A/N: I needed some more Zibbs in my life so this kind of happened. Sorry if it is unrealistic but I like to skate and this idea would not leave me alone. I don't really like the ending; maybe because I don't want it to end? Reviews are greatly appreciated!
Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS
Ziva David was a woman full of mystery, there was no question about it. Even the infamous MCRT leader, Leroy Jethro Gibbs, knew all of the former assassin's secrets. She had been working alongside of him for years and still, Gibbs knew little about the Israeli outside of work.
Unfortunately for him, the fact that she was so elusive and secretive just made him want to find out more about her. Whether it was the investigator inside of him that wanted answers or something else he couldn't define, he wanted to know more.
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Ziva kept secrets. It was a survival tactic from her past that had stayed with her for better or worse. Keeping secrets had been essential for her safety and sometimes the safety of others so it was hard wired into her brain. She also kept her personal and private life separate before coming to NCIS.
But, America had changed her. Her personal life ended being practically intertwined with her professional one due to a few factors. The team had become something close to a second family to her over the years and she had come to share with them a lot more than she would have with anyone else. Another reason was because she may have a little bit of a crush on one blue eyed marine.
When Ziva first realized that she found her boss more than a little attractive she didn't know what to do. The stone-hearted assassin had a crush! She could barely believe it herself but when she really started to think about it, it was not that surprising she supposed.
He was mature, a leader, didn't really listen to the rules unless they were his own, very good looking, and protected those he loved most with his life. He also had his heart broken more than once and had a past that wasn't meant to be shared. She could relate to that part of him, she knew what it was like to have ghosts from your past haunting you and having only memories for comfort.
But she decided early on that her feelings were to be one of her secrets. One of Gibbs' own rules was preventing her from even entertaining the thought. Also, Ziva believed that he deserved someone better; someone less like her.
Ziva would just suck it up, sit by her more-than-a-crush every day, and wish for something that she knew would most likely never happen.
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Friday was coming to an end and the team was finishing up reports after a long and tiring case. For practically the last four days, all they did was chase down leads, look at evidence, and occasionally eat when they found time.
In just a few minutes, they would be able to enjoy a much needed and appreciated weekend off of work.
"So what are you going to do Ziva?" Tony asked clearly not amused with doing a report. "Want to go have some drinks tonight?"
Ziva shook her head and sighed. "It is the first night that we will have off in who knows how long and you want to go out Tony?" Tony gave her a look that told her he didn't find it odd. "Well thanks but no thanks. I have other plans in mind."
Gibbs was listening to the agents' conversation from his desk and stopped typing just to see if he could hear what Ziva's plans were. If he had to guess, he would say she would go to a gym or go on a run you never knew anything for sure with Ziva he learned.
Tony continued. "I'm sure you do. Let me guess, you are going to sit around your apartment reading or go for a run right?"
Ziva looked up from her report that she had just finished and smiled at Tony. "You never know Tony, maybe or maybe not. But I do know that I will not have to finish my report up like some of us." She taunted Tony, a beautiful smile gracing her features.
He partner looked at his half finished the report and then to the clock that signaled that they could finally leave and groaned. "Well at least I still have McGee to keep me company."
"Not exactly." McGee said as he stood up and turned off his computer and grabbed his stuff. "Look at it this way, no one can distract you now Tony." He chuckled when he saw the senior field agent's reaction. "See you Monday. Night Boss, Ziva." He said as he walked past his teammates and into the elevator.
Still smiling, Ziva also got up with her things. "I will see you Monday Tony. Goodnight Gibbs." She headed towards the elevator at that.
Gibbs watched his agent wait for the elevator and decided that he would join her. Impulsive? Maybe, but Gibbs wanted some answers. "Hold up, Ziva." Ziva looked back at the team leader and saw him gathering his gear. She nodded and held the elevator doors open for him until he caught up. "Thanks David."
The doors closed and a comfortable silence settled over them. Gibbs would have usually been perfectly okay with the silence but not today. "So, what are you going to do this weekend?" He said in a nonchalant tone looking at the reflection of the two of them on the doors.
Ziva rolled her eyes. "You too Gibbs?" Gibbs just shrugged with his half-smile on his face that never failed to make Ziva smile herself. "Well, like I said I have plans. What about you Gibbs?"
The doors opened again and they both stepped out and headed into the barren parking lot. "Me? I have plans too." Gibbs said with a twinkle in his eyes that Ziva caught.
They stopped in front of Ziva's car and Gibbs decided to humor his agent by opening her door after she unlocked it. Ziva smiled and slid into her seat while on the inside she could barely contain the spark of hope that maybe this was just more than a boss and his employee walking out. "Why thank you Gibbs." He nodded and just for a moment, Ziva could see curiosity in those blue eyes of his. "Have a good weekend Gibbs and have fun with your 'plans'."
