AN: Sorry for the continued delay guys. For those of you not following us on Facebook, I totally forgot when I posted the last chapter that I had a family affair to attend to on Sunday, so I didn't get to write then. And, I dunno what's up with him, but Sebby is in a funk. Add that to the fact that the weather is aggravating an old arm injury making typing either difficult or painful, and we've pretty much been spending our evenings curled up in bed, watching NCIS from the beginning. You will notice a lack of a Muse's Note on this chapter. Sebastian is being completely non-communicative at the moment so I guess I'm on my own here.
Ziva slammed the bathroom door behind her a little harder than was necessary as she exited it. She and Tony had gotten the…how had he put it? Right, the short end of the sticks when it came to accommodations. They had been the last training team to arrive at the company's facility in Rural Idaho (the other teams having arrived the previous day) and had been stuck with the last available cabin. It had been left unoccupied because the hot water tank was on the fritz so the shower she had just taken had been tepid at best.
"I take it the stories of our crappy water heater were in no way exaggerated?" Tony's voice nearly made her jump as she'd been alone in the cabin when she'd entered the bathroom.
"Yes. This is going to be a long two weeks if they do not get it fixed. I do not mind getting sweaty and dirty, but I would much prefer a hot shower to wash it off at the end of the day." She reached into the bag sitting open on her bed and started unpacking the contents.
Tony shoved himself from his own bed. "The maintenance guy said the part has been ordered and should be here in the next two days. I'm sure you can tough it out that long, My Ninja. Or there is still that offer from the guys next door for you to use their shower. And beds."
Her hands froze around a hardcover book and her head snapped to the side to glare at him. "I'm sure after practicing take downs this afternoon, that offer no longer stands."
Tony grinned back at her, a mischievous glint in his eyes. "I might have mentioned to them that you snore too."
She knew he was joking but threw the book in her hand at him anyway. He easily caught it and moved to set it on her nightstand. "I think surviving the cold showers will be easier than having to share a confined space with you for two weeks."
"Well, you're in luck there. I don't think we'll be here much. In fact, we won't be here in two minutes. We have to go over to the main building. We have to make up for what we missed yesterday afternoon and this morning. Luckily we get to skip the lecture on the exactly where our authority legally ends since they're pretty sure we already know that, but orientation is, apparently, required. And it starts as soon as we get back over there." His eyes raked up and down her form and his grin once again widened. "You may want to pull on some sweats. I have a feeling the instructor might like it a little too much if you show up wearing that."
She glanced down and sighed. In anticipation of curling up in bed to read, she had changed into shorts and a tank top. She pulled her sweatpants and hoodie from her bag and pulled them on followed by socks and her boots. "Come on, Tony. Let's go get this over with."
A smile played on Ziva's lips as she walked from the cabin to the main building for breakfast. Tony had shouted to her that he was leaving while she showered after her run, so she was walking by herself, and that was fine with her. While she liked her urban runs, the path she had taken through the woods today had been delightfully challenging and serenely quiet.
As she approached the door to the main building, she paused with her hand on the handle to listen. The practice was mostly out of habit, but this time also fueled by curiosity about their training companions. The conversation inside the building, however, was not what she was expecting.
"So, DiNozzo, level with us. That partner of yours: you're hitting that, right?" Ziva recognized the voice as one of the guys who had propositioned her the previous evening and scowled. She had half a mind to march in there and level the guy, but chose to peer through the window instead.
What she saw surprised her. She had expected Tony to brush the comment off or crack a joke, but instead he launched from his chair and knocked the other man out of his in one smooth movement. Two of the other men grabbed Tony, but he quickly put up his hands and his shoulders relaxed.
"Hey, I'm cool. But you…" He jabbed a finger at the man sitting on the floor wiping blood from his lip. "You stay the hell away from my partner. And I damned well better not hear anyone else talking about her like that. She is more qualified for this job than any of us, and she took all of you down last night without breaking a sweat. You will show her the respect she deserves. Am I clear?"
The rest of the room's occupants murmured their agreement as Tony returned to his seat and focused his attention on the food before him. Ziva waited a few minutes before she pushed open the door and strode through it, careful to seem as though she knew nothing of what had just transpired.
She helped herself to a bowl of oatmeal and some fresh fruit then joined Tony at the table where he now sat alone. He shot her a smile, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. She forced herself to ignore his tension. "So, do you remember what they said was up first today?"
He was more playing with his food than eating at this point. "Evidence collection. Should be an east A for us. Then this afternoon is marksmanship. That might be difficult for you considering the point will be to disable while leaving the target alive."
She kicked his shin under the table, although much more softly than she normally would have. "Very funny. But if we tape your hat to the target, you should do just fine, yes? It seems you can't pass up an opportunity to add ventilation."
This time the smile that spread on his face was genuine and she saw some of the tension ease out of his frame. "I'll have you know that I haven't shot holes in my cover in more years than I've known you. But when was the last time you managed to neutralize a suspect without permanent damage?"
Ziva shrugged as she popped a grape in her mouth. "I generally hit exactly where I mean to. Even with paperclips."
AN: Sebby is starting to feel just a bit better. The whole thing of making the paperclips a recurring theme was even his idea. Going to try to get another chapter up before work on Thursday, but I make no promises. Also, I am going to try very hard to get this wrapped up in a nice neat little box by month's end because my life is going to get very crazy soon. Also, once again, please check out our Facebook page and send us some ideas for our next stories. The link is on our profile!
