AN: Several of you have requested that we write the conversation between Ziva and Tony about her dad, so we're going to try. Sorry if it's disappointing.
MN: Once again circumstances have required the combination of Benadryl and Excedrin Tension Headache (which has a decent amount of caffeine) so any minute now things are going to get special. Hehehehehehe. That's how this whole story started too….
Finally satisfied that she had gotten all of the sand removed from her body and hair, Ziva turned off the shower. She stepped out, wrapping one towel around her body and another around her hair. She had let Tony have the first shower so she took her time brushing her teeth, blow-drying her hair, and changing into her pajamas.
When she finally exited the bathroom, she once again found the hotel room empty and the balcony door open. She stepped out into the breeze and moved to lean against the rail next to her partner. "We should think about going to bed soon. The wedding is tomorrow so it will be a long day."
He nodded but made no move to go back inside. "We going to finish that conversation from earlier?"
She sighed. Part of her had been hoping he would forget about the whole thing. "Alright. I said I would tell you about it." She shoved back and moved to one of the loungers, curling up on it.
He followed her, sitting where her legs would have been were they stretched out in front of her instead of pulled tightly to her chest. "So, for honesty on my part. The last words I said to your father were a couple of years ago and something to the point of him not being worthy of having you in his life. I told him he was poison to you."
She nodded. "I know. He told me before…" She took a steadying breath. "And he told me what he said to you too. But then he told me that he was lying when he said it. That night, he told me that he thought you were right. He agreed he hadn't been the father that I deserved to have."
He let her have a moment of silence and she needed it. The wound of her father's death was still harsh in her chest and she was trying so very hard not to cry. When she had once again bitten back the tears, she spoke again. "He told me that he thought you were the kind of man I deserved to have in my life. He said that you were loyal and protective, and that he could tell how much you cared for me by the way you had spoken about me to him. He said that he was grateful that you were part of my life." She chose to leave out the part where he father had told her she should wake up realize what she had before she lost out on the chance for true love with her partner.
They sat together in silence for several minutes, both looking anywhere but at one another. Finally, it was he who spoke. "Thank you. For sharing that with me, I mean. I know it's not easy for you to talk about him."
She nodded. "Most of the time it's not. But it wasn't all bad. I have some wonderful memories of him from my childhood. I try to focus on that and on what he was trying to do before he died. And I try to believe that he really did want to try to repair our relationship." Despite herself a tear slipped from her eye to slide down her cheek.
He reached over to brush the moisture from her cheek with his fingers. "How could he not have wanted that? He may have been lousy at expressing it, but he loved you. Of that I have no doubt."
She nodded, the movement rubbing her cheek against his palm which had lingered against her face. "Thank you, Tony. For always being here for me."
He grinned at her then. "Always. I did tell your father I would never stop protecting you, even if it was from him."
"He did not tell me that." She dropped her head slightly. If her father had hidden that comment of Tony's, what else had he kept from her
"He probably forgot. It was shortly after I said it that I tried to take a swing at him. I still think Gibbs should have let me hit him." His hand had moved from her cheek, but only so far as to play with one of her untamed curls.
"It probably would have done him some good." They once again lapsed into silence until the breeze picked up, carrying cooler air with it and she shivered.
He stood suddenly and held his hand out to her. "Come on, Ninja. Big day tomorrow. Let's get some sleep."
As was usual when she was focused and alert, Ziva sensed Tony approaching before he actually made his presence known to her. This sixth sense had her prepared for the glass of wine that suddenly appeared in front of her. She accepted it from him and brought it up to sniff as he lowered himself into the seat beside her, sitting sideways to face her.
The wedding ceremony had been beautiful. The weather had cooperated and the couple had exchanged vows, rings, and kisses on the beach before the guests moved inside for the reception. Dinner had been delicious and comprised almost entirely of traditional Hawaiian cuisine. Now the bar had been opened as the tables were being cleared. She knew that soon the DJ would start the music and all of the traditional wedding dances would commence.
She set down the glass and reached over to adjust her partner's tie. "I thought you were sticking close to Rainey and Seth?"
He brought his own glass of wine to his lips and took a sip before answering. "They're straight behind you about twelve feet, talking to the mother of the bride. I can see them from here."
A few minutes later, their charges rejoined them at the table as the Emcee began speaking. Ziva tuned him out, instead once again scanning the ballroom for anything out of the ordinary. Satisfied that nothing had really changed in the few minutes since her last look, she turned back to the table and picked up her wine glass, finally taking a sip. The liquid inside was sweet and just slightly tart and she recognized it immediately.
Her partner didn't miss the smile that touched her face. "I take it I remembered correctly?"
She let the smile spread. "You did. I'm impressed. Paris was a long time ago and you only heard the name once."
He shrugged as he took a sip of his own. "I remember that I ended up drinking half of your glass because it was so good. I'm not a white wine person, but this particular one has my stamp of approval. When I saw they had it at the bar, I had to order it."
"Thank you, Tony."
The reception was winding down. Those with children had already left as had most of the older attendees. Raney and Seth were wrapped in one another's arms on the dance floor, but she had lost track of Tony. The hairs raised at the back of her neck and a moment later he stepped into her peripheral view.
"Everything looks pretty quiet." He reached down and grasped her hand that had been resting on the table and pulled on it gently. "Come on. We haven't danced all night, Sweetcheeks."
She rolled her eyes but let him drag her to her feet. "Alright, one dance. But that is all."
As he led her to the dance floor, the song changed. This time she recognized the song immediately and stiffened as he pulled her into his arms. "I asked him to play it. I figured it was the best way to guarantee I'd get a dance from you."
She let herself relax in his arms and he pulled her tighter against him. "All you had to do was ask, Tony. The song wasn't required."
"Our song." His correction came with one of his thousand watt smiles and she returned it.
She lost herself in the music and in the feel of his arms around her. For once she didn't worry about anything; she just let herself enjoy the moment. As the song came to a close, however, he didn't release her. Instead he pulled her even tighter against him. She looked up to question him but before she could speak he dipped his head to press his lips against hers.
The kiss was gentle, a far cry different from the others they had shared while undercover throughout the years, but somehow more intense. He left his lips against hers for a long moment before drawing back slowly to look at her.
Still shocked by the boldness of his action she stared at him. When she finally found her voice and opened her mouth to speak, she was interrupted.
"Hey guys, ready to head upstairs?" Rainey seemed to have no clue as to what she had walked into.
Ziva forced a smile onto her face. "Sure. Let's go."
AN: I know, I am cruel, but it was getting a bit on the long side and I thought that was a good stopping point.
