Trust, but Verify

by Kesterpan

A mysterious ping in Abby's lab has Gibbs and the team revisiting his past in a way no one could have predicted.

15. Chapter 15

Breakfast

Gibbs and Sammie settled into his booth at the diner; Gibbs checked his watch. "The others might get there before us."

Sammie raised an eyebrow. "So? You left the door unlocked; they can go right in."

"And do what?"

"Don't you always tell them to anticipate?" Sammie grinned at him. "Abby and Ziva will probably have everyone cleaning in the kitchen before you switch out appliances."

Elaine came over to the booth, smiling broadly. "Good morning, Gibbs! Your usual?" She filled Gibbs' cup of coffee as she smiled at him.

Gibbs returned the smile, sitting back in the booth as he gestured toward Sammie, sitting opposite him. "Elaine, this is my daughter, Kelly."

Elaine's face lit up with surprise. "It's awfully nice to meet you!" She considered Sammie for a moment. "I'll bring you some black tea, honey… be right back."

Sammie watched her leave, then turned to look at her father. "What just happened?"

Gibbs ducked his head and laughed. "That's Elaine," he said simply.

"Wow."

Elaine returned with Sammie's tea. "Food will be up in a few." She smiled at them both and left to greet another customer.

Sammie's brow furrowed. "We didn't even order yet."

"She knows what I want. And I can pretty much guarantee you'll like what she brings you."

Sammie smiled. "I'll take your word for it." She fiddled with her silverware. "So… we're going to talk about expectations for me to move back home, right?"

Gibbs nodded. "What do you need from me?"

"Lock the door?"

"Only reason I didn't this morning is the whole team is coming over. I've been keeping it locked every time you've been at the house."

"Awesome." She tilted her head as she thought. "Mostly, just remember that I'm an adult. No more making decisions about stuff that involves me without talking to me first."

"Deal."

Sammie smiled at him. "Thanks. What about what you need from me?"

Gibbs drank some coffee, then set the cup down, looking out the window for a moment. "I'm going to worry about you… that's a given. Let me know your schedule. If you're going to be late, or something changes, tell me."

She nodded. "I get it; I can do that."

"If you ever find yourself in trouble," he added, looking at her seriously, "you tell me immediately, no matter what." He reached over to tap his fingers on her hand. "You're more important than the job."

"Deal," she said, smiling at him.

He grinned.

"You do the same for me, then," she added. "If you're heading out of town on a case, working late, let me know." She tilted her head. "What about having people over?"

"Of course."

"Guys?"

"Dates?" Gibbs grimaced. "I guess… keep it quiet."

Sammie laughed, her face turning pink. "I can't even imagine. Maybe I'll go to his place."

"Whose?" Gibbs froze in the act of raising his coffee to his lips.

Sammie laughed harder. "There isn't anyone! We're talking about fictional guys."

Gibbs sighed, setting the coffee back down. "I'll want names."

"For background checks? You got it."

Gibbs' expression turned mischievous. "Be a lot easier if you just date Tony," he teased, sipping his coffee.

Sammie dropped her head into her hands. "I am never going to hear the end of that!" She sat back, tucking her hair behind her ear and laughing. "You'd be walking me down the aisle, on my way to marry some guy named Zachary, and you'd be whispering Tony's name in my ear."

Gibbs stared at her for long enough that Sammie got worried. "Dad, there's no Zachary, I promise. I just made him up."

"It's not that," Gibbs replied slowly. "You're not the only one getting hit with memories."

"Oh." Unsure of what to do, Sammie looked down, straightening her silverware. When she looked up again, Gibbs was smiling, his eyes unfocused.

"First time I held you, you were so small. I was so in love with you both, and absolutely terrified of being a father. Shannon sat next to me, put her arms around me, and said 'Enjoy it while you can, because before you know it you'll be walking her down the aisle.'" Gibbs cleared his throat and blinked away the moisture in his eyes. "Never thought I'd get that chance."

Sammie smiled and sat forward, reaching over to take his hand in hers. "That's a beautiful memory. And I do want to get married someday, and have kids, so I really hope you'll get that chance."

Elaine appeared with their food; they both sat back. "Here you go… two scrambled eggs, bacon, hash browns, and toast with grape jelly for you, Gibbs, and for Kelly, a short stack of French toast with butter and syrup, bacon, and one scrambled egg, along with a side of fruit. Enjoy!"

Sammie smiled up at her. "That's perfect. How did you know?"

