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jae
Fourteen
Ziva's eyes snap open as she is pulled from sleep abruptly the following morning. She blinks owlishly against the morning sunlight that now permeates their bedroom, wondering drowsily what disrupted her deep sleep. Her thoughts are answered mere seconds later, however, as she hears several thumps coming from behind the closed door of the bathroom. The sound of water running and Tony's muffled noise of exasperation leads her to conclude he was being exceptionally clumsy this morning.
She rolls over, groaning in frustration, and her eyes fall on the scattered pictures sitting on the nightstand. A slow smile spreads on her face as her thoughts drift back to last night, and her mind strays from their evening to after, once she had succumbed to sleep and entered dreamland.
Her dreams come back to her then, and sudden realization washes over her, fast and furious. She sits up quickly, instantly alert. Heat starts to spread through her body, and her heart's tempo increases with adrenaline as she quickly scrambles off the bed and toward the bathroom.
oOo
Tony's deep falsetto as he enters the chorus of another song she can't place cuts off in surprise as she unceremoniously throws the bathroom door open, rushing inside. He makes a strangled noise of surprise as Ziva takes several steps toward the shower.
"I'll never understand what it is with your insistance to ambush me in bathrooms." he says to her in lieu of greeting.
Her eyebrows knit together in momentary confusion.
"Bathrooms are ideal for an ambush," she answers him, puzzled. "You have very little opportunity of escape."
Tony's eyes roll heavenward in exasperation.
"Forget I said anything."
"Then why say anything at all?"
He takes a deep breath to calm himself.
"Nevermind." he let's it go. "Sorry if I woke you up, I knocked over the shampoo and it knocked everything else over."
He isn't even finished his explanation before she makes her way to the shower door, bringing her hand up to rest on the glass. She sees him shift uncomfortably, moving to angle his body away from her. Unperturbed, her words come out rushed as she speaks to him.
"No, I mean, yes, you did wake me up," Ziva begins, floundering, "but no, Tony, I remember. I think I remember Paris." she rushes out excitedly, though a hint of insecurity colors her voice.
Tony stops suddenly in his efforts to hide his naked body from her sight through the steamed glass and went still. She's tapping her fingers nervously on the glass, and he grabs his towel thrown over the shower, wrapping it around his waist quickly and hastily slides the shower door open, water still running.
Dripping, he brushes a hand through his hair, spraying drops of water out. She crosses her arms, a blush spreading slowly through her face as she looks up at him nervously.
Searching her eyes, he regards carefully, eyes bright with excitement.
"What do you remember?"
A small smile settles on her face then, and she reaches out a hesitant hand to brush through his still dripping hair. She watches as his eyes darken while he fights the urge to move closer to her, and she sees the confliction and desire war on his face as he fights the urge to draw her closer. Swallowing over the lump in her throat, she draws her hand through his hair to the back of his neck, shifting closer as she gently fingers the the baby hairs at his hairline experimentally.
"It was the first time you told me you loved me." Ziva says softly, averting his eyes shyly. "I remember our dinner together. I remember walking through the streets that night. I remember we forgave each other for. . . things." she takes a deep breath, " I remember how I felt when you told me."
He smiles, eyes closed as he enjoys the feeling of her hand at his neck. She moves even closer, and his eyes open while his arm unconsciously moves to rest his hand at her hip. She feels Tony's grip tighten as he swallows hard, gazing down at her roughly.
Ziva meets his gaze, and her hand comes around to cup his cheek and jaw. Tony watches her eyes gradually fill with tears he know she won't let fall.
"I remembered that I loved you very, very much, even then." she tells him thickly, her warm breath fanning across his neck and he closes his eyes tightly to fight for more control.
Ziva watches him struggle. She knows very well how confusing this whole mess has been for him, and how he's been so very careful about not crossing the line with her while she can't recall her memories. But what he doesn't realize is just how much her body is attuned and connected to him, regardless of her memories being present. There's an ache she can't place but overwhelms her, and Ziva finds herself fighting with her control as severely as he does.
Breathing deeply, Tony trusts himself enough to speak.
"I loved you then, and I love you more even today. You never have to question that." He tells her, his voice more serious than she's heard until now.
She moves forward then, and Tony backs up in response, his back hitting the shower door. Ziva's hands have drifted to where his towel begins, and he brings his hands down to cover hers.
"Ziva," he presses out slowly, and she watches his jaw flex tightly. "This isn't a good idea."
She frees her hands from his grasp before he realizes it, shedding the the NCIS sweatshirt she wore to bed that dwarfs her small frame, until she's left standing before him in one of his t-shirts.
"You don't need more confusion, I don't want to mess with your head even more." he continues hastily.
She finishes liberating her curls from her pony-tail then, shaking her hair out with nimble fingers. One hand reaches for the sliding door beside him, while the other intertwines with his fingers tightly.
Sliding open the door, she leans in toward his face.
"Tell me, do you always talk this much whenever I try to seduce you?"
Momentarily distracted, Tony shoots her an indignant look.
"How presumptuous of you, for the reco-"
"Is this why it took us so long to be together?" She interrupts him, yanking his arm to pull him with her, walking backwards under the hot spray. His towel falls on the floor as his hands shoot out to rest again the tiles, and Ziva moves in then, sliding the door shut behind him. Seconds later, her now soaking shirt joins his towel, flying over the shower, landing with a wet slap against the floor.
oOo
"You all right?" he murmurs into her neck some time later, pressed up behind her on their bed.
She untangles herself from him, rolling away and turning around again to face him. She regards him with a smile, and he reaches out a hand to brush her hair back.
"I'm fine, Tony. Please relax." she tells him with a laugh, and he grins, propping his head on his arm.
"Okay. You're fine. I'll stop asking." he replies, grinning wider, his free hand leaving her hair and falling to intertwine their hands. She looks down at their hands, smiling softly before gazing back at him. They stare at each other for a few moments contently, not bothering to fill the silence. Tonys hand grazes her fingers gently.
"Why did we wait, after that night?" She asks him, curiosity burning in her voice.
He looks up again to see her regarding him intently.
"We weren't there yet, Ziva." he begins slowly. "You weren't ready. Hell, you had just spent the entire summer in that . . . hellhole." he spits out the last word, fumbling a little. "We just needed a little more time. To get things right."
Ziva nods thoughtfully, gazing at him and he watches as emotions start to play across her face. She shifts closer then, flipping him onto his back and throwing her leg over him.
He chuckles as he looks up at her, his hands grazing her thighs as she leans down toward his face.
"Well," she begins softly, "I'm glad we got things right."
Tony murmurs in appreciation, and begins to pepper light kisses across her neck and collar bone.
"You have no idea, sweetcheeks," he mumbles against her skin in between kisses. "Now shhh. I'm trying to seduce you before our daughter is returned to us."
She laughs then, and she feels him grin against her neck in response.