Compassion and Comfort
Aug. 16th, 2010 08:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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ncisficathonTitle: Compassion and Comfort
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
heartundone
Written for:lukecanwaltz88
Prompt: Tony/Ziva (romance or friendship, can contain other characters): We know Tony loves movies... he quotes them, references them, etc. What's Ziva's passion? Does she love a certain TV show? Does she love a certain book series? Tony finds out what Ziva's quirky obsession is!
Archive: yes
Genre: het
Pairings: Tony/Ziva
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Not my sandbox, I’ll try to put them back where I found them when I’m done.
Word Count: 1610
Summary: Tony salvages the things Ziva loves the most.
...10 Days After Tel Aviv...
Tony waved to the landlord as he loaded the last box of Ziva’s charred belongings into his car. He had already cleared all of her things out of the storage locker that Abby had been investigating after the bombing in her apartment, and after sweet talking the landlord, he had gotten permission to take everything else salvageable in her apartment before the building was remodeled.
As he slid behind the driver’s seat he sighed deeply. He knew that she wouldn’t come back for her stuff, and she wouldn’t contact anyone from the team about getting it. She had chosen to walk away and he had to respect that wish. He had screwed up. But the least he could do was save her things, restore what he could, and hope maybe someday she would want them back.
He glanced at his backseat. If nothing else, maybe she would come back for the books he had found. Novels in every language had littered her apartment. Some were ruined beyond recognition, but others he was sure he could repair.
...5 Days After Somalia...
Ziva stared at the vacant walls of her new apartment in DC. Her apartment was a blank canvas and as Abby had reminded her when she dropped her off, a chance at a new start. She could decorate it any way she wanted. While Ziva appreciated the sentiment, she couldn’t help but wish for some of her old things back.
She frowned at the empty bookshelves that lined the wall in front of her. She would never be able to fill those shelves as they deserved. For years she had collected novels wherever she went. She could remember lying in beds in every country that she had traveled to and reading the familiar stories. They always calmed her mind when she was in unfamiliar countries. She often remembered her missions based on which book she had read and which bookseller she had bought it from. She would never admit it, but body counts were something she shuddered to think about, so she counted her books instead.
She bit her lip and tried to hold back her tears. She had never shared with anyone what she read when she was alone. She was sure that no one would understand her need for Jane Austen. She couldn’t even explain it herself, but there was just something that pulled her to the books. Maybe it was that she could always find a novel no matter where she traveled. Maybe it was the fact that the characters lived lives so different from her own. She often found herself wishing that the only things in life she needed to worry about was who she would dance with at the ball. Granted the characters in the stories faced greater trials, but they always resolved them by the end. She couldn’t help but think that her story would never end as well.
In a moment of mental weakness in Somalia she had thought maybe she was the Lizzy to Tony’s Mr. Darcy. She was certainly strong willed enough, and didn’t care what Tony thought of her. And Tony was certainly able to put his foot in his mouth as well as Darcy could. If her life were a novel she was sure they would end up together. As it was, she was sure there was too much between them for their relationship to be restored to anything beyond partners. She wasn’t even sure if it could be restored as that.
A knock at the door jarred her out of her musings.
“Special delivery for Miss Ziva David.” Tony said with a hesitant smile as she opened the door.
“What is that?” She asked at the stack of boxes he was holding in his arms.
“Just some essentials for your new place. Until you get things of your own. McGee donated an old laptop for you to use, he says it’s slow and outdated, but I’m sure he’s the only one that thinks so. And I brought you some gifts of my own.”
Ziva nodded. “Thank you.”
“Can I bring them in?”
She nodded and stepped away from the door.
“Nice place that Abby found you.”
She nodded again and stared at the ground, unsure what to say to Tony that didn’t make her sound ungrateful for his presence.
“Why don’t you open your gifts?” He asked softly, guiding her to her sofa. “I promise you’ll like them.”
She accepted the first gift that he handed her and unwrapped it from its newspaper wrapping. A BBC collection of DVD’s fell out and she looked from them, up to him. She turned them over her hand and looked at the titles: Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Mansfield Park, and Persuasion. She bit her lower lip to keep her tears at bay. She had never gotten the chance to see the movies, instead imagining everything as it happened on the page; now they would be the start of a new collection.
