A/N – Hi everyone! What a premier of NCIS tonight! A little crazy. A little sad that we didn't actually get to see Ziva in this one, but I will live until next week, I hope. So, with all the emotions of Ziva leaving the show (and sad that the premier is finally here), I decided for something a little lighter and a little happier! I really hope you enjoy this chapter. I put a lot of thought into this one and it took me on a roller coaster ride! Enjoy.
White Sands Beach, Hawaii
She had been so confused when that call in MTAC took place. She thought about it repeatedly since it had happened. It had happened right after their mission in North Carolina, where they finally told Gibbs that they were together and he had waived rule twelve for them, which they were extremely happy about; it had happened as soon as they got back to NCIS after gathering their evidence from the crime scene and talking to all the possible suspects to get some clue as to who they were looking for.
Honestly, everything had been perfect in North Carolina. They were happy and Gibbs was happy for them. It was great! But, she needed to remind herself that there was something rather small about that night that she didn't know. She liked to forget that. Tony had asked for a moment alone with Gibbs. She remembered it clearly, but always forgot about it in the confusion she had in her mind about the call in MTAC after their weekend-long mission.
When Tony had asked, she was good. She ignored both her training and her instincts of needing to know everything and gone all the way upstairs, into the bedroom, and closed the door, so she wouldn't hear whatever they were talking about. She had extended a great deal of trust to Tony that night and it was all the trust that he deserved. But, that moment had driven her crazy, even though she had chosen to act as she had. She was curious about what had been talked about and why Tony had wanted to talk to Gibbs alone.
She hadn't asked Tony what it was about. She respected his wishes of keeping that conversation private. But, she certainly thought about it a lot. She wondered all the time what they talked about. She knew that whatever was said was between Tony and Gibbs, strictly. But, she was horribly confused.
What had her confused was that her and Tony had shared everything with each other throughout the year of their relationship up until that very moment. Yes they had known each other better than any two agents should know each other before they stared dating. But, after a year together they knew everything they could talk about with each other. They had been so incredibly open, sometimes to the point of hurting the other, but they ended up okay in the end, because of their openness and caring toward one another.
But, this was very different. Tony had wanted to talk to Gibbs without her, right after telling him that they were in a relationship. It was closed from the moment Tony had wanted to talk to Gibbs alone and it had remained closed.
She never asked Tony about the conversation. She respected Tony and Gibbs. She respected the fact that whatever their conversation was, it was between them. She figured that one day she would find out what it was. She had pushed the thought aside when they returned home for something else that ended up being more confusing and harder to interpret; something that nearly hurt and took more trust.
Her father had been on-screen in MTAC as soon as they got back to the headquarters of NCIS in Washington, DC. She had been confused as to why he was calling them, or they were calling him… whichever way that went, when she was called in there to talk to him. She had gone in, unwillingly, but without being coaxed. She had talked to him. She learned that he knew of the relationship she had with Tony and he had asked too many questions about that relationship. But, finally, she stood her ground with her father and decided it was time to make herself happy. She had gone through much of her life putting her own wants and needs aside to please him, despite the fact that she knew he was never going to fully accept her for what she was pretending to be.
The sole topic of conversation had been confusing enough by itself, but there was something far more confusing that followed. It was in the conversation after Eli David ended their phone call that had her the most confused about all of this. It was what she learned in that conversation that confused her so much. She remembered that conversation quite clearly, along with all of the emotions that had been flying through her at the time.
The call was cut. The screen first turned to a wide array of colors before it was shut off on their end too. It went dark. It was completely black now. She stood there staring at it for another short moment, unable to comprehend what had just happened, what had been said, and what had been asked and answered.
Ziva felt assaulted by her father's questioning. But, she also felt triumphant; she had finally done something to please herself. She felt like she won for the first time in her life, in regards to her father; basically she had ignored what he was asking of her and done something to please herself; she was no longer his Mossad Officer, she was a free person to do as she pleased, when she pleased.
Of course, Eli David wasn't a happy many about this. No. Not at all. But, she was happy. That was what mattered to her now. She didn't care about making her father happy with her anymore. She wanted to make a life for herself and if that life was going to include Tony, then that was what she wanted to do, with or without her father's approval. She had long ago stopped searching for his approval, and now she was able to show that.
All in all, Ziva felt free from her father. The call ended and she had proven to him that she was making her own choices and she was free from whatever he wished for her. But, she was also confused as to how he knew about her relationship with Tony, why he wanted to talk to her about it, why he had such a strong opinion on it, why he wanted to warn her about him after all this time, and what had caused this call to take place at all.
