SECOND CHANCES

Authors: Gosgirl and Bamacrush
Rating: M
Pairing: Gibbs/Ziva
Category: Romance/friendship
Disclaimer: No copyright infringement is intended. NCIS and its characters are the property of DPB and CBS. If I had a silver-haired, blue-eyed Marine to play with, do you think I'd have time for writing?
Summary: Post episode tag. Ziva visits Gibbs after the events of Silent Night and a basement conversation leads to a change in their relationship. First time Zibbs.
A/N: written as a Christmas present for our dear friend Zivacentric and really just an excuse for some boat sex! And we hope you're feeling better soon, hun!

Chapter 1 – Mother Chicken

When Gibbs heard movement in his kitchen, he knew it was most probably one of three people, depending on which of his team had decided it was their turn to check up on him after a tough case, usually under the pretext of feeding him.

All his team knew he retreated to his basement and climbed inside a bourbon bottle at such times, especially at Christmas.

So over the years, an unspoken 'rota' system seemed to have developed between them as they made sure he was okay and that he at least ate something to dilute the alcohol.

Sometimes each of them would stay to share the meal with him. Other times they each sensed when he needed to be alone and would just leave after delivering the food.

They'd perfected the art of caring for him without fuss or fanfare… and he'd long moved past his initial irritation and mostly welcomed the visits.

If it was Tony, the solid footsteps would not linger for long in the kitchen before his senior field agent would appear at the top of the stairs, beer and pizza in hand.

The rapid fire clomping of boots heading for his kitchen usually indicated Abby either delivering something homemade or arriving to cook a meal from scratch for him.

The fact that he'd heard no footsteps at all before the sound of cupboards opening and closing drifted down to his ears indicated that it was Ziva making herself at home in his kitchen.

Gibbs had been home for a while after leaving the team in MTAC watching It's a Wonderful Life. He'd dropped Quinn off at his daughter's house and made his phone call to Jackson... the first time he'd spoken to his father at Christmas for nearly twenty years.

After showering and changing, he'd headed to his basement for his usual dual solace of boat and bourbon.

So when he heard the sounds coming from his kitchen, he wasn't surprised to subsequently see Ziva appear at the top of the basement steps carrying two mugs.

When Ziva reached the bottom, she moved to where he was working on his boat, handing him his usual coffee with a smile, before leaning casually against the workbench as she sipped her own drink.

He acknowledged her with a tilt of the head, savouring the hot coffee as their usual companionable silence settled over them.

He noticed Ziva was still wearing the black jacket and sweater paired with grey trousers she'd worn during the day, her hair now loose from her earlier half ponytail, the thick tresses swinging around her shoulders, making his fingers itch to bury themselves in the silky mass.

Peeking at her mug, he raised an eyebrow and she rolled her eyes at his unspoken teasing as she answered, a small smile curving her lips.

"It is tea."

"You find tea in my kitchen?" He hid his grin in his mug, enjoying the standing joke between the two of them.

"No, I brought it with me." She raised an eyebrow at him before narrowing her eyes in a mock glare. "After you ran out the last time I was here, I thought it unlikely you would have replenished tea in this… coffee house. I hope it is not too much of a shock, allowing tea into your basement?"

He tilted his head, as if considering, "It'll be touch and go."

A soft snort of amusement escaped her as she reached into her jacket pocket, placing an oven timer on the bench.

"And dinner will be ready in an hour..." she announced in response to his raised eyebrow. "I thought it was my turn to play mother chicken tonight and deliver the care package."

He couldn't help the grin as he corrected her automatically. "Mother hen, Ziva."

"Ah, yes." The slight curve to her lips made him suspect, not for the first time, that she'd known all along what the correct idiom should be.

"As you know already, I think, Ziva."

She neither confirmed nor denied his comment but her smile widened, "But if my... mistake... makes you smile, then it is worth it."

Another grin was answer enough.

After a few minutes, he broke the comfortable silence.

"You didn't have to come over here tonight, Ziver, it's late. I can feed myself, y'know."

"Yes, but will you tonight? Even you need more than coffee and bourbon... sometimes."

Need you, was his immediate thought which he quashed with practiced ease.

He'd got so used to hiding his reaction to her over the years that he almost fooled himself sometimes, until a day when he'd stand too close to her, or when they indulged in that playful banter they both enjoyed.

Or, hardest of all, being alone with her here in his sanctuary, when his guard was down. Then his desire and longing for her would surface again and he'd spend the rest of the evening after she left trying to push it back into its box labelled 'too difficult to handle and too painful to deal with'.

Occasionally, Gibbs wondered if she returned his feelings.

Sometimes he thought he spied a glimpse of a similar desire reflected in her warm brown eyes, or a sparkle in her eyes when they flirted that seemed to be reserved only for him and he would wonder... and allow himself to hope.

He was pulled out of his thoughts as Ziva finished her tea and nodded to him before moving towards the stairs. "There is enough food for dinner for tomorrow, if you wish."

"You're not staying?" He was sometimes able to persuade her to share the meal she'd delivered.

She hesitated, eyes skittering away from his, "I thought you might want to be alone."

He shrugged, trying to sound casual, "You should eat too. Stay?"

TBC...