AN: I'm sorry to keep you all waiting. I do want to let you know that this story will be a little slower on the updates, at least until Tuesday of next week. This is my weekend to work and 8-9 hours shifts at a farm supply store on the weekend are murder. Hoping I can get this one up today (Friday) but then the next one won't get done till Monday or Tuesday. Also, thank you all for your wonderful reviews. I hope to get you all responses by the end of the weekend.
MN: AJ has greenlit this to be a fluffy piece of fluffy fluff, and I think that that's fan-fluffing-tastic! So, if you're looking for our usual Angsty buildup, this may not be the story for you! Also, we have decided to once again play with our work on persepective in this story and are going to write the entire thing (except for that little Prologue bit from Vance and the eventual Epilogue) from Ziva's POV. This is going to be a double challenge because we are much more comfortable writing from inside Tony's head than Ziva's. Hope we don't botch it!
Spoilers: We're gonna just have to add some spoilers for Berlin (10x21) because Sebby and I made the mistake of listening to jazz while writing.
Soundtrack: Go to YouTube. Search "I'm Glad There Is You by Jane Monheit" and play that once you hit the midchapter break and you'll get my exact experience with writing this.
As she watched Abby throw back what had to be her sixth shot, Ziva shook her head. She and Tony would definitely be shoving both of their friends in a cab when they left the bar. After dinner at the pub and a couple of beers all around, Abby had insisted they walk to a jazz bar a couple of blocks away and the liquor started flowing.
She and Tony had each done a couple of obligatory shots, but had mostly been nursing their drinks. She was currently just buzzed enough to be glad they had walked. By the time they made the walk back to her apartment, she would be almost completely sober and so would Tony, allowing him to safely drive home.
On their walk to dinner they had made plans for what was becoming their habitual Saturday run. It was her lightest cardio workout of the week, and Tony's most intense, but it was…fun. She'd come to look forward to the time with him in the park. They were spending quite a bit of time together in their unemployment, but the jovial tone of their runs was lighthearted and relaxing.
"What do you think?"
Abby's question pulled her from her thoughts and she looked back at her friend. "What?"
Abby giggled and rolled her eyes. "Were you listening to anything I said? Girls' day on Sunday?"
Ziva would have normally tried to find an excuse to get out of any event that was referred to as 'girls' day' but she was feeling guilty over tuning Abby out so she agreed quickly. "Yes. That sounds great."
She braced herself for the impact of Abby's overenthusiastic hug just in time to keep herself from being knocked off her barstool. "We can do facials so your skin will be all amazing and glowing for your interview on Monday. I bet you're excited to go back to work. It would drive me crazy to sit around with nothing to do for weeks on end!"
Ziva's eyes caught Tony's from where he stood at the bar with McGee and she smiled. "It has not been all bad."
Before she even realized her lips had curved upward, Abby saw the look and followed her gaze to the bar. "I can't help but notice you and Tony have been spending a lot of time together since you resigned. Please tell me that with Rule 12 out of the way, you two are finally getting busy!"
Ziva choked on her breath and her eyes snapped back to the chipper Goth. "Abby! I have no idea what you're talking about. Tony and I are friends. We have been keeping each other company. Sharing leads on potential jobs. Mostly we are working our way through his movie collection. Alphabetically."
Abby rolled her eyes dramatically and sighed as Tony and McGee approached their table with their hands full of drinks. "Whatever you say. Oh, look! They brought more shots!"
As she watched McGee and Abby sway slightly unsteadily on the dance floor, Ziva sensed Tony behind her. She had managed to develop an internal radar to his presence years ago to feed her need to know where he was. He reached around her, a glass of water in his hand.
She took the cold drink and swallowed a large sip. The bar had gotten far more crowded and with the added bodies, the temperature had risen. "Thank you."
He moved beside her to lean on the table, flashing her his typical 'Tony, thousand watt' smile and she couldn't help but smile back. "No problem. I figured you're probably about as done with the drinks as I am."
"Yes." She tilted her head in the general direction of McGee and Abby. "We should send them home soon. McGee has a brunch meeting with his editor tomorrow."
Tony nodded in agreement. "Let's give them one more song before we haul them out. Let the crazy kids have some fun."
A few moments later the music paused as the song changed and a familiar string of notes played. Before she fully registered what the song was, Tony had removed the water glass from her hand and set it on the table before taking her hand in his. He gently pulled her off the barstool and backed toward the dance floor. "They're playing our song, Sweetcheeks."
It was the first time either of them had referenced their time in Berlin in the slightest since their conversation in the woods near Gibbs' cabin. She thought about protesting, but he already had the hand that wasn't grasping hers settled on her waist and she decided to indulge them both. She smiled at him as they began gently rocking to the music. "I suppose I am going to have to be the girl, yes?"
He responded with a simple smile and Ziva found herself once again recalling the words her father had spoken to her so many years earlier. There was no doubt in her mind that Tony was a man who deserved to be loved. That most definitely wasn't what was keeping her from acting on her feelings for him.
When it really came down to it, her apprehension lay completely with herself. She was convinced that she did not deserve a man like Anthony DiNozzo Jr. And she was terrified that if he realized that after they'd become intimate that she would lose his friendship.
That fear is what had led to her confession to him in the woods. And to his credit, he had played the part of dutiful best friend perfectly since. He hadn't pushed her boundaries once. Even with this dance. As much as it meant to her, it was something typical of the 'post elevator us' (as Tony had put it).
Ziva took a deep breath and forced her thoughts to clear. She was going to enjoy this moment. Then she was going to corral her intoxicated friends and put them in a cab and head home.
AN: So Sebby decided he wanted a nap before work so I took over the writing and SURPRISE! (not) Angst ensued. Oops. But If I'm gonna do this from Ziva's POV I'm gonna do it right. I'm not going to try to ignore that conversation in the woods. It happened. We all know why. Might as well deal with it. Also, the scheduling god (aka my store manager) has smiled upon me and I am off Monday through Wednesday so I should be getting some writing done on those days.
