This one came out WAY longer than I anticipated, but I just couldn't find a better place to break it. Enjoy! -Red
Looking at all or nothing, babe, its you and I
With you, I know that I'm good for something lets go give it a try
We've got our backs against the ocean its just us against the world
Looking at all or nothing, babe, its you and I
This is it, nothing to hide, one more kiss, never say goodbye
This is it, baby you're all mine
All or Nothing, Theory of a Deadman
CHAPTER THREE: All or Nothing
Thankfully her body's alarm had not gone off at its accustomed 5 am hour, instead allowing her to sleep until sinfully late (for her). Opening her eyes, Ziva was surprised to find that she and Tony had moved closer to each other during the night. They weren't actually touching, but their faces were mere inches apart, his warm breath was caressing her cheek as he continued to sleep.
She allowed herself a moment to look at him. Had it been 5 years already since they had met after Kate's death? So much had happened between them in that time. Had it been just last year that she had doubted his motives toward her, doubted him so much that she requested not to work with him anymore?
Yeah, how well did that work out, her mind asked as her hand covered her abdomen, above where the worst of the scars crossed her body; her back, stomach and upper thighs had taken the worst beatings. The physical scars were mostly faded and gone, but the emotional ones would take more time.
She allowed one hand to drift over his cheek, not quite touching the stubble that had started.
"Mi salvador," she muttered and got out of bed quietly, grabbing her suitcase and heading into the bathroom. Riding in the back of a C130 wasn't exactly clean and she had been too tired to shower the night before. Closing the door, she regarded the ridiculously huge shower for two, and for just an instant a wholly inappropriate thought regarding her partner, herself and that shower took hold. Shaking her head she stripped down, turned on the faucet and stepped into the steaming water.
Spanish had never been his strongest foreign language, but he knew that Ziva had just called him her savior; he wasn't sure how he felt about that. The rescue part of their mission was wholly unplanned; they had been on a mission of revenge. Stretching slowly on the comfortable bed Tony looked at the clock…9 am, a late hour for him to be rising, even after a late night.
Glancing over his shoulder into the bathroom he could see his partner moving in the shower – he really should let her know about the lack of real privacy in the bathroom…
A cell phone ringing broke his concentration and he quickly realized it was his. After a fuzzy moment he realized he had left the phone on one of the couches as they came in last night. Moving swiftly he scampered over to the living area and snatched up the phone without looking at the ID.
"DiNozzo."
"Tony…" Gibbs' voice was tired, distraught even.
"Boss…how's Jackson?" He asked, rubbing sleep from his eyes.
The long pause before the answer told the younger man all he needed to know. "Not good, Tony. She nicked some arteries; he is in surgery again this morning."
Now he ran a hand through his spiky hair, unsure what to say. "I'm sorry, Boss."
Again, silence before a response. "Thanks, Tony. Vance told me where you are. Listen to me DiNozzo, you do exactly what the director told you to do, nothing more. Stay the hell off this woman's radar. She has caused enough damage; I don't want anything happening to you or Ziva."
Tony chuckled slightly. "You might want to tell that to Ziva, she had her assassin face on—"
"I'm tellin' you DiNozzo: follow orders. And watch each other's back."
"Yes, boss."
Another long pause, enough that Tony was starting a 'goodbye' when the other man spoke again. "Rule fifty one, Tony."
Tony searched his mental Gibbs file of rules, but was at a loss. "Fifty one? Boss?"
"Sometimes you're wrong."
"Huh?" he questioned, was he seriously saying...?
"Life is too short, Tony…to let things linger."
Apparently he was.
Immediately Tony started rambling. "Nothing is going on Boss. Between me and Ziva that is. Not that anything would now, she my partner…Rule twelve…"
"Tony!" Gibbs sharp voice cut him off, while his two agents were not technically dating, they were about as close as two people could be without committing to each other. Rule Twelve was just a formality, the reason it existed had already passed these two by; their working relationship could fare no worse. "Rule fifty one and I don't want to know. That's all I'm gonna say."
"Got it boss." Now he paused. "Want to talk to Ziva? She might take the 'leave her alone' command better from you."
A small chuckle came across the line. "No, I think I'll let you handle it."
"Okay. Let us know how he is doing."
"I will," he said and the call ended.
Tony closed his phone and said a "bye" into air.
