A Wish
Disclaimer: I bumped into Donald Bellisario and CBS executives the other day, I asked them and they said "NO."
Summary: Sequel to Christmas Time. After the kiss. Tiva.
A/N: This will be a 4 parter that will lead up to New Year's Day. Enjoy!
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I. Suspicious
"We will open the book. Its pages are blank.
We are going to put words on them ourselves.
The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is
New Year's Day."
-Edith Lovejoy Pierce
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Of all days someone could murder a petty officer it had to be four days before New Year's, and knowing how long their cases usually ran they could say good bye to New Year's Eve celebrations. They should've all been at home sleeping in and enjoying the winter snow like any other normal person would. But instead they each received a ring early on a Tuesday morning from Gibbs. And he couldn't help but laugh at the responses he received; each sounding like a different dwarf from Snow White.
"Yes boss?" Dopey.
"Whaaa?" Sleepy.
"Yes, Gibbs?"
"What can I do for you my silver haired fox?" Happy.
"Why hello Jethro, it's been awhile since you… Hello?" Doc.
But he couldn't quite place Ziva in any of those shoes; she seemed to be all in one.
.::.
"Good morning Tim," Ziva entered into the bullpen and settled herself gracefully into her seat.
"Morning Ziva, how's your holiday been so far?" He tried to start a small conversation but failed terribly when Ziva hadn't even acknowledged his question, instead she was staring off into the distance uncharacteristically. He followed her gaze which was directed out the window but instead was met with Tony's entrance.
"Morning Tony," McGee abandoned his unsuccessful conversation with Ziva to greet Tony; at least he'd get some sort of reaction from him. And that's when he noticed something in his two colleagues changed, Ziva was suddenly pulled out of her reverie and she smiled at Tony and he back. It was very suspicious indeed, sure they usually had the moments where they just stared at each other, but this time it was different.
"Morning there McEarly," he flashed his famous thousand watt grin. And if truth be told McGee was actually glad that he had teased him, he'd become so accustomed to it that without it something felt wrong.
"Ziva was early too, what about her?" Though he didn't mind it he felt compelled to argue back.
"Do I look like I have a death wish?" his face turned serious then back to normal, "Morning Zee-vah."
"Morning Tony," a small curve danced upon her lips, before she focused her attention back to her computer.
"Enough with the good mornings, it isn't even a good morning," Gibbs growled as he sipped on his coffee and strode through the bullpen.
"Ahh, no one said anything about a good morn…" Tony was cut short when Gibbs gave him his glares and he backed down into his seat, "you know what? Don't worry about it."
The bullpen fell into a complete silence and the sound of their breathing grew louder from the absence of talking while Gibbs read the paper and continued to drink his coffee. The three exchanged looks and it had turned into some sort of charade as they spoke in sign, which was mostly just the mouthing of words.
"Uhh boss? Do you want us to do something?" McGee asked nervously, not quite sure if Gibbs was in a good or bad mood though he was hoping it was the former.
"Well yeh McGee, but we have to wait for Ducky to arrive first."
"Oh so the body's already here," Gibbs stared at him as if he'd just stated the most obvious thing in the world, McGee snapped his head back at his screen. And he could've sworn he heard quiet chuckles from his coworkers.
They were saved from the intense silence when moments later the elevator opened and revealed a very cheery and jumpy Abby. She bounced into the bullpen like a frog and stopped smack bang in the centre of the four desks.
"Notice something guys?"
"Nice new pumps Abs," McGee was the first to notice, but he regretted it when it left his mouth.
"Seriously McGee I can't help but wonder if you're really gay," Tony spun his chair towards him.
"I'm not, remember when I told you about that girlfriend I had and the dolls?"
"McGee you are digging a ditch for yourself," Ziva chirped in.
"Actually it's digging a hole, not ditch," Tony corrected her but it lacked his teasing ways, it was more subtle.
"Enough!" Gibbs steely blue eyes peered over the newspaper.
