Title: What Matters
Pairing: McGee/Tony/Ziva established relationship (yeah, you read that right)
Rating: K
Genre: Mixed
Cat: Episode Tag, Friendship, (very mild) Romance
Spoilers: Tag for 9x03 - The Penelope Papers
Warnings: None.
Summary: McGee meets up with his partners after his phone call and discovers what really matters.
Author's Note: Uh, first time writing a non-smutty threesome. It was an interesting experience. Though not a bad one! LOL.

Ziva stirred her drink idly, waiting for her companion to return from the bathroom. They didn't normally go out during the week, but something about tonight warranted the bar, alcohol and the noise in which they could lose themselves.

"No word?" she heard after a few minutes and she didn't look up as she shook her head and stared down at her phone, then rubbed it against her thigh, clearing the smudged screen.

"I called once and sent him a text," she said, her words casual but her eyes telling something deeper.

"He'll come when he's ready, Zeev," he said softly, resting a hand on her shoulder.

She looked up at him. "I'm worried about him, Tony. This, all this, with his grandmother . . ." She shook her head and looked at her phone again. "I wish he would have told us more about his family. Sometimes I feel like we don't even know him."

"Hey." Tony put a hand on the back of Ziva's neck and squeezed gently, lowering his head so their faces were inches apart. "He knows we're here, that we care, that we . . . love him. With the way his father's treated him, I can see why he didn't open up. He will, in time. And in the meantime, we just gotta make sure he knows just how damn lucky we are to have him."

Ziva smiled up at him. "And each other," she murmured, and he smirked, moving closer to her, and just as their lips were about to touch, they heard . . .

"Getting started without me?"

They both turned, their eyes lighting up at the sight of their partner in every sense of the word. "Tim!" Ziva said, unable to keep the smile from her face. "I was worried you didn't get my text or call."

He smirked at her, walking up to the bar to join them and wrapping an arm around her waist and dropping a kiss on her cheek. "Well, no need to worry anymore, because I am here." He glanced at Tony and found him scratching the back of his head and his forehead wrinkled in curiosity. "What?"

Tony shrugged. "Well, Ziva was concerned . . ." he let out a yelp and then rubbed the spot on his arm Ziva had just pinched, "Okay, we were both concerned about you. You know, with everything that's happened today. We just wanted you to know . . ." His expression deepened and his voice grew softer. "We care about you, Tim. And Ziva's right – we're the lucky ones, to have you in our lives. After all, not just anyone would put up with my crap. So it's only fair that I do the same." That response earned another pinch from Ziva, but McGee laughed.

He then shook his head, giving Tony a satisfied smile. "I know. Which is why I wanted to tell you both . . ." He paused, letting out a deep breath before he continued. "I called my father."

Ziva let out a small gasp and felt McGee's arm tighten around her waist instinctively. "And?" she finally managed, unable to hide her curiosity.

"And . . ." He ran his free hand through his hair. "He was glad I called. Said he realized how much he'd missed when we stopped talking." He nodded, looking satisfied once again. "It's not perfect, but it's a start."

Ziva lit up at the news, leaning up to kiss him on the cheek as Tony gave him a one-armed hug from the other side.

"Totally called that one," he said. "I knew he couldn't keep away for long. I think this calls for a celebratory drink." He grinned as he flagged the bartender down.

McGee couldn't help but roll his eyes at him. "You think everything calls for a drink, Tony."

Tony shrugged as he saw the bartender approaching. "Better to drink to something happy, right, Timmy?"

"Yeah, I guess you have a point." He looked down at Ziva and squeezed her to him as Tony ordered them a round of beers, then turned back to them.

"Hey now, don't be leaving the DiNozzo out of the lovefest here," he said, then let out a playful growl as Ziva reached into his pants pocket and dragged him even closer to her. "Now that's what I'm talking about. Say," he glanced over at where the bartender was filling up glasses with tap beer, "what do you say, after these beers, we get out of here, maybe do some celebrating of a different kind?" He waggled his eyebrows at them, leaving McGee and Ziva to give each other wary looks.

"Now that definitely sounds like Tony," McGee said and Ziva nodded, while Tony frowned. They looked back at him then and smiled as Ziva finished McGee's thought.

"And that is why we love you."

Tony's eyes lit up as he attempted to keep his expression neutral, but failed, a smile making its way across his face. The bartender returned with their beers and Tony tossed a bill down on the bar to cover the tab, then turned to his partners.

"To new starts," he started, holding up his glass as a signal for a toast, "and hopefully, very happy endings."

McGee and Ziva grinned and echoed the toast, the three of them content in the knowledge that no matter what else happened in their lives, they had each other, and sometimes, that was really all that mattered.

THE END!

A/N: I know this sort of thing isn't too common, so I'd love to hear your thoughts on it! I may write more in the future. :)