Thank you to those who have set alerts and reviewd :) Hope u enjoy
The Next day
At the Office Ziva pulled McGee aside, after she noticed him staring at her for the fifth time that day.
"McGee, if I catch you staring at me again, I will hurt you!" Ziva hissed.
"Sorry Ziva, I'm just... well you know..., you're a mum. I never thought of you like that," he stated, slightly afraid.
"Well do NOT think about it. Okay? Let us leave it be," she said, her voice clearly showing her annoyance.
"Ziva, I'm your friend, friends help each other, so I would like to help you. If you let me," Tim offered as he was concerned about her being alone with this.
"We are okay, McGee. I have managed for six years. I think I can manage," Ziva replied, now becoming slightly agitated.
"I'm not saying you can't manage, but I want to help, so you can relax sometimes too," he tried to allay her.
"You mean, you would help me look after her?" inquired the Israeli.
"Yes, if you want me to. You don't have to be alone Ziva," offered Tim.
"I am not alone. I have Louisa, she knows about Kalisha," defended Ziva herself, not really up for McGee's offer yet.
"Louisa from Cyber-unit?"
"Yes, I have known her before I came to work here."
"Well, I'm here to help too, like I said I want to help you," Tim offered his service again, in hope that his friend would finally take it. As he didn't know how long he could keep up with the argument before the woman in front of him snapped and may cause bodily harm to him for annoying her.
"I am beginning to understand that McGee," admitted Ziva, sighing.
Smiling at her, Tim continued, "Okay, you have contact details set up for her school, right?"
"Yes, they have my cell number."
"Good, give them mine too, just in case they can't reach you," stated the agent, having gained some confidence which also resonated in his voice.
"Thank you," Ziva said, giving him a small smile, "I will call them now."
"No problem," said her friend, returning her smile with one of his own before he turned around to go.
"McGee," she called him back, "Please, promise me, you will not tell anyone about her." For once, her anxiety was clearly visible for him to see on her face.
Momentarily startled by this, he finally managed to promise her, "I won't tell anyone, Ziva," causing her to smile widely.
"Toda."
Just when Ziva was finished with her phone calls, Gibbs came into the Bullpen.
"Gear up," he ordered, making his way to the elevator, "Dead Marine found in Quantico."
"What happened, Boss?" his senior field agent asked, having come to a stop in front of the elevator.
"Not sure yet, DiNozzo. Let's go," Gibbs gruffly replied as the four agents stepped into the lift.
When the team arrives at the crime scene, they were greeted by an unusual sight. The dead Petty Officer was sitting face down in a toilet, half naked.
"DiNozzo," said Gibbs.
"Sketch, then bag and tag. On it," replied his senior field agent.
"McGee," shouted Gibbs.
"Photos. On it, Boss," answered McGee from the back of the truck, already picking up the necessary tools.
"Da..."
"Witness statements and then I am helping the others," Ziva interrupted him, grinning at the Gray-haired agent, who slightly smirked at her before he went over to Ducky.
"What you got, Duck."
"Well, first indication shows some blunt force trauma to the head," the ME started.
"What about the hands?" Gibbs asked, pointing to the bloody mess in front of him.
"I was just about to tell you, Jethro. Ring finger and index finger are missing. The rest of his fingers are melted to the bone," explained Ducky.
"No way to get an ID," stated Gibbs the obvious before asking for a T.O.D.
"About 5-7 hours ago," answered the Medical Examiner as the other agent was already on the way to inform the next of kins of the victim.
(Meanwhile)
"Hey, you okay?" Tony asked Ziva.
"I am fine, Tony. Why?"
"You just seem a bit distant, that's all," said Tony before concentrating on his work again.
After having finished their tasks and having reported their first findings to Gibbs, the team were just back in the NCIS garage, as Tony's cellphone rang.
"Sure, boss," the senior agent said as he hung up the phone.
"What's wrong, Tony," McGee asked.
"Me and Ziva have to go and pick up the guys kids from school."
"Which school?" the Israeli asked as she and Tony made their way over to the car pool.
"Anacostia park elementary," Tony told her as they neared their car.
"I know where it is. I will drive," she replied as she took the keys from him.
"No Ziva! I will drive!" whined Tony as he made a leap for the keys, but failed to get them.
"Tony," she warned him, causing him to backtrack and to mumble,
"Crazy ninja, I'm so dead," He said as they moved out of the parking spot.
After they had picked up the kids from school, they were heading back to the bull pen. Tony started to question Ziva.
"So, how did you know where the school is?"
"It does not matter. Quit birding me, Tony," she replied sternly.