Elaine smiled. "It's a gift." She glanced at Gibbs, then back at Sammie. "Your father's been coming here a lot of years. He's a good man."

"The best," Sammie agreed, grinning at him.

"I hope we'll be seeing you here often," Elaine said.

Sammie nodded. "You will. I'm moving back home in a few months."

Elaine's smile lit up her whole face. "I'm sure that makes Gibbs here very happy."

"It does," Gibbs said, around a mouthful of food.

Cleaning and Conversation

"… so then, since there were no weapons at hand and I was still unsure of my ability with hand-to-hand combat, I picked up the closest object and threw it at him." Ziva nodded to herself as she sorted through her memories.

"And? What happened next?" Sammie asked eagerly from her seat on the floor.

Ziva smiled. "I had grabbed a bag of flour which was not quite entirely sealed shut. I hit him right in the face, and the bag exploded. He was covered in it." She leaned over from where she sat opposite Sammie and picked up a model of a beautiful Arabian horse from a small pile on the floor. "He could not see, so I was able to subdue him and march him out of the building with his hands zip-tied behind his back." She sighed mournfully. "My mentor did not feel my solution was a credit to the dignity of Mossad, so I was sent for more combat training."

Abby shifted her position on Sammie's bed. "But, Ziva, I thought ingenuity was prized in Mossad training."

Ziva nodded seriously. "It is. But my mentor thought I should have been ingenious with more flair and less flour." She glanced between the two women and smiled as they laughed.

"It's so hard to imagine you as anything less than a kick-ass warrior," Abby said. She reached for the next book on a pile sitting on the bed and held it up so Sammie could see the cover. "This one?"

Sammie looked over and shook her head. "That can go."

Abby put the book in the box marked 'Library' and held up another one. Sammie shook her head and that went in the box too.

"I remember," Ziva said thoughtfully, "when you thought I had no emotions."

Abby froze as she bent down to place the book, then sat up slowly. "You know that I know I was wrong about that, right?"

Ziva nodded. "I do. Believe me, it did not take me long to understand why you would think that about me at first." She looked at Sammie. "I had a cheep on my shoulder when I first joined the team… for a number of reasons."

"Um… I think you mean a chip on your shoulder?" Sammie offered tentatively.

"Ah, yes, thank you."

Sammie looked at her thoughtfully, then at Abby. Seeing how uncomfortable and sad Abby suddenly seemed, she decided not to ask about the reasons for the chip. "How long before you two became friends?"

The two women looked at each other. Abby smiled. "We had that slap fight in my lab."

Ziva grinned at her. "And that was after working together for close to a year."

Sammie looked at them. "Well, obviously you resolved your differences."

Abby met Ziva's eyes and smiled. "We did. Doesn't mean sometimes we don't get angry at each other."

Ziva nodded sagely. "It is what families do." She looked down at the horse in her hands. "Are you donating this one?"

Sammie glanced at it. "Yeah. I already set aside any of the models from the shelves that I want to keep."

Ziva ran her finger over the horse's mane. "May I have it? My uncle bred Arabians; this reminds me of happy summers in Israel."

Sammie smiled at her. "It's yours."

Abby held up another book, an encyclopedia of dog breeds. Sammie's eyes widened. "That's a keeper. I spent so many hours with that book. It's one of the reasons I got Jack, I think." They all looked toward the corner where Jack was fast asleep, bored by the process of cleaning and sorting.

Abby put the book in the box marked 'Keep' and continued showing covers to Sammie, who was sorting through some drawers containing all sorts of things. The vast majority of items were ending up in a 'Donate' box, while a few were tossed in a second 'Keep' box.

"Speaking of Jack," Abby said, "have you spoken to Gibbs' dad since you guys went to Stillwater?"

Sammie nodded. "I called him Monday evening to let him know I was back home; we talked for at least an hour. And he called me Thursday. He knows what we're up to this weekend; I'm hoping the phone calls become a regular thing."

Abby smiled. "I love when families reunite!"

"Abby definitely has a soft spot for families," Ziva commented, shooting Abby a small smile. "You should tell Sammie about the time you got in trouble with Gibbs for telling that homeless veteran's daughter that he was actually alive."

Abby filled Sammie in on that one while Ziva set aside the horse and moved to the closet. Sammie had already decided there was no need to keep any of the clothes; as long as they were still in decent shape, they were being donated. Ziva folded the clothes as they went in the box, then caught sight of something on the top shelf and took it out. "I have seen one of these before."

