Friends from the Past
She was tired of her beloved Israel… so many beautiful memories were created there but also the most painful ones. It had been the start she needed at that time, but only a few months later she realized she also needed to move forward…to heal
London had felt like such a good idea but when she takes her first steps outside her hotel, she's not so sure anymore. Someone is watching her, as much as she would like to get rid of the "always on alert" state, she knows she never will… and right now, she feels good about it
Ziva keeps walking, 'maybe I'm just being paranoid' she thinks and a small smile lights up her face, but just when she starts feeling good again, a hand touches her shoulder and without even thinking she has the stranger on the ground. The adrenaline is rushing through her veins and her heart is pounding against her ribcage…. "Who ar- Emily?"
"Ziva? I thought I was crazy, but here you are! I can't believe it" The brunette on the floor says while trying to breathe, "ehh… Zi? Can you? Please" Emily says and that gets her friend out of her mind
"Emily! I'm sorry… it was, it…" Ziva gives her a hand, "instinct" Emily just laughs while hugging her
"I understand, too well… I think" She smiles, "the rewards of the job"
Ziva smiles at her, "Sure… rewards" she hugs Emily again. "What are you doing here? I thought you were in the states? You were so happy working with the FBI!"
Emily smiles sadly "I signed my resignation almost 2 years ago, I'm with Interpol now…"
"What happened? Why didn't you tell me?" Ziva asks worried while Emily shrugs
"Too many ghosts chasing me I guess…" Her eyes darken for a moment, but she doesn't let it affect her. "Last time we spoke you still were with the navy cops… undercover? Secret mission?" She asks excited "you have to let me know if I can help"
"NCIS" Ziva says "and no, I… left them" she doesn't notice the tears, and Emily once again hugs her
They stay like that for a while, both enjoying the familiar feeling of having an old friend near again. "Why don't we go to my place?" Emily says, "Ditch the room, we have a lot to talk about" and she doesn't let her argue. Before Ziva can complain, all her things are in a cab. The ride to Emily's quiet, each of them deep in thought, but with a smile on their faces
Ziva's eyes light up when she sees the apartment "Perhaps I should apply for a job here" she says laughing. "It's nice Ems"
"I don't want to brag but, you don't get a better view around here… want some dinner? I'm starving!" She starts looking through the fridge and pulls out some stuff "Becky always cooks more than I can eat"
"I can see, do you need any help? I could set the table"
"Thanks Zi, everything is right here" Emily says pointing to her right, "don't judge my mess, I got back from Russia like 2 days ago"
Ziva opens the drawer laughing "you do not need to explain, your mess will be our secret". Five minutes later, they're both eating in silence… neither one of them quite ready to talk about life. "Want to go first?" Ziva says after a while, "or should I start?" She pauses, only to see Emily is far from ready to talk yet… "Ok, I'll start but no interruptions ok?"
Emily nods, "that's fair"
Ziva sighs, "I was happy at NCIS, I truly was… they are all there but, after my father di-"
"Oh Zi, I'm so sorry…" Emily says sincerely, even though she never really liked Eli… especially after Somalia
"It's ok, I learned to live with his death… but it took a while. He was trying to fix all the wrong he ever did, and perhaps that affected me more… for once he was trying to do the right thing and he got killed because of it" Ziva sighs, "I went crazy, I allowed revenge to take over my life… and I dragged everyone with me, I really don't understand how it happened… we had to give up our badges to save Gibbs and next thing I know I was back in Israel… I kissed Tony" She looks at her fingers, unable to see her friend's face
"You what?!" Emily can't close her mouth 'apparently I'm the only coward around here' she thinks, "Wait, it doesn't matter… what happened then?"
Ziva shakes her head "I'm glad to see you're still the same Ems, but nothing happened… I kind of told him I loved him and then I told him to go… that I needed to find myself first" she drops her gaze again, 'count to a million Tony' without thinking she tries to grab her necklace, only to remember he has it now
Emily lets her have her space, not only because she knows it's her turn now... but mostly because her friend needs it. "When I got back to the BAU, I realized almost instantly that things had changed… my 'death' obviously affected them so deeply, I felt out of place"
"You did it for them" Ziva says serious
Emily smiles at her "Yes, I wanted to protect them… I know you understand Zi, but they didn't. We wer- are a family and families don't do that… I now understand their side. It's been 2 years but, I still miss them" She takes a deep breath, "And I can't lie to you…I couldn't stay there watching him fall in love with another woman"
"Aaron has a girlfriend?" Ziva asks surprised, "I always thought… wow"
Emily rolls her eyes "please don't, I hear enough from Penelope and JJ… I saw them, 4 months ago"
"Huh?" Ziva raises an eyebrow, "aaaand?" she tries her best to be annoying
"JJ was kidnapped, she had one of the codes of integrity" She says quietly
Ziva nods, "I heard some rumors, but I never thought your people was involved… don't look at me like that, former Mossad remember? I have to know what's going on around me"
Emily's words die in her mouth, "I guess it wasn't so much of a secret, anyway it was just a short visit… so nothing much to tell"
"Except…? I know that tone Prentiss"
"Hotch doesn't have a girlfriend anymore" she replies quickly
They finish their dinner in silence, they have time. Emily forces her friend to go to bed while she does the dishes, "You'll do it tomorrow" she says to keep her quiet, and Ziva accepts… even though they both know they'll have the same problem tomorrow. She needs the space, remembering all those feelings at once… almost dying, returning from the death, how out of place she felt… how jealous she felt, it was too much. She sighs before putting the last fork inside the drawer. 'I miss you' she thinks, before turning all the lights off and call it a night.
Inside her room Ziva can't help but think of her family across the ocean, and how small the world seemed to be this afternoon… she hadn't realized how much she actually missed her friend. She laughs remembering their first encounter in Tel Aviv, both younger and maybe happier; she had finished her training and was the brand new Control Officer of Mossad… Emily, on the other hand, was in the middle of an investigation. Their paths crossed and they'd formed an instant bond; neither one of them trusted people much… and they still don't but before Emily went back to the states, they promised to stay in touch. Then it hits her… finding her best friend, 'another good memory from Israel' she thinks before closing her eyes.
The next morning Ziva comes back from her morning run to the smell of coffee and pancakes, "Mmm, it smells great" she says
Emily smiles "I took the day off, so it's just me and you for the rest of the weekend… go take a shower, I still have to finish here… good run?"
"Yeah, old habits die hard" Ziva says before disappearing
Laughing, Emily hurries to have everything ready before her friend finishes… if old habits die hard and she still wakes up at the crack of dawn to go out running, she's sure her showers still last less than 5 minutes. Right after she finishes her phone rings 'not work please' she looks at the screen only to find a message from her former boss: Hello Emily, I know it's been a while… we've been so busy with one case after another, maybe you'll get more information from García and JJ later. Anyway just wanted to know how you've been. Oh and Jack says hi. Aaron. The smile on her face can't get any bigger and she's so distracted reading the text for the third time that she doesn't hear Ziva entering the room
"Hey, I was only gone for five minutes and… Ems?" Ziva stands right in front of her and catches a glimpse the text, "Oh! He wants to know how you've been, that's so sweet!" She puts a hand on her shoulder and Emily jumps
"What … oh Zi it was just you!" Emily blushes
Ziva laughs and shakes her head "You're so deep" Emily pushes her, "Hey! I never said you were the only one, after all I've heard about him I know he's right there with you"
"You thi- I mean, no… no way…"
"Don't give me the boss-subordinate speech, you're a boss now… I won't buy it" Ziva says serious
"I'm scared… but wait a little, remember I'm not the only one here feeling sorry for herself because her family and the guy she loves is across the ocean!" Emily didn't want to play that card, but maybe it was time to fix things "and you know what? At least I keep contact"
That was a low blow for Ziva, "well I'm scared too! Don't you think I wish I could just go a-"
"You can, you're no longer an agent Zi… there's no rule 12"
"Can we eat? We can try and fix our lives later" Ziva says defeated 'the thing is, we are right… both of us' There aren't any rules in her life now, she can do whatever she wants and yet she still chooses to stay away. "I know we're both right"
Emily sits and sighs "I know… when did our lives become such a mess?" Both stay in silence for awhile, until she speaks again "I'm sorry about what I said before, I really meant it when I told you I understand your decision… but you're one of my best friends and I hate to see you hurt"
Ziva puts down her cup, "I'm sorry too, I just want to see you happy and I know you would be if you were with him" she says softly
Emily smiles "and I know you would be happy with Tony… I'm gonna tell you a secret, my contract finishes in 2 weeks" she says excited, "but I still have no idea of what I'll do next"
Ziva looks surprised "you don't want to keep working with Interpol?" She knows they must be dying because she hasn't signed another contract yet
"No… don't get me wrong, I love being the boss and being in charge of my own team but I'm tired of undercover, international secrets… I'm tired of being here, I've been thinking about going back home" Emily wonders if that's a good idea, "It's time to stop running I guess" She takes the opportunity to stand up and tries to wash the dishes, but Ziva stops her
"You said I could today" She says smirking, "how do you know when it's the right time to stop?" Ziva asks without looking at her
"I feel ready… I'm scared yes, perhaps things won't go the way I want them but I'll never know if I don't try"
Ziva takes a deep breath, "I don't want to be alone anymore… but I'm not sure if I'm ready to go back…What if I'm not and end up hurting everyone by running again?"
