Thanks for all the responses! I incorporated a little more dialogue into this chapter, so consequently it's a bit longer.
Enjoy :o)
jae
Eight
On the eighth day, she learns again how to tango with one Very Special Agent.
She begins the new day determined to keep her spirit up, despite the revelations of the previous evening.
Waking up, she performs the same mental assessment she's conducted every morning since the lapse in her memories. And like every morning prior, she's despondent once she quickly concludes she's still drawing a blank.
She sighs, exasperated, and throws one of their down pillows over her head in momentary defeat. That's when she realizes that there is something different this particular morning. Removing the pillow veiling her vision, she catalogs her surroundings and realizes she's alone; no Tony, and no little night time visitor. Accustomed to being the first one awake since she had returned home, this throws her off a little.
She did not have to wait long, however, until their lack of attendance was explained. The sound of small feet paddling across hardwood preceded the arrival of Piper. The sound of feet on floor halt, and Ziva waited as her little head appeared as she cracked the bedroom door open wider. Ziva gave her a little wave, and Piper, encouraged by the wave and the fact her mother had awoken, smiled and entered the room, coming to a stop at her mother's side of the bed.
"Boker tov!" she exclaimed brightly, arms bent and hands curled around the straps of a small backpack. Ziva took in her appearance, noticing she was already groomed and ready for the day, as well as donning shoes.
"Boker tov, tatehleh," Ziva returned smiling, reaching a hand out to play with the half-formed curls of her hair. "And where are you headed to so early in the day?"
Piper giggled, and captured Ziva's hand that was adorned with her wedding ring and began to examine it with little fingers.
"An' Abby an Unca Tim are takin' me and Todd to da 'Quairium!" She said excitedly, "Daddy says I gets to see da fishies like in Finding Nemo."
"Don't forget the sharks!" Tony's voice caused them both to look toward the door. Tony was leaning casually against the frame, smiling softly with his arms crossed. He continued, "Aunt Abby's at the door, principessa. You ready?"
Piper nodded enthusiastically and turned to lean in and kiss her mother on the cheek.
"Shl'om Momma. I takes pictures of da Sharks!" Grinning, she turned to skip over to Tony.
"Ciao, Daddy!" she smiled up at him.
"That's my multi-lingual ninja," Tony laughed, and leaned down to kiss her on her small brow.
"Be good. Don't fall in the tank and get eaten. You are perfect fish food."
Piper giggled and skipped out of the room and down the hall. Once they heard the distant shut of a door, Ziva turned to Tony.
"What is a Ne-mo? And a Todd?"
Surprise flickers across his face, but then melts into a grin.
"The former is the only animated movie our daughter will watch," he begins, chuckling, "And Todd is her BFF and our 'nephew' ; Abby and McSpawn's son."
Ziva nods and processes this new information, her surprise only mild because honestly, the things she doesn't know are too long of a list. Instead, another question demands an answer.
"What is BFF?"
Groaning, Tony rolls his eyes heavenward, the regression in her americanization appearing to cause him physical discomfort.
"You assimilated much more than I gave you credit for. All our progress..." He trails off with a sigh, walking to their bathroom and closing the door, letting the sentence hang in the air. Evidently the thought will not be completed, because a few minutes later and the shower kicks on. She huffs, dissatisfied, and throws off the covers to get up.
oOo
She paddles towards the bathroom and enters without preamble moments after he's stepped into the shower, making her way towards the sink.
"Jesus, woman," Tony yelps from behind the steamed fogged glass, "Were you ever familiar with boundaries in your life?"
Looking up from the sink, Ziva squints in the mirror at the shower reflected from behind her and responds, perplexed.
"We are married, are we not? And I do believe your being naked was necessary when procreating our daughter."
Inside the shower, Tony's bar of soap nearly slips through his fingers.
"Just trying to respect your fragile state of health," he recovers, stating evenly. "I don't know if you've noticed, but my intimidating good looks can be overwhelming."