Abby broke off her story and exclaimed, "Beary Smiles!"

"Ah yes," Ziva responded. "I remember. The case with the on-again, off-again engagement and the murder for the fake ring."

Sammie shook her head. "You all have the weirdest cases." She looked over at the bear. "It's cute, but it can go out for donation."

"No!" Abby protested. "Sammie, you have to keep that."

"Why?"

"Gibbs told me he stood on line for six hours on Christmas Eve to get it for you." Abby looked at her imploringly. "Please keep it!"

Ziva handed Sammie the bear, and she pressed on it in various places. "It's supposed to talk, right? Nothing's happening."

"Maybe it just needs batteries," Abby suggested. "If it's more than that, Timmy can fix it for you."

"I do think you should keep it," Ziva said. "Gibbs is not the most patient man in the world. If he was willing to stand on a line for six hours without shooting anyone, you must have wanted this bear very badly."

Sammie laughed and looked at the bear. "Then it stays. We should put it downstairs at some point, see how long it takes Dad to notice."

Abby laughed. "Timmy will see it right away and ruin the fun."

Sammie grinned at her and put Beary Smiles in the 'Keep' box. "You and Tim ever date?"

"Long time ago, back when we first met." Abby smiled at the memory. "You should have seen his face the first time Gibbs asked him if he slept in the coffin."

Sammie blinked at that, opening her mouth to ask, then shutting it.

Ziva tilted her head. "What made you ask if they dated?"

Sammie shrugged. "The way Abby talks about him, says his name. There's a familiarity and a closeness there."

"You would make a good profiler," Ziva stated.

Sammie grinned. "Probably comes from working with animals. They can't speak, so you pay a lot of attention to body language and any sounds they make." She turned back to the dresser and opened another drawer.

Abby held up another book, then looked at it. "Oh, you have to keep this too."

Sammie looked up. "I never read that one." Her brow furrowed. "I think Dad was going to start reading it with me, but then he was deployed."

"What is it?" Ziva asked from the depths of the closet.

"The Railway Children," Abby answered.

Ziva leaned out to look at Sammie. "Yes, you should keep it and read it. You will understand why very quickly."

"Keep it is, then," Sammie agreed. "I'm not ready to try arguing with you two!"

They worked for a while longer, then decided to take a break. Sammie got up off the floor slowly, and bent her left knee a few times before putting her weight on that leg.

"Were you injured?" Ziva asked.

Sammie nodded. "Yeah… in the crash that killed my mom." She moved to the armchair near the window while the other two sat on the bed. "It was a really bad break with a lot of muscle damage. Tons of physical therapy. I walked with a limp until about halfway through freshman year of high school. It doesn't usually bother me, but I don't often sit on the floor for so long either." She stretched the leg, massaging several muscles.

"We'll switch places," Abby stated firmly.

Sammie shook her head, smiling. "It doesn't hurt, it just gets stiff. It's much easier for me to go through these drawers, trust me."

Abby sighed but gave in; the friendship was too new to push too hard. She looked around the room and a picture of Kelly with Maddie Tyler caught her eye. "I remember Maddie, from that case a few years ago. Have you told her you're alive yet?"

Sammie shook her head. "Dad was going to let her know… I'll have to ask him if he did yet. What was the case about?"

Ziva and Abby exchanged glances. "Gibbs has not told you?"

Sammie looked at Ziva. "No… why? Did something go wrong? Was Maddie okay?"

Ziva hesitated, then said, "Maddie was fine. She was being harassed by a young Marine, and she came to Gibbs for help."

"He was super protective of her right away," Abby tossed in. "To the point where he got impulsive and made some bad decisions."

Sammie pushed her hair back from her face. "What kind of bad decisions?"

Ziva and Abby looked at each other. "He will not bring it up," Ziva said to Abby, who made a face and nodded.

"You should probably talk to Tony about it," Abby said to Sammie. "When a case gets personal for Gibbs –"

"Which is a violation of rule ten," Ziva commented, sighing.

"- he has a tendency to go rogue… go off by himself, without backup." Abby frowned. "We all get really mad at him, but usually only Tony, sometimes Ziva, calls him on it."

"He and Maddie both nearly drowned when he drove a car into the river trying to escape from her kidnappers," Ziva stated bluntly.

Sammie's mouth dropped open. "How did they get out?"