"Ziva a simple what if has never stopped you before" Emily sits on the couch while watching her friend think, she has a pretty good idea of what's going on inside her mind…
Ziva keeps cleaning the dishes, trying to clear her mind but she realizes it's impossible. "Ems, I need to make a phone call" she says and watching the smile on her friend's face makes her happy, "I promise I'll be quick… oh! and I'll finish too, don't touch anything"
Emily smiles "of course, and don't worry about the phone bill… you'll pay me someday" she adds smirking
Ziva is anxiously waiting for an answer, "perhaps this is a ba-"
"Hello?" a deep voice answers and Ziva knows she can't go back now, "hello?"
Taking a deep breath, she finally speaks "Abba" her eyes are filled with tears "it's me…"
"Ziver" he says sweetly "are you ok?"
"yeah, I just thought about giving you a call… I… it's been a while after all"
"Were are you now?" he asks worried, "We miss you Ziva"
She closes her eyes and a few tears fall "I miss you too…" her voice breaks, "I'm in London, staying with an old friend"
Gibbs smiles hearing her, "I'm glad… we are waiting for you" he wonders briefly about her friend but decides to leave it like that. "He needs you"
"And I him Gibbs… I've been thinking about going back, Emily and I were talking about it now but I don't want to mess it up" She decides to be honest with him
He can't believe what he's hearing "really? Ziver you're the only one with the answers, but we'll be with you every step of the way… I love you, let me know what you decide" He hangs up
"I love you too" she whispers against the phone, 'maybe it's time'. She stays in the room to collect herself, Emily has seen her in worse shape but she likes to keep her feelings in line
She watches her friend run to her room and decides it's time to answer Hotch's text : Hey Aaron! Yeah it's been a while but I understand, I got back from Russia a couple of days ago and yesterday I ran into an old friend downtown and she's staying with me so I'm good :) what about you? bad case? Say hi to Jack for me, and tell him I miss him. Kisses. She hits send and waits
Emily doesn't have to wait so long, her phone rings again: Russia huh? Won't ask, I promise. Old friend? Do I know her? Jack says he misses you too and sends you a huge hug. And don't worry, it wasn't so bad… nothing that staying close to Jack won't fix. Kisses.
She decides to reply right away: Good 'cause if I tell you I would have to kill you haha. Yes, we go way back and no, you don't know her. I met her on one of my first assignments with Interpol. She's a former Mossad officer… I think you would like her. I'm glad you got home safe.
Not five minutes later Hotch replies: Mossad… I guess I'll have to meet her someday, tell her I said hi, I have to go now but I'll stay in touch.
Emily laughs with the last text, and Ziva's smile gets bigger "What's so funny?"
"Aaron says hi, and also wants to meet you"
"Oh, did you tell him your contract is about to expire?"
Emily sighs, "No, I still don't have a plan…"
Ziva sits beside her "Well, I told Gibbs I'm going home"
"You are? When?" Emily feels happy for her but she also wanted them to spend more time together.
"As soon as you finish with Interpol, we can't stay like this… we are going home Ems"
"But Zi, I have nothing…I mean I know what I said earlier but I'm not that sure… I don't even have a job waiting for me, I sold my apartment!" She says laughing, "you're joking… you're messing with me just like you always do"
"Ems, I'm not joking… you can stay with me at Gibbs' place, I know he'll be thrilled to know I have friends outside work… and we'll figure it out, I don't have a job either but it's time to stop. No matter what, we can do this…we can't go down without a fight" Ziva says, determined to drag her friend home with her. Emily doesn't say anything for a long while but finally she agrees with her
"I'll call the FBI… you get us some tickets, you're absolutely right… we can't go down without a fight and if everything goes wrong at least we have each other" Emily hugs Ziva
Ziva hugs her friend tighter "yes we do, go make that call…"
In a matter of minutes Emily is on the phone with Chief Cruz, explaining her situation and asking him about five times to please keep her secret while Ziva books their flights to DC
"2 weeks from now, we'll be at home" Emily says, still unable to believe it "Mateo was really nice; he said he had heard a lot about me and… that he would gladly take me back"
Ziva is pure joy, something she hasn't been in the last months "I called Gibbs, he'll be waiting for us at the airport… he says he wants to thank you in person"
Emily looks at her, confused "thank me? For what?"
"For, let me quote him… 'Getting my damn mind fixed and drag me back home', and you know what? I have to thank you too… if I hadn't run into you yesterday…"
"I know, I have to thank you too... we're going home!" Emily squeals
"We're going home!"
Both friends go out for lunch to celebrate; now they only had to wait… the only person that knew about their plan was Gibbs, they wanted to surprise the rest of their respective families... specially Tony and Hotch
The longest 2 weeks of their lives goes by with packing, a fight with a very pissed Clyde Easter, tons of phone calls and a goodbye party in Emily's honor. But the hardest part for the black haired was lying to Penelope and JJ, "I'm just so busy with work, I'm sorry guys… we'll have an Skype party next week" Emily hangs up, "for just a tiny moment I wish I had gone all 'off the grid' like you did Zi… I wouldn't be lying to them, again"
Ziva shrugs, "Believe me, they won't be mad at you… Tim, Tony and specially Abby will be furious at me"
Emily laughs "Oh my if Abby is anything like all I've heard this past years, yeah you're in trouble… but they will be happy to see you again Zi"
Ziva watches her friend pack with a smile in her eyes, and she feels happy for them. When she arrived in London she only expected to be here for a week without letting anyone know, but apparently fate wanted something different. A fortunate encounter with her dear friend and now they're going back to the states… knowing she still has a long way to go but with her family by her side, she feels capable of anything
"Earth to Ziva? What are you thinking?"
She shakes her head "Oh, sorry Ems... did you say something?"
"What were you thinking?" Emily asks sitting beside her, while Ziva looks at her "what? I need the rest anyway"
"I know that the first thing I said when I left the states was 'I will let go of the badge' but I also realize that the badge is a part of me that I cannot just…"
"You want your job with NCIS again"
"Yes, but I don't know if I will have it… there's a new agent, Abby told me on one of her weekly emails, Ellie Bishop…" Ziva sighs
Emily hugs her "Hey, don't worry… there's a new agent on my team too, I met her when JJ was kidnapped… Alex Blake, and even with her they gave me my job back- Emily stands up- C'mon, help me finish with these boxes, I have to take them to the moving company tomorrow if I want them in the States soon"
"You're right, let's finish this…. Beside you still haven't packed any of your clothes and we're leaving in 3 days!" Ziva runs to her friend's room, "your shoes! They need to be packed first"
"Ziva David! Be careful!" Emily closes the one box with stuff from the house she's taking with her and goes to her room
"Emily, buying first class was a good idea… your bags will occupy the whole plane" Ziva takes out a couple of dresses "this one is gorgeous, you have to use it on your first date with agent Hotchner" She smirks
Emily throws a pillow at her, "then I'll choose the dress for your first date with one very special agent Anthony Dinozzo"
"Hotchner" He answers, hoping this isn't a work call. The team just got back from New York an hour ago and he feels exhausted
"Hi, it's Emily" She says, her voice barely above a whisper. And it's a shame she can't see the smile on his face
"Emily, is everything ok?" he asks concerned, they always text each other "where are you?" there are a lot of voices around her
Emily smiles, only he worries so much "yes, everything is fine… I'm at the airport, Ziva and I are taking a little trip together before she goes back home. I… I called to let you know I'll be out of reach so, don't go all crazy if I don't answer your texts..."
Hotch feels a little disappointed, texting with Emily is one of the few highlights of his day "Oh, well… enjoy your time with Ziva and call me as soon as you get back please"
"I will… I miss you" she adds the last part so quickly and quietly hoping he doesn't catch her.
"I miss you too" He says whispering, "I miss you so much" but Emily had already hung up
Aaron Hotchner forgot he was in the middle of the bullpen, "Who do you miss so much Boss?" García asks with a smile on her face, but Hotch doesn't answer and disappears inside his office
Closing the door he feels safe enough to let his mind wander and he's not surprised when all of his thoughts seem to end up on the same point… Emily, always her. One of his biggest regrets is that he didn't fought for her… he had a chance and he didn't take it, instead he took the easy path and got together with Beth… a mistake since the very beginning. His phone rings, again he answers hoping it is not work "Hotchner"
"Agent Hotchner, I'm Agent Gibbs from NCIS" Gibbs says, Ziva gave him his number… she wants to surprise Emily and since she's bringing his daughter home, it's the least she can do for her. "It's not work, I promise"
Hotch sighs relieved "Hello Agent Gibbs, if this isn't a work call…" he's so confused
"I'm Ziva's father" he says, hoping he makes the connection quickly; he's been on the phone too much these past weeks.
