Disclaimer: I own nothing but the four sheets of maths homework I should be spending my mid year break doing.
Piano
Leroy Jethro Gibbs is not impressed when the shrill ringing of his cell phone wakes him from his Bourbon induced slumber. He groggily retrieves the cell phone from the glass jar on the other end of basement in a glass jar. The glass jar he has found does nothing but echo the ringing.
"Gibbs" he groggily answers.
"Boss" DiNozzo shouts through the other end. "Do you still have that truck?" DiNozzo asks.
"Why" Gibbs asks.
"Can you bring it to the corner of Whitecliff and Downsbrook" Tony asks.
"There better be a dammed good reason for this DiNozzo" Gibbs grunts before hanging up.
Jimmy Palmer has decided he is going to kill Anthony DiNozzo. Tony pulled him out of his girlfriends' warm bed to see if a piano covered in 'Hello Kitty' stickers and scratches was in tune. It was but that was beside the point.
"It sounds great but looks terrible" Jimmy says "Can't judge a book by its cover right" Palmer turned to see Gibbs get out of his truck. The older man simply looks at Tony before to younger man starts a ranting.
"Ziva doesn't have a piano" Tony begins. Gibbs smirks he should of know this is something to do with Ziva. The pair of them would do anything for one another. "Because she can't afford it" Tony continues "And anyway I saw this on the side of the road"
"Are you going to fix it up for Ziva" Palmer interrupts.
"Yes" Tony replies honestly. "But I don't possess the means to fix it up" Gibbs looked at DiNozzo. Translation Gibbs thought He was going to fix it up. Tony would take the credit.
So, the piano was moved into the basement. Gibbs found that the outer shell of the piano needed replacing. He also found DiNozzo in his basement at least three times a week willing to help.
"With the wood" Gibbs barks as Tony sands the piano. Tony sands the piano. "Why are you doing this Tony" Gibbs asks using Tony's first name much to the surprise of the younger agent. Tony puts the sander down and pulls out a photo from his pocket.
Gibbs recognizes the photo instantly. The first time he visited Ziva's apartment she had that photo. It consisted of a piano with a teenage Ziva in front of it. With Tali aged about ten standing holding a violin and their mother behind them a spitting image of her daughters holding a flute. He knows Tony ransacked the remains of Ziva's apartment when they got back from Israel.
"I want to make her as happy as she is in that photo boss" Tony says. Gibbs nods and picks up the sander.
It takes months until it is finished. Tony pays attention to every intricate detail. From the curved legs to the height. It looks identical to the photo Tony had of Ziva's childhood. A photo that was mysteriously returned to her a few days after Gibbs and Tony's conversation.
Tony asks Abby to take Ziva out. He is careful not to tell the Goth the suprise as she isn't very good with secrets. Ziva whines when Abby insists they go shopping. She relents a little when Abby reveals she meant homewares shopping not clothes shopping. Jimmy, Ducky and McGee are enlisted to help move the piano. McGee raises his eyebrows at the object. Ducky starts a story about a time when he tried to impress a young lass. Palmer marvels at how well it turned out.
When the finally reach Ziva's apartment they find the place rather bare. The walls are a soft green a colour Ducky informs them means peace. The double bed is on one side of the main room. A large armchair on the other. A dressing screen donated by Ducky separates the room. They find space is at premium so the move the piano where the dressing screen was. The piano sit's nicely in the room.
The men do not get a chance to sit down. As Ziva and Abby rush in.
"Abby I would never pay that much for cutlery" Ziva cries as she places a bed bath and beyond bag on the counter. She turns to see the piano. She opens her mouth to speak but it speechless.
"Do you like it?" Tony asks. Ziva is still silent. She walks towards the piano and places her fingers on the keys. A simple yet beautiful melody fills the apartment.
"I love it" Ziva whispers. "Thank you Tony"
"It wasn't all me Bossman and Autopsy gremlin helped to" Tony says as Ziva pulls his hands to the piano and they play a simple tune together.
The rest of the team smile. They see Ziva perhaps the happiest they've ever seen her. A huge smile sits on Tony's face too.
A/N: Even though I have been taking fieldtrips to other playgrounds. NCIS remains my fandom.
Piano: .com/files/p_118_c1_chippendale/nahled-1280-p_118_c1_