Title: By My Side
Author: LaurenBanks
Summary: NCIS, Ziva-centric, second in the Chess series
Rating: T
A/N: This one was quite a doozy. My getting into Ziva's head goes about as far as what kick to use in a fight scene.
Ziva David played very much the graceful and dignified queen to the chessboard that was NCIS. Most to all were intimidated by her. Palmer got visible shakes whenever Ziva flashed her devious grin. Beyond the poise of a dancer, the focus of an athlete, the stamina of a runner, and the determination of a huntress lies a person who hasn't fully developed. Ziva tests the waters, she explores what she feels in an almost abstract way. She doesn't dive into her psyche for self explanation, she merely takes the experience as it comes. The same way one would test the waters before moving a queen from its comfortable position.