Hocus Pocus and Other Films

Rifiuto: Non Miriena

Summary: Ziva discovers something about McGee that she never knew. Established McGiva.

"You hag. There are not enough children in the world to make thee young and beautiful." The camera moved in for a close-up, and Ziva's eyes widened as she found herself watching-

"Tim! Oh my God! That's you!" Timothy McGee jumped as his girlfriend smacked his thigh, causing him to toss the empty bowl of popcorn, sending kernels flying over the living room floor. When he looked up, Ziva was staring at him; she'd paused the film, going back and forth between the movie and her boyfriend, eyes widening as she realized that it wasn't just her imagination. "Timmy! Why did you not tell me you had been a child actor?"

Normally, Tim hated being called 'Timmy'- it especially irked him when Abby used that name- but coming from Ziva, it was an endearment. It was a term used by the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, so he could tolerate it from her lips. He shrugged, getting up to collect the bowl and the few kernels that had scattered about the living room floor. "I didn't think it was important. Besides, it certainly isn't a part of my life now-"

But Ziva had since moved from the sofa, rushing into the small room they designated in their apartment as a study, before coming back with her laptop. Returning to the sofa, she settled the computer on the cushion that Tim had vacated and pulled up Bing. Quickly typing in Hocus Pocus, she clicked on the IMDB link, pulling up the information on the film. As she scrolled down towards the cast list, she searched for his name. "I do not see your name, Tim. All I see is someone named 'Sean Murray.'"

Tim had since dumped the kernels and broken bowl in the trash in the kitchen, and rushed to take the whistling kettle off the burner. He calmly and silently poured two mugs of tea, coming back into the living room, where Ziva was sitting on the sofa expectantly. He sighed, realizing that his past would have caught up with him sooner or later, and that at least it wasn't Tony that had discovered his secret life as a child star. He handed Ziva her mug with a soft kiss, and joined her on the sofa, setting his on the table. Ziva waited, patient, knowing that Tim would talk when he was ready.

"Sean Murray..." He licked his lips.

"Is who, Timmy?" She asked, reaching out and taking his hand. She squeezed gently, giving him a reassuring smile.

"Sean Murray is my pseudonym. My dad moved to Israel as Ambassador when we were in L.A. when Sarah and I were kids. Mom stayed behind in the States to raise us, and decided that we would be perfect for Hollywood. Sean Murray is the name I chose when I decided to go into acting. Sarah hated the spotlight, but I was fascinated with everything in and about Hollywood. I did a few commercials when I was a child, but my first big break came with Hocus Pocus when I played-"

"Thackery Binx." Ziva said, turning back to the movie. He nodded.

"Yeah. I was fifteen when I did Hocus Pocus, and I absolutely loved it. The cast- everyone really- was great. And by the time River of Rage had wrapped, I was already doing Harts of the West, and I'd graduated high school by the time I turned sixteen. Mom then moved to Israel to be with Dad, and so Sarah stayed with me at our apartment, because she didn't want to move to Israel."

"That's why you are so close. You raised each other." He nodded, giving her a soft smile.

"Yeah. And it didn't bother us that our parents were clear across the world in Israel, we were perfectly happy. We were protective of each other; besides, I was able to pay for my classes at MIT and John Hopkins with the money I was making in Hollywood, and I was able to put some aside in a fund for Sarah when she graduated high school so she could go to college..." He picked up his mug and took a sip, glancing at the film that Ziva had let continue.

"You were a child star-" She scrolled up the list of movies and tv shows, "You did a show called... jab?" He leaned close, reading where she indicated.

"Oh, JAG. Yeah, it was a... navy crime show. I was only on it from ninety-eight to two-thousand-one. And then there was NCIS."

Ziva's head snapped up. "N... NCIS?" He nodded. "You... you did a show..." He scrolled up, pointing to the title. She leaned close, reading the character. "'Timothy McGee.'" She turned to him. "You... you are playing yourself?" He shrugged, but nodded.

