Title: Men Never Understand
Author: Tearsofamiko
Rating: K
Disclaimer: I'm good at sharing?
Spoilers: Not really, excepting a mention of Kill Ari: II. But this doesn't happen very far into season 3
Summary: They have each other when they have no one else.
A/N: I imagine this happening shortly after Ziva joins the team, when she and Jen are both still new and in need of friends (Jibbs-ness notwithstanding).
Jen sighed as she settled onto the couch and pushed 'play.' She reached over and grabbed the bowl of popcorn, more than ready for some mindless entertainment after a long day of dealing with arrogant fellow directors, chauvinistic agents, and Jethro. The opening dialogue had just started when the sound of a knock echoed through the house. Jen groaned and dropped her head back on the couch; Noemi had gone home, leaving only her to answer the door. Deciding she shouldn't ignore it, she paused her movie and pulled herself to her feet.
"Ziva?" she asked as the heavy door opened to reveal the young woman. She looked uncomfortable and uncertain, a hairsbreadth away from bolting. "Is everything alright?"
"Yes, um," the young woman was unusually hesitant. "I just...needed a friend tonight," she finished, her face flushed and her eyes almost belligerent, daring Jen to comment.
"Sure, come on in." Jen stepped aside to let Ziva in, then shut the door and waited for her to make the next move. She knew her friend well enough not to push her when she was feeling vulnerable. An answer would come eventually, all on its own. Sure enough...
"Are they always so. . ." Ziva trailed off, still almost explosive in her frustration but unable to find the correct English words.
"Mostly," Jen replied, crossing her arms and leaning against the front door. "Not usually quite so bad, but. . . They lost more than a team member, Ziva. They also lost a friend."
"And I lost my brother!"
"Yes, but no one is forcing you to replace him," Jen mentioned.
"I am not trying to take Agent Todd's place!" Ziva almost shouted. "I am trying to help, to do my job, to be. . ." Though she lost none of her posture or composure, she seemed to collapse in on herself and Jen finally realized what had driven the young woman to this point.
She was lonely, an emotion Jen was more than familiar with. And Jen understood why. Ziva was a highly trained foreign officer placed with a group of people mourning the loss of one of their own. Sometimes, Jen wanted to strangle Gibbs for the way he treated people; Ziva could've used a friend but she was met with a cold shoulder. Repressing a sigh, she pushed off the door and gestured to Ziva.
"Come on. I've got popcorn, alcohol, and a chick flick in the other room. There's nothing better after a long day."
Ziva smiled at Jen, and both remembered why they were friends: they understood each other. They turned, linked arms, and headed toward the family room, comfortable in this world, away from the expectations of the job.
"You know," Ziva began as they settled onto the couch and Jen restarted the movie, "men never understand the value of a good chick flick."
"There are a lot of things men never understand," Jen replied, cutting her eyes slyly at Ziva, thinking of all the clues and hints Jethro failed to see each day.
Their eyes met and both burst out laughing, amused at all the things they knew a man would never understand, as the movie began and the story unfolded.
A/N: The title kinda came from a quote in Sleepless in Seattle, which made me think of a girl's night in situation, which made me think of how comfortable Ziva and Jen were with each other in the beginning of season 3.