Sorry I haven't continued 'Growing up' yet, the next chapter is almost finished. This just wouldn't leave me alone.
Disclaimers: Seriously?
McGee looked up from his place bent over his beer as soon as he heard his bickering team mates entering the bar. He cautiously nudged Abby on the bar stool next to him and she as well sent Tony and Ziva a quick look.
"If you had just listened to me, instead of deciding to play hero-"
"This had nothing to do with playing the hero!" Tony shot back at Ziva over the loud music as he followed her to the bar. "You didn't have a clear shot at him!"
"I would have, if you hadn't pushed me out of the way!" Ziva exclaimed, angrily slamming her bag down on the counter next to McGee.
"Why don't you just drop it?" Abby asked from her seat, waving her beer bottle cheerily. "The case is finished and you should be celebrating…." She fell silent as both Tony and Ziva shot her a dark look.
McGee hastily gulped down the rest of his beer, hoping not to draw any attention to himself. Abby should know better. An arguing Tony and Ziva was bad enough, especially if they had been going at it for hours like today. But catching their combined wrath while arguing just called for more trouble.
He had no idea what had occurred today in that warehouse. He had been going around to the back with Gibbs when suddenly shots had rung out and the next thing he knew, Tony and Ziva were arguing over two dead bodies until Ziva had suddenly demanded to be partnered with him in the future and stormed off. Gibbs had certainly not been happy, but it had been nothing compared to Tony's sudden rage.
Watching Ziva make a beeline for he ladies' now, he just wished they would get it over with and sleep with each other already. The way he saw it, there where two aspects to their relationship at the moment. Either one of them is/ recently was/ just had been in a near death situation, in which case they grew all cosy and protective of each other, or they were fighting over nothing. Which was far more frequent. In that case, one was mad at the other and said other was too proud to apologize.
Tony sat down next to him, groaning in frustration. "Someone please hand me a gun to make an end to my misery."
"Will this do?" Abby asked, as she slid one of the set aside beer bottles in his direction. Tony sent her a thankful smile.
"Yeah, for starters. Hey, this music sucks." He nudged McGee not so gently with his elbow. "Probie, give me a quarter."
As if already aware of Tony's intentions, McGee turned around and searched the crowd, until his eyes found the juke box in the far corner in the room. And the group of women standing next to it.
"Tony…" his voice sounded warning and pleading all at the same time.
His team mate just rose his eyebrows, extending his open palm. "A quarter, Probie."
"I don't know why I'm doing this", Tim murmured to himself as he dug around in his pocket, searching for change. "Here", he grudgingly threw a quarter at Tony as well as a disapproving stare.
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Gibbs looked up from his barely lit desk as the elevator announced a visitor. Waiting for the person to step further into the squadroom he was surprised to see his friend.
"You still here, Ducky? It's late." The ME stepped further towards Gibbs' desk, his briefcase and trench coat in hand.
"Indeed, it is, Jethro. I'm surprised you are still here. Mr. Palmer mentioned something about the team being out celebrating."
Gibbs just raised his eyebrows. "Your point being, Duck?"
"Oh, I was just wondering why you are not out celebrating with them." He said, trying to sound as innocent as possible, but Gibbs just smirked. "You did break a major case today."
Gibbs nodded at this, but offered no explanation.
"So?" Ducky tried to dug deeper.
"What is it with friends trying to be in your life the whole time?" Gibbs suddenly asked.
"It's selfish , that's what it is", Ducky explained. "You know, celebrating with your team won't make them respect you any less, Jethro. It might just be the approval they need from time to time."
Gibbs leaned further back in his seat, folding his arms in front of his chest. "This has nothing to do with me not appreciating my team or their work, Ducky. I know what's happening at that bar at the moment. Abby, McGee and Palmer are getting wasted, trying to ignore the growing tension when Tony will inevitably pick up a girl, while Ziva will dote on him from across the room." He sighed. "I'm done watching those two make each other miserable."
"Because it reminds you too much of yourself?"
"Don't push your luck, Doctor" Gibbs warned his friend.
"I know that Anthony and Ziva are not exactly… easy. But today seemed to mark a new step in their intricate friendship."
Gibbs narrowed his eyes at this. "What did DiNozzo say?"
"How do you know that anyone, least of all Tony, said anything to me?"
"How else would you know about something. And Ziva is as reticent as Fort Knox."
Ducky bowed his head a little. "Touché. But I'm afraid I can't tell you anything you wouldn't already know. And as you keep a close eye on them, I know you know a lot."
Gibbs just shook his head, smiling a humourless smile. "Why don't you just say what you came to say, Ducky?!"
"All I wanted to say is that you shouldn't underestimate Tony's belief in your moral codex, as unkind and sometimes disadvantageous it might be for him."
Gibbs had had enough. He began sorting through his paperwork, hoping to get across that this conversation was over. "The rules are there for a reason, Duck."
"Although that might be true, dear Jethro, whose purpose are they serving? All I've seen these last few months are two lonely people being hurt."
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Having calmed down a bit, Ziva was flabbergasted when she stepped out of the ladies' room and walked right into Tony flirting with a girl who was way too tall, too tan and too good looking for her to feel comfortable. Her partner was leaning against the juke box, only a few feet from her and was in his full and often seen 'charm mode'. His arms folded in front of his chest, to draw attention to his biceps, and his smile on 100 Mega watt.
Although she originally wanted to pass and ignore them, she changed her mind when she overheard part of their 'conversation'.