“I know you like Jane Austen. And I thought maybe you would like to watch the movies with me. That’s why I brought the laptop. I couldn’t really carry up a television. Although that is high on the list of things you need.”
She bit her lip and nodded. “Thank you Tony.”
“I got you something else too.” He said thrusting another package into her lap.
Ziva stared at the package in her lap, but didn’t move to open it. With a shaking hand she placed the DVD set on the floor at her feet and stared at Tony.
“What?”
“How did you know?”
“Know what?”
“That I like Jane Austen.”
He shrugged. “I pay attention.”
“Tony.” She shook her head, searching for the right words to express both her confusion and her gratitude.
“Ziva.” He reached out and gently covered her hand with his. “I mean I pay attention. I noticed what book you kept in your desk, and in your backpack. And there was always a copy lying around your apartment. It wasn’t hard to figure out.”
“Oh.”
“I know what you think you lost Ziva. But it will be ok.”
“You cannot know that Tony.”
“Open your package and then we’ll talk.”
With shaking hands she unwrapped the paper and looked at the book that fell into her lap. A copy of Pride and Prejudice translated to Hebrew lay in her lap and she gathered it softly to her. The familiar cover felt like an old friend. Tracing her fingers over the creases in the spine, she looked up at Tony, waiting for an explanation.
“Look inside.” Tony said softly.
She did and a photograph fell out. She glanced at it and stared back up at Tony. “What is this of?”
“Boxes of books. Your books. I took them from your old apartment after you left. I thought maybe someday you would come back for them.”
“You kept my books?” She said, a tear creeping down her face.
“I kept more than your books. I kept everything that could be salvaged.”
She shook her head. “Why?”
“Because I thought maybe if I had something you wanted, you would come back.”
Ziva choked on a sob as she threw her arms around him. “I am sorry Tony.”
“I know ninja. We already went through that in the bathroom.” He gently ran his hands across her back, soothing her and drawing her closer to him.
She pulled back and looked into his eyes. “I know. But I cannot say it enough. I cannot believe that you have my things. I cannot believe you would have even wanted me to come back for them after all that happened.”
“I never wanted you to leave Ziva. I never wanted to lose you. How could I when...” He shook his head and trailed off. After a few seconds he met her eyes, “Why do you have so many copies of the same books Ziva?”
She sighed. “I have gone on missions all over the world. But I discovered that I could go into any bookseller in any country and get a copy of at least one of Jane Austen’s novels. So I did. I have at least one from every mission I have ever gone on. When I could buy them in other languages, I did. If English was all I could find, that is what I bought. At night, or whenever I had downtime on a mission I would read them. And I would imagine what it would be like...” She trailed off and began chewing on her fingernail.
“What is would be like to be someone else?”
She nodded. “I am not proud of everything I have done Tony. The escape was pleasurable.”
“You’ve seen my movie collection. There’s no need to explain.”
“Thank you Tony.”
“Tomorrow I’ll start bringing your stuff over if that’s ok. I even have some clothes if you want them.”
“That would be nice.”
“Tonight though, I thought we could resurrect an old tradition.” He said, pulling the laptop out of its case and setting it on the coffee table. “Want to pick a movie? I also brought popcorn and sodas.”
She smiled at him as he pulled bottles of soda and packets of popcorn from his bag. Reaching down to the DVD he had bought her she didn’t hesitate as she pulled one from its wrapping and handed it to him. “I will make the popcorn while you set up the movie.”
She caught him smile at the title as she headed into the kitchen. Maybe, just maybe she though, he was her Mr. Darcy after all.
Author:
heartundoneWritten for:
lukecanwaltz88Prompt: Tony/Ziva (romance or friendship, can contain other characters): We know Tony loves movies... he quotes them, references them, etc. What's Ziva's passion? Does she love a certain TV show? Does she love a certain book series? Tony finds out what Ziva's quirky obsession is!
Archive: yes
Genre: het
Pairings: Tony/Ziva
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Not my sandbox, I’ll try to put them back where I found them when I’m done.