"You too Ziver, goodnight." Gibbs closed the door of her car and she backed out of her space and headed for the exit with a last wave to Gibbs.
Gibbs watched as her car's taillights stopped at the mouth of the parking lot and made a decision. A decision that could end up with rewards or consequences. But, his curiosity was worth the risk.
He walked briskly to his own car and quickly got in and started the engine as Ziva turned right out of the lot. Gibbs was going to find out where she went when she wasn't at work; if that meant secretly tailing her and spying on her at some level well so be it. Jethro Gibbs had a mission and he was not going to fail.
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About twenty minutes later Gibbs pulled into a mostly empty parking lot in front of an arena. He tailed Ziva as far back as he could get as to not get caught by the keen agent and now could see Ziva getting out of her car in the front of the lot. She had a large bag draped on her shoulder and a sweatshirt in her hands.
Gibbs looked at the clock on his dash that read 9:00. It was already getting dark and looking through the windows, he could tell that the facility was practically empty. The arena itself was unfamiliar to him and it was rather large and he thought that it may hold more than one sports field or area.
After watching Ziva walk in and take a left he swiftly parked up close and set out to follow her. He entered the lobby area to see that there was no one at the office and then followed the path that he saw Ziva take. The facility was very modern and he passed by a swimming pool and a work-out room that he was surprised to see Ziva free.
Again he saw that there weren't many people at this hour and wondered if Ziva preferred it that way. At the end of the hallway that he was in, there was a locker room door to his left and a staircase to his right that had a sign indicating that it went to bleachers. Gibbs decided that he would try the stairs first so he wouldn't be seen.
He climbed the stairs and soon found himself in an area behind the bleachers surrounded by cold air. He approached the railing and to see the barren ice rink below him and a lone skater.
Instinctively, Gibbs stuck to the shadows but couldn't help be captivated by the sight before him. Ziva was gliding around on the ice, clearly oblivious of his presence. She changed into long pants and the sweatshirt she carried in and had put her hair into a neat ponytail. He stood there and watched her for what felt like hours but was in reality only a few minutes.
She started doing jumps and spins that made him realizes that this wasn't just a casual thing that she did from time to time. Then Ziva started what looked like some sort of pattern as she held her arms up as if to hold someone.
In a way, Gibbs felt like he was encroaching in on Ziva's privacy and should leave as to not disturb her. But, when he tried he found he couldn't, he was just captivated by her. This glimpse into Ziva's life that he doubted anyone else saw was too beautiful for him to simply leave.
Well Gibbs realized that if he wasn't going to leave, than he shouldn't just stand there. He was a man of action and he still wanted to know more.
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Ziva got into figure skating just by chance, but that chance was all it took. One time out on the ice made her love the freedom it provided and the skills that she possessed.
When she arrived in D.C. and found out that she was staying for a while, she went exploring. She found this arena while looking for a suitable gym to work out in if she didn't have work. She happened to really like the gym in this arena and decided to look around at the other places. She was happy to see that there was a pool, she did love to swim, but she was overjoyed when she found the ice rink.
So her she was, after a long week of work, on the ice just practicing. Ziva found it relaxing almost; here she didn't have to keep up her tough exterior. It was the best place to be when she just wanted to cool down.
Running through her usual routine of jumps, spins, moves, and her favorite, dance, she noticed something out of the corner of her eye. She stopped in the middle of her dance pattern and looked towards the bleachers.
There about half way up, was her boss/crush standing in the bleachers. For a moment she just stood there mildly surprised, how could she not have noticed him before?
Gibbs started walking down to the entrance to the rink and Ziva skated towards him. "What are you doing here Gibbs? Did something happen?" She wondered suddenly that one of her teammates could be in trouble or maybe they had a case, she didn't have her cell phone on her so she wouldn't have gotten a call.
He just smiled when he saw her start to worry; she was always so protective of the people she loved. It was one of the things he loved about her. Wait love? Gibbs chose to ignore his thoughts for a moment in favor of putting Ziva's mind at rest. "No Ziver, nothing's wrong."
Ziva furrowed her eyebrows a little bit, the way she did when she was trying to figure something out. "Than what is it Gibbs?"
Gibbs took a minute to look her over before answering. Her hair was starting to get frizzy from working out and her breathing was a little heavier than usual because of the exercise; she was so beautiful. "I didn't know you skated?" He attempted to avoid the question.
"Well I do skate Gibbs, now you know." She knew that he didn't want to answer for some reason so she prodded him for the answer anyways. "Did you follow me Gibbs?" He shrugged his shoulder nonchalantly but he couldn't hide the smirk. Ziva couldn't stop from smiling herself. "You know Gibbs, if you wanted to know what I did after work, you could have just asked me."
