She had left London happy, content, fulfilled even. Seeing Schmiel had calmed her, as it always did. And seeing Tony…seeing Tony had kicked up all kinds of questions for her. She found herself questioning everything, and suddenly, it had become so much more than missing him. She found herself almost waiting for him to appear from the elevator. For him to be standing at the coffee stand outside the yard, for him to had her hand in his, enjoying the warm weather, to hear him correct her language, or laugh at her joke.
And she could no longer pretend this was about friendship, to herself at least. Leaving him at the airport had been difficult, and she had fought the urge to stay, to demand he returned with her…to kiss him. The very thought sent a shiver down her spine, lips tingling at the notion, and the voice in her head chastised her. You are in love, Ziva. You fell after all.
Her mind was brought back to the present by the soft ping of the elevator, and she stepped out, glancing around as she stepped into the laboratory.
" Abby? Are you here?"
The lab door shut behind her as she entered, a loud audible click locking it in place, before Abby pounced from the corner of the room, Ziva raising an eyebrow. " What on earth…"
" We are friends, right Ziva?" She stood with her hands folded across her chest, glowering at her.
" Of course we are!" Ziva stammered, taken aback by the glare she was receiving. " What on earth, Abby?" Abby waved a hand at the screen, a picture of Ziva on holiday plastered across it, pointing the remote at it.
" This, Ziva. This is what. "
" What about it? It is from my trip to London, Bishop had asked to see my outfit that night."
" Oh, it's not about you. Well, I guess it is. But look a little closer." Abby glowered at her, furiously stabbing at the remote, the picture zooming in to the bottom half of the picture, the Goth storming forward and pointing at an item in the background, behind Ziva's foot. " Who's shoe is this?"
Ziva blinked, looking at the picture, before shrugging, replying quickly. " Must be Shmiel's. I cannot imagine who else it would belong to."
" Shmiel, huh? And tell me Ziva…" Abby rounded on her again, a glint in her eye. " Does Shmiel own a lot of Armani shoes? Particularly, does he own a pair of blue Armani suede driving shoes? Because that is exactly what those are." Ziva stared again at the screening, before looking back at Abby.
" I suppose he could. Abby, you do not honestly think I know every item of Shmiel's wardrobe…"
" Well, I don't think you would know these anyway, because I don't think they belong to Shmiel. See, in the last picture, with you in the same outfit, he is wearing a black pair of loafers. Not the blue Armani suede driving shoes." Ziva raised an eyebrow, looking incredulously at her, Abby glaring back. " Do you know who I think really owns a pair of blue Armani suede driving shoes?"
" Abby, really, this is-"
" Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo would own a pair, wouldn't he, Ziva?" She placed her hands on her hip, chest puffing out as she finished, staring down at Ziva, who looked at her with her best surprised face.
" Tony, I am sure, has many pairs of Armani shoes." Abby groaned, folding her arms.
" I also tried calling Tony's cell while you were gone. It has a British dialling tone, meaning he is using a cell service in the UK. Are you telling me you just so happened to be in the same country, and didn't meet up?" Ziva closed her eyes, before sighing defeatedly, Abby triumphantly pointing a finger.
" I knew it! I knew it, I knew it, I knew it! You've been going to see Tony!"
" Abby… yes, alright, he invited me to visit him in London."
" And Italy?" Abby's eyes flashed, and she could not tell whether it was anger or glee. " You went to see him in Rome, didn't you?" Ziva sighed once more, leaning against the console and looking away.
" Yes, and in Italy."
" So you've stayed with him twice."
" Yes, I have."
" And you lied to us because…?" She gestured with her hands, Ziva straightening up.
" It was not for any reason of malice" She licked her lips, looking at the other woman. "Abby, Tony and I…we are trying to repair our relationship. Our friendship. It is more difficult over long distance, and it is something we both are working hard at. What happened between Tony and I…is not something everyone needs to be drawn into."
" So let me get this straight…" Abby raised her hands, taking a breath. " You flew off and stayed with him in Rome, and then flew back again to London to see him, stayed together, and this is just about friendship?" Ziva raised an eyebrow, Abby scoffing. "Well, that isn't a yes." There was another pause, before a knowing grin appeared on her face. " So who took the sofa?" Ziva laughed at the question, shaking her head.
" That brings back memories…" She hesisted, before answering, the slightest smirk finding her lips. " Nobody did. We shared the bed." Abby's face changed, eyes widening, glint returning once more.
