Miscommunication

Genre: Romance, tiny smidge of angst

Characters: Tim, Ziva, Tim's father

Summary: Sometimes you need to resolve conflict in order to get to the future.

A/N: Thank you Sherry Claus…you are the bestest online friend a girl could ask for! I hope you have a wonderful holiday && go Packers!

….

Hearing the door open Ziva looked up from her spot in the kitchen where she was preparing her boyfriend's favorite meal in time to see his slumped shoulders come into her purview.

Stopping stirring the noodles for stir fry Ziva said, "What is wrong Tim?"

Hanging his coat up and returning to the kitchen Tim said, "Nothing Zee" not wanting to talk about how bad his call to his father had gone, and really just wanting to let the events of the past few days flitter to the waste side.

Knowing that something was wrong, but also aware of Tim's stubborn side Ziva let the lonesome face slide, confident that Tim would come to her when he was ready.

"I made stir fry with those leafy green things you like" Ziva said as she was putting the finishing touches on the meal.

Smiling and sitting down at the table Tim said, "Smells good."

Dinner was eaten in relative silence except for the relative few attempts made by Ziva to get Tim to talk.

"I think I'm going to head to bed" Tim said after he emptied the dishes from the table and into the awaiting dishwasher.

Slightly disappointed that Tim wasn't going to talk tonight Ziva merely nodded and said, 'I'll be quiet when I go in later," and with that Tim made his way over to the bedroom and made quick work of undressing and slipping in between the comforters.

…..

Waking up Ziva rolled onto her stomach and was about to reach for Tim but was saddened to get only get a bare and cold comforter, so instead of snoozing for an extra ten minutes like the Israeli had become accustomed to doing over the course of her relationship with Tim, the woman woke up.

She found a note on the dresser in Tim's handwriting that said, "Left early. Have some things to do tonight, so I won't be home."

Grumbling a bit at the note and the thought that her desire to talk to Tim would have to wait yet another day the woman made quick work of getting ready for work, and she cursed anyone that would be on the road this morning because she was not in the best of moods.

"Hey Ziver" Tony said as Ziva made her way towards her desk and began booting up her computer.

"Tony" Ziva said rather curtly not really in the mood for any confrontation with the man or any idiom banter which she usually enjoyed.

Picking up on the curt tone Tony asked, "What is wrong with the ninja assassin? Did someone get your knives dirty?"

Scrunching her face up in disdainement Ziva said, "unlike you I keep my affairs private."

Breezing into the bullpen Gibbs said, "Gear up, dead Marine" and hearing those words brought some solace to the Israeli woman because at least she would be able to follow a routine, and it would allow her to get lost in something.

….

Two days had passed since Ziva's unsuccessful attempt to coax Tim to talk and still Tim had not been home, and every chance the young man got he escaped down to the lab and Abby's inner sanctuary so that he would not have to face Ziva's glares and cornering.

"Tim we must talk" Ziva said as she breezed into the men's bathroom musing that at least she would finally be able to talk to her lover and if she was lucky he would open up to her.

Looking up from washing his hands Tim said, "Zee this is a men's room."

Shrugging her shoulder's Ziva said, "you are evading the question."

"There is nothing to talk about" Tim said as he finished washing his hands and went over to get a paper towel to dry his hands.

Seeing her opportunity to get Tim to open up closing, Ziva cornered the man so that Tim could not reach the door to open it unless he forcibly removed Ziva, and being the gentleman that he was, Ziva knew that wouldn't happen.

"We are not leaving until you tell me why you are upset?" Ziva said crossing her hands across her chest showing that she meant business.

"What I can't be silent for a few days and not have anything be wrong?" Tim asked a bit peeved at being cornered.

Narrowing her eyes Ziva said, "You have been angry since you talked with your father…and it does not take a rocket magician to know that something happened."

Trying to angle for the door handle unsuccessfully Tim said, "Fine, it didn't go well…he just proved the point that I am a failure in his eyes. Happy?"

Somewhat being caught off guard Ziva let go of her advantage on the door and Tim took the momentary surprise to open and slip out of the men's room faster than Ziva could react.

