Hello my lovely readers!

this chapter is inspired by the strangely good British weather we have been having over here. its crazy!
shout out to MegpieLovesTiva for guessing the song, which was in fact best day by taylor swift :)

DISCLAIMER: i dont own. :(

Chapter 25- the sun shining over me and you…

"What is up with this weather dammit?" Abby said with great feeling, shaking her fists at the sky as the two of them reclined in the shade of a large tree on the unseasonably warm autumn day. Even though she was sufficiently shaded by the tree, she had a huge parasol to shade her delicate skin from the harsh rays of the Sun. She turned to Timmy, "and how can you look so relaxed about it?"

"Sun, blue skies, what's not to like?" he replied from his place on the ground, looking as relaxed as ever with his shirt off and his eyes shut, an expression on his that could only be described as pure bliss. Abby took a moment to admire his shirtless figure, before she realised he had asked a rhetorical question. So naturally, she felt obliged to answer it

"The sun. Burning in the Sun? The shirt less fat people!" she said answering his rhetorical question. Tim gave her an incredulous look, motioning down at his own half-clothed body.

"Not you silly! Stay shirt less for as long as you want!" she said, and Tim raised her eyebrows at him. Abby never really complained about much in life, she was one of those painfully optimistic "glass half full" girls. But this weather seemed to make her especially annoyed. Or was it something else?

"Is there a particular reason you're annoyed, other than the weather?" Tim asked.

"Well," Abby started, and Tim feared that he should have never asked, "I got an essay back yesterday. I did really badly in it, which was fine, but the teacher completely took apart my writing style and my language."

"I like your writing style!" Tim said, trying to make her feel better.

"Tim, you have never seen my writing!" Abby said, as if defeating the purpose of her reasoning. It was so sweet of him, kind of like a loyal St Bernard.

"Well I like everything about you, so why shouldn't I like your writing style!" Tim reasoned, and Abby looked away and smiled shyly. It was sweet of him to say that, and when he said things like that it brought unfamiliar feelings to the forefront of her mind. But could she really risk losing one of her best friends if they did not work out? But seeing him lying there shirtless, with all those sweet words, made her forget her thoughts. He had that effect on her.

"Anyways..." She said, as an awkward silence descended on the two of them, like neither of them knew how to respond to the attraction they felt to each other, "do you know when Tiva are arriving?"

"Tiva?" Tim said confused at the weird change in conversation.

"Tony and Ziva!" she said, as if Tim was the silly one.

Tim rolled his eyes but said nothing more on the matter of this "Tiva".

"Tony said they will be a bit late."

"So they are not referring to each other collectively?"

Tim gave her a weird look.

"You said that he said that "they" were going to be late. Keep up Timmy!"

If it had been anyone else he would have argued with that statement. But this was Abby. And she was different. And that was why he loved h- wow! He had definitely been out in the sun for too long...

He was saved from any kind of embarrassment when "Tiva" as Abby called them turned up.

"Woah!" Abby said, "you look so pretty!"

Tim looked up, hoping that she was not referring to Tony when she said that (this was Abby, after all...). When he looked up she understood what Abby was talking about.

Ziva was wearing a pure white dress, scrunched and ruffled at the top, but flowing and with a tone of lace through it. The colour contrasted with her tan skin beautifully, her tan standing out even more and the white looking even purer and angelic. The tight top did nothing but accent her chest, making her look even curvier, showing off her lean and toned body. Stunning, but not really Ziva...

"Jenny attacked me before I got out the house. Apparently it was warm and she no longer wanted the dress. And what I was wearing was not appropriate," Ziva explained.

"Sweet-cheeks, you were wearing a long sleeve shirt and trousers," Tony pointed out. Ziva glared at him, but secretly, she had enjoyed the attention that Jenny gave her with regard of clothes. She had not been old enough when she was alive to have that kind of relationship with her. Jenny seemed to unconsciously fill that void in her life that was in her life. And Ziva did not seem to mind at all. In fact it was quite the opposite…

"You two came together?" Tim asked, his tone suggestive. Tony glared at him. And did not answer him. Ziva saw this glare and placed her hand in his, and this move seemed to ground him, and make him less look less annoyed. He looked down at her smiling, the previous glare no-where to be seen. He squeezed her hand back lightly and Tim raised an eyebrow.

"Is there something you aren't telling us?"

"Well yeah, McIdiot, now you mention it Ziva isn't living at home anymore because of her jackass of a father," Tony answered, getting all protective about Ziva when he thought that Tim was attacking her verbally. Ziva looked away for that moment, uncomfortable, both at the choice in subject, and Tony's desire to protect her. She would have insisted that she did not need the protectiveness, but secretly she liked the idea of Tony get all angry just because he thought someone was going to hurt her.

There was a moment of silence, which Abby felt obliged to break.

"So is that why the two of you are together?" Abby asked casually. Ziva and Tony looked surprised at her.

"You honestly think we wouldn't notice," she said in the same tone she used when telling Tim off.

Ziva looked at Tony, and they had a lengthy silent conversation before she turned to Abby and McGee.

"Tony and I are seeing each other," she had to pause while Abby let out a squeal of excitement. Tim only sighed and reached for his wallet, and passed a tenner over to Abby.

"We had a bet going on about how long it would take you to get together already," he said as an explanation.

"You had bets going on us?' Tony asked, still sounding slightly annoyed.

"More importantly, who is we and do we get a share of this money," Ziva said, completing Tony's sentence, and Abby took a moment to get over the cuteness of the situation.

