Wow, I'm absolutely ecstatic at how many of enjoyed this so much! Thank you all for the wonderful reviews and story favourites/alerts I received! I was meant to have this chapter up yesterday but had a friend around so I did not get time to proof read and fix the chapter. But now I have and I hope that you all enjoy!
Tony was glad to find that McGee had booked them a hotel room with two beds in it this time. Not that he didn't want to share with Ziva, he actually preferred it, but he didn't want such a temptation there. He didn't want to cross any boundaries. Paris had proved to him that holding her like he had in the bed they shared together that night was something he really, really enjoyed. He wasn't meant to enjoy such an intimate thing with his partner.
Sure he wasn't meant to feel such things about his partner but he does. He can feel the spark there between them and he knows that she feels it too, they both have felt it there for the past six years but they have both ignored it. It was easier that way. It used to be more of a flirty spark between them but now, now it was something more meaningful between them. They cared. Things ran deep.
Ziva was one of his best friends and he loved hanging out with her. She wasn't like a lot of other women, she enjoyed doing much of the same things that his guy friends would. Sometimes she would come over to his with a six pack of beer and they would watch baseball together. Sometimes football and ice hockey because they were violent and she got a good laugh out of those, but her favourite was baseball. They had baseball in Israel and it was something she had grown up watching.
And she was so easy for him to be around, he was always himself around her. He didn't have to pretend to be someone different, she knew him, through and through. All they have been through together and all their history, they were close. They got along without even trying that hard. All the tough times they had been through had, in the end, only made their partnership, and friendship, stronger.
The smell that just escaped from the bathroom as she opened the door after her shower was honestly desirable. The smell of her vanilla scented shampoo that she always used filled into the hotel room with the warm steamy air that escaped the previously sealed door. He loved the smell of her shampoo mixed with that sent that was just purely her. It was enough to make him distracted.
"Better?" he asked with a grin. She had complained that she needed a nice hot shower with this cold weather here. It was affecting her more than it was him. She was a warm weather person. He had gone for a quick shower before her, complaining himself that he didn't want her to use all the warm water before he got a shower. She had agreed, only knowing that she could have a shower for as long as she liked now that she didn't need to spare him any hot water tonight.
"Much better" she smiled back as she walked over to her bag and packed away the clothes she had been wearing. He didn't know how warm she was going to be if she stayed in sweatpants and a t-shirt. The shirt didn't look so warm. He had gone with wearing a hoddie, they always kept him warm on a chilly night and they were comfortable enough to sleep in if you wanted.
"Did you want some tea?" he asked her. He was about to make himself a tea. Somehow she had managed to rub off on him, he normally had a tea at night now and he never used to, it used to be coffee. Not enough caffeine to keep him up all night but enough to keep him relaxed and awake until he went to sleep. He knew it had come from her. Why? Because if he was ever at hers at night she would not let him have a coffee if it was too late, he would only be allowed a tea.
Simply because she knew him and if he had coffee too late he would struggle to sleep. He hadn't even noticed it until she had solved his problem by giving him tea.
"Yes, that would be nice, thank you" she replied and he walked over to the small kitchen they had to the far side of the room. It had a small refrigerator, microwave, kettle, some mugs, plates and utensils. Their room had two double sized beds with a bedside table between them on one side of the room, the other side had a small couch with a television on the wall in front. They also had a small kitchen with a small table that had three chairs with it.
The bathroom was just to the side of the beds in separate room and it had a bathtub, toilet, shower and a basin. They really had everything in this hotel room, and Tony was sure he hadn't stayed in a hotel room that had this much inside. He normally didn't see hotel rooms with a small kitchen in them like this room did. He liked it though, it was more home like, it had everything you would need.
He got out two mugs while he put the kettle on. As he did he watched Ziva as she got her hair brush out of her bag and sat on the edge of her bed and gently ran it through her wet hair. She caught him staring and smiled. She didn't seem to mind when he watched her, she normally would just give him that same little smile that she was now and just watch him back. He returned her smile before turning his attention back to making the drinks.
