Lockers and Love

Chapter Two

Tony pulled into his driveway seeing the light on in the house. He couldn't get Ziva out of his head. He got out of his mustang and walked into the house, throwing his shoes to the side, as to not track mud into the rest of the house. He walked into the dining room, seeing his family already sitting down. He moved over to the available seat and sat. Jenny looked over to him, her eyes flashing with curiosity.

"How was your day, Tony?" Jenny softly asked. Tony smiled, seeing Ziva flash through his mind.

"It was good." He picked up his fork and played it around in his mashed potatoes.

"Tim said you were helping somebody move," Gibbs spoke up from the opposite side of the table.

"Yeah. There were these two women moving boxes into their house from the truck. The older one looked like she needed help. The younger one is actually going to be going to our school." Tim and Abby looked up.

"Cool! What grade?" Tony smiled.

"She's a senior." Everybody at the table could see the smile and the flash of adoration that sparkled through his eyes and the mention of this girl.

"What's her name?" Tim spoke. Tony's smile became even larger.

"Ziva." He looked back down at his food, remembering those beautiful brown doe eyes, that sweet Israeli accent, and the strength that radiated from her. The others looked around the table again, smiles adorning their faces. This Ziva was something special, even though they just met. Gibbs and Jenny looked at each other. They knew that experience themselves, seeing as they were in his position. They had met in high school also, they had met in junior year and were inseparable. When he had joined the Marines, it was very difficult, but they had made it work. After he served for his mandatory 4 years, he was honorably discharged and they got married. Four years later, they started their family. It seemed as if Tony was experiencing that now.

As they finished up their dinner, Gibbs, Tony and Tim collected the dishes from the table and took them to the kitchen. It was a family "tradition" that when Jenny cooked (normally Abby would help), the men of the household would clean up and do the dishes so the women could relax. It helped produce manners and responsibility. They finished washing and drying, then headed into the living room. Every Sunday they would have a movie night, something Tony was always ecstatic for. His love for movies was a unique characteristic that was a part of him. If something sounded like a movie he had seen, he would quote it in a heartbeat. Movies were his escape, something that could take away the stress of the day, or to forget about his problems with Jeanne.

They all sat on the sectional couch and huddled under blankets. Gibbs and Jenny chose to sit together in Gibbs' recliner, something that wasn't uncommon. Tim and Abby were cuddled up together under one blanket on one side of the couch while Tony was alone on the opposite side.

'When will they see what's right in front of them?' Tim and Abby had always been best friends, but the way they acted presented more than that.

The movie they had picked for tonight was "Top Gun" an all-time classic, and one of Tony's favorites. He couldn't put it in front of "The Godfather" though or "James Bond". It wasn't even 20 minutes in that he lost focus (something that rarely happened while watching a movie) and more focused on Ziva, and unfortunately Jeanne. Things weren't working with her, and now he had this new girl in his head, something that's never happened to him before. This one was special, he could feel it, right to his heart. Jeanne wasn't a good fit for him, he needed to break it off with her and soon. All of a sudden he got a beep from his pocket. It was his phone.

'Speak of the devil.' Jeanne had texted him.

Jeanne: Hey hottie ;) Whatcha up too?

Tony sighed. He really didn't want to deal with this right now.

Tony: Watching a movie with my family.

He said it so maybe she would leave him alone.

Jeanne: Want some company? ;)

Clearly she hadn't gotten his hidden message. He checked the time and saw that it was 7:15 PM. He suddenly got an idea, he could get this over with. He didn't want to end it over text or over the phone, he was a better man than that.

Tony: I'll do you one better. Meet me at the park?

His reply was almost immediate.

Jeanne: Absolutely.

He sighed and shoved his phone back into his pocket. He jumped up and started for the door, causing everyone in the room to look confused. Tony never left during a movie.

"Where are you going?" Abby was the one to speak up.

"This is like the best part of the movie, one of your favorites." Tony nodded and put on the shoes that he put aside upon his arrival.

"I have something that I need to do." They could all sense that this "something" was important and they let him go. Tony left the house and hopped into his Mustang and set off to the park. Flashes of Ziva still running around in his mind. It just now hit him that the park he was going to was across the street from her house. After a 4 minute drive, he arrived at the park. He parked his car and got out and went over to the bench closest to him. He was not looking forward to this, but it needed to be done. After only 2 months, he couldn't take much more. She was batshit insane and he couldn't do it anymore.

He saw her car pull up and she hastily jumped out to get to him as soon as possible. He would bet that one day she would forget to even turn off the damn car. She moved over and wrapped her arms around him tightly. He just wanted to get this over with and go home and hopefully catch the end of the movie. She moved up to try and kiss him and moved his head away, causing her to kiss his cheek. She could sense that something was wrong, but she ignored it as she believed that nothing could be wrong.

"Look, Jeanne. I need to say something and I need to get it out. Please just wait till I finish talking to speak." She nodded, her face had way too much makeup on. It was almost like nobody would ever be as beautiful as Ziva was. Nobody could compare to beauty. She changed him. She made him want to be a one-woman man, a loyal man. She brought that out in him and he only met her this afternoon. What was going on with him? He had never felt this before.

Jeanne nodded. Still keeping up the innocent look that would always get her way. Not anymore, especially not him.

"Jeanne. This isn't working anymore. I'm not happy. I can't do this anymore, I can't pretend that this is working anymore. You aren't the one for me. I'm sorry." Jeanne was looking up at him, her eyebrows furrowed. All of a sudden she started laughing. What was funny about this? Tony looked at her like she was crazy, which she was, but he wasn't going to say that. At least, not now.

"You're hilarious, Tony. What do you mean this isn't working? It's working perfectly." She went to kiss him again but he lightly pushed her away.'

"Maybe for you. But not for me. We're over Jeanne." With that, he started to walk back to his car. If she couldn't accept it, then so be it. They weren't together anymore, he made that part clear. He was about to reach his car when he heard Jeanne shout behind him.

"This isn't over, Tony!! You will regret this!!" Tony shook his head, no, no he wouldn't. As he drove away he witnessed Jeanne's temper tantrum on the sidewalk. He then glanced at Ziva's house as he passed. Now that Jeanne was out of the picture, he could get to know Ziva more. He was looking forward to that.