Ziva David, trained assassin, NCIS agent, birthday girl…
Ziva stood in her apartment. It had been a long time sense she remembered being so quite. It was lonely here. At the end of the day everyone went their separate ways, everyone went home to something or someone, "Maybe it's time to get a dog?" she asked the nothingness around her.
She made herself some dinner, listened to some jazz, 'its all Tony's fault' she thought, jazz wasn't something she had listened to before working at NCIS. After her dinner she went for a run for 45 minutes, took a shower, and went to bed.
That's how her nights went for the most part, occasionally she would join the rest of the team for an end of the week drink but other then that, Ziva David, had no social life to speak of.
The following morning, she dressed and drove to work, she was driving carefully today, only cut off seven people, ran two stop lights, and went 15 mph over the limit.
No one else was there yet, not surprising, they didn't normally start filling in for another hour or so. Gibbs, who knows when he comes in or if he goes home half the time. But its not as if she had somewhere else to be, like a breakfast date or something like that. No, here she was waiting on everyone else to show up.
Today was a little different though, not that it would matter, but today was her birthday, not that it mattered in Israel, but Americans make a big deal about their birthdays for some reason or another.
Gibbs came in a few minutes later, "Morning, Ziva." He said as he passed her desk, and sitting down at his own.
"Morning, Gibbs." She said blankly, having all of her reports done yesterday, she was merely waiting around for some case to fall in their laps so she'd have something to do.
Her computer dinged, indicating she had received an email:
My Daughter.
Congratulations on yet another year.
Director David.
'Touching,' she thought. He, or at least his secretary had remembered today was her birthday, not that it mattered, but still. It was a pretty impersonal email at best; it didn't even have her name on it. 'I must be in America too long if this bothers me.'
Gibbs was sitting at his desk, work was slow, and he had spent the majority of the morning trying to keep the children from attacking one another. His phone rang, "Yea, Gibbs."
"Can you come up to my office?" it was Jenny on the other end.
"I guess," he hung up the phone, "You three try not to kill each other until I get back." He said as he headed for the stairs.
Not even bothering to stop at Cynthia's desk he walked into her office. "You called for me oh powerful director?" he said in a mocking tone.
"Yes, I was hoping you could help me with something." She said.
"Such as?"
"Well, as you know I'm the director of NCIS." She started.
"That would explain why your name is on the door. But is this going to have a point or are you just trying to play a game with me?" he asked irritated.
"As Director I have everyone's information, and today happens to be someone's birthday."
"My birthday was two months ago Jen, maybe you should have Cynthia update your calendar."
"No you. Ziva." She said.
"Really? I didn't know." He said flatly, truthfully he was a little embarrassed for everything he knew about all of his charges, he knew very little about Ziva, she kept to herself and was most professional, that's what he liked about her, always did her job and didn't screw around.
"Obviously. What are we going to do?" she asked.
"How do you mean?"
"We've got to give her a party or something, it's the least we'd do for the others. Besides I bet she's never had a birthday party." She said.
Gibbs just smiled and sarcastically said, "Sure I'll go call the Rent-A-Clown place and order two dozen paper hats right now."
"Maybe I should handle it, what I need you to do is send the team on bogus missions so they can get her a present or something, I'll send an email with the rest of the details." She said.
He smiled, nodded, and kissed her cheek. "Whatever you want."
Gibbs went up top autopsy, sending Ducky and Abby would be easy, McGee and DiNozzo would be a different story.
"Ah, Jethro, what brings you down here?" Ducky said slightly surprised, he hadn't had a cadaver in a few days so it was a bit of a shock to see him.
"Something personal and sneaky, orders from above." He said.
"What does the Director want you to do now?" Ducky asked.
"Today is Ziva's birthday." Ducky looked surprised and moderately guilty that he hadn't already known, "And as such, the parents are throwing her a party, and I am supposed to give you time off today so you can get her a present or something like that."
