Standard disclaimer applies

not beta'd


Once again, the entire MCRT agents spent the morning on cold cases. Unfortunately for Tim, part of his time was also spent dodging contact with Abby. Since the start of the work day, his e-mail, computer, and cell phone had pinged, beeped, and chimed with messages from the forensic scientist demanding to know what was going on and why he talked to Gibbs privately.

"Everything okay there, McGee?" Gibbs asked, while glaring at the offending devices. "Maybe you should respond to those."

Tim sighed as he finally had all his electronic equipment silenced; he wished he had done it before Abby had started to contact him. How unrealistic of him to think that just because it was a new day that Abby would let what happen yesterday slide by. "Everthing's fine, and it isn't urgent. It can wait until I'm on break or off the clock."

"Good," Gibbs nodded as the team settled into a most silent routine, only the sound of rustling paper, tapping of keys, and those associated with drinking coffee were heard from his agents.

The renewed quietness of the bullpen was finally broken an hour later by a ringing phone, this time, not Timothy's. Even though he knew it was wrong, part of Tim really wished for a call out. It would keep Tony occupied and him out of Abby's grasp.

"Gibbs…yep…uh-huh…Okay, I'll see what I can do."

"McGee, Abby called looking for you. She needs your help again," Gibbs stated after he hung up his phone, not looking at the agent in question.

Tim froze, not sure how to proceed. He didn't want to tell on Abby, but neither did he want to be with her in the lab right now.

"Actually, Gibbs," Ziva injected, "I could use McGee's help on this cold case. I think I am on to something, but I am having a difficult time getting the computer to cooperate. I keep hitting a brick end."

"It's hitting a brick wall or a dead end, Ziva," Tony merrily corrected. "And I could help you."

"Really?" Ziva skeptically asked, "Weren't you the one who said you were to busy following leads on your own case to help me? Besides, I have no doubt Timothy could do it better than you," she smugly concluded.

Gibbs gaze alternated between the members of his team as he pondered this situation. Tim looked relieved at the possibility of not going back downstairs. It wasn't often Tim and Abby fought, and never before had it interfered with work. He decided to let them work it out, as long as the effects of the fight didn't linger. He did recall Ziva asking Tony for a few minutes of his time when he had a chance. Tony looked like he regretted blowing Ziva off earlier. Perhaps this was a good thing. "McGee, let Abby know that you are not available right now. Perhaps in a few hours, depending on what you and Ziva find. See if conference room three is available, that way you can discuss what Ziva needs in there without distracting DiNozzo from his pressing case."

"Yes, boss," Tim replied gratefully before helping Ziva gather the necessary files and heading to the conference room.

"Thank you," Ziva replied, as she followed Tim, Tony staring after them.

"DiNozzo, get back to work."

"Yes, boss."

Once secluded inside the conference room, Tim placed the folders on the table and turned to Ziva, enveloping her in a quick hug, "Thank you, Zee," he said honestly, before releasing her, "I really didn't want to be back in the lab with Abby."

"I suspected as much," she admitted. "I will admit that I am curious as to what happened down there between the two of you yesterday, but I will not ask. If you want to tell me, that is fine, but you have the right to your privacy, even or maybe, especially because of our new relationship," she smiled.

Tim shrugged, "It wasn't anything bad, she didn't really need me for anything, she just wanted to know what I talked to Gibbs about."

Ziva looked at him in shock. "She pulled you away from your work, to satisfy her curiosity? And then she tried to do it again today?"

Tim nodded. "At least that's what she wanted yesterday, I'm not sure about just now. She's been contacting me all morning asking me about yesterday, but now she might really need something."

"Hmm," Ziva hummed doubtfully. "Do you think she suspects something?"

"You mean about us?" McGee asked, shaking his head, "Nope, she's just butting into my personal and private life. She wondered why I wouldn't tell her since I told Gibbs, so it couldn't be that private. I told her it was personal and that as my direct supervisor, Gibbs needed to know, but no one else did. She was not happy with that."

Ziva frowned, an unhappy Abby could be a dangerous thing. Luckily, Ziva thought to herself with a smile, she was dangerous all the time. Still, "Do you wish you had told her?" she asked softly, continuing when Tim looked at her in surprise, "Not about what we are doing, but rather, that she was playing this role. That she was the one helping you."

"No," Tim strongly denied. "She…I… there is no way we could've pulled this off. Abby and I," he clarified. "Just from the few minutes we were down in the lab together, I was already getting annoyed with her and that was before she started pressing me for information that she had no right to have."

