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Author's Note: Thank you for all the reviews for the last chapter, they were wonderful! Chapter Seven has arrived and with a touch of anger! :)
Disclaimer: NCIS is not my property.
Summary: Gibbs and Tony have a...discussion.
Rating: T (Nothing too bad!) :)
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The next morning, Ziva arrived before Gibbs, finding Tony already there. She was twenty minutes early, why was he here?
Setting her things down, she leans on her desk, facing him:
"Good morning Tony."
"Ziva."
His tone gave him away and it clearly showed something was wrong:
"Something on your mind?"
Maybe if Tony told her what was going on, she could give Gibbs a heads-up. Not that Gibbs would need it, Ziva knew that he could handle this.
Tony didn't want to address this with Ziva yet, he wanted to hear what Gibbs had to say first:
"I'll figure it out. Don't worry about it."
His tone is softer now, though he still is not his usual self. Ziva nods and takes her seat. They work in silence until McGee shows up and upon seeing them both is slightly worried:
"Am I late?"
"No McGee. Tony was here before I was and I got here early."
Thinking, Tim crosses the room to his desk, takes off his backpack and stands facing them:
"So Tony, did you forget to do a report and have to come in early?"
"No, McChipper. I jut wanted to get in early. Couldn't get much sleep last night, so I figured I should come on in."
Tim feels that Tony is covering for something, but chooses not to pressure him:
"Don't make a habit of that not sleeping thing. Before ya know it you'll be trying to build a boat in your apartment."
He sits and Ziva manages a small smile. Tony has no response and continues to type, trying to focus away from the conservation.
Around ten minutes later, Gibbs enters and as of that moment they have no case. Walking in with coffee, he puts it on his desk then stops and motions for Tony to follow, which he does. They find the elevator a suitable conference room and as the metal doors close, Tim voices his thoughts to Ziva:
"What's going on?"
Sighing, Ziva tells the truth:
"I am not entirely sure, McGee. But I have the feeling that we will find out soon."
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The doors close, Gibbs hits the switch, and the words come out swinging, with Gibbs at bat first:
"You wanna tell me what's going on with you?"
Tony, still pissed from last night, wastes no time in letting his boss have it:
"Yeah, the double standard you're throwing around is beginning to piss me off, BOSS."
Roughly putting the pieces together, Gibbs felt pretty confident in what Tony meant by 'double standard', but what's the trouble in confirming?
" 'Double standard'? Am I doing something that doesn't please you, DiNozzo? Please, let me know."
The sarcasm that filled the elevator made their stopped ride remarkably cramped:
"You know what I'm talking about."
Tony didn't want to have this conservation, but he did want the situation he'd figured out was happening to have never been started:
"The hell I do. Spit it out Tony."
"Rule twelve! What happened to that, huh?!"
Gibbs had been right:
"Who am I sleeping with?"
Where Gibbs' anger is transferred through calm tones, Tony's is through shouting:
"Ziva! How long has this been going on? You two have it all worked out don't ya? You, me, and McGee go and get her, rescue her, and then what happens? She comes back and finds the crying shoulder in you, Dr. Phil?! You two living together too? Where does it end?!"
Gibbs didn't know what he wanted to do first, smack Tony or correct him, but he did know one thing: his temper was quickly rising:
"She went through hell, you know that! Get off her case!"
"I'm not on her case, I'm on yours."
Tony's words are practically spat at Gibbs:
"Then get off it."
Gibbs growls back. These two men were very talented Special Agents, but this argument was about more than that:
"No!"
"You pissed at me or yourself?!"
That question put Tony back a few feet:
"Why in the hell would I be mad at myself? I haven't done anything wrong!"
"And I have? I don't answer to you…you answer to me!"
Tony runs his hands over his face in an attempt to calm himself, though right now he didn't want to feel calm right now. Right now he anted answers:
"How long have you two been lying to me?"
Gibbs sighs:
"No-one is lying to you Tony. But ya gotta stop acting like a horse's ass."
"I am not! You're breaking your own rules and not even caring! Say I do believe you for a second, lets say you AREN'T sleeping with her. If you do, how's it gonna work? Ya gonna send her back to her son-of-a-bitch father in Israel?! Put her on another team?! Because that worked SO WELL last time! Is she gonna be the FIFTH Mrs. Leroy Jethro Gibbs?!"
In that moment, Gibbs snaps.
Sort of.
Grabbing DiNozzo by the lapels of his suit jacket, Gibbs turns them both and puts Tony's back into the metal, dimly lit wall. Holding him there, he talks low and serious:
"Let's get a few things clear. Who I sleep with and when is none of your business. They're my rules and I know them even better than you. We're a team and if you can't get off my back and understand that, then get the hell off my team! Til then get your head outta your ass and start acting like the Agent and man I know."
Pushing him further into the wall to prove is point, Gibbs lets him go and takes a few steps back.
Tony stands and, now calm, sees and realizes what he's said and accused Gibbs of. In a fit of anger, his head wasn't clear and his temper had gotten the best of him. Which had ended up possibly hurting Gibbs. That wasn't supposed to happen.
Feeling suddenly sober and guilty, Tony has a few things to say with an apologetic tone:
"I accused you of sleeping with an agent. I was out of order,"
Upon receiving only a look from his boss, Anthony continues:
"I know you're the boss and I know the rules are yours,"
Moving away from the wall:
"Got worried, got angry, needed to get my head on straight. Thank you Boss."
