Three Hundred Leaps and Bounds
When Tony looked back on those months of hard ship he found that those where the worst months of his life with Ziva. He was away from her more than ever as she was taken off team Gibbs and given new NCIS agent training and constant psychologist appointments. He had to take Alea back with him permanently and he felt worse by the day, as she slowly regained her memories.
One particularly slow day at the office proved that he was in the wrong state of mind for work. Or anything else for that matter he left work agitated after a whole day without seeing Ziva or
Even hearing about her progress and the next few days were no better. He confronted Gibbs hoping for a response or even a motivating lecture.
"I don't know how she is DiNozzo. I don't have that right." he said simply as McGee watched shrewdly from his desk.
Tony felt out of arguing mood so he crossed to his desk and sat down. He was so angry that he barely noticed the footsteps approaching. A resounding silence and the tap of a key and a familiar scent was the first thing to snap him out of his brooding.
There she was. At her desk with a smile on her face as she watched his expression. Something was different. Something new. A glimmer in her dark eyes just a glimmer and he knew.
"Your back!" he cried and stood up, sweeping away his chair and
quickly approaching her desk. She laughed and held her chair as he leaned down and caught up her lips, tilting her back in to her chair as everything seemed too reknit. All the past months brooding and separation re-winded as he pulled he close in a well missed embrace. McGee was laughing and Gibbs remained silent as usual although he felt a rush of relief that his team was still well together after almost completely pulling apart. That was close. Too close.
*
"David, please sit. Ziva please listen." Vance almost had pleading in his voice as the agitated Ex Mossad officer paced impatiently in front of him. "You are still on Gibbs team. I just need you to take some time off. It's nothing personal but policy."
"And what? Replace me?" she wasn't having that again and she refused to sit.
"No. Ziva if it worries you I may be able to issue you to desk work. That may stretch your sentence though."
She wasn't having that either "No that's worse. How much time off are we looking at?" She asked in defected tones as she finally sat.
"I may be able to cut it to a week if you show good behaviour. This means going to your appointments and NO driving in the time being."
Ziva threw up her hands but restrained herself. "Okay. A week is okay. But you're tying my feet. How do I get to appointments without driving all the way to Bethesda?"
"Get DiNozzo to take you. I will give him that permission. Two appointments two times you can call him off work. No three. Get him to drive you home now."
Ziva stood and left in a very team Gibbs higher than the highest way and Vance rolled his eyes in annoyance.
"Tony." she called from the stairs.
"What-!" he jumped and threw his phone in to his draw guiltily. He turned to see her "Oh its you." he seemed relived as he withdrew the phone and picked up the reviver again.
"Sorry man gotta call you back. Nah. Nah." he hung up quickly. "What can I do you for?" he asked "Authorized for work?"
"I need you to drive me home." she said impatiently and stood in front of his desk.
"Oh la, la, should I get wine?" he winked and stood to attention.
"I have a week off. You are my chaperone." she sighed. "Let's go."
"Oh alright bossy boots." he sighed as the promise of physical pleasures dissolved with the grumpy Ziva.
"Good if we hurry we might be able to fit more in." she winked as she seemed to read his mind. "Like lunch,"
"Lunch?" he struggled as his hunger and testosterone fought and neither won. "I am conflicted."
"We'll put it to a vote then." she took his hand and led him to the elevators.
*
Two days trapped in her apartment proved to drive Ziva mad. She had move the ecstatic Alea back in but as she was getting old she got more mischievous and acted like a juvenile child. Ziva spend the day throwing items for Alea to catch, watching day time TV which scared her off after the first minutes. She also took to exploring the building and taking Alea for walks. Tony would come around every night and they would have dinner. That was the only same part of the day.
One night Ziva and Tony lay in bed. Ziva was awake and brightened as he snuggled against the exhausted Tony who was being worked hard in her absence. Ziva glanced at her clock and saw on it 3:21am.
"Tony are you asleep?" She asked loudly. He stirred under her hand and grumbled "no."
