Yay! Lots of reviews! I'm going to respond really quickly:
AmyV24 - good question! You'll see in this chapter!
spacekitten2700 - :D I wasn't either!
DS2010 - Thanks for your comments!
BohoAngel - I loved the "not inclined to think 'positive' thoughts first" phrase in your review. Definitely inspired a couple of lines near the end!
Guest/LT - that won't be happening in this story, but there will be other points of interest! I told another reviewer this (I think), but I don't think that Gibbs could spank Ziva at this point. I really don't feel like there is that trust in that relationship yet. Likely will happen in another story in the future, just not now, not yet. :) Hope that you understand!
Happy Reader - love the name! Thanks for the reviews - loved them!
Everyone, just wanted to dedicate this chapter to DS2010 - their comment about Abby being "forced" to apologize got me thinking; it was not how I meant it when I wrote the chapter, but their interpretation made me think "if Ziva heard about it, what would she think?" That inspired the last chapter and this one. :) So, at the risk of sounding like some sort of commercial - "Your reviews, making a difference in the real world of storytelling!" - well, basically, that's what I meant to say! Make sure to comment, because this story is one of the few that I have written spur of the moment. Usually I have a story outline - this one does not have one. (So out of character, yet fun too!) So, if you want to help influence this story, please review! You never know - you might end up inspiring the next chapter!
Ha ha! I sound ridiculous! Anyway, enjoy!
...
There was little warning for Gibbs to prepare himself for the fury that was Ziva. There was a swoosh - and there she was, glaring at him with eyes flaming with anger.
"Ziva," he acknowledged nonchalantly. It did nothing to calm her. She was practically bristling with irritation.
"Here," she spat, slamming a dollar down on his desk.
"Excuse me?" he demanded, thoroughly confused but starting to get annoyed by Ziva's obvious attitude.
"There's your dollar back. I wouldn't want you to get broken paying for apologies. I can afford my own bribes." Her anger had escalated until she was shouting.
"Officer David, stop yelling and explain - NOW." Gibbs was starting to shout too, his patience depleted.
"Why should I stop?" Ziva returned If anyone else had been in the bullpen they would have been cowering from the negative energy generated by the two involved in the standoff, but thankfully no one else was there. Unfortunately that also meant that there was no incentive to control their tempers.
"Because I told you!" Gibbs bellowed.
What has gotten into that girl? If she doesn't stop right away she is going to regret it!
"Just like you 'told' Abby to apologize?" Ziva gave the jab triumphantly. That confused Gibbs to the point that he stopped yelling.
"What do you mean?"
Ziva stalked over to her desk and grabbed a folder, stuffing papers inside, before returning to glare at Gibbs. "You bribed her to apologize to me, Agent Gibbs?" She let out a bitter laugh at the shocked expression, so rare to see on Gibbs' face. "You didn't think that I would find out, did you? Obviously, I'm not worth a real apology." The caustic words were spewing out so fast that Gibbs could not even think of how to stop the outburst - so he watched her, just letting her explode. She was not breaking anyone's neck, so it was okay. Once she calmed down - then that would be a different story.
Ziva spun on her heel and stalked away. That elicited a reaction.
"Ziva! Where do you think you are going? You need to explain."
"To get my work done ... away from those who resort to bribery!" Ziva snapped over her shoulder before disappearing into the stairwell.
This is not good. And bribery?
Gibbs stood and began to stalk after Ziva. Miss David owed him an explanation. And if this kept up he was going to be explaining some things to her as well.
...
This is not good. I just walked out on my boss.
Ziva nearly stopped and turned around at horrible realization, but her temper demanded that she keep going. It was just too ... too ... cruel, really, making her think that Abby was finally accepting her, just to learn that she was not after all. All of those agents, plotting and planning how to favour Abby while tricking Ziva into a false sense of security.
She heard quick footsteps behind her.
Oh, great. Gibbs is coming to kill me - or hit my head off. I'd better do my "ninja" moves, as Tony calls them, and hide.
Ziva jumped over the side of the staircase and landed on the next landing, then slipped out of the door. She ran quietly down the hall, ignoring the questioning looks of workers. She eventually found a maintenance closet and stepped inside. It was just in time too - within a minute she heard Gibbs pass, asking a passing lady if she had seen "an angry Israeli officer running down these halls?" Ziva held her breath until she heard the woman answer the negative before clicking away on high heels. She heard Gibbs mutter under his breath for awhile, before he turned and walked away with the declaration that "I need coffee if I'm going to deal with this drama." She stifled her snort of derision.