Once he had finished making the drinks he walked them back across the room and sat them both down on the bedside table between their beds. Ziva had gotten her book out of her bag and positioned herself sitting against the headboard of her bed comfortably. She looked so relaxed and free. He loved seeing Ziva like this, outside of work, so carefree.
"Thank you" she smiled at him as she picked up her drink and took a sip, sighing in content of the warm liquid. He knew what she had needed.
"You're welcome" he replied and sat down on the edge of his bed facing her bed, picking up his own drink and cradling it in his hands after taking a sip. Yeah, that's what he had really needed too, a nice warm drink. She had her knees pulled up in front of her and rested her book on her knees with one hand and her drink sat between her body and her legs on her stomach in the other hand.
She began to read her book again and he just sat there and watched her as she pulled herself back into the book and her eyes skimmed the pages one by one. The way she used one hand to turn the page was beyond him, he saw her do it but he didn't think he could do it if he attempted it. All the while she slowly took a drink every now and then from her tea. She had turned four pages before she stopped reading and turned her head to the side and faced him.
"Tony" she said softly, she was smiling at him. He didn't know what it was but at night in moments like this, there always seemed to be a lot of smiles that went between them.
"Yes Ziva?" he replied. He tried to keep the grin off his face, however she could hear the grin in his words alone.
"What are you doing?" she asked, dropping her hand that held her book to the bed next to her as she lifted an eyebrow at him, she was sure he was up to something, she was suspicious now.
"Well I was watching you read" he replied casually, stating what he thought was the obvious. She laughed softly and let go of her book all together as she turned towards him more.
"You know there is a television in this hotel room if you want to watch something" she said, pointing across the room at the object to add to her point.
"Yeah I know that" he replied, hiding his grin behind his mug this time.
"I am sure they have movies you can order" she then added. He could tell she wasn't trying to get him out of her space, she was simply testing him on something, what of he wasn't sure. He shook his head.
"You remember what happened last time I ordered a movie while work was paying?" he asked. When she laughed he guessed she did.
"Yes. How many times was it that Gibbs slapped the back of your head for not doing work related things while out on work related business? Two? Three?" she questioned. He couldn't help but laugh along with her. For some reason Gibbs seemed to think they had to do everything, even up to dreaming, about work when they were staying somewhere on work related cases.
"Two" Tony recollected.
"Not so bad then" Ziva replied, she knew her answer would irk him and he would complain about how she was wrong.
"Not so bad? Are you kidding? I am sure my hair is thinning in that spot from the constant slaps I get, and I do not want to go bald" he exclaimed. Yep, she was right. There he goes with complaining about his thinning hair again.
"Tony we have been through this, you are not thinning, I checked last time remember?" she pointed out. He had actually made her physically look at the spot at the back of his head where he always got slapped, he stated it was thinning, she had observed it and came back with the conclusion that he was either hallucinating or he was going mad.
He still had all his hair in tact on the back of his head. He just refused to believe the evidence, which was strange considering he follows evidence everyday. She just knew he was obsessed with his hair and that one of his worst nightmares was to lose those sandy brown locks.
"I guess" he huffed in reply. And she did see that smile that crept its way onto his face. He wouldn't argue with her when he knew deep down her point was valid.
"Anyways, are you still just going to sit there and watch me or are you going to do something productive?" she asked, going back to the original question.
"It's too late to be productive. I think I might just sit here" he explained as he moved on the bed and leant against the headboard and closed his eyes as he let his head fall back. After she didn't reply he popped one eye open and looked at her. She sat there smiling at him. He opened both eyes and faced her.
"What?" he chuckled. She shook her head and laughed slightly before picking her book back up to read from it again. She read about two lines before speaking.
"We are either going to have to find a bookstore or a movie store tomorrow night to keep you occupied" she stated, not taking her eyes off the page but again she smiled.
