A/N: Familiar Faces are back!
I wanted to comment Weatherly's new statements this time for Cote De Pablo but what I feel about this show which is called NCIS and its cast during those two seasons is not appropriate to be mentioned in public. The only thing I want to say is congratulations again to Cote De Pablo for the Dovekeepers. I wish that book would had been published in Greek so I would have read it before the show begins but unfortunately it hasn't so I have to wait to watch the show.
Anyway, back to the story
Specials thanks
To : Tereza who is my personal consulter on this story
To: Laitie my personal beta who she has been through a hell to correct my errors as always….
And of course all of you that followed reviewed and favorited
I do not own NCIS…If I had, things wouldn't have turned out the way they have
This is the new chapter of Familiar Faces…Enjoy!
Athena
The ride to Ziva's place went in silence. Ziva's driving was nervous but slow, mostly because Tony sat beside her. Tony felt so awkward that he didn't even comment on Ziva's choice of the red Mini car. When they arrived to their destination, Ziva was the first who spoke after she turned the car engine off.
"So...Here we are" she said nervously.
"Yeah...Thanks for the ride...Goodnight, Ziva" Tony said, stepping out of the car.
Ziva did the same, and when Tony headed for his car, she said "Tony..."
Tony turned his head to face her. "Yeah?"
"Would you...Would you like to come inside for a drink?" Ziva asked hesitantly.
Tony flashed her a grin."I promised you I wouldn't drink again."
Ziva rolled her eyes. "You know what I meant, Tony. 'Don't drink a lot.' A glass of wine is not that bad" she replied with a light smile.
"I know what you meant, but not tonight, Ziva. Some other time" Tony answered back.
"Promise?" she asked hopefully.
"Promise. Goodnight, Ziva" he said, smiling lightly.
"Goodnight, Tony" Ziva said back, a little disappointed.
Tony got into his car and left, while Ziva was stood there, watching him leave. 'One step at a time, Ziva. One step at a time,' she thought as she headed towards her house.
When Tony entered his apartment, he dropped his backpack next to his door and headed towards his fishbowl.
"Hey, girls, did you miss Daddy?" he said while he dropped fish food into the bowl. "I don't know what to do girls. When I'm close to her I lose control. I want her so much, so bad, but I'm scared" he revealed. "Any suggestions? Especially you, Zi?" Tony asked, waiting for an answer. 'God, I'm losing my mind' he thought, and rubbed his face with his hand.
The next day came quickly, and the next day and the next day. Things on the team came back almost to normal. The cooperation between Tony and Ziva was in harmony. Teasing came back, but without crossing the line. Trust and friendship were rebuilt between them. But still, both of them wanted something more, neither of them had the courage to make the first step. Especially Ziva.
In the Navy Yard, the bets on them came back. If they would become a couple or not, and if so, when it would be. The days flew by. Two months after the fight, Bishop was the one who bet that they would be together soon, and, once again, she hadn't been mistaken, considering that she had won the bet she had with McGee for Ziva's return.
"Good morning,"McGee said as he made his way to his desk.
"Morninggggggg," Bishop said quickly as she gathered her stuff from her desk.
"Where are you going? Are you transferred on another department or something?" McGee asked curiously.
"Transfer yessssss, other department or team nooooo" Bishop clarified playfully. McGee raised an eyebrow as he sat at his desk. "Soon, Ziva will want her old desk back, and I will have to start packing, so I won't need to do it last minute. I'll move in next to you," she answered with a chuckle.
"You don't know that, Ellie" McGee said.
"Oh, come onnnnn, Timmyyyyyy! Are you blind or something? Abby says that they both are acting like it's the good old days."
"Yes, but that doesn't mean that Ziva will ask for her old desk back" McGee argued.
"Trust me, she will. And I'm more than willing to give it to her."
McGee was about to answer when a female giggling and a loud male laugh were heard from the elevators. It was Tony and Ziva.
"See what I meannnnnn?" Bishop pointed, smiling.
The day was boring. Just paperwork and it being Friday made the day more unbearable. It was almost lunch time when everybody was missing from the squad room. Gibbs was in Vance's office, Tony was in MTAC on video call with the Rota team for a cold case and McGee and Bishop were in Abby's lab processing the case's evidence from the beginning again. Ziva stayed at her desk, processing the suspects list and their alibis. That was when her phone rang.
"David."
"Hey Zivi" a female voice said with a German accent.
"Angelina!" Ziva exclaimed.
"Zivi I'm very mad at you. The last time we heard from you was about how long? 2 months ago? And that was because Adam called to announce our engagement. You totally forgot about us" Angelina said, pretending to be angry.
"I'm sorry, Angie. I wish I could contact you more often, but you know how my work is. And I'm still trying to adjust the whole situation at work" Ziva defended herself.
"Ya, ya, ya," Angelina said playfully in German. "However, if you had the chance, would you be happy to see me?" she went on, and at that the exact moment a 'ding' announced the arrival of the elevator.
