the guard posts, sparks flying up through the rain as the car was 'thrown' back onto the road. Due to the momentum, the car landed on its side before rolling once, the passenger side of the car flush against the ground, the wheels of the car still slightly turning as water dripped through the broken glass.
In the back seat of the car, Ziva David lay slump over, wedged between the passenger seat and the backseat, a long cut running down her face as she slowly lost consciousness.
Tony DiNozzo officially hated rain.
He could barely see a thing as he tried to navigate through the streets.
He had already called Ziva's phone too many times to count, but she hadn't bothered to pick it up.
Tony had already suspected this, however, since she was in, what he called in, 'case mode'.
It was simple for her to get into that mind set, but it was nearly impossible for her to get out of it. It sometimes took her even days, much less hours.
The streets were desolate, not a soul in sight.
Tony couldn't really blame them though.
I mean, it was pouring.
Tony hadn't witnessed this type of rain since last April in DC. He remembered that day clearly; he had to chase a man that had committed a serial killing through the woods. McGee had fallen in a pile of mud. Oh, how he got the teasing about that one.
Tony had finally stopped after Ziva had pleaded for him to.
And he ran out of jokes.
Or nicknames.
Drumming his fingers on the steering wheel, he turned down another street, realizing that it was a dead end. Cursing to himself, backed the car up and turned it around.
"Where the hell'd you go, Ziva?" He muttered to himself as he drove off.
Driving down another road, this time turning right instead of left like he had before, he found nothing. Again.
Tony was getting slightly annoyed with himself, and he needed to reach Ziva. He grabbed his cell and opened it up, holding his finger over the number two speed dial. He sighed, realizing that it was probably a stupid idea, and threw the phone down onto the passenger's seat.
After about another ten minutes of agonizing driving, Tony had nearly given up.
That was, until something caught his eye as he drove past an entrance to another street, that led away from the city. Tony slammed the brakes of the car, causing water to rush up and onto the windshield.
Switching the car into reverse, he backed up quickly, the tires almost skidding as he slammed to a stop.
Squinting through the rain that was running down the windows, he was able to determine that...
He stopped, his heart skipping a beat.
He shoved the gear shift back into drive as he moved the car towards the one that was on its side, looking horribly beat up, as if there had been a serious accident.
As he got closer to the car, he slammed on the brakes.
The car stopped.
His heart stopped.
He only had one thing to say, "ZIVA!"
He suddenly heard nothing...the rain wasn't pounding in his ears anymore.
Jumping out of the car, that was the only way to explain his movement, Tony hurried towards the car, ignoring the rain that was soaking him. He first checked around to the driver's side door, since that was the side of the car that was right side up.
All but peeling the door off of the car, he realized one thing; no driver.
Tony was worried.
This was definitely Ziva's car.
He sighed and, through the darkness of the night, or, at this point, early morning, and the rain that was dripping down, he barely could recognize the foot that was in what looked to be a painful position, for it was shoved between the arm rest and the actual seat itself, "Ziva?" He questioned through the rain that vibrated off of the metal of the car.
He didn't receive a response, and he shoved his torso into the car, trying to see that she was actually there.
In one piece.
"Ziva?" he questioned again, trying to remain clam.
He received a groan in response, and Tony felt some of the chains that hadd been on his heart release, but he wondered about her physical condition. Grabbing onto the bottom of the steering wheel, or, at least, that's what he thought it was, Tony pushed himself into the car, placing one foot on the driver's side seat and the other on the passenger's side seat.
He put his head between the two seats, staring at the woman who laid there, helpless. Her eyes were closed, but they opened when she felt his eyes on hers, turning her head slightly to the side, "Tony?" She questioned, groggily, a rushing sensation running through her head. She placed a hand on her forehead, feeling the hot, stciky substance that was her blood there.
"Ziva..." He let out, almost in a sigh of relief.
Her entire body felt like...well...to be honest...crap. She could barely feel most parts of her body, but she was never going to admit that to Tony. The world started to spin and her vision became blurry for a second or two bfore returning back to its normal vision.
"Can I get back there?" Tony questioned and Ziva just nodded her head, but she knew that Tony didn't need her permission. And he probably didn't even see her nod in the first place, for she barely recognized her own self doing it.
He supported hismelf and positioned himself right over Ziva, staring down at her through the darkness. He grabbed her arms and wrapped them around his neck, pulling her up as much as he could.
"You okay?" He questioned, "Anything broken?"
She shook her head as Tony meandured through the small space between the back seat and the front seat. He tugged on Ziva's body, as if he was forcing her out and through the hole, "Okay, I'm gonna have to let go of you for a moment." He informed her.
She responded with a nod.
Letting go of her, she leaned up against the seat, trying her best to keep her balance. Tony shifted through the open driver's side door before reaching down and grabbing Ziva's hands, "Come on, let's go." He whispered and she didn't respond. All she did was nod.
He let out a huff as he pulled her up out of the car, the rain hitting her, washing away the oozing cut on her face as well as the obvious bruises that were threatening to form on her arms and legs. He barely let her stand on the ground before he wrapped his arms tightly around her, picking her up and spinning her around in a circle. He pressed multiple kisses up against the side of her face, "God, you scared me so much." He whispered, wrapped his arms, if possible, tighter around her, "So very much. When I opened the door..." He whispered into her ear, "And you weren't there..." All she did to respond was to wrap her arms tighter around him.
Keeping her suspended in the air, he stared deep into her eyes, pulling her back so he could look at her, "I am fine." She mumbled, her words slurring.
Tony didn't seem to notice, however, because he was mainly just happy she was actually alive, "Never do that to me again, what were you thinking?"
"What?" She questioned, unsure of what he said.
"What were you thinking?" he repeated, his voice softer yet stronger this time.
"I was thinking how much I enjoy being alive." She smiled, "And that I almost lost everything in a matter of seconds because of a stupid mistake." She finally managed to say.
"I'm just happy you're alive." He grinned, "Oh, I thought I lost you..."
"But you did not." She confirmed.
"I did not." he nodded, pecking her gently on the lips, "I did not..."
Even through the confusion, Ziva assessed her surroundings and the situation she was currently in. She was in Tony's arms, and it was obviously that her car accident had upset him. Deeply. It was pouring rain outside, and she rembered one thing...the way that Tony thinks is the most romantic way to kiss.
Smiling, slightly, groggily, she placed one hand on each side of his face and then pressed her lips up against his, tugging gently as to gain access to his mouth. She felt his lips turn up in a smile underneath her own as he ran his tongue over the bottom of her lip, begging for the entrance that she was willingly going to give to him. Tony ran his hand up her back, in an attempt to keep her body against his. He leaned back slightly, again, in an attempt to keep her body against his.
The water from the rain dripped down his and Ziva's faces, Tony tasting Ziva's toothpaste as well as rain water. The two, unwillingly, broke because of their desperate need for air, and they rested their foreheads against each others, the rain pouring down their faces, both of their hair completely wet, the clothes sticking to their bodies.
They smiled at each other before Tony finally let Ziva down onto the ground, kissing her once more before pulling her closely to himself.
He looked at the car that was in ruins next to them and then looked at Ziva, "Well hey...you found a new enemy today." He smiled, kissing the crown of her head, "The rental car company."