…..

Driving erratically on her way home Ziva contemplated what Tim had told her. Sure she had known that Tim and his father were not on the best of terms, but seeing that pain in Tim's eyes, and hearing him think that he was a failure was a lot for the woman to take in.

Halfway home Ziva switched lanes and made her way towards rural Virginia, in the direction of the McGee home.

She was determined to make Tim's father see that Tim was not a failure, and she was determined that their relationship would not mirror hers and her fathers. Tim deserved better.

…

Knocking on the door somewhat forcefully Ziva tried to quash down any fears about what she was about to do.

A few seconds later a middle aged blonde woman answered the door, and looking at the woman for a few minutes she could see so much of this woman in Tim.

They had a similar lanky frame and both had the same piercing and compassionate gaze that could bore through anything.

"Can I help you dear?" the woman asked from the doorway.

"Are your Mrs. McGee?" Ziva asked even though she already knew the answer.

Shaking her head the woman said, "yes, and you are?"

"I am Ziva, Ziva David. I work with Tim" Ziva said warmly.

Suddenly the schooled features of the woman broke out into a warm smile and the woman stepped aside to allow Ziva entrance before saying, "Tim has told me a lot about you. Please sit down."

Sitting in one of the very lived in pieces of furniture Ziva admired the antique quality of the home, and while everything was not new, she could see that each piece had value and memories attached to them. Thinking about Tim growing up here and sitting in these pieces brought a smile to Ziva's face.

"So is everything okay? Tim is okay right?" the woman across from Ziva said in a somewhat hesitant tone.

"Yes Tim is fine" Ziva said suddenly realizing that the woman was worried that she was here to deliver bad news. Bad news was not what the Israeli was bringing, but rather the truth she mused.

Breathing a sigh of relief the woman was about to say something when a slightly worn and barraged man came walking into the living space.

"Brent, this is Ziva David. She works with Tim" the woman said still beaming.

Brent looked over at Ziva and sized her up before saying, "Shelia what is she doing here?"

"I am here to talk to you about your son sir" Ziva said before Shelia could answer.

Narrowing his eyes Brent said, "What about my son?"

"I know that he called here and that you upset him" Ziva said cutting straight to the point.

Getting up from the sofa Shelia crossed the somewhat small living room so that she was face to face with her husband before the woman said, "you never told me that Tim called."

"He called last week..said he wanted to talk, but I didn't" Brent said backing up when he saw the look of contempt on his wife's face.

"What do you mean you didn't want to?" Shelia said while she leaned into the man's space a bit more

Backing up a bit more the Admiral said, "he has never shown interest before."

"That is because he thinks that you believe him to be a failure" Ziva interjected.

Brent blanched at the accusation and said, "Well I'm upset that he didn't join the Navy but I don't think that he is a total failure."

"Even thinking that he is partially a failure is wrong" Ziva said starting to get angry at the man before her.

"Look three generations of McGee's have served their country valiantly and all he does is play on the computer all day" Brent said trying to defend his position even though deep down he knew that he was wrong.

Shelia narrowed her eyes at her husband however before she could say anything Ziva said, "Your son does serve his country. He catches terrorists and criminals so people like you can be safe."

"Oh please all he does is play on the computer," the Admiral stated.

"With that computer he found a little girl before she was killed, with that computer tracked down stolen Intel that was going to be sold to enemies, and with that computer he has saved many more people." Ziva stated before adding, "And he also goes out in the field. He went to Somalia to save me along with his teammates. He has risked his life!"

"Terrorists? Somalia? Tim has never mentioned that" Shelia said becoming a bit pale.

"I think that you should talk to your son Admiral." Ziva said before she thanked Shelia for her time and promised to have her son call her soon.

….

Hearing the knock on his door rustled Tim out of his writing haze and looking at the time and seeing that it was a respectable 10 pm on a Friday the younger man was fairly confident that the impromptu guest could not be one of his neighbors.

