Sorry for taking so long to update, AGAIN. I caught the flu recently and I feel like shit, and I just couldn't bring myself to update yesterday. But hey! I updated now, so that's gotta count for something, right? :/
Also, I really appreciate all the reviews and PM's I got to my recent Author's Note yesterday, it really did make my day a lot better with being sick and all, and I couldn't ask for better readers than you guys (or girls, but most likely girls)! You guys really are the best, and I really couldn't thank you all enough.
So without further ado, here is Chapter 16!
School had been an entirely new experience for Tony after he limped through those school doors with crutches and a brace on his torso, Ziva by his side helping him the whole way, the rest of his friends not far behind. When Tony had gotten inside, the hallways were completely empty, which was strange considering that they all had witnessed students unload from those bright yellow buses and file into the school. Tony was about to leave when from out of nowhere, half the school jumped out from various classrooms, all cheering as Tony stared in awe at them. One of the panels on the ceiling popped open, and a colorful banner came down with the words 'Happy Birthday Tony! Welcome back!' printed in large and rainbow-colored letters. Shit, I forgot today was my birthday...wow.
Students and teachers alike were hooting and hollering as they formed a single-file line and greeted Tony. Tony could barely contain his excitement as he realized something: They see me as a true human being now, one with actual emotions and with the ability to care and love.
Tony's mouth was wide-open as Principal Vance himself came over to him and shook his hand, wearing a giant smile on his face.
"Welcome back, Tony." Vance said, letting out a chuckle as he took note of Tony's look of pure surprise, happiness, and sheer awe. Tony rubbed his eyes and blinked a couple times, double-checking that he wasn't hallucinating or something like that. He even started to probe various parts of his body, unsure as to whether an alternate reality or a dream would be more realistic than what was happening now. Tony felt his collar being grabbed in a tight ball before a pair of lips crashed down onto his, sending the entire school into a volley of wolf-whistles, giggles, and shouts of congratulations. But Tony didn't perceive any of it, as the only thing he could focus on right now was the all too familiar pair of lips that were currently ravaging his face, lithe but muscular arms tight wrapped around his neck. I swear if I wasn't being supported on a pair of crutches, I'm dead certain that I would've collapsed on the floor grinning like a bumbling idiot.
The kiss lasted close to an entire 30 seconds before they slowly broke apart, their eyes never breaking eye-contact. Those beautiful Godiva dark-chocolate eyes that seemed to swirl with mischief, lust, and mystery.
"You knew?" Tony whispered in Ziva's ear, hot with pheromones lined with a tender and loving voice. Ziva simply looked at him, her eyebrows crooked that just screamed ya think?Tony couldn't help but grin at her.
"Well that was a helluva birthday present." Tony whispered again, and Ziva inconspicuously stroked Tony's crotch, causing him to moan loudly in her ear.
"That was simply a sneak peek, your real present has yet to come." Ziva whispered seductively and slipped out of his grasp, leaving a shell-shocked Tony gaping at her, his eyes wide open and mouth slightly agape. Ari laughed wildly as he slapped his hand on his shoulder, snapping him out of his trance.
"I approve!" Ari said as he put on a wide grin. Tony almost passed out right there at Ari's words. Wait-wha-what the! He's ok with Ziva and I having-wha-bu-wha!? Ari didn't sense Tony's awe in the slightest as Ari gave him a thumbs-up (obviously Ari didn't hear what Ziva whispered in Tony's ear, and he DEFINITELY didn't notice that Tony misunderstood ENTIRELY what Ari was trying to say). Before Tony could respond, Vance quickly re-assumed his control and authority over the school.
"Alright! Time for class!" Vance's voice boomed through the school. All the students groaned as they trudged back to their respective classrooms, leaving Vance to smile inwardly. Ha! I STILL got it!
Abby couldn't wipe the mischievous grin off her face as she went to her locker with Tali and McGee in tow. Because unbeknownst to Tony or Ziva, Abby could lip-read with a surgeon's precision, and she read every word they whispered to each other. Tali and McGee both noticed Abby's more-than-usual bubbly-ness, and quickly became suspicious.
"What is it, Abby?" Tali asked. Abby feigned ignorance as she held up her hands.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, Tali!" Abby giggled, practically skipping over to her locker. McGee and Tali shared a look of confusion before shrugging it off and going to their own lockers.
NCIS
The day had been one of the best Tony has had in his entire life, filled with laughs, celebration, friends all around, and spending time with Ziva. Chris was out of town for a week since he was asked to teach some fighting techniques to some of the newest recruits to the Navy SEALS, so Tony had the whole house to himself.
He was in the middle of watching a movie when the doorbell rang. Tony groaned as he paused the movie and hauled himself to his feet. He was surprised to see Ari standing there when he opened the door dressed in athletic wear with a gym bag slung over his shoulder.
"Hey Ari, what's up?" Tony asked, already knowing the answer.
"Hello, Tony. I was wondering if we could go to the gym together. You could perhaps be my trainer?" Ari asked hopefully. Tony gave a sincere smile as he picked up his sneakers and socks off the floor.