Her smile caught him a little of guard, he thought that she might have been mad at him for following her or poking around in her personal space. But, he wasn't going to let her good mood go to waste. "Well Tony couldn't get anything out of you, decided it was easier to just be more direct with it."
Ziva laughed. "This is direct to you?" She stepped off of the ice and headed towards a booth with skates and other equipment in it. "Since you are here Gibbs, you might as well join me." She smiled devilishly holding up a pair of rental hockey skates she got from the booth.
"Rather just stick to watching you skate Ziver." He half teased back; he did love watching her graceful movements and thought that trying to skate might be a bad idea for him. "I may not look it, but I'm not as young as I used to be."
Ziva gave him an exaggerated surprised look. "Really? Is the fearless team leader, former marine scared of skating?" She realized that this was getting less and less professional by the sentence but she couldn't find the will to stop, she loved the way he was smirking at her and she was starting to see and side of Gibbs that intrigued her even more.
"Me?" Gibbs asked, willing to accept the challenge if it meant that he could see a little more into the life of Ziva David. "You have got to be kidding, give me the skates and I'll show you." Ziva smiled in triumph and handed him the skates. They both went to the bench near the entrance of the rink and she waited in silence as he laced up.
It had been years since Gibbs had been ice skating on the pond back in Stillwater and wondered how this was going to turn out. As he finished, he got up carefully, to establish his balance, and headed for the rink. Ziva quickly followed and hopped on the ice before Gibbs who pretended to glare at her while she just watched in amusement.
Slowly, he put one foot on the ice and then the other, still holding onto the wall of course. Ziva was standing close to him, "Hm, not bad I guess. Now let us see how you do without the wall." She glided out to the middle of the ice and looked at him expectantly, barely hiding the smirk.
Gibbs glared at her, but was determined to prove the Israeli wrong. Or attempt to anyways. He placed his feet a little apart and took his hands of the wall slowly. At that, he took a few tentative steps and then some more with a little more conviction. By the time he was only a few feet away from Ziva, he was getting the hang of it. Until he realized he had to stop somewhat.
Ziva was actually impressed by Gibbs' feat; most people would have fallen on their faces by now or in some unpleasant position. Now the only part left was for him to stop, which she saw was proving difficult as he kept going straight towards her.
Only relying on her instincts as a fighter and a skater she caught him with a light grunt and held him until he regained his balance. "So, not so easy after all?" Ziva commented, not that she was complaining about the close contact.
He pulled back and balanced himself while he tried to give her a glare but laughed as he saw the clearly smug expression his agent had. "Perhaps, David."
Hearing Gibbs actually laugh was almost a surprise to Ziva. It wasn't like she never heard him before, it was just that it was so rare and it was almost only heard when he had the whole team around him safe and happy. Happy; maybe he was just happy with her. Ziva quickly gave herself a mental Gibbs slap; no they were just two coworkers having some fun, it was nothing more. No matter what she wanted it to be.
Gibbs must have noticed that she wasn't acting normally, "Something wrong, Ziver?" he asked in a kind voice.
Ziva shook her head a little and snapped out of her stupor, "Yes, everything is fine. I am just amazed at your athletic talent." She teased him. "Would you like to skate around a bit?" She held out her hand to him for support but secretly just was using it as an excuse to be closer to him.
Gibbs looked at her hand, trying to analyze her meaning but decided to just take it at face value. She was trying to help him, nothing more he thought. He took her hand shamelessly and they began to skate around the rink.
For the next hour, the two skated together and talked about everything and possibly nothing at the same time. Gibbs got to learn a little more about Ziva, like how she got into the world of figure skating. Apparently, while on vacation with her family, she and Tali got the opportunity to go to a public session just for some fun. The fun soon turned into something more for Ziva and she tried to get into it more. But, living in Israel didn't help at all, nor did her training. Throughout her early life she got on the ice whenever she could and was a real natural with dance. Once she arrived in America, she took it up as a regular thing and hired a coach.
He didn't dare interrupt her when she told her stories as he didn't want her to stop. He was just finding out how she was able to get the ice to herself by getting to know the owner when his own feet got tangled up. Ziva, who was still holding his hand, toppled down with him and ended half on top of Gibbs.
Her first reaction was to make sure he was okay but was stopped as he started laughing and she got caught up with whatever he thought was worth laughing over, she didn't care. They didn't move from their position once the laughter died down and Ziva's dark brown eyes met his icy blue ones.
Without thinking, she brought her lips to his and then froze, not sure what his reaction would be. She didn't have to wait long for an answer as he almost immediately returned the kiss without hesitation.
After a few moments, they came up for air, both a little dazed and confused about what had just occurred. "Gibbs?" Ziva asked as it was the only thing she could really think of to say.
"Ziva." He returned, but with that smirk on his face and his eyes twinkling. Ziva blushed and pulled him with her to sit up, hands still connected. "Would you like to go out to dinner with me?"
