A/N: Because my heart truly does lie with Tiva... :P
March 6
"Only when you have found something you are prepared to die for will you know what life is all about." - Vernon Coleman.
Anthony DiNozzo never understood staying in bed all day unless it involved three things – a movie marathon, breakfast in bed or sex.
His usual encounters with women never led to anything more than polite formalities the morning after but in recent years, there were only two women where this hadn't been the case.
Jeanne. And Ziva.
Learning from past experiences, Tony kept his heart locked away. Slowly but surely though, the assassin had knocked down every wall he'd built up over the years, leaving a man who became a nervous wreck when she went undercover without him or flying halfway around the world for vengeance against the man they believed to be her murderer.
For once, the team actually had spent their Saturday evening undisturbed, with no late night at the Navy Yard sleeping at their desk or brushing their teeth in the male restroom.
Instead, Tony let his eyes wander across the sleeping body next to him. Her dark hair spread across the pillow and bare skin contrasted the cream of the sheets beautifully.
"You are googling me again."
"Ogling." He corrected her, smiling warmly.
He wanted to touch her. To trail his hands along the curve of her body, remind himself of the evening they'd spent making love. He wanted to kiss her. Just because he could do it every day for the rest of his life without getting bored. He wanted to make her giggle. And knew the perfect way of doing it.
Trailing his fingers along her side towards her hip, he paused in line with her belly button. He felt her tense a little and leant forward to kiss her.
"I will hurt you if you even consider tickling me." She warned, a smile gracing her own lips.
Thursday in the bullpen, Tony had slipped a hand under her shirt and pinched her, while reminding her he knew just how ticklish she could be. It worked.
Kissing her slowly, Tony let his hands explore her body – hers resting on his chest as he pulled her closer to him.
Almost losing her had definitely made one thing clear.
He really couldn't live without her.