"So you're not coming out with me tomorrow night then?" he asked, grinning, just waiting for her to put her book down and look at him again. And she did, she was so predictable.
"We are going out tomorrow night?" she questioned, intrigued by the unofficial plans he just came up with two seconds ago.
"Yes we are, I was thinking of going out for dinner somewhere" he explained. It sounded like a good idea but she wanted to push his buttons that little bit more. She shrugged and picked her book back up.
"If I am not already busy I will join you" she stated not looking at him. How could she be busy? What else was she going to do?
"Busy doing what?" he asked.
"I may already have plans with James" she replied. His heart dropped, really Evans? And since when did they call work associates by their first names when they hardly knew them? Then he had seen that grin burst across her face and his heart felt a little bit safer. She was joking. She had caught him being jealous, she had seen him watching Evans.
"Not your type" he replied, smiling as she yet again dropped her book to look at him and raise an eyebrow in his direction.
"How would you know what my type is?" she questioned. She held back that smile that wanted to come out again. He shrugged.
"You prefer older men if I recall correctly" he stated. And yes, that had brought a little snort out of her followed by a soft laugh. She didn't reply to his question though, she left him wondering as she picked her book back up. He could tell she remembered when she had told him that little secret of hers, he had actually liked that secret, considering he was considered as a man of that category. However he would never call himself old, not in this lifetime. He wasn't old, his age was just higher than hers.
He gave her about two minutes before he spoke up again.
"What's your book about?" he asked. This time she had sighed then shut her book and placed it on the bedside table with her mug. He knew she was giving up on her book now.
"You're not going to leave me alone are you?" she asked. She wasn't actually mad, he knew. He pretended to think about it for a moment.
"Hmm… no" he smiled. She shook her head with another smile before climbing off her bed and gathering hers and his empty mugs and taking them back across the room and placing them in the sink. On her way back to the beds she stopped at the room's heater and tried turning it up to a higher temperature, which it wouldn't because it was already on high.
"You cold?" he asked as she went back to her bed and climbed under the covers.
"It is a bit colder than I am used to" was her reply, not fully admitting she was cold but enough of a confession for him to understand she was.
"Did you not bring a sweater or something?" he asked as he climbed under his own covers. She shook her head.
"Only coats. I forgot my sweater, I had it ready to go in my bag but I must not have put it in" she explained.
"Do you want my hoddie?" he asked, sitting up and he began to take it off. Before she could answer him the clothing in question was thrown across to her and landed on her bed. She picked it up.
"Tony, I cannot take it, you will get cold" she stated. It wasn't like this wasn't normal, she borrowed his hoddie's all the time, she had also stolen one or two that he either didn't realize were missing or chose to ignore the fact she had stolen them.
"No, its ok, remember I have more meat on me than you Zi" he replied, patting his tummy with a grin. She chuckled lightly and pulled the hoddie over her head. It was warm as it settled around her, it had his warmth. His smell. There was something about his smell that always made her distracted.
He watched as she lay back down under her covers and pulled them tight around her as she tried to keep all the warmth trapped in the sheets. He lay back down also, looking at her as she looked at him.
"Warm now?" he asked. She nodded.
"Yes, that is better, thank you" she replied. A content smile on her lips.
"I'll see you in the morning then?" he asked. He was a bit tired from the jetlag today and he could also see Ziva's eyes begin to droop slightly. They would both need their rest for tomorrow.
"Yes. Goodnight Tony" she replied, snuggling deeper into her bed as she closed her eyes.
"Night Ziva" Tony whispered as he watched her fall into a peaceful sleep. She had that carefree relaxed look on her face again. Falling asleep to the sight of her like that was sure to bring him peaceful dreams.
I know, I know, I didn't do the one bed situation like FanFiction stories seem to always have, I wanted to do something different rather then the same thing that always happens :)
I will try to have the next chapter up tomorrow but I have a busy day so we will see!
Hundan