A/N: About 6 minutes into Jurisdiction, I had to open a word document on my computer to take note of all the fic ideas the episode gave me. I cannot believe there aren't more post-eps for it! I think this is exactly what my writer's block needed.
Basically, to preface, I was really curious as to why Gibbs automatically assumed Ziva had lost the keys. I think there was a missing piece to the story that we don't know about. This is what I'd like to assume the missing piece is.
The Elevator Floor
"David."
"Yes, Gibbs?" she asked, looking up from her desk.
He raised his eyebrows in her direction, as he dug through his desk drawer. He pulled an item out, shielded it against his body, and made his way to the front of her desk. He tossed the item down and he leaned over, getting into her space and making her slightly uneasy.
"Found this on the elevator floor, too. Know anything about that?"
Her eyes went wide as she looked down at her desk: mortified, shocked, and immobile. On her desk lay an evidence bag filled with purple lace.
She took in a slight breath and looked back up at Gibbs whose face was as blank as a piece of paper. She picked up the bag and plastered a cheery smile across her face.
"My tank top…Must've slipped right out of my bag last night! I was wondering--"
"Don't," he warned gently. He cocked his head to the side, trying desperately to hide his amusement and to maintain a serious expression. "You were wearing that when I left. Any reason you decided to take it off just before you went home?"
He emphasized his words pointedly. She knew she'd been caught, but she wouldn't give up that easily. She stared back at him with a mischievous smile curling up the corners of her lips, suddenly defiant. If he wanted to make accusations, she would make him say it.
"Oh, no reason," she said, shrugging her shoulders in his direction.
"Right," he said, throwing her a doubtful look. Without another word, he turned away from her and made his way up the stairs to the Director's office. Once she was out of eyeshot, she dropped her head onto her desk and let out a loud groan.
"Tough day for the Probie?" Tony asked annoyingly, rounding the corner to his desk.
She lifted her head and narrowed her eyes in his direction.
"You," she growled. "This is all your fault."
She was up out of her chair in a flash, evidence bag in hand as her stare pinned his feet to the floor. He stuttered and put his hands up in defense. She grabbed him by the arm angrily and pulled him with her toward the nearest bathroom. Since it was already late in the day, they did not have any unwanted company.
She locked the door behind her and circled around him. He swallowed apprehensively.
"What's all my fault?"
She invaded his personal space, stopping in front of him before putting her hands on her hips and dropping her voice to a fierce whisper.
"Gibbs knows," she spat out angrily.
"How?" he asked incredulously. She pulled the tank top out of the bag and tossed in his direction, hitting him square in the chest. His eyes widened in recognition as he pulled the lace-trimmed garment off his chest.
His greatest fear over the last few months had been hearing those words fall from her lips: Gibbs knows. Fuck. His mind worked over time, trying to uncover some way to make this all work. One thing was for sure: he wasn't letting her go again.
She waved a hand in front of his face as he stared off into space, mouth agape. Her anger at their carelessness temporarily fading as he slowly came out of his trance.
"Oh," he said finally. He paused as he regarded the cloth in his hand and all the possible conclusions that could have been drawn. "Where did he--"
"In the elevator, next to the truck keys. That's why he thought I had lost them."
"Serves you right for ratting me out!" he said, letting out a quiet chuckle. He looked up and found her staring daggers at him. He suddenly felt very fearful for his life.
"How could we be so stupid?! We should not have done that!"
She began to pace in the small area in front of the sinks. The crinkle between her eyebrows made an appearance and he knew that her mind was racing. He took his life into his hands and stealthily took a few steps toward her.
"Shouldn't have done what, Zi? Made out in the elevator like teenagers? Or have sex in it?" he asked, a cunning smile slowly spreading across his face as he reached his arms out to her. He grasped her by the hips and pulled her into him smoothly. He clasped his hands together behind her back, keeping her close.
She narrowed her eyes at him, trying to keep him from distracting her from the topic at hand, but not moving from his arms.
"Yes," she said exasperatedly, "all of it. We should not have been so careless. We were bound to get caught."
He unclasped his hands, running them up and down her spine in a calming motion.
"Hey," he said gently, turning her around to face him. "What exactly did he say? Did he tell us to stop? Threaten us with physical violence?"
"No," she said quietly. "He did not say anything explicitly, but that does not mean that--"
"Hey, listen to me," he interrupted firmly, bringing one hand up to brush his fingertips across cheekbone. "This will be fine. We'll make it work."
She nodded her head before laying it on his chest. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and kissed the top of her head.
"Plus," he started jovially, "Gibbs even said he didn't think it would be the last time...so I don't think we're in any danger."
He chuckled as she let out an embarrassed moan into his chest. After a moment, she lifted her head up to look at him.
"I just hate feeling," she paused as she considered her word choice, "...guilty. I want to be able to go out on a real date and not always be looking over my shoulder, waiting for the moment when Gibbs tells us that we must stop seeing each other. Just because it did not happen today does not mean it will not happen tomorrow."
He drew in a deep breath and shook his head, understanding exactly how she felt at that moment. The thought of Gibbs splitting them up kept him awake at night. He often felt like she deserved better than him--that she deserved to go out on a Friday night and not care whether Gibbs happened to see.
"Tell you what, sweetcheeks, we'll go on a date where we don't have to worry about being seen together. I'll handle everything."
"In public?" she asked, regarding him closely.
"Yes. Mostly."
"What did you have in mind?"
"You. Me. Movie. Popcorn. Semi-public."
