Ziva stood at the window and looked outside over a dark DC. She knew it was warm out there and the air-conditioned chillness of the office made her freeze a little. She closed her eyes while trying to remember how the israeli summers felt on her skin. It has been much warmer over there and she would always remember it when she felt hot air.
It's quite hot in Africa. Already forgot how the composit of sweat, blood and dirt feels on one's skin?
She angrily shook her head to dispel the memories, turned around, sat down behind her desk again and searched for her spare sweat jacket.
"You know it's freakin' hot outside, right?", Tony asked and she noticed that he had sweat strains under his arms already, "you'll die when you leave the building like that."
"It's summer but it's awefully cold in here. If it'd ever bee that cold in winter you wouldn't stop complaining, Tony! Why would anyone try to get someone freeze in here?"
"It's for concentration. I cannot think while everyone else smells bad."
"Including you?"
Tony smiled wryly and gave no answer. He turned to some papers on his desk and quickly typed something into the Computer. Ziva watched him doing this without working by herself. She was done already. There was nothing to find that would help solving this case.
For a split second Tony looked triumphant, but then shook his head and leaned back from the desk.
"This sucks. I don't think we'll get to find anything about her parents. McGee and Abby try to hack the computer system her mother was working on in Bagdad but they aren't optimistic."
"Where will Jessica stay tonight? If someone's coming after her family we need to keep her save."
"Child Service saied they'll take her with them to a protectory but this might not be a good place. If a murder can make it on the Naval Base some social workers won't be that much of a hindrance."
"Can't she just stay at NCIS?"
"I doubt that they'll be okay with that. We have no place for her to stay. Where's she supposed to sleep? On the floor? On a steel table in autopsy?"
"But.. we have to find her a better place than the protectory is!", Ziva insisted angrily, "we can't send her to a place of which we know won't be save enough for her to stay right now. That's not how law enforcement is supposed to act like."
"We can't let her stay in a drying-out-cell either."
"I agree we can't. But you have to admit that this would still be a better place than the protectory."
Tony burried his face in his hands while thinking about save places for Jessica to spend the night at.
"She could stay with you, you know", he suggested, "if someone would try to kill me I'd look for the most dangerous person around of whom I know won't do that. And.. well, you're the only trained killer around and I bet you sleep with a gun in one hand."
Ziva stared at Tony and was shocked.
"I can't do this."
"Why not? Jessica would be save, we catch the killer and you have your appartment all to yourself."
"I just don't believe that this is a good idea."
"Yes I got that, but-"
"I might not be with Mossad anymore but this doesn't mean that there is no danger. There is always the chance that something aweful might happen - still, even though I'm not an intelligence official. What do you think are the reasons for why I sleep with a gun? Don't you think it's dangerous for a girl to be in one apartment with a woman who might think that the person sneeking around at night is a contract killer? And.. I doubt that she'll have a peaceful night."
"She lost her family. Of course she'll have a hard time catching some sleep."
"Than there's another reason."
Tony sighted but wasn't illing to give up.
"I have faith in you that you won't accidentally kill her, Ziva. Just take her with you. You can protect her and she has no place to go. It'll be fine, believe me."
Ziva hesitated and thought about it. She did not want to take a girl with her. She didn't want anybody else than herself in her home. She wanted to sleep as good as she could and wasn't interested in sharing the safety of being all alone with someone else.
"I'll do it if child service is okay if it", she agreed, slowly nodding, "but I don't feel comfortable with this. I'm not that much of a.. you know, family type any longer. And I'm far better in killing than I am in protecting. But.. if my trouble keeps her alive I'll do that, sure."
"Thank you, Ziva", Tony saied honestly and grined broadly at her, "and as far as I'm concerned I believe you'll do great."
"I doubt that", she mumbled, too quite for Tony to hear her words, "there's reason for why I don't do those thing."