The drive was a bit uncomfortable. Ziva had so much she wanted to say to Tony, but trapped in a metal box was not the time. So they made small talk until Tony pulled up and parked in front of a large Victorian house.
"This is amazing." Ziva said.
"Wait until you see the inside. Most of the bedrooms have ocean views. My aunt and uncle are in Italy for the summer, so I get the house for as long as I want."
Ziva looked around at the surrounding houses. "It is beautiful here." She smiled as a breeze filled her nose with ocean air.
"The entire town of Cape May is a Historic Landmark. This is one of the countries largest collections of Victorian houses. I love it here. I used to come here every summer."
"Will you show me around town tomorrow?" She asked.
"Of course. Let's throw our bags inside and go to the grocery store. There won't be any food in the house."
Despite her protests Tony carried Ziva's bag, along with his own, up to the house. A large open porch faced the ocean with various tables and chairs dotted throughout. Tony unlocked the door and kicked it open leading Ziva into a huge front room. Most of the ground floor of the house was an open plan.. There was a state of the art chef's kitchen, a huge marble island, a beautiful kitchen table, and a comfortable sitting room. The house was stunning. Tony tossed their bags at the foot of the stairs and went directly to the fridge.
"Yup. Nothing." He confirmed the lack of any food.
"This house is incredible. This is exactly the kind of house I would want." She said wistfully. Emptiness settled in her chest when she to pictured her future self in a house like this. She saw herself with two olive skinned, green-eyed children. But the man she saw standing at her side was Tony. He stomach dropped with dread, worrying that she'd ruined that chance for good.
"I'll give you the tour after we grab some food. There's a farmer's market that always has the best stuff." Tony's voice pulled Ziva from her head.
"Would you like me to cook for you tonight?" Ziva offered. "I am good in the kitchen."
"So am I." Tony told her with that coy smile that she loved so much.
Tony pulled up to a quaint farmer's market and hopped out of the car. "I love this place." He announced.
Ziva could see why he liked it. The fruit and vegetables looked amazing. She held up a giant heirloom tomato and her stomach grumbled. Tony took the tomato from her hand and dropped it into a bag. He handed the bag to Ziva encouraging her to pick out a few more. "Those are my favorite." He informed her.
"Mine too." She smiled at him.
They made a few rounds of the market, leaving with bags of fresh produce. They packed the food into the trunk and headed to the grocery store.
Tony and Ziva made the rounds at the grocery store with seamless precision. They took turns pushing the cart up and down the aisles as the other grabbed items off the shelves. They didn't exchange many words as they walked. Tony grabbed all the items Ziva would have gone for, and Ziva picked out what Tony had forgotten. Tony's stomach knotted when Ziva picked out items in the same brands he used himself. It bothered him how well they worked as a team.
Work at NCIS was one thing, but they were in complete sync in these domestic errands as well, and it settled as a pit in Tony's stomach. He'd always pictured Ziva and him ending up like this; partners in life. And with each perfect item she took from the shelves and placed in the cart, the knot in Tony's stomach grew. This hurt too much. She hurt too much. Tony closed his eyes and took a deep breath summoning all his strength into a promise that he'd keep her at arms length. He just couldn't handle getting too close to Ziva. He'd been Icarus too many before. He'd flown too close to the sun and he knew the pain of falling back to the ground.
They unpacked the groceries at the house and Tony gave Ziva a quick tour of the ground floor. He promised he'd show her the upper floors later.
As they walked back into the large front room Ziva stopped with a gasp as she saw the sun beginning to set over the ocean. "The view off the porch must be magnificent." She said in delight.
"It is. Go sit. I'll pour us each a glass of wine and we can watch the sun set." He loved to see delight on her face. He reminded himself again not to get too close.
Tony handed Ziva a glass of red wine as he took a seat near her on the porch. The sun was just setting over the ocean horizon and spitting neon colors across the sky.
Tony looked a Ziva's profile in the light of the setting sun. The colors of the sunset were perfect against her olive skin. She was so beautiful. More beautiful than the sunset she watched with a soft smile. Ziva let out a gasp and turned to Tony.
"Did I just see a dolphin?" she asked. Her eyes were wide with excitement.
"Yup. You always see them here in the summer." Tony couldn't help but smile at the look on her face. She looked innocent and young with her face bathed in the colors of the setting sun. His stomach twisted into another knot as he had to force himself to tear his eyes from her face. Keep her away, he reminded himself sternly.
