"Hey, DiNozzo." Damon Werth called as Tony walked by him and towards the car.
"Yeah?" Tony asked with a huff as he stopped and turned towards Werth who was approaching him.
"You and Ziva are close, right?" he asked, almost shyly and Tony clenched his jaw.
"Yeah, you could say that." Tony shrugged as he glanced to the car where Gibbs and Fornell were driving away with the killer. "Why?"
"Just wondering if she was with someone." He asked with a small smile.
"I think there was a guy." Tony said as he looked away from the man to his feet. "But he was never anything special."
"So she's single?" Werth asked as he bounced on the balls of his feet.
"I guess, you'd have to ask her." Tony said with a nod and walked to the charger.
Tony sat on his couch and nursed his first beer as he kicked his shoes off and placed his feet on the coffee table. He settled on watching the news as he pulled his wallet from his pants and removed the relatively new picture from the back fold, in front of the expired condom, and studied it. A knock came at his door and he ignored it before it came again.
"Go away." Tony called as he fingered the edge of the picture and gazed at it a moment longer before slipping it back into his wallet and throwing it on the table.
"Tony, open the door." Ziva called as she continued to knock. "I will pick this lock."
"Save me the trouble of getting up." Tony growled as he heard her picking the lock then push her way into his home. "Whassup?"
"You are not special?" She accused angry as she pushed his feet off the coffee table and sat in front of him.
"Gee, thanks Zee." Tony said as he stood from the couch and walked into the kitchen. "Shouldn't you be on a date with your super soldier?"
"Damon?" she asked as she watched him pull a bottle of Jack Daniels from the top of his fridge.
"Yes, Damon." He said with a glare as she took the bottle from his hands and put it back. "Werth, Damon Werth."
"Shut up, Tony. He is not James Bond and does not try to be." She said as she took the glass from his hand and also put that back.
"You know, I'm getting this stuff 'cause I want to drink." Tony growled as he walked out of the kitchen and brushed passed his partner intentionally.
"Why are you being so difficult?" Ziva sighed as she watched him flop down on the couch.
"I'm not being difficult." Tony said as he crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the T.V. pretending to watch the news.
"You are, you're acting like a child." Ziva said as she pushed his feet off the table again and sat between his legs.
"Did you come over just to insult me?" he asked as he placed his feet on either side of her.
"No." She said as she placed her hands on his knees and gently squeezed him.
"I don't think your boyfriend would like you doing this." Tony said as she scooted off the table closer to him.
"He is not my boyfriend." She growled and pinched the inside of his thigh making him yelp out in pain.
"Watch it, lady. You were really close to the family jewels." Tony scowled as he glanced as her hands that were still resting on his mid thigh.
"Family jewels?" Ziva asked confused, very tempted to pinch him again.
"Little Tony." Tony smirked and Ziva laughed.
"You are admitting to it being little?" she continued to laugh as Tony's eyes bugged out.
"What? No!" he shrieked as his cheeks turned a furious red. "Is it?" He gulped nervously as he dropped his feet to the ground and sat up on the couch and leaned in so his face was only inches from hers. "In Paris." He trailed off.
"Did you hear any complaints?" She joked softly, now intensely blushing herself. She looked at him and smiled. She had never seen him this uneasy and shy, almost but not really. Anthony DiNozzo Junior was far from shy. "Tony, you were the one that was not there when I woke up. You left to go site seeing."
"I'm sorry." Tony sighed as he glanced at his wallet that was lying next to her. "I didn't know what to do, Ziva. I woke up and we were all snuggled."
"And you got scared and left." She offered as she saw him glance to his wallet again.
"No." Tony said as he grabbed his wallet and took the picture out and handed it to her.
"Where did you get this?" She gasped as she ran her finger over the picture.
"That's the first thing I did when I woke up." Tony said pointing to the picture. "I was afraid, terrified that I'd forget the way you looked, happy and content. In my arms, mind you." He paused and peaked at the picture. "So I took the picture and left to print it before you could find it and delete."
"I would not have deleted it." She said with a gentle smile.
The light was shining brightly into the room, making the amazingly soft white sheets seem even whiter. Tony lay on his back, shirtless, and his head turned towards Ziva. She lay snuggled into his side, her head resting on his chest under his neck. Her hand came to rest on his hairy chest, right above his heart. Both of their hair was mussed and messy but they both also had hints of a smile on their peaceful faces. The picture didn't allow you to see his arm holding her close to him, their intertwined legs, or the duvet covering their naked bodies.
"So what happened with Werth?" Tony asked as he rubbed the back of his neck, watching her as she continued to gaze at the photo.
"Well, he started off the conversation asking if I was single because you did not give him a straight answer." She said as she looked up at him with soft eyes. "So I asked him what you said."
"And he ratted me out." Tony grumbled and he went to take the photo back from her.
"I am not allowed to have it?" She asked confused as she moved it from his reach.
"What? No, it's mine." He pouted. "And it's the only one."
"Why can't I have it?" she asked as she tilted her head slightly at him and batted her lashes.
"Because I want it," He said. "and it's mine. I took it for a reason."
"And what was that?" she asked as she fingered the edge.
