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Part 6 of Reddit November 2022 Senses & Sensibility Responses , Part 11 of Honey Dust, Lipstick Stains and Mistletoe: NCIS kisses
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Published:
2022-11-05
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2023-03-21
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2,460
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3/3
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Sunrise Over Shenandoah

Summary:

When Tony loses a bet and ends up on a sunrise hike with the rest of the team, he's less than impressed. But at the top, he learns that the view is absolutely breathtaking.

Unexpectedly found a second chapter from Ziva's POV

Hints of McAbby and pre-Tiva.

Notes:

Taking part in the r/fanfiction November 2022 Sense & Sensibility Prompt Challenge: A series of one-shots (ideally drabbles, probably not knowing me) focusing on sensory language and the different senses.

Day Five: Sight - sky

Chapter 1: Losing Bet

Chapter Text

“Remind me again... Ugh... remind me why I agreed to this?” Tony grumbled, trudging up the hill behind the others. It was cold enough to see his breath in front of his face. Not that he could see a lot else in the dim pre-dawn light. “Can we at least use our phone lights?” 

“You did not agree,” Ziva called back, ducking under a snow-laden branch, or rather, a bright orange blob he knew to be the beanie she’d gotten from Roy Sanders a few years earlier, ducked under the branch. The rest of her, clad in black more or less dissolved into the twilight. “You lost the bet. As if a blindfold and turning me around as though I were a child aiming for a pinata would affect my aim.” It had affected her aim, but even with that handicap, it was still better than Tony’s. This had led to him being required to pile into McGee’s car at a truly unholy hour, making an unreasonably long drive, followed by an even more unreasonably long hike, all for the purpose of watching the sunrise over the snow-covered Appalachians in Butthole Nowhere, Virginia. McGee had suggested it, and until the bet had come into play, he had refused outright to take part. 

“And no flashlights!” McGee put in, “the view at the end loses its impact if your eyes are accustomed to artificial light.” 

“Come on, Tony,” Abby relented. The path widened a little, enough to break their single-file formation, and she slowed her pace a little to fall into step beside him and slide her mittened hand into his. “It’ll be worth it in the end.” 

“That knife was rigged. A magnet or something,” he complained, unconvinced. They continued the trek, occasionally sliding in the partially melted snow, to the soundtrack of Abby giving them all an enthusiastic scientific talk about the properties of austenitic steel commonly used in knife production. 

The energy required to make the steep climb did little to dispel the way the crisp winter air bit into the skin of their faces, but the light increased slightly as they reached the top. The sky was still mostly a deep velvety blue, a few faint stars still glimmering high up, like the proverbial nursery rhyme diamonds, but was beginning to lighten toward the horizon. 

“Now what?” Tony demanded as the ground levelled out; the world seemed to fall away below them, disappearing into a misty darkness that made it seem like they were the only people in the world. 

“Now we wait, how long Timmy?” Abby swung her backpack down, enamelled mugs, the promised cocoa reward, rattled promisingly within. 

“Not long,” he answered, already anticipating the spectacle. They busied themselves, finding flattish spots on the rocky outcrop to observe from, Ziva spreading out a couple of picnic rugs to keep the damp away, Abby pouring drinks and McGee messing around with a video camera, explaining something about time-lapse footage. 

As was always the way when the four were together, they split into their usual pairs; Tony and Ziva had one rug, Abby and McGee the other a few yards away, and as the first tints of primrose began to colour the horizon, they settled down to wait, side by side, wrapping their hands around the warm mugs. Beside him, Ziva peeled her gloves off to better benefit from the warmth, splaying her fingers on the chipped white enamel. 

“Good cocoa, Abs, thanks,” he murmured after his first sip. She’d even remembered the marshmallows. 

“Shh, look,” he saw her silhouette raise an arm eastward. 

Obediently, he looked. At first, the change was so gradual he didn’t notice it, but after a while, the light definitely began to come alive. Pastel hues of lemon, blush and peach appeared and deepened to brilliant gold, rose and tangerine. Splashes of marigold and crimson lit up the clouds, making the fluffy edges glow like embers in a fire. Higher up, the midnight blue that had cloaked them all was fading to violet and then into lilac and mauves, melting downwards to meet the pinks and oranges as the sun itself began to appear between two far-away summits, a barely visible burst of light.

