-1A week later Tony was sitting on the sofa chuckling away at the cartoons he was watching with Zipporah who was messily eating a bowl of rice crispies. Ziva came scurrying out of the kitchen holding her cup of coffee in one hand and clasping her towel with the other,
"Tony, I thought you said you would have her ready by the time I came out of the shower!"
"Oh come on relax we have plenty of time she's eating her breakfast and all she has left to do is get dressed ok?" he twisted round to look at her and grinned widely, Zipporah placed her spoon down on the coffee table and shuffled around on the floor to look at her too, flashing a matching grin,
"Almost ready," she said brightly, "no need worries, lots time!" Ziva laughed despite herself,
"Well, I see she has been to the DiNozzo school of timekeeping already," Tony smiled and reached out to pat the little girl on the head,
"Graduated with honours" Ziva sighed and rolled her eyes and turned to Zipporah,
"Are you remembering you're going at be at nursery all day today, not just until lunchtime like before?" the little girl nodded, stuffing a huge spoonful of cereal into her mouth,
"And after Tanya's mum will pick you up and you'll go and play with Tanya until Leora comes to get you?"
"I remember Zi Zi," she answered, spraying chewed up crispies down her front,
"You see this is why I was waiting until after she had breakfast to dress her," Tony said smugly,
"Well, maybe you should have thought to eat breakfast first too Tony, your eating habits are influencing her as well." Tony looked down and noticed a dark coffee stain on his tie,
"Huh, well we do offer a full programme of classes at the DiNozzo academy," he said as he took it off, Ziva laughed and turned towards the bedroom,
"I am going to get dressed, will you remind Gibbs that I have to meet Leora's guidance teacher before I come into work today?" she called over her shoulder,
"Well I dunno, maybe it would help if you told me another five million times, then it might stick in my mind better," he replied sarcastically as she closed the door behind her. Zipporah slurped the milk out from her bowl and then stood up,
"Finished" she said proudly,
"finally!" Tony replied melodramatically "Clothes time" he added before sweeping her up and carrying her under one arm through to her room while she giggled and squealed happily.
A couple of hours later Ziva came storming into the bullpen looking flushed and upset,
"Sorry I am late Gibbs, it took longer than I thought it would, she said as she flopped down in her chair.
"Ok Ziva," he replied as he glanced up from his computer screen.
"How did it go?" Tony asked,
"Fine," at that moment Gibbs' phone rang and interrupted her, not that she was going to elaborate anyway. Tony raised his eyebrows slightly and then returned to what he had been doing until Gibbs stood up and said they were going down to Abby's.
"ZIVA!" Abby squealed and leapt towards her, grabbing her and squeezing her in a rib-cracking hug, "Are you ok? I'm so sorry! I was going to come see you but then I thought maybe you wanted some time so I sent you flowers, you got the flowers right?"
"They were lovely Abby," Ziva answered with difficulty as Abby was squeezing the last ounce of breath from her lungs. Abby stepped back, keeping her hands wrapped around Ziva's arms,
"Are you sure you're ok, maybe you should have stayed off longer, you look sad," she tilted her head and examined Ziva's face carefully.
"Abs!" Gibbs exclaimed, sensing Ziva was uncomfortable with the attention, "Did you have a reason for calling us down here?"
"Gibbs, do I always have to have a reason to call? Maybe I was just lonely, maybe I just wanted to see my favourite people!" he stared at her for a few moments until her nerve broke,
"Of course, that's not the only reason you're here, just a happy bonus!" she said before continuing on to describe her findings.
Gibbs and McGee had gone back upstairs in front Ziva and Tony who had waited to speak to Abby for a few more minutes before walking towards the lift. When they were safely out earshot and waiting for the doors to open Tony turned to Ziva,
"What happened this morning?"
"Nothing . . ." Ziva started before she met his eyes and then sighed and rubbed her forehead, "I had a fight with Leora." she added, knowing it was pointless to try and hide it from him.
"What about?" he asked softly,
"She wanted to go and see her boyfriend" she replied incredulously.
"Ah"
"I said she could not because she had to pick up Zipporah and she could see him at school but she was still arguing so then I said she should not see him anyway, he is 3 years older than her! Three years!" her voice grew louder as she continued, " She said that he had invited her to his house after school in case she wanted to talk! I told her that he was definitely not wanting to talk to her. I said this boy has a one lane mind, he is taking advantage when she is vulnerable." the doors slid open and she stomped into the lift.
"It's a one track mind," he corrected her but when she spun around to face him her furious expression made him quickly realise his mistake so he hastily asked how long Leora had been with the boy,
"Exactly! How long? A week! Oh yes one week how convenient yes?"
"A week!" Tony exclaimed, "just since . . ."
