A/N: OK, this one is a marathon, not a sprint. :D Even leaving some stones unturned (forever? for now? only the muse knows for sure ^_^ ), there's a lot of ground to cover after two years...and some reconnecting to be done, as well.
My heartfelt thanks goes out to iyimgrace & Sehrezad for their continued input as this story has progressed and to all my Gang for their support. A round of applause, please, for iyimgrace for her avatar assistance so I could put up a new profile pic in honor of this chapter. Check it out - I love it. And it's in sepia...
This chapter was originally planned to be the last in this story, except for a little Vance epilogue. However, if the scenes jumping up and down, waving madly, shouting "write me! write me!" are any indication, there is more to come. I hope you'll stay tuned. For now, grab a mug or glass of your beverage of choice and settle in to read. I'd love to hear what you think. Enjoy!
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You could have cut the tension in the living room with a knife. Drinks that had been forgotten in the wake of the big news were suddenly of extreme interest. At first, no one knew what to say. Tony finally ended the silence with a question, his tone more bewildered than distressed.
"None of you knew anything about this?"
McGee spoke for them all. "Not even a hint."
The room was quiet once again as they each processed the revelation in his or her own way. Then Ducky spoke.
"Well. I must say I did not expect this, to be sure. But the one thing I do know is that those two," nodding his head toward the kitchen, "deserve happiness more than anyone else I know. Far be it from me to tarnish that happiness for even one moment longer." With that, he rose purposefully from his chair and made his way to Gibbs and Ziva.
As McGee made to follow him, Abby's cutting question stayed him. "You're just going to forgive them, too?" Her comment was selfish and unyielding on the surface, but Tim could hear the underlying hurt and vulnerability that were really driving her initial reaction.
His response was soft, but equally unbending. "As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing to forgive. They don't have to live their lives as though it's all about us." He pressed an understanding squeeze to her shoulder. "You'll remember that once you stop being worried that everything's going to change. And most importantly, they're our friends and they deserve our support. You'll remember that, too."
With that he got up from the couch and followed Ducky to the kitchen.
Ziva had intended to actually make coffee, but the sadness squeezing her heart stopped her in her tracks. She stood with one arm braced against the counter, head down. The other hand came up to grip her engagement ring through her shirt like a lifeline.
Jethro entered the kitchen and moved to her, placing his hands on her shoulders, rubbing gently.
"I guess I had hoped they would move from 'surprised' to 'happy for us' more quickly than they appear to be," she admitted softly. Her voice sounded so forlorn that it nearly broke his heart.
"Hey," he said, turning her to him. "They may need some time, but they'll come around."
"What if they do not?" she whispered.
"Then we'll deal with it." He lifted her chin to look her in the eyes, his gaze unwavering. "And what's with throwing yourself under the bus out there? Keeping this from them is on both of us."
"I know. It is just … they need you, too – and you need them. I do not want their feelings for you to change."
"Oh, but it's okay if their feelings change for you? Not in my book." Jethro's voice was firm on that count.
She shrugged. "I am more … expendable."
Her comment, delivered in a completely matter-of-fact tone, simply floored him.
"You are not expendable. Not to me you aren't." How had he missed the fact that this situation would lay bare her normally-well-camouflaged insecurity that perhaps she didn't fully belong anywhere? "And not to them, either."
In response she simply buried her face in his neck, breathing him in. He held her for a moment, resting his cheek on the top of her head. He wished he could find words that would ease her worry that, for the second time in her life, she was about to lose her family. But he'd never been good with those, so he went with what he knew.
"I love you," he told her quietly.
She visibly relaxed a little and pulled back far enough to look into his eyes. A ghost of a smile graced her lips. "We love each other," she corrected, pulling him down for a soft kiss.
An Ahem from the doorway caused them to break off the embrace. When Ziva moved to step away, Gibbs refused to let her go, keeping her tucked in against him. He shifted so he was slightly between Ducky and her, the stance clearly as protective as it was loving.
"Hey, Duck," Jethro said to the man hovering in the doorway.
As he ambled toward them, Ducky said, "You know, I have often wished that both of you would find someone with whom to share your lives outside of work, but I had no idea you would each be that person for the other." He looked at Gibbs. "And while I had hoped we were beyond keeping secrets from each other, Jethro …" causing Gibbs to wince a little, "I cannot say as I blame you for keeping this to yourselves. Sometimes we feel the need to protect that which is most precious to us."
