Chapter 10

"So, what do we do until our flight leaves?" Ziva asked, sitting on the edge of McGee's bed and staring at the floor.

"Well, I do still have to get a hold of Abby," McGee said from his spot at the dresser, where he was inspecting and folding clothes for the trip. "Man, is she going to be surprised."

Ziva lifted her head at that comment. "Why do you say that?" she asked, her tone of voice defensive.

McGee put the undershirt he was holding into his suitcase and looked over at her. "I didn't mean to suggest . . ." He sighed, walking over to where she sat and sitting beside her. "Sorry. That didn't come out right."

Ziva shrugged, staring at the wall. "No, it was not what you said." She paused, then reconsidered her words. "Okay, it is what you said. But I was overreacting. I suppose I am feeling a bit . . . on edge lately, yes?" She looked to him for confirmation of the saying and he nodded. She mimicked the nod, looking at the wall again as she continued speaking. "Abby is very possessive." She shifted her gaze to her hands, having said enough.

McGee rolled his eyes. "Abby loves you, Ziva. Just like . . ." He suddenly stopped, realizing what he had almost said, and shook his head. "There's nothing to worry about. I'll make sure she doesn't say anything. She should know that I don't belong to her. She made it perfectly clear that she wasn't interested in me as anything more than a friend, so she shouldn't expect that I won't move on with my life and date other people." He looked over at Ziva and found her giving him a look of surprise. He sighed. "Sorry. I just . . . get angry sometimes when I think about it."

"No, you have every right to be," Ziva murmured. "I know that feeling all too well." McGee gave her a questioning look and she shrugged. "It is not exactly the same, but Tony . . ."

"Ahh," McGee said. "Well, they're both just going to have to get used to the idea that we want to be together."

Ziva met his eyes again. "I just worry that Tony will never truly accept it. You saw how angry he was when he left here."

McGee nodded. "Oh, yeah. He was not happy." He frowned in contemplation. "You don't really think he would never forgive us, do you?"

Ziva shrugged, facing the wall and putting on an air of ambivalence. "I do not know. I am not Tony. Perhaps this is not a good idea." She looked down at her hands, still speaking without emotion. "Perhaps we should not be together and I should not bring Sari and Micah back to the United States."

McGee gave her a horrified look. "You don't really believe that, do you? Because I . . ."

"No, I do not believe that, McGee," Ziva spat, turning abruptly to face him. "I want to be with you and I want to bring Sari and Micah back with me, to give them the sort of life they deserve, with someone who loves them as if they were her own children!" She paused, but McGee remained quiet, both because he knew she probably wasn't finished and because he was afraid of what she might do to him if he interrupted her.

"Tony!" she suddenly exploded, and McGee flinched. "He is so incredibly selfish, did you know that?" McGee started nodding, but she ignored him, quickly standing and beginning to pace. "Of course you did. You work with him, too. I just cannot believe he . . ." She threw up her hands in exasperation, unsure of what else to do. She suddenly stopped pacing and faced McGee, pointing a finger at him. He recoiled slightly at the action. She dropped her finger and sighed.

McGee held out his arms and she walked to him, allowing him to put his arms around her. He looked up at her, softly saying, "We'll figure things out, okay?" She nodded and he rubbed her back. "Okay, now come on." He patted his lap and she collapsed onto it, resting her head on his shoulder and wrapping her arms around him. He smiled and pulled out his cell phone, pressing the number on speed dial for Abby.

"You have Abby on speed dial?" Ziva asked, a note of discouragement again seeping into her voice. McGee gave her a look and she said, "I know. Sorry."

"Good, because . . . Oh, hi, Abby," McGee said as Abby answered on the other end.

"Hey, Timmy, what's up?" Abby's cheerful voice greeted him.

"Uh, I was wondering if you might be able to come check on Jethro for," he looked to Ziva for a timeframe and she shrugged, "awhile."

"Sure!" Abby said. "You know I love Jethro. What's going on? You going out of town or something?"