"It's 'bugging me', Zeevah. I barely know the way to that school and you have been here for 5 weeks and you do," replied Tony curiously.
"Just shut up, Tony," muttered Ziva as they stepped out of the elevator and head to their desks.
Some time later Tony contacted Ziva via computer messenger.
"Movie night at your house tonight, then?" he wrote.
"Tonight?" Ziva wrote back, knitting her eyebrows in confusion.
"Yes Ziva, every second Thursday," he replied, grinning as she looked over to him.
"Tonight at mine. 8 pm, yes?" she typed into her keyboard.
"I will be there." DiNozzo replied looking over at her.
Later that night,
With all of Kalisha's's toys and pictures put away, Ziva was just placing some snacks on the table when Tony arrived.
"Hey ninja," he greeted her.
"Come in, Tony," Ziva invited him with a roll of her eyes.
"Bought us some wine," the senior field agent said as he held it up for her to see.
"What film will we watch tonight?" She asked, taking the whine bottle from him. She then went to get some glasses.
"The Godfather," grinned Tony as they both settled down on the couch.
THE NEXT MORNING
Tony woke up in Ziva's bed. As he looked around, he noticed that his partner must have already left for her morning run. Contemplating on what to do, he wrote her a short note before heading to his own apartment to get ready for work.
When he arrived in the bullpen he noticed that McGee was already hard at work.
"Hey Probie, is Ziva in yet?"
"No, not yet. But ehrmm... Gibbs wants all of your paperwork up to date, so good luck," McGee told Tony as he pointed to a mountain of files on Tony's desk.
"You could help me, Probie. I would help you," tried the agent.
"Ehrmm, no you wouldn't, Tony," McGee stated.
"Okay, you're right. But come on, help me," Tony pleaded.
"No," Tim said earnestly.
"It's not like you have a lot to do, Probie. There is nothing on your desk."
"I have computer things to do," he told him.
Just then Ziva came into the bullpen, realizing he isn't going to win with McGee, Tony walked up to Ziva.
"Can we talk?" Tony asked quietly as he approached her desk.
"Yes, but not now. Gibbs is coming, we will talk later," she answered.
"Okay,"he said and head back to his own desk to start on the paperwork.
A little while later, when Gibbs and Tony were away, McGee walked up to Ziva.
"Is everything set up?" he asked.
"Yes, thank you. If anything happens, call Louisa. Okay?"
"I'm sure nothing will happen, but of course. Does she pick Kalisha up from School?" questioned McGee.
"Mostly everyday, since she picks up her daughter up to," the Israeli replied.
The team continued to work for the rest of the day, till Gibbs told them they could go home once they were done with their paperwork. Since Ziva had finished hers for several hours now, she got her bag and walked up to Tony's desk.
"Are you ready to go?" she questioned Tony.
"No, I'm not quite done yet. Another hour," Was the replie she got form the senior agent.
"Well, I have to get going, come around when you are done," Ziva told him before saying good night to Tim, "I will see you tomorrow, McGee."
"See you tomorrow," the agent shouted after her retreating form.
As Tony and McGee were the last ones in the bullpen, the later started a conversation.
"I'm going to start setting up the new networks, so they run over night. Shouldn't be to much to do in the morning."
"McGeek, don't, please don't start with the geek talk," Tony teased the younger agent.
With Ziva having left an hour ago, the other two agents finally left also. When they got to the parking-lot, they were seeing something they did not expected.
"Didn't Ziva leave an hour ago, boss," Tony asked the Gray-haired agent, who had spent the last hour in the director's office.
"Yes, she did. Why?" he replied
"Then why is her car still here?" questioned Tony.
"What? Are you sure?" McGee asked from his car, which was parked a few meters away from the others.
"Yes, I'm looking at it," replied Tony to McGee, while Gibbs comes over to him.
"I will call her, maybe she left it for a reason," the senior field agent told his boss, who was looking at the red and white mini cooper.
As Tony called Ziva's cell, they he heard her ring tone faintly in the background.
"Can you hear that?" Tony questioned worriedly.
"Yes, I can," Gibbs said as he hurriedly circled Ziva's car with Tony and McGee close behind.
"Found her cell," he said, taking a glove out of his pocket before picking it up.
"Boss, you better look at this," said McGee, as he looked under the car.
"What is it, McGee."
"Ziva's bag. Everything is still in it, her wallet and other things," McGee told them as he looked through it.
"McGee is that" Tony began pointing to his hand.
"Blood! McGee said as he looked up at Gibbs
"Where the hell is she?" Gibbs gruffly stated. His gut telling him, that something was very wrong with their Israeli.
_______________
Please press the little green botton Todha xox