"Of course I would, you know that well" Ziva answered without hesitation.
"Then surprise, Zivi !" a woman cheered, but this time she wasn't saying it through her phone, but from the squad room. Not believing her own ears, Ziva turned her head. There stood a young woman smiling, Ellie's age, with a NCIS Visitors badge on her shirt. She had long blond hair, blue eyes and the same height as Ziva.
"OH. MY. GOD!" Ziva exclaimed. She threw herself at the woman and hugged her tight. "What are doing here?" Ziva asked as she pulled away from her friend and looked at her face.
"Well, Dad had some business at the Embassy, and I took the advantage of visiting my friend since she doesn't come to see us" the blond woman said with complaint.
As Ziva was ready to protest, Tony made his appearance, coming down the stairs from MTAC.
"Hey," Tony said to Ziva with the bright Dinozzo grin and Ziva smiled back at him.
"Tony, let me introduce you Angelina Vonberg. She's my friend. Angelina, this Tony Dinozzo, my partner." Both Angelina and Tony extended their hands and shook them.
After the introductions between Angelina and the other members of the team were done, both women went to the café shop across the street to drink coffee. They talked about the preparations for the wedding, Adam's proposal, their life in Berlin, Adam's sudden trip to Israel few days ago for Shin Bet and, of course, Ziva's return to D.C. and NCIS, something that led the discussion of Tony.
"So,"Angelina started, smiling. "That was Tony." Ziva nodded.
"Now do you understand why Adam insists so much that you tell Tony the truth?" Ziva's friend continued.
"Angie," Ziva started but the young woman cut her off.
"Ziva, listen. I understood your intentions for lying to Tony, but you must be blind so that you can't see that this man loves you. He stands next to you and his heart is melting, not to mention about yours" she went on with a smirk. "It's time for you to tell Tony the truth."
"We've just rebuilt the trust and friendship between us and..." Ziva trailed off.
"You're scared," Angelina continued. "You're scared of how he will react."
Ziva nodded, sighing. Holding the cup of tea with both her hands, she observed it like she had never seen a cup before. "I just want a fresh start with him" she confessed quietly.
"Then tell him the truth" the blond woman suggested.
"No, I can't," Ziva declared firmly.
"Yes, you can, but you don't want to. This is your chance, Zivi" the woman encouraged. "It's worth the risk. In true love, it's worth the risk. You told me that, remember? Why just not follow your own advice? Remember how Adam reacted…." but Ziva cut Angelina off.
"Tony isn't Adam, and your situation wasn't as complicated as ours" she explained.
"Ziva."
"No, Angelina, you don't understand. I lied to him. And what if what I tell him about me and Adam? What if it's not the reason that's keeping us apart? What if he's afraid of the commitment with me? What if he's afraid that I might abandon him again?" Ziva argued.
"What if? What if? What if? What if? If you don't do anything, you will keep wondering for all your life. Wow, Zivi I don't recognize you. I thought I was the immature and the irresponsible in the gang! I guess I was wrong," Angelina said sarcastically and crossed her arms in front of her chest, leaning on her chair before turned her tone to serious. "The reason I'm asking you to tell the truth isn't about Tony's forgiveness. This is about your honesty towards him; towards yourself." she explained. "And I don't think he's afraid of you abandoning him again. He knows that you came back to stay for good this time. And he definitely isn't afraid of the commitment with you. If he was, he wouldn't have crossed the oceans for you. Open your eyes, Ziva. Tony loves you!"
"I don't know, Angie. I don't know…" Ziva said, sighing. "I just…I just don't want to risk what we have now,even if it means just being friends and partners. It's enough for me," she went on.
"It's enough for you? Is it enough for you to be with Tony as just partners and friends, sacrificing the only love of your life? Your soulmate?" Angelina asked in disbelief.
Ziva didn't answer. Instead, she looked at her cup again.
Angelina shook her head in disapproval. This woman in front of her wasn't Ziva, the woman she met years ago.
"I see," the blond woman said, sighing. "Ziva David, the fearless Ex-Mossad Officer who can face terrorists, murderers and any kind of scum on the earth is a coward when it comes to her feelings for the man she loves" she went on sadly.
Ziva didn't protest her friend's words, because Angelina was right. She was a coward. When it came to Tony, she had always been a coward. She just lowered her head in shame, pretending that she didn't hear her friend's comment, and kept drinking her tea.
A few minutes later, Ziva's, lunch break was over. Both women said their goodbyes, and Angelina asked Ziva to attend her wedding with Adam, along with Tony. Ziva sighed at the thought of it as she headed back to the Navy Yard. It meant that she had to reveal the truth about her and Adam to him, and she was scared about his reaction and the impact on their relationship. If Ziva only knew that her friend had other plans.
"Shalom, Angelina," Adam greeted his fiancé as he woke up.