McGee sent another glance at Ziva. "Uh, yeah. Something like that. Look, why don't you come over now and I can give you a key and we can explain things better?"

" 'We', huh?" Abby asked, instantly picking up on McGee's slip. "Something I should know about, Timmy?"

McGee rolled his eyes. He wasn't in the mood for this right now, even if Abby was being jovial about it at the moment. "Just come over, Abby. It's important."

"Okay, Tim," Abby said quietly, responding to the sudden seriousness of his words.

"Thanks, Abby," McGee said quietly, then hung up. He looked at Ziva. "Now I know why you're so nervous."

Ziva scoffed lightly. "I am not nervous." McGee gave her a look and she cracked her neck. "Perhaps a bit anxious."

McGee let out a puff of laughter. "Yeah, me too. But, you know Abby. She might freak out at first, but then she'll hug us both so hard we can't breathe." He smiled and Ziva let out a small laugh. "Don't worry."

"I won't," Ziva said softly, letting her fingers linger over McGee's. "We have much more important things to worry about."

They sat in silence like that for a few more minutes, until an insistent knocking sounded at the door, followed by a muffled cry of, "McGee, open up! Are you okay?" And then more knocking.

McGee looked at Ziva, who gave him a small smile. "Looks like this is it." She took the hint and slid off his lap, then grasped his outstretched hand, bringing him to his feet, then following him as he walked out to let Abby in.

As McGee opened the door, Abby flung herself at him, nearly knocking him over in her concern. "Oh, thank God you're alright, Timmy! I got super worried when you got all serious on the phone." She pulled back, looking him over with wide eyes. "You are okay, aren't you? And who else is here? You said 'we' on the phone." She began chewing her lip in nervousness.

McGee didn't reply, just stepped aside, revealing Ziva, who gave Abby a tight-lipped smile.

Abby's eyes widened further and her smile fell as she said, "Ziva?" She switched her gaze back and forth from McGee to Ziva, looking like she might start crying at any moment. "What's wrong? Why are you here? Is it Tony? No, please don't tell me . . ." She paused, a tiny whimper coming from her trembling lips. "Gibbs? No. No. Not Gibbs . . ."

"Calm down, Abby," Ziva said softly, becoming the voice of reason. "This has nothing to do with Tony or Gibbs."

Abby visibly relaxed, but then tensed again. "Are you okay, Ziva? Because . . ." She trailed off, speechless. Things had to be bad if Abby couldn't think of something to say.

"In a matter of speaking, yes," Ziva answered quietly. She held up a hand to still Abby's whimpers and finished. "Um, it is a long story."

Abby gave her a sympathetic look. "What's wrong, Ziva?" she asked, coming at Ziva and gently embracing her.

Ziva closed her eyes against the lab tech's soft murmurs of concern, trying not to listen. It was one thing to cry in front of McGee - Tim - but Abby?

"It is none of your concern, Abby," Ziva said. "I am not hurt." Physically, anyway, she added in her head.

Abby pulled away, her eyes still fully of worry, and said, "But someone close to you was, right?"

Ziva nodded. "Yes," she said, doing her best to keep the emotion from her voice. "My step-brother."

"Oh, Ziva," Abby breathed, wrapping her arms around her again, then pulling back. "I didn't even know you had a step-brother." She gave her a curious, but still sad, look.

"I did not tell anyone," Ziva said, avoiding Abby's eyes to look at the floor instead. "But . . . I needed to now."

Abby let out a gasp. "He died, didn't he? Oh, Ziva, that is so awful . . ."

Ziva continued nodding, ignoring Abby's words to finish her story. "And he left his two children as orphans . . ."

"Oh, my God, Ziva . . ."

"And so we are going to Israel for the funeral and I am going to attempt to gain custody of the children."

Abby was silent then, shocked into speechlessness again, and looked past them, searching for Jethro, when she saw Ziva's suitcase. She furrowed her brow as she remembered. "You just got back from Israel." Ziva nodded. Abby frowned in contemplation. "And you came here instead of going home?"

McGee let out a sigh. "Abby, it's not important. Leave it alone."