Abby glanced at Ziva again. "They didn't. Tony had tracked Gibbs' location, so he was there when it happened. He took out the kidnappers, dove into the river, and got them both out. He had to do CPR on both of them… with plague-scarred lungs."

Sammie stared at them, horrified.

Ziva spoke reassuringly, "Obviously everyone is fine. It was a good outcome, except for the kidnappers."

Abby leaned forward. "Everyone was fine. Gibbs was released from the hospital the same day."

Ziva tilted her head. "Or did he sign himself out AMA?"

Abby elbowed her gently in the side. "Anyway, he and Tony talked… I don't know what they said, but Gibbs was really nice to him for a while… even brought him coffee a few times. Tony's lung specialist, whose name is Brad Pitt, if you can believe that, put Tony on antibiotics right away, so he didn't get pneumonia or anything."

"I would talk to Tony about it, before speaking to Gibbs," Ziva suggested. "Gibbs never talks about it, and gets snarly if anyone brings it up."

Abby's eyes widened. "Poor Jimmy! Remember that one time he said something about it, and Gibbs got in his face? Jimmy ended up taking the rest of the day off."

Sammie shook her head. "I'll have to thank Tony," she said, her voice shaking a bit. "Maybe that's why Dad hasn't told me about contacting Maddie," she added, "he knows she'll tell me about it."

"I would not be surprised," Ziva agreed.

"You could try finding her on social media," Abby suggested.

"That reminds me," Ziva sat up straighter. "When we were first looking into Samantha Hawthorne because of the match to Kelly's fingerprints, I found that you had blocked one Facebook account, but could not track it. Is there anyone we need to kill for you?"

Sammie stared at her. "I'm starting to feel like I have my own private army." She shook her head. "Nothing like that… just some guy whose friend request I accepted 'cause he was friends with a bunch of my friends. When he immediately messaged me and started talking about how pretty I was and how he knows famous people, I knew he was a scammer and I unfriended him and blocked him right away."

"Ah," Ziva said. "I understand. It was not a legitimate account. That explains why I could not track it." Her brow furrowed slightly. "I have never gotten such friend requests."

Abby grinned at her. "Probably because your cover page photo is your knife collection."

"That is an excellent point."

Sammie laughed. "I need to friend you guys on there. Hey, Abby… have you done anything about a YouTube channel yet?"

"Not yet! But Timmy and I have had a few planning sessions. I want to make sure everything is well-organized if students are going to use it."

"Nice!" Sammie sat back, looking at both women. "You all really are more than just work colleagues and friends… you're family. Are Ducky and Jimmy the only ones who don't hang out with all of you all the time?"

Abby and Ziva looked at each other and smirked. "Working for Gibbs," Ziva pointed out, "is automatic overtime. We have all slept at the office more times than I can count."

"It's so worth it, though," Abby was quick to add. "We're helping people." Her phone buzzed, and she took a look at it. "Tony just texted me a crying face emoji…?"

"They have been gone a long time," Ziva commented.

"They're picking up new appliances… new range and refrigerator for sure," Sammie said. "Tony was trying to talk Dad into a dishwasher when he and Tim got here, but he didn't think that was necessary. Tim mentioned a new microwave, and Tony was going on about some sort of coffee maker when they left. You both got here around fifteen minutes later."

"Shopping with Gibbs," Ziva mused, "I am not surprised that Tony is crying." She glanced at the others, noting Abby's frown. "I am sure he is not truly crying," she added hastily.

"Speaking of difficult situations," Abby changed the subject, "whatever happened with Mike Franks?"

"Tony didn't tell you?" Sammie was surprised. She shot them a wicked smile. "I pushed him, he grabbed my arm, I used that move you taught me, Ziva, and then I kicked him in the stomach."

Abby's jaw dropped, and then she grinned. "That's awesome! Did he ever apologize?"

"He did, but he didn't really mean it… he acted annoyed that Gibbs and Tony were both pissed at him for what happened to me. That's when I pushed him and called him a bastard."

"Good for you," Ziva said. "I would be happy to teach you more techniques, both offensive and defensive, if you are interested."

Sammie nodded. "I am. Seems living here with Dad and having a bunch of Federal agents for friends means they could come in handy."

Abby and Ziva both laughed at that, and they all got back to sorting and cleaning.

About an hour later, they heard Gibbs' truck pull into the driveway, and they all got up to look out the window. They could see a refrigerator and a range strapped in the back, along with several smaller boxes. All three men got out of the front and started undoing the various straps and ropes.