Hotch now feels even more confused, "She's Emily's friend, I just spoke with her… she said she and Ziva were taking a trip"
Gibbs laughs "Yeah, a trip home"
"What? I mean… what?" He's embarrassed but he doesn't care, "how?"
"They land in DC tomorrow at 8, meet me at the airport. And don't tell anyone" Gibbs hangs up.
Aaron Hotchner never felt so confused in his entire life, but just the idea of his Emily coming back home has him over the moon. Before something comes up he calls Cruz to ask him for the day off and then call his team to the conference room.
"Please tell me we're not flying again" Reid complains and Hotch laughs. "I need to see Henry, we just got back" he hears JJ, "I'm too old for this" Rossi adds.
"I agree with all of you, yes even you Rossi, I called Chief Cruz to ask him for a day off and he said yes" Hotch says serious but everyone can see the smile in his eyes
Morgan frowns "Why didn't he give us the rest of week? This was an awful one Hotch" and everyone nods
"He said we were all needed at the office on Wednesday, didn't explain why… now go home, we need the rest" as soon as the words are out of his mouth they're all rushing to grab their things
Ziva has always admired Emily's ability to sleep on a plane, they still have one more hour in the air but the excitement is too much for her to handle, between seeing Gibbs for the first time after so long and her own little surprise for Emily, she can't wait for this flight to be over
"Zi, stop moving… only one hour left ok?" Emily mumbles and tries to close her eyes again but Ziva's excitement is contagious "fine, you woke me up"
"I really don't understand how you can fall sleep so easily on a plane"
"We're in first class Zi, besides flying has always been part of my life" She calls a flight attendant, "Hi I want 2 glasses of Champagne please" she says to the girl "I'll be right back" she says and Ziva raises an eyebrow "We're going to make a toast"
"Right, because we didn't celebrate enough" Ziva laughs remembering their trip to an old pub in the middle of London
Emily laughs too "It's a good thing we can handle our alcohol" she receives the 2 glasses, and gives one to her friend "Ok so… a toast to our decision to come home"
"To fate and major life changes" adds Ziva
"And to random meetings with your best friend, cheers!" Emily finishes
"Cheers!"
They spend the last few minutes remembering their old adventures until the voice of the pilot announces they're about to land in DC which makes both nervous, what if things don't go so well after all? Ziva grabs Emily's hand, they decided to do this together and they will be fine. "Ready?" Ziva asks when the plane starts descending and Emily nods
"Ready, welcome home Zi" She says
"Welcome home Ems" Both friends smile
Gibbs smirks when he watches Aaron Hotchner, on the outside he seems just like any other agent, but he can tell they have much in common "Aaron Hotchner, right? I'm Leroy Jethro Gibbs… but call me Jethro"
Hotch was too focused on his thoughts and didn't notice the guy next to him until he spoke, "Nice to finally meet you Jethro… so NCIS?"
"Yeah, Ziva was on my team" Gibbs says looking at him, "FBI?"
Hotch nods "BAU, Emily is part of our family… she told me Ziva was from Mossad"
"She came as a liaison between both agencies, but in the end she became an agent" His heart breaks just thinking about the circumstances surrounding that decision. "Their flight is about to land, I thought you weren't coming"
Hotch looks away, "I wasn't going to miss another chance"
"You love her" it was a statement not a question
"Yes" Hotch says quietly "yes, I do"
Gibbs smiles "Don't let her go again then… and one more thing, from what I've heard she's one of Ziva's best friends, and if you hurt her… well, let's just say she could kill you with a paperclip and she knows more than one way to do it" he ends smirking while Hotch looks alarmed
"I'll keep that in mind" he takes a quick glance towards the landings' screen and realizes that the British Airways flight he's been waiting for is finally here. "They're here"
"Let's go welcome our girls" Gibbs pats him on the back, and both men start moving towards the gate.
Emily and Ziva are finally out the plane, Ziva smiles mischievously just thinking how her friend will react to her surprise and Emily keeps looking for Gibbs "You said grey haired and blue eyes right?" Ziva nods "Well, I found him!"
Ziva allows his father to hug her as tight as he can "Ziver, you're here"
"Finally" and then she whispers, "is he here?" Gibbs nods and points to a nearby wall
Ziva lets him go and Gibbs hugs Emily too "So you're the miracle worker?" He ask her and she laughs "Thank you for bringing her with you"
Emily smiles at him "I think we both dragged each other home"
Gibbs makes a signal "Emily, Ziva and I have a surprise for you… come out!"
Emily looks at her friend but Ziva just tell her to look ahead and suddenly a face she knows too well is staring at her "Hotch!" she looks at Ziva one last time and mouths thank you before running to his side
He holds her as tight as he can "I can't believe you're here" he kisses her cheek and Emily can't help but blush, "I'm not letting you go again Ems" he says before kissing her
Emily melts into the kiss, "Good 'cause I don't plan to go anywhere without you" she takes his hand so they can join Ziva and Gibbs as they pretend to be having a deep conversation. "Zi, drop the act" Emily laughs "Aaron this is my dear old friend Ziva David, Ziva this is Aaron Hotchner"
Ziva hugs him "I've wanting to meet you for years!" she says without thinking and Emily blushes furiously
"Really? I didn't hear about you until 2 weeks ago… but I've been wanting to meet you too" Hotch laughs, "Emily speaks highly of you" Ziva stands next to Gibbs again
"Well, she's my best friend" Emily says, taking Aaron's hand
"Is still early, would you like to go to my place?" Gibbs says, "I'm assuming you want to make plans to surprise the others?"
"Actually that's a great idea" Ziva says and Emily nods
Hotch decides to go with it "Let's get out of here"
The 4 agents walk chatting happily about everything that crosses their minds, and they all laugh when Hotch offers to take all their bags, discovering Ziva only has 3 while Emily's the owner of the other 5. Before long, they are on the door of Gibbs house, waiting for him to open. Ziva sees the new couple there and smiles knowingly "It's open"
"How did you know?" Emily asks
"It's always open" Gibbs says and they decide to leave it at that
Ziva feels at home almost immediately and Gibbs can't feel happier about that, "Hey Jethro, are both staying with you?" Hotch asks, Emily told him about her plans but he just wants to be sure
Emily and Ziva share a look "He's with Jack, so for now I'll be with you" Ziva nods
Gibbs understands "Yeah, even though I get the feeling that Ems here will be going with you as soon as you explain everything to your son"
Emily laughs "Funny Gibbs, I'll make something quick for breakfast… I'm starving" she goes to the kitchen
Ziva stands up "I'll help her, everything is still the same?"
Gibbs nods "The same" and all of them know he's not only referring to his kitchen
"Ziver, I have a gift for you" Gibbs says before standing up and going to his room
Ziva feels confused "What could he possibly have for me?" Emily shrugs while Aaron tries to appear innocent but failing miserably "You know something" Ziva says
Emily laughs, and before Ziva can make Hotch talk, Gibbs returns to the room
Gibbs hands her a gun and her badge "I spoke with Leon after you told me you were coming, if you want…you're expected at the Navy yard tomorrow" Ziva has tears in her eyes
"Of course I want to!" She hugs him and he smiles at her
Emily smiles too "I told you Ziva! Everything is fine"
"And apparently you're expected tomorrow at work too, that's why Cruz didn't gave us the week off" Hotch says
Emily laughs "Mateo was really nice, he said I could go back as soon as I wanted it" she kisses him
Ziva and Gibbs look away, but she's smiling… her friend is happy and that means she's happy too. "So, what do you think we should do?" she says
"How about lunch at my place this weekend?" Hotch says, crossing his fingers, hoping that they can finish the week without flying away "You know, only if we aren't needed"
Gibbs shakes his hand "Deal, if we don't have work I'll make sure all the kids are there… that way we can all get to know each other"
Emily and Ziva look at them worried "Abby and Penelope meeting…" Emily says
"That will be so… interesting" Ziva finishes laughing
"Good night kids" Gibbs says, giving each women a kiss on the cheek "Don't stay up too long, we have work tomorrow"
When Gibbs leaves, Emily realizes Ziva is giggling… "What now?"
