"Ziva, I'm sorry." Gibbs paused at the useless words. They couldn't change anything. "I never meant to hurt you." And he honestly didn't.
Ziva just stood there, speechless. She couldn't laugh it off and pretend it was nothing, because it wasn't. But she wouldn't cry, she was too proud for that. She knew it would end eventually, Gibbs didn't believe in happily ever afters. But she had know way of knowing that an affair that started out in lust, could end in a broken love.
"It's okay Gibbs. We knew it would never be more than an affair." She said bravely, lying through her teeth. Her voice did not give away her pain or heartbreak.
Gibbs looked into her eyes. They were dry. It was a good sign he told himself. But why, then, did her words feel as though she slapped him. They'd been secretly going out for months and she honestly didn't feel a thing.
"Well, have a nice Christmas." He said evenly, feeling bitter from the inside out. This was not a fun way to spend Christmas Eve. Of course, it hadn't been fun in a long while.
He fought his way through the snow to get to his truck and made his way home, to start another boat. She was no ex-wife but she had a special place in his heart. He climbed down to the basement and got to work. After working, and drinking for what felt like hours, Gibbs drifted asleep in his chair, with the bourbon clasped in his hand.
Through his dreams he heard the voice of a little girl and was instantly awake. He knew that voice.