Tony must have fallen asleep because the first rays of light were just peaking in through the window when he heard Ziva moan. She moaned again and brought one of her hands to her head. Tony let himself laugh out loud at the massive hangover she must be feeling. His laughter surprised her and she spun to face him like a viper ready to strike. When she saw it was only Tony she resumed her whines and started to massage her temples.
"What are you doing in my bed?" she accused him.
He gave her an annoyed look and rattled his handcuffed wrist against the headboard. "Seriously?! You handcuffed me here. Remember? Then you threw the key across the room. Can you please get it before I pee all over your sheets!"
Ziva burst into laughter and grabbed her head in pain. "The last thing I remember was doing shots at the bar." She kept laughing despite the pain the movement added to her hangover. "I got the jump on you when I was that drunk?"
"I had my hands full tending to your completely drunken self. Will you get the key now! Hurry!"
She kept laughing. "Where is it?" She wasn't even attempting to hide her amusement.
"You threw it over there by the window. Ziva I really need to pee!" Tony bounced up and down indicating the urgency of his need.
Ziva found the key sitting on the floor beneath her window and returned to stand a few feet from Tony's reach. She wanted to torture and tease him a bit more. She justified her actions telling herself that Tony would do it her if their positions were reversed.
"I see that you managed to remove my pants along with your own," she indicated the erection tenting his boxers.
"It's the morning. Now hurry up before I pee on you." He warned. "And you were strapped to the nines. Who wears a thigh holster with long pants?"
Ziva unlocked Tony's wrist and he sprinted to the bathroom. He didn't even bother to close the door, bee lining it to the toilet. He peed on and on, sighing in relief as the pain in his bladder began to subside. He tried to hide his erection as he reentered Ziva's room.
"I cannot wait to tell everyone that I managed to handcuff you to my bed when I was so incredibly drunk." She was enjoying this way too much. It made her handover absolutely worth it.
Tony deadpanned back to her. "Well, now I'm glad that I got so much video of your antics last evening. I didn't know you had an entire dance choreographed to Madonna's 'Like a Prayer'. It was quite illuminating. The thrusting hips and the jazz hands was an odd combination." Tony kept his face stoic, but demonstrated exactly what he'd meant lifting both his hand and shaking them in jazz hands style while thrusting his hips ridiculously.
The color drained from Ziva's face as she looked back at him in horror. He smirked at her reveling in his quick thinking, and her absolute belief in his lie.
"Tony," she begged, "I will do anything. Please delete the video."
"I'll think I'll hold onto it for awhile." He warned. "Wait…anything?" he asked referring to her begging promise.
"Tony, please delete that video."
"Relax. I won't show it to anyone. Well, not until you do something to make me. You'd be wise to start treating me with a bit more respect." He knew he was just torturing her now, but he'd earned it after spending the night handcuffed to her headboard. "How about you make me breakfast. Actually, I think I want another hour of sleep." He took off his button down and climbed back under Ziva's sheets. It was barely light out and he had nowhere to be today.
"Where is my car? How did we get back here last night?" Ziva questioned, still massaging her temples trying to rub her throbbing headache away.
"We took a cab. Everyone left their cars at the bar."
"Was everyone as drunk as I was?" She asked.
"No. I don't think anyone has ever been as drunk as you were last night. Ever…"
Ziva groaned. "How badly did I embarrass myself?"
"You mean aside from begging me to have sex with you and handcuffing me to your bed? I even carried you up the stairs slung over my shoulder."
Ziva groaned again.
"Relax. You only made a fool out of yourself in front of me. But seriously, where were you hiding those handcuffs?"
"I can not believe I did my 'Like A Prayer' dance," Ziva groaned.
"Go take some aspirin and get back into bed with me. It's only 6am, and we don't have to be at work today."
He saw Ziva cringe before she headed out to her kitchen to hopefully take some aspirin. Tony worried that she wouldn't come back. But she came back into her room carrying a glass of water and a bottle of Advil.
She held both out to Tony. "I assume you drank last night too."
He washed down four pills acknowledging his throbbing head. "Come on Z," Tony held the covers open for her.
Ziva lifted off her shirt from last night leaving herself in a flimsy tank and panties. She did that girl move that unhooked her bra and pulled it out the arm of her shirt. Then she crawled into bed next to Tony and let him spoon her.
"Don't worry," he whispered to her, "this will all look better in the light of day. And after some more sleep. And over the eggs you'll make for me." He smiled into the back of her neck, pleasantly surprised that she was letting him hold her.
Tony woke up to the smell of eggs. Score. He congratulated himself. Tony pushed himself out of bed pleased to find that the pills and extra sleep had dulled his handover. He grabbed his pants from the floor and pulled them on. He found his wallet and keys placed on Ziva's nightstand, but he couldn't find his cell phone.
