A/N: Hi guys. I am blown away by all the favourites and follows. I also love reading them reviews, seriously.
Other than that, I hope you guys have a wonderful week because for those specific readers, March Break is around the corner!
I hope ya'll enjoy this chapter:)
Chapter 8
Somehow, the heavy feeling on his shoulders come at ease when he enters a local library near the Navy Yard. After sitting in that elevator for at least an hour two nights ago, he considered what Mcgee told him to do. Even when he was looking through his wallet, he found his unused library card that could probably put to good use. So now here he is, on a Saturday morning scavenging for some good reads.
A particular book catches his attention. He picks it up from the brown dusty shelf and examines it. The Little Prince.
That which is essential is invisible to they eye.
Ziva David, did you just quote a movie?
No. I quoted a book that was turned into a movie.
He does not hesitate when he proceeds to the front desk to check out the book. The lady whom was scaning the book looks very similar to Ziva, albeit an older version of her. That definitely caught him by surprise. When finished, the woman hands the novel back to Tony and bids him goodbye.
"Tony? Are you actually reading a book?" Mcgee asks upon arriving in the bullpen. He grabs the novel from Tony's hands as he makes his way to his own desk.
Tony decisively follows.
"Yes, Tim. I guess I took it to the heart for what you said to me the other day," Tony says as he smirks at Mcgee, waiting for a reaction.
Tony ees Mcgee's eyebrows raise as he flips the novel over to read the back then returns it to Tony,"You know I didn't mean it seriously. But hey, if you want to read then there's nothing stopping you. You could become the new Matilda." The two men laugh in sync.
"Ah, did McAuthor just make a mcreference? But yeah, reading the first couple chapters really makes me onsider watching the movie again," Tony replies, placing the book back onto his desk.
As if on cue, Gibbs' walks in on the two, anxious to get what evidence his team brought together. "No one's watching a damn movie until this case is solved."
However, Tony did not let what his boss said keep him from reading. In fact, he thinks reading opened his eyes - like Mcgee said, he's becoming a Matilda.
Eventually, the team finally found a suspect, confronted him about the murder, and then arrested him. Another case closed. Tony could not stop smiling. No cases mean more time to read.
He could not explain on why he picked up the hobby, but it felt right. It felt right to get away from life and all the heart ache.
By then, Tony began a close friendship with the librarian, Helen. A small black haired lady who is her 60's. The first time he came into the library, she saw no difference between him and any other human being, but when she saw his face, she knew he was troubled. The bags underneath his eyes, and the weary smile he gave her could not tell her otherwise.
After that, she did not seen him for a while. But then one day he came in and returned the novel - only to check out another one. She couldn't blame him - it feels good getting lost into fantasy, it distracts people from the bad in the world. Although she was not familiar with the younger man's past, whenever he would come in she could visibly see the difference on his face. Everytime, he looks happier than before.
Weeks had gone by and Tony lost himself in books. His dreams - his weaknesses, they no longer appeared to him. He supposes losing himself in books is one of the best decisions he ever made, aside from joining NCIS of course.
"Tony? Is that you?" the lady asks, while shaking Tony's shoulders slightly.
"Oh, yeah. Sorry, Helen. Kind of dose off for a couple minutes," Tony yawns.
Helen touches his shoulder, "Maybe you should go home? It is getting late and we are closing soon."
"What time is it?"
"It is almost 5:30, dear. We are closing in a half an hour. How about you check that book out now so you can get going," Helen suggests.
"You're right," Tony runs a hand through his hair.
Helen takes the novel from Tony and shuffles to her desk.
After minutes of unusual silence, Helen speaks," You know, I've been running this library alone for quite some time now, and I've been wondering if you would like to help me interview some people for a job here. Would you like to?"
Watching her scan the book, Tony chuckles,"I..I don't know. It would be nice, but maybe next time. It would be hard to fit it into my weekly schedule."
"I understand. But don't be surprised the next time you walk in. There could be another librarian other than me," Helen smiles brightly, laughing along with Tony.
Tony picks up the novel and begins to walk out the door before he says,"But one that is not as beautiful as you are, Helen. See you next week."
As the door closes , he could hear a muffled laugh behind him.
When he pulls into his driveway of the apartment complex, his phone begins to ring. Unbeknowest to him, his hand already made it's way to his pocket. He brings it up to his right ear.
"On my way, Boss."
He takes a book out of the shelf. On the other side, he sees her. At first he's not sure if it is really her but after further examination, he realizes it is her. He says her name. She looks up. He gives her that Dinozzo smile, and she does all but frown. He walks over to the next aisle - almost running for an embrace but she makes him stop a few feet in front of her.
"You are close, Tony," she says to him. Although he is not entirely sure if she means literally or contextually.
"Am I?" Tony replies, done playing games.
"Yes."
"How can I get closer?" He asks as he moves forward. He feels relief when she doesn't move back.
"Keep doing whatever you are doing, Tony," she whispers, voice barely audible.
When he blinks, she's gone.
It was a late Saturday morning when Tony came into the library. He did everything but dismissed his dream. That, is a new sign of hope. But how long can he keep doing this? Holding on to something that may or may not even happen? He dismisses his thoughts.
Walking inside, he immediately looks for Helen. When he finds her arranging books into the proper order, he apologizes for his absence. He explains to her that sometimes his job stops him from carrying on with his social life. After his conversation with her, he leaves her to search for a new book to read.
Lingering within the fiction section until he found the right novel, finding a chair close by, and reading the first couple chapters.
When he feels like he should leave and continue the book at home, he begins to make his way to check out at the front desk. He places the novel softly onto the beige surface. Looking up, he realizes he's alone. Helen is nowhere to be found. He pokes his head over the desk, but no one is in sight. He looks to his left and sees a small silver bell. Tony pushes it and waits all but patiently.
A lady who has a cascade of brown hair and olive skin walks in from a doorway not far from behind the desk. It is not Helen.
Tony brings his head forward as his palms instantly begin to sweat. God, she's beautiful. And yes, he definitely was not expecting her, he wasn't expecting a woman like her at all.
He brings out his defensive mechanism and cracks a wide smile, concealing his feelings.
"It's been a while hasn't it?" He finally manages to say, his voice raspy. He looks at her face for a reaction and sees that she is a little hurt. it may have come out a little more harsh than he expected. But she quickly regains her strength.
"Yes. It has." She says as she meets his green eyes, her israeli accent fairly obvious.
I don't know if the ending of this chapter caught you all by surprise - it sure caught me by surprise when writing it haha. Keep writing those reviews, keep favouriting and following! Any suggestions or anything is always highly appreciated!
~edancel x