After the sunset Tony and Ziva stood took positions at the counter to prepare dinner. They worked in unison, each understanding their precise role in the dance. Neither thought twice about how well they worked together. An outsider would have assumed they'd been together for years, and not only professionally. Their actions were absolutely in sync. They were a perfect team. They'd never prepared dinner like this before, yet they worked in absolute harmony. Tony washed, Ziva chopped. It was a delicate dance that they preformed without a second thought. When Tony tossed a tomato to Ziva and she caught on in her hand adding a flourishing twirl, without even as much as a glance in his direction, they both froze. Ziva stood staring at Tony with the tomato in her hand as their synchronization dawned on them.
Tony broke their stare. He dropped the tomato he was rinsing into the sink and skirted his eyes. "I'm going to set the table." He made various gestures with his fingers that loosely traced out the forms of the silverware in the air.
He darted away and Ziva stood holding the guilty tomato as the sink water ran and the assembly line they'd created ground to a halt. She closed her eyes and silently cursed herself again for messing up so badly.
They ate in silence. It was uncomfortable. The food was amazing, but the atmosphere was strained. Ziva kept glancing up at Tony, opening her mouth to speak before chickening out. She knew what he was doing, and she didn't blame him for it. Why had she hurt him so badly? It was such a stupid thing that tore at the seams of their relationship. Ziva sighed and finished her meal in silence.
As soon as Tony finished eating he dropped his plate in the sink and made an excuse to get away from her. "I've got to call my aunt and thank her for letting us use her place."
"I would like to talk to her and thank her myself."
"That's not a good idea." He told her.
"And why is that?" Ziva asked defensively. "My English is very good now."
Tony cringed, letting a hint of his playful self peak out. "Well…she may be under the impression that we are in a 'relationship'."
"And why is that?" she asked Tony with a laugh.
"Maybe because I told her that we were." Tony muttered under his breath.
Ziva placed her hands on her hips. "Anthony DiNozzo," she scolded. "Exactly how long have we been 'together'?" She added air quotes to the final word, smiling slyly at him. The joy she felt that he'd told his aunt they were together gave her a glimmer of hope.
"Ok fine." Tony stamped his foot and gave in to telling her the truth. "My family is always bugging me to find a nice girl. I couldn't exactly describe the women I used to date to my elderly aunt. So I told them about you." Ziva's stare told Tony that this was not a sufficient answer. "I just told them I was with a woman named Ziva. I already knew everything about you, so it was easy to talk about you. They think we've been together for three years." Tony said bashfully.
"Tony!" Ziva scolded him playfully.
"Well imagine being me." He responded with vigor. "Every time I see her I'm relentlessly hounded about when I'm going to propose."
Ziva laughed at Tony's 'brilliant' plan that had backfired in his face. She could imagine his aunt sitting Tony down for hours upon hours of lectures about doing right by his woman. He'd probably paid plenty for his fib. She smiled and laughed under her breath as Tony picked up the phone and dialed his aunt.
He spoke to her for a few seconds before Ziva heard the woman on the other end loudly demand to speak with Ziva. Tony reluctantly handed the phone to Ziva.
"Hello," Ziva sang into the phone. "I want to thank you for the use of your lovely house, and…"
"Ziva, finally!" a voice boomed at the other end of the phone. "Anthony has told us all about you. Oh doll, we couldn't be happier that he's found a woman like you. I want you to use my house any time you like. Any time!" she ordered. "And sweetheart, we can't wait to meet you. The whole family is buzzing about you. We saw the picture of you in Paris. You are just stunning."
Ziva stared at Tony with wide eyes as the voice continued its mile a minute rant on the other end of the phone. Ziva covered the mouthpiece with her hand. "You told your whole family about me?" she whispered to Tony.
Tony blushed crimson and grabbed the phone from Ziva's hand. "Hi Aunt Rosa. Gotta go. Ziva and I have big plans tonight. Thanks again." He abruptly hung up the line. "I should show you to your room." Tony did his best to distract Ziva from her conversation and change the subject.
Tony picked up both their bags and started up the stairs. He led Ziva to a lovely room with an ocean view.
"Wow." Ziva said. "Where are you staying?"
"I'll stay in my aunt and uncles room."