"Sure, Ari. I'd be glad to do that." Tony said, slipping on his shoes. Ari smiled as Tony grabbed his car keys and unlocked the SUV. Tony and Ari both got into the car and Tony drove away.
They arrived at the gym where Tony purchased a membership for Ari so he could have full access to the gym (which Ari was very grateful for).
"Wow, this place is huge!" Ari mused as Tony showed him around. Tony chuckled as he pointed to the stairwell.
"Up the stairs is an in-door football field!" Tony said, making Ari's jaw drop. Tony dragged Ari into the weight room and took a moment to properly size Ari up.
"You have Mossad training, correct?" Tony asked. Ari only nodded, drawing a grin from Tony.
"Good. Now from what I can tell, you are exceptional in every physical aspect, but your strength needs to be beyond exceptional." Tony said, causing Ari to give him a questioning look.
"The guys you'll be tackling have been training for years to get hit and keep running, so the kind of impacts you'll be facing will be very hard. You need all the strength you can get to help you bring them down instead of brushing past you." Tony said as he led Ari to a bench press. Tony began loading weights on either side of the bar and went behind it while Ari lowered himself down onto the bench.
"Ok, I'm going to help you get started on the first one, and you're going to bring the bar down slowly to your chest, then bring it back up. Take deep breaths, breathing out when yo're actually doing the work, or in this case, pushing the bar up." Tony said. Ari nodded as he brought the bar down slowly to his chest, then exhaling as he pushed it back up. Hmm, he learns fast. No doubt this should good for him.
NCIS
Two hours later, Ari limped into his house, drenched in sweat and his whole body aching. He ripped off his shirt and threw it in the washing machine before going into the kitchen and retrieving a cup from the cabinet and filled it with faucet water. He downed the whole cup in one swig and exhaled loudly in satisfaction.
"Tough workout?" Ziva asked, causing Ari to jump back in surprise.
"God Ziva! You scared the crap out of me!" Ari exclaimed, putting a hand on his chest. Ziva snorted as she pushed Ari out of the way, grabbing her own cup from the cabinet and filled it with tea, which she sipped from.
"Yeah, it was REALLY tough." Ari said, plopping down onto one of the wooden chairs Gibbs had crafted himself. "By the time we were finished, Tony had to practically carry me to the car because I was so wobbly!" Ari exclaimed, drawing a snicker from Ziva.
"Well look on the bright side, you'll do better in football, hopefully." Ziva chuckled.
"Ha ha, very funny." Ari growled, limping up the stairs to take a shower and ease his muscles under some steaming hot water. Ziva was almost finished with her tea when her phone vibrated, indicating that she had a text. Looking to see who it was, she took it out of her back pocket and smiled when she saw who it was. Tony.
Tony: Hey Ziva, wanna come over and watch a movie with me?
Ziva pondered it for a moment, then decided that she didn't have much to do since she already finished her homework and TV really wasn't appealing to her at the moment. Besides, she loved spending time with Tony.
Ziva: Sure Tony, I would like that. When can I come over?
Tony: Now is fine. I'll let you pick whatever movie you want to watch. I have a lot to choose from.
Ziva: Ok.
Ziva could hardly contain her excitement as he bounded up the stairs to grab Tony's football jacket that she practically wore everywhere and grabbed a pair of socks. Ziva knocked on Gibbs/Jenny's bedroom door, and a couple seconds later Jenny opened the door.
"Hi Jenny! I am going over to Tony's to watch a movie with him, if that is fine with you?" Ziva asked, internally pleading that she would say yes.
"Of course you can, Ziva! Just don't be home too late." Jenny winked at Ziva, causing to roll her eyes.
"Thanks, Jenny." Ziva said before running down the stairs, slipping on a pair of sneakers, and going out the front door. Ziva was pleased that the moment she rang the doorbell, it was thrown open and Tony was immediately devouring her face. The kiss lasted for a few minutes before they pulled apart and Ziva smiled at him, smacking him on the ass as she brushed past him. Tony yelped in surprise before shutting the front door.
"Crazy chick." Tony muttered as he locked the front door, still not entirely secure with being in a house that wasn't completely locked down.
"Hey! I heard that!" Ziva yelled from the living room, waiting for Tony to join her on the couch. Tony turned on the giant flat screen TV and opened the huge cabinet doors where his movie stash was collected. Ziva dropped her jaw in surprise to see the hundreds of movies that Tony had.
"So, you can pick what we watch first, that is, if we watch more than one." Tony smiled, completely unaware of Ziva's surprise as he reminisced in simply looking at the titles.
"Tony...why do you have so many movies?" Ziva asked. Tony cast his eyes downward for a moment, the subject 'touchy' for him. Tony exhaled a deep breath and closed his eyes.
"My Mom and I would always watch movies together. Every weekend, we would always have these special movie nights. My father would always be on business trips on the weekends, so it became a way to escape the feeling of... abandonment." Tony said quietly. Ziva couldn't even move, stunned into silence. She tried to apologize, but the words got caught in her throat.
