Title: Missed Calls
Pairing: None
Rating: K
Genre: Friendship
Cat: Gen
Spoilers: Spoilers for 11x20 Page Not Found
Warnings: None.
Summary: It had been such a long time since she'd heard from him. And then this.
Author's Note: Just randomly got this idea yesterday morning and decided to write it. You can probably guess where it's going, but I wanted some element of mystery. ;)
She stared down at her phone, her hand shaking. She forced herself to put it down on the table, the sound feeling all too loud in the otherwise quiet room.
It had been such a long time since she'd heard from him. And then this. She'd been in the kitchen, preparing breakfast, and hadn't heard the phone. When she returned to the living room, she saw she had a voicemail, but hadn't bothered to check the number before she listened to it.
Tim. His voice was unmistakable, and the sound of it simultaneously filled her with warmth and sent a chill down her spine. She missed him, so much, and she hadn't realized, or even allowed herself to think of him, until she heard his voice. And then there was the message itself.
Hey, was just thinking about you. I know it's early there and you probably can't talk, but I just wanted to leave you a message, let you know that . . . I miss you. Things just aren't the same around here without you, and I'm still trying to adjust. Just know that you have a place to go when you do come back, always. I love you.
She knew she wouldn't be able to stop thinking about it until she called him back, especially that last part of the message, but the thought of talking to him was overwhelming. It felt like ages since she'd spoken to him. . .
But she was never one to back down from a challenge, and while this wasn't a challenge in the traditional sense of the word, it took courage for her to pick the phone up again and dial his number, the digits as familiar as if she'd just talked to him yesterday.
It rang a few times and she closed her eyes, considering hanging up – this was a mistake, she wasn't ready to talk to him, she had things to do – but then he answered, sounding tired and a bit distracted.
"McGee," he said, and she knew from how he answered that he hadn't looked at the caller ID, hadn't seen it was her. The sound of his voice reminded her of how real this was, and she almost hung up, but he spoke again and she knew she couldn't do that to him. "Hello? Is anybody there?"
"I'm here," she said, her voice soft. He didn't respond right away and she wondered if he'd heard her, but then he spoke.
"Ziva?"
She knew he was paying attention now, because he sounded utterly shocked to be hearing her, and she supposed he had every right to be. It had been months, close to a year, since she'd left DC, left NCIS and everyone there. And she had done as she'd told Tony and kept her distance; she needed the space to discover who she was when she was alone.
"I, ah, I got your message," she said, trying to sound confident and nonchalant.
"My message?" McGee asked, then let out a low groan. "Oh. Oh my God. I meant to call Delilah. She. . . she got a job overseas. In Dubai. I must have hit the wrong number on my speed dial. I haven't updated it in a while."
That hadn't been what Ziva was expecting to hear, and knowing it was a mistake made her chest tighten. She swallowed and nodded, as if he could see her. "I see. I. . ." she laughed, because she wasn't really sure what else to do, "I thought it was a bit strange to be hearing from you now, after so long without speaking."
There was a long silence, and Ziva wondered if she'd crossed a line somewhere, or just made him uncomfortable, but then he spoke. "It wasn't my choice to not talk," he said, and he didn't sound accusing, but he wasn't letting her get away with it, either.
She hesitated, then said, "You have a point. And it is not that I did not want to talk to you, or anybody else, but I needed some time, and space."
"I know," McGee said, and that was all he needed to say. Ziva smiled as she felt the weight that had settled on her ribs lift; she could breathe again. "And Ziva?"
She perked up. "Yes?"
"Even though that message was meant for Delilah, it applies to you, too. You know you always have a place to call home here."
That was enough to bring on the tears, and she tried to lighten the situation by asking, "I don't suppose that 'I love you' applies to me, though, no?" He didn't say anything and she knew he was trying to think of a way to take back his words, something he'd frankly never been that good at, and she attempted a laugh, saying, "That was. . ."
"Absolutely," he interrupted her, and it was so sudden Ziva was taken aback.
"What?"
"Absolutely that I love you applies to you, Ziva. You're family, and it doesn't matter where you are or how long it's been since we've talked, that will never change. Okay?"
Ziva had to take a deep breath before she could respond, and even then, she was only able to say, "Okay."
"Okay," McGee said again, and laughed at the repeated word. He paused, then said, "You have some time to talk, as long as I have you on the line? I won't keep you long. It's just . . . been a long time."
Ziva bit her lip, her brain telling her no but her heart telling her yes. She couldn't answer just yet, though, and tried putting it off. "Shouldn't you call Delilah? Since you meant to call her in the first place, I mean."
"She's probably working by now," he said, and she could hear his smile, because he knew he was wearing her down. "Just a few minutes, Ziva."
She smiled and let out a breath before she answered. "Okay. But only because you said you loved me."
McGee barked out a laugh at that, still chucking as he said, "If I would've known that was all it would take. . ."
"Oh, hush," she responded, and a comfortable silence fell between them. All Ziva could think was how content she felt in this moment, and while she wasn't sure how long that happiness would last, the simple fact that she was happy right now was enough for her.
"So," McGee spoke, disrupting her thoughts, "how are you?"
She closed her eyes as she answered. "At the moment? I'm great."
THE END!