I found the first paragraph when I was going through my old school exercise books from when I first started watching NCIS a good few years ago now – of course then I had no idea what fan-fiction was, I just liked making up stories in worlds that were in a different reality to mine to give me somewhere to escape to when life got too difficult. So, liking the plot, I stuck four blissful hours of David Bowie music in the multidisc player and have typed it up and updated it a bit, adding the later paragraphs.
I do not know whether I got the rating right. I am not very good at gauging things like that.
Boats and Marshmallows
"Zee-vah?" Tony whined for the fifth time that morning. She ignored him, as she had for the past hour. "Zee-vah?" He threw a paper aeroplane at her, which she deftly dodged.
"What, Tony? What do you want?" She slammed her hands down on her desk, scowling at him.
"You're in a bad mood this morning." He chuckled. "Get much sleep last night?"
"Mind your own earwax, Tony."
"Beeswax."
"That too." She snapped.
"What was his name?" He flashed a grin.
"What makes you think he was a he?" She narrowed her eyes, and pursed her lips.
"Well, because…I know what you're doing, you're trying to distract me." He tilted his head and leaned back at his desk. It was interesting – working with her.
"Would I do that?" She stood up and walked around to perch on his desk, her knee brushing against his leg as he sat upright.
"Yes. I think you would, officer David." Gibbs said as he walked through.
"Oh, I uh, I was just, uh…" Ziva tried to formulate a suitable answer as her new boss stared at her.
"Teasing DiNozzo on US Government time? Yeah, I saw that." He sat down and glared as she hurried back to her desk.
"Well, boss, see, we haven't got a case and we've both finished all of our paperwork and she started it." Tony grinned and pointed at the young Mossad officer as her jaw dropped. She shrugged and closed her mouth, looking back at her computer monitor.
"I am sorry, Gibbs. It will not happen again." A smile tweaked at the corners of her mouth.
"Don't apologise. It's a sign of weakness." Gibbs said then looked at his watch. "You want something to do DiNozzo, you could go and help Abby tidy her lab."
"Oooh, uh, boss, I don't think that's a good idea 'cause the last time I helped Abby tidy her I put things in the wrong place and shredded a whole load of case files that were supposed to go to the director. I just don't…think it will be a good idea."
"Since when did you have a right to think if something's a good idea, DiNozzo? Especially when I ask you to do something?"
"Uh, well boss, I just don't want to get into even more trouble by messing something up." He shrugged. Gibbs looked at his watch and shook his head, sighing to himself.
"Alright, you and officer David can take the rest of the day off, so long as you keep your phones on. Have a good weekend." He smiled discreetly as his two young colleagues leapt up from their desks, grabbed their bags and their coats and running to the elevator, both racing to hit the button, Ziva winning.
"Uh, where are they off to, boss?" McGee asked, carrying his laptop up from Abby's lab and frowning as Tony and Ziva stood waiting for the metal box to arrive at their floor.
"Didn't have any work to do so I sent them home." Gibbs shrugged and looked up at McGee's dejected expression as he slouched at his desk. "You got any work to do, Agent McGee?"
"Well, I have the case…" He trailed off at the sight of Gibbs raised eyebrows. "No, boss. I don't have anything to do."
"Well go on then." Gibbs shrugged again and supressed another smiles as the young agent stuck his laptop in his bag and ran across to join his co-workers who were just disappearing through the sliding doors. He walked over to the large glass windows and watched as the three of them; Tony, Tim and their newest recruit left the building, smiles across their faces. Tim said something to the others and Tony replied by jumping in their paths, blocking their continued progress to the NCIS car park. Gibbs watched as Ziva shook her head and both McGee and DiNozzo argued their case, whatever it was, until she relented, following them to the cars.
"Leave your car here, I'll drive. Where we're going, the fewer cars the better." Tony shrugged, looking over the roof of his green '66 mustang convertible. Ziva paused as she was about to unlock her red mini, turning so her eyes met his.
"Why?"
"You'll see when we get there. There isn't much parking space."