Rather out of habit than anything else he peeped through his peephole and he let his eyes linger there for a longer period of time then he was accustomed to, and even though he tried to quash his surprise from his features he was fairly certain that opening the door and seeing his father there, that he wasn't completely successful in doing so.

"Tim, can I come in?" Brent McGee, a tall and lanky Navy Admiral said after a minute or two staring contest in which he uncharacteristically blinked first.

Not trusting his voice McGee merely nodded and moved aside to let his father into his apartment before he relocked the door in an effort to still his movements and uncertainty rising in his voice.

"No Christmas tree?" the elder McGee asked while he let his eyes roam over an apartment that looked so eerily similar to his bedroom at home, and yet so unfamiliar from what his wife had described years ago, and there were some parts of the apartment that looked so familiar and unfamiliar at the same time.

Making his way over to his small sofa that he had picked up at a local flea market Tim replied with, "I um, am not celebrating here this year" Tim said as he sat on the edge of the sofa not allowing himself to get completely comfortable.

Raising his eyebrow the admiral asked, "Are you celebrating it with that feisty Israeli woman?" while the elder man let his lips quirk upwards into a smirk momentarily.

Faltering a bit but recovering rather quickly Tim said, "How do you know about Ziva?"

"You have coffee?" Brent said quickly changing the subject.

Sighing in frustration Tim said, "yea, let me get you some," before he quickly mumbled over his shoulder "feel free to make yourself comfortable" knowing in his head that his father would do just that since he had asked for coffee.

While Tim waited for the coffee to brew and heat up in the kitchen he let his mind roam over the fact that his father was here. He shook his head wondering why he was here, and now? When the man had talked to his father previously he did not seem willing to mend their relationship despite Tim making the first step and being the bigger man.

As the coffee percolated the man let his mind flash back to their first, and last conversation, a few weeks ago.

…

Flashback

"He loves you Timothy" Penny remarked before the older woman leaned in for a kiss while Ducky waited to escort her to the cocktail place of her choosing.

Watching Penny and Ducky talk in low tones while waiting for the elevator to open Tim thought about going home and working on his next children's book that was due to Lyndi soon, but rather than follow his grandmother to the elevator cherub he found himself falling back into his desk chair.

He let his nimble fingers out of pure memory grace across the familiar digits that would connect his phone to his parent's home phone, or to be exact his father's study phone.

While he had been true when he talked to Penny all these years that he had not talked to his father in seven years, he had never told her about all the times that his fingers had graced across those numbers, but that he had always chickened out before either connecting the call or following the call through.

If his father was ever curious as to why he received all those hang up calls he never let onto that fact, or had never acted on it.

But this time Tim let the call connect and with each ring he feared that he would be let off the hook in that his father wouldn't answer but just about the time when Tim was going to hang up Tim hears, "Hello" on the other end of the phone.

Flustering over the fact that his father had actually answered the phone Tim recovered in time to say, "Hi dad"…. "It's me Tim."

Silence met Tim's remarked words and the agent felt his heart plummet into his stomach and for the first time since the call connected he wondered if he made a mistake in calling his father, and if Penny had miscalculated her confidence in his father's love.

"Tim?" the voice said somewhat hesitantly before adding, "Is everything okay..Sarah?"

Rolling his eyes at how protective his father was over Sarah Tim said, "Sarah is fine."

On the other end of the line Brent was bewildered as to why his son would call out of the blue after so many years of not talking to one another. "So why did you call?" Brent asked being someone that always liked to cut to the chase.

"I just wanted to say….hi" Tim said realizing how lame that must have sounded.

"I am okay Tim, and so is your mother" Brent said answering the pleasantry questions.

"How is the weather up there?" Tim asked trying to think of anything to say at this point. An observer of the whole call would see Tim trying to hold onto the call as if it was some sort of decrepit lifeline in need of repair, but a lifeline nonetheless.

Closing the reports that he had taken home to read over Brent said, "Starting to get chilly, might snow."

"Oh good.." Tim started before he was interrupted by his father.

"Look son I have work to do, can we do this some other time?" Brent asked wondering why he was so eager to end this call.

Feeling a lump in his throat start to form Tim managed to choke out, "Sure" before he heard a click emanate from the other end of the line.

