Title: Illuminated
Author: IronIsraeliButterfly
Chapter Title: Beauty of a Night
A/N: Thank you Zivacentric for defining what a "plot bunny" is for me… now could someone explain what AU is? Hope you like the next (small) instalment of "Illuminated." Again, this story is completely written in Hebrew and then translated, so there are places where the translation gets a bit sticky. I am also working on my contractions, so if there's such a thing as FanFiction points, I get one for every contraction.
"Oh this is the night,
It's a beautiful night
And we call it bella notte.
Look at the skies,
They have stars in their eyes
On this lovely bella notte.
Side by side with your loved one
You'll find enchantment here.
The night will weave its magic spell
When the one you love is near"
-"Bella Notte"
"Gibbs?" Ziva asked, looking up from her computer. It was the day after her big realization, and she felt that she was treading on unsteady ground.
"Hm?" he asked, not looking up from the newspaper.
"Abby wrote me an e-mail to remind you that today is Ducky's birthday and that she made reservations at Primavera at seven-thirty." Ziva looked at him, wondering what he would say. "She wants to know if you —"
"Yeah, I'm coming, Dah-veed," he said, tense because he was trying not to slip up and make a mistake. He looked at her, her lips pursed in concentration as she typed her response to Abby. Did Ziva know, he asked himself? He had decided late last night he would not make any move because it could result in disaster. She could be with anyone she wanted – she was the most beautiful woman he had ever met, and one of the most inspiring. Her beauty was evident — when she walked across the street, cars honked, and not all of them men. Yet Ziva had managed to stay single for so many years… or so he thought. He also didn't know if she was dating anyone, so that was another crease that needed to be ironed out.
"Abby just sent me another e-mail asking if you will let us out early so we can take showers and change," Ziva read from her computer.
"If there's no case," Gibbs answered, trying not to look at his attractive female co-worker. He feared that if he looked at her too much, he wouldn't be able to stand it anymore and then the dam would break. Hence, he decided to guard his eyes from… straying.
When five-thirty neared, there were no cases that had come in to the tip-line. Gibbs shooed them away. Ziva stood up, and looked at Gibbs, wanting to say something, but then shook her head and exited towards to the lift, and he watched her dark hair dancing behind her and then her face, buried in her phone, as the doors to the lift closed.
When Gibbs walked into the restaurant, he scanned the upscale eatery for the group that was close to his heart. The maître d'hôtel looked at the man in the expensive suit (dug up from the back of his closet and hastily ironed) and a poorly wrapped gift, with a lopsided ribbon attached. "Name?" the maître d'hôtel asked curtly.
"Jethro Gibbs for the Mallard party," he said, trying to be as proper as possible.
The suit led him to a table on the waterfront, facing the Washington monument. There was Ducky, looking dapper as ever, with a tie and a nice suit, Abby wearing her Marilyn Monroe dress that had shocked the team several Halloweens ago, Palmer, Tony and McGee both wearing suits (McGee's decidedly nicest, and much more expensive), and then… Ziva. His heart dropped when he saw her. She was wearing a simple plum halter-top dress, her hair blown dry and pinned to one side, and a dollop of makeup, sipping a glass of white wine. She was clearly the most beautiful woman there, and was attracting a lot of attention, which she was blissfully unaware of. He watched her from afar, her throwing back her head and laughing. There was a beautifully wrapped gift underneath her chair, which made him look disdainfully as his gift, wrapped in garish greens and blues. He was mesmerized by her beauty and entranced by her laugh. Slowly, he bided himself to approach the table, and had to force himself from not placing a kiss against her beautiful forehead. Of course the only place that was left for him was the spot between Abby and Ziva, and Tony was next to Ziva, so Gibbs couldn't even slap him when he felt nervous or on-edge.
She didn't seem to pay much attention to him, except when he said something, which was rare. However, he could not stop looking at the beautiful woman at his right. Even when she ate, he was entranced. He just wanted to scoop her up in his arms and never let her go. Even what she said as fascinating, sophisticated, brilliant. He found out that she often attended the opera or art museums with Ducky, suffered Abby's concerts and went to the spa with her, and spent most weekends with McGee.
When the chocolate gâ·teaux, reached the table, Ziva pulled out the gift from underneath her chair. "This is from Tim and I," she said, handing the parcel to Ducky. Gibbs heart sank.
He read the card silently, and then broke out into a smile, which was the exact opposite of Gibbs' mood. She was dating McGee? Why was she with McGee?
"No, we are not together," Ziva said, looking at Tony, with a glare, unaware that she was reassuring Gibbs's bruised ego. Ducky opened the gift carefully, revealing a beautiful, leather-bound book from the Smithsonian. He seemed incredulous that Ziva and McGee had spent so much money on him.
Slowly, dinner wrapped up, and Gibbs still felt that his heart was in his throat. Gone was his resolve to keep silent; the resolve had lasted for less than a mere day. Ziva gave Ducky a peck on the cheek, wished him happy birthday, and exited, saying how she wondered she would wake up in time for work. Gibbs watched the figure of the woman leave the restaurant, her black stilettos click-clacking a pattern across the parquet floor.
When Gibbs left the restaurant several minutes later, he was surprised to see Ziva standing next to her Mini Cooper, waiting impatiently. "Oh, hello, Gibbs," she said breezily, waving him over. "Someone slashed through my tires and I called triple-A. They told me they'll be here in fifteen minutes."
"I'll wait with you," Gibbs muttered.
"Oh, no, its fine."
"I… I want to wait with you," Gibbs said, looking at the younger woman, surprise registered across her beautiful face, as if a master craftsmen had fashioned it from the finest marble.
"Thanks," Ziva said, a smile breaking out across her face. "I appreciate it."
"Anything for you," he said, watching her shivering shoulders. He pulled his suit jacket off and slung it around her shoulders. She turned her face to him, and murmured her gratitude.
"Let's wait inside my car," Gibbs said, tugging her hand. She looked at him oddly, and he hastily retrieved his hand.
"No… it's okay, Jethro," she said, following him to his car, which was parked right across from hers. "I wanted to talk to you anyway."
His heart started a mini-marching band. What would Ziva want to tell him? Could it possibly be what he was aching to tell her, the realization he had only come to the previous night? He looked up at the sky, a wide expanse of black velvet with tiny rhinestones as stars bedazzling the sky.
"Me first." he said, so nervous, nearly about to start wringing his hands.
Ziva looked at him expectantly, and since he had no speech prepared, it took him several seconds to gather his thoughts. "Yesterday, I was working on my boat, and I… I was thinking. I was thinking about you. I realized that my life… isn't complete without you. I know you probably don't feel that way about me… being twenty-years older than you, and… but I wanted to tell you I want to be with you."
Ziva turned her face up to him with a slight smile. "Who says I don't feel the same way?" he looked at her, wondering if she had really said that. She brought herself closer to him, and his left arm made his way around his waist, his right hand to cup her face, and before he captured his lips with hers, he whispered, "are you sure?"
"Yes," she whispered back, kissing him, and he returned it, deepening the kiss.
When the triple-A guy came about ten minutes later, all he saw was a red Mini-Cooper sagging in the front, an older man snogging a beautiful woman in a purple dress wearing the older man's suit jacket, and the beautiful sky reflecting off of them.
"Oh this is the night
And the heavens are right
On this lovely bella notte
Oh this is the night
It's a beautiful night
And they call it bella notte
Look at the skies
They have stars in their eyes
On this lovely bella notte
Side by side with your loved one
You'll find enchantment here
The night will weave its magic spell
When the one you love is near."