"You're officially part of the family Ems"
Emily feels touched "I'm glad because you're not disappearing on me again… now that Aaron and I got together I'm going to need someone to talk about everything" she remarks the last part on purpose… "I can't talk about those things with Pen or JJ, it's their boss"
"It's good to see you happy Emily and no… I'm not disappearing again, I promise"
"Now, that's good because I'm looking forward to be the maid of honor when you marry Dinozzo"
"Let's take one step at the time ok? I'm not even sure if he will take me back, after everything that happened between us"
"He will, I know it… take your own advice, one step at the time, just go to work tomorrow and see what happens" Emily gets into bed
"Yeah, by the way good luck with your Chief tomorrow… Aaron told me he was worried about his reaction to your relationship"
"I told him not to worry about that, I'm sure Mateo heard all the gossips… so he knows it was just a matter of time and if everything goes wrong I can always resign and work as a translator or something" Emily says nonchalantly
Ziva is surprised "I said it in London and I say it again, you're so, so deep Emily"
Emily throws her pillow at her "But now I know for sure he's right there with me"
"What is it with you and pillows?" Ziva asks playfully "just like I told you… by the way I'll be your maid of honor first"
"Oh you'll be my maid of honor yes, but I'm sure I'll be yours first"
"No, I will… if you haven't realized I'm not dating"
"Yet" Emily says, "and I will"
"No way"
"Yes"
"No"
"Ye-"
"Stop yelling or I swear to God I'm going to shoot through the wall" Gibbs says, "go to sleep, you can gossip another day"
Ziva jumps into bed laughing "He's right, we're going to work tomorrow and he's always up before the sun"
"Says the one that wakes up with the hens"
"Good night Agent Prentiss"
"Good night Agent David"
Gibbs wakes up to the smell of coffee and eggs, "Ziva, good morning" He kisses her forehead
"Good morning Gibbs" She says smiling "Emily's awake; she should be here in like 20 minutes"
He sits and grabs the newspaper "Good run?" he asks knowingly, Ziva is a woman of habits and she doesn't break them easily
"Yes, it was nice" she says, turning off the stove she puts the coffee and 3 plates on the table "Oh, Hotch called… he said he was going to pick up Emily so we wouldn't have to go to Quantico"
"Ok… hurry up then, we need to be at work before the others and Leon is waiting for you"
She swallows her breakfast 'I missed this' she thinks while grabbing all her stuff "wait, let me write a note for Emily"
Gibbs nods, "hurry"
Ziva writes as fast as she can: Ems, Gibbs and I are at the Navy yard, if you need anything just call me or him …say hi to Hotch and don't forget to leave the door open!
"Let's go, I do not wish to be late on my first day" She says and Gibbs slaps her in the back of her head "What?"
"Nothing" He smiles and looks ahead the rest of the way
Ziva is quiet during the whole ride, all her fears from the past days come back to haunt her, all the what if she's been building since the day she decided to come back… but Gibbs squeezes her hand, like he knows what she's thinking, and she feels safe again. She promised herself, Emily and Gibbs that she wasn't going to run again… she won't go down without a fight. And even though she's very nervous, at the same time she's really excited to see everyone again.
The Navy yard it's just like she remembers "feels like home" she says, not quite ready to get out of the car yet
Gibbs gives her a card; she's surprised to see her old ID "It's active again, so we don't have to get one of those visitors' pass"
"Thank you, we better go" Ziva walks beside Gibbs and it's glad to see new faces at the door, that way she won't be stopped before they can get on the elevator
Their ride takes longer than usual, but as always Gibbs stops the elevator before they can reach their floor "I heard everything you and Emily said last night"
Ziva blushes, "I'm so sorry Gibbs you really weren't supposed to hear that…"
"Just so you know….rule 12 is out my list" He pushes the button and the elevator starts moving again, "All I ask is please don't hurt each other"
Ziva is surprised but she cannot say she didn't see this coming "I'll do my best to not hurt him on purpose"
The bullpen is the same; except for one thing… her desk now belongs to another woman. Her things are all over the place and she can tell Gibbs isn't happy about it "Bishop… you'll meet her soon" She shows him a shy smile and he relaxes "Vance is upstairs, c'mon" When they get there she knocks, and immediately can hear steps inside
"Ziva David, it's a pleasure seeing you again" Leon Vance says before hugging her
Ziva gives him a full teeth smile "It's nice to see you too Director"
"Well, less talking and more work… we'll have time to catch up, but you have to be down there before the others… sign here and here" He hands her the new contract and shows her where he needs her signature
Ziva signs, "where am I going to work?" she asks and Gibbs steps inside
"Your old desk, I can't have Dinozzo looking at you from across the room" He smirks and Ziva blushes furiously while Vance does his best to remain serious, "I already asked for a new one for Bishop so…can we go down now?" Vance nods and kisses Ziva's cheek
"Go, McGee is about to arrive"
Ziva goes down and realizes Gibbs left her desk ready to use, she just hopes Ellie is the first to arrive so she can explain what happened
"Ziver"
"Yeah?"
Gibbs gives her a tiny American flag "Dinozzo has the other one, first drawer on his desk" he winks
"Thank you" She watches him go, probably to get his second cup of coffee and she jumps to Tony's desk… tears pool in her eyes when she sees her necklace and her flag, plus a bunch of letters, she takes the flag
"What are you doing?" A woman's voice startles her "Get out of there!"
Ziva looks at her, blonde… "You must be Ellie Bishop, I'm Ziva David… I work here" she extends her hand and Ellie relaxes
"Oh, that explains why my things are there" she points to the other side of the office "wait how is that you know me?"
Ziva laughs "Emails from the team, and Gibbs told me a thing or 2"
Gibbs smile "Good morning probie" he says to Ellie "I see you met Ziva"
"Hey, now that she's here I'm not the probie anymore" Ellie says dropping her bag on her new desk
"Actually I was the probie before you…" Ziva says sitting on her desk "Don't feel bad, it only lasts a few months"
Ellie sighs and when she's about to answer, Abby rushes into the office "Gibbs!" she hugs him "I knew you were here! Why weren't you here yesterday?"
"Abbs" he says and she lets him go, "I was… you know what? look at your right Abbs"
"Hello Abby" Ziva says and watches how the goth's eyes widen in surprise
"ZIVA!" she screams and runs to hug her, "you're here, you're here! You're back" she says quickly "I can't believe it" she lets her friend go
Ziva smiles "I missed you too Abby" she hugs her again and the distinct sound of the elevator can be heard "Gibbs was picking me up from the airport"
"I'm so happy! The family is complete now!" Abby squeals
"Why are you so happy Abby?" McGee asks with a smile on his face, she always makes his mood better
Ziva turns around "Hello Tim" she goes to his side but he doesn't react, "dog got your tongue?"
"It's cat Ziva… oh my god, you're really here!" he hugs her "don't disappear like that again, we missed you too much"
"And I you, all of you" She kisses his cheek "I'm not running again I promise"
McGee hugs her tighter "Good" before letting her go he says "Tony's gonna have a heart attack when he sees you!" and everyone laughs
Ziva sits back on her desk while trying to satisfy Abby's curiosity, when the elevator doors open and her whole body tenses. Abby squeezes her hand and McGee smiles encouragely, "it's going to be fine" Abby whispers. Ziva doesn't stand up; she'll wait for him to notice her
Tony steps out of the elevator and immediately notices something different; everyone is looking at him "Why are you smiling so much Mcgeek?"
"Come and see for yourself Tony" Tim says, he can't wait to see his reaction
Tony goes straight to his desk, without turning around and everyone laughs… confused he finally looks across his desk "Ziva" he says breathless
Ziva stands up and she's sure there are tears in her eyes "Tony… I, I got to a million" she says
"I can't… you're home" he wraps her in his arms "you're real" he kisses her forehead
She lets the tears fall "I'm home" forgetting she's in the middle of the bullpen she kisses him deeply "I love you" she says softly
Tony is over the moon "I love you too" he kisses her again and Abby squeals
"You're sooo cute!" she says hugging both
Tony quickly goes to his desk and takes out Ziva's necklace, "This is yours" he says in her ear while letting it fall on her neck and Ziva smiles before turning around and kissing him again
Gibbs smiles, his kids are finally all together, "Ok, enough PDA… we have work to do" he slaps Tony in the back of his head "don't hurt her" he whispers in his ear and Tony nods "good, McGee congratulations you have a partner" Ellie gives McGee a bright smile
Ziva stands in front of Gibbs desk, "Can I go down? I need to say hi to Ducky and Palmer"
"Yeah and take Abby with you" Ziva laughs and nods
"C'mon Abby, I need to say hi to Ducky"
Abby is still high with her and Tony finally being together, so the ride down is much shorter than usual "I need to start working, good luck with Ducky" Abby says before leaving her alone
Ziva opens the door, "Ducky?" she says softly
Dr. Mallard cannot believe his eyes "Ziva, my dear!" she hugs him as tight as she can and he's sure he has tears in his eyes "You were extremely missed" he says kissing her cheek
"I missed you too Ducky" she says, "these months without all of you were so hard, I thought I needed to be alone but I was so wrong, if it wasn't for Emily…"
"Emily?" he asks curious
"An old friend of mine, I ran into her in London… you'll meet her soon" she says smiling and he nods
"Well, I have to buy this friend of yours a really nice present… "He says serious "she reunited our little family" he holds Ziva's hand and words flow between them
Jimmy enters the autopsy room "Good morning Dr. Mallard and… friend?" he says puzzled "Ziva?!" he squints and goes to her side
"Yes Jimmy, how have you been? How's Breena?" she says while he gives her a kiss on the cheek and hugs her briefly
"Good, very good and she's also good… she often asked if we knew something about you, you had us all worried!" he says quickly and Ziva lowers her gaze
"I'm so sorry for that…"
"Don't apologize, you're here now, that's all it matters" He smiles
Ziva smiles "you're right… I have to go back upstairs but you're invited to lunch at Agent Hotchner's place this Saturday ok? Then you can meet Emily and her family too"
"I wouldn't miss it dear" Says Ducky "me neither, I'll tell Breena about it… she'll be super excited" adds Palmer
Ziva laughs "Great, let's hope we don't have work to do by then… I'll send you the address" she adds before leaving.