As he snapped the phone shut Ziva appeared from the bathroom, looking appropriately touristy in white cotton pants and a turquoise tank top, her still damp hair loose and curly. For a moment he froze. Their boss had given him permission to break Rule Twelve, the last mental barrier they had against the feelings for each other. Tony felt lost, his mind swirling with possibilities and a little bit of abject terror.
"Who was that?" she asked as she dried her hair with a towel.
"Oh, uh, Gibbs."
She looked at him surprised. "And? How is Jackson?"
"He was in surgery again, it doesn't look good."
Something dark and dangerous flitted across her face before she spoke. "What else did he say?"
Now he moved toward the bathroom, picking up his bag as he went. "Tell you later." If she responded he didn't hear her.
They quickly ate breakfast at the resort before taking the car for a ride. The Reynosa compound was deep into the desert and heavily guarded. They were forced to drive in what Tony deemed was endless circles for thirty minutes before finding a location that would allow them to watch the comings and goings of their target and stay hidden and somewhat out of the Mexican heat. It was June after all; hitting temperatures in the low 100s was not unheard of. Their perch was a large bluff that loomed over the compound, far enough away they wouldn't be spotted if they were careful, with trees dotting the landscape, allowing for more protection and shade.
After settling in, Ziva laid flat on her stomach on a towel she had snagged from the hotel and used binoculars, a pen and paper to record what she saw. Security movements, shift swaps, any pattern at all to Reynosa's actions, even sketching the house. The property was much larger then she anticipated: one large main house with expansive gardens and an in-ground pool, plus several smaller out buildings, the two largest of those looked like horse barns.
Tony sat up against a tree next to her, using his binoculars to do the same. They would compare notes later. As the hours wore on he became bored with the lack of action—Paloma seemed to enjoy spending the days by her pool with a drink—and his focus turned to his partner. She had barely moved in three hours except to drink water.
He wasn't sure how she did it to be honest. He knew she hated stakeouts; they were the most boring of all the investigative necessities.
"So…about the cowboy…" he started.
He had observed one man coming and going frequently, dressed in expensive cowboy boots and hat.
"I have noticed him also. He appears to be her runner," she stated without turning to him. "I think we should follow him tomorrow."
A grunt of agreement came from him and another two hours passed in silence.
"Okay, I think we can say we got enough intel for today. Can we go back now? I swear I don't know how you can lay like that for hours; my back is protesting already."
Now she turned to him slowly, a smirk on her face. "Yoga, Tony, you should try it. Strengthen those muscles."
Tony stretched and smiled back. "Are you offering to teach me?"
Sitting up she leaned into him, dangerously close. "Maybe if you behave."
The Tony DiNozzo seductive smile came out. "Oh, I can behave if I need to."
"Yes…" she drew out before continuing. "We can go."
Quickly they packed up their things and returned to the resort, each sticky from sweating in the Mexican sun, and hungry. Tony quickly showered first as Ziva emailed Vance their report for the day and intentions for tomorrow.
Looking at her watch Ziva snorted, he had been in there 30 minutes already. She knew women who did not take that long — herself included.
"Tony!" she yelled from the other side of the opaque door. "Will you hurry up? I am hungry enough to eat a cow."
"Horse," his voice came through the door.
"What?"
"The term is hungry enough to eat a horse…"
"Why would I eat a horse? Meat comes from cows, yes?"
Suddenly the door opened and Tony stared at her. "Technically yes, but the point is…you know, nevermind. All yours." With that he waved his hand into the bathroom but did not move much from the doorway.
She eyed him but slid by in the small space, their bodies just touching. As she stepped past him, he gently grabbed her upper arm, leaning into her.
"Next time we could save time and resources and just share the shower."
Pursing her lips she moved closer still, putting their faces inches apart. "In your dreams." With that she fully stepped into the bathroom and closed the door behind her, forcing him into the bedroom.
"Oh, you have no idea," he whispered to himself.
After a minor disagreement they finally decided on the Italian restaurant by the beach for dinner. Both had dressed casually; he, khaki shorts and a blue polo; she, khakis and a flowing tunic.
As they waited for their meals, silence reigned as they looked out the windows at the ocean.
"Beautiful resort so far, huh?" Tony finally said and took a drink of his beer. He had decided that one drink would be fine, to keep up appearance—and because he really needed one. She had done the same; a glass of red wine sat in front of her, untouched though.
She turned to him. "Yes, it is."
"To bad we're working."
For a moment Ziva stared at him, unsure what the implication was but before she could answer the waiter returned with their dinners.