Abby watched Sammie from the corner of her eye, and saw her watching Tony with a pensive expression. "Huh," she said.

The others looked at her. "What?" Sammie asked.

Abby smiled slightly. "You asked me about Timmy… and I see you're watching Tony. So…" She hopped a little in her platform boots. "You like him?"

Sammie sighed. "You too, huh?" She smiled and shook her head. "I let slip to my Dad that I thought he was gorgeous, and now he teases me a lot. But I think he'd actually like me and Tony to get together."

"Oh my god!" Abby reached out to take her hand and pull her away from the window. "Spill! Tell Abby all!"

Sammie laughed. "There's nothing to tell! As far as I know, Tony thinks of me only as a friend or maybe even a little sister. There was definitely a family vibe the night he had dinner with me and Dad, that first day I was here."

Ziva was still at the window. She turned toward Abby and Sammie, a thoughtful expression on her face. "I am not so sure," she said slowly. "He has not talked about you to us, not since that day."

Abby nodded enthusiastically. "When Tony doesn't talk about something, it's important to him." She focused on Sammie. "So? Is he just eye candy, or is there more to it?"

Sammie frowned at Abby as she sat on the bed. "Of course he's more than eye candy!" She dropped her gaze and started picking at the blanket she was sitting on. "He was so kind to me from the start, when he thought I might be some sort of criminal."

"Well, we all did, at first," Abby said helpfully. "I mean, you were supposed to be dead."

"I know, and I understand completely." Sammie sighed. "He makes me feel safe. It just felt natural to turn to him that night in your lab, when we got the results. And I feel like he really sees me, you know?"

Abby and Ziva looked at each other and they both nodded. "Tony hides behind jokes," Ziva said. "It took me a long time to realize his act really was just an act. He cares about people, and he is very loyal." She looked seriously at Sammie. "Tony will be wonderful with the right person. He is dedicated to Gibbs and to the job, but I think he is lonely. He would like more than what he has, though he would be content, I think, if he did not get it."

Sammie looked at her thoughtfully. "Dad says he's about twelve years older than me. Do you think that's too much of an age gap for him?"

Abby shook her head. "Tony's a lot like Gibbs. The person is what's important. I think as long as you're the right person, your age doesn't matter."

Ziva smiled gently at Sammie. "I think you two would be good together."

Sammie smiled, and some color rose in her cheeks. "I do like him." The smile left as quickly as it had appeared. "I haven't had good luck with relationships. I don't do casual well, and I've mostly been with guys my own age… it's never worked well for long, so maybe I would have a better shot with someone older." She looked at both her friends. "I haven't dated much recently; I've been focused on work and Jack, and after getting my heart broken a few years ago, it just hasn't seemed worth the risk." She chewed on her lip. "Tony said something to me the other day… about not worrying about the past and focusing on the future."

Ziva blinked at that, and her expression became resolute. "I must speak to Tony." She held up a hand at Sammie's protests. "I promise I would not violate any confidences. It is just… we have some bad history, most of which I am responsible for; I have been thinking about that recently, and wanting to fix it. Now that Gibbs is coming back to work on Monday, this seems like a good time to clear the air." She took a deep breath. "I must do this before I lose my nerve."

Abby turned to her, enveloping her in a hug. "Ziva, I love that you're ready to talk to him!"

Ziva smiled at her as she pulled away. "It is past time." She looked at Sammie. "You do not mind if I take a break from helping you?"

Sammie smiled. "Of course not. Abby and I will stay here and she'll fill me in on all the pertinent facts."

Ziva sighed. "I hope you will not hate me."

Sammie got up and, moving more slowly than Abby had, pulled Ziva into a hug, holding on until Ziva returned it. "No hating, I promise. Like you said, it's what families do. Fight, make up, figure it out." She backed away, smiling. "Dad really pissed me off the other night, but we talked it out right away. You'll probably feel a lot better if you go talk to Tony."

Ziva smiled at her, a small but genuine one. "Thank you." She left the room, and Sammie returned to her spot on the floor in front of the dresser. Abby settled back on the bed, and the two women stared at each other for a moment. Then Abby smiled, picked up another book to show Sammie, who shook her head. Abby placed it in the right box, then started talking. "Things have always been kind of fraught between Tony and Ziva." She held up another book, and Sammie indicated the 'Keep' box. "I think we all thought at one time or another that they were going to break rule twelve… never date a coworker. But then, a couple of years ago, Ziva was seeing this guy named Michael…"

Clearing the Air

Ziva walked downstairs and watched as Gibbs, Tony, and Tim wrestled with the appliances, getting them off the truck and into the house. She wanted to offer to help, but decided she would only be in the way.

