Perhaps love Chapter 2
Ziva lies there for several more minutes, listening to Tim's heartbeat, its steady thump-thump-thump reminding her of the man and his own steadfastness. She thinks about the past few years and how he's always been there for her, even when they first met, shortly after Caitlyn Todd's death, he'd welcomed her with a warm smile on his face.
There is an odd snuffling and she looks over the side of the bed. Jethro, the dog is there looking up at her with expectant eyes. Ziva smiles at the dog and inches away from Tim heading into the bathroom for a quick shower. When she's finished she wraps a towel around herself and walking back into the bedroom sees that Tim is starting to wake up.
He opens his eyes and Ziva smiles at him. He smiles back and then frowns when he sees her in just a towel.
"I have some of Sarah's clothes in the bottom drawer if you want something clean to wear. I forgot to bring up your pack last night."
"It is alright Tim. Sarah's clothes will do fine until I need to go home. In the meantime, why don't you shower and I'll take Jethro for his morning walk after I get dressed."
Tim nods as he throws off the covers and soon the shower is letting Ziva know that he's taking her up on her offer. Ziva digs through the clothes in the drawer and finds that she and Sarah are fairly close in size. Slipping on a pair of faded blue jeans and a loose cotton shirt, she then wanders out to the kitchen and sees Jethro waiting for her with her shoes in his jaws.
She ruffles the dog's ears and slips her shoes on. When she's done, Jethro has his leash in his mouth and is waiting patiently at the door.
"You are as much a gentleman as he is." She says as she opens the door and they head outside. Just outside the door, she slaps herself as she realizes that her jacket is still in the apartment and she doesn't have her lock picks on her so that she can let herself back in.
"Wurf?"
"I have no jacket, no keys, no picks and no way to get back inside."
Jethro paws at his leash, and Ziva looks at him wondering at his odd behavior. The dog paws once again at the connection between his leash and collar. Ziva examines it closer and sees a small key embedded in the mechanism that connects the two.
"Your master is a genius."
She inserts the key into the door and finds that it fits perfectly. Quietly opening the door, she slips inside and is picking up her jacket from the computer chair when Tim emerges from the bathroom clad only in a towel. He doesn't see Ziva as he's rubbing another towel over his hair, humming lightly to himself. Ziva walks back out of the apartment with her jacket wondering just when her friend had gotten so lean and so well built.
As she walks with Jethro to the nearby park, she mulls over everything she knows about her friend Timothy McGee. Jethro gives a sharp bark and a nudge against her legs forcing her to stop at a stoplight. She pats the dog on the head, acknowledging his sense in keeping her safe.
"Thank you Jethro, it appears that I cannot think and walk at the same time after all."
The dog gives a canine snort and tugs on the leash gently pulling her forward and into the park. Once inside the animal section, she takes the leash off and lets Jethro run while she contemplates where she wants to take her relationship with McGee from here.
The cell phone in her pocket rings and she answers it,
"Ziva David."
"Ziva, what are you doing with Timmy's phone? He's not sick or anything is he? Do I need to come get Jethro? What's going on?"
Abby, calling Tim, on Tim's cell phone…she's wearing Tim's jacket…
"McGee is fine Abby. I just came over to say hello and answered the phone without thinking. I did not mean to worry you."
"Oh, well that's okay then. I just wanted to let Tim know that I've decided to go visit my parents since Vance gave us the week off."
"I will relay the message to him." Ziva can hear flights being paged in the background and seconds later Abby says,
"Thanks Ziva. I have to hang up now as they're calling my flight. Tell Tim I'll call him when I get to New Orleans. Oh and make sure he gives Jethro plenty of hugs from me."
"I will, have a good time Abby."
Abby boards her plane not thinking twice about the fact that Ziva had answered Tim's phone at a time when Tim is normally out walking Jethro. A certain silver haired fox however is concerned. He waits until Abby boards the plane before dialing not Tim's phone but Ziva's.
"Hello?"
"Is everything alright McGee? You don't normally answer Ziva's phone."