He smiled at them. "Allow me to be the first to say that I could not be happier for both of you."
"I'll second that," said McGee from somewhere behind Ducky.
Ziva caught her breath and, after a quick squeeze, released Jethro to wrap her arms around Ducky. Gibbs let her go this time, watching as his old friend enveloped the woman he loved in a sincere hug, releasing her only when McGee said, "My turn."
Ziva gave a light laugh and turned to embrace him, too. "Thank you," she whispered next to his ear. Still within the circle of his arms, she reached a hand back to Ducky. "Thank you both." Her voice was husky with unshed tears.
"Hey – what am I? Chopped liver?" came Tony's voice. "Come on people; share the love."
With another chuckle breaking through the happy tears that had now spilled over, Ziva let go of McGee and Ducky. Tony came closer and put both hands on her shoulders, while Ducky stepped toward Jethro.
Eyes narrowed in a playful yet considering look, head tilted, Tony interrogated her. "This is what you want?"
"This is what I want," she confirmed, her voice leaving no room for doubt.
"And he treats you all right?"
Ziva smiled. "Yes, Tony. He treats me more than all right."
"Hey, I'm not the one who threatened to get my knives out to keep someone in line," Jethro interjected.
When Tony looked at her in surprise, she admitted, "True."
Tony jerked his head once in approval. "Well, that's a relief! I was afraid you'd completely domesticated our little ninja assassin."
"Not completely," Gibbs smirked.
As Tony wrapped Ziva in a hug of his own, Ducky confronted Gibbs.
"And lest you think our long friendship extends some special status, Jethro, you should know that if you hurt this dear girl, you will have to deal with me."
"Count me in on that," Tony said over Ziva's shoulder.
"Make that three," McGee added, with a steady gaze for his boss.
Jethro tucked in one side of his mouth in his trademark grin. "I'll hold you to that," he said, looking at the men with approval. He was glad their first instinct was to protect and defend Ziva, even from him if need be – and that she was standing there to hear it. "But you might have to take a number."
"Behind who?" Tony asked indignantly, letting go of his partner.
Ziva raised a hand. "Hello. Former Mossad," she pointed out.
"And Werth," Gibbs added.
"He knows?" McGee asked.
"As does M. Allison Hart," Ziva added, nodding. "They were each here once when I came home."
"And Hart lived to tell - or not tell - about it?" Tony questioned incredulously.
"Barely," Jethro murmured with a grin.
"She is not worth going to jail over," Ziva said dismissively. "Unless she pushes me too far," she added with a slit-eyed look for Jethro.
He held up his hands in mock surrender, making the other guys chuckle.
Despite the general air of acceptance and relief in the kitchen, it was glaringly obvious that one person had not yet come in from the living room. They all caught Ziva's furtive look toward the doorway and the way she worried her bottom lip with her teeth. The guys shared a meaningful look.
"Well, I believe this celebration calls for more than coffee," Ducky declared. "I am going to take care of that."
He turned to Tony and McGee. "Perhaps you fellows will go off in search of something appropriate from which to drink champagne? I refuse to toast the happy couple with mason jars from Jethro's workbench."
Gibbs smirked and the younger men agreed. "On it," said Tony. "Come on, McGoogle. I'll drive and you can work your search magic on your phone."
McGee nodded. He gave Ziva another quick squeeze. "Don't worry," he whispered in her ear. "She'll be okay with this. She just needs to catch up."
The men left and Gibbs moved to his fiancée. "Three down and one to go," he murmured with a smile, cradling her head in his hands, thumbs caressing her jaw. She grasped his wrists and raised worried eyes to his.
"Give me a minute, OK?" he asked of her. She nodded and with a quick kiss to her forehead, he went into the living room.
He found Abby sitting in the same position as earlier, eyes down, fingers plucking pitifully at her skirt.
"Abs?" he said softly as he walked in.
She didn't answer, and she didn't look up.
He sat beside her, his forearms resting on his knees, hands clasped.
"Talk to me, Abs."
She shrugged. "Don't know what to say."