"Well that's great, but aren't her parents in Israel still? Are they flying in today or something?" he seemed confused for a moment, "Oh wait, I remember Abigail saying something about you and the Director being the parents of the team."
"Really how'd that go?" he asked slightly amused. Poor Abby couldn't keep anything to herself more then a few days.
"Well I was bringing her a tissue sample and she said something like, 'Thank you Pop-Pop,' and from there I made her explain." Gibbs laughed, "But here is my question to you Jethro, am I your father or Jenny's?"
Gibbs thought about it for a moment, smiled and walked out of autopsy to go see Abby. As the doors closed Ducky said, "I hate it when he does that." Gibbs was almost certain if Ducky was one of their fathers it was his.
"Abby." She turned around all excited which turned to disappointment.
"No Caf-Pow? But baby needs caffeine if I am going to have to work on some case, Gibbs you should know that by now, well actually I have one, but that's my emergency supply, they upped the price again, those jerks, everyone's out to make a fast buck, you'd think with the economy in the state its in the Caf-Pow people would charge less to keep business…."
"Abby." He said loud enough to stop her, "I didn't bring you a Caf-Pow because you don't have evidence to process, I came down here to tell you to go out with Ducky, or as you call him Pop-Pop."
She looked a little embarrassed, "You heard about that?" Gibbs nodded, "Ok, so why am I going out with Ducky?"
"He can fill you in on the details." With that Gibbs left. He was almost back to his desk when his cell phone rang. "Yea Gibbs."
"Jethro, ok, I've got dinner reservations made for tonight, I've got Cynthia out on a cake run, so all that's left is your half of the mission, so report."
"Duck and Abs are on their way out now, I've got to send DiNozzo and McGee, and then I guess you and I can go, so far on track, how are we going to get Ziva to go to the restaurant?"
"You know, for a special agent, some times you're an idiot. Just tell her you got a call and pile the kiddies in the car, and I'll drive Abby and Ducky and meet you there."
Sometimes Jenny made him feel so stupid, today it seemed to be happening a lot. "Right. I'm going to go send the boys on their mission." With that he hung up the phone.
"McGee, DiNozzo with me." He said he took them to the elevator, flipped the switch and looked at his two agents.
"Boss I swear, Probie and I didn't mean to do it, it just happened." DiNozzo started to rattle off his apologies.
"I don't think I want to know. Today's Ziva's birthday, you two go take an hour or so and get her some kind of present, we are all going out to dinner this even to celebrate." Tim and Tony looked at each other, did they forget? Surely both of them couldn't forget her birthday, "Don't worry, you didn't know. Just go."
By the end of work that day everyone had managed to get Ziva presents, and hide them in Jenny's car.
All that was left was the 'call' to come in. The phone rang. "Yea, Gibbs." He talked for a moment or two.
"Alright, grab your gear." The team scrambled to grab their stuff and get in the elevator before the doors shut.
They got to the restaurant, and got out, "There was a crime here? Shouldn't there be some cops or something?" Ziva asked.
"We don't count as cops any more Zee-vah?" Tony asked.
They got her to the back room, where Cynthia had apparently gotten more then just cake, a big 'Happy Birthday Ziva!' banner was hanging over the table, along with other silly birthday decorations.
Ziva was completely taken aback, "You throw me a behind my back party?"
"Surprise Party." McGee corrected.
"Wait, she's missing her crown!" Abby announced, before running over and placing a cheesy birthday girl tiara on her head and pulling her into an Abby bone-crushing hug.
They sat and had dinner, followed by a chocolate cake with green icing and blue letters reading "Happy Birthday Zeevah!" Everyone laughed, the poor kid at the bakery couldn't spell her name, and Tony for one thought it was hilarious.
After a chorus of the birthday song Abby jumping up and down shouted, "Make a wish and blow out the candles!!!!"
Ziva thought about it for a moment, what should she wish for; it was hard, everything she really wanted was right here with her. So she smiled and blew out the candles. While the others clapped.
"Ok Birthday Girl, time for presents." Gibbs announced.
