Chapter 3: For Gladys
Disclaimer: Okay, Okay, I'll admit it...I own NCIS. There I said it...
Please don't tell me that you believe me. Because if I did own NCIS, Tony and Ziva would be married...with a kid...hmmm...future story idea...let me jot that down.
Just for the record, I don't own NCIS.
Tony rushed to the elevator, hoping to miss Ziva, unfortunately she called for him to hold the elevator and he couldn't refuse. She entered the elevator with him and he closed his eyes in frustration.
It wasn't that Tony disliked Ziva, truth be told, Tony cared deeply for her. In all actuality, he was looking forward to spending time with Ziva during this case, but it would be out of character for him to admit that. Tony DiNozzo did not admit feelings that sappy, especially not for Ziva David.
"I just figured I should clear the water about this now, Zee-vah. I'm driving when we get to Arkansas," Tony said, bracing for an argument.
"All right," Ziva agreed, nodding.
"Because I-wait- Did you just agree? Why?" Tony asked, looking shocked.
"Because I do not want to be held responsible when we get lost," she smiled, as the elevator doors slid open.
She walked off and exited the building, leaving Tony speechless and stunned.
Tony set off across the parking lot to his car, halfway across the lot he heard, "Tony! Tony! Wait up! Tony! Stop!" Half expecting to see Ziva, Tony turned and was shocked to see Abby Scuito running toward him waving something.
"Hey, Abby, what's up?" Tony asked.
"I have something for you!" she said excitedly, holding out a white envelope.
Tony took the envelope and looked inside and saw a CD.
"What is this, Abs?" he asked, looking at the CD.
"When I heard that you and Ziva would be making a long car trip I made you two a CD," Abby answered, practically bouncing.
"Thanks, Abby, but this isn't your mu-" Tony began.
"No, no, no, it's nice and calm...er. It's got Dave Matthews Band, Saving Jane, John Mayer, the hardest stuff on there is Red Hot Chili Peppers and Green Day...But you can't listen to it until you and Ziva are in the car. Promise?" Abby said, holding up her pinky.
Tony wrapped his pinky around hers and responded, "Promise."
"Bye, Tony, I'll miss you," Abby said, engulfing Tony in a bear hug, "Oooh! Send me a postcard when you get there!"
"Can do, Abs," Tony said as she let him go.
Tony climbed into his car and drove home. Before he began to pack, he checked the National Weather Service's website to look at the forecast for Little Rock.
"Mid to upper 60's," Tony read, grinning, "That'll be a welcome change."
The weather in DC hadn't quite warmed up yet.
He packed his suitcase and pulled a backpack from his closet.
He put his sunglasses, his cap, some magazines, his Zune, his camera, a notebook and Abby's CD in the backpack.
He set his alarm clock and went to sleep.
He was jarred awake by his phone ringing. Tony glanced at his alarm clock...he still had thirty minutes to sleep! Who the hell would be calling at this ungodly hour? He threw himself out of bed and stomped over to the phone. He ripped the phone out of its cradle and grunted, "What?"
"Tony?" Ziva's voice greeted him.
"Yeah, whadda you need?" he asked, calming down.
"I need a ride. My car will not start," she said, sounding stressed.
"Are you already ready?" Tony asked.
"Not yet. I was trying to go for a run, but my car would not start so I had to run around my apartment complex," she explained.
"When do you need me to come get you?" he asked.
"In about thirty minutes," Ziva answered.
"Okay, I'll come get you in half an hour. Have you ate anything?" Tony asked.
"No," she replied, sounding confused.
"How 'bout we get something to eat after I pick you up?" he offered.
"Ummm...sure..." she responded, sounding even more confused, "Goodbye."
"See ya," he said, hanging up the phone.
Tony quickly showered then dressed himself. He didn't put on his jacket or tie, he figured that he'd just come back for those. He finished getting ready and then went out to his car, leaving his suitcase and backpack, he'd come back for those, too.
He drove the familiar route to Ziva's apartment complex and parked in front of her building. He jogged up the stairs and knocked on her door. Ziva answered the door, her hair wet.
"Oh, hello, Tony. You are early," she greeted him, he just grinned.
"Come on in and have a seat," she said, holding the door open, "I am not quite ready."
He followed her into her apartment, "Need any help?" he offered.
"I think I can manage, thanks," she smiled at him, "Go on and sit, I will be ready shortly."
Tony sat down on her couch.
Everything in her apartment was just as he remembered.
Two bookshelves were on the back wall with books sorted by language.
That's how everything in her apartment was, organized down to the microscopic level.
She was a control freak and you could tell by her home.
He didn't dislike it, it was just one of the things that made her Ziva.
Individually, the parts of Ziva's personality could have been perceived as bad, but they fit together so nicely to create a person that Tony admired.
She was strong, stubborn, independent, smart, caring, deep and fierce; she was a lot of what Tony wished he was.
There was something a little different about the room this time.
A large leather-bound book sat open on her coffee table, he had never seen the volume before and looked closer.
It was a photo album.