"By the time I joined NCIS, I was already working as an agent at NCIS..." He stopped, realizing how confusing he made it sound. "By the time I was on the show NCIS, I was already working as a probationary agent at NCIS HQ." He amended from the kitchen, where he'd gotten up to feed Jethro. Ziva set the laptop on the coffee table, getting up and following her boyfriend into the kitchen. She wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, laying her head on his back.

"Why did you not say anything?" He turned in her arms, meeting her gaze.

"And fall prey to more of Tony's taunts? No thanks. Besides, the show is one aspect of my life, it's not my life. I mean, sure, they take a lot of our cases and turn them for TV, but other than that, it's not that important."

"So you are a bestselling author, an NCIS agent, and a Hollywood actor?" Ziva asked, as he pulled away and headed back into the living room. She followed, watching as he popped the DVD of Hocus Pocus out and turned the channel to USA. An episode of NCIS was playing- Silver War, from Season Three, Episode Four. Ziva took a seat on the sofa, fascinated as she watched her double hand over her weapons to a man who looked amazingly like Gibbs.

"That is not me-" She started.

"Michael Weatherly, Mark Harmon, and the amazingly talented and stunningly beautiful Cote de Pablo." Tim rattled off the names of his costars, giving Ziva a small smile as he pulled her into his lap. "They're amazingly accurate at everything, from the costumes we wear to the weapons we use on the show. And there's even a little romance brewing between Tony and Ziva on the show." She turned to him, horrified.

"Well they got that wrong. I do not have romantic feelings for Tony. Tony is a brother to me. My feelings, they are for you and only you." He gave her a look, raising an eyebrow.

"Even so, how would it look on the show if the former Israeli assassin fell in love with the computer geek?" She smacked him lightly on the chest.

"I think it would be more accurate. But since I am not a producer or director, my opinion does not matter." He chuckled softly as she snuggled down to watch the episode.

"Cote's going to be leaving the show at the beginning of season eleven- if we're re-upped for a season eleven. We're currently working on season ten." He said, rubbing circles on her back.

"Why?" She asked, looking up at him. He shrugged.

"She said that she doesn't want to do it anymore, but she'll stay and finish out Ziva's storyline in eleven. She wants to branch out and do other things. The woman has a beautiful voice; she could make it as a singer if she wanted."

"And you? Would you ever leave the show?" She bit her lip, waiting for his answer. He thought a moment, shrugging.

"I think about it, but right now, no."

"Because of the money?" He wrinkled his nose, thinking.

"The money is one aspect of it. I've since put a lot away in a savings fund, and a trust, so that if we ever have any little ninja geek babies they'll be taken care of. So the money's a perk, but so is the cast. I love that cast- Mark, Cote, Pauley, David, Brian, and yes, even Michael. I couldn't imagine leaving them now. Not halfway through season ten. But eventually, yes, I think I will leave the show. When the time is right." Ziva bit her lip, turning her gaze back to the episode; at this point, McGee and Ziva had left the bank, map in hand, and they had since been shoved into the fountain behind them. Ziva narrowed her eyes and turned back to him.

"Did I really sound like I had a cold when we met?" He chuckled, pressing a kiss to her head.

"A little."

Ziva nodded, turning back to the episode. After a moment, "They have Abby's personality down bat."

"Pat." Tim corrected, wrapping his arm around her waist and pulling her close, squeezing gently. He chuckled. "Yeah, filming that scene with Cote was fun. She's a lot like you actually; down to earth, silly, very sweet girl. I love working with her, and I'll miss her when she eventually leaves the show." Ziva glanced up at him.

"You are good friends?" He met her gaze, nodding.

"Very good friends."

"Are those your sweats?" She asked, turning to him. He opened his mouth to speak, but she slapped him on the chest hard, narrowing her eyes. "You gave me those! I kept those, and I was wondering where they disappeared to!" He chuckled, pulling her close and nuzzling her cheek.

"She even has your snorting down." He whispered against her temple. She narrowed her eyes.

"I don't snort."

"You do when you laugh. I think it's very cute." She grinned, as he kissed her temple repeatedly. "It took her weeks to learn how to properly throw a knife." He said, nodding to the scene of Cote in the graveyard. Ziva cocked her head, turning to Tim.

