A/N: This posting is in honor of my friend MollyGibbs101's birthday today - Happy b-day, Molz! It is a fluffy little songfic based on "Settlin'" recorded by Sugarland. Let me know if you like it. Happy reading! =)

All the usual disclaimers apply...

X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X

Fifteen minutes left to throw me together
For mister right now, not mister forever
Don't know why I even try when I know how it ends
Looking like another "maybe we could be friends"
I've been leaving it up to fate
It's my life so it's mine to make

Ziva walked up to her door, followed closely by her date. His name was Josh and he was a very pleasant, very handsome man. He worked for Metro PD and they had crossed paths on a case. When he called to ask her to dinner, she said yes, even though she knew she was destined to think of him only in friendly terms.

At her door she turned, intending to send him gently on his way. He spoke first.

"This was nice."

She smiled. "Yes, it was." And it was a nice date, just not a fantastically-great-come-inside-so-I-can-get-my-hands-on-you kind of date.

"Maybe we can do this again?"

She smiled again, but didn't answer.

He leaned down to kiss her, and she turned so his lips landed on her cheek.

He pulled back, puzzlement on his face. "Ziva, am I missing something here?"

She averted her gaze. I am the one who is missing something. Well, someone.

"I am sorry, Josh, it is just me."

"Are you sure? Because it seems like you've got someone else in there with you," he said gesturing toward her head.

"So they train you to be psychic at Metro PD."

He shook his head. "Just observant."

"Josh-"

He stopped her. "You're about to use the "f" word, aren't you?"

At her confused look, he elaborated. "Friends."

She laughed, glad he had an answering twinkle in his eye. "How did you guess?"

"Psychic, remember?" he teased. "Well, I won't say I'm not disappointed, but friends it is…though if you change your mind about the rest, you know where to find me." He kissed her cheek intentionally this time and walked away. Halfway down the walk, he turned back to her. "I sure hope that guy in your head is worth it."

Oh, he is she thought as she made her way into her apartment. She poured herself a shot of bourbon and thoughts of him flooded her mind. He was worth it – and so was she. And with sudden resolution, she decided it was time to do something about it.

I ain't settling for just getting by
I've had enough so so for the rest of my life
Tired of shooting too low, so raise the bar high
Just enough ain't enough this time
I ain't settling for anything less than everything, yeah

On her next day off, Ziva spent the day shopping. She was on a mission and the outfit was critical. She wanted something that would take his breath away and leave him unable to look anywhere but at her.

She found just what she was looking for in the third shop she tried: a shimmery, soft midnight blue dress. It was strapless and short and hugged her in all the right places. She went all the way, choosing everything she needed to complete the outfit: sexy underwear, earrings that dangled, and new shoes that were impractically tall but gave a sexy curve to her legs.

"Look out, Jethro. Here I come," she said to her reflection in the dressing room mirror.

With some good red wine and my brand new shoes

Gonna dance a blue streak around my living room
Take a chance on love and try how it feels
With my heart wide open now you know I will
Find what it means to be the girl
Who changed her mind and changed her world

That evening she took her time getting ready. She poured a glass of blackberry Merlot and put on music that made her dance. Tonight was the night. She had nerves, but she was almost giddy at the same time. He wouldn't know what hit him until it was too late. Well, hopefully.

No. She wouldn't allow those creeping doubts in. Not tonight. She was going to grab for this with both hands and, even if he shot her down, she would always know she'd tried and hadn't just settled for how things were.

At last she took one last look in the mirror, pleased with what she saw. Her hair fell in dark waves around her face, somewhere between straight and curly. Her makeup was subtle but played up her best features. The outfit was perfect. She left her apartment, her stomach filled with butterflies and her heart full of hope.

I ain't settling for just getting by
I've had enough so so for the rest of my life
Tired of shooting too low, so raise the bar high
Just enough ain't enough this time
I ain't settling for anything less than everything

The door was unlocked as usual and she let herself into Gibbs' house. There were no lights on anywhere except the basement, making it clear he'd been down there since before the sun went down.

She went down the steps, moving slowly…focused on making an impressionable entrance.

When she got far enough to see his face, she was pleased with the impact of her new dress. He stood there with his mouth slightly open, eyes wide and fixed on her. So far, so good.

"Ziver?" he questioned faintly.

Her smile hinted at secrets, as she continued walking toward him with a sexy roll of her hips. She didn't stop until she was tantalizingly close to him.

She lifted a hand to his chest and watched her fingers as they learned the feel of him. She had no patience for chitchat, so went straight to the heart of why she was there. "All my life I have settled for other people's expectations, other people's rules," she said softly, using that last word intentionally. Then, she looked up into his eyes, nothing but certainty in hers. "But do you know what I want, Jethro?"

"What?" he whispered.

She took courage from the fact that his voice was husky with need and that his hand smoothed along one bare shoulder as though he couldn't help himself.

She leaned closer, her mouth ghosting up his neck to tug at his earlobe. He swallowed. Hard.

She pulled back just far enough to look into his eyes again.

"I want you." She slid her hand up to rest on the back of his neck. "I want this." And she pulled him down for a kiss that forever changed both their worlds.

I ain't settling for just getting by
I've had enough so so for the rest of my life
Tired of shooting too low, so raise the bar high
Just enough ain't enough this time

Much later Ziva raised herself up from Jethro's chest as they lay amid his tangled sheets. Rolling on top of him, she caged him between her arms and looked at him with determination.

"In the interest of full disclosure, you should know that I am going to marry you."

The heat in his eyes belied the teasing in his tone and his cocked eyebrow as he challenged, "You sure about that?"

"Very." She dropped a brief hard kiss to his mouth. "But I will give you time to get used to the idea," she added generously.

She had a few seconds to bask in a rare full-blown Gibbs grin before she found herself flat on her back, their positions reversed.

"What makes you think I need time?"

The hot urgency of his kiss wiped the answering grin from her face as they lost themselves in each other again. Later, as he was drifting off to sleep with his arms wrapped around her, Jethro decided he was damn lucky Ziva was through with settling.

I ain't settling for just getting by
I've had enough so so for the rest of my life
Tired of shooting too low, so raise the bar high
I ain't settling no, no, no, no, no, no

So raise the bar high