"Yes, she says she knew before but he had been so supportive he was now her boyfriend." she sighed and leant back against the wall, "Maybe I was to hard, maybe I should have said she could go later, when I got home. Maybe I am being to judgemental, that is what she said." Tony flicked the switch causing the lift to grind to a halt,
"Oh no, you're not being judgemental, I was a 17 year old boy,"
"You still are," she interrupted, unable to let the opportunity to slip past her, he frowned at her but continued regardless
"Anyway the point is he ain't looking for a nice long, deep talk, that's for sure!" Ziva nodded slowly,
"I know but she was so angry with me,"
"What did she say?"
"That I had no right to tell her what to do, she could do what she wanted she does not need permission from me . . ."
"Every teenager says that when they're angry, y'know it's all part of the rebellion phase. I bet you said that when you were a teenager hundreds of times." She stared at him blankly,
"No, never."
"Oh come on, you must have. Even just once?" she shook her head emphatically,
"I did what I was told. Always." he looked at her uncertainly,
"Well ok any normal kid whose father is not the director of Mossad says that at least everyday." he placed his hands on her shoulders, "Don't worry about it, I said it all the time but it was always just front. Yell in the morning then slink in from school and pretend it never happened, trust me this will blow over it's not serious she'll be there when we go back." Ziva looked unconvinced but nodded anyway as he turned the lift back on.
Later that afternoon Tony could sense that his little pep talk had had little effect on Ziva who was still moping about behind her desk, he stood up and announced he was going out for coffee. He returned twenty minutes later and handed McGee his cup and then turned back to Ziva's desk and placed hers next to her keyboard and then produced a muffin from the middle of the cup holder he was carrying.
"I brought you a cake, it'll make you feel better," he said, waving it in front of her face gently. She smiled weakly and took it from him,
"Thank you pickle," she said absentmindedly. McGee's ears pricked and he snapped his face up from his desk,
"Did she just call you Pickle?" he asked grinning widely,
"No," they replied instantly and in unison,
"Yes you did, I heard you." he laughed slightly while Tony turned to Ziva,
"You promised you wouldn't call me that at work!" he hissed angrily, she shrugged,
"It was a trip of the tongue,"
"Slip, slip of the tongue," he grumbled as she spun to look at McGee,
"It is what Zipporah calls him, I have just got used to using it as well," she explained.
"Oh right," he replied still chuckling, "Why pickle?"
"No reason," Tony interjected quickly while Ziva burst out laughing,
"It is because he is hairy, very hairy, like my neighbour's dog Pickle," she told McGee who joined her in laughing uproariously while Tony looked at her outraged.
"HEY!" he shouted, "Did you have to tell him?" she just continued to chuckle as she unwrapped her muffin. Just then Gibbs strode into the bull pen behind Tony who spun around when he felt him arrive,
"Hey boss, I brought you a coffee," he said indicating to the one closest to him. Gibbs grabbed it along with the remaining muffin lying next to it, "Uh boss, that's kind of well my mine," Tony stuttered nervously.
"Well where's mine?"
"uh I didn't get you one, you never want one. I don't think I've ever seen you eat before!" Tony answered.
"Well, I like muffins DiNozzo." Gibbs replied matter of factly turning and striding away from him,
"But" Tony called after him,
"This way you'll remember next time . . . Pickle." Gibbs called over his shoulder, smiling cheekily as he took a big bite out of the muffin as he walked. Ziva snorted loudly as Tony looked crestfallenly at the tray, now holding just his lonely coffee. He sighed and flopped down in his chair and took an angry sip as Ziva answered her mobile. As she spoke all traces of laughter disappeared from her face, she hung up and started gathering up her stuff,
"What's wrong?" Tony asked and she looked up exasperatedly,
"Leora has not been to collect Zipporah and Lisa, Tanya's mother, is going out-she says she would have taken Zipporah with them but there's not enough room in the car so I will have to go and get her." she started to leave before pausing at Tony's desk,
"She's just acting out a bit, she just lost her mum it's understandable. She'll stay out long enough to make herself feel better or until she feels she taught you a lesson and then she'll be back. Don't worry." Ziva nodded, took a few more steps and then paused again.
"But what about,"
"She's not stupid, she'll work out the boy's game it'll be fine." he continued reassuringly and she smiled at him for a few moments before finally leaving.
A couple of hours later Tony was still at work, swaying his chair around slightly while he thought. Ziva still hadn't heard from Leora and she wasn't answering her calls, maybe he should try calling her. And if that didn't work he could always ask Abby to track her phone, just so they knew where she was-no harm in that. He was just reaching to get his mobile out of his pocket when it began to ring. He flicked it open,
"DiNozzo," he answered,
"Tony?" Leora asked, she was crying,
"Leo? Where are you? Are you ok? What's wrong?"
"Can you come and pick me up?"
"Yeah, yeah of course where are you?"
"I do not know. I'm in a park with swings and a slide and across the there's a barbecue restaurant called Cowboy Collins Big Grill" she sniffed loudly and swallowed, "Do you know it? I could go in and ask what street this is,"
"No it's ok, I know Collins just stay where you are I'm coming."
"Thank you," he hung up the phone and stood up as he dialled Ziva's number.
