Sorry guys, Sadly I"m back at work now after a nice, but too short, hoilday and wow has it been unbelievably crazy on my return!!! So sorry it took me so long to get this to you all.

ENJOY!

Chapter 2

Due to Tony's lack of a need to date lately, he'd found himself, for the first time since he was a teenager, alone on Valentines Day. It didn't fuss him much. He wasn't letting on to anyone that he'd not had a date, and tomorrow he'd pretend like he had. Instead he stayed at work to catch up on paperwork he was behind on. It did seem a little messed up that Ziva, Abby and McGee had discussed their Valentines plans at Ziva's desk while he had sat at his. They'd discussed their dates and mocked the Probie about what he should wear. Well, Ziva mocked… Abby tried to help. It really didn't seem right with the world that all his counterparts, his sidekicks, had dates and he didn't.

Tony ate the last piece of now cold pizza. He'd ordered it hours ago, and he was going home soon, it seemed stupid to leave one piece in the box, so he sat back in his chair and enjoyed it. when he was done, he cleared his desk, and his mind, and shut his computer down. He stood up and turned his lamp off before exiting the squad room.

While he drove home, Tony's mind started to wander. He considered the perfect DVD for his current mood, The Witches of Eastwick would probably be a good choice if he could bare it, and he doubted that. No. he'd watch something old. A Classic, something like Casablanca. He was lonely, a feeling that he'd rarely, truly felt before. He almost missed his playboy days, but going back to that now, he knew he'd feel just as lonely, not able to make a connection to anyone.

As he walked to the door he wished there would be someone on the other side to greet him and be happy to see him. He now understood why McGee got the dog. But he doubted a dog would work for him, he wanted true compassion. The love of a woman, someone he could share his day with, his joy, his pain, his ups, his downs… In good times and in bad. Someone who understood him, and it seemed like no one understood him. Not except his crazy Ninja co-worker, she got him perfectly, she probably knew him better then she knew himself. She'd know what every facial expression that he didn't even realise he was making meant, she knew how he was feeling before he could understand, and she knew how to deal with him when he got like that. Yes, Ziva had been there for him through thick and through thin, and she'd never given up on him. She was his best friend, and could match him in every way, she wasn't a prude, none of his stories had ever made her shudder like they would have Kate, or most other girls for that matter, Ziva seemed to be open to a fun and exciting sex life. She could take him in a physical fight, or in a battle of wit. More then anything, Ziva was someone he didn't ever have to lie to, well not unless he was given specific instructions to by the Director of NCIS. He could just be Anthony DiNozzo, and that was something he was completely grateful for.

He unlocked his door and walked in. There was something wrong. He could hear his dryer working, at least he thought it was his dryer. He tended to prefer to buy a new shirt when all his were dirty, and he'd used his DiNozzo charm to get the old Italian lady down the hall to do his laundry, he paid her, but she seemed to do it more so because she considered him family. He walked down the hall checking each room as he passed. His bedroom, the spare room, the study, the bathroom. It was the bathroom that raised a red flag, the glass door that enclosed his shower was still wet. He placed his hand on his side arm, not drawing it yet. He moved down into his open kitchen-dining area nothing was strange here. Then he turned the corner and saw his fire roaring. He remained quiet and moved further into the room. No one was sitting on the couch that faced the big screen that hung over the fire place. When he got a little closer to the couch he could hear something, or someone, it sounded like someone was sobbing. When he got close enough he could see a woman. She was lying on her side, facing away from him, she'd taken the throw pillows off his couch and had used them to prop up her upper torso and he made a mental note that he needed to buy smaller towels, he wanted to see more of those legs, even with the split of the towel running up to her thigh, he didn't want quite so much left up to his imagination. Her wet hair fell down and touched the ground leaving her left shoulder exposed and vulnerable. It was smooth and beautiful, and he really wanted to start kissing it. When she moved her arm to tuck a few tendrils of her hair behind her ear he could see part of her face. Her neck was stretched and he'd know it anywhere. It was Ziva, and she'd never looked so good. Not even in that killer bikini she'd worn in LA. He watched her wipe a tear of her cheek.