"Oh," she said softly, wondering what had gone wrong between the two friends. She really hoped her and Tim's friendship didn't end up in a similar situation once April Fools Day passed.

"I" Tim began hesitantly.

"What?" Ziva asked, causing Tim to shake his head in reply.

"It's nothing, not important."

She looked at him, searching his face for a moment. "It is okay, you can say what you want," she informed him. "We agreed to treat this like a real relationship, right? Be open and honest with one another? That cannot happen if we do not talk."

Tim nodded, "It's just, well, we've talked a bit about me and Abby, and our previous romantic relationship these last few days," he said, not looking at Ziva, so he did not notice her tense or look towards the windows. "And, well, I was just curious about something,"

"Curious about what?" Ziva questioned, trying to keep her tone neutral.

"About you and Tony," he finally admitted, still not looking at her. "I mean," Tim continued when she remained silent, "I know," he said, scrunching up his nose in thought, "or think I know, that you two didn't, haven't dated, but, well, I guess I'm kinda wondering why not. From the beginning you two flirted with each other, so," he stopped awkwardly, letting the sentence go unfinished as he shrugged his shoulders.

Ziva looked at him in surprise, "Yes, we did flirt with one another in the beginning,"

"Still do," Tim injected.

"And still do on occasion," she admitted, "I cannot say why this is true on Tony's part," she stated, "But for me, flirting is considered a tool, a way to make others feel more comfortable, at ease, so that they might let something slip."

Tim frowned, "You never used that on me."

"No," she admitted, "With you, it would have the opposite effect. In many ways, it didn't have the desired effect on Tony either."

"Why not?" Tim asked, not sure if he was asking about himself or Tony, and hoping she wouldn't ask for that clarification.

"For you, because you don't take flirting lightly, especially while working or from someone you have a professional relationship with. It is just who you are. Tony," she said, with a shake of her head, "Tony flirts with every woman he meets and expects her to flirt back or to be totally taken in by it. If I didn't flirt with him it would make him think that I was hiding something, he would then be relentless in trying to discover that. At the beginning, I could not risk that happening. Of course, since he expected me to flirt back, it didn't have as much of an impact on him as it would on someone else. Basically," she concluded, "We were each playing a part, both suspecting the other one was as well, so neither took it seriously."

Tim nodded in understanding, as he remained silent for a few minutes as he thought about her words. "Are you sure about that?"

"About what?"

"That neither of you took it seriously? That there wasn't, isn't more to the flirting," he asked. "Because here it is, years later, and the two of you still flirt. In fact," he began, only to break off.

"What?"

He remained silent for a moment as he thought about what point he actually wanted to address. "There'sanofficepoolaboutwhenthetwoofyouwillfinallygettogether," he said in one breath.

"What about a pool?" Ziva asked in confusion, not understanding what he just said.

Taking a deep breath, Tim repeated, "There's an office pool about when the two of you will finally get together," he continued before she could speak, "Many people watching the two of you believe that you and Tony will, if you haven't already, 'hook up'. Odds are that it will be a serious relationship," he added.

She looked at him in surprise, "I…really?"

Tim solemnly nodded. "Is it possible? I mean, on your end at least? If it is, we don't have to continue with this. I mean, this," he said, waving his hand between the two of them, "could ruin things between all three of us, and especially if you feel something deeper for Tony, or think you could someday."

Ziva met and held his eyes. "No, it's not possible. Not on my end," she admitted.

Tim continued to look at her, before asking for more information, "Why not?"

She snorted, "Because even though he is older, in many ways, he is still a child. He is not looking for a permanent relationship, or thinking about the future, something I already told you I was interested in. And even if he was," she continued, when Tim opened his mouth, "Can you really see us in a relationship where one of us wouldn't kill the other? No, the only thing I feel towards him is annoyance, especially when he just goes on and on about movies. I have a hard enough time dealing with him while working, but if I had to put up with his incessant and insane chatter all day, I swear I would kill him."

"I thi-" Tim began before shaking his head and smiling.

"What?"

Tim paused, "I was going to say that I think you mean inane chatter, but realized, that insane works just as well, if not better when describing Tony."

Ziva smiled her agreement.

"So," Tim said a few moments later, "What do you need help with?"

Ziva grabbed the case folder and her notebook and pointed out some of the inconsistencies she noticed. Immediately Tim saw where she was heading with that and the two started to brainstorm various ways they could discover the five year old truths.


5-11-18 (posting from WDW)

hoping you enjoyed it

I know it might seem slow, but it is still only two days since they first talked about the plan