"It only has two seats, what about McGee?" She asked sceptically.
"He knows the way. Anyway, I know he want's to go, whereas if we let you drive you might decide not to turn up." Tony shrugged.
"Well why is it so important that I go anyway?"
"Because if it's just me and the McGeek people might think we were on a date." He quipped. "Anyway, it will be a good way to get to know the newest member of our team."
"How will I get my car on Monday if it is here?" She leaned against the red paintwork, knowing that she could pick her car up over the weekend if she really needed it.
"Well, you could get a cab." He shrugged. "Or I could give you a lift." He suggested quietly and all of a sudden she became very interested in one of her nails. She ran a finger lightly across her bottom lip, deep in thought.
"Will it just be us?" She looked up.
"Why, you think McGee will mind if we tell him we've reconsidered? I'm all up for it being just me and you." He grinned lasciviously.
"No, Tony that is not what I meant." She grew flustered, blushing.
"I know. McGee's already sent a text to Abby." He smiled kindly. She had noticed that although he spent his whole life making jokes, Tony was actually very soft underneath his clown-like exoskeleton. She smiled, the pink tint of embarrassment fading from her cheeks. Her hand reached out and opened the passenger door to his car, not entirely certain she had much control over herself as she sat down, tilting her head back when Tony pulled the roof down to leave the sun shining on her face. He grinned and climbed in front of the wheel, looking to her as she nodded confirmation.
"When you said we were going for a picnic, I thought you meant we would be going to a park or somewhere." Ziva chuckled as she placed the hamper of food that Abby had packed into the wooden rowing boat. When Tony had said there was limited parking, he was right. The dirt track up to the clearing was narrow, overgrown and hard to navigate and the clearing itself barely had space for Tony and McGee's cars. However it was very secluded, with the only trace of civilisation being the wooden mooring post that the little boat was lashed to, and the boat itself, which appeared to be a permanent fixture by the way they new the combination to the padlock that secured it's oars to it.
"Well, it's a lovely summer afternoon, the weather is fine, and we haven't been here in a while. Besides, the boat needs taking out every so often to check that she's still seaworthy." Tony shrugged, placing a pile of blankets in the bottom of the small vessel. "And plus it helps McGee in weaning him off travel sickness pills."
"You are addicted to travel sickness pills?" Ziva frowned at McGee as he placed two in his mouth and swallowed.
"No, I just get seasick." He said, glaring at Tony.
"You work for the Navy and you get seasick?" She covered her mouth to stop herself from bursting into full-on laughter.
"Yes, okay. I get seasick."
"You do realise that this is a river, McGee. Not a sea." Tony patted his shoulder. He just glared at him, shaking his head.
"That joke was old the second time you ever told it. Now, it's just distasteful."
"I am sorry, McGee." Ziva said, straightening her face. "Whose boat is it?"
"Gibbs built it." Abby said, still not comfortable around Ziva. "I mentioned that we needed a way to get across to the island when we first started coming here before Vivian left."
"Who was Vivian?" Ziva asked as Tony helped her into the boat.
"She was with us at NCIS before Kate." Tony said quietly, the death of their close friend and colleague still raw as they mourned for her. The group was quiet for a moment, the mood dropping slightly as a cloud passed across the sun, almost as if the world had sensed the sullen nature of the conversation and their need for time to heal before the sun could shine at it's brightest. Abby looked up from where she had been staring into the water and grinned, the cloud passing and the shadow lifting.
"Tony, did you bring the marshmallow vodka?" She asked and laughed when he pulled it out from his bag. Ziva frowned and looked between her new co-workers.
"I have many questions." She narrowed her eyes.
"Its for the campfire later." Tim shrugged as he and Tony climbed into the boat and pushed off from the shore. "We don't drink whilst we're still on call."
"But how did you know we would be coming here before you left NCIS?" Ziva pointed at the bottle that had been passed to Abby as Tony began to row downstream.