"Can I see it?" She asked.
Tony shrugged and let Ziva follow him to the huge master suite he'd be occupying.
"Very nice." Ziva praised. She walked over to the enormous TV. "Would you like to watch a movie before bed?"
"I was going to put one in. I guess you can join me." Tony offered with a shrug.
"Let me just put on my pajamas." Ziva left the room before Tony could protest.
She came back in a silk robe. She frowned to see that Tony had set up pillows down the center of the king sized bed to partition off the two sides. "Which side should I take?" she asked.
"Whichever you want." Tony said flippantly. "I was going to watch 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly'. Is that okay with you?"
"Of course." Ziva took a seat on the bed on the side closest to the door.
Tony grabbed the DVD and paused to stare at her on the bed. "Not that side." He said.
"Okkkaaaayyyyy." Ziva responded, confused because he'd just insisted she take either side.
"Sorry," Tony apologized. "It's just…the man should always take the side closest to the door, in case of intruders. It's tradition. Not that you're sleeping here. It's just…whatever. Stay on that side if you want." Tony turned to set up the DVD in the player.
Ziva smiled at his protectiveness and scooted to the other side of the bed. She knocked the barrier of pillows Tony had set up out of the way, trying to make it look accidental.
After Tony set up the DVD and TV he turned and gulped hard at what he saw. Ziva had removed her robe, and looked incredible in a tiny silk nightgown. It was something he'd never expect Ziva to wear. He always pictured her sleeping in a large men's shirt, except when he fantasized about her. When he played out his fantasies she was dressed exactly like she was now. Tony hit play and started the film and turned off the lights before he slipped his pants off and took his place across the bed from her. He was hard. Damn that nightgown. But he knew he'd be just as hard if she was wearing an old t-shirt and boxers. He scooted under the covers to cover himself, annoyed that Ziva had removed his barrier of pillows. She wasn't helping him keep her away. Dammit if she wasn't doing everything in her power to draw him in.
Tony tried to focus on the film as Ziva turned to face him, taking another pillow from between them and placing it between her knees. Her nightgown slid up her legs and he felt like she was trying to torture him. He focused more studiously on the film. He passed the time by counting her breaths, as he sat uncomfortably still next to her.
Ziva moved and turned herself around on the bed so her head was near the foot of the bed. She put the pillow that had been between her legs under her chin and crossed her ankles behind her. Tony watched as her nightgown slid up her legs. Let her lace panties were so close to peaking out. She was definitely doing this on purpose. Tony gripped the blankets over his lap in his fists as Ziva gave him a full view of her perfect ass. Tony ground his teeth together and fought to tear his eyes away from the hem of her nightgown riding up her legs. This was so unfair.
Tony clenched the sheets and ground his teeth as Ziva tortured him. He fought to watch the film. Ziva moaned and turned back around on the bed, sleepily spreading her body out far too close to him across the bed. He looked over at her and saw her eyes closed. He cursed her for thinking she could fall asleep in bed with him. Why did he pick such a long film? He angrily waited until the movie finished while Ziva snoozed next to him. Damn her. She was so close to him right now. Tony scooted to the far side of the bed away from her. He fought until the end of the film, counting the seconds until it finished. As soon as the credits started to roll Tony turned to Ziva and shook her.
"Movie's over. Time to go to bed." He said brightly.
Ziva let out a sleepy moan and rolled her body towards him until she was pressed against Tony. He was getting very angry now, and almost falling off his side of the bed as a huge empty expanse lay on Ziva's side. "Night night." She said to him in the sweetest sleepy voice. He shook her shoulder sharply.
"Ziva. You need to go to your room." He said sternly.
Ziva let out another sleepy moan but pushed herself off the bed and slid right across Tony's lap to get off the bed. He hissed as she brushed over his erection. She left his room with a single "good night" as she left him in agony.
Tony stood up and limped over to the bedroom door to lock it. He knew he needed to take care of himself. He limped back to the bed and saw that Ziva had left her robe behind. Tony grabbed the robe and a few tissues and freed his painful erection from his boxers. It wouldn't take him long tonight. He had the fresh memory of Ziva in his mind, the smell of her on the pillows next to him, and her silk robe in his hand. He cursed his luck as he gripped himself and started to stoke up and down.
Don't worry. The next chapter is a doozie. I plan in posting it ASAP. Probably later today.