"We would laugh together, cry together, smile together... My Mom was my best friend in every way, and no matter what, I always wanted to make her proud, to make her happy. I loved her more than life itself, and I would do anything for her." Tony said, talking more to himself as the memories flooded his mind.
"And it just hurt all the more...to watch her being murdered in front of my very eyes...it made me so...angry with myself. It made me feel so...useless...and weak. Chris always thought I did all this Navy SEAL stuff to make me stronger, to make me feel safe should my father ever show up again, but that's not how it is at all. I do it so I can feel better about myself, so I don't feel so...weak. Every ounce of effort I put into...anything really, I do for my Mom, to make her proud. I still don't know what I want do do with my life, whether I should actually become a Navy SEAL, or something else, but I just want to make a difference in people's lives. To help other's in need, to save lives, to bring closure to people." Tony said, tears flowing freely down his face.
"Movies became a way to connect with my Mom, I would always watch them and imagine that my Mom was right there, sitting right next to me as we ate ice cream together. Hell, sometimes I even talk to myself as if my Mom was actually listening. The reason I have so many movies is because movies became one of the last ways I could remember her, and it truly scares me, the thought of me ever forgetting a single aspect about her. I still remember everything about her, from the way she would flip her hair when it got in her face, the way she would smile, even the way she scratches her nose when she's confused. Each and every movie I ever watched with her I still keep. And every movie I had ever seen I keep, as if I'm storing memories." Tony said quietly. Ziva herself had tears pooling in her eyes as she slowly walked over to Tony. As soon as she touched him, Tony started sobbing as he hugged Ziva tightly, crying into her shoulder as Ziva whispered comforting words into his ear.
"It hurts...so much!" Tony croaked, his tears soaking Ziva's (well, Tony's) jacket. They stayed like this for several minutes before Tony ran out of tears and literally fell asleep in Ziva's arms, standing (seriously, how do people do that?). Ziva helped Tony onto the couch and laid him down on it. Ziva spotted a blanket draped over a chair and grabbed it, draping it over Tony's sleeping form. Ziva pondered on the next plan of action before Tony immediately started screaming. Ziva jumped in surprise as she saw Tony screaming in his sleep, tossing and turning as sweat quickly started forming on his brow. Ziva ran over and shook Tony's shoulder.
"Tony!" Ziva shouted, waking Tony from his nightmare with a start. Tony immediately sat up, his eyes wide with panic, breathing heavily.
"It was just a nightmare." Ziva assured him, and Tony sighed as he lowered himself back onto the couch. Deciding that Tony would need the comfort, Ziva took out her phone and sent a quick text to Ari.
Ziva: Ari, Tony had a nightmare tonight, so I am going to stay with him tonight to make sure he sleeps through the night.
Ari: Ok, I will tell Jenny.
Ziva pocketed her phone and curled up next to Tony underneath the blankets. Ziva snuggled into Tony's chest as Tony brought his arms around her.
"You don't have to stay if you don't want to." Tony said after a few minutes of silence, hoping Ziva would want to stay anyway. Ziva simply tightened her grip on Tony.
"I want to stay." Ziva said, pecking his chest through his white t-shirt. Tony sighed happily as he let his eyes shut, letting sleep slowly take him away.
"I love you." Tony mumbled as sleep finally took him away into dreamland. Ziva smiled as sleep slowly overtook her.
"I love you too." Ziva mumbled before falling asleep herself.
NCIS
The rest of Anthony's group was disposing of the test subject's body when a red 2013 Dodge Charger pulled up. Ralph came out of the car, just finishing a call before ending it and putting it in his pocket.
"Hurry up, boss wants the gas loaded in those tanks now!" Ralph shouted at the five men who were loading the body with metal weights.
"Got it, Ralph!" they responded, dumping the body into the water of a random pier. Ralph got back into his Charger and drove off, already calling Anthony back to let him now that the gas tanks were going to be filled and that the body had been hidden. As they all started off to their respective cars, one of the men approached another, a grin on his face.
"So, what was the excuse you gave him this time?" the man asked, drawing a grin from the other.
"Told him I had to teach some Navy SEAL recruits fighting techniques and that I'll be out of town for a week." the other man said. Both of them laughed as they approached their cars.
"Well I'll see you back at the warehouse Chris. Those gas tanks aren't going to fill themselves." he said, slapping Chris on the back. Chris grinned at him before jogging over to his own car.
Wait, WHAT!? Chris is a part of Tony's Dad's criminal organization!? WTF!?
Now HOLD ON, before you panic and quit the story, just stay with me here. I know some of you might just be all like "Oh my God, Chris is a bad guy, I'm so done with this story," and my response is that this is a story that will contain DRAMA and SUSPENSE, emphasis on the suspense part. So just stay with me here, I promise you that I do not aim to disappoint, and that I do aim for a happy ending. I do not want to give out any spoilers where everyone can see it, but if you are simply DYING for it, PM me and I'll get back to you, but I'll have to be kinda vague about it.
Anyways, don't forget to hit that REVIEW button. I do read each and every one of your reviews, and they never fail to bring a smile to my face. I truly appreciate them, and am grateful for each and every review I have received.