Word Count: 1610
Summary: Tony salvages the things Ziva loves the most.
...10 Days After Tel Aviv...
Tony waved to the landlord as he loaded the last box of Ziva’s charred belongings into his car. He had already cleared all of her things out of the storage locker that Abby had been investigating after the bombing in her apartment, and after sweet talking the landlord, he had gotten permission to take everything else salvageable in her apartment before the building was remodeled.
As he slid behind the driver’s seat he sighed deeply. He knew that she wouldn’t come back for her stuff, and she wouldn’t contact anyone from the team about getting it. She had chosen to walk away and he had to respect that wish. He had screwed up. But the least he could do was save her things, restore what he could, and hope maybe someday she would want them back.
He glanced at his backseat. If nothing else, maybe she would come back for the books he had found. Novels in every language had littered her apartment. Some were ruined beyond recognition, but others he was sure he could repair.
...5 Days After Somalia...
Ziva stared at the vacant walls of her new apartment in DC. Her apartment was a blank canvas and as Abby had reminded her when she dropped her off, a chance at a new start. She could decorate it any way she wanted. While Ziva appreciated the sentiment, she couldn’t help but wish for some of her old things back.
She frowned at the empty bookshelves that lined the wall in front of her. She would never be able to fill those shelves as they deserved. For years she had collected novels wherever she went. She could remember lying in beds in every country that she had traveled to and reading the familiar stories. They always calmed her mind when she was in unfamiliar countries. She often remembered her missions based on which book she had read and which bookseller she had bought it from. She would never admit it, but body counts were something she shuddered to think about, so she counted her books instead.
She bit her lip and tried to hold back her tears. She had never shared with anyone what she read when she was alone. She was sure that no one would understand her need for Jane Austen. She couldn’t even explain it herself, but there was just something that pulled her to the books. Maybe it was that she could always find a novel no matter where she traveled. Maybe it was the fact that the characters lived lives so different from her own. She often found herself wishing that the only things in life she needed to worry about was who she would dance with at the ball. Granted the characters in the stories faced greater trials, but they always resolved them by the end. She couldn’t help but think that her story would never end as well.
In a moment of mental weakness in Somalia she had thought maybe she was the Lizzy to Tony’s Mr. Darcy. She was certainly strong willed enough, and didn’t care what Tony thought of her. And Tony was certainly able to put his foot in his mouth as well as Darcy could. If her life were a novel she was sure they would end up together. As it was, she was sure there was too much between them for their relationship to be restored to anything beyond partners. She wasn’t even sure if it could be restored as that.
A knock at the door jarred her out of her musings.
“Special delivery for Miss Ziva David.” Tony said with a hesitant smile as she opened the door.
“What is that?” She asked at the stack of boxes he was holding in his arms.
“Just some essentials for your new place. Until you get things of your own. McGee donated an old laptop for you to use, he says it’s slow and outdated, but I’m sure he’s the only one that thinks so. And I brought you some gifts of my own.”
Ziva nodded. “Thank you.”
“Can I bring them in?”
She nodded and stepped away from the door.
“Nice place that Abby found you.”
She nodded again and stared at the ground, unsure what to say to Tony that didn’t make her sound ungrateful for his presence.
“Why don’t you open your gifts?” He asked softly, guiding her to her sofa. “I promise you’ll like them.”
She accepted the first gift that he handed her and unwrapped it from its newspaper wrapping. A BBC collection of DVD’s fell out and she looked from them, up to him. She turned them over her hand and looked at the titles: Pride and Prejudice, Sense and Sensibility, Mansfield Park, and Persuasion. She bit her lower lip to keep her tears at bay. She had never gotten the chance to see the movies, instead imagining everything as it happened on the page; now they would be the start of a new collection.
“I know you like Jane Austen. And I thought maybe you would like to watch the movies with me. That’s why I brought the laptop. I couldn’t really carry up a television. Although that is high on the list of things you need.”
She bit her lip and nodded. “Thank you Tony.”
“I got you something else too.” He said thrusting another package into her lap.