"I'll give it to you when we get all of it in."

"All of it?" Ziva asked, the unsaid part of the sentence stating that there had been a LOT of money and people betting on their relationship status.

"Let's just say that this bet extends between both of the schools, and a few other people" Timmy said smirking. Tony raised his eyebrows.

"We better get half the money…" Tony grumbled.

They unpacked the food and drink on the cloth that Abby had lay down on the ground for their chilled picnic meal. Abby had been shocked and horrified that Ziva had never had a picnic in her life before, so when the weather was right she had made to rectify the situation.

As they settled down Ziva decided to start the conversation off.

"So, speaking of dating, have you finally told Abby that you are in love with her and have been forever," Ziva said casually, popping the lid of one of the cans of beer with her knife. McGee spewed the contents of his mouth. Unfortunately, his mouth was full of beer. Even more unfortunately, Tony was in his line of fire.
"Dude! What the hell!" Tony said angrily, stripping his shirt off quickly before the sticky substance could reach his skin. And judging by Ziva's expression, she didn't seem to mind.

Tim however did seem to mind Ziva's questioning.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Tim denied quickly, shooting a sideways glance at Abby to see if she had anything to say about the matter.

"You two aren't going to be like that couple who are together so think that everyone else should be in a relationship?" Abby said.

"I was just asking," Ziva was quick to correct her, "if Timothy had done anything about the crush he has been nurturing for quite some time. But anyway," she stood up, "I saw a water fountain over there Tony. We can get you cleaned up." she winked at him as she got up, implying that as they got cleaned up, they would be getting a hell of a lot more dirty. Tony saw this underlying message, and stood up with more enthusiasm than he should have.

Tim and Abby sat by themselves for a few moments, the awkward silence enough to satisfy several turtles and their babies. Tim was picking at the grass nervously, and Abby was staring at him. The way that the sun caught his hair, making it look like his chiselled jaw and his face were surrounded by a pool of light. That was one of the combining factors that made Abby decide to do something.

"So," she said. He turned to look at her, "what are you waiting for?"

Tim's face broke into a grin, as she gave him her weird version of admitting her feelings. But this was Abby, the girl who had him stuck and smitten since back in his chubby probie days. Weird did not cover the way she was, and he used the term with as much endearment that he was able to cram into the one word. And yet there was nothing that she could do or say to make his feelings for her change. And he would not change it for the world.

He reached over and cupped the back of her head with his hand. But instead of doing what she thought he would and kissing her cheek, he went straight in there for the lips.

Abby was surprised at his dominance, as he gently lowered her to the ground, with each movement bringing her closer and closer until she felt the grass underneath her back. But he did not stop there. He pushed his mouth hungrily against hers, not afraid to use the position of his hand on her neck to tilt her to exactly where he wanted her. This was strange, her weird but dorky McGee being all manly and powerful, and making her all hot. And it was nothing to do with the weather. She moved her hands to caress his arm muscles as they tensed with the contact. Tim released her lips, but kissed his way down one cheek to her neck. Abby tilted her neck in a silent plea for his to get closer and he obliged, kissing his way up and down her neck.

Both of them stopped to catch their breath, Abby caressing his locks gently and Tim breathing into her neck. His hot breath seemed to do anything but calm Abby's racing heart, yet he seemed to be unaware of the effect that he was having on her.

Suddenly, he had the overwhelming urge to laugh, and despite his best efforts a few chuckles fought their way through his mouth, and Abby pulled her head back to look at him questioningly.

"You have no idea," Tim started, bringing his forehead to rest against hers, "how long I have been waiting to do that. And how much I have dreamed of doing that."
"And did it live up to your expectations?" Abby asked cheekily. It was strange for both of them, the weird balance they had found between the passion, but also their laughter. They were the same people, but Tim's boldness made her see him on a completely new level. It was weird and exciting.

"I don't know," Tim said jokily, pretending to think, "maybe I should try one more time, just to be certain."

He reached down to capture her lips in his again, and this time Abby did not hesitate to reciprocate his touch.

Some distance away from the pair, next to the water cooler Ziva stood dunking Tony's T-shirt into the water, then wringing it, and them repeating the process in attempt to remove the strange stain that seemed to look less like beer and more like a strange unknown but should be avoided substance.

"You told Abby and McGee," she started, not looking him in the eye. Tony cursed himself.

"Shit, did you not want to tell them?" he had not really thought about it. But that was very him. Not thinking before he acted. Stupid stupid him.

Whilst Tony was internally beating himself up, Ziva spoke.

"No," Ziva said, laughing slightly, but it ended up sounding more sad than humorous, "I would have just appreciated some notice, that is all."

Tony would have face palmed had it not been for the fact she was looking right at him.

"Ziva, I-"

"You should not apologise. Especially," she turned to him, "if there is nothing to be sorry for." She said it with a smile in her voice, and Tony was so grateful for her ability to forgive. It would have been so easy for someone to be bitter and harsh, with all that Ziva had been through. But somehow, she managed to be one of the most happy dispositions that he knew, and her sense for humour rivalled even the best of them.

"So what is my punishment," Tony said, detecting that she was joking, and that he was out of the woods. For now.

"Well," she started, looking up at him from underneath her eyelashes, "I will start by confiscating this shirt…" she said, pulling it behind her back, "and I will think of the rest of your punishment later," she said. It was amazing how dirty she managed to make the word "later" seem. But this was his Ziva. And he was going to go along with whatever plan she may have.

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