Tiva One-shots

I Can Change With You

"I can change with you."

Tony's words echoed through Ziva's mind as she laid in bed. He'd been trying for days to get her to come back to D.C. But she refused. She was convinced that she deserved to sit by herself and think nothing but sad and lonely thoughts. In her mind, after all the things she'd done, she deserved to be miserable.

Tony told her a thousand times that she didn't deserve that. In his eyes she was perfection and he loved her despite all those things she'd done. He wasn't done trying to convince her of that.

Ziva rolled over and looked at Tony as he slept. His back and arms were more muscular than she remembered. And the beard. The beard was a whole different story. But she liked it.

He was more tanned than usual. The Israeli sun will do that to you. But there was something else about his face. He looked, not exactly old, but older. More stressed maybe.

Ziva reached her hand out and caressed his cheek. His eyes fluttered open and he met her gaze and grinned.

"Good morning."

"Good morning."

Tony took the hand that rested on his face and kissed it gently like he'd done in the orchard yesterday.

The look in his eyes said it all. He wasn't giving up. He just wanted her to come home.

"I know you want me to go with you." Ziva started. "But I cannot go back to NCIS."

"I told you, I'm not talking about NCIS. I don't care what you do I just want you to come home." He said.

"And do what?"

"Live with me."

"I can't do that Tony."

"Why?"

"Because of Gibbs."

"Why does that matter? You don't work for him. Rule 12 doesn't matter."

"We both know that Rule 12 was never going to stop us." She said. "I am talking about Gibbs. I cannot face him after all of this."

"The only thing that he's going to care about is that you came back. You know that." Tony insisted.

"I can't." She whispered. "I'm sorry."

She turned over to her other side but Tony moved closer. He wrapped his arm around her abdomen and held her.

She closed her eyes and took in the moment. Tony would be leaving soon enough and these moment would be gone. She didn't know if she'd ever see him again after this. That thought brought tears to her eyes that she quickly wiped before Tony could notice.

She couldn't let him know she was having doubts. It would be too easy to let him in then.

......

Later that day Ziva was sitting on the couch when Tony came in. He joined her and they sat in silence for a few minutes.

Finally Tony broke it. "What did you mean earlier when you said Rule 12 was never going to stop us?"

Ziva smiled. "There has been this....thing... between us for a while. I know you know it because you knew it first. We have both been denying it but that reason was not Rule 12. It was not Gibbs. It was us. We are both just scared to admit it."

"I'm not." Tony said. "You're right. It was never Rule 12. It was just us. But I'm not scared. Ziva every time I'm with you it just feels right. And I know you feel that too. There's nothing standing in our way but us. And we both want it, I know that."