"Start with whatever is running around in that pretty head of yours."
She glanced up at him, then her eyes darted away again. He waited. After a moment, she spoke, her voice so low at first he had to strain to hear.
"I thought we were closer than that … close enough that you wouldn't be able to keep something like this from me." She looked up at him, her voice strengthening. "From me, Gibbs.
"And for all this time …" She looked away again. "I guess I'm wondering if we were as close as I thought."
He pulled her to him in a one-armed hug. "We're close, Abby. Always have been, always will be."
"Then why didn't you tell me?" she asked in a small voice.
"Rule 4, Abs," he answered. Then he elaborated.
"At first, we didn't know where this was headed, and we didn't want anything to change with the team or Eli to have a reason to pull her back to Israel. The longer we waited, the harder it was to say something. And she is not mostly to blame for that; it was both of us."
"It feels like you lied," Abby said quietly, picking at her skirt again.
"Actually, we got really good at saying nothing at all or just not telling the whole truth."
He looked her full in the face. "We're family, Abs, all of us; nothing is gonna change that. But some things still feel dicey, even with family. Take some time if you have to, but I need you to be good with this; it's important to me."
He leaned down and added into her ear, "And that woman in the kitchen? She was most worried about you."
With a kiss to her cheek, he stood. "I'm going to round up some mason jars just in case. I won't be long." His meaning was clear as he looked at her: he'd give her a little time to do the right thing, but he wasn't leaving Ziva alone for any longer than that. He headed to his basement, jogging down the steps.
Abby brooded in silence for a minute, then stared wistfully at the kitchen doorway.
Gibbs' reassurance had helped, but she was still reeling a little. Everything felt so different in light of their news …
Then she heard Tim's voice again in her head and her inner tumult just…settled. God, what was she doing? This wasn't about her. And no matter what, they were more than friends who worked together; they were family. In one of her lightning-quick changes of mood, Abby jumped up and ran into the kitchen. She made a beeline for Ziva, wrapping her in one of her famous attack hugs. Ziva was startled at first, then too grateful to do anything but hug her back.
"Abby," she whispered, "I am sor-"
"No." Abby cut her off. "I'm the one who's sorry for needing a little time to wrap my head around this. I love you guys and I just want you to be happy."
"We love you, too," Ziva answered, tears threatening again. "And we are."
Both women relaxed into the hug.
Jethro came to the doorway just in time to see Abby jerk back and grip Ziva's upper arms with a stern look. "And if you even think of asking anyone else to be your maid of honor, just know that I can take her."
"I would not dream of asking anyone else, Abby," Ziva reassured her, only to be wrapped in an even tighter hug than before.
Ziva looked at Jethro over Abby's shoulder and mouthed, "Help!"
He grinned and said, "I think you can let her go now, Abs. She needs to be breathing to drink champagne."
"Oh!" Abby let go of her so fast she almost stumbled.
Gibbs moved to stand behind Ziva and wrapped his arms around her waist. He looked at Abby, communicating his thanks without a single word.
"Why don't you check on the guys, Abs?" Gibbs suggested, wanting Ziva alone for a moment.
Abby got that immediately. "Sure thing, Gibbs," she responded, her ponytails swinging as she turned to head back to the living room and her cell phone.
He turned Ziva in his arms. Then with a smug look, he teased her, "Told you so."
Her laugh was music to his ears. She snuggled into him, pressing her cheek to his chest.
"And now it's time to get this back where it belongs," Jethro added determinedly.
He put just enough distance between them so that he could tug the long chain gently out from under her shirt and pull it over her head. Removing the ring, he tucked the chain in his pocket. Taking her hand, he pushed the ring back on her finger exactly where it was meant to be. The last of her tension melted away as she gazed at the sign of his promise to marry her.
With joy shining in her eyes, she slid her left hand up around to the back of his neck and asked, "Have I mentioned that I love you?"
"Once or twice," he murmured, bending toward her lips. "But it never gets old."
Their kiss started out slow and tender and healing, then morphed into hot and needy and oblivious to the rest of the world.
Tony's voice pulled them apart. "Ack! Probie, cover your eyes! You're too young to see this."
Laughing, Gibbs and Ziva turned their faces to the doorway to find Abby looking on in awe, hands clasped under her chin, while Ducky and McGee grinned widely.
