A/N: Part of this chapter, at the end, is rated M. It lasts only five paragraphs, so I decided to not separate it.
Chapter 2. Semantics.
Tony was putting the finishing touches on dinner when there was a knock at the door. He wiped his hands on a dishtowel, turned off the stove, and moved to answer it. He smiled when he opened the door.
Ziva melted whenever he smiled at her. She would sometimes freeze in place when he did it, sometimes not coming out of her trance until a few moments after he moved away, with just the knowledge that the smile was for her benefit.
He stood there, with an impish grin on his face, looking down at his long time partner, who hadn't moved from her spot at the door. He loved when she got the far away look in her eyes when he smiled at her. He would give her a special smile for when it was just the two of them alone, knowing that, somewhere, somehow, her knees were knocking together over him.
While he waited for her, he took her in. An arm-less, calf length dress, split up the middle, very blue, with a plunging neckline. As he looked, he didn't see any sign of a bra. Her unpinned hair fell in curls that ended somewhere in the middle of her back. He knew that when she sat down, he would get a wide view of her soft, yet very muscular, thighs. Her earrings were three diamonds suspended with a silver link between them. He had never seen her so breathtaking.
He stepped aside, which broke her reverie. She stepped in the door and looked up at him, less than a foot away.
"'Mossad Super-Secret Helicopter', Tony" she asked, a smirk on her face.
"'Mossad Super-Secret One-Woman Helicopter,' Zi-Vah," he grinned back at her.
"You are incorrugated," she said as she reached up to give him a light brush on his lips, a promise for things to come.
"It's 'incorrigible,' Zi-Vah," he automatically corrected.
She looked deeply into his eyes and stroked his cheek with her fingernails. "You want tonight to have a happy ending for you, yes," she asked, seduction heavy on her lips. He gulped and nodded. She continued, "Then do not correct my English tonight." She kissed him hard on the lips.
He was transported to a world where flowers bloomed, birds soared, and little crawly things did their little crawly business. A perpetual spring flowed over him. At that moment, he knew that declaring himself to her was the best thing he could have done.
She was sent tumbling through a sea of bliss. If this was a shade of happiness, she never wanted to leave it, just go farther into it and see where it would lead her. At that moment she knew that telling Tony she loved him was the smartest thing she ever did.
"You two really need to get a room," they heard, breaking off the kiss. Tony' neighbor across the hall chuckled as he opened his door and went inside.
"Thanks, Carl," DiNozzo shouted as the door closed behind his neighbor. They hadn't realized that Tony was still against the door, but a rising pain the small of his back convinced him that kissing, while one of the greatest inventions in the world, wasn't a good idea to do with Ziva when he was backed up against a doorknob.
Still she stopped him from moving. "Ti amo, Tony," she smiled up at him, brushing her lips on his.
"Ani O'hev O'Tach, Ziva," he breathed.
They stepped fully into the apartment, Tony closing the door before he took her jacket. "Dinner smells wonderful, Tony. But, it does not smell like your normal Italian plates," she said as she moved deeper into the apartment.
He stopped himself from correcting her, only by a force of will barely stronger than his need to compete. "Well, in celebration of our six month anniversary, I thought it would be nice to try my hand at another type of cuisine," he grinned as they stepped into the dining room, her in front of him.
He had noticed on the walk from the door that there wasn't a panty line either. He was going to love this night, he was certain of it. It would be one of those life-changing moments.
He walked to the table and pulled out her chair for her, grinning as she sat. Another of the things he knew without having to be told is that she enjoyed him treating her like a lady. His natural gentlemanly tendencies only enhanced this treatment.
"While I still do not get the six month thing, there is something else that bothers me. Technically, we started dating on the fifth, which was the first Wednesday. So, does it count as six months from the fifth, or six months from the first Wednesday of the month? And, how does February fit in. After all, it has only twenty-eight days, unlike all the rest. Does leap year count as well," she looked up to see him smirking down at her.
"Nervous, Zi," he asked. Another woman would have blushed, having been caught so readily. But, Ziva David does not blush. At least on the outside.
She glanced down at the table. "A little. While it will not by either of our 'first time', it will be the first time we have 'done it' with each other, yes? So, I am nervous," she answered. Just six months ago, getting Ziva to admit to fear, nerves, or anything other than happiness, varying states of anger, or no emotion at all was all but impossible. Outside of the time she spent alone with Tony, she still didn't admit to it. She looked up again to see his smirk had turned into a grin. "Why are you looking like a Chester Cat, Tony? Are you not nervous as well," she asked.
He closed his eyes, using all his control to not correct her again. He repeated in his mind a mantra, 'happy ending...happy ending.' This time he thought she did it on purpose. Alice in Wonderland was one of her favorite English stories. The adventure and the chase appealed to her.