Her heart is about to burst, she's finally around those she loves… including the love of her life. Ziva's sure the smile on her face won't disappear any time soon and she couldn't care less, she's done hiding her feelings.
The elevator doors open and she can hear Gibbs inviting everyone to Hotch's house this Saturday, "and buy a gift for Emily" she chuckles.
Tony frowns "who's Emily?" he says
Ziva wraps her arms around him "my best friend, she really wants to meet you"
"I still don't get why I have to buy her something"
Gibbs slaps him in the back of his head, "she brought your girlfriend home"
"That's true" Ziva adds chuckling
Tim laughs, "What does she like? I don't wanna buy her just anything"
"Buy her a book, only classics… if it's in another language that would be perfect"
Tony is surprised "How many languages can she speak?"
"6, Arabic, Spanish, French, Italian, Russian and Greek… well 7 if you count English too"
Tim is surprised too "I know the perfect book in Spanish" he looks at Tony, "You gotta be careful Tony, girls talk" he says with a smirk
"I bet she's harmless" He says shrugging
Ziva laughs, loudly "If I'm the ninja, she's the spy… FBI agent, former Interpol…she ran the London office. Ems is like a real life Bond girl"
Tony whistles "I'm sure I'll like her"
"Good for you Dinozzo, now back to work everyone… including you Ziver" Gibbs says, trying to hide his smile. He enjoys a rare, quiet afternoon at work trying hard not to look at Tony and Ziva's way… oh yes, he missed this
Emily wakes up, the sun is shining and everything seems right… she takes a quick glance to her right and yes, Ziva's up already.
"Hey, good afternoon Ems" Ziva says joking
Emily huffs "Ziva it's 6 am, I don't have to work until 8:30" She tries to snuggle back in bed but her friend pulls the covers
"Hotch will pick you up in about an hour and I'm making breakfast, hurry up" Ziva throws her a pillow and leaves
Emily laughs "just like the old times" sighing she gets out of bed, if Hotch is taking her to work it means their secret won't stay that way for too long and she plans to enjoy it. 25 minutes later she's ready for breakfast but the kitchen is empty, there's a coffee and a good looking omelet on the table, right next to the newspaper there's a note: Ems, Gibbs and I are at the Navy yard, if you need anything just call me or him …say hi to Hotch and don't forget to leave the door open!. She chuckles with the last part, and the analyst in her notices Ziva's handwriting seems messier than usual so she and Gibbs probably left in a hurry
She remembers the first time she met the always serious Control Officer David, when her colleagues described her they never mentioned if this 'awesome, serious and so young' Mossad officer was actually a man or a woman… and she always expected a guy, so when she said "I'm looking for Officer David" and the brunette appeared… saying she was shocked was an understatement. But they soon became friends, being the only women between both teams helped, and with Ziva's help she became fluent in Arabic, they practiced Italian, French and Spanish together and she helped her with English and Russian. Emily's so lost in her memories that she doesn't hear Hotch entering "Good morning Ems" he says softly
She jumps "Hotch! I didn't hear you, here... sit with me, I'll make you a cup of coffee" she kisses him deeply "Good morning"
He has a goofy smile on his face "indeed… where are Ziva and Gibbs?"
"They went to work, she told me to say hi"
Hotch smiles "She's really nice… by the way, what time does she get up? I called at 6 thinking nobody would answer, but apparently she has been up for a while…"
Emily laughs "Yeah she is, but you want her with you not against you…and she runs every morning at 5, no exceptions"
"You really know a lot about each other's habits…" He says receiving the coffee "thanks"
"You're welcome" she says before sitting again "We go way back, we met in Tel Aviv… I can't even remember why they send us there but she was the officer in charge of the team that worked with us… we were the only women in that camp" Hotch is listening quietly and she continuous "I guess that's why we bounded, well that and languages"
"Really?"
"Yes, even though Ziva speaks more than I do" She says proud of her friend, "She speaks 10: Hebrew, Arabic, Pashto, Turkish, German, Italian, Russian, French, Spanish and English"
"She seems to be full of surprises"
Emily snorts "A Pandora's Box is nothing… we used to practice together" She drinks the last sip of her coffee "How's Jack?"
"Good, excited to see you… want to drop by after work?" Hotch asks a little nervous
Emily smiles "Of course, I miss him so much"
He stands up and wraps his arms around her "I told him you are my girlfriend"
Her eyes widen in surprise but she remains calm "What did he say?" she asks worried
Hotch smiles seeing how worried she is "He was so happy that I wish you had seen him, he said that I was finally going to be happy"
Emily kisses him again "He's so sweet" She makes sure everything is in the right place "We should get going"
"Yeah, I can't wait to see everyone's faces when they see you" He says, taking his car keys and waiting for her to be out before closing "where are the keys?"
Emily shrugs "Gibbs likes to leave it open"
Once in the car Hotch doesn't let go of her hand unless is absolutely necessary, and Emily can't be happier… "I can't believe I let all this time go by" she sighs, "we could ha-"
"Don't do that Ems, we're happy, we're in love… I'm glad it was just 2 years and not more" He kisses her hand
"I love you too Hotch" He gives her the brightest smile he can gives and she's sure her heart just skipped a beat
The rest of the ride is filled with comfortable silence, just enjoying each other company. Emily is not even worried anymore; she knows that no matter what she has Hotch and Ziva by her side, but more than that…she knows that everything is going to be just fine. "It's good to be back" she says softly, when they reach the building
The elevator doors open but Hotch still holds her hand "No more secrets, remember?" he whispers in her ear and she smiles
"No more secrets… but, you still have to go first I need to talk with Chief Cruz" She kisses his cheek and watches him go inside the bullpen. She knocks on his door and crosses her fingers 'please be alone!'
Mateo Cruz opens his door and smiles immediately "Emily Prentiss, it's a pleasure to finally meet you" he says hugging her, "because we both now the first one doesn't count"
She laughs "Right back at you Mateo"
"Good, now you only need to sign this-he shows her the contract- and here's your badge and your gun, welcome back to the BAU Agent Prentiss"
"It's good to be back sir" she says honestly
He opens his door again, "Go, they should be all in there by now" he points to the conference room "I asked Aaron to distract them…I'll stay behind, I should bother you all later" he winks and walks her to the door
"Thank you" She says before leaving. Her stomach is tight and her heart is racing against her chest, she can see Hotch standing in front of them, they appear to be having a light conversation but she feels Hotch's gaze on her and she knows it's time
Hotch clears his throat "Hey guys" everyone goes quiet "I… need to tell you something"
"Are you ok?" asks Rossi and he nods
"So…" JJ says, a little worried
He smiles, trying to calm them "nothing is wrong, is just… we have a new agent"
A chorus of 'what's?' is heard across the bullpen and Emily chuckles before opening the conference room door…
"Hello everyone" she says with a bright smile on her face
"EMILY!" Penelope and JJ are beside her in an instant "Why didn't you tell us you were coming?!" "When did you arrive?" "Is that why you couldn't talk with us?" Both girls are talking at the same time
Everyone starts laughing, including Emily "Geez! JJ, baby girl! Let her talk" Morgan says before giving his best friend a tight hug and kiss on her cheek "I missed you Princess"
"I missed you too" she says… "Pen, JJ come here" the three friends share a long hug "first, I couldn't tell you because it was a surprise, that's why I didn't talk with you and, Ziva and I arrived yesterday" she answers their questions like that on purpose
Reid can't recognize the name "Ziva?"
"One of my best friends, she's an agent too works at the navy yard… you'll meet her soon" Emily says, hugging Reid
Alex and Rossi say hi, the former wrapping his almost daughter in his arms "How was London?"
"Good…it was what I needed" she says before kissing his cheek
Penelope smiles at her boss "Aren't you gonna say hi sir?" she says, almost daring him to do it
Hotch comes closer and Emily smiles knowingly, he stands as close to her as he possibly can and without a word he kisses her, slowly and deeply… clearly showing off "Hello Ems" he has a cocky smile on his face
"Hello Hotch" Emily says, turning around to look at the team
They're speechless, for once it seems like not even Garcia has something to say and Emily starts laughing… eventually they all join her "He surprised me at the airport" she says, "Ziva's doing of course, she wanted to surprise me"
"Agent Gibbs from NCIS called me to let me know they were coming" Hotch adds, "and by the way, we are all having lunch at my place on Saturday… both teams, and you should buy Ziva something"
Reid nods "What does she like?"
