He flipped the emergency switch and turned to Ziva. Her brow was wrinkled in confusion. "Tony...", she began. He placed his finger to her lips to quiet her. "But Tony I don't underst....", she whispered. "Ziva just listen to me for a minute. Ever since te came waltzing in with your tough girl attitude, cargo pants and your worldly experiences I had this feeling that we were meant to be. But what do I know about suff like that? Nothing. So I ignored my feelings giorno after day, week after week, mese after month, but I just can't do it anymore." He stopped to take a breath and almost fearfully glanced over at her. She was looking down at the elevator floor with both hands clasped behind her back. His cuore was beating a mile a minuto and he stepped towards her and tussled her hair. She looked up at him with a small smile & he couldn't help but notice her misty eyes. She was afraid to speak, afraid she'd mix up the American terms... but she knew one sure fuoco way to be receptive & let him know she felt the same way. She reached up, touching her hand to his face. He looked scared now, an emotion he didn't mostra often. She leaned up and kissed his lips softly. baciare was the same in all languages, there was no way to confuse that. When he didn't baciare her back she pulled away, "Tony was I wrong? I thought te were saying that..." All of a sudden he flipped the emergency switch again and the elevator jerked back to life. In secondi they reached Abby's lab and the door dinged open. They walked silently until they reached a babbling Abby and an out of breath McGee. "What's your problem probie?", Tony inquired. "I had to take the stairs Tony, it seems the elevator was out of commission. te wouldn't know anything about that would you?" McGee said. Tony chuckled, "What's the matter Mcfit? Not getting your money out of those 4 giorno a week training sessions?" He didn't wait for an answer and instead turned to Abby, "What do te got Abs?" "Well I have this uncanny psychic ability to tell when two people feel Amore for one another, but can't admit it. I think it stemmed from this deep Amore I had for my high school science teacher. I never admitted my Amore for him to anyone, so after that anno I swear I got the gift of seeing right through people who say they don't have feelings for each other." Tony and Ziva ha rubato, stola a sideways glance at each other. "Ziva... I lo..." bring bring bringggg. Tony opened one eye and squinted at the red numbers on the digital clock beside his bed. 4:35. Bring bring bringggg. Tony groaned and reached for his cordless phone wondering who was calling his house phone at this hour. "Hello. Who is this?" he murmered still half asleep. "Tony te better get here before Gibbs does. Triple homicide, 1 child. We've been trying to call te for a half an hour. Why aren't te answering your cell phone?" McGee hurridly
inquired. "I'll be there in 10 with coffee Probie." He hung up and rolled onto his back and sighed. It was the third time this week he'd dreamed of telling Ziva how he felt. He didn't know if this was his minds way of telling him it needed to be done o his minds idea of a cruel joke. Either way he didn't have time to think about it right now because if he wasn't in the office before Gibbs was he wouldn't have a head anymore. He jumped out of bed, threw on a wrinkled pair of pants, a button up camicia and was out the door. 10 minuti later he stepped out of the elevator, coffee in hand only to the team walking da him grabbing their coffee from the holder and stepping back into the elevator. "Your late." Gibbs barked. "Boss I hit traffic on furgone, van Houten and the lady at the coffee negozio spilled the first cup she made; seems she had a bad night and... ", he let is voice trail off. "Won't happen again boss." "Good do te think te can get in here so we can go now?" Tony slipped into the elevators as the doors were closing and brushed against Ziva. He looked over at her. "Morning Probie te look like te had a long night. Special date? Let me guess. It was a baciare & kill moment." he stated. She smiled, "Oh Tony te would like that wouldn't you?" "Ha ha... no I had my own special data last night with a very special woman in my dreams." Smack! Tony cringed. "Keep your sexual fantasies out of my case DiNozzo." "You got it boss." Ziva & McGee smirked. The elevator came to stop and they all walked silently & quickly to the car. “Boss do te think I could drive this morning? Not that te aren’t a good driver, it’s just that I’m not sure my stomach could handle the way te drive this early.” Gibbs looked at him. “Okay never mind boss. te drive. I’ll shut up.” Tony said. They loaded into the car, he ended successivo to Ziva again. He wondered how that happened everytime. Was it conscious, sub-conscious? Did she do on it purpose? “DiNozzo!” Gibbs yelled. “Yeah boss, sorry. Just thinking about…never mind.”