He smiled down at her beaming, now knowing for certain that she misspoke purposely. Tony moved to the kitchen to get the dinner.
Ziva watched as he walked away. His brown long sleeve shirt matched well with his deep brown eyes. His black slacks were tight in the places that Ziva liked, hoping that he'd shaved. Not his face. He hadn't shaved his face since the morning, and the stubble made him look even sexier, she thought.
He gathered the bowls up and moved to the table, placing them where she could smell them. As she did, her face started to light up. When he'd placed the last one on the table, she was leaning forward, nose in overdrive, almost spilling out of her dress.
Tony affected a French accent as he began to uncover the first course. "Tonight, on the menu, we have for you, to start, a light, yet hearty, traditional Israeli Salad, complete with lemon juice and olive oil." He spooned the salad into two small plates. "If you would like, you may begin," he finished as he sat next to her.
She smiled as she ate the salad. This is a traditional Israeli dish, and few knew that it came from their Arab neighbors. From the smells in the room, she knew this wouldn't be the last dish from her former country. She realized that the portion was small, knowing that the rest of the meal would make up for it. As they ate the salad, their eyes left each other only to look at the plate to see that they were picking something up. Sometimes they didn't look down, and didn't pick anything up.
The air surrounding them was electric. They knew what would happen, and they knew they both wanted, no needed, it. They both, separately, were passionate people. Together, they went off the charts.
"That was delicious, Tony. Is there anything tonight that isn't kosher," she asked.
Tony cleared away the bowls, placing them on the breakfast counter as he answered. "That is a surprise, and I know how much you love a surprise." She scowled at him as he uncovered the next dish, again dropping into the French accent.
"For the entrée, Madame, we have tonight a superbly prepared carp and salmon gefilte, prepared in the traditional style, with eggs, onion, and carrots. To your left," he continued as he placed small bowls, "Is chrain, one with beets, and the other without. You may choose as you wish." Tony sat down and watched as Ziva picked the white, spicier, chrain and spooned a small amount onto the fish. "To the side, you will see a small dish of ptitim, with a spinach garnish. Along with this, we have an unpretentious Barkan Merlot from the Shimshon region. The chef hopes you enjoy."
Tony sat at her side and watched her eyes light up, as she tasted the dishes. "These didn't come from a can, did they? This is amazing, Tony," she gushed, laughing when he blushed red.
"I figured that you haven't had much in the way of traditional food since you came to DC, so I thought I would surprise you with a feast. And," he said as he forked a piece of fish, "it is all kosher," he finished as he put it in his mouth.
"How did you get the ingredients, or even know what the ingredients were," she asked incredulously.
"Well, the internet is a wonderful thing. As for the foods, it took me a while, and a whole lot of gas, but I found a couple stores that carried the ingredients. I've tried to make it three times before to make sure that it was done right. The first two were really bad. The third was pretty good, and I knew what mistakes I had made. So, that's why I left early today. I didn't have a dentist appointment, I had a dinner appointment. Although, they both involve teeth, so it wasn't a total lie," he finished with a grin, leaning closer to her.
She leaned in as well, resting her cheek on her hand. "A lie is still a lie, Special Agent DiNozzo," she said with a smile.
"Semantics. And its 'Very' Special Agent DiNozzo to you, Very Officer David," he said.
Her smile fell, tempered with confusion, although the smile still touched her eyes. "That does not sound right. And isn't adding 'very,' also semantical?"
Tony smacked his forehead and spoke out loud to himself, "She's doing it on purpose, DiNozzo. Don't take the bait."
She laughed at him, covering her mouth. "I thought it was 'Very Special Agent' DiNozzo, is that not what you said," Ziva chuckled.
"Semantics, Zi."
They settled into a comfortable silence, gazing at each other as they finished their dinner. At NCIS, they had to be careful, lest the rest of the team know what was going on between them. Alone, they could stare until their hearts were content. At the moment, both hearts were far more than content.
As they finished their meal, Tony unveiled a small cake, wrapped in chocolate frosting. He looked at her, inquiring with his eyes, and she nodded. He sliced once, then placed the knife a fraction of an inch to the left of the original cut. He was about to slide the knife in when he heard a sharp intake of breath from Ziva. The hidden grin never leaving his face, he looked up at her and pivoted the knife until she shook her head, telling him that was the right size to cut the cake. He slid the knife under the cake to remove the piece, revealing a two layer chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, and quickly placed it on a plate. He then sliced a tiny sliver of a piece and put it on another plate.