"So you are a man who likes to play then?" The bimbo said with a clear undertone in her voice.
Tony just smiled in response and leaned forward. "Depends with whom I'm playing."
His blonde and long-legged opponent just gave what had to be a seductive smile in her opinion, when Ziva suddenly appeared next to Tony, wrapping her arm around his waist and laying her chin on his shoulder.
"Tony-" only then did she face his opponent, faking a surprised smile. "Oh, you have company. Hi, I'm Ziva." She held out her right hand for the other woman to shake, never removing her left arm from around Tony. "Oh. I love your dress." She commented with false cheer, releasing her hand. "In fact, I have the same one in a smaller size."
It pleased Ziva to see Tony's conquest at a loss for words as she pressed a soft kiss to his cheek, while painfully pinching the skin at his waist. She left without another word, but when she allowed herself to steal a small peak over her shoulder, she was disappointed to see that Tony's attention was with the girl next to him. If only she had looked a moment later, she'd have seen Tony cautiously watching after her.
McGee sat alone at the bar when Ziva reached him and took a seat next to him.
"Abby?" She just asked, as she gestured to the bartender to bring her another beer.
Her team mate just moved his head in the direction of the small dance floor. "Dancing with Palmer. Apparently he doesn't know how to dance the 'Thriller' dance by Michael Jackson." By the look on Ziva's face he concluded that neither did she.
Out of the corner of her eye she tried to keep watching Tony, but couldn't really see anything. When curiosity just got the better of her a few minutes later, she allowed herself to move her head just the fraction of an inch it took her to see the corner of the juke box. She instantly moved back around, focusing on the back wall of the bar. She hadn't seen much, but it had been enough. Tony's large frame, pressing a body against the wall, hands roaming a body that was not hers.
Ziva quickly downed the rest of her alcoholic beverage before turning around to McGee, purposefully laying her hand on his thigh.
"Tim-"
"No." McGee instantly said, his eyes never leaving his own bottle.
"But-"
"No." Only then did he face her, gently loosening her fingers from his thigh. "Don't do this."
Ziva struggled for the right words, her eyes wide. "Tim, this has nothing to do-"
But McGee beat her to it. "With Tony and his company playing tonsil hockey?" He sighed deeply. "Ziva, I'm not stupid. So please, don't make me your rebound guy. I…" he searched for the right words. "I can't. I know that Tony can be… difficult" Ziva snorted at that, but Tim didn't let himself be deterred. "But he's my friend."
Ziva just groaned in frustration. "Tim! Tony is constantly giving you a hard time, he's being deliberately irritating. He doesn't deserve your loyalty." She cupped his face with her hands, stroking his cheeks.
"It's not that easy, Ziva. Please don't make me do this. Don't use me as payback. He would hate us. Both of us. And with good reason. That's not something I want to live with, as much as I'd like to help you out." McGee looked at her with his puppy dog eyes, begging for her to release him.
She knew that he'd drunk more than his fair share tonight, he wouldn't be able to resist a beautiful woman such as herself much longer. And he knew that she knew.
Ziva leaned forward, capturing his mouth with hers, caressing his soft and full lips with hers. But before Tim had much time to reciprocate, Ziva already drew back and released his head from her grip with a sad smile.
"Nothing, huh?" McGee asked.
Ziva shook her head.
"Yeah, me too." McGee said smilingly, leaning forward to press a last friendly kiss to her lips. He had barely touched her mouth with his, when glass seemed to be smashed just behind them. He jumped back from Ziva, expecting to be met with a fist to his jaw, but when he turned around all he could see were two flying pigtails aiming towards the entrance.
"Abby." Ziva unnecessarily supplied.
"Shit."
Ziva tried to discreetly turn around towards Tony but she was disappointed when she saw he was still making out with the blonde, seemingly unfazed by all the commotion Abby had caused.
"I am sorry, Tim" Ziva said, when she turned back around. "This is my fault."
McGee laid a comforting hand over hers and just opened his mouth to answer, when Palmer appeared at their sides. "Hi. What happened to Abby? She went to get a refill and next thing I see she's storming out of here…" He took the seat on the other side of McGee. "Should we go and look?"
McGee rigorously shook his head. "No. Definitely not if you value your life." He grabbed his bottle and emptied it in one go before laying his head down on his hands and murmuring "shit." Then he suddenly got up and searched for his cell phone. "I'm going to leave her a message at home. Maybe she'll have calmed down by the time she gets that." He already dialled on his way to the door.
Ziva didn't know how much time passed, nor where Palmer had suddenly gone, but she caught herself thinking that McGee sure was leaving a long message. And it was all her fault. She stole a few glances at Tony and the blonde from time to time, for the moment pleased that they had gone back to talking. Her eyes rested on the couple for a moment longer than probably appropriate, when a deep voice suddenly sounded next to her.
"Tell me it's the possibility of losing him to someone else that suddenly makes him seem so attractive."
The Israeli turned around with a small smile playing around her lips. "You really think that I am that… smooth, Gibbs?!"
"It's shallow. And no, I don't really think that. Maybe hoped, but never really believed." He looked at her intently, piercing her with his gaze. "Why don't you go home, Ziver?"
Ziva just shrugged. "I do not know. I was waiting for McGee, I think."
"Yeah, but I bet the Elf Lord is long gone." His voice suddenly grew uncommonly soft and he laid a hand on her upper arm, caressing it. "You don't have to stay here and watch this. It just makes you feel more miserable."
Ziva looked at him from hooded eyes. "Yes. But it makes me feel."