"I told you already." He said growing frustrated, like a younger child being teased. "I don't want to forget, I'm not blessed with a photographic memory like you."
"Blessed?" she questioned with a look of disgust.
"You know what I mean." Tony sighed as he took the photo from her and placed it in his wallet. "What?"
"Why do you keep in your wallet next to your expired condom?" she asked confused as she moved from the coffee table to sit next to him on the couch.
"How do you know that it's expired?" he asked as he gave her a side glance and pulled the foil square from his wallet and examined it.
"Ninja, remember?" she joked as she took the condom from him and smiled. "But it obviously does not mean you have not been having sex."
"You'd be surprised." Tony mumbled as she rested her head on his shoulder.
"What does that mean?" She yawned as she threw the square on the table.
"Paris." He started and stopped. He laughed lightly as he rested his head on top of hers.
"You do not have to tell me." She said as she stroked his thigh. The truth was she didn't really want to know how many women he'd been with recently.
"I don't know the right way." He sighed, his eyes trained on the condom. "Before Paris it had been a while since I'd been with any one. A long while." He groaned as they leaned back against the couch. "But that's not why Paris happened, because it had been forever. I would never use you like that."
"Why did Paris happen then, Tony?" she asked softly as she nuzzled deeper into his neck.
"Because it was you and it was Paris. When you fell asleep on my shoulder, on the plane, I made the decision to stop fighting it, let whatever happens happen." He said with a smile as he turned slightly and kissed her forehead. "You like to use me as your own personal pillow."
"Better than any pillow I have ever had." She laughed and rested her hand low on his stomach. "So I'm single?"
"I don't know, are you?" Tony tested, not exactly ready to stake a claim on her. Especially with how close her hand was to a special something.
"I am not sure." She sighed with another yawn. "You left before we could talk."
"You said 'we had enough together', that dating a co-worker should not be done, and whatever else you said." Tony said.
"That was after I awoke to an empty bed and a note with your rooster scratch."
"Chicken scratch." Tony laughed. "I left because I don't know if you're ready for what I want and I just didn't want to hear you actually say it."
"That's why you said 'we'll always have Paris', like we would never have it again, yes?" she asked and felt him nod against the top of her head. "What do you want, Tony?"
"Not important." Tony said as he put his legs back up on the table and she placed her legs on top of his.
"It is to me." She whispered and when he didn't respond she pulled back from him so she could look at him properly.
"What?" he asked as she stared at him and ran her finger over his eyebrow.
"I just do not understand you." She sighed. "You are usually so confident. But you do not let yourself believe that you are special to me, or what you want matters."
"I told you before." Tony sighed as he looked away from her. "I can't live without you."
"What does that have to do with anything?" Ziva laughed as she cupped his cheek.
"It means that was before Paris happened, when all I had was my dreams, but now I know," he paused to look at her. "I know what it's like to be with you. This is chick flick corny, Ziva."
"I do not care." She said and pressed a tender kiss to his lips causing him to groan. "What is it you want?"
"Forever." Tony said seriously as he cupped her jaw and brought his mouth to hers for a deeper, sweeter kiss.
"Will you stop telling people I'm single?" she asked.
"It was just him, and you admitted to having feelings for him before." Tony teased as he rubbed his nose against hers.
"That was so long ago." Ziva laughed.
"Yeah." Tony agreed and kissed her again.
"You are special, Tony." Ziva smiled against his lips. "Very special, if I remember how you answer your phone correctly." She laughed. "You are very special to me."
"I guess you're right." Tony smirked and placed a lock of hair behind her ear. "But it's not little?"
"No, Tony." Ziva laughed against his neck.
"Biggest you ever had?" he teased and she slapped his chest.
"No." she said and pressed her finger to his lips before he could freak out. "I believe that phrase for us would be 'like a glove'?"
"Sounds right to me." Tony smirked and glanced at the condom on the table. "You're on birth control?"
"Implant." She said as she straddled his lap and he gave her a devilish grin. "So can I have that picture now?"
"No." Tony said seriously.
"Why is it in your wallet?"
"Because it would be weird if I put a picture of us up on my nightstand when we weren't together." He laughed. "That would be creepy."
"You are kind of creepy." She laughed and kissed his cheek as he pouted.
"What about Rule 12?" Tony asked looping his arms around her waist.
"I do not really consider you a co-worker." She smiled as she ran her fingers through his hair. "You are my partner."
"And now in almost every way." Tony laughed as he stood from the couch, with her in his arms and deposited her on his bed. "I don't exactly see us being tennis partners."
"Where are you going?" she asked confused as she watched him walk out of the room.
"Lock up." Tony called and she watched all the lights shut off from her point on the bed.
"So are you going to take another picture tomorrow morning?" Ziva smiled as she pulled the covers back and they both climbed under them.
"I have my picture, take your own." Tony smirked as she snuggled against him and pinched his nipple. "Ouch."
"Be nice." She smiled and pushed off his chest to look at him.
"What?"
"I am not ready to commit to forever with you." She started and he nodded, almost sadly.
"Okay." He said not exactly comfortable of committing to forever either, it's just what he wanted.
"But I will commit to trying." She smiled and kissed his chin before settling into a sleep against his chest.