Emily thinks "classical music, all types of movies, books… she's like me so you shouldn't have any problem"
"And why should we give her something?" Morgan asks, sounding like a kid whining
"She basically dragged Emily back home!" JJ hits him in the arm
Morgan raises his hands "Ok, I get it! I get it!" He says before JJ can hit him again, "I'll buy her a gift"
"You'll love Ziva guys, and her team too…from what she has been telling me all these years, I know I will" Emily says
Penelope smiles "Don't worry Ems, we'll be on our best behavior"
JJ winks at her, "Yeah, don't worry"
Alex laughs "Oh please, we're going to our boss' place of course we'll behave" Emily smiles at her "By the way…can I take my husband with me? I mean, if he's not on call"
"Of course Alex, it's a family meeting so everyone is invited" Hotch says
Morgan shakes his head "I don't think I'll take anyone with me, I wanna meet your friend" he raises his eyebrows and Emily almost explodes with laughter
"Sorry, she's taken… besides she also knows about you" Emily says after a while "let me warn you Morgan, don't mess with her she was Mossad"
"And I've been told she knows more than one way to kill you with just a tiny paperclip" Hotch adds, remembering Gibbs words
"Only 18 Hotch" Emily adds nonchalantly
"See, I already like her!" Reid says excited "We don't even know her and she already managed to scare you" he adds looking at Morgan, while he huffs
The team easily falls into their usual routine again, even with Chief Cruz stopping by, and Emily feels like her heart is about to burst with happiness. She spends the rest of the afternoon catching up with Pen and JJ, who are dying to get details of her relationship with Hotch, messing with Morgan and Blake and chatting happily with Reid… once in a while she wonders why she left in the first place, but she decides not to dwell on that and move on to her present
It's late when both friends are finally home, Gibbs just looks at them and shakes his head "Try and be quiet, I'll be in the basement"
Ziva smiles "We'll try" she says before looking at Emily, "want to go first?"
"Whoa, déjà vu! … Mm you should start, to keep the tradition" Emily looks away and laughs
"I should stop asking you that! I always end up going first" Ziva says shaking her head, "Anyway… we went to the yard as early as we possibly could, I spoke with Vance and signed my contract, then I went down and Gibbs gave me an American flag and told me to take the other one from Tony's desk"
"Aw, he kept it all this time!" Emily squeals
Ziva rolls her eyes "You're starting to sound like Abby, now I was opening his drawer when Bishop appeared and told me 'what are you doing?' and I just extended my hand and said 'you must be Ellie Bishop' I explained to her that I used to work there and Gibbs appeared and told her she had a new desk"
Emily's smile is getting bigger and bigger "So you have your old desk back… directly in front of Tony" she raises her eyebrows suggestively
"Yeah, yeah… will you let me finish?" Emily nods and Ziva continues "We were in the middle of calling her probie when Abby appeared asking Gibbs why he wasn't in the office yesterday and then he told her to look at her right and I was there, she screamed and ran to my side… she almost makes me fall" Ziva adds laughing "We talked a little and then McGee arrived, he hugged me too, he was really happy to see me and then I sat down and answered some of Abby's questions and then he arrived…" She blushes and Emily is more and more curious
"Soooo?" Emily says
"So, I didn't stand up or anything just, waited for him to notice me…and when he finally did, Ems I couldn't stop the tears…he kissed my forehead first and then I just kissed him, we said I love you and then he gave me my necklace back" Ziva touches it unconsciously
"I was wondering what happened to it… I'm so happy for you Zi" She says hugging her friend
"I know Ems" Ziva smiles at her and wipes the tears "Finally, I went down to say hi to ducky and Palmer, and Gibbs invited everyone to Hotch's place… they're excited to meet you! And they're bringing you a gift"
Emily laughs "He said that too? Hotch said to everyone they had to get you something"
"Oh yes, and like I said they really want to meet you so… don't say I didn't warn you" Ziva laughs and continues her day "We all went to lunch together, I spent the afternoon talking with Tony and I believe that's it" She finishes
"Damn, it's my time now" Emily complains and Ziva laughs
"Stop whining and tell me, I want to know everything!" She says, her curious nature coming out full force
Emily pouts, but she's excited to talk about her day "Fine… In the morning I saw your note and ate my breakfast all alone until Hotch got here, we talked a little… he was surprised you were up before 6 and asked a little bit more about how we met"
At this Ziva laughs "Did you tell him you thought Officer David was a man?"
"No" Emily huffs "I kept that detail to myself but I did told him you speak a lot of languages and how we bonded because of it… then he told me he spoke with Jack and explained that I was back and finally his girlfriend"
Ziva's surprised "Wow, how did he take it?"
"Really well, let me tell you about the team first and then about Jack" Ziva nods and Emily continues "After that he offered me to drop by after work so I could say hello to him and all… we were on our way to Quantico when he said he loves me, so you can imagine the smile on my face" She says giggling a bit "I spoke with Mateo, signed my contract and received my badge and my gun, Hotch was with the others in the conference room and I was listening outside until he told them there was a new agent coming"
Ziva shakes her head "I bet they weren't happy"
"You could hear their screams from the outside, so I just went inside and then things got crazy" Emily chuckles "Pen and JJ were asking like a thousand questions at the same time, they were hugs and some tears on my side until Pen said 'aren't you gonna say hi sir?' and Hotch got really close to me and… oh my god Ziva, it was the kiss" Emily blushes
Ziva smiles "Oh he was showing off"
"Yeah, and then everyone was speechless…even Pen! And I was so nervous that I just started laughing and then we were back to normal, Hotch invited everyone to his place and I had to tell Morgan you are taken and I think Reid is the most excited to meet you"
"Is that so?"
"Apparently Gibbs gave Hotch the typical If you hurt her, you'll have to deal with Ziva and her numerous ways to kill you with a paperclip speech, and let me tell you scaring Hotch isn't easy or at least not as easy as Morgan"
"Well, Gibbs was right anyway… but he forgot about the credit card" she says joking
"Believe me; I know too well that you and Pen are dangerous with one of those… anyway we just talked the rest of the afternoon and then we went to Hotch's place"
"To see Jack…"
"Yeah, and Zi you should've seen his face, he was so happy! He told me all about school and his friends and we were playing the whole afternoon, then it was his bed time and we read him a story and then he said 'good night Emi' and I swear my heart melted"
Ziva is excited for her friend "He has always loved you Ems, I still remember those drawings he used to make for you… you'll make a wonderful mother Prentiss"
"Don't make me cry David" Emily says "He fell asleep and Hotch and I talked for a while… he wants us to move in together"
"You're leaving?" Ziva asks "I really like to have you here, and he won't say anything but I know Gibbs likes it too"
"Not yet though, I told him to give me some time, but in a few weeks I might be going away"
"Well, that was the idea all along… I'm sure that by next week, Gibbs will start searching an apartment for both"
Both friends laugh, and keep talking about their days and their respective relationships until the clock hits 2 am… "Go to sleep girls, we have work tomorrow" Gibbs says before going to his room, soon Ziva and Emily do the same
Friday comes soon, both teams happy that there haven't been any murders this week. Emily is spending the rest of her work day hanging at Pen's quarters with the girls
"So… how's everything going with Hotch?" JJ asks suddenly, and Emily chokes with her coffee
Penelope laughs "that good huh?"
Emily shakes her head "JJ we've been dating for 4 days…"
"C'mon, you have to share, otherwise I'll just ask Ziva tomorrow" JJ says and Penelope nods
Emily raises her hands, defeated "Fine, every day after work we go to his place, I spend time with Jack… we cuddle after he falls sleep and Gibbs picks me up from there, except on the first day… that day Hotch drove me to Gibbs place with Jack sleeping peacefully in the back because he didn't want me to go"
Both of her friends go 'Aww' together, "That's so so sweet Emily" Penelope squeals
JJ nods "You were always her favorite Ems"
Emily is about to reply when her phone starts ringing, she frowns "It's Ziva" she says worried "Zi, are you ok?"
"Ems, I need you like right now" Ziva says quickly and clearly nervous
"Zi, breathe and tell me what's going on?"
Ziva takes a deep breath "Tony asked me out… I have a date with Tony Ems!"
Emily laughs, relaxing "Oh I thought it was something else, you scared me"
"I have nothing to wear Prentiss, you have to come home!"
"Again, calm down David…you aren't at the navy yard?" Emily chuckles, and wishes she would have thought of recording this conversation, Ziva David nervous about a date… that doesn't happen everyday
"No, I'm at the mall trying to find something but I was thinking about going back home and just wear one of your dresses"
Emily huffs "No, no! I told you I was going to pick up the dress for your first date with Tony… by the way, I won"
Ziva laughs "Fine, you did… now would you please help me?"