"Ziva?" he asked in a calmed tone.

"TONY? Arh, what are you? I mean, I didn't think you'd be home for hours."

"Really?" He said, his tone bouncing over each syllable. "And if that's true what exactly are you doing here?" By now Ziva was standing up, and stepping into her shoes.

"I am sorry, I was stranded in the area and was just going to call a cab, but I was cold and did not think it would hurt if I dried my dress and took a warm shower. I was just waiting for my dress to dry when I saw my book, so I started to read it."

"Oh yeah, been meaning to get to that. Are you… I mean are you crying?"

"No." She said sternly, standing up, making sure the towel didn't stray from her form.

"You have, you've been crying. And you're still in the first chapter, you can't be crying already. What's wrong?"

"Nothing DiNozzo. I am sorry I will get dressed and call a cab. I should not have come here, I thought you were be on your date."

"What date?"

"It is Valentines day."

"Oh yeah, that. Arh, yeah. Hang on, you had a date, it's only 9:30. what happened?"

"If you must know. He was a jerk."

"Did he hurt you?" When he asked the question there was concern in his eyes, the kind of look that said he'd rip the guys head off if he'd hurt her. But at soon as he'd paused for a second he realised how ridiculous that question was. "Emotionally I mean."

"I do not want to talk about it Tony." She pulled her now dry dress out of the dryer.

"It wasn't just him was it?" It was as if he'd been able to read her thoughts. She couldn't look at him she just bowed her head. "You're lonely too aren't you?"

"Are you saying that you are lonely Tony, because I…"

"You'll find him Ziva."

"I am not so sure about that anymore." Even with her face looking down, he could see a glistening droplet follow the curves of her cheek. He cupped her face in his warm hand raising it so she could look at him, he gazed into her eyes and wiped away the tear.

"You will Ziva. You're an amazing woman, your full of action and excitement, your caring and surprisingly low maintenance for someone who looks like that."

"You are just saying that."

"No Ziva I'm not. You know your hot." He laughed and averted all eye contact rubbing the back of his neck. "I mean, we walk down the street together and all the men's eyes are fixated on you, and usually wondering how I got to be so lucky to walk next to you."

"Now you are just being silly." She said, again using her adopting her stern voice. She walked past him and into the bathroom. Leaving the door open, but knowing that Tony wouldn't follow her she started to dress.

"I'm not being silly. You are a beautiful and amazing woman. Most guys would jump at the chance to be me and just live with being close to you."

"I do not want to just have people being close to me Tony."

"I get that." He lent against the wall outside the bathroom. "Believe me, I get that."

Ziva walked out of the bathroom and his jaw dropped. She stood there in a short, black, strapless dress. It hugged her curves. Her golden shoes complemented her earrings perfectly.

"Now if you do not mind, I will call myself a taxi."

"I think I might mind?" She was breathtakingly beautiful and he was in ore of her beauty.

"Excuse me?" she asked curtly. "Well I am sorry I disturbed you. I will be sure not to make that mistake again."

"It's not that Ziva."

"No? Well what is it then?" he had to admit, he loved that little huff she did when she was in this mood.

"It's you." He reached forward and grabbed her face, before even her reflexes could react his lips caressed hers. She was taken a back at first and didn't know what to do, but the electricity that ran through every inch of her body sparked a fire deep within her. She was instantly warm. His hands pulled her closer, they ran through her hair, and down her neck. His lips followed, running from just below the ear and down her long silky neck to the shoulder. The exotic taste of her skin drove him wild. His hands ran down her sides and to her delectable ass. He grabbed it, her ass had always been his second most favourite part of her body to look at, her face was his first. He lifted her up grabbing her ass again to do so. She wrapped her legs around him and he carried her off to his bedroom.

THE END

Enjoy???? either way, you know what to do.