The meal was eaten in mostly silence, only the occasional "this is really good" coming from Tony. In no time both had finished and Tony gave the beach another glance. The sun had all but gone down, but the resort had "nightly entertainment" that kept the beach lively until well into the night.
Downing the last of the beer Tony tilted his head to the water. "Walk? I could sure use one after that meal."
She smiled. "Sure."
Walking out of the restaurant and onto the beach, Tony started guiding them toward the people and noise.
"No," she said quietly and led them in the other direction, toward the waters edge. As they approached she removed her sandals and held them in one hand and stepped into the ocean, just allowing the water to lap at her ankles. Shrugging, he followed suit and stood next to her in the water.
Without a word he slipped his free hand into hers, gently holding her hand; instead of pulling away as he expected her to instead she looked at him and smiled before turning back to look out onto the expanse of water.
Eventually he tugged her hand gently and they continued walking in the surf away from the people. They strolled in silence for several minutes before coming to a pier that jutted out into the ocean. Walking out onto the wood, they continued to the end, sitting on the edge, allowing their feet to dangle down toward the water. Tony sat right next to her, their shoulders just touching as they sat quietly for a while.
"I meant to tell you, Damon called me last week…"
"Werth?" Tony practically spat out.
She rolled her eyes, but continued. "Yes, do you know another? One of your contacts was able to come through for him and get him a job; he is staying with his friend's family to help them out. Thank you." The words were heartfelt, Tony could sense it.
"You're welcome; glad to help."
"No, you were not…" Her tone was lighter then the words. "You just wanted Damon not to return to DC, yes?"
He said nothing.
"It was obvious, Tony, that you wanted him to leave so we would no longer have contact with each other."
Now he flinched and gave a denial a lame attempt. "I didn't want that."
She laughed. "Yes, you did. Jealousy, Tony, does not look good on you."
"Okay, fine. So what if I didn't want him around? Didn't like the guy."
"You did not know him!"
"And you did?"
She shrugged. "I think so."
Now he was intrigued. "How well?"
Leaning into him, she whispered. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
Jealously flared and tainted his words. "Yeah, I would."
For some reason she felt compelled to answer. She didn't want Damon Werth hanging over their relationship forever. "I did not sleep with him."
Tony looked visibly relieved but said nothing. It was really none of his business what she had done with Damon, but for some reason it bothered Tony to the core wondering if she had had sex with the ex-marine. Instantly he realized the hypocrisy in his thinking; Tony continued to hit on women—though notably less then he used to—and had several one night stands since she returned, but expected her not to do the same. Man, he was an ass sometimes. The woman sitting next to him was what he wanted, what he had wanted for longer than he could remember anymore, and yet he continued to pursue others in some ridiculous attempt to—what? Fill a void he knew perfectly well only his partner could? But until those magic words came from Gibbs lips, he had fought it with all his might. Their working relationship was important to him—she was the best partner he'd had—but a relationship of a more personal nature could lead to so much more.
Before he could think too hard about it, Tony looked at her—she was looking at the stars—and called her name softly. Once she had turned to him he placed on hand at the back of her neck and pulled her to him, completing the kiss they had started in the bathroom the day before.
As his lips touched hers, a spark ignited between them, his hand moved through her curls, hers gripping onto the lapel of his Hawaiian shirt.
Finally she pulled away breathless. "Tony, we cannot do this…"
"Rule 51," he mumbled into her neck as his lips trailed down the sensitive skin.
Now she pushed him away from her. "What?"
"Rule 51: sometimes you're wrong."
She looked confused. "You are making that up."
"No, I'm not," he protested but she continued to glare at him. "I swear, I'm not. That's what Gibbs said on the phone earlier."
It was her turn to look shocked. "He is giving us permission…?"
"Yep," he answered and moved toward her again, capturing her lips, this time more persistent.
Despite her body screaming to let him touch her, she moved away; mental barriers still existed for her when it came to being intimate with someone. An unseen scar of her time in the desert. She could not admit it that now though. "Still, we are on a mission Tony, we cannot afford to become…distracted."
He moaned loudly in displeasure and acceptance of her words. Were they ever going to find the right moment? He was beginning to doubt it. "I think the universe hates us."
She smiled slightly and leaned into him, placing her head on his shoulder. "The universe does not hate us, Tony. I think we just need to be more patient. Our time will come."
It better. He thought.
Tbc…
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