Gibbs smirks and nods. He flips the switch and they turn, bth facing the doors side-by-side:
"Sorry Boss."
Gibbs gives Tony a strong headslap, then responds:
"I know. Pull something like that again or call me Dr. Phil again…I'll kick your ass."
The metal doors open, revealing a slightly surprised Tony and a smirking Gibbs.
Entering he bullpen, Tony is back to his old self. When Gibbs passes Ziva's desk, her face is one of concern and definite worry. Gibbs winks at her and sis behind his desk, hearing Tony's voice as he answers his phone:
"Ah Probie, Ninja, what a beautiful day it is! Almost like a scene from "Out of Africa". Robert Redford, Meryl Streep, 1985 Sydney Pollack directed masterpiece. Took home seven Oscars, and was originall-"
"Grab your gear, murdered Naval Lieutenant outside of Bethesda Hospital."
As all three get their gear, McGee makes a note:
"Murdered outside a hospital? That's a new one."
Ziva looks from McGee, then to Tony, and finally at Gibbs:
"It seems we've been having a lot of new things lately McGee."
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The day got better and the case went along. Early evening found Ziva leaving the Observation Room once she saw Gibbs leave the Interrogation Room.
They meet in the hall and Ziva has news as they stand paused:
"Abby says she can pin the fibers from Brooks' glove to the ones found on the Lieutant's dress uniform jacket. Now he claims to have a alibi, but I know McGee and DiNozzo are running that down. Also, the Director needs you when you have a free minute and he says it is important."
Ziva seemed to say it all in one breath, obviously showing the importance of the information and messages she had gathered. She stands, waiting for Gibbs to give her an order. Though he has a question instead:
"And you?"
"I was waiting for you to finish the interrogation before I told you all of this. I also have heard recently that Brooks' wife has finally calmed down and is sitting safe and quiet at her house."
Smirking, that wasn't what Gibbs meant:
"Safe and sound, not quiet. I meant, how are you?"
Ziva smiles, now realizing what he had been asking:
"I am fine, but I noticed you stole Tony away for a while this morning."
Hoping to gain some information about what had been said earlier, Gibbs begins to speak, but is never allowed to put a voice behind his words. McGee finds them in the hall and has an update:
"There you are Boss. Just found Brooks' offshore account, ya gotta take a look at this."
Gibbs and Ziva follow McGee to his desk and as Tim leads, Gibbs gives Ziva a look that says he'll tell her soon.
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Ziva found herself leaving NCIS at half past nine p.m. It seemed that throughout the day, more and more evidence had just shown up and had been quickly resolved, for which the ENTIRE team was grateful.
Getting out of her car in her driveway, she saw Gibbs sitting on her front steps, a beer in his hand and one sitting beside him.
Instinctively, Ziva thinks something's wrong, he's never been outside when she got here before. Walking up to him her voice is over-flowing with concern:
"What's happened? Is someone hurt? A case?"
Gibbs smirks and shakes his head:
"No, nothing's wrong."
He reaches for the still cold beer beside him and offers it to her. Setting her bag down, she takes it from him and is still standing in front of him:
"I was worried. You are usually not outside when I arrive."
Nodding, he knew she was right:
"Thought we'd go for a walk?"
She smiles and is still surprised by this man. Deciding that they would leave their beers, Gibbs gets his jacket that was behind him and puts is on while Ziva puts her bag in her car. Streetlights in her neighborhood provide for comfortable lighting as they followed the sidewalk.
Gibbs makes a move and puts his arm around Ziva's waist as he speaks:
"Talked to DiNozzo today."
Ziva feels his arm around her and smiles, her questions filled with humor:
"How did that go? Did he stab the bear?"
"Poke the bear."
His voice didn't continue and Ziva had the feeling DiNozzo mentioned more than something he shouldn't have:
"I know we are not sitting on my stairs but I still want you to tell me what happened."
"Said I was breaking rule twelve."
Ziva stops in her tracks and Gibbs turns around to look at her. Her face is beginning to grow with anger and Gibbs can't help but find it amusing. He had gotten his anger out already, though Ziva hadn't:
"He said we were sleeping together?"
"Yes."
Stepping back so he's now directly in front of her:
"But we are not."
"Yes."
Her words are tight, trying to control her reaction:
"Did you kill him?"
That one does make Gibbs chuckle:
"No."
"May I kill him?"
That one makes Gibbs outright laugh:
"No."
His hands cup her face:
"You do know that I am mad because Tony made the accusation? Not the man he accused me of sleeping with?"
The last thing Ziva wanted to let Jethro think was that he was un-wanted by her. That couldn't be futher from the truth:
"I know."
Leaning in, he kisses her lips in the middle of the night on a dimly lit sidewalk. It was intended to be a light kiss, but something about Jethro kissing her, Ziva just couldn't leave it at light.
Her hands find themselves gliding through his hair, causing bumps of pleasure to rise on her arms and in the process her chest is pressed to his.
Leaving her face, Gibbs' hands go underneath her blouse just like the night before. And just like the night before, Ziva is left with no choice but to moan in enjoyment.
Remembering they're on a public sidewalk, Ziva finds what's left of her control and reluctantly pulls away from him, though his mouth isn't finished.
Their lips break apart and his finds her neck, peppering her with kisses.
After a moment, he looks up at her and sees her smile. Smirking all his own, he says:
"We have to do this walking thing more often."
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:) :( Smiley face? Sad face? May I know which one it was for you?