"Do you mind if I take Pen and JJ with me?" Emily asks and both girls look excited
Ziva smiles "Of course, the more the merrier"
"You got it right! Ok, we'll be there in 20 minutes" Emily hangs up, "Let's go girls, we have a fashion emergency"
Emily, JJ and Pen are at the mall just in time; "Ok so, Ziva is really nice and not usually so neurotic but this is a special occasion" Emily warns her friends "If you're going to make a suggestion, nothing too tight or too short, other than that you're good to go"
JJ and Pen nods "Don't worry, I get the feeling that we're going to find the perfect dress"
"Ahí estas!" Emily hears Ziva's voice behind her (there you are!)
"Ziva, se que estas nerviosa pero, habla en inglés por favor…no estamos solas" Emily says switching quickly to Spanish (Ziva, I know you're nervous but, but speak in English please…we're not alone)
Ziva remembers Emily brought Penelope and JJ with her and she blushes "Sorry, I'm Ziva… you must be Penelope" she says looking at García "It's nice to finally meet you" she gives her a hug
"Hi Ziva" Pen says excited "I've heard a lot about you"
"Good things I hope" says Ziva before letting her go and turning to JJ "And you must be Jennifer"
JJ hugs Ziva "I'm glad to finally meet you! And please call me JJ"
Ziva smiles "Thanks for coming to help me"
Emily laughs "Please, I wouldn't miss this! Now, let's go shopping"
Ziva hugs Emily too "Thank you Ems, we have like 4 hours… so let's go"
"Yes, let's go!" García squeals delighted
After spending almost 2 and a half hours shopping together, the four women already felt like long time friends… and they were all excited about Ziva's first date with Tony. They were about to give up and go borrow one of Emily's dresses when Ziva stepped out of the changing room
"Zi, you look stunning!" Emily says, smiling from ear to ear
Penelope is so excited "This is the one"
"Yep, definitely" JJ adds "Red is your color Zi"
Ziva looks at her reflection and smiles "I had my doubts, but you're right, I love it"
Ziva puts on her shoes just in time, she hears Tony's voice downstairs and her stomach is tight, but there's a beautiful smile on her face
"Ziva David, breathe… he went straight to the basement with Gibbs, everything will be perfect, and if something goes wrong you call me and I help you get rid of the body" Emily laughs, hoping it will calm her friend
Ziva laughs "Thank you Ems, but I'm sure that won't be necessary" She hugs Emily
"Ok, this is not the moment to get emotional…" Emily says, letting her friend go
Downstairs Tony and Gibbs are talking about tomorrow's lunch, when Emily's voice interrupts them "Guys, Ziva's ready"
Tony almost runs out of the basement, while Gibbs follows him smirking. Then he stops, and Emily smiles, "Sweetcheeks, you look… gorgeous" He says wrapping his arms around her
Ziva blushes and smiles when she realizes Emily is giving her thumbs up, "You look handsome too, but I think we should go" She whispers in his ear
Tony turns around, "Emily! I've been wanting to meet you this whole week" he kisses her cheek
Emily knows it's payback time "and I've been wanting to meet you for years" Ziva blushes even more "Now, we will talk tomorrow, go or you'll be late" she says "and I know Gibbs already told you this, but if you hurt her I will shoot you"
Gibbs smiles watching Tony's face while both friends laugh "I'm sure everything will be fine, go" He kisses Ziva's cheek and closes the door "Want to help me with my boat?" Emily nods and they go downstairs
Tony helps Ziva get into the car "Zi, you really left me speechless" He says kissing her hand, before closing the door and getting into the other side
"That was the idea" She says kissing him deeply "I couldn't do that with an audience"
Tony starts the car, "That's correct… Emily seems nice, and what she said… is it true?"
"What?" She asks trying to look clueless but she knows what he's talking about, she won't admit she's been talking about him for years with her friend
Tony smiles "Oh so it is true" he says playful "You know? I've been waiting for this moment for years" he winks at her
The rest of the ride is done in silence and Ziva is pleasantly surprised when they stop at his place "I figured, why go to a restaurant? We can have the perfect dinner here" he says
"I love it" She says, "I rather have you all to myself" She is finally back to her normal self
"Me too, my love… me too" he says before giving her another kiss "I still can't believe you're here" He wraps his arms around her and Ziva sighs
"And I can believe I'm finally in your arms" She says
Tony kisses her forehead before opening the door "Come in" he puts his hand on her back
The whole place is illuminated with the soft glow of the candles, "It's beautiful Tony"
"Not as much as you Zi" He says, "Do you want a glass of wine?"
Ziva nods and sits on the couch; he soon joins her "Tony… I don't want to be away from you again" She whispers in his ear "I know it was my decision to stay there by myself but, please don't ever let me go" she says with tears in her eyes
Tony tries to show her everything he's feeling with a deep, slow, sweet kiss and he doesn't let go until his lungs are begging for air "Ziva David, I will never let you go again… I love you"
"I love you" She says, with a smile on her face "I'm sorry it took me so long to admit it"
"Don't Ziva, we weren't ready back then…but now I know this is it for me Zi, I don't want anyone else in my life" Tony holds her hands "Move in with me"
Ziva is surprised "Tony…are you sure about this?"
"I was going to ask you tonight anyway, it just seemed like the right time… you're the first thing I want to see every morning for the rest of my life and I've never been more sure of anything in my entire life"
Ziva kisses him "Yes" she says excited "I'll move in with you but only after Emily has her own place"
"I know, don't worry about that I can wait. Shall we eat now?"
"We shall, Mon petit pois"
Their dinner is quiet, each of them enjoying they're finally with their love. They hold hands and occasionally talk about what they did while they were on opposite sides of the world… "So, all this time you just traveled?" Tony asks
Ziva nods "Yes, I went to Athens and some Greek islands first, then Berlin, Hamburg, Amsterdam, Brussels, Paris, Rome, Florence, uhhm then I spent like a month resting in Tel Aviv and then I went to Copenhagen, Gothenburg, Stockholm, Oslo, Bergen, Back to Stockholm, Helsinki, Joensuu and I finished with Moscow and St. Petersburg"
"That's a lot of cities! What did you do next?"
"Back to Tel Aviv for another 2 months and then I thought 'why not?' so I went online and the first flight of the next day was to London… I just bought it and made my bags again, I'd spent like 4 days there when I ran into Emily and here I am now"
"And I'll be forever grateful for that" He kisses her and she smiles
"I needed to find myself, I needed the kind of solitude and anonymity that traveling by yourself gives… but after I saw her, I knew it was time to come back"
Tony nods "Even though it hurt me that you wouldn't let me stay with you, deep inside I knew it was something you needed…but let me tell you, one more year and I would've been in Israel looking for you"
She sighs "I used to dream about that, that someday I would run into you or you would be waiting in my doorstep…in fact, when I ran into Emily… at first I thought it was you" A single tear rolls down her cheek "But, like you said, we're here now and that's all it matters"
"Ani Ohev Otach" He says, wiping her tear
Ziva kisses him "Ti amo Tony"
Ziva is still in bliss and doesn't notice her friend is awake "Oh Zi, I know that face! Tell me everything" she says before turning on the lights
Ziva smiles at her "Close the door too, so Gibbs won't hear us" she says "Ems, it was magical"
"Aw" Emily squeals "Tell me more"
"We went to his place, he decorated the whole living room with candles, we talk for a while on the couch… he wants us to move in together" She says, still with a smile on her face
Emily hugs Ziva "Oh my god Ziva! I knew he was going to ask you that… tell me you said yes please"
Ziva rolls her eyes, "I did! ...but I told him I wouldn't move until you had a place for yourself or, in this case, until you move in with Hotch"
Emily hits her on the shoulder "Hey"
"We both know is about to happen anyway, but no pressure Ems" Ziva says nonchalantly, "Then we had dinner, make out on the couch and that's all I can tell you" She giggles… "What did you and Gibbs do anyway?"