"I can't sleep I am too preoccupied with thoughts and stuff." she mumbled aimlessly in to his T-shirt "Can you sleep?" She asked sympathetically.
"Not with you gabbling on." he sighed and turned over towards her and laced an arm around her, pulling her right up close. She closed her eyes and waited for sleep. But it didn't come.
"Tony." she whispered. He didn't stir. "Tooooonnnyyy." she nuzzled his neck with the tip of her nose to try and wake him.
"Hmm." he mumbled back as the dragged him from the brink of oblivion. "Try and imagine it's the end of a big case. Both physically and emotionally draining."
"Is it?" he hadn't told her much of work.
"I don't think you want to know. Especially when you want to get to sleep." He replied as he inhaled the light scent of her hair.
"Tell me and I will stop harassing you." she rested her cheek on his chest and looked up at him with wrapped attentions.
"Well there was this case of a girl getting murdered on base and everyone thought it was her boyfriend. He's just a kid about to ship out. Anyways while I was interrogating him. With the soft touch. He just keeled over. Apparently he OD'ed before coming in."
"Wasn't your fault." She brushed his cheek.
"Turns out it was a jealous ex. And two teenagers dead before we get him." Tony sighed
"Oh Tony..."
"It's okay. Get some sleep now." he hugged her gently and kissed her lightly before closing his own eyes and them both slipped off to sleep.
*
"Danny always wanted to join up." Sniffles filled the bleak room with the cheap IKEA theme. The two women sat on the couch sporting tear drenched faces and handkerchiefs. "He was going to ship out just like his father, why would he do this?"
"It was Lindy! Always her! His stupid girl always came before us or him even!" the grieving sister squawked before storming out in a fit or teenage angst. Gibbs watched with a practiced eye. There was really no investigation to do here. Two suicides and a false accusation and all he could do was apologise for the families loss.
"I hope you are happy special agent Gibbs. I blame you for this. Now please leave." The mother growled like an angry panther.
Tony stood first and inclined his head with a mumbled apology, Gibbs stood also. "My condolences." He said strongly and they left.
"That was tough." Tony exhaled as he sat in the passenger side of the car "recon she will launch a complaint?"
Silence
"It wasn't our fault." Tony said, at the same time he tried to reassure himself.
More silence.
"Okay just so you know." He left the rest of the trip in Gibbs preferred environment of silence.
As they neared the navy yard Gibbs piped up. "Kid was depressed we made it worse by accusing him."
"We had evidence that he was there that night. He was there just before she did it." Tony hung his head even though he was making himself feel better. "They were sick kids."
Trudging still in defeat in to the bullpen, Tony took his seat at his desk and sent off his case report as no new information had been gathered.
"Tough week." McGee sighed "Think we're tabooed." He finished his report and packed up; they had less energy than they usually had on Friday afternoons. "Any plans?"
"Not really, wanna as Abbs if she wants to come for drinks? I will bring Zi."
"Yeah okay, I will go see her." McGee dumped his bag and went down stairs. "Meet you there."
Tony left in low spirits to pick Ziva up the roads were busy and slow and nothing good on the radio but the trip went shorter than expected and he called ahead for Ziva to get ready. She met him on the curb and climbed in to the car, full of energy. She looked happy to be going out and seeing the others.
"Who's coming?" She asked not trying to cover her smile
"Abbs, McGee, maybe Jimmy." He replied blandly as he began to drive, the street lights glowed over them and the shadows moved and changed as they drove under them.
"How was the family?" She asked quietly
"Grieving, Gibbs blames himself."
"Sounds like someone I know." Ziva noted tenderly he exhaled in an amused manner.
The bar wasn't far so they reached it in little time. They ventured out of the car in to the temperate air that could make up its mind if it was cold or not. Ziva closed her door gently and pulled her coat around her to banish the breeze. Tony wrapped his arm around her waist and they venture through the doors of the bar in to the warm atmosphere with the soft groovy music playing, they found the others already there and joined them at the small booth they had selected as the usual haunts they took at the bar was full.