The page the album was open to had one picture on it.
The picture was of two young girls and an older boy. All the children had dark eyes and dark hair, the boy's hair was cut short and the girls had long, curly hair. One of the girls looked to be about six, the other around ten and the boy looked to be about fifteen. The two girls were seated at a table, drawing, and the boy was standing behind them with his hands on their shoulders.
He studied each of the faces and realized that the older girl was Ziva when she was a child, Tony realized that must mean the younger girl was Tali, Ziva's younger sister who was killed in a Hamas suicide bombing when she was only sixteen, but he couldn't figure out who the boy was.
Ziva doesn't have a brother, does she?
She's never mentioned him to me, but that doesn't mean much...
"That is me on Tali's sixth birthday," Ziva's voice explained from behind him, making him jump.
"Ziva! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to-!" Tony tried to apologize, but Ziva cut him off.
"It does not bother me, Tony. We have been partners for three years, you deserve to know," she said calmly.
"Ziva, I recognized you, and concluded that was Tali, but who's the boy? I didn't know that you have a brother," Tony said, prying.
"Had, actually. And he is my half-brother. You know him...and this is what you deserve to know," Ziva took a deep breath, "Tony, the boy in that picture, my half-brother, is Ari Haswari."
"What?!" Tony said, jumping up, "Ari Haswari?! The man who killed Kate?! He's your brother?! And you didn't tell us?!"
"Yes," Ziva answered, suddenly feeling small.
Tony looked at Ziva, he was angry that she was related to him, he was angry that she hadn't told him. He looked at her again, he had never seen her look like that before, she looked scared.
He felt awful for being angry at her, it wasn't her fault Ari was a monster, and he wouldn't had told anyone if it had been his brother.
He walked around the couch and took her hands in his and looked into her eyes, they were rimmed with tears.
"I'm sorry, Ziva, I shouldn't have gotten angry with you. I'm...I'm sorry that Gibbs killed your brother," Tony said softly.
"Gibbs did not kill Ari," she said, looking down.
"What?" he asked.
"Gibbs did not kill Ari," she repeated.
"If Gibbs didn't kill Ari, who did?" Tony asked.
"I did," she said softly, the tears finally breaking free.
Without a second thought, Tony wrapped his arms around Ziva and held her to him.
He was shocked that she didn't resist, instead, she relaxed and cried on his chest.
"I'm so sorry, Ziva," he whispered.
"There is no reason for you to apologize, Tony," she said, regaining her composure and pulling out of his arms.
She walked back to the bathroom and Tony sighed, he couldn't imagine what it would be like, killing your brother for people you had never met before.
"Are you ready?" Ziva asked from the hallway.
"Uhhh...yeah. I gotta get my stuff, so do you want to eat first or go to my place first?" he asked.
"It does not matter to me," she shrugged.
"I say we go to my place first, the place I was planning on eating at is on the way to the airport so it makes more sense," he smiled.
"Tony, where do you plan on eating at three in the morning?" Ziva smiled.
"I know a place," he said, picking up her suitcase, she looked at him oddly, "What?" he asked, returning the look.
"I can carry that, Tony," she said.
"I'm a gentleman, Zee-vah," he replied.
"Since when?" she laughed, opening the door for him.
He led her down the stairs to his car and put her suitcase in the trunk.
He climbed into the driver's seat and drove to his house.
When he parked, he opened his door and said, "I'll be in here for a little bit, if you'd like to come in."
She followed him into his home.
The house was neater than she would have imagined, everything was basically where it belonged.
He nodded toward a couch, "Take a seat."
She sat down and looked around. There were pictures on the walls a picture of Tony and McGee, one of Tony and Abby and one of Tony with a woman that Ziva presumed to be Kate Todd.
Ziva walked over to the picture, Kate looked happy, she was laughing. Ziva touched the picture and whispered, "I am sorry."
She continued to look around the room, she saw a picture frame laying on Tony's dining table, she walked over to look at it.
Next to the frame were two pictures.
The first one was of Tony and Jeanne, they looked happy together, they were hugging and laughing.
The other picture surprised Ziva, it was Tony and herself.
She smiled, she had forgotten about this picture.
Abby had taken it at the group's holiday party last year.
Tony had been waving around a sprig of mistletoe all evening.
He had gotten kisses on the cheek from Abby and the director and had been relentlessly taunting Ziva with it throughout the party.
Finally, he had cornered her and she gave in, but she decided that if she was going to do this, she was going to scare the crap out of him in the process.
So when Tony asked for the kiss, instead of kissing his cheek like he had been expecting, she kissed him on the lips.
Shocked, his eyes burst open just as Abby's camera flash went off.
She laughed out loud, looking at the photo and remembering that evening.
"What is it?" Tony asked, reentering the room.
"Nothing," she said, teasing him.
He walked over to the table and looked at the pictures.
"Oh, that. I was changing some pictures earlier and didn't finish that one," he laughed.
He picked up the pictures and the frame and walked over to a bookshelf. He placed one photo back in a box and the other photo he placed in the frame. He took the picture over to a coffee table and stood it up.
