Ziva tapped her fingers impatiently on the table and immediately felt guilty for doing so. It wasn't like Amelia was late - she was just early, having completely misjudged how quickly she would be able to walk around a set of roadworks. And she practically had an hour as well, so there was no real rush.

They had actually been given the opportunity to have a full lunch hour today. No active cases, just reports. After several shenanigans, Gibbs told them all to "get out of the office and don't come back until lunch is over". Well, she, Tony and Tim weren't going to argue with that and they had rushed to the elevator before he could change his mind.

Tony was meeting up with one of his frat buddies for some sort of greasy imitation of a sandwich, Tim was going to a computer shop - he wanted to upgrade something (he had told them what but it was followed by so many technical words that she had now forgotten) and she actually had plans as well. Plans that she had made herself.

Speaking of plans, Ziva looked up from her water to see Amelia slide into the chair opposite her and smiled.

"Hi."

"Hello, Amelia."

"Have you already ordered?" Amelia asked, nodding at Ziva's glass.

Ziva shook her head.

"It is just a glass of water," she explained.

"Good, I'm not late then."

Ziva shook her head. "I am just early," she explained.

"Shocking."

Ziva rolled her eyes but did not deny it, she was rarely the first one to any "coffee date" because of work (Gibbs).

Eyeing the display case by the counter, Amelia said, "Those traybakes look amazing."

"I was more thinking the cinnamon rolls," Ziva disagreed.

"Are you sure they would be cinnamon-y enough for you?" Amelia teased.

Ziva's love of the spice was well known. It was just a perfect flavour, okay? And there seemed to be a depressingly small amount of foods with a food amount of it in it. Apparently, only winter was an acceptable time for cinnamon goodies to come out. And yes, late D.C autumn was winter in her books. Stupid weather.

"I am sure I will cope."

"You'll just have to wait until Hallowe'en for your tea."

Ziva grumbled something under her breath. It really wasn't fair. Spices should not be seasonal in her opinion.

"I can at least get it in a roll," she said, nodding towards the display case and reaching for her bag. Amelia held up a hand to stop her.

"My treat."

Ziva nodded her acquiescence and settled back down into her seat. There was no point in arguing with that tone.

"Usual order?" Amelia checked.

"Please."

It did not take long for Amelia to return; the queue was short and nobody was hesitating at the counter. A steaming mug of berry blast tea was set in front of her and a plate of assorted treats was placed in the centre of the table. Ziva raised an eyebrow, there were more than two cakes there.

"I couldn't decide," she said defensively.

"That is -" Ziva tried to count the cakes. "- a lot."

She didn't think that Amelia could eat all of them. Ziva knew she certainly couldn't. Far too much sugar.

"You're helping me."

Ziva raised an eyebrow. "I am."

"Of course," Amelia replied confidently. "I even got you a slice of apple pie. There's cinnamon in it."

Oh, that sparked her interest.

"There is?"

"I asked." Amelia looked around the table and then patted herself down. "Dammit. Forgot the sugar. Do you need any milk?"

Ziva shook her head as Amelia rose to retrieve some sugar from the counter. There was a little container of paper packets there.

"So," Amelia stated, settling back into her seat and dumping a handful of white and brown sugar packets onto the table. "How are things going?"

Ziva took a long sip of her tea before answering. She hissed slightly from the heat.

"Good."

That got Amelia sceptically raising an eyebrow.

"Really?"

"Yes."

"You're...good?"

Now it was Ziva's turn to raise an eyebrow. "That is what I said, yes?"

Amelia gave her a long look, searching for something in her face that she didn't find, before shaking her head.

"Yes, because being uncontactable for several days is 'good'." Her tone veering on scathing.

Ziva bit her lip so she didn't laugh at Amelia's indignant expression. Then her mouth turned down into a frown, remembering the events that had made her uncontactable for a few days.

Amelia noticed her expression and hastily added, "Not that it's really a bad thing. I mean, you don't have to contact people. It's just that-"

Ziva held up a hand to stop her babbling.

"You were worried, correct?"

Amelia's shoulders slumped in relief, apparently worried that Ziva was going to snap at her. Ziva didn't exactly blame her, she hadn't exactly been approachable even before everything happened. Though it was... odd to have Amelia worry about her. She didn't exactly understand why. It wasn't like Ziva being missing would affect Amelia in any way. She understood the team at NCIS - they would be a person down and she liked to believe she brought some new, indispensable skills to the counter - but not Amelia. What did it matter if she vanished? She turned up again, didn't she? Uninjured to shoe.

"When people you know disappear without saying anything people tend to be worried," Amelia told her, reading her puzzled expression correctly.

That still didn't explain anything to Ziva. In fact, it made her feel more confused. Why would she be worried?

"But I am okay."

Amelia made an exasperated noise.

"I can see that now. I didn't know that then. None of us did, Ziva! It's never a good thing when people disappear!"

"You have been watching too many crime shows again," Ziva deflected

Her friend made a frustrated noise this time.

"No, well, yes. But that's not the point!"

Ziva gave her a long look, a realisation suddenly hitting her.

"You… care about what happens to me?"

Amelia's eyes softened.

"Of course, I do."