….

Tim was broken out of his thoughts by the beeping of his coffee machine that signaled its readiness. Out of habit Tim poured in sugar and sweet and lo which he knew his father always put in his coffee.

"Here you go" Tim said as he passed the sludge like coffee over to his father while he took his blended coffee over to the sofa that he had previously vacated.

Sighing with contentment as he took in the aroma of his coffee and the strong taste the elder man said, "You remembered"

"Had years of practice" Tim said as he took a sip of his coffee hoping to stir his jitters and uncomfortable feelings that were building to a crescendo.

"Why are you here?" Tim asked breaking into the thickening silence that had enveloped the living room since the pair had already gotten the obligatory whether and how are you's out of the way.

Placing the cup down on the nightstand next to the sofa Brent once again maneuvered the conversation to a topic that was more comfortable for him, and he instead asked, "This place seems bigger than the one your mom ranted about years ago."

Sighing at the evasion tactics Tim decided to placate the man out of kindness and respect like he had been taught so Tim said, "I moved about a year ago."

Nodding but prodding deeper the man said, "What prompted the change?"

Shrugging Tim cryptically said, "Just needed more space and a change."

Smiling at the answer Brent vacated the lounge chair and went to look around his son's apartment and stopping every once and awhile at odds and ends but never remarking on them, that was until he reached the writing corner.

"Your mom loved the children's book" Brent said as he ghosted across the award Tim had received for the lesbian acceptance topic of the book.

"Scratch that…I loved the book" Brent said turning around to face his son.

His eyes bugging out and his mouth gaping open Tim was doing his best impression of a beached fish before his vocal cords began working and he said, "You read it?"

"Kind of hard not to, your mom bought almost every copy" Brent said laughing at the memory of his wife coming home with a car full of books.

Smirking at his mother's antics Tim said, "I assumed that you hadn't kept tabs on me"

Closing the distance so he was once again standing by the chair Brent said, "Ever since that lunch date where you walked out I kept tabs. Heard about things…just never acted on them..until recently."

"Why now?" Tim ghosted out trying to take in all the information.

Sitting on the coffee table so he and his son were at eye level the Admiral said, "That Ziva woman made me realize how valuable you were to the team…made an old man learn something new."

"She can be quite convincing when she wants to be" Tim said smirking at all the ways that Ziva had gotten him to sexually submit to her.

"Oh yea..you keep that one" Brent said laughing.

From that admission on the thickening cloud of uncertainty slowly rolled out and when Brent left an hour ago he said, "This is a start" and Tim knew that was true.

….

Closing the door on his father Tim quickly changed and grabbed his car keys before he was in his car bustling towards a very familiar spot.

Letting himself into the darkened apartment with his key, Tim carefully made his way towards Ziva's bedroom…no their bedroom he corrected.

Toeing off his shoes and shirt and slacks the man gently lifted up the covers and slipped into bed. Tim slowly inched towards Ziva's side of the bed and he gently wrapped his arms around his lover, and he sighed with contentment at how good it felt to have her in his arms again.

Tim was also pleasantly surprised to feel his ninja lean back into his embrace and he marveled at how well they molded onto one another even after a week apart.

Ziva, for her part was awake and heard the door opened, but safe in the knowledge of who it was especially when she felt the bed dip decided that both deserved a night of good sleep before talking, and so she drifted off to sleep happy with her boyfriend's hands safely ensconced around her midsection.

Turning over her in queen sized bed Ziva tried to snake her arms around Tim and snuggle up to her life-size teddy bear that he could be at times, even though she would never admit it to anyone, however all she was met with was coldness.

Releasing a groan she was ready to chalk up last night to one of her vivid dreams that she had before her and Tim got together until she heard her door crack open a bit and Tim came over to the bed and placed a tray near her side of the bed.

"Merry Christmas Zee" Tim said as he placed the tray of breakfast foods over her bare legs.

Picking up the toasted bread Ziva nibbled at the raisin swirled bread that Tim had gotten her addicted to recently and smirked when Tim brought his forefinger to the side of her mouth and erased the jam that resided at the side of her mouth.