"This is one of my favorites," Tony laughed.
She looked and was surprised to see that it was the picture of him and her kissing.
She looked back at him, "Your tie is crooked, Tony," she said, walking back over to him.
"You're changing the subject, Zee-vah," he teased.
"We were not discussing anything," she relied, grabbing his tie and beginning to straighten it.
She put her hands around behind his neck to fix the back of his tie.
"Thanks," he said and she could feel his breath on her face.
Their closeness shocked her and she jumped back.
"No problem," she said nervously, "Are we ready to go?"
"Yeah," he said, pulling on his jacket and backpack then picking up his suitcase.
She held the door for him and followed him to his car.
"Now, breakfast time," he laughed, starting the car and driving to a small twenty-four-hour diner.
"What time is it?" she asked.
"Three," he answered, looking at his watch.
"How long will it take to get to the airport?" she asked.
"About twenty minutes, come on, I'm hungry," he laughed, climbing out of the car, she followed cautiously.
"Come on, Zee-vah," he laughed, grabbing her hand and dragging her into the diner and to a booth in the back corner.
She sat across from him and they both laughed.
An older lady with curly, gray hair trotted over to their booth.
"Good morning, Tony. You're here early," the woman said, smiling.
"I'm leaving on a trip today, Gladys," Tony answered, smiling back.
"And who's this beautiful young lady? I've never seen her with you, Tony," Gladys asked, an eyebrow raised suspiciously.
"Gladys, this is my friend, Ziva David, we work together," Tony introduced, "Ziva, this is Gladys, she takes care of me."
Gladys laughed, "It's nice to meet you, Ziva. Hold on to this 'en, Tony, she don't look like she'll take none of your attitude."
Ziva blushed and stared wide-eyed at Tony, he laughed and said, "I will, and she won't."
Gladys handed them menus and walked away.
"Does she think we are a couple?" Ziva asked, in shock.
"I think so," Tony laughed.
"And you are going along with it?" she asked.
"Why not? It's easier than trying to convince her that we aren't, trust me," he smiled.
Gladys returned shortly, with a pot of coffee and offered them somethey obliged and Gladys took their orders, Tony ordered waffles and Ziva ordered pancakes with strawberries.
"Hey, Gladys, tell Stan to hurry our orders, we have to be at the airport by four," Tony said, Gladys nodded and left.
"Who is Stan?" Ziva asked.
"Stan's the cook," Tony replied.
"I wonder where Gladys thinks we are going?" Ziva mused.
"Why do you say that?" Tony asked.
"Well, she thinks we are a couple and we are in a hurry to leave to get to the airport-" Ziva began.
"She probably thinks we're eloping...or on our honeymoon," Tony laughed.
Ziva placed her hand on the table as she leaned to look out the window to see if the sun was rising and Tony covered her hand with his own.
She looked at their hands, then at Tony.
"Covering all the bases, Zee-vah," he grinned.
She smiled and rolled her eyes.
Moments later, Gladys returned with their food.
She put their food down in front of them, glanced at their hands and smiled.
"Where are you two rushing off to?" Gladys pried.
"Arkansas," Tony replied with his mouth crammed with waffle.
"Don't talk with your mouth full, Tony," Ziva reprimanded sweetly.
"Oh, I've got a sister that lives in Little Rock. She's got a son in Fayetteville and and another in Jonesboro. They're always arguing over who's got the best football team. Jeffery likes the Razorbacks, but Eric likes the Indians...no, that's not the mascot anymore...what was it he told me? The, uh, oh, that's right the Red Wolves! They're always fighting over something," Gladys told.
Tony and Ziva smiled and nodded as if they were really interested in what Gladys was saying.
After she left, Tony and Ziva wolfed down their food.
Gladys returned with the check and sat it down on the table, saying, "Have a good trip, you two."
"We will," they responded simultaneously.
"Good luck with him, honey," she said, patting Ziva's shoulder as she left.
"Thank you, I will need it," Ziva smiled, never breaking eye contact with Tony.
"I'll pay," Tony said as Ziva began reaching for her wallet.
She opened her mouth to protest, but he stopped her, "You can pay for a meal later. Who knows how long we'll be out there."
She nodded, agreeing, and said, "Thanks, Tony."
He payed the bill and left a big tip for Gladys.
They stood up and he walked over to her and wrapped his arm around her waist, she eyed him suspiciously.
"For Gladys," he said in response.
She wrapped her arm around his wast and he looked at her oddly, "For Gladys," she echoed.
Okay, so I had intended on this chapter going up until they arrived in Little Rock, but I couldn't help it...I kinda like Gladys. And when I wrote that line I was like, "Oh, that's a good closer," so I couldn't think of a way to add on without the writing style becoming weak, so the next chapter will be about the flight and arriving in Little Rock and then the next chapter will reveal what's on the CD Abby gave Tony (hint, hint: Abby's playing matchmaker).
Please review! All the teachers that teach the classes that I write this during will be displeased if you don't review!