Tony continued with his antics, pushing by Abby to come into the kitchen. "Okay, break it up, Mom & Dad. The kids are back and we come bearing gifts."
Ziva cocked a brow at Jethro. "Mom?" she murmured in a low voice.
He shrugged, giving her a look that said Don't ask me.
In direct contrast to earlier, the conversation flowed easily now. Abby squealed as she caught sight of Ziva's ring, and everyone "oohed" and "ahhed" over it. Tony pretended to be shocked that Gibbs had managed to pick out something stunning yet elegant all by himself. Ducky's choice of champagne was approved, and the others teased Gibbs and Ziva good-naturedly about the second bottle he'd bought them for a private celebration. With great fanfare, Tony presented them with their first wedding gift: lovely crystal champagne flutes from McGee and him.
After everyone had a glass of the bubbly, Ducky claimed the right to give the toast. For once, he kept it short and sweet. "To Jethro and Ziva. May your years together be long and blessed with more joy than two hearts can possibly contain."
"Here, here," agreed the others, and glasses clinked gently all around.
They moved back into the living room and settled into much the same positions as before. This time, however, Ziva started out sitting on the arm of Jethro's chair.
Abby asked tentatively, "So … can we ask you guys some stuff?"
Gibbs and Ziva looked at each other silently. Ziva shrugged at him as if to say it was all right with her, but it was ultimately his call. She was sensitive to the fact that he was still the team leader and he might not be comfortable with a question and answer session.
He glanced back at Abby with a nod. "Okay. Shoot."
Then with a look at DiNozzo, he added, "But keep it clean."
"Hey!" Tony protested. "Why are you looking at me?"
Everyone else rolled their eyes.
"Okay, okay," he admitted. "Maybe my mind jumped to the two of you in the elevator – ow!" He voice cut off abruptly as McGee and Abby jointly headslapped him.
"Come on!" he demanded, glaring at them. "You know you went there, too!"
Tony glanced over at Jethro and Ziva, only to find two pairs of eyes fixed on him fiercely. "Yikes!" He drew back in mock fear. "She's not even a Gibbs yet and she's already got the stare."
"Next," Gibbs ordered.
"So, like how did this," Abby waved a hand back and forth indicating the two of them, "start?"
"Yeah," Tony added. "Did you just wake up one morning and say, 'Hey, let's break Rule 12 today and see what happens'?"
Jethro snorted out a breath and shook his head. Ziva grinned.
"I cornered him in his basement, but he was determined to be a gentleman," she admitted, eyes twinkling down at Jethro. "At first."
"For all of a few days," Gibbs divulged dryly, reaching up to squeeze Ziva's hand.
"Just like that?" McGee asked, still trying to make sense of the details.
"Well, it had been building for some time," Ziva explained. "Ever since he came back from Mexico."
Abby's eyes grew wide. "That long?"
"Mmm," Ziva confirmed. "But neither of us said anything … Rule 12, you know," she acknowledged with a look at Tony. "We became very good at avoidance."
"But the Hoffman case changed things?" Abby asked.
Ziva nodded. "It was a reminder that the next time I really could die. Suddenly I was finished with ignoring what this was between us."
"So was I, just didn't have the guts she did," Gibbs admitted in a rare moment of self disclosure.
"And two years later, here we are," Ziva finished.
"Are you going to tell Vance?" McGee asked.
"First thing Monday morning," Gibbs confirmed.
"Do you think he will force one of you onto a different team?" Ducky asked.
"He'd better not," Gibbs all but growled.
Ziva moved her arm from the back of his chair to his shoulders in an effort to gentle him. It worked, which was not lost on the others.
"The regulations discourage couples from being on the same team, but it is not mandatory that one or both be moved to other positions. If he brings it up, we simply plan to point out that nothing has interfered with our work over the past two years and we have no reason to believe that will change," she explained.
Everyone agreed that their argument made sense. The team was silent as they processed all they'd been told, though the quiet wasn't uncomfortable.
"So, Zee-vah," Tony asked, his tone of voice telegraphing that he was moving off the serious topics, "do you cook every day like you did tonight? 'Cause if you do, I might drop in around dinner time now and then … like on all the days that end in 'y'."