"To what do I loan this trouble" Ziva said while letting her hands encompass the food that he had made for her.

"That would be to what did I do to owe this pleasure Zee.." Tim began before Ziva cut in.

"And how can you be so sure this will be pleausureful Timothy" Ziva said smirking.

Taking the toast and holding it to her lips before placing the rest of the food on the nightstand Tim maneuvered himself so he was resting comfortably in between Ziva legs before he continued on in saying, "Well I hope you like this…but I did this to say thank you," before Tim dipped his head a bit so he was not longer looking Ziva in the eye.

Knowing that he was referring to his father Ziva said, "I only gave your father a smack in the right delegation" the Israeli said intentionally messing up the idiom just to bring a smile to his face.

"Thanks, and I am sorry." Tim added.

Knitting her brow in confusion Zee asked, "What are you sorry about?"

Taking her hands in his slightly larger ones, Tim looked up and met his lover's eyes, before he said, "for pushing you away and not coming home."

Rubbing the hands over hers Ziva said, "I know what it is like to run Tim I have done it my whole life. I have shut out those I love because it is all I have ever known, I could hardly begrudge for doing the same."

Choking up at the confession Tim said, "Do you forgive me?"

"I have forgiven you ever since you left ahuv" Ziva said while bringing her hands up to the sides of Tim's face and cupping his face and hers before leaning in for a kiss.

Sinking into the kiss Tim felt enlivened as soon as the tender and delicate lips met his and he moaned as Ziva deepened the kiss, and eventually he let her win the battle for dominance, and he let himself be lost in the sensation of feeling Ziva within him, and breathing in her sandalwood scent.

Breaking apart in need of breath Ziva said, "Come let's go turn in our gifts" as she got up from the bed and slipped into NCIS sweatpants and one of Tim's old t shirts.

Tim, not far behind her in his MIT sweats and undershirt made his way over to the tree and got the first gift and passed it to Ziva.

Ziva carefully opened the wrapping paper and gasped at the box underneath the elegant paper. Opening the jewelry box she found a Star of David encased in the box and she looked up to Tim and with tears in her eyes said, "Thank you Tim" before hugging him.

"I know that Gibbs already got you one after you got back, but this one was made with the same metal as your old one, and it has an inscription." Tim said turning the necklace over so she could see the inscription.

Sure enough there in italic handwriting were the words, "May your new chance at life be met with open arms, and the journey that I am on with you is made all the more worth it when I am there for your fails and your rises XOXO"

Not being able to think of any words Ziva let her mind and actions do the talking and once again she kissed Tim before making her way over to the tree where she picked up her gift for Tim.

"Here. I hope you like it" Ziva said as she handed over the wrapped gift while she settled down near him on the floor.

Tearing off the paper with the same ferocity as he did when he was a kid Tim marveled at the album awaiting him inside to be opened.

"Aww Zee it is beautiful" Tim said as he started carding through the album and out popped images of their first date at the shooting range, then their first dinner at a fancy restaurant. All the memories were ensconced in one album and Tim loved that every so often on the page one of Ziva's idioms were marked down and it brought a smile to his face.

"There is more" Ziva said as she flipped through until she got to the back of the album which was bare, expect for one page, and one phrase.

"The Next Phase" was transcribed at the top of the page and across the page were pinks and blues.

"Does this mean…" Tim asked afraid to even finish his thought.

Taking his hand in hers and trying to gain strength from it like Tim had done moments earlier in the bedroom Ziva said, "Well after the last case with the pregnant Marine, and seeing those kids in Afghanistan I must say that I am a bit hopeful about one day being a mother."

Leaning into Ziva, Tim said, "Would you like to get started on that gift?" as he waggled his eyebrows.

Cocking her head to the side Tim said, "Takes awhile to make a baby Zee" as he leaned in and kissed his girlfriend, once again thankful to have someone like him in his life.

Zee on the other hand moaned into the kiss and was suddenly excited that the team had the next week off…and was too hopeful about the future.

Finito!