She glared at him when he put the extra small slice in front of her and the large piece in front of him. He stood to get forks for the two of them, not in the least bit shocked to find her using one of her combat knives to eat the now switched piece of cake. The moan in her throat as she tasted the chocolate wasn't sexual, it was far more than that. He chuckled as he sat down again, taking the small sliver piece in three bites, and spending the rest of the time just admiring her.
Ziva broke the silence with a question she had for a while now. "Tony, while I don't mind being your 'secret girlfriend,' I would at least like to tell the rest of our friends soon," she finished with a frown.
Tony looked into her eyes. He saw how it was hurting Ziva not to be able to share it with the rest of the team. "Ziva, I have no problem with telling anyone, except that word will get back to Gibbs. We've already ground Rule Twelve to dust, but he can still split us up. And, while I would love the chance for a transfer to the sunny climes of Nome, Alaska, where Gibbs will convince the SecNav to build a base just to send me to it, that would mean having to be separated from you."
Ziva cast her eyes down. She sighed heavily and brought her eyes up to meet his. "Well then, you know that once Abby finds out Gibbs will know, so we must make the most of the time, yes?" She stood up, holding out her hand to him.
He took it and she moved to the bedroom, leading him like a puppy on a leash, kicking off their shoes as they went down the hallway. He was entranced with the back of the dress, how the back plunged down to just above her tailbone. Her butt was encased in a ruffled pattern that drew his eye. She looked over her shoulder at him and giggled, knowing what the dress was doing to him.
She let go of his hand and stepped to the bed. When she got there, she reached down and pressed on the mattress, as if she was testing its strength. With a sultry grin she turned back to him.
"Tony, we spent the first three months without sex because we did not want to rush. The next three were spent in anticipation of the 'perfect moment' or interrupted by something. I had decided that we would make love tonight, come hell or high tide." Tony shut his eyes to keep his mouth from running away with a correction. Ziva smirked at his response. "And while tonight has been perfect, perfect or no, if you do not make love to me right here, right now, I will invent new ways to kill you with a paperclip, yes," she finished, her husky voice driving him more wild than before, if it was even possible.
She stalked to him and he was again reminded of the lioness from his dreams. When she reached him, one hand went to his chest while the other wrapped around his neck. She pulled him to her, his hands on her hips, and crushed his mouth with hers. Her tongue snaked into his mouth, dueling like master swordsmen, while his hands roamed her back and hair.
She pulled him back to the bed, lifting his shirt as she did so. When they came up for air, she took advantage and removed his shirt from his body. She placed small kisses on his chest, lightly biting his nipple. He groaned loudly, ramming her body into his in a promise of what was to come.
She moaned into him while he pushed the straps down her arms. She let go of his chest for a moment to let the dress fall to the floor. Her hands unbuckled his pants and they fell to the floor, taking his boxers with them. He lifted her up in his arms and placed her gently down on the bed.
After staring down at her for a moment, he rolled over her, taking a moment to admire her body. He was thankful that the dress had no room for underwear, as it would have meant more for him to take off to see the vision before him.
He leaned down and kissed her, his hands roaming her body.
"Tony…Please," she begged. He accommodated her with his hands while she writhed in pleasure. This was the farthest he'd gotten with her; it would only take moments to go the rest of the way. He positioned himself above her, staring into her eyes. She begged him with her body and he closed in on her.
Both their heads shot to his pants on the floor when they heard a phone ring.
"Wrong number," said Tony, not caring.
"Definitely. If not, they will leave a message," Ziva said, arching her back, reaching for him.
The sound of a second phone ringing from the dining room, where Ziva had left her bag, made them moan in frustration.
Tony sat up and grabbed his pants, pulling out the offending object, flipping it open. While he did this, Ziva ran to get her phone.
"DiNozzo," he barked into the phone.
"Tony, it's McGee. D.C. Metro just picked up Reynolds. They're bringing him in now. Gibbs wants all of us here immediately."
"You do realize, McDead Man, that you will pay for this, don't you," Tony growled angrily into the phone before slamming it shut.
"That was Gibbs," said Ziva from the doorway to his bedroom, still naked. "They found Reynolds and Gibbs wants us there now." If looks could kill, Gibbs would be a dead man. "Do not worry, my little hairy butt. I will convince Gibbs to let me interrogate, I will get him to crack within seconds, we will come back here, and I will roll your world," she said, anger at being unfulfilled yet again evident in every word.
"Rock, Zi."
"What does music have to do with it, unless me reaming your name counts." He chuckled.
"Screaming my name, Sweet Cheeks." She looked at him and raised her eyebrow. Tony knew that look. "Doesn't matter if I correct it now, Zi, tonight's happy ending just went up in smoke."
Ziva placed her hand over her lower abdomen and said, "Well, I do smell fire." Tony grabbed his pants and got dressed as Ziva went into the second drawer of what was now a shared dresser, and got some clothes to wear.