"And how exactly will you pull this off?"
"We'll do it here. Tonight."
"We have already gotten in enough trouble doing it here," she said skeptically.
"Think about it: we'll sit together watching a movie on the LCD and eat as much popcorn as we can stand right where everyone in the office can see. No one's going to say anything because we're partners--they don't need to know any more than that. But we'll know. And I can push my chair close to yours and hold your hand nervously like we're back in middle school--"
"Ugh," she groaned disgustedly. "We can watch the movie and eat popcorn--but only if you stop being so...creepy. And you have to bring drinks!"
He shot her a curious look. She shrugged nonchalantly and added, "Popcorn makes me thirsty."
"Done," he said happily. He quickly leant down to capture her lips in his before letting her go and walking out the door.
---
About an hour later, after finishing up their paperwork, Tony had managed to find a copy of "The Black Pirate," a movie he felt was particularly relevant after their latest case.
"Oh!" he shouted, jumping up from his chair. "I almost forgot the popcorn!"
"And the drinks," she called as he spun around his desk toward the break room.
"Tony!" Gibbs called before he got too far away. Tony stopped mid-stride and jogged back to his boss' desk.
"Yeah, boss?"
Gibbs looked at them both pointedly before speaking, "I better not find the keys to the truck on the elevator floor after you leave tonight."
Tony blushed a slight shade of red as Ziva closed her eyes in fear and embarrassment.
"Of course not, boss," he said, properly chastised. Gibbs nodded his head in the direction of the break room, giving Tony the go-ahead. He rushed off in search of drinks and popcorn.
"Ziva," Gibbs announced, drawing her name out playfully. He leant over and picked up his bag, gun, and keys.
"Yes?"
"Have a good night," he said cryptically, looking her in the eye for a brief moment before heading toward the elevator.
She looked down at her hands and smiled gently to herself. In his few words, Gibbs had given them his blessing. If they stayed low-key and refrained from acting foolishly at work, he saw no problem in their staying together. He had said it all without having to say anything.
She felt her heart burst with momentary happiness as she got up to settle in for their movie night.
Moments later, he made his way to their chairs with a huge bowl of popcorn and two large drinks precariously balanced in his arms.
"Are you ready for the adventure of a lifetime," he asked huskily as he brushed behind her. She chuckled to herself as she picked at her nails, still in a happy daze from Gibbs' words.
"It is just a movie, Tony."
"How dare you?" he asked gently. "Is Mickey just a mouse? Ringling Brothers just a circus?"
He handed her the drink. She accepted it happily. She bit down slightly on the fingernail between her teeth and he examined her with an amused look on his face. She had recently taken to toying with her fingernails when she was nervous or when they had a significant amount of alone-time in public. She had done it the day that McGee had woken up to them standing over his desk menacingly. She did it every time the door of his apartment opened for the delivery boy. She did it every time they went to the bar after work and they were left alone by Abby and McGee to sit in the dark corner desperately trying not to touch one another. It was just one of her tells that he had come to know exceptionally well.''
"Yes," she said spiritedly.
"Well, you see, that's why you don't have any friends." That's certainly one explanation for why you spend all your time with your dashing, movie-loving boyfriend, he thought to himself smugly.
She choked on her drink and her eyes went wide.
"I have friends!" she protested. And I obviously need a nicer boyfriend, she thought to herself petulantly.
"Really? Then what are you doing with me watching a movie on a Friday night at work?"
After he cued up the titles of the movie, he looked in her direction. He couldn't tear his eyes from her, wondering somewhat lustily what banter she would throw back at him. She didn't answer right away, instead continuing with her somewhat distracting oral fixation on her straw. She drew her breath in as though she were about to tell him a really big secret.
"You are my friend," she said slowly. Her voice was barely a whisper and he could tell by the way she refused to look at him that she was embarrassed.
"Really?" he asked genuinely, not expecting her reluctance or self-consciousness. She stuck the straw back in her mouth and took another long gulp of liquid as he waited for her reply. She was quiet for an agonizingly long period of time and he was tempted to pull the drink out of her hands.
"No," she said quietly, still refusing to look at him. "My date cancelled."
Suddenly hurt, he replied with the only words he could think of, "Mine, too."
She looked over at him, smile threatening to play across her lips as she opened her mouth to speak. He looked so obstinate that she couldn't help but let him stew in her words for a moment. It would make the end result so much more climactic.
As the titles faded from the screen, she reached over and took his hand in her own. She cleared her throat and looked around briefly. Seeing no one, she inched closer and laid her head on his shoulder. She looked up at him as he stared intently at the screen, barely gripping her hand. She smiled to herself before speaking.
"Tony, you are not my friend," she said as she set down her drink, lifted her head from its resting place, and tugged on his hand to get him to look at her. "You are my best friend. My...boyfriend. I don't think "friend" is quite big enough to cover what you mean to me."
As the realization dawned on him, he smiled brilliantly down at her. He squeezed her hand before pulling her head back down onto his shoulder.
"Me too," he echoed. He paused a moment, taking another long sip from his drink before continuing. "Your date really cancel?"
He was baiting her just like she had him. Theirs was a relationship of constant give and take.
"No, I just like teasing him when I get the chance."
"You're enough of a tease just sitting here being beautiful, Ziva. I don't think the poor man can take much more than that."
She smiled brightly and snuggled slightly deeper against him as the movie began.
The End.
A/N 2: It may not be the best, but I'm happy with it. Please review! It would make my post-finals life really exciting!