For all disclaimers see Chapter 1.
livmissy Thanks. Yes, he is. But he wouldn't be Tony if he wasn't.
Special Agent Stace Yeah, I'm starting to run out of ideas. But it was a fun story to write. Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment.
Moon FireStar I think Eli took it the only way he knows how to take bad news. Thanks for taking a chance on this story and this pairing. There are a lot of good Abby/Ziva stories out there.
Tonya S lol. Well, I've got a couple more chapters left, so hopefully I'll be able to put a silly grin on your face at least once more. Thanks for reading and commenting.
The trip Ziva took in "Nine Lives" was in my head when I was writing these past few chapters. And yes, this is the point in which the story stops following cannon. I had an idea on how to work the whole Rifkin situation in but it took the characters in a direction I didn't like so I'm doing it this way instead.
ladygoddess8 I took awhile, but Ziva finally got there. Thanks for reading/replying.
ttandme69 I know, I'm horrible. I left you hanging. But, hopefully this chapter will make the wait worth it.
marshmeg Well, welcome to the story. I'm glad that you took a chance on the story, even it was out of sheer boredom. If it brought you to my story, I'll take it. As someone who's coming to the story from another perspective, I'm glad that you find them to be in character and believable. It was a stretch, making some of the scenes Abby/Ziva centric, the show doesn't have them interacting much but that's what was fun about it.
neoniloveyou Yeah, sometimes family is what you create it to be. Thanks for reading/commenting.
Chapter 21
Abby caught the look Gibbs gave their joined hands when they returned to the living room. It was quick, the barest of downward glances but Abby saw him do it all the same. Just as she saw that neither Tony or McGee seemed to notice at all. It was a familiar site after all, Abby leading someone around by the hand or wrist, they'd all experienced it at one point or another. If they had been paying attention, however, they would have realized that Abby wasn't gripping Ziva's wrist, nor was she clasping the other woman's hand in her own but rather their fingers were laced together. And if they had been paying attention they might start to get an inkling that something was up, maybe they would be able to anticipate the news that she and Ziva were about to share. But of course, they weren't paying attention. And Abby was fighting a grin thinking of the shock they would receive at this news.
"Hey, down in front," Tony complained, tossing a handful of popcorn at them when they stopped in front of the television. "The movie's about to start."
"I think you are going to want to hear this so much more than you want to see the beginning of a movie you have probably already seen a dozen times before."
Something in Ziva's tone captured Tony's attention and he leaned forward, elbows resting against his knees. "I'm all ears."
"What's going on guys?" McGee asked, glancing back and forth between the two of them.
Abby glanced over at Ziva, checking one last time that she was in fact ready. Ziva nodded almost imperceptibly and gave her hand a faint squeeze.
"Ziva and I have something to tell you."
"Yeah, we gathered that," McGee said. "What is it?"
Abby let out a sigh and rolled he eyes. Leave it to McGee to take all the drama out of their anouncement. "Okay, fine," she huffed. "Ziva and I have been seeing each other."
She had expected some sort of reaction, surprise or shock or something but they all just sat there, staring blankly at her. She glanced over at Ziva, who shrugged.
"Did you hear me? I said-"
"We heard you, Abby. It's just taking me a moment to process it," McGee interrupted. "You mean like-"
"You guys are doing the nasty?" Tony interjected. "The horizontal tango? The double backed-"
"We got it." McGee cut him off.
"That is so hot."
"Stop picturing it." Gibbs, who had been silent up to this point finally spoke. Then punctuated his words with a sharp smack to the back of Tony's skull. Tony gave a yelp and then fell silent.
"It figures that would be what you would focus on, Tony." Ziva rolled her eyes at her partners reaction.
"Hey, I'm a guy."
"McGee is a guy and I do not see him salivating at the thought of two women together."
"Oh, trust me, he is. He's just too much of a McDork to say anything."
"Hey. I'm not. I mean...I.." McGee stuttered a response then fell silent, probably realzing there was no good way for him to defend himself.
"You know Tony," Ziva began, leaning in conspiratorily. "What you are imagining in that sick, twisted head of yours..." she continued in a low whisper
"Yeah?"
"What Abby and I do is so, so much better."
Tony flopped back into his chair, his eyes glazed over and Abby almost doubled over with laughter.
"And that, Ziva, is more information that I ever cared to hear," Gibbs said.
Abby felt Ziva tense beside her at his words. Obviously she had not noticed the faint smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. Abby squeezed her hand reassuringly but Ziva didn't respond.
"I am sorry, Gibbs. I-"
He waved her apology aside as he rose from his seat and stepped over to them. He put a hand on each of their shoulders and glanced back and forth between the two of them. "I'm happy for you. But please, keep what you do in the bedroom in the bedroom."
Beside her, Ziva seemed to sag with relief. "Of course, Gibbs."
He turned his gaze to Abby, who couldn't resist giving him a cheeky smile before also agreeing.
"Thank you." He pressed a gentle kiss to Abby's cheek and then dipped his head and brushed a kiss against Ziva's forehead.
His expression turned serious as he stepped back though. "Ziva, can I talk to you for a moment?" He nodded in the direction of the kitchen.
"Whatever you have to say to Ziva, you can say to me." Abby gave him a warning look.
Gibbs gave a soft sigh, "It's a matter of some sensitivity." He gave Abby a look right back "About your father," he added quietly as he turned to Ziva.
"It is fine, Gibbs. Abby and I have no secrets."
"What about them?" he asked, jerking his thumb over his shoulder in the direction of the guys, who were both leaning forward, trying to listen in on their quiet conversation.
"They will likely find out about it anyway."
"Okay." Gibbs shrugged. And when he spoke again, his voice was at a normal level. "The attack today, that was your father wasn't it?"
Ziva nodded. "Yes. I told him about Abby and I. And he sent me a message."
"A message? They could have killed you," Abby protested.
"No. They were skilled, yes. But not skilled enough. They could not have killed me."
"How can you be so sure?"
"I know how my father operates. If he wanted me dead, he would have sent an assasin after me. I would have been dead before I even knew someone was after me. No, this was just his way of showing me that he is dissapointed in me and reminding me that he can get to me, if he wants to."
Abby stared at her in shock, amazed that she could talk about this so calmly. There was compartmentalizing and then there was robotic.
"Do you think a message is all he's interested in?"
Gibbs' question sent gooebumps shivering down Abby's spine. "Oh, God, Ziva what if he decided to-"
"He will not. He delivered his message. I delivered mine."
"How can you be sure?"
"Because, even estranged, I am more useful to him alive than dead. Not to mention the fact that I took out an insurance policy years ago. If anything should happen to me that is even remotely suspicions, a lot of very damaging information on my father will go public."
"Not to mention that if he did do something, Gibbs would put a bullet between his eyes," Tony added.
"I'm sure he's aware of that as well," Gibbs agreed.
Abby glanced over at Ziva to see how she was taking this.
"I am sure he is," Ziva murmured softly, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips despite the seriousness of the discussion. She glanced over at Abby, who noticed that her eyes shone with emotion.
It was a strange world Abby lived in where the thought of death threat made her girlfriend smile. But she knew that it wasn't so much the threat as the implications behind it that made Ziva's face light up like that.