Reunions! Abby and Ziva! Ducky and Ziva! Tim and Ziva...uh oh. Not saying any more. Nope, not even if you shoot me up with truth serum, Saleem. ("Truth and Consequence" is becoming one of my favorite NCIS episodes, Tiva-ness aside. And don't tell me Tony didn't have the same thoughts now that he did then regarding her. Nope, not gonna believe it.)

Reviews are always loved and wanted.

One of the things Ziva had hated most was the time difference. It had always played havoc with her, no matter how used to it she had gotten. So here she was, awakened suddenly despite how tired she had been only a little while ago. It was another half-hour of tossing and turning until she finally gave up.

There she lay, thinking everything over. She knew what she had to do and she knew she had to do it now, lest she turkey out again. Turkey? No, not turkey. For a second, she wished he was there, correcting her like he always did. American idioms were still her weakest point of the language and she could always be assured Tony would correct her on them.

She got up and got ready to leave, ready to go back to his apartment, but before she could do so, her phone beeped. She hurried to it, hoping so much that it was him. Sadly, she was disappointed, but not entirely.

Not Tony, but Abby, had texted her. 'Been awhile, haven't heard from you, miss you,' followed by three emojis of skulls with bows on their heads smiling. It gave her a thought. Besides, if anyone other than Tony would be pissed at her treatment of them over recent times, it was Abby.

'Where are you?' she sent back.

'Office. Major mass spec is being naughty with a sample El Jefe needs.'

'Want a surprise?'

It took a minute for the answer to come back. 'Always.'

Ziva was out the door in an instant, rushing without a word into the basement. Silently, she prayed that not only was Abby working late, but McGee too, maybe even Ducky. They at least could blunt any the fury that Abby could unleash.

It wasn't a long trip to the Navy Yard and she was pleasantly surprised that the guard at the front gate waved her in so quickly. She entered the NCIS building and the same night shift security officer who had been there for the past eight years offered her a warm smile. She explained she was just here to visit and he handed her a badge. Just before she got on the elevator to go down to Abby's lab, her phone beeped again. 'You still there? What surprise?'

She got in the elevator, smiling as she typed out, 'Turn around in ten seconds.'

It felt like it took a little less time than that to descend down. But the elevator had stopped, and she exited into the forensic lab. She saw Abby with her back to her. "Surprise!" Ziva called out as cheerfully as she could manage, under all the circumstances.

Abby swiveled around and her eyes grew wide. She was frozen that way for a second and then had Ziva wrapped up in and embrace, towering over her in her usual platform boots. "ZIVAAAAA!" She shook her a little too hard for her liking, but didn't say anything. Then the tech began her babbling, as expected. "Oh my god, I can't believe you're here! When did you get in? Where have you been? Does Gibbs know you're here? Do Tony and McGee? I can't believe you're here!"

Ziva felt a laugh bubbling up. She prayed that Abby Sciuto never changed. She pulled away just a little bit to answer as many questions as she could. "I just got in a few hours ago. I've been in Israel the whole time." Those were the easy questions. Ziva paused, unsure of how to answer the next one truthfully so she skipped it. "No, neither Tony or Tim know I'm here."

"Oh, my god, oh my god. This is just the weirdest thing ever. And for me, that's saying a lot. Like, I just thought of you and you magically appeared." Abby turned away from her, walking to one her machines. "Major mass spec, I forgive your tantrum. If it brought Ziva back, you get a major pass. Well, not a major pass, 'cause Gibbs still needs those results." She turned around quickly again, but her smile changed immediately. "Have you been putting on weight? Your face looks a little fuller and your," she made a gesture of breasts, "they look a little bigger."

Ziva took a deep breath and was about to answer when they were interrupted. "Abigail, Mr. Palmer found some unknown substance under our dead sergeant's fingernails and in his rush to get back to Breena, forgot to bring it to you. You know, there are times that young man-" Ducky said before stopping short. "Ziva? My girl, it is a surprise to see you! A wonderful surprise, to be sure as I didn't think...well, I certainly hoped...are you here for a visit or maybe something more?" The last line was said with a note of hope, she recognized.

