AN: On to the moment you've all been waiting for: vacation in Hawaii! Hopefully this earns me at least a little bit of forgiveness for the long delay between posts again.
MN: Tony and Ziva can keep Hawaii. We have a current temp of 52F. The window is open, the fuzzy socks are on, the blankie is wrapped around us, and the baggy sweatshirt is standing by! I love fall!
Ziva opened her eyes at the sound of a glass being set down beside her and raised an eyebrow at the beverage. It looked sweet and was garnished with fruit and one of those little paper umbrellas. She shifted her gaze from the table to her partner. "Isn't it a bit early for a drink?"
It was 1100 hours on their first morning in Hawaii. They had arrived the night before and settled into the hotel. The time change had hit all four travelers hard and they had called it an early night which had resulted in both herself and Tony being out of bed by 6am. She had gone for a run while he had opted for swimming laps in one of the resorts many pools.
After their workouts they had both showered and dressed then met their travelling companions for breakfast. Lorraine Clark, or Rainey as she preferred to be called was actually quite pleasant. She found the assignment of body guards just as ridiculous as they did and had vowed during the flight to make the week as fun for Tony and Ziva as possible, which is why she and Ziva were currently stretched out in lounge chairs on the beach soaking in the sun.
Sun which her partner was now blocking. "Relax. It's just a fruit juice mix and Sprite. We thought you two might be thirsty. You've been out here for an hour."
She glanced to her left to see that Rainey's boyfriend, Seth Wick, had delivered an identical drink and was now rubbing lotion into his girlfriend's back. "Well, in that case, thank you. I thought you two were going to take surfing lessons." She picked up the drink and took a tentative sip.
Tony shrugged as he plopped himself into the chair to her right. "We were. But then we got to the 'you should not participate if' section of the waiver and decided it was a bad idea. They specifically mentioned knee injuries and Seth decided that anything that required him to file his health insurance information was not worth it."
Ziva chuckled then took another sip of the deliciously refreshing beverage before responding. "So what's the plan then? I know we have to attend the meet and greet this afternoon, but what are you going to do until then?"
Tony grinned. "Well, personally, I plan on working on my tan." He pulled his shirt over his head and kicked off his flipflops then turned, bringing his legs up onto the lounger, wincing slightly as he did so.
Ziva caught the grimace and frowned. "Is your knee still bothering you?"
Tony shook his head. "No, it's fine. My back is just a little stiff. That couch in our room has lumps."
The room they had been booked had only a single king sized bed, in keeping with their cover. Ziva had offered to take the couch again, but her partner had insisted that it was his turn. She opened her mouth to protest but he held up a hand. "We'll talk about it later. For now, we are under strict orders from Ducky to enjoy ourselves, and we both know better than to argue with him."
As they exited Rainey and Seth's room, Tony turned left. Their room was the next one down, but Ziva paused. "I think I'm going to go for a walk on the beach."
He stopped and turned toward her. "You want company? Or did you want some time to yourself?"
She could tell he genuinely wanted to join her and, surprisingly, she didn't feel any pressing need for time alone. "You can join me if you'd like."
He turned to follow her to the elevator. They rode down in silence, then crossed the hotel's gorgeous foyer and exited through a door that exited out to a path that led directly to the beach. When they reached the edge of the sand they both slipped their sandals off, leaving them at the sidewalk. By wordless agreement, they walked to the firmer, damp sand where the waves were lapping calmly at the shore.
Even though it was mid-September, the temperature at night was staying in the mid to upper seventies. As a result, neither of them had bothered to change into long pants as evening had arrived. Ziva was grateful to still be wearing shorts as the warm water repeatedly rushed against her feet and ankles before retreating back into the sea. They walked slowly, both enjoying the moonlit scenery of the beach and the clarity of the stars above them.
They had been walking across the sand for at least ten minutes when Tony broke their silence. "So, I keep meaning to ask you something, but there never seems to really be a right time for it."
She glanced over at him as he spoke. The moon was lighting his face softly and she could tell he was staring straight down the beach. "Alright. So ask."
"What are you going to do if Gibbs comes back? What if everything gets fixed and we get asked to go back to NCIS. Would you?" His tone was far more serious than what she was used to from him.
She pondered his question in silence for several minutes before answering. "I don't know. I loved being an NCIS agent and making a difference, but I find myself growing fonder and fonder of this new chapter in my life as well. I suppose it is something we would have to discuss."
She let him consider her reply for a moment before turning the question back around on him. "What would you do? Would you want to go back?"
"I don't know either, Zi. Honestly, I'm really mad at Gibbs still for disappearing after we did what we did. And a part of me has been feeling burnt out for a while now. I guess it started after what happened to EJ's team and everything we've gone through since just made it worse. By the time we quit, I was just so exhausted. Mentally, physically, emotionally. I'm not sure I have what it takes to do the job any more, but I don't want to let anyone down either. I mean, what happens to you if you go back and I don't? Would they keep you and McGee together or would they split you up? I don't like the idea of someone I don't know being the one responsible for watching your six. And at the same time, I don't know if I'm capable of doing it right myself anymore, not at NCIS."
She stopped walking at the pained tone of his last admission and grabbed his hand so he would do the same. She waited for him to turn and face her before she spoke. "Tony, I know you are perfectly capable in having my back in any way I need you to. But knowing what you just told me, even if I did decide to take back my badge, I wouldn't want you to come back just because of me. The last couple of months, you've reminded me more of the old you. The you that you were before Jeanne."
His eyebrow crooked up at her in confusion and she shook her head. "I don't mean that you reverted to your painfully juvenile ways. What I mean is, you've been happier, more relaxed. You don't seem like you feel the weight of the world on your shoulders anymore. I won't let you give that up for me."
They stood for a few more moments in revelation before Tony squeezed her hand gently then released it. He turned back toward the hotel and started walking slowly in the direction they had come.
Ziva let them continue in silence long enough to process the conversation before speaking again. "About the couch, there is no point in you destroying your back. If we can share your bed, we can share a king sized one."
He opened his mouth to protest but she shot him a glare and he nodded instead. "Okay. Right. Sharing like adults. So, what's on the agenda for tomorrow?"
"There is a women's brunch at 1030 hours. There have been some things arranged for the men as well I believe. I'm not sure about later in the day, however." She was a little surprised to find that they were approaching the hotel already and turned up the beach toward the path where they had left their sandals.
"That had to have been planned by a woman. Strange women don't seem to mind being forced to socialize with one another, but when a whole bunch of guys who don't know each other have to hang out, it's weird." Her partner was now a few strides ahead of her. He reached the sidewalk first and began brushing the sand from his feet as she caught up with him and did the same.
"Tony, you have been shot, stabbed, tortured, poisoned, and infected with the plague. I'm sure you can handle a few hours with some men you don't know." She slid her feet into her shoes and turned toward the door to the hotel, satisfied that any awkwardness between them due to their conversation was now passed.
AN: This one got a little longer than some of the others, but I really got into their conversation. I have absolutely no idea at this point where this story is going, so I hope you will all continue to bear with me. Hopefully I can get the next bit written soon!