"I keep a bottle in my desk in case a day like this comes along." Tony flashed a trademark grin as he steered towards a huddle of trees in the middle of the river. From the angle they were sat in the boat, Ziva couldn't tell the size of the island. He pulled the boat around, behind the island to where there was a small pebble beach. Abby, having already removed her boots, slid into the knee high water and walked up to the beach, where at the treeline lay a coil of rope attached to the largest tree. She lashed it to the boat and, once they had removed their shoes and sock and rolled their trousers up, the men hopped out and helped her pull the wooden craft up the shore. Tony held his hand out and, ignoring it, Ziva climbed out, carrying the picnic basket and vodka. The whole operation appeared to be a well-rehearsed play, everything timed and neat. The boat was moved across the smooth grey pebbles so it was hidden behind some of the shorter trees and ferns, out of sight from any passing humans. The Mossad officer cast her eyes across a yellow sign reading
PRIVATE PROPERTY
NO TRESPASSING
"Are you sure this is not illegal?" She pointed to the warning.
"Yeah. The island is property of one Anthony DiNozzo, Senior." Abby grinned. Ziva opened her eyes wide and looked at Tony.
"Your father owns the island?"
"He won it in a stupid bet years ago. He never thought he would have a use for it, but when I joined NCIS he sent a email saying I could use it as much as I wanted." Tony shrugged. "So I take care of the place, or at least let it take care of itself."
"The land itself isn't worth much and it's pretty inaccessible, as you saw." Tim picked up the blankets and water carrier and Abby started leading the way up an invisible trail that she seemed to know fairly well. "It always reminds me of Swallows and Amazons."
"I loved that film as a kid." Tony grinned, remembering days spent looking out across the lake behind his father's mansion and wishing for there to be such adventures. "American release in '77."
"I was thinking more about the book, Tony." McGee looked at his, well, he guessed Tony was his friend, behind all the tormenting and nicknames. And superglue.
"Oh, I never read it." Tony shrugged, trying to block the memory of sitting in his mother's hospital room, reading it to her as a young boy. They all stopped as they came to a clearing at one end of the island. Tall trees, much taller than the rest of the island, surrounded it and there was an obvious circle in the centre that had clearly been reserved for fires, the dark shadow from previous blazes outlined with pebbles from the beach they had landed on. Ziva reckoned that there would be just about enough room to fit two tents in the clearing along with the fire, if the logs that served as rudimentary seating were moved.
"You come here often." It was a statement more than a question as she walked around the circle, keeping to the treeline.
"Yeah. I like it out here." He shrugged. "And there's no-one to complain if we get too loud." He grinned. "Come on, we need to collect firewood." He watched her and she looked at him, shocked to see that they were alone.
"Where did Abby and McGee go to?" She frowned.
"I told you, to collect firewood."
"Oh." She walked over to him and lowered her voice. "I do not think Abby likes me."
"That's one of the reasons we're out here. Gibbs wants us to break some of the tension between you two." He slung her arm around her shoulder and grinned as they left the clearing.
"So this was all just a plot to get us to be nice to each other?" She hissed at him, finding it hard not to smile.
"Yeah, but I don't think it will work if Abs finds out, so try not to tell her."
"I am very good with secrets." She winked and moved a few paces ahead, beginning to pick up small sticks and kindling.
Tony looked at his watch; everyone sat silently with his or her eyes affixed to his. The fire had grown to a decent size, casting a warm glow across each face as it flickered, twisted and danced in the still evening dusk. He waited for the hand to tick slowly around the face before looking up and grinning. "We are officially off duty! Open the vodka and let the games begin!" A loud cheer filled the smoky air as the four faces laughed and whooped. McGee passed around four shot glasses and Abby held up the bottle. "Suggestions for games. Flip, Sip and Strip comes last." Tony grinned and McGee groaned.
"Tony, the last time we played it Abby stole my clothes."
"And it was hilarious watching you search for them, Probie." Tony's grinned widened as Abby burst out laughing.
"What is Flip, Sip and Strip?" Ziva asked, not certain she wanted an answer.