Tony glanced to his left, Abby had nestled herself between McGee’s legs and was leaning back against his chest, his arms wrapped around her in a cosy vignette, still mostly in shadow. To his right Ziva was gazing off into the distance, her knees were drawn up against her chest, her chin propped on the top. With the glowing colours in the sky reflecting in her eyes, she looked perhaps a little wistful, but overwhelmingly at peace. He turned his head back to the east, watching as more colours that he didn’t even know the names of appeared. Magenta, scarlet and vermillion sounded right, but he thought chartreuse was more green. 

A few yards to his left, there was a soft laugh and almost certainly the sound of a quiet kiss. Okay, so they were back on again, or at the very least the isolated on top of the world vibe their current situation had created was making them think twice. He gave a wriggle, and stretched his legs out in front of him, even with the picnic rug, and Ziva bought properly thick waterproof backed ones, the rocky ground was starting to get to him. The leg he’d broken in college was not going to be happy when he got home. Ziva shifted too, moving a little closer. 

“Cold?” she whispered. 

“Hmm,” he shrugged. Yes, but he wasn’t going to admit it. He heard the quiet huff of her laugh, she knew anyway. He felt her move and a moment later, she’d lowered herself down alongside him, laying down and resting her head on his thigh, the warmth of her body pressed against his bad leg. He stilled, feeling a bit like a wild bird had landed on his hand that he didn’t want to startle back into flight. She tilted her head enough so she could keep looking out across the view, and curled her hand around his aching knee as though it was the most natural thing in the world. 

The brilliant colours began to ease, softening back into the pastels they had been at the beginning, traces of powder blue, turquoise and cerulean emerging to take their place. Ziva sighed and shifted her head a little, and before he realised what he was doing, he’d dropped his hand to a spot between her shoulder blades, rubbing gently along her spine (or where it would have been under the puffy jacket) with his knuckles. She sighed again, a little more purposefully content this time. 

“Beautiful, isn’t it, Tony?” Abby called over. 

He glanced down at Ziva’s head in his lap, she still watched the sky serenely, the morning light beginning to glow on her skin. “Yeah,” he agreed quietly, not looking back up. “Absolutely gorgeous.”

Chapter 2: Home

Summary:

An unexpected second-chapter from Ziva's POV.

Taking part in the r/fanfiction November 2022 Senses & Sensibility Daily Prompts Challenge.

Day Eleven: Sight - landscape

Chapter Text

“Yeah,” Tony’s voice spoke above her, the cadence of his words soft and almost reverent. “Absolutely gorgeous.” 

Abby and McGee were far too wrapped up in each other to notice that Tony absolutely wasn’t studying the sunrise anymore, and Ziva felt her cheeks warm in a way that had nothing to do with the early morning sun that had begun to reach her face. She let her lips curl in the smallest of smiles, and the gentle pressure between her shoulder blades increased in response.  

Okay, so he had made a total pain of himself on the way up, griping about lost bets and the cold, but here? Now? Lying with her head on his thigh watching the snow-covered Appalachians begin to sparkle as the sun eased its way higher into the sky. This felt good. 

A long contended silence followed, and as the brilliant colours of the sunrise dissipated completely, Abby and McGee were saying something about walking a little further. Tony declined for both of them with a quip about never waking a sleeping bear, she knew he meant her, and an agreement that they would be back within a set time. As the chatter of their friends faded into the distance, she and Tony settled back down into companionable silence. 

The sun was brighter and it became less comfortable to watch the sky, so she turned her gaze to the panorama lower down. She lay there, just enjoying the quiet moment of friendly intimacy and gazing out across the undulating landscape, taking in each peak and ridge before her individually. She let her eyes follow one specific slope downward, watching as the treeline thickened so much she could no longer pick individual trunks, the barren growth melding into an amorphous mesh of branches as the side of the mountain sank into a valley, still hidden deep in shadow a long way below them. How high up had Tim said they were? Three? No three and a half thousand feet. Either way, the seemingly infinite sky and the broad expanse of snowy wooded mountains that stretched before her made it seem like they were the only people in the world; isolated in a moment of perfect peace and beauty.  

There was a sense of familiarity in the rugged terrain; certain curves and angles put her in mind of the Eilat Mountains, although the last time she had been there was far less peaceful. Still, the memory of the rich, sunkissed reds and golds of the rocky faces she’d spent days traversing while training with the IDF, compared to the muted browns and greys of a Virginian winter filled her with a surprising pang of homesickness. Ziva inhaled sharply at the emotion, and her hand tightened around Tony’s knee quite unconsciously. 