"I think so boss. I found her asleep in my car last night and I didn't feel right leaving her alone so I brought her home with me as I still needed to let Jethro out. She fell asleep again while Jethro and I were walking so I let her take the couch for the night."
"How bad was the nightmare?"
Tim sighs, wondering just where Gibbs got his ESP from.
"Bad enough that the dog woke me up in the middle of the night. I promise boss, I didn't …we didn't do anything inappropriate."
Gibbs smiles faintly at the unspoken statement, they didn't break rule #12. Not that he'd expect them to, but still he appreciates Tim's honesty.
"Have a good week, McGee. Call me at Dad's store if you need me, oh and Tony went with Abby so he won't be bugging you two this week."
Gibbs closes his cell phone and smiles as he imagines the look on Tim's face when the younger man finally realizes what Gibbs just told him. Sliding behind the wheel of the Charger, Gibbs points the car towards Stillwater and some quality time with his dad.
Tim puts Ziva's phone back in her jacket and turns his attention to their breakfast. He's already poured kibble into the dog's dish and is just putting fresh water down when the other two return. Ziva hands Tim the spare key she'd used and Tim smiles as he re-inserts it into the dog's leash.
"I don't always take my jacket so I figured a way to keep a spare key where no one would think of looking."
"I think it is genius of you to think of it this way McGee. Especially since you do go out with Jethro every day."
Ziva shrugs out of Tim's jacket and tells him that Abby had called letting him know that she was heading for New Orleans. Tim looks at her and replies that Gibbs had called too.
Ziva shakes her head and then beams a smile at Tim when he hands her a freshly brewed cup of tea. She wraps her hands around the cup, warming them with the heat from the beverage. Tim brings some fresh cinnamon rolls to the table and Ziva has to ask where he bought them from.
"I make them fresh and then freeze them for occasions like this; when I have friends come over. The frosting is a simple butter-cream one that my grandfather taught me."
"Your grandfather McGee? Is that not unusual?"
"Not really, grandpa was in the Navy and part of his duties included cooking. He used to tell us stories about getting into trouble just so that he could have k.p. duties."
They talk for most of the morning, and Ziva looks up surprised when Tim announces lunch. After the meal they take Jethro out again and Ziva pulls her cell phone out.
"May I see your cell phone Tim?"
"Sure what's wrong?"
"I'm not sure…I there…Abby's call ends and then two minutes later, Gibbs calls. That is kind of hinky is it not?"
"Maybe…I…" Tim thinks back to what Gibbs had said to him and Ziva thinks about the conversation she'd had with Abby then puts it together with what Gibbs had told Tim.
"We are alone for the week Tim. Tony and Abby are in New Orleans, and Gibbs is in Stillwater by now."
Tim blushes and ducks his head. He's wanted some time to spend with Ziva for years now. Usually time, circumstance and Gibbs rules have prevented him from doing more than what he's doing now, spending a few precious hours with her. Tim glances up at Ziva to see what she might think about this sudden turn of events.
Ziva's playing with Jethro, throwing his ball and having him bring it back as she struggles to make sense of what is going on. The last time any of them had been separated from the team, for any length of time had been her last official mission with Mossad. The one where one team deserted her while her real team including the man in front of her came and rescued her.
Tim comes to her side and softly asks, "Are you all right, Ziva? Do you need me to take you home?"
"Where do we go from here, McGee? What is Gibbs trying to tell us?"
Tim's thought about that too and how one question had been about Ziva's nightmares. He whistles for the dog who comes obediently to his side and cautiously wraps an arm around this woman that he cares for. When she doesn't shrug his arm off or immediately try to kill him, he suggests that they just take each day as it comes.
"We have a week without Tony's quotes or Abby's loud music. Although if we want, I'm sure that we can call and get either one." the wry smile on his face belies any belief that he wants to do either.
"Would you mind a houseguest for the rest of the week McGee?"
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Perhaps love is like a window
Perhaps an open door
It invites you to come closer
It wants to show you more
And even if you lose yourself
And don't know what to do
The memory of love will see you through