Sorry if there are mistakes... It's kinda late and I am very tired...

*****

"Are you done yet?"

Ziva rolled her eyes. "You asked me two minutes ago."

"And...?"

"No."

"Why is it taking so long?"

"Maybe if you helped, it would not take as long." She tossed a pat of butter in the mixing bowl.

"Interesting." Tony hopped off the chair and walked over to stand next to her. "What should I do?"

"See those?" She pointed to an egg carton.

"Sure."

"Break two of them and put them in the bowl."

"Okay. I can handle that."

"I hope so." She ignored his little offended huff and instead turned her attention to the cookies already in the oven. "Remind me again why we have to make eight dozen cookies?"

Tony shrugged, though of course he knew. He was, after all, the one who volunteered her kitchen as the home base for desserts for the big conference tomorrow.

She sighed. "This batch is almost done, so you need to get a move on with those eggs."

He cringed as he tapped one against the counter.

"What are you doing? Crack it, Tony."

"I don't really want to... The insides are goopy."

"That is the whole point." She took the egg from him and showed it no mercy. "Now you do the other one."

He frowned but did it. "Happy?"

"No. I was not planning to spend my Tuesday evening baking eight dozen cookies with you."

"Aw, I love you, too, Sweet Cheeks."

"Shut up." She shoved the sugar packages his way. "Measure out three-quarter cup of each." She measured out the vanilla but kept a close eye on Tony. Had the man never baked before?

"Now what? Put it in the bowl?"

"Yes. Measure out the flour while I take care of the other dry ingredients."

"When do we mix it?"

"Before you add the flour."

"So shouldn't I mix it now?"

She didn't know what possessed her to do it, but she took a pinch of flour and flicked it at his face.

Now that was a priceless look.

"Zee-vah," he said slowly, blinking little white specks from his eyelashes, "what was that for?"

"You were being annoying."

"Oh yeah?"

She saw it coming, but she still yelped when the handful of flour hit her face.

"You like that, huh?"

"Tony DiNozzo, if I get my hands on you-"

"I think I'd very much like that, actually."

She wiped flour from her eyes. "You are a dead man." But before she could lunge at him, the timer for the cookies went off.

"You should get that. It would suck to have to throw that batch away."

She sent him a death glare before pulling the cookies out of the oven. When she turned back around, he still hadn't moved. "Get whipping, DiNozzo, or I am going to whip you."

He burst out laughing. "Okay, in America, that has another meaning."

She facepalmed, making flour fly everywhere.

"Forget I said anything. I'm whipping." He picked up the whisk and started mixing exaggeratedly.

She measured out the rest of the ingredients and added them while Tony continued to mix.

"Almost done?" he asked hopefully.

"Not quite." Ziva held up the bag of chocolate chips, and his face lit up.

"Aw, yes. The best part." He took the bag and dumped every last morsel into the bowl. "What? I like lots of chocolate in my cookies."

"Have fun mixing that." She leaned against the counter to watch him struggle with the thick dough.

Eventually he got all the chips mixed in, and under her supervision he managed to get a dozen dough balls on the cookie sheet.

"Great. Now put it in the oven."

"It's hot."

"That is why you wear oven mitts, Tony."

"Right." He slid his hands into the mitts and then stuck the cookies in the oven. He wandered back to the counter, eyeing up the remaining cookie dough.

"Do not even think about it," she warned. "We still need that whisk."

"This whisk?" he asked, pulling it out of the bowl and lifting it to his mouth.

"Tony-"

He licked it.

She hit him with the cookbook. "I just told you not to do that!"

"It was either the whisk or you," he said, raising a stern eyebrow.

Mmkay, that was kinda hot.

She went to touch her cheeks, only to remember that they were coated in flour. "I am a mess."

"You sure are."

"Shut up."

"I was just repeating what you said."

"Do not even go there."

"Go where?"

She knew he was only trying to make her mad, but did he have to be such a child about it? "Just... shut up, will you?"

"On one condition."

"What."

"Kiss me."

"No."

"No?" His eyes widened.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I am the cook."

He stared at her blankly for a moment before it clicked. A huge grin curled up his lips as he closed the distance between them.

No timer was going to get in the way this time.

*****

Aw, kinda lame ending but this is making my arm sore and I have no ideas left anyway.

Oh, also, I considered adding this somehow but ended up not because reasons, but Tony can sure put on an act. You'd better believe that man can make some mean cookies. Bless his heart for playing dumb.

Be sure to vote and/or comment if you like this, because let me tell you, I am only doing this for you guys. Otherwise I'd probably give this story up. It's honestly a struggle, if you haven't already gotten that impression.

Anyway.