He walked out to Ziva's kitchen. "Z, Have you seen my cell phone?"
"It is on the table, and there were no videos of me on it." She informed him matter-of-factly.
Damn ninja
"Well, I thought about it. But I had my hands full dealing with you. And trust me, you still owe me big."
"That is why I am making you breakfast. Thank you for last night." She added sincerely. Ziva never let herself get black out drunk for a reason, and she was lucky Tony was there to literally carry her home.
Tony moved to come help her in the kitchen. "Sit." She warned him. "I know I owe you big." Tony sat and happily let her serve him.
"I'll always be there for you Ziva," Tony said back to her. It was said with a lighthearted tone, but it's meaning didn't go unnoticed by either of them.
Guilt clenched at Ziva as she joined Tony at the table to eat. He hadn't meant to turn the mood serious, but Tony couldn't deny how it had turned.
"Why don't you come away with me for a bit." Tony lightened the heavy mood. "My aunt has a house in Cape May and I'm going to head out there. We could both use some time away."
Ziva looked back ay him suspiciously.
"Not like that Ziva." Tony rolled his eyes at her. "I asked McGee to come too. But he's seeing this new girl, and he won't leave Abby when she's so upset about this whole ordeal."
"You want to me go away with you?" Ziva asked, still suspicious.
"No. I'd like you to join me in the location where I will be away. God Ziva, friends do things like this. And I sure as hell can't leave you alone here in D.C. Especially after last night." He was laying it on thick.
Tony succeeded in making Ziva feel guilty about her immediate assumption that he was implying something romantic. She scolded herself. If only she was that lucky. This time it was her who ruined their chances.
After Berlin they actually had a shot. They agreed not to tell anyone what had happened between them while they were still hunting for Bodner, and then the second he'd hit the ground Parsons had come sniffing around. Yes, it was wrong of her to have gone to face Ilan alone. But she hadn't gone to kill him. Guilt ripped at her insides again. She may not have gone there to kill him, but she had known it might end that way. And this mess, it was all because of her.
And then, Parsons had splashed Ziva's mistakes into the open. She should have never slept with Adam in Israel. It was a moment of weakness, they'd been involved before, and she hadn't really given it much thought. It meant nothing to her. She didn't even know why she did it. It just happened. But when it came out in Parsons' investigation, Tony had been devastated. And she understood why he felt betrayed; the timing of it, and the fact that Ziva hadn't admitted it to him when he'd asked her, point blank, about Adam in Berlin. She had betrayed him.
Before Ziva left for Israel to bury her father Tony had told her, "at lo levad". In Hebrew it meant 'you are not alone'. Not only had Tony spoke to her in her native tongue, he'd taken great care in his choice of words. He didn't simply type the words be wanted to say into a Google translation program. The phrase was carefully chosen. These were personal words, something only one close to another would say. It meant more than 'you are not alone'. It is an emotional statement with a greater meaning telling the recipient they are not alone in anything. It said 'I have your back', and I will always be there for you, no matter what. And then she'd stupidly used the excuse of 'feeling alone' to justify to Tony why she'd slept with Adam. She hadn't intended to draw the parallels, but once the words came out of her mouth the damage was done. What else could she do? Explain to Tony how she'd been involved with Adam in the past so sleeping with him again wasn't a big deal? That the thing with Adam was nothing compared to what had happened between them? That wouldn't help. She'd ruined the chance that they finally had. This was all on her.
She'd hurt Tony deeply. She hated herself for what she'd done. This, she told herself, is why she should have never let those feelings in. This is what happens, she scolded herself. When Tony accepted her apology and agreed on 'friendship' back in the woods, Ziva had promised herself that she'd let him go. She couldn't keep doing this to him, and it would only end with Tony getting hurt. She was damaged goods, and she hurt the people around her. She loved Tony too much to do that to him. So she promised herself that she'd push those feeling down, deep down. She'd firmly placed Tony is the off limits 'friends' category. Ziva knew she loved him, and Tony would never have denied Ziva. He told her as much in his words, 'at lo levad'. So she took his choice away and decided she loved him enough to let him go. But did she trust herself? With him?
"Come on Ziva. What are you going to do here in D.C except get drunk and meddle? You know why we need to back off." He knew he had valid points. "And I don't want to be alone. I need my best friend."
"Where is 'Cape May'? And can I get drunk there?" She really wanted to go with him. She needed him too. And she didn't have anything to do here in D.C. She didn't have anyone. Her job was her life, and now she had nothing.
"It's a couple of hours away and you can get as drunk as you'd like. But leave the handcuffs here." He teased her, rubbing his sore wrist.
"When do we leave?" she gave in.