“You ok?” Tony asked softly. She’d left her hair down, and he smoothed it away from her face. Even with the sun, it was still cold; but when he swiped at a tear that escaped entirely without her bidding, she discovered he’d taken his gloves off and his thumb was warm against her cheek.

“I am fine.” She knew her smile was a little less convincing than it could have been. 

“You’re allowed to call one place home and miss another, you know?” Tony said quietly. “It’s not an all or nothing thing.” 

“Hmm,” she offered in place of anything more expressive. He was right on the mark, although she wouldn’t admit as much out loud. She let her fingers trace the inseam of his jeans, mulling over his words. 

Tony’s voice continued above her low and gentle. “You know... deciding to become a citizen here doesn’t mean you have to forget where you grew up. I figure there’s a pretty big heart under that fierce Ninja exterior. More than enough room for you to love Israel, and all of this.” He gestured outward vaguely before dropping his hand back to her face. “And hey, I can think of at least three people who love having you here.” 

She cast one more look across the Shenandoah Valley as it fell away beneath them, appreciating the clean white patches of snow and the stubble-like growth of trees that adorned the jagged mountains anew. Tony’s fingers were drawing lazy patterns on her cheek and jaw, and she could hear Abby’s laughter as she and McGee drew closer again. 

Ziva inhaled deeply, breathing in the peace and freedom that the endless sky and miles of mountains offered, and felt, for the first time in a long time, that she really was home. 

Chapter 3: Two Steps

Notes:

Taking part in the r/fanfiction November 2022 Sense & Sensibility Prompt Challenge: A series of one-shots (ideally drabbles, probably not knowing me) focusing on sensory language and the different senses.

Day Twenty-Two: Sound - settlement.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Ziva shook Tony’s hand off her face gently as Abby and McGee drew closer again and they packed up and trailed back down the mountain, the sun now high in the sky. There seemed to be a mutual acknowledgement that they wanted to make the most of this last moment of peace, and all four walked in silence; Ziva slowing her pace to match his and loosely twining their fingers, offering a quiet squeeze of gratitude for his advice. 

Man-made noises began to filter through the serene morning, disturbing the quiet, and reminding them they were no longer alone. Softly at first, someone’s feet snapping on a twig, a gentle cough, but then louder, laughter announcing a group of hikers on the ascent before they could see them. 

At first, when they had to walk single file she’d stayed close, taking his hand with her as she stepped in front, and then falling back into step beside him when it was possible again, but the distance between them grew as the volume of the world below them increased. Even on the wider parts of the path, she stopped returning to his side and stayed in front. Eventually, the hand that reached back for him slackened, and then let go completely.

Another group passed them, again making their presence known audibly rather than visibly, a disenchanted teen complaining more voraciously than Tony had been earlier, and the spell was broken entirely. The ground had levelled out now, and Ziva announced that she was cold and would jog ahead and wait for them.

McGee, still close by Abby shot Tony a curious look, a silent question, and he shrugged in response. She hadn’t said much since their moment at the top of the mountain, and he understood that she’d chosen to run it out rather than share what was in her heart with everyone else. It was always the way with Ziva, two steps forward, one step back. A glimmer of connection, of healing, and then she’d back off again. It was as much of a rhythm as the steadily fading pounding of her shoes as she disappeared around the bend ahead of them. 

Continuing at their more leisurely pace, the remaining trio followed her, and for the first time, they could hear the sounds of the car park below them, an engine revving, the sharp blast of a horn, and the hum of music, busy, noisy and undeniably people-y. The magical sunrise and quiet camaraderie they’d shared seemed like a different world now. The unanimous need for silence lifted too, and they began chatting as they covered the last half mile of trail. 

The car park was quiet again, the initial influx of visitors having abandoned their vehicles for the winding trail. Ziva was leaning against the bonnet of McGee's car, her mind obviously miles away, still mulling over the limbo she found herself in. Tony whistled softly, catching her attention before Abby noticed her pensive state, and he watched her defence rise again, facing them with a bright smile as she pushed off the bonnet and took two steps forward to meet them. 

When she reached for his hand on the ride home, this time she didn’t let go.

Notes:

Look, I didn't see this chapter coming either. I glanced over the prompts I'd never managed to get done, and suddenly knew exactly where this story needed to finish.