Once they were done and Tim had collapsed on the couch, she approached Tony, who was in the kitchen with Gibbs. "Tony? Do you have a moment to talk?"

Tony glanced at Gibbs, who nodded, giving her a small smile once Tony's back was turned. Tony grabbed a bottle of water, then a second, holding it up with an inquiring look on his face. She shook her head, so he put the second bottle back and followed her into the backyard.

Ziva sat at the picnic table with her back to the house. Tony sat opposite her, downing half the bottle before setting it aside. "What's up, Zee?"

Ziva took a deep breath, then looked at Tony squarely. "I am not going to repeat our conversation from last week, in the elevator. We have dealt with that, yes?"

Tony nodded, his expression curious.

"I have talked with Ducky, and this morning I talked with Abby and Sammie, and Sammie happened to mention that you told her something… you said to let the past go and look to the future." She held up a hand. "I know I am paraphrasing. I have thought a lot about you and me, and I would like to tell you some things, in the hopes that I can begin to fix what I have broken."

She looked at him, letting the stoic façade fall away. "I hope you will hear me out… let me say what I need to."

Tony nodded again; he sat forward, resting his forearms on the picnic table, looking at her patiently.

Ziva sighed, looking down for a moment, then back up at him, into his eyes. "I told Sammie that when I joined your team, I had a large chip on my shoulder. I did not tell her why. I was defensive, because of what had happened with Ari, to Kate, and I was afraid of what might happen to me if I returned to the Middle East having failed as my brother's handler. Jenny understood; she offered me refuge. Gibbs understood as well, and I am sure he felt he owed me; I am grateful to him for allowing me to stay."

She paused, looking into Tony's eyes, and saw the moment he understood why Gibbs would feel he owed her.

"I am now going to be honest with you and, perhaps for the first time, with myself." She looked off to the side for a moment, closed her eyes, then opened them and looked straight at Tony. "When you were dating Jeanne Benoit, before we knew you were undercover… I was jealous." She smiled slightly at Tony's surprised expression. "I know… there have been many times I have asked if you were jealous of my relationships. That was because I wanted you to be."

She smiled again as Tony's jaw dropped in astonishment. "I had such a crush on you, Tony. But the truth is, I was insecure. I was afraid that if I approached you, if we broke rule twelve, I would lose my place on the team. I could not risk that, so I kept you at arm's length. It was… safer, that way." She looked away for a moment, sighing, blinking back some tears. "I went too far. I know that now… I probably knew it then. I wished many times to fix things… but I did not know how, and the problem of rule twelve remained."

Ziva laughed quietly, looking down and shaking her head. "I am sure I come across as very egotistical, thinking that you would feel the same way." Her laughter cut off, and her smile faded. "And then there was Michael. And, as you know, I was torn… between my love for my father, my country, Mossad… and my loyalty to Gibbs and to our team. So, I chose wrongly. I let Michael make the decisions for me, and of course you showed us all later that was what my father wished."

Her eyes met Tony's again. "I know I dealt the death blow to anything happening between us when I drew my gun and placed it against your chest, in Israel. You were right; I was not there. I did not know. And I blamed myself for what happened to Michael, but I could not accept that, so I turned the blame on you."

Tony sat still, his eyes on Ziva's face.

Ziva shrugged one shoulder. "I went to Somalia to die, of course. And then you all came to seek vengeance. And I lived, and had to find a way to make peace with myself. Which," she said sitting up straighter and with a slight, proud smile, "I have done."

She looked at Tony's eyes searchingly, and saw the compassion and the sadness in the slight sheen of moisture there.

"I know now," she continued, "that you could not be what I truly need, just as I cannot be what you need." A small, rueful smile appeared on her lips. "I need a partner who is not part of this world. Who is not a cop, not an agent, or a spy… I need someone who can be a refuge, someone away from all this. Someone who can help me see there is a world separate from the violence and the hatred." She looked at him. "I will not presume to even speculate about what you need, other than to say I believe you need someone who will make you feel that you belong… and for that, a person needs roots, which I am still searching for." She looked off to the side, and reached up to wipe a tear from the corner of her eye. "I am still trying to discover who I really am. Ducky said to me last week, he has always wondered if I chose Mossad or if I was given Mossad… and I do not truly know the answer. So I am not the person you need."