"How about tomorrow after brunch. We'll take my car."
"Brunch?" Ziva looked confused.
"Sorry. That was arranged pretty late last night. Well past the time of no return for you." He teased her. "Abby's worried we won't see each other, and since none of us would agree to meet in the NCIS elevator on a weekly basis, we decided on brunch. Our 'mandatory weekly gathering will include both fun and friendship'." He mimicked Abby's exact words. "I have a feeling there are already evites waiting for us."
He continued. "How about we leave after that? I can do all my errands today. I think we both need to get out of this town for a little while. Hey, maybe everyone else will come up for the weekend. It's not a very long drive."
Ziva's eyes lit up at the idea. Tony loved that look. He would do anything to make her light up. He grabbed his phone and sent a mass text to Abby, McGee, Ducky, and Palmer asking them to join them this upcoming weekend. Any friends/wives/girlfriends, were invited too.
"How long will we be away?" Ziva asked.
"I don't know. Let's play it by ear. We're close enough to be back in hours if Gibbs calls. But we're far enough away to keep our promise to him. We can't meddle, and dig into this. I know that I need to get out of town to keep that promise."
Tony's phone buzzed. He read the incoming text. "McGee's right by your house and he's offering to drive us to the bar to get our cars. Sound good?"
"Ask if he would like to come up for eggs."
Tony text'd the question to McGee. His phone beeped back at him. "He says he'd like eggs and Advil. He'll be here in 5. You might want to throw something on. I don't mind one bit, but McGee, you know how he is."
Ziva realized she hadn't put on any clothing. She was still in a thin camisole tank top and a pair of panties. She'd become too comfortable around Tony. She scolded her actions and reminded herself that she couldn't let this sort of thing happen with him anymore. It wasn't fair to him. She couldn't tell him they were only friends then handcuff him to her bed and prance around half naked in front of him. She had to watch herself.
"Sorry." She apologized to him. "I did not even realize." She blushed. "I will put on some clothes." She got up and bolted to her bedroom.
Tony called after her. "You're too thin. You've lost more weight. I'm going to fatten you up this week."
She reentered the room pulling a shirt over her head. She'd thrown on a pair of jeans that had been quite a bit tighter when she'd last wore them only a couple of weeks earlier.
"Since when does a woman need to be 'fattened up'? Thin is in," she joked.
"You've lost another 3 pounds since Berlin. So…since then." He was very serious, and his concern touched her. "That may not be much on my frame, but on you…it's a lot."
The mention of Berlin brought emotions swirling back to both of them. He was right about her losing more weight, and the exact amount. She didn't have any smartass comeback about his inability to know that fact since he hadn't seen her naked, because in Berlin he had seen. And her prancing around in her underwear now gave him a frame of reference. Luckily, McGee buzzed the door and saved her from her thoughts.
Brunch was a good idea. Seeing everyone was great, and the plans for the following weekend were solidified. Abby, McGee, Ducky, and Palmer would all drive up together. They'd spend the weekend at the beach with Tony and Ziva. Tim didn't feel like he was ready to ask his new girl, Delilah, away for a weekend. And Brina had to stay in D.C. for a friend's bachelorette party.
The news that Gibbs was sent away on 'special assignment' explained why none of them had been able to reach him, and a pact was made to stick together through whatever might come.
Abby announced that the girls, meaning her, Ziva, and Brina, needed a bathroom break. Ziva rolled her eyes, but followed along.
"You two are spending the weekend alone?" Abby prodded. Brina had become one of her close friends, and Ziva found herself strangely comfortable around her.
"Yes Abby, but we are just friends. We are like brother and sister." She declared.
"Then, ewww." Abby said back to her while she and Brina shared a knowing look. "Tony and Kate were like brother and sister, you two are not. At least not in any normal family. Maybe if you lived in the South..."
"Yes we are." Ziva argued feebly. "We are friends."
"Okkkaaaaayyyyy. I wasn't saying you two aren't friends. I was just, not so subtly, implying that there's more there. Want to share?" Abby stretched out her word and gave Brina another look. She was blatantly digging for information. This was her last chance before Tony and Ziva left for the week and she was going to try her best. They'd all seen a change between Tony and Ziva when they'd returned from Berlin. Abby thought something had happened between them while they were away. Then something changed again during Parsons' investigation and their relationship seemed strained. Abby had no idea what was going on and was desperate for some gossip. But Ziva was tight-lipped and guarded, and Abby walked away without any new information.
Ziva had lost the argument with Tony over who would drive because of his 'desire to live through the trip'. And he threw in the last bit of guilt saying that he'd happily have let her drive if she still had the Mini. So they started off on the road, with him behind the wheel, and two hours of alone time ahead of them.