Vacation Idea

After the conversation with Eli on Monday, Ziva had been fairly drained the rest of the week, but she hadn't ever been happier with her life. She knew for sure that she trusted Tony and felt like she could take on the world with this new-found assurance in her trust toward him. She knew for sure that with Tony by her side, she could do anything. After all, she had taken on the great Eli David and stood up for herself and what she wanted finally. She had never felt so free of her old ties before as she did now.

With Ziva's triumphant feeling and her idea that she could take on the world, she was not surprised that they had a difficult case. They, somehow, made it through it. It had required long nights, a lot of thought, and too many coffees to think about. But, they were done with it and it was Friday. That meant that they had a rare weekend off. It was a relief and Gibbs told them that they weren't on-call as long as he got their paperwork before they left.

They were just finishing up at their desks now and Ziva knew that her and Tony had not found any time to talk to the rest of the team, but honestly, this weekend wasn't going to do at all. They had not spent much quality time with each other through this horrific case and they needed the alone-time before anything else could be scheduled involving their friends.

Ziva stood and stretched, handing Gibbs her file-folder and Tony mimicked her. Gibbs looked at Tony's to make sure it was actually done. He signed both folders and nodded to the two of them, indicating that they should go home and enjoy themselves.

The ride home, in a shared car, was silent, since both agents were exhausted and hungry. They stopped down the street from their apartment and grabbed some Chinese take-out and made their way home. They walked up the stairs, because apparently the elevator was out-of-order, which was not good if there was someone in the building in a wheelchair. Ziva hoped it would be fixed soon for those people, though she didn't mind the stairs and Tony was too tired to complain about them.

Ziva unlocked the door, since Tony was carrying the food. They entered into the darkness of the apartment and Ziva flipped the light switch on.

"I want to go away the week after next," Tony said quietly, as he set down his keys and took off his tie.

They were heading toward the couch. Tony had spoken with Ziva's back turned to him. Instantly she began to panic. He wanted to take a week off… why? She was confused, but she was also tired. What does he mean? Ziva thought, trying to force her brain to function properly. Does he mean he wants to spend time apart? Did we rush into this? What did I miss?

Ziva stopped dead, halfway between the couch and the door. She took in a breath. She knew she could trust Tony and her mind was going automatically, as it had gone since she was a little girl and learned that she couldn't trust men. Tony, of course, noticed how she stiffened at his words. She set down the bag she had in her hand and sat down slowly on the couch, leaving enough room for him. She faced him and watched him as he sat down beside her. She knew the confusion was still showing on her face and she could see that he understood where she was confused.

"I want to go away with you the week after next," Tony amended, taking her hand in his gently.

Ziva nodded, with a smile forming on her face. She was curious about what had brought this on. It wasn't that she didn't want to spend time away from work with Tony, but she was curious as to why he wanted to go away wit her. She was always up for another vacation (especially one with him), since she hadn't had very many in her life, but this move made her curious.

She didn't say anything, though. She wasn't entirely sure what to say to him. Could they get a week off? Was it too late to ask for something so close to the time off that they both wanted? Would this work out? Should she get her hopes up?

"Okay, honestly… I already talked to Gibbs and Vance…. We've both got that week off and I would like to take you to Hawaii… well, actually, I already bought the plane tickets, too…. It's warm there, the way you like it. There's sand and water, so it's nice…. We could really enjoy ourselves… if you want to do something different, that's okay, too…. But, if you are mad at me for requesting time off for you, I'll understand… I mean, I didn't exactly ask you, did I?"

"Tony," Ziva said in a breathy voice, interrupting his nervous rambling, and not entirely sure what to say to him at the moment. She squeezed his hand and smiled at him softly; Tony really was incredible.

Ziva had gone through many emotions that Tony had seen on her face as he spoke. He could see, however, that it was not a mistake to request the time off for his partner and hopefully-future wife. He knew her well, though. She always wanted another vacation and sometimes (especially when you were dating your partner from work) you needed to take a vacation. He could see that she liked the idea of going to Hawaii, and was really touched at how much thought he had put into it and how he had done all this as a surprise to her. She wanted to chuckle about his worrying about whether she would be okay with it or not, but she knew that it was only because he loved her and dint want her to be angry at all (and especially not at him).

Zva moved without thinking, nearly leaping into his arms. Her mouth attached to his instantly and it was obviously not the response he was expecting from her in that moment, though it didn't take him long to wrap his arms around his ninja and for them to both forget about the take-out that they had gone out of their way to get tonight. Tony knew that this answer was a definite yes to spending their time together.

A/N – Alright, so we made it through a week we see our Ziva questioning herself a little and then understanding a little more and acting a little unusual for her, throwing herself into Tony. Well, I guess love changes a person a little. Review and tell me your thoughts!