After a late night of box packing and several round trips to both apartments, Tori was finally moved into McGee's. She and Tim sat in the middle of his living room, surrounded by boxes full of anything and everything imaginable.
"For such a temporary stay, you sure do have a lot of stuff," he remarked wide eyed.
"I know," she sighed, "Armand keeps sending me more as the months go on. He doesn't like it when I repeat outfits," a giggle escaped her lips, "I honestly don't know how I'm going to ship this all back."
"I mean you don't have to take it all back," Tim mumbled sheepishly.
"What do you mean?" Tori asked.
"Just that…I wouldn't mind if you left some of it here. Only if you want too, that is," the agent danced around the topic, "I mean, this case is going to end sometime, and home is here for me, and New York for you…so…"
"So…what?" the brunette stared at him still a bit confused.
"So…I'm not asking you to uproot your life or anything. And it's not like I'm totally expecting you to want to try this long distance, but…" McGee continued to ramble aimlessly.
"Leaving New York, is something I'm not sure I'm willing to commit to quite yet. However, I would never mind frequent visits here," the little woman grinned," I had assumed this decision wasn't one made on a temporary basis. Was I mistaken?"
"No, no! Not at all. You know, if you have room for me in your apartment, I would never mind taking a trip to the Big Apple," he smiled, scratching the back of his head.
"Timmy, there will always be room for you, wherever life takes me," Tori laughed.
Joy filled his heart, "So, Agent DiNozzo, would you consider this relationship to be serious?"
Tori pondered this thought for moment, "Well, Agent McGee, I would have to say so!" she giggled.
"Then, and don't freak out, I have another proposition for you." Tim began, "Now that we're living together and are considering this relationship to be one of a serious nature, would you like to come with me over the long weekend, to meet my family?" he spoke quickly.
"You…you want me to meet your family. You want them to meet…me?" she gasped almost is disbelief.
"Of course!" McGee replied flabbergasted, "They're important to me, you're important to me, so it only makes sense that you meet! It would mean the world to me!"
"Well," Tori snaked her arms around his neck, as Tim pulled her into his lap, "Since it is so important to you, I would love to meet the McGee Clan!"
"Clan," he chuckled, "That's the perfect way to describe all of us!"
"All of us?" she furrowed her brow.
"Ya, my entire family is coming into town this weekend!" McGee grinned.
"How many is entire?" Tori nervously asked.
"Well," he started to think, "My father is the oldest of nine…so all of his siblings and their spouses. Then we have all of their children, and some of their children are married and have children…and then Penny, I could never forget Penny…"
"Tim! How Many?!" she began to panic.
"I'm going to say around… sixty to sixty-five!" he looked at her horror struck face, "I didn't think you'd freak out this much…you know, coming from a big family and all!"
"Of course I'm going to freak out! I thought I was going to meet your parents and maybe your little sister! Which is nerve-racking to begin with, but now I have to meet sixty-five strangers?" Tori rambled as the feeling of vomit rose in her throat.
"Well, uhh, sixty-four strangers, and me…" Tim smiled weakly trying to lighten the mood, "Look I would normally never ask you to do this, but this weekend is extremely important. The Navy is throwing this huge black-tie affair in honor of my father's retirement…and it also just so happens to be his birthday…"
"Oh is he having a big milestone birthday or something?" she asked.
"You could say that…" the agent responded hesitantly, "It'll…probably be his last."
"What?" the little Italian spoke quietly.
"Ya, its…stage four," McGee replied half-heartedly.
"Tim, of course I'll come. I'm so sorry I didn't…" he cut her off.
"No, it's alright, I didn't tell you," he forced a fake smile, "It'll really mean a lot that you'll be there. That everyone will be there."
Tim buried himself into her shoulder seeking comfort, which Tori readily gave. He took in a deep breath and slowly let it out, as she tightly squeezed him. Close or not, she could tell that his father's illness had taken a toll on him.
"Hey," she cooed softly, as his somber eyes looked up at her, "I love you."
With a genuine smile, he pressed his lips against hers and sighed, "I love you too."
On the other side of the city, there was another encounter continuing to unravel itself. Tony sat and watched as Ziva rummage through her two small duffle bags. She was really here. He was really looking at her. It was Ziva. Tony had no idea what to say, and the apartment was so quiet. He had dreamed of this moment for months, and still had not the slightest idea of how to begin a conversation with her. A mixture of emotions raged within Tony DiNozzo. He was angry she left, shocked that she came, and still baffled by her beauty.
"Well, you sure pack light," he finally spoke.
"I don't require much and, as you know, I was not planning on staying long," Ziva chided.
"Well, what if this was real, and we couldn't find Gibbs for months? Would you have left to find yourself again? By the way, have you found yourself?" Tony tried to tease her like he used too. However, she only left him for the kitchen, "Hey, come on, you know I was kidding."
"I didn't find it very funny," she glared.
"Hey, I haven't had any contact with you of the past year!" Tony spoke with a similar tone, "What do you want me to say?"
"Hi? How are you? What's new in your life?" the dark haired woman shrugged.
"We are much more than just small talk, and you know that," he spat.
"Are we Tony? Are we really?" her almost black eyes stared through him, "I swear the only person more infuriating than you is your sister!"
"Hey," Tony took some offense from her statement.
"But really though, who honestly thinks what she did could even be considered reasonable?" Ziva fired back.
"I mean, it's not reasonable, but I can understand why she did it!" he objected, feeling the need to defend Tori in her absence.
"Then your shed is also missing a few lightbulb bunches!" she threw her arms in the air.
"Ok, you are either 'not the sharpest tool in the shed', or you're 'not the brightest bulb in the bunch!' You can't just use both!" Tony began, "Also she's my sister, Ziva, and she loves me."
"Since when is love lying to someone? Or costing them money? Or possibly causing more harm than good? Tell me that, Tony," her face was inches away from his.
"Since…" he didn't want to say it, "Since you left!" the Italian ran his fingers, there it was out in the open.
"What?" Ziva spoke quietly through her teeth.
"It's not news to anyone that I've missed you, trust me," Tony sighed, "I was pretty bent out of shape, and I guess that I still am. Was it right what Tori did? No, not at all. Was it stupid, reckless, and borderline insane? Yes. But, Zi, she's just being my sister. And you can question the quality of our sibling bond as much as you want, but we get each other on a different level. We think the same way, and as DiNozzo's we do everything with a sense of grandeur! When she saw how upset I was every time something about you came up, she knew she had to do something about it. So no matter how wrong it was, I can't be upset with her because I'm happy. She brought you back to me. And yes I know, we're fighting, but I would rather have you scream at me, tell me you hate my guts, and smack me across the face, than not hear from you for another year."
"Tony, that's ridiculous…" he cut her off.
"No, it's not, because it means that you still feel something towards me. It means that you think about me, that you're still connected to me, that I'm not just this faded memory in the life of past Ziva," Tony finally finished.
Ziva approached him quietly, and stealth like, before smacking him across the face. Tony adjusted his jaw baffled by her action, even though he had spoken of it moments before. Their eyes met.
"Don't ever think that you would be just a memory to me," her eyes glistened, "That is the biggest insult to…"she pulled her words back.
"To what?" Tony shook his head.
Her brown eyes could barely meet his gaze, "To us…That is if there is still an 'us'."
There was silence again. Ziva continued to look at the floor. A familiar hand lifted her chin, their eyes locking once more.
"Zi, there will always be an 'us'," Tony murmured as he pressed his lips to hers.