A/N: Ahhh you guys, I'm so happy you enjoyed Part 1 and that you're as excited as I am about my return to fanfiction worlddddd! Seriously, I'm so happy to be back! It feels sooooo good!
As promised, here's Part 2 :) Hope you like it!
Enjoy reading!
Worst day ever. That was one way to put how Tony's day had gone so far. He had just arrived back at his apartment complex but he wasn't gonna get out of the car anytime soon. He couldn't move. He exhausted. Both physically and emotionally. It had been a long day at work. But he knew that he had an even longer night ahead of him. He knew one thing for sure: he wasn't gonna get any sleep tonight. Tonight he would have these images in his head that he couldn't get rid off. The images of his last days with Ziva in Israel. The images of having to leave her behind. Their last kiss. The last longing look. Her words would ring in his ears and it would feel like she was actually there but she wasn't. She wasn't. She wasn't. God, he really needed to pull it together. This wasn't sane anymore.
Slowly, Tony got out of the car and headed for the elevator when suddenly his cell phone rang. It was a number he didn't recognize but he answered it anyway.
"DiNozzo."
"Where are you?"
Tony did a double-take. It was a female voice. A female voice he knew all too well. A voice he never thought he'd hear again. Except for in his dreams of course.
"Zi-Ziva?"
"Yes. Who else would it be?"
He almost laughed out loud. Who else would it be? Really? God, it could be anyone. But definitely not her. Not for real.
"I..you..what..," he stuttered, unable to form any coherent sentences.
"I am in front of your door. Where are you?"
"You are what?"
"I am in front of your door."
"No, yeah I got that part. But I mean..how..why..I.."
Again words failed him but she understood anyway.
"I would explain if you would just open your door."
"I'm on my way," he managed to get out.
Before he could say anything else, she had ended the call and Tony was left completely speechless, not knowing what to do. Eventually though he managed to clear his thoughts enough to actually get on the elevator. When he got off on his floor, he took a deep breath. If the call hadn't been a trick, if he hadn't gone insane, if she hadn't lied, Ziva would be in his line of sight once he rounded that corner. Was he ready? No. Did he want to see her? Hell, yes!
His entire body shaking, Tony rounded the corner. And there she was. She wasn't facing him but he knew it was her immediately. Hell, he'd recognize her anywhere. Her hair was shorter, her skin looked more tanned. But she was still Ziva. His Ziva.
He picked up his pace and quickly approached her.
"Ziva," he breathed when he came to a stop right behind her.
She turned around and a smile spread across her face, her eyes sparkling.
"Tony," she said, that smile just about ruining him.
"Oh God, you're really here," he whispered.
And before any of the knew what was happening, she was in his arms and he was holding her body so close to his that there was absolutely no space left between them.
"I have missed you," Ziva mumbled into his shoulder, her voice muffled by the fabric of his shirt.
"You have no idea, no idea at all," he breathed, her hair tickling his face.
He slowly pulled away from her but still kept their distance at a minimum, his arms around her waist as if he was afraid she might escape and vanish.
"What are you doing here?" he asked, sounding almost scared.
"Visiting you," she announced matter-of-factly.
His heart dropped. She was only here for a visit. She wasn't gonna stay. She was..
"Permanently," she added, interrupting his racing thoughts.
"Pe-permanently? As in..," he stuttered.
"As in I am here to stay, yes," she confirmed.
He opened his mouth to say something but no words came out. She was here to stay. She had finally come home. Was this a dream? No, no, she was right here in his arms. She was real. This wasn't a dream. This..
"If..you will have me?" she asked, taking his silence as rejection.
"God, Ziva, of course! You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this moment. I..this isn't real, right?" he rambled.
She smiled shyly, then leaned closer, touching her lips to his in a gentle kiss.
"I believe it is very real," she whispered against his lips.
Words failed him yet again, so he simply kissed her again. Actions spoke louder than words after all.
When they broke the kiss, he spoke up: "Ziva? As much as I love this, I can't just..jump into this. It's been a year, I..I need to make sure you're actually here to stay and I need to get used to this and.."
He paused.
"And what, Tony?" Ziva asked softly, her hand cupping his cheek.
"We can't start a relationship right now," he blurted out.
Her face dropped and she attempted to pull away from him. But he pulled her closer again.
"No, Ziva, that's not what I meant. I just mean that we need to take things slow. We can't just start something right now when we're not even sure where we stand. We need to take time to figure it out," he explained quickly.
"I have time," Ziva said with a smile, "I have all the time in the world."
A/N: There it is :) Please let me know what you think in the reviews section below! I'm always happy to hear from you and I'm always open to suggestions for future stories as well :)
Love you guysssss,
~ C.