"I helped him with his boat, and we talked a little bit… he asked about my record" She says serious
"He saw the time overlaps…you should talk to the FBI about them" She says
"Yeah… but it's ok, I explained a little, you know some of my years as Lauren and all that, it was freeing you know? I feel like the weight of the world is finally off my shoulders" Emily says serious
Ziva nods "I understand, talking to him will do that to you… I'm glad you found some peace Ems"
"God knows I needed to finally let go of the past"
Ziva hugs her, "I think we just did that"
Emily hugs her tighter "C'mon, we both need to sleep… tomorrow will be an interesting day"
Ziva snorts "Interesting….good night Ems"
"Night Zi"
The next morning, Gibbs, Ziva and Emily share breakfast, talking about how they think the day will go… "Are you sure everyone knows how to get to Hotch's house?" Emily asks
Gibbs nods "They know"
"Good" she says, now used to his short answers "By the way Zi, Pen and JJ called last night…"
Ziva drinks part of her coffee "They want to know everything" She finishes for her friend
Emily nods "I'm warning you, those 2 have amazing interrogation skills"
Gibbs laughs "I know you're not fans of talking about that kind of stuff, me neither, but if you 2 can talk about everything together I think you can handle sharing with someone else" he finishes his coffee "Now hurry up, we need to get to Aaron's house but first I have to stop and buy a caf-pow for Abby"
"Are you sure that's a good idea Gibbs?" Emily asks concerned
"She will kill him if he doesn't have one" Ziva laughs "Don't worry, she handles caffeine better than any of us"
Hotch runs to the door as soon as he hears the doorbell ringing but his son beats him "Emi!" He says hugging her
Emily kisses his head "Hi Jack" she says happily, then she kisses Hotch "Hi Hotch"
Ziva smiles "Hello?" she says and Hotch smiles
"I know you're there, hello Ziva, hello Jethro" he says "This is my son Jack"
"Hello Jack, how are you?" Gibbs says smiling, "I'm Jethro Gibbs, but you can call me however you want"
Jack shakes his hand with him "Hello Gibbs" he says and everyone laughs
"Apparently we all love your last name" Ziva says "Hi Jack, I'm Ziva… I'm Emi's best friend"
Jack eyes light up hearing that "Is that true Emi?" he says turning to look at her
Emily smiles "Yes it is Jack, Zi is my best friend" and then she whispers in his ear "She's a ninja"
Jack giggles "Can I call you Zi too?" he asks and Ziva nods
"Of course Jack" She says sweetly
"So, you work with the FBI too?" Jack says happily
"No, we are NCIS agents" Ziva says but when she's about to explain what it means, Jack surprises her
"Navy related crimes, we were talking about federal agencies in school" The 9 year old says, proud because he knows what it means
Emily hugs him "You're too smart, you know that?" She says before kissing his cheek and he runs to the backyard
Ziva and Emily decide to take care of the food and Gibbs and Hotch are talking in the living room when Penelope, Morgan and Reid arrive "Hi guys!" Penelope says excited
"Hello Garcia, here's agent Gibbs… Gibbs, she's Penelope Garcia our technical analyst" Hotch says
Penelope smiles "Hi sir"
"Don't, call me Jethro or Gibbs" He says before kissing her cheek "We'll be seeing a lot of each from now on so, no titles"
"Ok, I like that" Pen says cheerfully "Where are Emily and Ziva?"
"Kitchen" Hotch says "Bring them back with you" Penelope winks and goes to the kitchen
Morgan shakes hands with Gibbs "Derek Morgan" He says
Gibbs nods "Nice to meet you Derek"
"I'm Spencer Reid" He says happily
Gibbs smiles at him "Nice to meet you Spencer"
"Guys! I see you met Gibbs" Emily says hugging Reid and Morgan, Ziva and Penelope appear behind her "This is my best friend Ziva David" She says
Surprisingly, Spencer goes first "Ziva, it's a pleasure" He says smiling
Ziva smiles too "You must be Spencer" She shakes hands with him and then looks at Morgan "And you must be Derek"
"The one and only" Derek says before hugging her "Thank you for bringing her back" He whispers and she nods
They talk for a while, Derek and Spencer paying attention to every single one of Ziva's words while Emily, Hotch, Penelope and Gibbs are deep in conversation about their respective teams. The doorbell rings again and the whole NCIS family is outside, Gibbs says hi to each of them before introducing everyone "Everyone, here's our family" he says smiling "Abby, Tim McGee, Tony Dinozzo, Dr Mallard…please call him Ducky, Jimmy and his wife Breena, and our probie Ellie" he turns around "Guys, this is the BAU, Agent Hotchner, Derek Morgan, Spencer Reid, Penelope Garcia and the one and only Emily Prentiss"
Emily blushes, "Hi everyone" she says hugging them one by one "Ziva speaks highly of you, it's so good to finally meet you"
Once again they're all speaking and laughing with the many stories they have to share, and JJ arrives later with Henry, Rossi and Blake "Our husbands were working" the blonde says and Rossi snorts "I didn't want to drive"
The house is divided, all the men are outside sharing beers while the girls stay inside… they all want to know how Ziva's date with Tony went.
"So…" A very curious JJ asks
Ziva rolls her eyes "I already said everything!" she complains, but when Abby, Pen, Breena, Emily, Ellie and even Alex demand to hear it, she tells them everything again
Outside, Derek Morgan raises his bottle "I want to make a toast" he says and the guys follow him "first, to our boss finally taking a chance"
"To our ever expanding family" Tim says and Reid nods
Tony smiles "To love"
"To the ones that united us, Emily and Ziva" Rossi adds
"Cheers" Gibbs and Hotch say at the same time and everyone laugh
After a moment Tony stands besides Gibbs "Boss, I… need to tell you something" despite his best efforts to keep it between them, all the agents and the 2 doctors are listening "I asked Ziva to move in with me"
Gibbs is surprised, but he doesn't show it, instead his eyes soften "Good for you Tony, just…take care of my Ziver" He says before hugging his agent
Hotch smiles "Congratulations Tony" he throws him another beer
"So you're the guy mama was talking about" Derek says "She went on and on about how you and Ziva were meant for each other"
"Mama?" Tony says
Reid laughs "Penelope"
Ducky smiles softly "I told you that you would be together eventually, we all knew it"
Tim hugs Tony "Congratulations, I know these months were hell without her"
"Oh so we have a second 'we are just friends' couple?" Rossi raises an eyebrow and Jimmy, Ducky, Tim and even Gibbs nod
Hotch pushes Rossi and he laughs "Don't be like that Aaron, you know it's true"
"He's right Hotch" Morgan adds "You and Emily were dancing around each other for too long"
"It was just a matter of time" Reid says
All of them laugh again and keep drinking quietly, occasionally surprised by the screams coming from the inside, recognizing Abby and Penelope's voices.
"I don't wanna know" Gibbs says before drinking the rest of his beer
It's past midnight when Gibbs, Emily and Ziva arrive home. "I'll be in the basement" He says before kissing her foreheads
"Night Gibbs" Emily says
"Night Abba" Ziva kisses his cheek "We had a good day, didn't we?"
Gibbs nods "I heard too many things about Rossi I would rather forget"
Emily chuckles and Ziva shakes her head "Join the club" Emily says before dragging Ziva upstairs with her
"Hotch and Tony seem to be getting along" Ziva says jumping into bed
Emily laughs "I think they realized they didn't have too many options"
Ziva chuckles "You were right about Pen and JJ, they definitely know how to get the information they want"
"And Abby meeting Pen?" Emily's eyes widen "I think we created a monster"
"Wait, what about JJ and Ellie? I was this close-she makes a gesture to show it- to kill them"
Emily rolls her eyes "Tell me about it, I didn't know that side of her"
"But it was still fun, they were scaring the men! Every time they said 'it's a blonde thing' Tim and Spencer hid in the kitchen"
"Poor Spence, he's not used to see JJ all girly and…crazy"
Ziva laughs harder "I didn't imagine Ellie like that either"
"For a moment I felt like a tomboy" Emily says
Ziva snorts "Ems you were wearing heels, and a cute dress… if anyone should have felt like a tomboy it was me"
"Zi, you were wearing jeans and that beautiful blue top… change of topic!" Emily squeals "Hotch told me Tony told Gibbs he asked you to move in with him"
"And Tony told me he heard Hotch talking with Rossi and Jack about you moving in" Ziva says with a smile on her face "I never imagine I would be so happy"
Emily gives her a sad smile "Me neither, I always thought I would settle down with a second best in London"
"You? Settling with the second best? No, I don't think so"
"Well, for a moment we both thought we were unbreakable and then we ended on the other side of the world trying to heal old wounds"
Ziva sighs "But it was worth it… I mean, we wouldn't appreciate this right now if we haven't"
"I just wish I hadn't wasted that much time" Emily sits besides Ziva
"On these months away I learnt to just let it go, I'm focusing on the future"
Emily smiles "Oh you're so so deep Ziva David!" She throws her a pillow "I'm so going to be maid of honor first!" she gushes
Ziva rolls her eyes "I bet you a 100 bucks that I will be yours first"
"You're on David"
-THE END-
Hello everyone! I'm a big fan of NCIS and Criminal Minds but until now I haven't really thought about writing about them, let alone a crossover but my mind kept playing with the idea of Ziva and Emily being old friends and then this happened! This is my longest one-shot ever, and I considered making it a multi-chapter story but in the end I settled with just one chapter.
I apologize for any errors you may find, I always read what I write carefully but typos happen anyway… and well, considering this is very AU I took more liberties with the characters so they obviously feel OOC.
I really hope you like it! I needed something light, kind of funny and with my favorite characters back home getting their happy ending.
I've read so many amazing fics in both fandoms that I'm really nervous about posting it, so I hope it doesn't disappoint… specially after reading so much!
And just in case, let me know if you might like a sequel or something like that…I was thinking about writing some shorter one shots to fill in the blanks
Kisses, Camila
PD: I do NOT own NCIS nor Criminal Minds, I just borrowed the characters to have some fun