"Is there some case that I did not hear about?" she asked, turning around, finally, and facing Gibbs, figuring he must have been the source of the call… or the reason behind the call, since he was in the room.
"Nope," Gibbs said simply, with a slight sideways glance toward Tony before his eyes returned to Ziva.
If there was no case that involved Israel or Mossad then there was no reason to use MTAC to call Eli David, the Director of Mossad. Ziva felt her eyes narrow as confusion set in inside her and her curiosity grew a little more.
"Why did he call?" she asked, the confusing clear in her voice. Gibbs and Tony could also clear that she was doubting whatever Eli's motives might have been, but she could see a sideways glance exchanged between the two of them, and she realized that her assumption was wrong. He hadn't called them.
"He didn't" Gibbs said after sharing his glance with Tony, who was looking as white as a ghost now that he had to answer some questions. He looked as though he had been dreading the end of the call since Ziva had walked into the room and she could see it on his face. She grew still more curious and eager to get an answer.
Ziva's eyes narrowed again. This time it was the old, wild, and dangerous expression that was captured on her face. She didn't know why Gibbs kept looking at Tony or why either of them would have called Eli David in the first place. She realized that whatever this call was about, was not only something to do with Tony, but something to do with her as well, since she had been called into the room. She was suspicious now. She was going to double check herself this time before assuming though, since the last assumption had been wrong.
"Did you call him, Gibbs?" she asked, her suspicion obvious when she spoke.
"Nope," he repeated, shaking his head slightly.
"I did," Tony muttered, staring hard into Ziva's eyes as hers finally traveled to him when he finally spoke up, still looking a little pale.
Ziva's heart was racing a little and there was a knot in the pit of her stomach. Why had Tony called Eli David of all people to call from MTAC without having business involving Mossad? Why had he used NCIS for his time to call him?
Ziva felt a little panicked. She could feel a knot in her chest clenching tightly as the panic set in from the memories of dealing with her father. She was worried, also. Anything involving her father never ended well. What was going on? She was so confused by this move. She was barely breathing from the knot that had moved from her stomach to her chest, but she was also nearly hyperventilating and could feel a panic attack coming on; something she hadn't experienced since before going to Paris with Tony.
Ziva closed her eyes for a moment, and remembered that Tony never did anything without a very good reason. He wouldn't hurt her on purpose and he knew that this had to be worth whatever pain she was going to go through in seeing him again. She was already beginning to calm down, just knowing that Tony had a reason that was going to be a good one.
She looked up at Tony again, opening her eyes and staring into his. He knew that this hurt her, but he had to do it. His eyes told her that, even though his mouth couldn't. There was definitely some good reason that Tony had decided to call Eli David. She relaxed a little more, but was struck with more curiosity and more confusion.
She wanted to know what Tony could possibly have for a reason to call Eli when they had no case. She wanted to know what had made Tony see that it was okay to call Eli. What had off-set the need to keep Ziva happy and sacrifice it a little to talk to her father? She wanted to know. But, she also knew that she wasn't going to know just yet.
"Why?" she asked, even though she knew she wasn't going to get an answer.
Tony shrugged casually, though his eyes looked hurt. He glanced sideways at his boss for some kind of support. Gibbs only nodded to him. But then, decided to leave the room, giving Tony no additional support, but whispering to Ziva on the way out.
"Trust him, David," he whispered into her ear and left.
Tony's eyes returned to Ziva after watching his boss walk away. She stared into the depths of his green eyes. She relaxed a little under his intense gaze, knowing that she could trust him, even without knowing the reason behind this call and the emotions that talking to her father brought up inside her. She also knew that she could talk to him about these emotions and he would support her all the way through whatever she was feeling.
"Same reason I wanted to talk to Gibbs," Tony nearly whispered into the darkness of MTAC.
Ziva nodded to him. She didn't understand by any means. She was still horribly confused, but she trusted Tony. She knew that whatever Tony was keeping to himself now he was doing it for a good reason and probably going to tell her sooner rather than later. She sighed and closed her eyes again.
Ziva took one small, blind step forward without opening her eyes, knowing that her face showed her vulnerability now that no one was watching and that her emotions were pouring out of her and Tony could read every single one of them without needing her eyes to tell him.
She felt Tony's arms wrap around her waist. She also heard Gibbs whispered words ringing through her head again. "Trust him, David," he had whispered.