"It's like strip poker, without the poker." Abby gasped for breath after her fit of laughter. "You flip a coin instead."
"There is a game that I used to play, where someone says a word and then the next person says a word linked to that word and then the next person says a word linked to that and so on…" Ziva suggested, thinking it would be safer than any game involving removing articles of clothing. "You hesitate, you drink." A smile broke across her face as Tim and Tony nodded and Abby poured the marshmallow infused vodka. A box of chocolates sat between Ziva and Tony, and was passed across Ziva to sit between McGee and Abby every so often. Tony had decided a 'seating plan' as he called it. "Boy, girl, boy, girl. Cosier, isn't it?" He had smiled, quoting Danny Kaye.
"I'll start." Tim said, balancing his shot glass on his knee. "Vodka."
"Martini." Ziva said quickly when he pointed at her.
"Bond!" Tony flashed his trademark smile.
"Women." Abby smirked at Tony's answer.
"Man."
"Sex." Everyone stared at Ziva. "What? That is what I thought of when I thought of men!" She raised her arms up, keeping her glass in one.
"I do believe Tony hesitated though." Abby laughed and he glared at her, before drinking his shot and pouring another.
"New word. Movies." Tony pointed to Abby and the game moved on. They continued into the dark, when the stars had revealed themselves and the only sounds beside their increasingly drunken laughter and loud shouting was the crickets and the water lapping against the island's banks. Unsurprisingly, Ziva lost the most games with her incorrect English and difficulties with the synonyms and idioms. At some point, although no one was really certain when, they did in fact switch to Flip, Sip, Strip, which ended when they ran out of coins.
Tony awoke to a pounding headache and a numb arm. He lifted his head from the folded blanket and looked down at Ziva, her head using his arm as a pillow. For some reason it didn't shock him as much as he thought it would to wake up with her curled up at his side. Tim groaned as he stumbled into the clearing carrying a small tin kettle that they had left in the boat. He started building the fire up again, not as big as the night before, and used the lingering embers of last night's flames to light the small fire. Tony looked around the clearing for his clothes spotting his jeans hung on a low tree branch along with one of his socks and his shirt balled up under Abby's head. "Hey, McMarshmallow, can you pass me my jeans?" He hissed and pointed at the required garment. McGee sighed and threw them at him.
"Coffee?" He grumbled, staring at the pot of water on the fire. Tony nodded and, replacing it with the folded blanket, retracted his arm from underneath the sleeping woman. He stood up, making sure she was covered with the blanket, and pulled the trousers on, walking over to sit next to McGee. He picked up the bottle from last night, not surprised that it was empty.
"You better make some for Abs and Ziva, too." Tony nodded to the two mugs he was placing instant coffee granules into.
"I'm sure Kate never let us get this drunk." Tim said, nodding slowly.
"We never got so drunk that we were completely unable to get back to the car with Kate." Tony chuckled and looked at Ziva. "She really is dangerous."
"Mmm. You think we've managed it?"
"Getting them to like each other? I think we're part of the way there." He yawned and picked up two of the steaming cups of liquid that his partner poured and placed one by Ziva and one by Abby, collecting coins from where they had been dropped in the games the night before. The two men, after sitting for a moment to let the caffeine kick in, collected the rest of the clothes that lay strewn around the clearing and organised them into piles depending on owner. A murmur came from Ziva as she sat up, her hair a mess, and Abby mirrored it from the opposite side of the opening, both looking down to the cups of coffee left for them and smiled slightly.
"Morning." Tim placed each woman's pile of clothing besides her and smiled slightly. "The coffee isn't great, and it isn't Caf-Pow, but it is caffeine."
"And any caffeine is good." Abby rubbed her eyes. "At least it's Saturday today." She pulled her t-shirt over her head and allowed the blanket that she had held up to fall to her waist. Ziva did the same and, before standing up pulled her cargo pants on.
"How clean is the water in this river, McGee?" Ziva's accent was heavy with sleep as she walked over to a gap between two of the trees and looked into the water.