"No, no," Ziva said, turning to McGee and laying a hand on his arm, an action that did not go unnoticed by Abby, who was attempting not to look jealous, but wasn't succeeding. McGee gave Ziva a sympathetic, yet pleading, look. She gave him a wan smile in return. "She deserves to know."

Abby's expression turned to wide-eyed curiosity. "What? What do I deserve to know?" Ziva opened her mouth to respond, but Abby let out a gasp, realizing what was going on. "You mean . . . you two . . ." She stopped, putting her hands on her hips. "How long were you planning on keeping this from me?"

McGee stepped in. "This just happened, Abby. We weren't keeping anything from you. I promise."

She stopped glaring, but kept her hands on her hips. "You seem awfully defensive, McGee."

"I have reason to be, Abby," he responded. "Look at the way you reacted when you thought we were keeping it from you. We're not." He looked at Ziva, then back to Abby. "We want everyone to be okay with this, because . . ." He paused, clearing his throat to work up the nerve to finish. "Because we're going to be together whether people like it or not."

Ziva nodded slightly to herself in approval, as Abby dropped her hands from her hips, her eyes big. She looked as though she felt about 10 inches tall, and McGee let out a sigh. "This is about Ziva," he said quietly. "I'm just trying to support her." He looked over at Ziva then, looking into her eyes as he continued speaking. "I care about her a lot."

Abby watched the exchange with realization dawning on her. They really did care about each other. Well, she had known that already, but she hadn't realized how deep it was.

They were in love with each other.

She had no right to be angry with them - she'd had her chance with Tim and it hadn't lasted. And it was clear that whatever this was between Tim and Ziva, it was the real thing. Ziva needed someone there for her with all she'd have to go through, what with her step-brother dying and taking in his children, and McGee was just the guy for the job.

Abby smiled at the duo, clearing her throat so they turned their attention back to her. She held her hands out in apology. "Sorry for snapping like that. I didn't know what to expect." Her smile grew. "But now I can see, and I'm happy for you. Both of you."

McGee grinned. "Thanks, Abby. You really have no idea how much that means to hear."

Abby returned the grin. "Oh, I think I can imagine. And you know what else I can imagine?" She leaned in, as if telling them a secret. "Tony's reaction."

McGee's smile fell and Ziva replaced the wall of stone around her features. Abby noticed and grew worried. "What? What is it?"

"Tony knows," Ziva said coldly. "He was less that welcoming of the idea."

Abby frowned, then came at both of them with her arms open, gathering them both in an awkward hug. She pulled away after a moment and said, "Don't you worry about Tony. I'll deal with him." McGee shared a dubious look with Ziva, then turned back to Abby, who was now holding out her hand. "Key, please."

"Oh, uh, right," McGee said, rushing to his writing desk and grabbing the spare key sitting there. He walked back to the girls and deposited the key in Abby's hand, unable to keep the look of relief off his face. "Thanks again for doing this, Abby."

"No problem, guys," she responded. "Come back safely and let me know when you do get back so I can come spoil the kids." She sent a wink to them and Ziva held up a hand, not wanting her to get her hopes up.

"Abby, I appreciate your enthusiasm," she started, a bittersweet smile on her face, "but we do not even know what will happen yet."

"Trust me, Ziva," Abby said. "I know you and I know you won't leave those kids if it doesn't feel right." She gave her a wide smile. "You are on Gibbs' team, after all."

She turned for the door then, calling over her shoulder, "I'll see the four of you when you get back."

As soon as the door closed behind Abby, McGee turned to Ziva. "She's right, you know."

Ziva rolled her eyes, walking away. "She cannot possibly know what's going to happen in Israel . . ."

He walked up behind her, placing his hands on her hips and turning her to face him. She looked up at him, surprised by the show of possessiveness. "No, but she saw what's happening between us and she knows . . ."

Ziva found herself entranced with McGee's soft lips moving and she mumbled, "There's no going back now," before his lips captured hers and they completely forgot about everything, just for that moment.