"Thank you Gibbs, and thank you McGee but they're not heels they're platforms I found them at this shop down town and it was just awesome! The store was filled with everything from chokers to T-Shirts for Android Lust and Collide, I have to take you all there some time! Holy mother of Einstein!" she stopped abruptly and it seemed as though her mind was over heating from her sudden outburst, "that reminds me, Gibbs the Duckman is waiting for you downstairs."
Gibbs gave a slight smile before kissing her on the cheek and headed towards autopsy. Abby turned around to the three remaining agents where they had all surrounded Tony's desk in amazement as they stared at something on the computer screen.
"Guys, I know that we're probably going to be working on this case like crazy for the next few days and we'll probably have no time to celebrate New Year's Eve, but I was thinking maybe we could have a party here," Abby smiled at them while nodding her head.
"Well I guess since we have nothing better to do…" Tony was the first to voice out.
"OKAY! That's settled," she whipped out four pieces of paper and passed it to them, "write your new year's resolution on it then I'll keep it safe." The three eyed her warily as she smirked like the mad scientist that created Frankenstein.
"I have a feeling you already planned the party haven't you Abs?" McGee sighed as he took the piece of paper and returned to his desk.
"How could you say such a thing Timmy?" she clutched her heart exaggeratingly, "anyways I'll come back for those at the end of the day." And with that the happy Goth disappeared behind the stairs to retire to her lab.
"Hey Tony, what's your new year's resolution?" McGee edged closer to Tony's desk in attempt to take a peek.
"What's it to you McNosy?" Tony hid the paper away from sight.
"Something to do with Ethel possibly?" McGee pushed and was replied with Ziva's infectious laughter.
"After what she made him dress up as? I don't think Tony has sunken that low."
"Why thank you Ziva," McGee noticed the uncommon sincerity in Tony's voice. Something was definitely hinky and he was going to make an effort to find out.
"What do you have on yours McGoo? Some online game girl?"
"No, but if you really wanna know…" he grabbed the piece of paper up and recited it, "I want to spend more time with family and friends."
"That's nice." There was something really wrong with Tony now, and it frustrated McGee that he didn't know what it was.
"That's nice? All you've got to say is That's nice?" McGee rose from his seat, intending to give a speech on his side of the argument but before he could, Gibbs returned into the bullpen.
"McGee, DiNozzo go check this out," he passed Tony a slip of post-it paper with an address written on it. Tony and McGee grabbed their gear and filed out of the bullpen and into the elevator. Ziva waited for her instructions but they never came.
"What would you like me to do Gibbs?" Ziva eyed her boss.
"Could you run the background on these suspects?" Ziva narrowed her eyes as she grabbed the manila folders out of his hand; something was really weird about Gibbs today. To start off he never asks yet alone this politely. So there she was alone in the bullpen, Gibbs up in MTAC, Tony and McGee both out on a job.
Her mind drifted to the kiss that she'd shared with Tony on Christmas day, it had been bugging her since it happened. Every time she thought about it she could feel his soft luscious lips upon hers, his kiss was like a drug and left her wanting for more. And that was the only explanation that she could conjure as to why Gibbs was acting this way, somehow he knew. She didn't know or understand how he could possibly know, because no one else except for them knew. But there was something about his gut; it was like a sixth sense.
She let out a long sigh and flipped open the first of three folders.
Name: Petty Officer Corey Lance
Age: 27
Joined the navy at the age of twenty-one. She entered the name and details into the search engine and let it run while she flipped open the second.
It was a person she'd never thought would end up anywhere near her work again, he had supposedly cleaned up his act, but the picture couldn't deny its owners identity. She closed the folder and collected all her thoughts. She was about to pick up the phone to inform Tony of her discovery but before she could even touch the smooth numbers of the phone, it vibrated.
"Wow, that was quick! Your ninja skills have definitely improved since the last time I called you."
"Tony, you won't believe who one of our suspects is…" she was cut off by Tony.
"Corporal Damon Werth? Yeh we're at his place right now, and it's a mess…" she could hear something crash on the other end of the line and then she was met with dead air…
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A/N: Okay this one was jam packed with conversation and so not me… but I hope you all enjoyed it and I'm proud to say Soph will be writing the next chapter. Reviews are always welcomed! (It's that link at the bottom there.)