"I wouldn't recommend drinking it, but from what I can remember it isn't too bad." He shrugged. "Why?"
"Well, I find the best cure for a hangover is an early morning run, but since there is nowhere to run to, I was thinking going swimming might do the trick."
"You really go running when you have a hangover?" Tony looked at her incredulously.
"Yeah. It actually helps." She shrugged. "Would you mind if I use one of the blankets as a towel?"
"Not at all." He shrugged. "Actually, swimming sounds really good right now." He stood behind her and looked at the water through the same gap in the tress as she was. Both McGee and Abby agreed silently and, abandoning their coffee and putting out the fire, they traipsed down to the beach area where they stored the boat.
"Wait, what are we going to swim in?" McGee frowned.
"The water." Ziva's hair fell across her eyes so he could not see the look in her eye when he asked what she thought to be a rather ridiculous question.
"I think the Probie means 'What shall we wear?'"
"Oh, well I shall be wearing my underwear, although if you would prefer to go in without anything, I shall not judge." She grinned and pulled her knitted sweater off, leaving it on a rock along with her trousers and the blanket she had designated as her towel. She walked into the water, knowing both Tony and McGee had their eyes fixated on her. "I can feel you staring." She said, as the water grew deeper. "It is lovely and warm." She swam out, laughing as Abby followed her lead and head slapped the two male agents when they continued to stare, they gaze now studying Abby's tattoos.
"You're right." She said in acknowledgement of Ziva's statement, unable to look at the two men as she waded deeper into the water. She reached Ziva and, still not turning back to the island, whispered, "It is freezing."
"I know." Ziva laughed, watching DiNozzo make a pile of his clothes next to McGee's and looking to him before they both nodded and ran at the water, jumping as far as they could, not realising it got deep so quickly and plunging straight into the icy water. The girls laughed, watching as they thrashed about, spluttering unintelligible curses about the temperature of the water. They swam over to Ziva and Abby, splashing water in their faces. And thus, the battle had begun. They soon acclimatised to the temperature of the water, but that did not trigger a ceasefire.
They all walked out of the water, laughing, and pulling their blankets around their shoulders, hangovers all but gone. They dried their skin as much as possible with the blankets and yanked their clothes on before walking up to the fire-pit. They gathered the items scattered around the area and headed back to the boat, dragging it out to the water and repeating the routine they performed yesterday in reverse. "I have to say, that hangover is actually more or less gone." Tony smiled at Ziva as they pulled away from the island.
"The sudden cold water probably increased your adrenaline production." Abby smiled.
"I don't care how." He shook his head as he rowed, laughing.
"Are you needing a lift into work on Monday?" Tony asked as they stood outside the door to Ziva's apartment.
"Er, no. I will take the bus." She smiled and shook her head.
"If you're sure, 'cause I drive right past here every morning. I'll even buy you breakfast."
"Tony, I…" She pause and frowned, trying to come up with an excuse not to. "I like to have a run and go straight to work. The bus stop is on my usual route, it makes more sense."
"If you insist, but you're missing the chance of a lifetime here." He shrugged and held his arms out. "It's not gonna be on the table for long."
"Am I now. So this offer of breakfast is a one-time thing, yes? And if I do regret my decision to not take this opportunity, then there will not be another?"
"Yeah." He nodded and then ran through her question in his head again. "Wait, are you saying that you might change your mind?"
"Well, you never know. Although I do doubt it." She shrugged. "Thank you for the picnic, Tony." She smiled and pecked him on the cheek, letting her lips linger longer than they should have. She pulled away, blushing scarlet and averted her eyes so she couldn't see the horror she expected on his face, or even the smile that played on his mouth. "I, uh, I will see you on Monday." She swallowed and turned to her door, fumbling with the key as she hurriedly tried to unlock it.
"Yeah. I'll pick you up at 0715 Monday morning." He flashed a grin and ran down the hall before she could protest. She shook her head and walked into her sparsely furnished apartment, leaning against the door and chuckling to her self. She was going to get on just fine at NCIS.
For my reference: 5th NCIS fic.