Far Away

Down By the Bay

As much as he wanted to give her all of his attention, he was distracted by the ticking of the clock, the rays of light on the wall as the sun began to come up. Their three precious days were up.

He was terrified to say goodbye. Terrified to think he might never see her again.

He tried even harder to focus on her. He wanted to memorize every detail of her face, how she talked, the way her nose scrunched up when she was less than pleased with something.

There just wasn't enough time.

Ziva took the first brave step, sighing as she went to pack her bag.

He knew he needed to pack his things too, but he couldn't bring himself to do it.

"Tony," she murmured.

He looked up.

"This is not the end. Okay?"

This coming from the woman who had only yesterday fought him about goodbyes and closure.

But he nodded, made an effort to look a little less depressed.

"Do you want to grab breakfast before...?"

He shrugged.

"Maybe we should. You said you hated the food on the ship."

It made him feel slightly better knowing that she cared. "Okay. You can choose."

She smiled softly. "Are you sure?"

"Very." He trusted her to choose something they'd both like. They were past the point of making each other's life miserable for the fun of it.

***

They found a quiet place to eat, a small café right on the bay. They ate slowly, both to savor the food and the moment.

Leaving the table would mean leaving each other.

Eventually they had to give up their table to an elderly table, not that either of them would have refused on a happier day.

"Walk with me?" Tony asked, feeling childish.

"You did not have to ask," she replied, making him smile.

How was he supposed to say goodbye to this woman?

She surprised him again, tucking her arm through his as they wandered toward the port.

For a moment he could almost pretend that he was happy. That they were together, just a normal couple taking an early morning walk by the bay. That everything was okay.

Without speaking, they stopped and looked out over the ocean. Ziva leaned her head against his shoulder and let out a quiet sigh.

If she had suggested they run away from their responsibilities, he would dropped everything and agreed. He would done anything to stay in that moment forever.

"It is quarter to," she murmured, still leaning into him.

"I guess I should go."

He didn't want to, but he gently pulled away from her.

She somehow managed to give him a small smile.

"Goodbye," he managed.

"Goodbye." She took a step toward him, leaning in to kiss his cheek.

He could've sworn his heart stopped.

He stared at her through wide eyes.

She just shook her head, like she didn't want to ruin the moment with words.

Probably a good idea.

He forced himself to smile at her as he backed away, to wave as he stepped onto the gangplank. He turned around when he reached the deck, curious if she'd still be standing there.

She was.

She waved.

He waved back, standing there at the railing until the ship pulled away from its mooring, away from the port, away from the bay.

He stayed there until distance swallowed up the island.

*****

Super short, super sorry, but I'm super tired and don't know where exactly to go next.

Also... does anyone else know the Down By the Bay song? My grandma (originally from Scotland) taught it to me, so I'm just wondering if anyone else knows it.

I'm hoping tomorrow's chapter can be longer but I'm also going home after class so I don't know.

Stay tuned!

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