"I bet Ziva is having a brilliant time in LA," Amelia said dolefully as she placed and 'E' and a 'D' on the board, making the word 'exclaimed'.
It put her firmly in second place but even that didn't bring her pleasure at the moment.
"Isn't she working?" Amina asked with a raised eyebrow. "I do not think that that is exactly fun..."
"Well, she'll be in the sun at least," Amelia replied defensively. "Which is already miles better than here."
They all turned to look out of the window. It was very much raining. Even heavier than before, if that was possible. It had been raining all day, the dripping coats in Amelia's hall testifying to that.
"I would definitely prefer to be at the beach," Raphael grumbled.
They always joked that he was solar powered. He got grumpy when it rained. Which was a lot.
"I want to go to the beach, mommy," Evangeline said with a whine, tugging at her arm.
Amelia jumped and looked down at her daughter.
"Eva! I thought daddy was getting you ready!"
She had been invited to a friend's party at an indoor play place. It started soon and she didn't have her shoes on.
"I lost my shoes," she told her mother quite seriously.
"Of course, you did," Amelia sighed.
Why was it so difficult for her children to keep their shoes in one place?
Then she heard her husband from upstairs, "Evie! I found your shoes!"
Amelia directed her youngest out of the kitchen, "Go and get your shoes from daddy, now. Or you'll be late."
"That starts with an 'L'," she was solemnly informed. "Like that word."
Evangeline promptly stuck her finger on the scrabble board, shifting the tiles about.
Amelia tried not to groan too loudly.
[xxxxxx]
Ziva was trembling. She had not realised that she was trembling until Tony had touched her arm and it had shaken against him.
"You okay?" he asked quietly.
She didn't turn to look at him. She couldn't. Not with the grief that was already so evident in his tone. She would not be able to cope with that on his face as well. Not when she was trying so hard to retain her own control.
"Yes," she said harshly.
Almost immediately, she regretted it but she couldn't say anything, not with the lump in her throat and Mike Frank's just right over there. She still wasn't completely sure why he was there, something about Jenny contacting him? He hadn't been there when she and Tony had originally showed up, then he appeared and then vanished when Vance came to sort the scene out. Now he was back again but not really saying much of anything at all. But Ziva was pretty sure Mike Franks had been Gibbs' old boss, not hers...
Oh, she didn't understand anything that had just happened. Four gunmen, Jenny, this diner? Everyone... dead. Quite dead. What on earth had happened? So much blood... how much of it had been Jenny's?
Ziva bit back the inappropriate, weak chuckle that bubbled up into her throat. So used to death that she was already referring to Jenny in the past tense. Her mind just accepting it. How could she accept it? Oh, Jenny.
It was just... Jennifer Shepherd was the last person Ziva thought would die. Sure, she was in a very public position but... but that didn't mean that she was in any danger. Right? And anyway, surely, she would take steps to stay out of danger? But obviously she had been in danger, this was a far too deliberate place for Jenny to just come across it. And then there was the way she had been acting...
"Did you know anything about this?" Tony's sudden sharp tone broke through her thoughts.
She looked across to him in confusion but he was not talking to her. No, he was talking to Mike Franks (Ziva really had difficult separating his names in her head). The man was back again, probably because Vance was very much not.
"Not a thing, DiNozzo," Mike growled in return.
The man only seemed to growl. Ziva wasn't sure if it was intentional or down to all the cigarettes he smoked.
"Then why are you even here?"
"Shepherd wanted me. Said it was to keep Probie safe."
He was looking at the blood stains on the floor. There were still crime scene markers at some of them. Tidying up hadn't been the most important thing to do here. Not with five bodies.
"Gibbs is in danger?" Tony demanded.
Ziva stiffened at that. Gibbs too? Would this horrible day never end?
"Not any more by the looks of things," Mike grunted with a satisfied look on his face.
It was quite impressive that Jenny managed to kill all four men. It would have been difficult.
"Thanks to Jenny," Ziva said quietly.
[xxxxxx]
"Do you think Ziva will take photos?" Francisca asked wistfully, she did so love the sea.
"Doubt it. Ziva's not exactly the type to take photos," Amina said with a snort.
"Unless it's crime scene ones," Amelia added with a grin.
"Why do I feel that that it inappropriate to say?" asked Raphael.
"Eh. Ziva is not here. It is fine," Francisca dismissed.
"Perhaps she will take one if we asked her?" Amina asked.
Amelia shrugged. "No harm in it, I suppose. If she's too busy she just won't do it."
[xxxxxx]
Ziva tried not to come across as too restless or impatient. Not when Vance was still about. Not that she knew where he had gone. Nor did she really care.
Her phone beeped and she quickly opened it - thinking that it was McGee. Her face fell when that wasn't the case. It was Amina.
"How is sunny California?"
Definitely not so sunny. Actually, it was, intolerably so for Tony apparently. But that felt wrong. It felt like it should be raining, an apt display of grief...for... for Jenny.
Without answering the text, Ziva put her phone away. She could not answer it like everything was normal... that everything was okay.
Because everything was not okay.