The guy saved two people's lives at the risk of his own. I think he deserves a little preening and back-patting!

Really enjoyable story - was just link hopping and found it. I love post-Requeim fics, and this was a lovely little slice. Ziva's "kiss from the heroine" was adorable, and yet I liked the almost melancholy aspect of the ending - the "we're not superheros". Very nice! :)

Great story. I always wished they would have made a bigger deal of Tony saving Gibbs and the girl. I thought he deserved that much.

Yup, I'm still reading your stuff...and still loving it, too! Just watched Requiem myself recently, and this was such a satisfying little post-ep for it, because, of course, I think we all agree that the end of that ep was completely un-satisfying! Abby at the beginning was hysterical, and the coffee she gave Tony was perfect for him - way over the top. Unfortunately, I'm not enough of a movie-buff to have recognized all the references, but I did get a kick out of the helicopter comment. And the Tiva...spot on. I love you Ziva stepped in to take care of Tony, mentally and physically. I really liked the way you left things a little uncertain and not very smooth between them - it definitely fits in with the way they play things on the show...and, as usual, everything you wrote came off very clearly, realistically, and believably.

p.s. - I listened to the Sheryl Crow song you referenced in your fic 'Make It Right' (then I listened to it again...and again...and a few more times) and I agree, it is very beautiful, and it fits that fic just perfectly!

Well done. Both are left off balanced and confused which is... just what we see and expect at this point in their relationship.

I always like a good tag to that episode, great job.

very much liked

Finally getting around to reviewing this one. Really liked how you turned this Gibbs episode into a Tonyfest! Girl, I like how you think. ;)

I'm rereading Tangled Up (and finished Tether before starting this reread of Tangled Up) BTW. As a long time fan of serial fan fiction, I know how the feel of a story can change if you're reading it as a chapter comes out vs the story as a whole. The reason I brought that up at this juncture is because you stay so true to your characters that in my opinion, this piece can easily fit in as a part of the Tether/Tangled Up universe if you wanted it to be a prequel.

Loved how you set things up with Abby all concerned with Gibbs the next day and bringing him a coffee with a GC for refills and then having Tony put everyone into a superhero role. Loved the line "On the other hand, she is eager to hear Tony’s undoubtedly juvenile assessment of her. Purely for entertainment value, of course." I chuckled when I read it. :) When Tony suggested that Ziva might be Sigourney Weaver in Alien, it reminded me of his assessment in a recent episode (I think "Inside Man") about the Alien movies. :) I also think you nailed the essence of DiNizzo with the line "“No, they do not,” Tony says with no shortage of worship in his voice. “Wait. You know how to fly a helicopter?”" :)

Very nice. I like where you pick up after the episode ends and Tony has rescued Maddy and Gibbs and they have been resuscitated with CPR from Ziva's POV. Loved the vivid imagery and intensity of emotion as she surveys the scene and her gut is screaming at her.

Again we see the caretaker in Ziva here that we saw in Tether. Her concern isn't for Gibbs and Maddy who have been pulled out of the water unconscious, but rather for Tony, the rescuer. The need to touch him is already compelling here. This line "Tony holds her jacket in place like a cape, the blue fabric flapping in the breeze behind him." really helps give the action hero imagery since Superman's cape is blue. :) I'm a tad surprised that Ducky isn't more concerned about Tony with his experience with Tony's bout of plague. However, I'm sure the bodies in the warehouse are preoccupying him.

Love how Ziva finally just takes charge and orders Tony to change out of his wet clothes. Seems like Tony needs to be taken care of and it is Ziva who takes the role. I like a competent Tony as much as anyone, but it seems like he forgets himself when he's in charge. This line "A smirk eases across Ziva’s lips; though tempted to turn around for pure entertainment value, she remains facing away from Tony." got another chuckle out of me. So very much the Ziva we know. "Tony seems to read her mind and winks at her. “You’ll just have to wonder.”" is a great way to show how the two are mentally linked. :)

Loved how you had Ziva give Tony a kiss as a reward for his heroic actions only to find that it is rewarding for her as well.