"So they take from our cases and... fractionalize them?"

"Fictionalize, and yes, in a sense." She nodded.

"And you like working with them?" He wrapped his arms tight around her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder.

"I love working with them; they're like a second family. They all have their quirks and they're fun to be around. Cote's gotten to be one of my best friends."

"Do you love her?" He pulled away, startled as he stared at her. He wasn't expecting that to come from Ziva's mouth, and he struggled to form coherent sentences for several minutes.

"Zi... of course I love her..." Her face fell, and she moved to get up, when he realized what he'd said and grabbed her around the waist, holding her to him. "Zi, I love Cote the way I love Sarah. Cote is a sister to me, we're able to joke around and act like brother and sister on set and off. I love you and I want to spend my life with you. You are my girlfriend. I've known Cote almost as long as I've known you, and I love you both equally, but in totally different ways. Okay?" She thought a moment, before nodding. "Good." He pressed a kiss to her lips. "You'll have to meet her someday. You'll absolutely love her."

They settled down, watching as the cases they solved every day were played out on-screen. From Tony's antics to Ducky's stories, from Abby's forensics to Gibbs' headslaps, everything was played out on film, except for Tim and Ziva's budding romance. No, on-screen, it was Tony and Ziva's romance and sexual tension that filled the bullpen, the exact opposite of what it really was. "What is this episode?" Ziva asked, as the latest episode began to play.

"'Power Down'- where the team has to work a case without computers or cellphones or any technology of any kind."

"So... like a couple of years ago?" She asked, turning to him. He nodded.

"Yeah." She turned back to the episode; it was an image of McGee and Ziva stuck in the elevator.

"See this, nine hours, twenty-one minutes." He shoved it under her nose.

"Has it been that long?" She grabbed the watch he shoved in her face and in one swift motion, slammed it against the wall, breaking it into pieces, knocking her cup of coffee over in the process.

"Why did you do that?"

"It was either you or the watch." Ziva replied from her perch on the floor of the elevator. Tim knelt down, picking up the pieces.

"It's just, what's takin' so long, ya know?" He asked, meeting her eyes.

"Look, I'm sure we're not the only ones who need to be rescued. Plus, things could be a lot worse."

"Yeah, how's that?"

"Well, we could be stuck here with... Tony." He chuckled softly as her voice softened as she mentioned their partner.

"I heard that." The pair stopped, turning to the door. The camera shot to a red , made louder through the orange cone he was holding to his mouth. "I find it very interesting that the two of you left together late last night."

"Just ignore him. He's like an annoying bug." She used her hands to demonstrate like she often did with the language. "Eventually, he'll just go away." Tim stopped his pacing and turned to her.

"Ziva, it's been five years, trust me, he's not goin' anywhere."

She chuckled softly. Yes, that night in the elevator had been eye-opening to her partner and lover, and yes, she had broken his watch, but in the end, they'd made up and come out all the stronger for it. As she snuggled into his arms, he said,

"You should come with me this weekend, when I fly out to LA. We're filming Shabbat Shalom, and you'll get to meet everyone." She looked up at him.

"I would be allowed to watch?" He nodded.

"I don't see why not. Besides, I want you to meet the rest of the cast. You'll love all of them. Even Michael, and he's a lot like Tony." He met her gaze, reaching down and cradling her chin in his hand. I want them all to meet the woman who's made me so happy, the woman I want to spend my life with. If you'll have me, Zi." He whispered, slipping a ring on her finger. She glanced down at her hand, eyes widening as she took in the sight of the simple ring on her finger.

"Of course I will have you, Tim! How could I not when I love you?" He kissed her, nudging her nose with his and pulling her close. He chuckled softly.

"Our flight leave Friday, and we'll be in LA all weekend. And you'll get to meet my second family." She giggled, wrapping her arms around his neck as she kissed his cheek.

"I cannot wait, Thackery. Or is it Sean?" She asked, grinning. He chuckled, kissing her deeply.