"Ziva how are you?" Abby leaned past McGee and hugged her gently as if she was scared she would shatter at the tightest clutch.
"I am fine." She rolled her eyes to McGee who was smiling at Abby's bedside manner. "Really I am."
She sat down and Tony left with McGee to the bar to get drinks for the group. Jimmy was checking his phone looking harassed about something, Ziva and Abby exchanged a look of concern.
"Jimmy are you okay?" Ziva asked "You look off edge."
"On edge!" Tony called from the bar as if he had a sixth sense for Ziva screwing up idioms.
"Well, um yes, I suppose so, I just… well I just have lots to do and Breena is just getting anxious and uh needs a haha steady pillar like me." Jimmy made a weak attempt at confidence.
"Well you don't look so steady, are you shaking?" Abby placed a hand on his shoulder and raised a brow at his slightly trembling posture.
"I haven't had much sleep so I have attempted…" He began
"He has been drinking over 10 cups of coffee a day." McGee interrupted as he and Tony returned with a tray of five new drinks for the table
"Look, the wedding is in a month and-" Jimmy's chocolate martini was forced upon him to make him shut up.
"Um, so how was the week?" Ziva asked knowing the answer, they had a bad week.
"McGee thought it was a cursed week." Tony declared as he eyed Palmers feminine drink.
"It's true. I don't even believe in curses." Abby joined in. "What?" she glanced around at the raised brows and sceptical looks from her co-workers
"Well it's over and you're back next week so hopefully it will be back to normal-ish." Tony sighed and took a swig from his own drink
Tony and the rest forced their minds from a distressing week to having a fun night. Abby was feeling reckless and bought shots and Jimmy's drinks began to get more and more feminine as the night went on. By 12am they were all sufficiently tipsy, Tony had his arm over Ziva and they were all laughing at the joke they had just heard, the meaning had hardly been picked up but they found it funny all the same. Abby had unbuckled her boots and sat with her feet up on McGee's lap. A relaxed atmosphere which was warm with the team's drunken affection for each other. Tony checked his watch and elected to walk home as it wasn't far back to Ziva's from here. The others all chipped in for a cab and McGee was trying to pull Palmer up.
"C'mon Jimmy lets go, vamoose!"
"It's only 1am! The night is young!"
"He is such a ducky," Abby laughed as she leaned on the wall.
"Good luck with that." Tony toasted her an imaginary drink which she found even more funny. Tony and Ziva left, arm in arm and headed out in to the cool night.
"Why do we have to walk?" Ziva yawned as she leaned on him.
"Because we are too drunk to drive 'nywhere." He popped his tong on the last breath of the sentence
"I've seen this before, me drunkenly stumbling home with you." Ziva grinned as the only sound they met was their own footsteps.
"But this time we won't exchange awkward looks the next day or pretend it didn't happen." Tony nodded along
"Or hide it from Gibbs." Ziva pushed out her lip and closed her eyes.
"Tired?" He asked and stroked her hair. "Want a piggy back?"
"A what." She asked looking up at him in confusion.
"No. don't tell me you don't know what a piggy back is!" He gasped and stopped walking "Hands on my shoulders and jump on to my back."
She obliged and her pulled her up properly and began to walk. She smiled at this new discovery and rested her chin on his shoulder. Soon they were home and he set her down so they could ride the small elevator up to her apartment. Another night going home together, another night in each-other's arms, this time however it was guiltless.
"Thank you for remembering me." He whispered in the dark of the night as they lay half asleep.
"Thank you for being worth remembering." She muttered back
"It will all be normal again on Monday."
"But better." She smiled in to his shoulder and settled to sleep.
_ God I hated forgetful Ziva I hope you liked and pitch any Ideas you would like any improvements I could make, I do have lots of ideas however, don't worry about that. Lots of love x
Also I am making some cover art for Breaking 12, so I will post a link when I am done, if you want to see any of my fan art which is mostly NCIS and Tiva just check out my Deviant Art- Yiotsie Bye!