Tony sniffled and cleared his throat, causing her to look up at him. "What I am hoping for," she said softly, "is to be your friend. You are my teammate, and I know you would take a bullet for me, just as I would for you… so, what I need to ask, Tony, is if we can start over? If we can find our way to being true friends, who care for each other, have each other's backs, and can put the masks aside?" She took a deep breath, and her voice shook a little when she spoke again. "I know what I have done is likely unforgivable, so I do not ask for forgiveness. I do not ask for you to forget. I ask only if we can try, moving forward." She sat back, resting her arms and hands on the table, looking down at them, unable to look at him anymore.

Tony reached over and took both her hands in his. Ziva fought back a sob. "Ziva," he said softly. "I went to Somalia to get vengeance for a friend, for a family member. And I was lucky enough to bring her back." Tears ran down her face in earnest; Tony let go of her hands, got up from the table, and walked around it, sitting next to her and pulling her into a hug.

He held on to her as she cried, and nodded to Gibbs when the man came to the back door to see what was going on. Gibbs gave him a small smile and nodded back, then disappeared back into the house. Once she stopped, he pulled back, gently placing his fingers under her chin and prompting her to look up at him. "I won't forget," he said quietly. "But I forgave a long time ago. If I hadn't, I wouldn't have gone to Somalia, not when I believed you were dead."

She nodded, giving him a watery smile. "Thank you," she said quietly.

Tony returned the smile, reaching out and pulling her in so he could kiss her forehead. Then he sat back and grinned at her, holding out his hand for her to shake. She stared at it, then at him, confused. He huffed out a breath in mock annoyance. "Just shake my hand, will you?"

She blinked, then reached out to take his hand; he shook hers so vigorously, it made her laugh. "Hi!" he said brightly. "I'm Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo."

Ziva shook her head, but she smiled at him. "I am Special Agent Ziva David. It is a pleasure to meet you, Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo."

Tony grinned at her. "I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

She frowned and smacked him on the arm. "That is a movie quote!"

"And I've always wanted to use it in the right context."

She narrowed her eyes, but smiled at him. "We should probably get back inside, before Gibbs comes looking for us."

"Oh, he already did that."

"He did?"

"Yup." Tony looked at her seriously. "He gets it, Ziva."

She nodded. "Yes, I guess he would." She smiled at him again, then stood and started walking toward the house. She stopped suddenly, turning back toward him and reaching into her pocket. "I meant to give you these," she said, handing him two tickets.

He took them. "What are they?"

"Two guest passes to my ballroom dancing instructor's classes. They entitle a couple to two lessons. You could bring a date."

He stared at them, then looked at her. "I'm not seeing anyone right now."

Ziva shrugged. "They do not expire." She hesitated, then said, "You could ask Sammie to go with you."

Tony shot her a suspicious look; she gave him an encouraging smile. "Despite everything that has happened in her life, Sammie is a strong person; she knows who she is, even if sometimes she does not realize it. She could be what you are looking for." She paused thoughtfully. "She is in some ways much like her father, and I have always thought you and Gibbs complement each other well." She smiled again. "Thank you for listening to me, my friend," and then she turned and went in the house.

Coming to Light

Tony was sitting in the same place a few minutes later when Tim came looking for him.

"Hey, Tony?"

"What's up, Tim?"

Tim sat down on the far side of the bench. "Gibbs wants to get the old appliances out." He looked at the tickets in Tony's hands. "What are those?"

Tony frowned slightly. "Ziva gave me two guest passes for ballroom dancing lessons."

"She did? Why?"

Tony looked up and gave Tim a happy smile. "'Cause she's my friend."

"Uh, okay. Cool." Tim looked more closely at Tony, whose smile had already faded away. "Hey, you okay?"

Tony hesitated, then spoke slowly. "You know how I've said if I do what I've always done, I'll get what I've always gotten?"

"Yeah."

"Well, the few times I haven't done what I've always done, I've still pretty much gotten what I've always gotten. Which is making me wonder if it's worth trying to do something different."

"Uh… oh." Tim thought about that for a moment. "Well, what –"

"And then there's the fact that certain people, well, one person, might be really pissed off if I try to get what I haven't gotten."

Tim's eyebrows shot up. "Are you going to let that stop you?"