At first I was surprised to see the scene with the flat tire, but it gives a nice denouement to the story. This line, however, "Ziva feigns amusement at his antics, more nettled by his kryptonite dig than she would care to show." has me puzzled. Did you mean that Tony is Ziva's Kryptonite? Not sure how else I'm to read that.

FYI. I started rewatching S3 after one of your review reply comments about your rewatch of S1-3 and how significant Ziva's entrance to the show was and I found that Ziva just fit like a glove into team dynamics. She integrated smoother and faster than Kate did in S1. It is probably why this show is so successful. I was watching Frame Up with MW and PP's commentary on today and was struck by how those two's commentaries are so much fun. (One of the first things I do when I get a DVD set is look for commentaries, esp MW's commentaries because they are a hoot.) I've also noticed that they have not paired CdP with MW in one of those though she has done one with SM. MW has done them on his own, with PP and with his mother.

Oh and thanks to you, I now sigh everytime I see the shoulder holster! lol!

BTW, just FYI. I love getting your review replies. They are always intelligent, thoughtful and thorough, so feel free to ramble on! :)

I think I have one more story to review and I will finally be caught up since July! Though if I can make it through Tangled Up in a day or two, I will likely send you another review of Tangled Up as a whole.

Wow, I'd never even thought about Tony in this episode before this fanfic. Great idea and great story!

You had the same idea I had after watching this episode. When I saw Tony save Gibbs and Maddie, I called him "Big Damn Action Hero." Later that night, I watched Recoil and called Ziva "Sistergirl." I don't even know what kind of mood I was in that night.

wow...this is totally amazing..would have never thought of doing this with requiem but it fits soo well! can't wait to see what else you write!

I am such a bad, late reviwer, I couldn't log in at work and then ff came up with errors all weekend... gah!

I can't believe you didn't get to see this one before! *pets*. I skip around so much with the seasons that I didn't consider the reason for Ziva's behaviour in connection to Requiem but this makes an excellent explanation. I love the image of her kissing him on the cheek a moment too long and being flustered by it; Instead, he gives her a heavy look that makes heat rise in her cheeks even if she can’t quite discern the emotion behind his eyes - Tony would look at her exactly like this and it's so hard to read either of them. Their interactions are always as you have caught them, they play games constantly but sometimes get knocked off centre by the other person's reaction.

Also this whole scene:

bby smirks. “Wow, Tony, you’ve really thought about this.” She swivels her head in Ziva’s direction and fixes her with a significant look. Ziva doesn’t respond.

Tony just nods solemnly, lost in his own fantasy world.

“Hmph,” Ziva turns away from Tony’s gaze, having had enough of being looked at like his next meal. “But do any of them know how to disable a bomb? Speak nearly a dozen languages? Mastermind a covert operation? Fly a helicopter?”

“No, they do not,” Tony says with no shortage of worship in his voice. “Wait. You know how to fly a helicopter?”

Staring unseeing at her monitor, Ziva bites back a smile as she returns to typing. She says nothing.

should be the teaser of an epsisode! I can see them so clearly :-)

You MISSED this episode? o_o

Aw.

I loved it because I have a TOTAL hero-complex about Tony, who does all kinds of freaking awesome stuff, and no one in the series EVER seems to really REALLY recognice it.

Huff.

When waiting for season 7 (just some scrappy 1,5 months and then finally!) it's nice to go back to earlier days.

Didn't really like a lot from season 6, so it's candy :)

This feeds my complex, thank you for sharing _

Per usual, very well written on character story. Loved the take charge Ziva. Loved the banter between her and Tony, as well as, the uncertainty about what exactly it is they feel for each other.

lovely short-story.

tsk, poor ziva/tony... ;)