"Not every day, Tony," she chuckled lightly.
"Often enough," Jethro commented, looking at her with a half-smile of his own. "Lucky for me."
"How have you not gained, like, two hundred pounds?" Tony asked, only half joking.
Despite his earlier directive to his senior agent, Gibbs responded with, "Gee, DiNozzo, I guess we've just found a way to burn it off." He smirked at his underlying meaning, which earned him a headslap from Ziva - ! The team chortled in disbelief as Jethro just grinned up at her unrepentantly until she lifted her eyes heavenward and joined in the amusement with a shake of her head.
After things had calmed a bit, Ziva noticed Abby looking all around the room. "Is there something you are looking for, Abby?"
"You live here, too, right?"
Ziva nodded.
"Then how come it doesn't look like it?" Abby continued her question, clearly perplexed.
Ah.
"You're just not looking in the right places, Abs," Gibbs told her. Then he looked back up at Ziva. "You could show her all the pans you've added to the kitchen cupboards … or the room upstairs."
Ziva's eyes widened. She was so accustomed to their sitting room being just for the two of them, that she needed a moment to adjust to that idea. "You think …?" she asked softly.
He nodded encouragingly.
"What room upstairs?" Abby asked.
"Our sitting room," Ziva explained.
"Your 'sitting room'?" Tony guffawed. He stared at Gibbs. "You have a sitting room. And I was worried about Ziva being completely domesticated!" He howled with laughter as the others grinned at Gibbs' discomfort.
"It's more like a TV room," Gibbs defended with a glare.
Abby looked at Ziva with hopeful eyes, practically quivering in anticipation. Ziva conceded and invited Abby to follow her. They went up the stairs and down the hall. Two doors were closed.
"I guess we can start leaving the doors open now," Ziva noted as she opened a door on the left.
Abby stood just inside the doorway, mouth open in surprise. "Wow," she said. "I can definitely see your touch in here."
There were gem-like colors everywhere, set off by rich browns and creams. Abby's gaze admired the vibrant rug and the soft, cushy sofa. Then her attention was caught by a group of framed photos hung attractively on one wall.
"What are these?" she asked, walking over for a closer look. Gibbs and Ziva were in every picture, in obviously different locations.
"Those are pictures from little trips we have taken, just weekends here and there," Ziva explained.
"You've been to all these places and you never said?" Abby was astonished. There had to be eight or ten pictures all together.
Abby then noticed a larger photo sitting on one of the end tables. This picture was of Ziva standing on a beach and dressed in a blue and white patterned sundress. She was grasping a basket of shells in one hand, and holding back the left side of her hair against a breeze with the other. Her smile was completely natural and lit up her whole face.
Abby picked it up for a closer look, then held it toward Ziva.
"There is something special about this one," she stated.
Ziva looked surprised. She took the picture, touching the glass gently, almost reverently, with her fingertips.
"How did you guess?" she asked softly.
"Well, it's different from the others," Abby began. "You're by yourself in it, for one; it's larger; and it's sitting on the table near the couch instead of hanging on the wall, like someone wanted it closer or it's significant somehow."
Ziva was impressed. "You are good, Abigail Sciuto."
Abby folded her arms with a satisfied, cocky grin.
Ziva was silent for a moment, a tiny smile playing about her lips as she remembered the day this photo was taken.
"Usually I take the pictures when we are traveling, and I always find someone to take at least one picture of the two of us together." She looked up. "Those are the ones on the wall.
"But this one …" she looked again at the photo she was holding, the smile creeping back onto her face and coloring her voice. "We were in Delaware, on the coast, toward the end of our first summer together. This beach was deserted except for us. I wanted to look for shells and Jethro was humoring me. He was holding the camera and he snapped this picture." Her voice lowered with emotion. "And then, he told me that he loved me. It was the first time he said that to me."
Ziva glanced up at Abby, a little embarrassed at sharing such a private moment. She didn't open up easily, and she and Jethro had been so secretive for so long … but how she'd yearned for the chance to just be open about it.
Tears brightened Abby's eyes as she was hit by the intimacy of the moment Ziva had described – and of the moment here and now in this room. Suddenly it all came together for her, including just how much Gibbs and Ziva meant to each other.