Ziva certainly did trust Tony. She had to trust him. She didn't know how to not trust Tony. She didn't think that was a possibility anymore. And, even though she knew this was hurting her and confusing her and striking her curiosity, she knew it was his business for now and she could trust him with whatever was going on that she didn't know about.
She was going to trust him and whatever he was doing. He hadn't called Eli to control her or hurt her and she knew that. He had called with a purpose, though her father hadn't given anything away while he spoke to her about her relationship.
She had thought about that conversation and the two weeks that followed a lot since they happened. She had spent countless hours thinking about it and finally realized how much she was relying on Tony to keep the trust that she was putting into him now. She had never placed that much trust in anyone else in her entire life. She knew that she could trust Tony with that, but also realized how much being with him was changing her; and she was okay with this. But, she still wanted to know, what was he up to?
Just because she trusted Tony, didn't mean she wasn't curious about what he was doing. But, things were already starting to fall into place, only a week after that important conversation in MTAC. It was another (short but important) conversation on their weekend off after their case closed. It was during that Friday night, when they had just gotten home from NCIS after turning in all their paperwork on the case.
"I want to go away the week after next," Tony said quietly as they entered his apartment, where they were now living together.
They had take-out in-hand and were heading toward the couch. He had said that as her back was turned to her. Instantly she started to panic. He wanted to take a week off… why? She was confused. What did he mean? Did he want to spend time apart? Did they rush into things? Did he need time away? What had she missed?
Ziva stopped dead where she was. She took in a breath. She could trust Tony, though she was sure that he noticed how she stiffened at his words. She set down the bags of take-out and sat down on the couch, leaving enough room for him. She faced him and watched him sit down. She knew that the confusion was still showing on her face, as though she had missed what he had said. Did he really just say that?
"I want to go away with you the week after next," Tony amended, taking her hand in his.
Ziva nodded. She was definitely 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. She was always up for a vacation, since she hadn't had many in her life, but this move made her curious.
She didn't say anything, though. She wasn't entirely sure what to say. Could they get the week off? Was it too late to ask for something so close to the time off that they both wanted? Would this work?
"Okay, honesty… 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, unable to find words for what she wanted to say.
She had gone through an array of emotions. Yes, he had requested time off for her, but he knew her well. She always wanted a vacation and sometimes (especially when you were dating your partner at work) you needed to take a vacation. She liked the thought 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 didn't want her to be angry.
Ziva moved without thinking, nearly leaping into his arms. Her mouth attached to his instantly and it was obviously not the response he was expecting out of her, though it didn't take him long to wrap his arms around her and for them to both forget about the take-out that they had gone out of their way to get, since it was Israeli food.
They didn't talk about the vacation further that night, the rest of the weekend, or most of the following week. And, although they had cold take-out that night, it was totally worth it. Her reaction had told him many things. One: they didn't have enough alone time at home. Two: she was definitely okay with what he had done. Three: they loved each other more and more everyday. And four: they needed to spend more time in the bedroom, because there was some pent up sexual tension between them from just the few exhausting days that case had given them without time for each other.
It was later that week that they had finally found the time to really discuss this vacation further. Ziva was able to tell Tony, with words, that she was excited about going away for a week with him. She wanted to go, because her time with Tony was always great and she was looking forward to a whole week of just the two of them and nothing to interrupt them and what they wanted to do. It would be a piece of heaven, though she knew she would miss working if that was the way she lived all the time.
They were already in Hawaii, though, as she thought back on all of this. They had been here for two full days. But, the pieces were starting to make sense now that she was here. She was starting to catch onto what was going on, finally. The curious conversation with Gibbs, the confusing call to her father, the fancy dinner the night before they left, the romantic evening their first night here, the romantic atmosphere that Tony was providing, and most of all this wonderful vacation which allowed them to get totally lost in each other without worrying about missing an important phone call from their boss.
Ziva stood now on the white sands of the beach near their rented house. It was late, probably already after ten. The moon was full and shining high in the sky above their heads. She had her eyes closed just taking it all in. she loved the warm, evening breeze drifting in off the ocean and thoroughly enjoyed the feel of Tony's arms wrapped around her waist as she stood there.
The past two days here had been absolute heaven. There had been no work, no stress, no lives threatened, no murders, no forensic evidence, no bodies, and no crime scenes. It was something she never thought she would see for a day in her life. She was just with Tony and he was with her. It was the way a vacation was supposed to be.
Tony moved just a little to come up next to her. He took his arms from around her middle and she missed his tough as soon as it left her. But, both of his hands found hers and their fingers automatically laced together. She knew this was going to be a very serious moment. She even thought she knew what was coming at her. Her heart was already racing as she looked up into his deep, green eyes, which stared into her own chocolate-colored ones.