"I was just about to tell her…" Ziva began, her voice growing quiet. "Um, since you are still here, maybe is Gibbs or Tony?"

"Miss Bishop sent word that Tony got a lead on our latest case and he and Gibbs were going to investigate it," Ducky told her. He turned back to Ziva. "She came on, oh, a few months ago," Then he returned his attention to Abby. "Meanwhile, McGee was still here, doing his thing with technology."

"Hi, Duck, not that I am not happy that you brought me something else for Major mass spec, but I was just asking Ziva some questions when you interrupted," Abby informed him, as pleasantly as she could, since Ziva heard the underlying fury that had crept into her voice. She could tell Abby wanted answers, and wanted them now.

Ducky may not have heard her, as he seemed to be examining her from head to toe. If anyone else would see the signs besides Abby and Gibbs, it would be the good doctor. "Oh my," he gasped.

It only took a minute for Abby to catch on. Remembering what she had asked before Ducky came in, her eyes narrowed. "You bitch!" Abby yelled and Ziva winced. She had figured it out, at least the basics. "How dare you betray us, especially…" She was growing so furious she couldn't finish the sentence, pointing and waving her finger as she did.

Ziva realized what the other woman was thinking. "Abby you've got the wrong end of the…" Her mind just went blank, not being able to think of anything to fill in there. She closed her eyes not thinking of what she was saying until it was out there. "It's not what you think. Really, I need...I should...talk to Tony first."

Another body thudding against hers made her open her eyes. Abby, once again, had her arms wrapped around her. "Ohmygodohmygodohmygod! I KNEW IT!" Abby screamed, becoming more hyper than Ziva had ever seen her. "I told McGee years ago, when we went to Mexico, that something was up between the two of you! He owes me, like, a thousand bucks now!" Ducky gave her a strange look. "Oh, when they went to Paris to bring back the whistleblower and each told us that the other had slept on the couch. Totally knew it back then."

Images of Paris flickered through her mind. Nothing had happened really, much beyond a scooter ride through the city, with Tony rattling off romantic movies that had been shot there as they passed them. But in spite of it all, there had been something there...just not what Abby was thinking "Abby," she intoned.

But she obviously didn't hear it. She grabbed Ziva by the hand and dragged her to the elevator, Ducky following behind them. When it reached the bullpen, Abby continued to to pull her around like a ragdoll until they stood in front of McGee desk. Another woman, pretty, blond, was there already beside him, a look of concern on her face. "And where have they taken him?" McGee asked, scribbling something a post it. "I'll be there as fast as I can, Boss. Yeah, I agree, I'm not telling Abby anything yet, though. We know how she gets with these things." There was a pause. "Why do I need to get anything at your house? No, of course, it's just-" The call must have ended very shortly, as Ziva did not hear anything else on the other end of the line. "It doesn't make sense," he finished unnecessarily.

It was too late. Abby had heard her name mentioned as soon as Tim had said it. Her lip was quivering an instant later. "McGee…?"

"Abby?" he said, shock and sadness in his voice. Then his eyes darted to her right. "Ziva! What are…? When did you…?" A realization seemed to hit him like a thunderbolt.

Ziva compiled the evidence she had heard from McGee's end of the call. First, she knew he had been speaking to Gibbs, as he had said 'boss.' Next, she knew that Gibbs had brought Tony with him along, so unless there was anyone else new to the team besides this Miss Bishop Ducky had mentioned, and assuming the blond was that woman, Ziva knew who was at the scene. Lastly, Gibbs had told McGee to go to his house for something and bring it along with him. The only thing she could think of was herself. That was when she finally ventured a look at the note Tim had written out. It was the name of a hospital, a trauma center, in Baltimore.

She let out a gasp and stepped back, until she hit the chair at the desk beside Tim's. Tony's desk, Tony's chair. Her hand shot out, making sure it was under her before she went down. It was steadied because someone was holding it for her when she finally collapsed.

It was in that moment she regretted waiting so long to come home.