50 Sentences Expanded

21. Fool – Tony raised the beer to take another sip and chided himself for ever believing that Gibbs would show.

It was three in the morning. And it was a school night. All that meant to Tony was that he had to go to work tomorrow and face the asshole that had stood him up.

And he was drinking. Mostly because no one stood up Anthony DiNozzo Jr. But he didn't care. Much.

Looking back, he supposed it had been a stupid idea. His dear Boss didn't do dates. He did marriages. And Tony definitely didn't fit that bill.

But just once, Tony wanted to do something out of character. He wanted a nice date with the person he lov- liked. Not like the fake dinners he took all his other dates on as just a means to and end that involved a bed, nails on his back, and satin sheets. A nice dinner, at a restaurant, where there was fine wine, good food, conversation, and no expectations of more once the evening was over.

It was something Tony had done only once before. But even then, it was an assignment.

Tony had even let Abby pick out his tie. I mean, it was a serious thing!

Ziva had wished him good luck. And now Tony understood why. He had deluded himself into thinking that Leroy Jethro Gibbs would turn up at eight sharp.

Tony raised the beer to take another sip and chided himself for ever believing that Gibbs would show.

It was only the foolish hope lingering in his heart that kept him waiting for three hours. And it was only as the restaurant was closing that Tony had given up that hope. And so he had begun bar hopping, expecting to drown himself in cheap alcohol and smoky rooms.

What he hadn't expected was Ziva.

"Hello, Tony." She sat on the bar stool beside him, and motioned to the bartender.

The greasy blond barman took her empty glass, and turned away.

"So, how did your date go?" She looked at him. There was no hint of a smirk or mirth in her eyes. She was not poking fun at him.

But the look Tony gave her in answer was all she needed.

"I'm so sorry, Tony. I know you were looking forward to a real date." She placed a hand on his upper back and rubbed, like a mother soothing a child.

"It doesn't matter."

"Of course it does. He should not have stood on you." He gave her a look. "What?"

"Stood me up, Ziva. Not stood on me."

"Oh. Well, whatever. He clearly did not know how important it was to you."

Tony tipped the beer, and emptied it. Almost immediately, the barman placed another before him. He reached to take a sip, but Ziva's hand on top of his stopped him.

"I think you have had plenty, Tony." He frowned at her, but moved his hand.

"You must not give Gibbs a reaction to this evening. He doesn't deserve to know how upset you are."

"I want him to know. He's a dirty rotten bastard and I want to throw something at him. Something big and smelly. No, better yet, I want to hurt him. I want him to hurt like I did tonight. Like I do right now." His mad flailing about threw the stool off balance, and before Ziva could react, he was on his back on the floor, the stool toppled next to him.

Ziva sighed heavily. She turned to the bartender who was staring at Tony.

"How many has he had?"

"In the past hour, or since he got here?" Ziva groaned.

"How long has he been here?"

"Couple hours. I'd say he's had about seven since then. And the three tequila shots."

She sighed again, and slipped off the stool to help Tony to his feet.

"Come on, Tony. Let me take you home. We'll work everything out tomorrow."

After stumbling twice and Tony banging his head on the door frame, Ziva finally got him in bed and under the covers. He spoke a bit more about Gibbs, alternating between loving him and hating him every few seconds, before eventually dozing off, gibberish still spilling from his lips.

Ziva curled up on the sofa. He would be a wreck in the morning. And he would need someone to be there for him.

And then, when she got to work tomorrow, she thought she might give Gibbs a few, well versed threats, for good measure.

If one ruined evening like this could break Tony, then she knew his heart belonged to Gibbs. The Gibbs who didn't deserve his attention at all, and who she might slowly torture if he didn't very quickly explain his reasons for not showing up this evening.

Tony needed a friend. Ziva was glad to help.

And tomorrow, they would work it out.

A/N: This got away from me a little bit. And before anyone jumps on me for Ziva, let me just say that she is meant to be just a friend to Tony here. Nothing more. Tony/Gibbs forever.

This was requested by SLE 74, I hope you liked it.

It is a bit of a cliffhanger and I may add to it one day, but for now it is finished.

Please review! I'd love to hear your thoughts.

sl

Disclaimer: NCIS is the property of Donald P. Bellisario and Don McGill.