The Gift of Trust

They had stepped a little ways into the room. Tony dropped the bags at the door, Ziva heard it. She was just standing there, thinking and taking everything in around her. She was staring at the bed and determining that there was plenty of room for both of them there. They needed to talk anyway and she knew it. They needed to do something with whatever was going on between them, because she couldn't take it anymore. She needed to have it somewhere close to the way it was again.

While Ziva was deep in thought about the two of them, Tony slowly moved up behind her as quietly as he could. He was not close enough to touch her with his body, but he was still very close behind her. He had to do something to get her to open up and now was his chance.

"I got you something, Ziva," he whispered, standing as close to her as he dared without scaring her. He was so afraid of scaring her after she had come back from Somalia.

Ziva jumped a little, though she tried to control it. She had not heard Tony coming so close to her. She was surprised by the sudden closeness, but she welcomed it; it made her feel safer. She had been so jumpy since her return from Somalia, so many months ago and she hated it, but she knew that it was Tony and she was going to be okay. Everything was getting slowly better with time; one day at a time.

She took a calming breath, reminding herself one more time that she was safe with Tony. She turned slowly to face him, wondering what he had gotten her. Her curiosity took over and she knew it was visible on her face. She allowed her walls to drop for him since they were completely alone now. She felt a little too comfortable around him and a little too safe and that scared her a little.

"You startled me, Tony," she said honestly, finally meeting his eyes with her own.

Her eyes told Tony that she felt safe with him and she was thankful that he was the one that was there with her; that she would rather him than anyone else. He was relieved at the messages her eyes were sending to him. He was thankful that her eyes never shut up and that she was choosing to give him the eye-contact that they thrived on desperately since they had first met.

"I thought that ninjas couldn't get surprised?" Tony asked playfully, feeling that he needed to keep the mood light, even though this was definitely a serious moment.

"When we go through as much as this ninja has gone through, then, yes, Tony, sometimes we get a little surprised. I was… I was just lost in my thoughts," she said to him, fluctuating between serious and light-hearted in the same comment, trying not to make too much of the situation; she knew it would overwhelm her if she remained serious the whole time. He knew that too, which was why he had taken to lightening the mood just a moment ago.

Tony smiled down toward her, seeing some of the light that used to exist in her eyes returning for the first time since her rescue, and held up a box in front of her. It was long and narrow, covered in black velvet. It was obviously for some type of jewelry. She narrowed her eyes at him as she saw the box, but her eyes remained fixed on Tony, as she had not allowed herself to do in a very long time. She could get totally lost in his spectacular green eyes and be perfectly happy for the rest of her life.

"You did say you got me something… um… jewelry, Tony?" she asked, unsure of how to react to this gesture.

Tony studied Ziva for a few minutes and noticed that she was glancing down at the box in his hands. She was asking him, silently, what was inside the box. He could see some excitement in her as she looked back up at him. He reached his other hand out and slowly opened the box for her. She gasped slightly in surprise at what it held.

"I noticed that you lost your Star of David when you were there," he said to her quietly.

He was ignoring the fact that they never mentioned Somalia or what happened over there. He made sure he didn't bring up the specific location, because he didn't want to hurt her anymore than she already was. He knew that something really awful had happened to her there, but he wanted to do something to help make it right again.

"I thought since it was very important to you, I would get you a new one," he added softly.

"This is really expensive, Tony," Ziva said, noticing this new Star of David pendant had tiny diamonds laced into it, where the old one had just been plain silver. "You did not have to do this for me."

"I wanted to do it, Ziva," he said softly, holding her gaze and reading the gratitude that was in her eyes. "It means a lot to you."

Ziva smiled up at him, the twinkle returning to her chocolate eyes. This was a genuine smile that Tony hadn't seen in a long time. Ziva took the box from him slowly. Before taking the necklace out of the box, she leaned up on her toes and kissed him gently on the lips.

They stood there for a moment with their lips pressed together, relishing in the feel of each other's soft lips. She was hesitant and so was he. But, they moved. His hands went gently to her back and hers wrapped slowly around his neck, locking each other in their places, with gentle care as to not alarm the other or cause any panic from memories that wanted to be lost.

Tony opened his mouth and his tongue licked at her bottom lip, asking for entrance, unsure if he would get it or not. She allowed it with her heart racing in her chest. Their tongues wrestled lightly with each other, exploring the other's mouth in the passionate kiss that they were sharing now. She was pouring her soul into him. She was trying to thank him for all he had done for her and trying to tell him what he really meant to her, because her words definitely would have failed her right now.

Tony was enjoying the taste that was so uniquely Ziva. He had only ever tasted it in a hungry and hurried kiss for show during their undercover operation so long ago. This kiss was so different from that one. He could feel all of her emotions pouring into him. She was sad, hurt, and lonely. But she loved him and wanted him to know it, but didn't know how to say it right then. She also trusted him and had some hope.

Tony poured everything he had into this kiss. He wanted her to know that he wasn't going anywhere, no matter what. He wanted her to know that he loved her and that he was always going to love her, no matter what. The kiss deepened.

Ziva could feel her body beginning to react to the contact between her and Tony, but she wasn't interested in going there right now. Tony could feel his body reacting to their closeness, but he was certainly not going to even think about taking her there now. She was still too hurt from her time in Somalia.

They pulled apart at the exact same moment and rested their foreheads together. Ziva looked down, away from him, unsure what to feel in this moment. She felt far too much. She knew that she loved him; that she was head over heels in love with him; that she, too, couldn't live without him. The emotions she was feeling scared her and made her feel safe at the same time. It was confusing her.

Tony was afraid of what he was feeling for Ziva now that he had told her without words how he felt. She returned those feelings, but he didn't know if she could handle it. He was afraid for her. She wasn't ready for that, and he knew it. Tony got the message though. She loved him and wasn't ready for more than a thank-you kiss that told him everything he ever wanted to know. She loved him. She trusted him. She couldn't live without him. He smiled slightly at what he knew.

They had finally given into those emotions and desires that had built up over the years of working together and it felt great! It felt right! They were both afraid though, because they had never given into each other or any other person quite like that. Tony knew, though, that she wasn't ready for more. He could see the fear building behind her eyes, even though she was looking away from him now.

"Thank you, Tony," she whispered, giving him a last longing look.

A/N – So, here's the kiss; the kiss that tells them everything. Please review and let me know what you think!