Rekindling the Flame

Up on the Roof

Chapter 16 - Up On The Roof

Tony rolled over and slowly opened his eyes. Something had woken him but he wasn't sure what. It was still dark so it couldn't be morning yet. Looking over at Ziva's bed, he noticed it was empty. He sat up and scoured the room. Not finding her anywhere, he cautiously climbed down the ladder from the top bunk and landed cat-like on the floor.

Turning towards one of the dormer windows, he noticed it was open a lot wider than it had been when they went to bed. Padding over to it, he peered out and nearly fell over with shock. Sitting on the edge of the veranda roof, with her legs dangling over the side, was his incredibly agile but very naughty little sister.

"Ziva!" whispered Tony as loudly as he dared. "What on earth are you doing out there?"

Turning around, Ziva spotted Tony leaning out of the window.

"Hi Tony," she greeted smiling. "Come and join me. It's so beautiful to watch the stars."

"Are you kidding?" exclaimed Tony. "If Mom or Dad catches you, you'll get such a spankin'. Get back inside!"

"They won't catch me," said Ziva confidently. "They're asleep. I walked over to their window and checked."

Rolling his eyes at his sister's daring, Tony tried again to convince her.

"Come on Ziva, come inside. Do you really want to risk it?"

"I'm not risking anything, Tony," said Ziva slightly annoyed. "I'm only sitting out here, it's not like I'm jumping around or anything."

"Yeah, but look at the drop?" argued Tony. "This definitely constitutes putting yourself in danger."

"Pfft!" scoffed Ziva. "I'm fine!"

They lingered in silence for a few seconds longer before Tony asked, "Are you sure they're asleep?"

"Yes Tony. I checked," she answered impatiently. "Come on out here. It's really nice. I can see the water and the forest and everything."

Feeling very tempted, Tony thought hard. It did look like fun to sit on the roof. It wasn't something he could do at home and although it technically wasn't the actual roof, it was pretty close. Maybe he could just sneak out for a few minutes? If Mom and Dad were asleep as Ziva had said, he could have a quick look and then hurry back in. Deciding that would be the way to go, he cautiously lifted his leg and balanced it on the sill. He was just about to hoist himself up and out, when he felt and almighty sting in his rear end. Gasping with shock, he turned to see the very angry face of his Dad.

Grabbing his bottom and rubbing furiously, Tony said, "I didn't actually go out there!"

"That's only because I grabbed you. If I had been one minute later, you'd have been on that roof," growled Gibbs. "And what's even worse, is that two minutes ago, you were trying to talk Ziva out of it!"

Seeing the look on Tony's face, Gibbs explained, "I've been standing at your door listening to you, hoping that you would be able to convince Ziva to come inside."

"I did try," Tony said trying to avoid further punishment.

"I know," said Gibbs. "So what possessed you to change your mind and head out there yourself?" he added looking sternly at the ten year old.

"Well, it kinda looked like fun," said Tony quietly, looking at the floor. "And Ziva didn't seem to be having any problems sitting out there."

"Trust me, that's gonna change," announced Gibbs grimly. "Now sit down on the bottom bunk while I get your sister inside."