    They pulled up to the beautifully landscaped house. Navy officers always had nice homes. He himself had thought about joining the Navy once; he liked the idea of nice things and the girls… oh the girls! He smiled and looked up when the tronco slammed. “Coming Tony?” Ziva asked. The successivo few hours were a blur of bodies, blood, crime scene photos, evidence collection and questions. He was glad to get back to the office. He sat down at his scrivania, reception & put his feet up, listening to his messages. Nancy. Delete. Cara… now she was cute, but no. Delete. He sighed and hung up. No one could compare to Ziva. He vaguely heard McGee asking a domanda about the case, but couldn’t focus. He jumped up, “I’ll take the evidence to Abby.” He grabbed the box and headed for the elevator. He pressed the down button and waited. It dinged open and he stepped in. “Want some company Tony?” he heard Ziva ask from a few feet away. “I’m good probie. I’ll be right back up.” “I’ll be here,” she detto softly. She sighed. Lately she’d been trying to hard to mostra him she cared about him. They had come a long way since he had killed Michael and the team had saved her. She was trusting the people who mattered the most to her; Gibbs, Tony, McGee, Ducky, Palmer & Abby. These people were her family now. She wished she could just walk up to Tony and tell him I care about you, I trust you, I Amore you. As tough as she was she knew she didn’t have the strength to wear her cuore on her shirt… wait… maybe that is not right. “McGee what is that saying about wearing your cuore on your shirt,” she asked confused. “I think te mean wear your cuore on your sleeve,” he answered. “But why would I wear a cuore on my sleeve. How would that be possible?,” she continued. “It’s just a figure of speech Ziva. Basically it means that te put your feelings out in the open and hope that the person te are telling your feelings to doesn’t break your heart,” McGee said. He got up and walked to Ziva’s desk. “Are te okay Ziva? Were te seeing someone we didn’t know about?” he questioned. She looked down and then slumped over her desk. McGee put his hand on her shoulder. She sighed and looked up with tears in her eyes. “There is no one I have been seeing McGee, but there is someone I would like to see,” she stopped and looked at Tony’s desk. McGee smiled and bent down successivo to her. “Are te finally ready to tell him?” “But… how did you…”, she trailed off. “Ziva it’s obvious that te & Tony have strong feelings for each other. Everyone knows.” She closed her eyes to stop her head from spinning. She thought everyone knows? How could they know? Tony & I… we’ve never … I didn’t even know until…. “Ziva it’s okay. I think te should tell Tony.” She opened her mouth to speak and Tony strolled out. “What’s going on here McComeOn? Is he bothering te Ziva? I gave him free dating lessons last Christmas, but I didn’t expect he’d use them on you.” “Tony. Ziva was just asking about a problem for a friend of hers,” McGee declared. “What kind of problem? Are we talking Dr. Drew o Dr. Phil?” McGee looked at Ziva then back at Tony. “Well her friend has feelings for someone and is afraid to tell them. She wanted to know how her friend should handle the situation,” McGee said. Tony chucked. “That’s easy. Tell her to buy a slinky nighty, Victoria Secrets preferably, mostra up at his house unannounced, open her cappotto to the lingerie and bam! A Amore match happens.” Tony explained cheerfully. “Umm… those feelings are not the only feelings she has Tony. These feelings are genuine feelings. Not all men are pigs like te and want to see a woman mostra up in lingerie,” Ziva stated almost sadly. “Ohh… yes they are! See men…” Tony started. “Back to work!” Gibbs howled. They scurried back to their seats. “What do we have so far?” The rest of the afternoon they were busy tracking down leads and filling out paperwork. Nightfall came quickly. Gibbs was with the director when Abby called. “I’ve got something, can te come down?” Abby confirmed. “Be right there. Hangs up phone. Abby has something lets go.” He & Ziva got to the elevator at the same time and stepped in together. McGee’s scrivania, reception phone rang & as the doors were shutting, Tony bellowed “Too late Probie.” The elevator doors clinched shut. He was sweating. It was now o never. He flipped the emergency switch. Ziva looked confused. “Tony what are te doing?” “Look Ziva I just want te to know… what I detto up there about your friend was well off key. If she likes this guy, o girl, is it a girl? Anyway. She should tell them. Now. Before they get snatched up.” Wait that wasn’t what I was supposed to say. What’s wrong with me? It’s only three words. I. Love. You. What’s so hard about