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That was the beginning. The first discovery. One new discovery leading to many more for both Gibbs and Ziva. Each new detail served as a way to become closer to one another and realize what they truly felt towards each other.
One little discovery can lead to so much more.
Chapter 2
After their first date of ice skating and dinner, Ziva and Gibbs became closer. They didn't discuss it, but they both kept their newly found relationship quiet. It was new and exciting for the two; but it was also very private. They both trusted the team but they knew that until they knew exactly where this was heading, it was something just for them.
It has been about a month since they shared the kiss on the ice and even though cases and other work related things took up most of their time, Ziva and Gibbs always found ways to carve out time for each other. Whether it was just going to grab coffee together, riding to crime scenes with just the two of them, or late night dinners in his basement or her apartment, they made time.
Finally, after weeks of being on call, the team was going to have the weekend off.
They were in the bull pen Friday afternoon when Vance made the announcement. "Gibbs, leave the paperwork for Monday." The team had just finished a murder investigation and all they had left to do were reports and the other annoying but necessary paperwork. "You may be able to live off of coffee but your team needs a break." Gibbs smirked at the comment when he heard Ziva scoff. "Now get out of here, all of you." Vance said as he left to go upstairs.
The team looked to Gibbs for confirmation that they were free just to be on the safe side. He smiled and nodded in response. Tony was in the elevator faster than a bullet and was already on his phone mumbling something about making plans. McGee laughed at Tony's antics and proceeded to shut down his computers and collect his stuff.
Gibbs smiled at his team, so predictable, but he wouldn't change any of it. He felt Ziva's eyes on him and turned to face her. He gave her a quick and discreet nod to her before returning his attention to his computer.
Ziva couldn't stop the grin, after so long they could finally have time, some real quality time to themselves. Gibbs' barley there nod had told her that she was alright to come over to his house tonight. Almost immediately after their relationship started, they developed a form of silent communication that came in handy in moments such as these.
McGee had risen from his desk with his personal belongings, "Have a nice weekend Boss." He turned to Ziva, "Hey Ziva, if you're not busy, I heard that that author you like is going to have a book signing at a bookstore about an hour away. If you want I could help you get into it to talk to her."
Ziva smiled at the generous offer, "Thanks McGee, but no thanks. I have some plans this weekend, maybe another time?"
"Sure, another time is no problem." McGee said with a shrug. "See you on Monday then." He waved as he headed towards the elevator.
The bull pen was silent for a few minutes before Ziva shut down her computer and started to gather her things. Gibbs couldn't help but notice and decided to have some fun. "So Ziva," She looked up, "what are these plans that you were talking 'bout." Ziva gave him a curious look, wondering what he was trying to do. "Anyone special?"
She smirked. To anyone else it would appear as if they were just two close coworkers talking about weekend plans, but to her she knew he was trying to get a reaction out of her. Not many knew that the fearsome Leroy Jethro Gibbs had a playful side but she was one of the privileged ones.
"Well I am not completely certain of what they are but I have a few ideas." Ziva played along. "Oh and yes, someone special will be involved. I am actually planning on meeting him in a hour and I really hope he does not have to be kept up at work." She stood up walked to the elevator. "See you later, Gibbs."
Gibbs almost laughed out loud at her words and actions, but he didn't want to draw too much attention to the two of them. Only his Ziver could get to him in that way, make him feel like there was more to life instead of just work. Speaking of which, he wouldn't want to keep her waiting that long if her banter didn't give him enough of a hint to hurry home soon.
He grabbed his coat, his badge, and his gun before shutting his computer down and heading to the elevator with his thoughts filled with his lovely Ziva.
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Gibbs opened the front door of his house and was met with a mouth watering aroma drifting in from the kitchen.
"Good, you made it back just in time," Ziva called from the same room that the smells were originating from.
Gibbs took off his jacket and threw his keys on the shelf before depositing his gun and badge in the living room. He saw Ziva stirring something on his stove and couldn't resist coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her. "In time for what?" He said as he nuzzled her hair.
She turned her head just enough so she could place a quick kiss on her boss' lips and then went back to her cooking. "Well I need you to set the table for us. How does soup sound?"
He smirked, "Do you only keep me around for work, huh?"
"That is not true," Ziva replied in a matter of fact tone, "you are also useful in other areas." She rubbed her body subtly against him and gave her own smirk when she heard his intake of breath. "Work is only one of the areas." She finished cheekily.
"Is that so?" Gibbs asked before squeezing her hip and letting go of her to do what she asked. "Maybe we could get to those other areas later."
"Perhaps we may." Ziva said in a sing song voice and shot Gibbs one of her dazzling smiles that she only shared with him before working on getting the food on the table.
A few hours later found the couple in Gibbs' basement.