Ziva snorts, rolling her eyes but otherwise ignoring his last comment.
"I do believe I have heard the worst of the surprises," she remarks, and Tony remains silent. Silence speaks volumes, she muses, and files the observation away for later. She continues, "Besides, it is not like you are the one with a lapse in memory; you know what I look like n-"
"You're not helping things, stop projecting images into my head," he groans, muttering, "Forgot I'm dealing with Ziva the Mossad Minx."
The Minx in question grins in satisfaction, finding enjoyment in teasing him. This banter they engage in together comes so easily to her, and the time she spends with Tony is the most relaxed she's felt since waking up. And this; the predatory-like word play, comes naturally and is something she knows and is familiar with. She turns back to her reflection, and for the first time studies the face of the woman she's getting to know in the mirror. She's pleasantly surprised that age has not yet really graced her features. Her hair is more relaxed, lighter than her natural color but compliments her face just as nicely. She raises her hand experimentally and traces her features, relieved that everything still looks familiar.
She doesn't notice Tony standing behind her until he obnoxiously shakes his wet hair, sending water droplets falling onto her back side. Embarrassed at both being snuck up on, while staring into a mirror of all things, and at being caught looking at herself, she glares at him reproachfully.
Tony smiles and leans down to brush his lips across her shoulder. He looks into the mirror to meet Ziva's eyes, and she can't prevent the faint tinge that colors her cheeks.
"See? You become more beautiful with every day." He says softly, giving her an intimate smile. Ziva smiles shyly, surprised by the emotions that flare from his words and actions. She fights the overwhelming urge to turn around and melt into his embrace, but she's all too aware of how confusing this situation is, and how he's still covered only with a towel.
And because the sound of silence comes with the territory of their partnership, Tony knows how to read and navigate it, and knows the confliction she's dealing with; only toowell. However, the gambles he's made with Ziva in the past are generally received with favorable results.
Slowly he reaches his hand out to cradle her cheek. Searching her face and finding no discomfort, he leans down and presses a warm, soft kiss to her lips. He feels her smile against him, and he draws back to give her a look that spoke volumes.
Tony's well aware that the Ziva he has right now isn't the softened, americanized version. But he's confident without a doubt that that version was always there, buried and protected even all those years ago, when she waltzed into his bullpen and demanded to know about the conduct of his phone sex.
oOo
The purpose for Piper being dispelled from their home for the day becomes clear later. Tony explains he wanted her to have a quiet day, understanding that the past few days must have been a little exhausting. They spend the day relaxing with one another, building blocks again in their relationship that her memory wiped temporarily clean.
She is sitting on the floor, leaning against his legs and the couch, while he gently massages her shoulders. Empty plates and glasses from dinner are scattered across the coffee table; an empty bottle of wine catching the glare from the low light. All the while, they've been chatting amiably, him recalling different memories of their partnership.
He falls silent after his monologue about all the traffic violations he's saved her from over the years, and she muses thoughtfully.
"Tony?"
"Hmm?" He murmurs, brushing her hair over her shoulder to continue kneading her shoulder blades.
"When did you . . . When did we fall in love?" And she's surprised as he is by the very un-Ziva like question that comes out of her mouth. Keeping the teasing out of his answer, he decides to answer seriously.
"I don't know when exactly I fell, but I finally admitted it to myself only when I thought you were gone forever." Tony says softly. He continues thoughtfully, "Bought your wedding ring the week after we were official though. Couldn't let you go again." He grins at the memory. He finishes his administrations to her back, and she gets up, laying down next to him and snuggled into his lap.
After a few moments, she utters a quiet "Thank you."
Pausing his hand on her arm he was rubbing back and forth, he mumbles softly.
"For what?"
She sits up, her messy curls cascading over her face as she gazes at him with that look. She pauses uncertainly, but then leans in slowly, catching his lips with hers experimentally for a soft kiss, once, twice - three in succession.
"For this life."