" You shared the bed…"
" And nothing more than that." Ziva raised a hand, warning her off as Abby grinned teasingly.
" Ziva David, have you been sneaking off to Europe to get a little DiNozzo action?"
" I have not, and if you tell anybody that, I will shoot you, Abby Scuito." The goth laughed, Ziva sighing, before folding her arms. " There was no action of that kind, regardless of what you think."
" Are you disappointed by that because you sound it?"
" Right, I am leaving now." Abby laughed, catching Ziva by her arm, grinning broadly.
" Okay, okay, no more teasing. You didn't sleep with him. Yet." Ziva opened her mouth to protest, Abby continuing quickly. " So when are you seeing him next then?" Ziva gave her a playful glare, before shrugging.
" I am not entirely sure. He is trying to get a little time off when he is in Rota in a few weeks, but we shall see. It is difficult, trying to juggle both of our jobs, and the inevitable hundreds of miles between us." Abby nodded, sighing as she looked at Ziva, before pulling her into a tight hug.
" I'm so glad you guys are doing this. The last few years have been completely ridiculous, and I am happy if you guys are happy, even if you both did lie to me, and fly off on romantic rendevous without so much as a postcard, and share a bed without telling me…"
Ziva laughed, patting Abby on the back as she pulled away. " Friendship, Abby. That is what we are working on."
The goth rolled her eyes, raising an eyebrow with a knowing smirk. " Yeah, yeah, keep telling yourself that, Ziva. Just warn me when the wedding is so I can buy a new dog collar." Ziva rolled her eyes, turning on her heel and heading out of the lab, pausing by the door to look back.
" This is our secret, Abby." Abby pouted at her words, whining softly.
" But McGee will need to know so he can take his share of babysitting duties when Tony Jr arrives…" Ziva pulled a face, waving a finger at her.
" Abby. Secret."
" Oh, alright." The goth huffed, turning back to her computer, waiting until the elevator doors had closed, before grinning. " Hear that, Major MasSpec? We've got a very important secret to keep…"
" Trust Abby to investigate that one."
" She is clever, Tony. I suppose we underestimated her." Tony huffed slightly, chewing over his granola with a frown. Ziva chuckled gently, sipping from the cup in her hands. " She is good at keeping secrets, and she means well." She paused, before giving him a coy smile. " She asked who took the sofa…" Tony nearly choked on his breakfast, wiping with mouth before smirking.
" I take it you told her it was you? My bad back and all…"
" Actually…" she hesitated again, before shrugging lightly. " I told her we shared the bed." Tony raised an eyebrow at her admission, leaning back in his chair.
" Oh… well, share is a subjective term. You hog the bed, the covers, the pillows…" Ziva stuck out her tongue at him, earning a chuckle in response. " And then you give it all up to come and glue yourself to my chest."
" I was cold, was all…" She pouted, before taking another sip of her tea, Tony's grin softening.
" Well, you looked comfortable enough."
" I always do."
Tony chuckled again, before they both fell silent, his eyes glancing up at her. Even at the end of a long day, her hair loose about her shoulders, pyjama-clad, she was beautiful. She looked at peace, he thought, sat with her duvet around her, tea in hand. He watched her for a moment, Ziva catching his eye.
" What?"
" Nothing."
" You are staring, Tony."
" Just considering how wonderfully gorgeous you look tonight, Miss David." Ziva felt the start of a blush on her cheeks, and she raised an eyebrow.
" Have you been drinking?"
" Not at 7am in the morning, I haven't. Just telling the truth." He smiled at her, a genuine, soft smile, and she couldn't help but return it, butterflies twisting in her stomach. " So, Miss David…" he continued, drumming his fingers on the table. " Are you coming to see me in Rota?"
" Well, I will have to ask for a few days leave… what if you do not have the time off?"
" You can still come, you know. There's plenty to do, lots for you to explore during the day… you'd have me all to yourself at night, anyway." She rolled her eyes at his grin, a chuckle slipping from her lips.
" Is that so? Well, what dates will I look at?"
" I'll book them for you," he jumped in, pulling his phone towards him as he did, " since you are doing me the favour of flying all this way."
" Tony, you do not have to do that."
" Yes, I do." He paused, before looking back to her. " I need to see you, Zi." She felt her breath hitch, biting back the surprising urge to cry at his words, before nodding.
" I am missing you too, Tony, missing my partner."
" Careful now, my ninja. Those are words that could be easily misconstrued." She giggled lightly, grinning at him over the brim of her cup, before blinking innocently.
" Could they?"