CHAPTER NINE
A/N: it's hard hearing that someone you've idolised your whole life, one of the strongest people you know only has a few months to live. My nan has always encouraged me to not only write stories but to tell them and live them, I was considering discontinuing this for now and writing all together (including giving up FINALLY finishing school - I'm resitting the last two years of school and I should be done in about six months) to help look after my nan but she made me promise not to so I'm going to continue with this, I probably won't be able to update as often as I usually do. But enough from me, here's the next chapter.
A/N: I only own the show when I'm dreaming.
When Gibbs 'retired' a few years ago Tony took Ziva to "celebrate" his promotion, even though they weren't really in the mood to celebrate. Tony always considered this their first real date, even though it didn't start as a date but merely two friends drinking away their sorrows together after a good meal. When they'd had enough of being inside they walked out into the garden holding hands and drunkenly staggering trying to hold the other up as they laughed at each other's inability to handle their alcohol. The garden had a small hedge maze, a labyrinth of sorts and the two of them had walked to the centre, taking their time and enjoying the night time stroll that was until he kissed her. She'd kissed back at first but then realised what she had been doing and pulled away before running away.
The restaurant was no longer their but a new, much more fancy one had replaced it. The type of place that didn't let their patrons get smashed and walk through the gardens, but the garden was still there as was the labyrinth. This is the place Tony was heading for when Ziva spoke for the first time since they'd left NCIS "where are we heading Tony? Why do I recognise this area?" she said as if trying to work out in her mind's eye where she was. Tony's embarrassed reply had Ziva confused "uh well you see, do you remember that place we went to the night Gibbs retired and gave me the team?" in a slow drawn out voice Ziva replied "yeees. But what has that got to do with anything?" of course she remembered that night, it was the first time they'd gone on a date and the first time he'd kissed her, a real not-for-undercover-purposes-only kiss, how could she forget?
"Well I've sort of always considered that to kinda have been our first. .ish." Tony said getting more and more flustered as he continued "that place isn't there anymore but the garden is and I thought maybe we could go back there and actually make it a real date, an important one. Maybe. If you don't wanna go we could maybe…" Ziva cut him off with a kiss that he was thankful they had stopped at a red light for.
She knew she thought of it as their first date, not that it was actually official or anything but after that kiss in the garden she'd hoped maybe it could mean more but she'd gotten scared and left. She may not have been Mossad anymore, but their things got said about women that slept with their bosses and from what she'd heard in the break room and the bathrooms, not a lot was different in America in that aspect. So she left, and when he ignored her the next day (and every day after until Gibbs got back) Ziva had decided he didn't feel the same, that it was just the alcohol that had made him kiss her, he'd had enough that he probably didn't even remember it. But hearing he'd felt the same way and realising that he'd probably seen her running as rejection she just needed to kiss him, to reassure him that she wanted to be there with him, that she had felt and still felt the same way about him that he did her.
Arriving at the restaurant Tony realised that while it may be a different owner and a different place, the set up was still the same (just in different colours) coincidently when they were seated he realised they were seated in the same spot they'd been seated in that other time, and from the faint blush in her cheeks, he guessed Ziva had realised it too. It didn't matter to him though, all that mattered was that tonight go perfectly. Leaning over to give Ziva a kiss, he picked up his menu as he sat back down, he wasn't too sure what all the food was, they could have at least translated the names, Ziva was the one that spoke French not him. Looking to her for help, she laughed and gave their order to the waiter in flawless French, not a great start but hopefully it'll get better when the food gets here Tony tried to assure himself.
The food was terrible, it was tasteless and dry. The bitter wine (the first glass of which the waiter spilled all over him, much to Ziva's amusement) was worse to choke down than the food. This was getting worse by the minute, he considered asking Ziva to dance with him when he saw the band moving towards the stage, but when they started doing bad renditions of sucky disco era one hit wonders he decided against it. Choking down what they could the only hope he had left of saving this date was going for a walk in the gardens, he's plans had in no way gone to plan and he just hoped once he got Ziva alone she'd forgive him for such an awful night so far.
Taking Ziva's hand in his he headed towards the back door away from the men on stage who seemed to be doing a better job mimicking drowning cats than actually singing, it was giving him a headache but he had to go through with this, and there is no way he could go through with it when inside was a disaster. She would laugh at him if he tried. Wandering seemingly aimlessly in the garden he was actually leading Ziva to the Labyrinth that lead to the centre, he remembered the silence in the centre so far from everything and everyone inside.
Halfway through the maze of now head high bushes Tony felt the first drop, he brushed it off thinking it was in his imagination that couldn't happen not tonight, it can't happen it'll ruin everything (not that it wasn't already mostly destroyed already). But just as they rounded a corner and hit a dead end the heavens opened up and they ran for shelter, not even paying attention to where he was leading her he just ran holding onto her hand, hearing her laugh he smiled through the distraught feelings entering his mind, she was enjoying this, maybe there was hope after all.
Reaching the shelter of what seemed to be a gazebo Tony pulled a still laughing Ziva into his arms, "this could not have gone worse if we tried Tony" Ziva gasped out between fits of giggles, she hadn't laughed in years as much as she'd laughed in these last six months with Tony, 'I want this to last forever' she thought, "it could you know" Tony said, had she said that out loud! Ziva though (inside her head this time) giving Tony a confused look she asked out loud "what?" smiling sweetly down at her he squeezed his arms tighter around her "this, it can last for ever if you want it to", letting Ziva go Tony realised maybe his chance hadn't been ruined after all.
Ziva continued to look oddly at Tony as he pulled back with a soft peck to her lips, she watched as he slipped his hand into his pocket momentarily and dropped to his knee in front of her, she'd seen this happen before, a couple of times at Mossad and more than enough times in those movies Tony make her watch with him, she knew what was going to happen, it was the only thing that could be happening but her brain couldn't seem to process that it was happening to her.
"Ziva David, when you came into my life you hit like a tornado, you turned everything upside down and made me question everything I thought about myself, I was lost and confused in a daily routine, I had order and structure. But when you came into my life you brought with you chaos and pandemonium, you made me see the light and gave me a purpose. I didn't know who I was when I met you, I was the playboy everyone saw me as because I didn't know what else to be. You gave me a way to be someone else, to see who I truly was. You became my best friend and for a long time I thought that would be all I needed from you, and then we kissed and I was thrown into chaos again left to question everything. But then I lost you, or at least I thought I did to Michael and everything that happened with him and after him. When I told you I couldn't live without you in that room, I thought I'd meant it as a friend and a partner. But not I know better, so I'm going to say it again, how I truly meant it to be. Ziva David, I love you with my whole heart. I cannot live without you in my life, I've tried and I can't. Will you marry me?"
Ziva dropped to her knees in front of Tony and with a teary whispered "yes" Tony slipped the ring onto her finger and held on tight, the two stayed that way in the gazebo as the rain poured around them waiting for their hearts to settle to a normal pace and the rain to give up on ruining their night.
A/N: that's all for now guys I hope you liked the proposal and it wasn't too OOC for you guys. Tune in next time for the teams reaction. Love Sky xoxo