Ducky went first; Ziva unwrapped the paper and reveled a book Ducky had mentioned to her a few weeks before. "I do hope you like it my dear." She nodded and allowed herself to be taken into his arms for a hug.
"Thank you Ducky."
Abby started that bouncing dance that makes her look like a toddler in need of a restroom break, "Me next! Me next!" she said and bounced Ziva handing her a bag.
Inside the bag Ziva found some CDs for bands she had never heard of, but figured it couldn't be bad if Abby picked it out, and a plushy skeleton. Everyone laughed at it, "I think I'll call him Steve." She said, "Thank you Abby." Before being taken into another Abby hug.
Tony handed her his present next and was already smirking before she opened it. He had given her a box of honey dust; she immediately began to laugh thinking back to her first days at NCIS and their slightly erotic conversations. As well a couple of movies and a card that sang the birthday song when you opened it. "Thanks Tony, I recently ran out of this, it's just what I need." They hugged and exchanged punches in the arm.
Tim went next; he got her some more books and a new knife, "Thanks McGee." He hugged her quickly.
"No problem Ziva."
"I guess I'll go next." Jenny announced and she handed Ziva a bag. Jenny gave her some more clothes.
And finally, all that was left is Gibbs's present. He handed her a small blue box from Tiffany's, inside he had gotten her a single teardrop pearl necklace on a white gold chain, the card read:
Ziva
Happy Birthday my sweet little assassin.
Gibbs
She quickly became over come, Gibbs held her in a tight hug. Whispering just loud enough for her to hear, "Happy birthday my little girl."
Once she had regained composer, the waiter came round and took pictures of them as a group with everyone's cameras.
Jenny drove Ducky, McGee, DiNozzo, and Abby back to the Navy Yard so they could go home, and Gibbs drove Ziva back to her apartment, he walked up with her, carrying her presents.
After he sat her stuff down he sat on her couch while she made some coffee. "So did you have a nice birthday?"
She smiled and nodded, "I could get used to this birthday thing." She said and handed him some coffee.
"You plan on being the birthday princess for the rest of the night?" he asked.
She looked confused then embarrassed remember the crown Abby had put on her head, and she quickly removed it from her head. "Thank you Gibbs."
"For what?" he asked.
"For this, tonight, it was perfect." She said quietly.
"Of course, you're a very important member of our strange little family." They finished their coffee and Gibbs got up to leave.
"Do you have to go?" she knew she sounded like a little kid, but didn't really care at the moment.
He sat back down next to her, "I guess not, do you want to watch one of those movies Tony got you?"
"I don't have a TV." She said flatly.
"Use your laptop." She felt stupid; of course, the stupid computer could play movies. She put in 'My Fair Lady' not having any idea what it was about, but she didn't really feel like watching something called 'Body Heat' with Gibbs.
By 'I could have danced all night, I could have danced all night, and still have begged for more…' Ziva was asleep. Gibbs was slightly amused, 'Why do they always fall asleep on me? I'm a giant pillow? Obviously.' He thought. Carefully he lifted Ziva, carried her to her room, and placed her in bed. He went back to the living room and grabbed her new skeleton and placed it in bed with her.
"Goodnight princess." He said, shutting the door behind him and going to sleep on her couch.
Ziva woke in the middle of the night, she looked down, and she was snuggling with Steve. She didn't remember going to bed though. It was 0342, close enough to the time she normally wakes up, good enough.
She got up, put her running clothes on, and went to the living room to stretch. She was a little shocked when she found Gibbs sleeping in there. He must have been a very light sleeper because just walking in the room woke him up.
"Morning Ziva." He said sleepily.
"Sorry I woke you." She said. "I'm going to go run, I'll be back in 30 minutes."
When Ziva came back Gibbs had made her breakfast. "Why did you make breakfast?"
"Sometimes little girls need to be pampered. Hurry up and eat, because I'll need to go home and dress before we go to work."
They went through their morning routines and when they arrived Ziva found a framed picture of everyone from last night on her desk.