Tony immediately noticed a change in Ziva's mood. He was surprised to see her so upbeat; he knew she had gone to talk to Ray, and he knew it wasn't to talk about puppies and kittens.
"You seem especially chipper," he said. He couldn't help himself.
McGee shot him a look as if to say 'stop meddling.'
But Tony enjoyed meddling.
Ziva didn't say anything, just smiled slightly.
Tony wadded up a piece of paper and threw it at McGee's head. "Fetch me a Nutter Butter, Probie."
"No."
"I won that bet last week. Instead of making you wear tights into the gay bar, I'll let you fetch me a Nutter Butter."
Ziva looked a little horrified hearing this exchange but didn't comment.
With a heavy sigh, McGee got up and left the squad room.
Tony stood up and sidled up to Ziva's desk. His heart sunk a little (okay, a lot, a whooooole lot) when he saw the ring on her finger, but he was determined to get a joke out of it. Just another coping mechanism, right?
"Are you aware you have a huge rock on your hand? Do you plan to start doing hand exercises so you can lift that?" Not his best, but not his worst, either.
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"So CI-Ray proposed, huh? Popped the question? Did he get down on one knee? Flowers? Did he hire a band?"
"Yes, yes, yes, no, and no," Ziva replied with something like a grimace. "Why do you care?"
"It's a big deal, Zee-vah. And you're my partner. I'm supposed to care." Of course he cared. Just for the wrong reasons.
A good friend would look at this and be so incredibly happy for the newly engaged couple. But Tony... Well, he was happy, sure, but there was also a large part of him that screamed in protest. His heart was already aching, knowing he'd never hold Ziva like Ray held her. He would never be that guy. He was firmly in the friendzone.
Which, don't get the wrong idea, was perfectly okay. He could be a friend if Ziva wanted that. He could put on a brave face and congratulate her. He could lie and say he was so happy for her and Ray's a great guy, perfect for her. He'd do it all, kill himself every single day, if it meant Ziva was happy.
"Tony?"
He hadn't realized how long he was zoned out. "Sorry. Didn't get much sleep last night. Anyway, congrats. I can't wait for the wedding."
She smiled. "You are just looking forward to the alcohol and the girls."
"Well, are you inviting any?"
"Inviting any girls to what?" Gibbs asked, striding in.
"Ziva and Ray's wedding."
That really got the Bossman's attention. He peered over at Ziva with a pleasantly surprised expression on his face. "Is that so?"
Tony grabbed Ziva's hand and held it up. Man, that rock was big.
"I'm happy for you, Ziver." And, unlike Tony, Gibbs did look genuinely happy.
"So when's the party?" Tony prompted.
"We have not discussed it that far, Tony. It was not even an hour ago."
He shrugged. "Sometimes things move more quickly than you'd expect."
"If it's right," Gibbs muttered.
***
It was a rough afternoon, full of frustration and humiliation, but eventually it was over and Ray had under his hire one very good (and expensive) lawyer. He left his full report with the man and then hurried to the deli to pick up a quick dinner.
He rang the doorbell at Ziva's place, unsure whether or not she was home yet.
He was almost about to give up when Ziva came jogging up next to him.
"Sorry," she muttered as she pulled her earbuds out and unlocked the door.
"I've only been waiting for a minute. It's fine." He held up the takeout bag. "Deli sandwiches okay?"
"Sure. I think I'm going to shower first."
"I'll set the table." He didn't really need to, eapecially since they were eating paper-wrapped deli sandwiches, but he figured he could set out napkins and the dressing and find some drinks.
For several minutes he sat listening to the steady rush of water, rehearsing in his head what to say about his afternoon. Should he tell her how difficult it was to find a lawyer willing to take on his case, or should he try to downplay it?
Telling her all the gory details would weaken her faith in him, but skimping on details would make her think he was keeping secrets. Once again, he was screwed either way.
Her hair fell in pretty ringlets around her face when she left the bathroom. He noticed that she had washed away all her makeup, and he loved how she looked beautiful no matter what.
"You didn't have to wait for me," she said as she sat down. "You must be hungry."
Ray shrugged. "I'm not that hungry." A loud growl from his stomach caused them both to laugh. He didn't want to ruin the mood and tell her about the lawyer-hunt.
Her eyes were still crinkled up in laughter as she attacked her sandwich. "Where did you get these? This is amazing!"
"You know that deli on Lincoln?"
"That deli? I didn't know they make sandwiches."
"Well, officially they don't. But they've gotten used to a couple of us coming in on stakeouts looking for food. That, and a few years back we closed their main rival for drug trafficking."
"Hm." The mention of work had her crawling back into her metaphorical shell. "So how did this afternoon go?"
Now was as good a time as any. "I found a guy."
"That is good to hear."
"He's a little expensive, but I'll just dig into my savings a bit. I'll figure something out."
"As long as you do not turn to drug trafficking to make money." Her eyes twinkled.
"I can assure you I will not."
*****
Another short one, I'm afraid.
Do we want to see Ducky, Palmer, or Abby in one of the next chapters? Comment if you have a preference or a suggestion.
Thanks for reading!
Also... Just added a song ^^^^ I probably should've mentioned it sooner but whatever. When I first started writing this story I wanted a song that fit the situation. Just to See You Smile by Tim McGraw was perfect. It has the guy willing to do anything for this girl, just to see her smile. Is that not Tony? And of course, it has the girl who's not so much in love with him and goes off to another guy. There's our Ziva. I dunno. I love it.