They stood there for a moment in silence. Her heart was racing and she knew her cheeks were flushed. She could feel adrenaline coursing through her veins. She knew now. It all made sense now. He wore a look of absolute love and adoration and he had such a serious expression that she knew exactly what he was going to ask at the end of whatever he had to say to her. She let a small smile play on her lips as he stood there gazing into her eyes as though he could see right through to her soul.
Tony's mouth pulled up a little at the corners, giving her a smile to answer hers, as though he realized what he was going to get the answer he wanted out of her, even though he hadn't said anything yet. He had not known what to say and even though he didn't, when she smiled, he knew that his heart would speak for him; he had to trust that. Tony squeezed her hands a little and as if on queue, when her smile came, he spoke to her.
"Ziva, we've known each other for six years now. You walked into my life at the worst possibly time… okay, maybe not the absolute worst, but definitely top five worst," he began, already needing to correct himself, as he was unsure of what to say to her. "You came into that squad room in your cargo pants and plain T-shirt, with your wild hair down and curly, just the way I love it… I had just lost a best friend and coworker who was like a sister to me and I was devastated by that fact… you walked in while I was having a childish moment, and let's just say you had me at phone sex…."
They both laughed, remembering the moment that they first met. Tony squeezed her hand a little and continued on.
"You were wild, dangerous, more than off-limits, frightening, and beautiful. But, you squeezed your way into my heart that day in that squad room. I had to follow you and spy on you and you caught me, which was something that hadn't ever happened before. I tried to play it cool for a long time, but somehow I think you knew what was going on deep inside my heart. We had to survive an undercover mission as a married couple, a fake relationship assigned to me, the death of Jenny, a reassignment, a fake relationship assigned to you, leaving you behind, you going through hell, me going through hell to find your in hell, and so much more. But, we survived every bit of it, Ziva. We did it together.
"Things were so different when we rescued you. You were different. I was different. The team was different. We were different. But, we started to heal together. In Paris things began to change between us, though I didn't want to admit that, because I knew you weren't ready then. So, I did what I could and kept it to myself. I only wanted to help you.
"When you reached out and asked me to help you, I was thrilled. I was glad that you trusted me enough to do that for you, but I knew that it would change us, just as Paris had. But, things escalated quickly enough. I don't consider that last vacation really a vacation, because most of that time we were still avoiding what we needed to discuss. But, we finally did it and pulled our act together. We were together, finally. That was the best moment of my life up to right then. I was so happy. I don't even know how to say it.
"After a wonderful year, I'm happier than I ever dreamed. We've certainly had our ups and downs as we adjusted to being in a relationship and we've dealt with them wonderfully together, as a team, as partners, as soul-mates. I can't picture my life without you, I can't live without you, and I don't want to. Ziva Adina David, will you marry me?"
Tony dropped to one knee, holding out a diamond ring in front of him. Ziva had tears in her eyes. She could barely breathe, let alone answer him. The light of the moon illuminated the diamond on top of the ring and she knew that was his mother's ring. It was beautiful, intricate, and small. It fit them. It suited them in every possible way.
Ziva dropped to her knees from all of the emotions of love and contentment coursing through her body. She kneeled in front of Tony, level with him, equal to him, with a wide smile on her face, tears of happiness pouring down her cheeks.
"Yes! Yes, Anthony Daniel DiNozzo! I will marry you!" she managed to say and leaned forward finally giving into the impulse and kissing him, their lips crashing together, tears of joy streaming down both of their faces.
Ziva was trembling in his arms as he found her left hand and her ring finger, slipping the ring into place. It was a perfect fit. Her arms instantly went around his neck and held him in place, while his went to her waist, locking her whole body to him. The moment was perfect, everything was right and she found her happy ending, even though she knew the story was far from over. It was a beginning of the new and the ending of the old, making her realize that it was a happy beginning and not an ending at all. She was committed to him, and he to her. It was more than she ever dreamed she could have in life and she was happy beyond description.
Everything made sense. He had talked to Gibbs about this. Gibbs had suggested he call Eli, which was why Eli had wanted to talk to Ziva but hadn't mentioned the reason for the call. Tony called Eli to tell him what he was planning, not to ask, because she knew what her father would have said. Tony planned the week off without asking her, worrying that she was angry. The romance of the vacation fit in perfectly with this very moment. How could she be anything other than overjoyed right now?