Disclaimer: I don't own NCIS or any of the characters
"I was wondering if you were going to transfer me to another team, or just send me back to Israel."
When she finished, Ziva swallowed. Her throat was tight with misery, but her Mossad face was back on. She had been foolish to let so many emotions show last night. This was a new day, and it was time for answers, and dealing with the repercussions of that night.
Gibbs couldn't believe what he was hearing. He studied her face again, and saw that below this, some would say icy exterior, he saw a little girl who was scared of being punished. He sighed. He hated dealing with drama, but this couldn't be helped. He knew last year when he let her on the team that they would have to deal with this one day. "Ziva, I want you on my team. Give Tony some time, show him that you are the same person you were two days ago. Meanwhile, if we have to go out into the field I'll make sure that you are paired with McGee, and I'll be with DiNozzo."
She nodded, accepting the plan, and he switched the elevator back on. "Thank you, Gibbs," she said strongly.
He reached over and squeezed her shoulder. "The rest of us trust you, Ziver. If we didn't, I would kick you back to Israel myself." They both laughed, and stepped out.
The day passed painfully slow. They all wanted a case, as the tension in the air was palpable. But no one called with a case, and Ziva spent the day being ignored. She felt like the last year hadn't happened and she was the leper of the group. She knew from experience that she couldn't force things to happen, she just had to wait, which was something she was not good at.
"Go home," Gibbs ordered around 6. He himself was getting pretty tired, and still hadn't recovered from his hospital stay. All he wanted was a cold beer and his couch. But first, "David," he called.
When all three paused, he beckoned over Ziva, and gave the other two a look that told them to clear out. Ziva went and stood in front of his desk.
"Yes?" she asked. Gibbs reached into his desk, and pulled out the frame he made, handing it to her. She gasped. It was the prettiest gift she had received. Running her fingers over it, she said, "Thank you, Gibbs. It's beautiful."
"Well, it's not bad, but this is even more beautiful," he said, handing her the photo Abby repaired.
Ziva's heart stopped. She hadn't been sure the Goth would be able to fix it, had been convinced that the photo was gone forever. And here it was, as good as new. "Gibbs…" she breathed.
"Hey, that one's not me. That's all Abby. She's hoping that this makes the two of you even." When Ziva just looked at him, confused, he laughed. "She told me that the two of you fought after she said something mean. So I guess she's thinking that you might consider her forgiven now."
"More than," Ziva said, tucking both photo and frame carefully into her purse. "Thanks again, Gibbs."
"See you tomorrow, Ziver."
Ziva was tempted to just go home with a bottle of wine, but she wanted to thank Abby. As she walked close to the lab, she smiled at the music that was blaring. Walking in, she shouted, "Abby!" to get her attention.
Abby turned around, and nearly tackled the Israeli with a hug.
"Oh my God, Ziva I'm so sorry. I know that you care about Gibbs, and I should never have said that you didn't. Even after I said that, you were the one that got his memory back, which is amazing, because he's only known you for a year. But you did it, and that is so awesome! Oh, did you get the photo I fixed?" she was rambling.
Ziva laughed and held up her hands. "Yes, Abby I got it. That is why I came down here, I wanted to say thank you. It is amazing, I did not know if you would be able to fix it."
"No worries, like I told Gibbs, I kind of owed you," she said sheepishly.
"Do you want to go get a drink?" Ziva offered.
"Sounds like fun. Usual bar?"
"Yes."
"I'll meet you there," Abby said, turning to shut off her machines.
Ziva left and smiled. It seemed that with Abby all was forgiven. She didn't know about everyone other than her and Gibbs, but she would work hard. It was like it was last year again, having to earn trust and prove herself. Normally she would have been annoyed that she had to do so much again, but she knew that it would be worth it.
After such a long week, it was nice to be able to relax with a friend and enjoy a drink or two. Around 11, they both went home, and Ziva smiled as she went to bed, feeling a bit of hope for the first time in a few days. But then she remembered Tony's expressions and attitude the last two days, and felt some of that hope fade.
A/N: Sorry this chapter is so short, but I wanted to set this up for the next one, which will be worth the wait, I promise :-)
Like it? Hit the button below and make my day!