that? He thought to himself. “Thank te Tony. I will tell her.” He nodded and flipped the emergency switch again & the elevator jerked & began moving. It seemed to take forever, but it was only a few seconds. Ding! The doors opened and Ziva stepped out. He walked out after her and watched her tiny hips sway. She sure was beautiful. Heavy breathing alerted him & he looked up. It was McGee. "What's the matter Mcfit? Not getting your money out of those 4 giorno a week training sessions?” Tony stopped suddenly, confused. “Wait, did we do this before? It’s like déjà vu. I swear…”, he murmured. Then he remembered his dream. “What do te got Abs?” He half listened to her go on and on with some scientific terms. He immersed himself into daydream and was unaware of just how long he’d been standing there. Suddenly he blurted out “I Amore you!”. “Aww Tony I know. I Amore te too!” Abby reached inoltrare, avanti and hugged him. He jolted to reality, “what? I mean I do Amore you, Abs. As a friend of course. But I wanted to say it to…” Abby stopped him. “Are te finally going to tell her?” “Tell who? Tell them what?”, he detto trying to escape what just happened. “Ziva, Tony! te know who!”, Abby squealed. “One giorno Abs I will.” “Well te better do it now before she gives up on you,” she detto mysteriously and then went back to her work. Tony walked away più confused than ever now.
    He took the stairs back up to the bullpen, wanting to have as much time to think as possible. He knew it was true. He’d lose her if he didn’t act fast. But with so much between them, how could he be sure that she even wanted to hear what he had to say. Instead of going straight to his scrivania, reception he stopped da the bathroom to buy himself a little extra time. He waited in there like a school kid who had been bullied. He washed his hands 6 times & paced the tile until he was sure he made a groove in it. Then the door swung open. Gibbs walked in. “Tony is there something going on with you?” “No boss. I’m good. I mean I have problems, but don’t we all. There is this cena debacle, what am I supposed to have on Thursday’s now? My preferito Chinese place closed down.” He rambled. Gibbs detto “No Tony a più personal issue that te need to face. te have been hiding from your demons, I thought te had both dealt with what happened. I think Ziva has taken it to cuore and moved on. But you… I’m not so sure.” He looked at Tony waiting for confirmation. “Boss I moved on from the bad to the good long ago. I dealt with what I did, to Michael & to her. It’s the demons within myself I’m hiding from this time. I Amore her boss. Rule #12 I know. But I still Amore her.” Tony answered. “Then tell her. Some rules are meant to be broken,” Gibbs replied. With that he turned and walked out of the bathroom. Tony was stunned. Why would he allow him & Ziva to break rule #12. Did everyone really know that he loved her? He sagged against the sink, unsure of what sposta to make next. When the door opened he didn’t even hear it. Ziva sauntered in, hands in her pockets. “Gibbs detto te need to talk to me.” He looked up amazed with how beautiful she was. Her dark hair flowing freely around her shoulders, sparkling eyes, pride stance and those soft subtle lips. “Yeah, Ziva I need to…”, his voice faultered as she stepped closer to him. “What I need to say is that I…”, again he hesitated. “Tony it is okay. We are all Friends here. te can tell me.” “It’s just that…”, he stopped. He took her da her forearm and pulled her closer, so that she was right up against his body. He could feel her breath against him and with every piece of courage he could muster he leaned down and placed his lips on hers. She was obviously surprised, but kissed him back. The soft, sensual baciare soon turned into a full on passionate, up against the bacheca (okay so it was up against the counter) kiss. They kissed until his lungs felt like they were going to explode and only then did he pull away. He looked into her eyes. “I’ve been trying to tell te that I Amore te Ziva. Since the first giorno te walked in here I have felt this irreplaceable connection with you. I don’t just want te anymore. I need you.” Ziva went weak in his arms and put her hands on his arms to steady herself. “Tony. In this moment te have detto what I too have been wanting to say. I fell head over feet for you.” He chuckled, “Heels. Head over heels.” They both laughed and he leaned down and placed a soft baciare on her lips. Work was waiting they knew and the romance would have to wait. They opened the bathroom door walking out hand in hand. The whole office erupted in applauds & whistles. Smiling they walked da Gibbs. Smack! Tony turned to look at him. “Good job DiNozzo,” Gibbs detto smiling.