"Excellent question, Probie. Huh… I don't know if I can call you that anymore… heard it too much from Mike Franks lately. Excellent question, Tim. If I get what I haven't gotten, but have always wanted, I'll probably be really happy. But… can I make her happy? And what if he isn't happy that I'm trying to get what I haven't gotten when he only just got what he didn't have?"

"Tony –"

"I might be better off letting the chips fall where they fall, you know? Maybe if I don't make the first move… the DiNozzo gut says she's interested. But what if she just sees me as an older brother? Awkward! I mean, she only just got what she didn't really realize she didn't have, and she's already getting something she wants. But if she is interested… if I get what I haven't gotten, do I lose what I already have?" Tony shook his head. "I don't think I could handle that."

"Tony?"

"Yeah, Tim?"

"What are we talking about?"

Tony clapped Tim on the shoulder. "Wish I knew, McShrink. Good talk." Tony smiled at him, pocketed the tickets, and went back inside to help Gibbs switch out the appliances.

Abby had come downstairs to grab some water bottles for herself, Sammie, and Ziva, who had rejoined them in Sammie's room, and saw Tim sitting outside, looking confused, so she headed in his direction. "Timmy! What's going on?"

Tim shook his head. "I'm really not sure..." His voice trailed off as he looked toward the kitchen where Gibbs and Tony were struggling with the old refrigerator. "If I understood Tony correctly, he's thinking of breaking rule twelve."

"What?!"

"Yeah… I think he's thinking of asking Ziva out."

Abby put her hands on her hips. "Are you sure?"

"No." Tim shrugged. "I couldn't repeat what he just said to me with any accuracy, even if you offered me a thousand bucks."

"But you think he wants to date Ziva."

"They were talking quietly together for a while, out here. And she gave him two guest passes for ballroom dancing classes."

Abby's eyes narrowed. "Why would Ziva give Tony two guest passes if she wanted to take him ballroom dancing? He would only need one to go with her."

Tim's brow furrowed. "That's true."

"Did he actually say he wants to date Ziva?"

"No."

"Then why do you think he's thinking of breaking rule twelve?"

"I –"

"McGee! We could use a hand here!"

"Coming, Boss! Sorry, Abs, gotta go."

Abby frowned, watching him hurry into the kitchen. Then she looked up at one of Sammie's windows and grinned. "Ballroom dancing! Nice, Ziva!" She smiled happily as she went back inside, heading back up to Sammie's room, passing her as she came down the stairs.

Sammie watched her dad and the others move the old refrigerator to a temporary spot and plug it in, then slide the new one into place, leaving it to reach the correct temperature before moving the food. Once they were done, she walked over to her father and surprised him by pulling him into a fierce hug.

Gibbs returned the hug, only letting go when she released him and started pulling back. "You okay, Kells?"

Sammie nodded, looking at him seriously, then reached up to smack him on the back of the head. "Abby and Ziva told me what happened when Maddie came to you for help."

Gibbs looked apprehensive; he glanced over at Tim and Tony to see Tony grinning broadly and Tim looking worried.

"Please don't ever do something like that again," Sammie said quietly. "In fact, if I'm going to move back home, I want a promise that you will never go off on your own like that, without backup, unless there's absolutely no other alternative."

Gibbs cleared his throat. "I promise, Kelly."

Sammie looked over at Tim and Tony. "You guys heard that, right?"

They both nodded; Tony was still grinning.

She looked back at her father, cocking her head to one side. "Witnesses, Dad. Never, ever again."

Gibbs nodded at her, then pulled her in for another hug. "I'm sorry, Kells."

She took a deep breath when he released her. "Okay. Now, since I know all about it, you can contact Maddie like you said you would and let her know I really am alive and hoping to reconnect." Gibbs turned slightly red, clearly embarrassed at being caught.

Sammie gave him a small smile, then turned away and walked over to Tony, wrapping him up in the same fierce hug she'd given her father. Tony was surprised, but hugged her back, unable to resist holding her close for a moment. "Thank you," she said quietly in his ear. "For saving my pig-headed, stubborn, too-damn-heroic-for-his-own-good father." She pulled away and looked him in the eye. "You could have died too… and I would have lost both of you without ever knowing it." Sammie's eyes widened as she realized what she'd said; she gave him a small shrug and a smile, then practically bolted for the stairs.

All three men stood there for a moment, none of them entirely sure what to say or where to look. Finally, Gibbs said gruffly, "Let's get to work on switching out the stove," and they all moved, none of them looking at each other for several minutes until the heightened color faded from Gibbs' face.