As if I am dramatic!
She settled down, propping her folder against a shelf and pulled a pen flashlight from her pocket. She began to study the papers. Just then the door was pulled open and a grumpy old man was scowling at her.
"W'atcha doin' in MY cl'set?" he demanded.
"Working," Ziva matched his tone. He grabbed her shoulder and roughly pulled her out of the hiding spot, shoving her papers onto the floor where they scattered.
"Not here, you ain't!" he announced, pushing past to grab some cleaning supplies and shove them into a cleaning bucket.
Would it be considered self-defense if I strangled him now?
"Wait, yer the one that belongs to Agent Gibbs, huh?"
"Uh..."
"Gibbs!" the man hollered. "Git over here. I found yer kid."
I do think that it would be self-defense. Too bad Gibbs is around here somewhere, because then I'd have to do it on him too, and that could get me deported.
Ziva scooped up her papers and shot the custodian a glare before rushing away.
"Hey, git yer hide back here! Ya knocked over my cleaners!" the custodian yelled again, but Ziva was gone.
...
"You wanted to see me, Gibbs?" Abby asked, entering the bullpen. She was not quite her normal bouncy self, still in self-preservation mode. When Gibbs was in the mood to dish out spankings he might just keep going. Not that he normally did, but someday he just might. It was better to be extra well-behaved to stay on his good side.
"Yep." Gibb walked over and got in her space, looking her straight in the eyes. Abby shifted nervously.
There's nothing that I did in the last half hour that would get him upset - is there?
"Did you tell Ziva that I bribed you to apologize to her?"
"No!" Abby looked at him as if he was crazy. "Why would I do that?"
"Because she just stormed out of here fifteen minutes ago shouting that I did just that. Now, as I don't remember bribing you, I am interested in knowing where she got that idea - because she seemed very certain."
"Trust me, it wasn't me!" Abby spluttered.
"Well, what did you say to her when she went down to your lab?" Gibbs demanded.
Abby looked thoroughly confused at that. "She was never down."
"Abby." The warning tone demanded the truth, but Abby was upset.
"Honest, Gibbs! She never came down - not once today!"
Gibbs looked at her steadily for half a minute, then nodded curtly. "Then any idea on where she would have gotten that idea?"
"Why? What did she say?" Curiosity overrode sadness at being questioned.
"She came in here, slammed a dollar down on my desk, and shouted that she could pay her own bribes for apologizes from you."
Abby scowled thoughtfully, then spun around to Tony and McGee. "Did you guys say anything? 'Cause I explained it to you that I wasn't bribed."
"No, I haven't talked to Ziva since earlier before we guys went down to check on you," Tony testified. But McGee was not so quick to answer.
"Tim?" Abby pushed.
"McGee, you know anything about this?" Gibbs ordered.
"Uh, maybe. I don't know anything, but I have a hypothesis."
"What?" all three demanded.
"Maybe ... she was wondering if Abby was okay and offered to check on her." Abby, embarrassed, glanced up at Gibbs who was waiting for McGee to continue. "Tony and I knew that might bother Abby more, so, since we understood the situation better, we offered to go. But, Ziva being Ziva..."
"She probably went down anyway," Gibbs ended.
Of course she would. When does she ever stay behind? I don't think it is a concept that she even comprehends ... yet.
"But we didn't see her," Abby provided.
"No, but we wouldn't need to. She could have been just outside, listening in. And when you were telling us about Gibbs getting a chocolate bar for you with your dollar, that you were only allowed to have after apologizing ... well, Tony and I asked if he bribed you."
"But he didn't! Did you, Gibbs?"Abby turned to Gibbs for validation. "And anyway, I explained that he hadn't. In fact, he threatened me with more punishment if I didn't behave!"
"Yeah, but Probie's right," Tony added. "If Ziva only heard a part of that conversation, she could have gotten some wrong ideas - and knowing how she reacts to things ..."
"She's thinking the worst," Gibbs sighed.
Great. So now the assassin thinks that I was trying to trick her - after finally thinking that I was building up trust with her yesterday. Wasted. Now she's mad and missing. Great, Ziva, just great.
"But why didn't you just call her and hear here side, Boss?" Tony asked the obvious question. Gibbs wearily ran his hand over his face.
"I tried. She's not answering."
...
Uh oh! What do you think of this chapter? Any thoughts on what will occur next? Please remember to review!
I hope to post chapter fifteen tomorrow, with it being the weekend.