"Adam, my teddy bear." Angelina said playfully on the phone.
"Ok, Angelina what happened?" Adam asked with a raised eyebrow, staring at the ceiling. "Because every time you call me like this, either you want something from me or you are in trouble. What is it this time?" Adam heard his fiancé's request and laughed on the phone "I knew your trip to D.C. didn't include just paying a visit to Ziva" Adam said smirking. He rubbed his face with his hand as he tried to assess his surroundings, still a little groggy.
Angelina just chuckled as she extended her hand to find a cab. Yeah, her fiancé knew her too well.
The rest of day was paperwork again, along with the cold case they were working on. However, Ziva's mind was elsewhere. It was on the discussion between her and Angelina. Her friend's words were replaying over and over again in her mind. 'I understood your intentions for lying to Tony, but you must be blind so that you can't see that this man loves you'…'It's time for you to tell Tony the truth'…'This is your chance, Zivi'…'In true love, it's worth the risk'…'Tony isn't afraid of the commitment with you. If he was, he wouldn't have crossed the oceans for you. Open your eyes, Ziva. Tony loves you!'…'It's enough for you? Is it enough for you to be with Tony as just partners and friends, sacrificing the only love of your life? Your soulmate?'
"Ziva!" Gibbs shouted in front of her. She jumped. "I'm talking to you, and you don't listen to me, Ziva. The file from the second murder in Rota," he went on.
"Yes, just…."Ziva trailed off, searching her desk for the file.
"Ziva," Gibbs repeated sighing and Ziva turned back to him. "I've got the file. You asked me to give it to you," he continued extending the file in front of her.
"Oh, you're right. Thank you," Ziva replied simply, taking the file from Gibbs' hand and starting to study it.
Gibbs made his way back to his desk, not taking his eyes off of Ziva. He knew that something was bugging her, but he didn't want to push her. She could discuss it with him at anytime if she wanted.
The time became 7:30 p.m. and, because it was Friday, Gibbs called it day.
"Hey, Tony, Ziva, are you in for drinks or not?" Bishop asked them in the parking lot.
"Sorry, Ellie, but I really miss my bed. I want to get some sleep, I feel exhausted" Tony said.
"What about you, Ziva?" Bishop asked.
"No, I'm tired too. I'd rather go home and read a book or work on the case. Besides, ZNN said that it's going to rain, and I'd like to be at home when it does." Ziva answered
"Ok, goodnight. Have a nice weekend," Ellie said and stepped away from the pair.
"Goodnight, Ellie" both Tony and Ziva replied in unison.
"Are you not going out with your friend, Zivi?" Tony asked playfully, using Angelina's nickname for his partner.
Ziva rolled her eyes. "No, Tony, it was a short visit. Angelina's flight leaves at 23:00, but she has some business to take care of."
"Oh." It was the only thing that Tony mumbled.
"Goodnight, Tony. See you on Monday." she said and headed for her car.
"Goodnight, Ziva, my love." he said just above a whisper, but Ziva was well out earshot to hear it.
Tony sighed as he headed for his apartment. One more weekend alone, along with movies and pizza. He hated that. He wanted something else. Something more important. He wanted Ziva. Stepping out his car with two boxes of pizza in his hand, a familiar voice dragged him from his thoughts.
"Agent Dinozzo." Turning his head, he faced the woman.
"Angelina?" Tony asked, surprised.
"Can we talk? Somewhere in private? I need to tell you some important things about Ziva" Angelina told him.
Tony led Angelina to his apartment offered her coffee and pizza and sat with her to discuss things.
"First of all, you can call me Tony," he said, flashing her a Dinozzo grin.
"Tony," Angelina addressed him, smiling. "there are some things you have to know about Ziva," she went on, her tone turning serious.
"What kinds of things?"Tony asked with worry.
"What did Ziva tell you about me, Tony?" the woman asked curiously.
Tony shrugged. Taking a sip of his coffee, he answered "That you are her friend and engaged to one of her dearest friends...why?" he asked, confused.
"Did she tell you the name of my fiancé?" the young woman continued. Tony shook his head
"His name is Adam Eschel," Angelina blurted out without warning and Tony choked on his coffee. "Oh, my God! Are you alright?" she asked with worry.
Tony couldn't recover from the shock. "You...Adam." he pointed at her. "Adam and you…"
Angelina burst out laughing.
"What are you laughing at?" Tony asked, a little angry and confused.
"Because." she couldn't stop laughing."Adam was right. 'Tony's face will be like has seen a ghost, when you will tell him who you are' " the woman said, mimicking Adam before she laughed again.
"I don't understand." Tony said.
"That's why I'm here. To make you understand the whole situation between my fiancé and Ziva. And I have the right way."
Tony didn't say anything.
"I'll make you understand through a story which took place few years ago in Israel. Are you interested to listen?" Angelina asked with a smile.
"I'm all ears." It was the only thing Tony said.
Let me know what you think