Ziva stared at the package in her lap, but didn’t move to open it. With a shaking hand she placed the DVD set on the floor at her feet and stared at Tony.
“What?”
“How did you know?”
“Know what?”
“That I like Jane Austen.”
He shrugged. “I pay attention.”
“Tony.” She shook her head, searching for the right words to express both her confusion and her gratitude.
“Ziva.” He reached out and gently covered her hand with his. “I mean I pay attention. I noticed what book you kept in your desk, and in your backpack. And there was always a copy lying around your apartment. It wasn’t hard to figure out.”
“Oh.”
“I know what you think you lost Ziva. But it will be ok.”
“You cannot know that Tony.”
“Open your package and then we’ll talk.”
With shaking hands she unwrapped the paper and looked at the book that fell into her lap. A copy of Pride and Prejudice translated to Hebrew lay in her lap and she gathered it softly to her. The familiar cover felt like an old friend. Tracing her fingers over the creases in the spine, she looked up at Tony, waiting for an explanation.
“Look inside.” Tony said softly.
She did and a photograph fell out. She glanced at it and stared back up at Tony. “What is this of?”
“Boxes of books. Your books. I took them from your old apartment after you left. I thought maybe someday you would come back for them.”
“You kept my books?” She said, a tear creeping down her face.
“I kept more than your books. I kept everything that could be salvaged.”
She shook her head. “Why?”
“Because I thought maybe if I had something you wanted, you would come back.”
Ziva choked on a sob as she threw her arms around him. “I am sorry Tony.”
“I know ninja. We already went through that in the bathroom.” He gently ran his hands across her back, soothing her and drawing her closer to him.
She pulled back and looked into his eyes. “I know. But I cannot say it enough. I cannot believe that you have my things. I cannot believe you would have even wanted me to come back for them after all that happened.”
“I never wanted you to leave Ziva. I never wanted to lose you. How could I when...” He shook his head and trailed off. After a few seconds he met her eyes, “Why do you have so many copies of the same books Ziva?”
She sighed. “I have gone on missions all over the world. But I discovered that I could go into any bookseller in any country and get a copy of at least one of Jane Austen’s novels. So I did. I have at least one from every mission I have ever gone on. When I could buy them in other languages, I did. If English was all I could find, that is what I bought. At night, or whenever I had downtime on a mission I would read them. And I would imagine what it would be like...” She trailed off and began chewing on her fingernail.
“What is would be like to be someone else?”
She nodded. “I am not proud of everything I have done Tony. The escape was pleasurable.”
“You’ve seen my movie collection. There’s no need to explain.”
“Thank you Tony.”
“Tomorrow I’ll start bringing your stuff over if that’s ok. I even have some clothes if you want them.”
“That would be nice.”
“Tonight though, I thought we could resurrect an old tradition.” He said, pulling the laptop out of its case and setting it on the coffee table. “Want to pick a movie? I also brought popcorn and sodas.”
She smiled at him as he pulled bottles of soda and packets of popcorn from his bag. Reaching down to the DVD he had bought her she didn’t hesitate as she pulled one from its wrapping and handed it to him. “I will make the popcorn while you set up the movie.”
She caught him smile at the title as she headed into the kitchen. Maybe, just maybe she though, he was her Mr. Darcy after all.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2010-08-17 12:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-19 01:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-17 01:10 am (UTC)That, line alone made me start crying. I can so picture him saying that to her. Because deep down, Tony really wants her to know how much he cares for her and how much he loves her.
*runs to grab her tissues*
no subject
Date: 2010-08-17 02:15 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-17 01:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-19 01:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-17 01:51 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-17 02:17 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-17 10:48 am (UTC)Lovely.
no subject
Date: 2010-08-19 01:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-17 05:21 pm (UTC):)
no subject
Date: 2010-08-19 01:13 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-18 07:33 am (UTC)lovely link the book collection to the movies and Tony making a link with the DVDS of Austen's work
no subject
Date: 2010-08-19 01:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-08-18 11:45 pm (UTC)OMGOMGOMG.
best line ever.
This story, woman. Wow.
no subject
Date: 2010-08-19 12:07 am (UTC)