"Abby?" Ziva whispered, unsure of what the other woman was feeling.
"That's beautiful," Abby husked. "Really, really beautiful. It's like you two were supposed to find each other. And I can't believe I didn't see it."
Ziva closed her eyes for a brief moment in gratitude. "You have no idea how often I have wanted to talk to you about all of this," she admitted, blinking back tears of her own. To Abby's surprise, Ziva then slipped her arms around her friend in a heartfelt embrace. "It is good to have you back."
"I didn't know I was missing," Abby joked, hugging Ziva in return.
"But I did," Ziva whispered.
After they moved apart, Abby looked around again as she plopped onto the couch. This time she noticed the modern TV and – holy Caf-Pow! – was that cable?
"Zi, don't take this the wrong way," Abby advised with a less-than-auspicious beginning, "but this all seems so normal."
Ziva laughed. "We are normal, Abby," she said as she sat on the sofa as well, tucking one leg underneath her.
"Yeah, in a 'Mr. and Mrs. Smith' kind of way," Abby pointed out, amused.
Ziva's brow furrowed lightly in confusion, then cleared. "Ah. You mean that movie, about the assassins." Abby nodded enthusiastically.
"That was a very sexy movie, "Ziva commented. Then, with a secret smile, she continued. "Even Jethro thought so."
A light blush stained her cheeks as she remembered something. She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it without saying a word. Her eyes flicked away.
"All right, David. Spill it. There's something juicy going on in your head and I want in on it."
At first, Ziva held out. Then she couldn't help herself.
"I will just say that we did not even make it to the bed before we…well, you know," she admitted, blushing even more.
"But, isn't the bedroom right over there?" Abby asked, pointing across the hall.
Ziva nodded, then giggled. She giggled - ? It was hard to tell which of them was more surprised at that! Ziva quickly clamped a hand over her mouth.
"So … right here?" Abby looked at the couch as though trying to decide if she should bolt off it.
Ziva shook her head. Moving her hand enough to speak, she mumbled, "First the wall," tilting her head toward the hallway. "Then the floor." Then she fisted her hand against her mouth as if she couldn't believe she'd actually said that out loud.
Abby's eyes grew round as saucers at the mental pictures that inadvertently crashed through her brain. Wow – go Gibbs!
"But do not tell Jethro I told you that," Ziva all but hissed at Abby, pointing a finger for added emphasis, the merriment in her eyes giving lie to her tone. "He will kill me!"
Both women rolled with laughter at that point, and were still snickering when Jethro came up a few minutes later to ask if they wanted dessert, as the guys were ready to dig into Ziva's chocolate mousse. In fact, his mere presence seemed to set them off again, which made him wonder exactly what they'd been up here discussing. Then he decided that he probably didn't want to know.
An hour later, Ziva closed the front door after the team. Turning, she leaned back against it, catching her bottom lip in her teeth, her smile breaking through.
She pushed off the door and she launched herself at Jethro with a joyful sound. He caught and held her as she wrapped her legs around his waist. She pressed a quick hard kiss to his mouth.
"They are happy for us," she announced, stating the obvious. "And you were so worried."
"Well, somebody had to be," he pointed out with an exaggerated shrug.
"You realize you are stuck with me now." Eyes gleaming, she said, "If you try to get away, I will sic McGee on you."
He snorted. "I can take McGee," he said, swagger in his tone.
"And then there is Ducky, and Tony …" She gave him that narrow-eyed look she did so well. "And do not forget me."
"Well, now. That changes things." Sighing behind a little smile, he agreed in a resigned voice, "Okay, I'm stuck with you."
With a sexy glint in his eye, he brought his mouth within a breath of hers. "Guess I'd better find something to do with you."
Unexpectedly, he pulled back and considered her in mock seriousness. "How do you feel about doing dishes?"
"How do you feel about me doing you?" she countered wickedly.
Gibbs threw back his head with a deep, full-blown laugh and started toward the stairs with her still wrapped around him. "Like your idea better."
Grinning, her lips brushed over him everywhere she could reach as he carried her upstairs to their bed.
Just as they crossed the threshold into their room, an errant thought had Ziva abruptly raising her head. With a vaguely hopeful look at Jethro, she asked, "So, if I am the mom, does that mean I can put Tony in time out?"