Author's Note: Hey guys, thanks for the reviews. I hope everyone has a great and safe time for the Holidays!-Geek.

Chapter 6
"Conversations"

McGee pushes down on a few buttons on his computer keyboard and sighs pleasantly. Ziva hears this, but only responds to it by smilingly lightly and continuing to check her emails. DiNozzo on the other hand is on full alert like a German Shepherd.

"What's with the delightfulness in your tone, Elf Lord?"

"It's none of your business, Tony."

"I know that, but when has that ever stopped me before?" He pushes his desk chair backwards and firmly places his feet on the ground. "Tell me before I come over there and give you something you'll regret."

"There's nothing you can do to me at work that will make me regret not telling you what it is that I am doing."

"I can put super glue on your keyboard."

"You've already done that."

"I could do it again."

"What, more? You used the entire bottle yesterday!"

"I've got hook-ups in the supply room. I'd be afraid, if I were you. Very, very afraid."

"I'll tell Gibbs."

"I'll tell Gibbs." DiNozzo mimics in a baby voice. "You're such a narc, McGeek."

"Okay, fine, but you're just annoying."

"Wow. I think I just felt my heart break." Sarcasm paints Tony's face. "Shut up, Probie."

"You can't make me."

"You're right." Tony shrugs. "Pests are pests for reasons. One of them being they can never shut up when they should."

"Shut up, Tony."

He chuckles. "You're not the boss of me."

Gibbs appears as if on cue and whacks Tony right on the back of his head. "Yeah, but I am."

"Naturally, boss…" DiNozzo rubs the back of his head with his hand. "Hey boss…you think you could give me some warning before you do that again?"

"Where's the fun in that?" Gibbs asks.

"Good point…" He knits his eyebrows. "…I think…"

Gibbs smirks at his leading agent before depositing his weapon and badge into his desk drawer.

With a fierce look on his face, DiNozzo holds the sides of the vending machine tightly and shakes it with all the strength he has. Several agents walk by and he greets them with a sheepish grin, them waits for them to leave and he shakes it again.

"This…piece of shit…" He huffs and violently kicks at the sides and front of the machine hoping his chocolate bar will fall.

"Money is required first, Tony."

He whips around to see Ziva waiting behind him, patiently, with a dollar held between her index and middle finger while her arms are folded.

He rolls his eyes. "I did put a damn dollar in there."

"Perhaps a higher power does not want you to eat a chocolate bar."

"Perhaps you'd like to shut your mouth and mind your business." His eyes darken. "Scram, David."

"I will not. This machine does not belong to you."

"Then how about using your time wisely to help me get it out of the machine."

"How do you suppose I do that?"

He wait's a moment. "Put your dollar in the machine and hit B4."

"I am not interested in a chocolate bar."

"Every woman loves chocolate."

"Hmm…" She rocks backs and forth slightly on her feet. "I do not seem to think so."

He begins to hold back a scream he knows wants to fly out of him. "I know you like chocolate. I've seen you eat chocolate."

"Hmm…" She shrugs. "Perhaps…but I do not want chocolate now."

"What a partner." He mutters, before turning back around and shaking the machine once again.

"Why is it that you can not use another dollar?"

He sighs as he keeps rocking the machine, and grunting. "…because I don't have another dollar." Pressing his face against the glass, he tries to see if he can think of a way to shake the machine in a certain spot so it will fall. "Maybe if I try to tilt and shake it…" He mutters to himself.

Ziva grins at his kookiness for a moment, then pulls out another dollar from her pants pocket and practically holds it over his head like a piece of mistletoe.

"One could always use this…" She says in what could be an angelic voice.

He snatches the dollar from over his head and looks to her. "I could kill you, David."

"Over a chocolate bar?"

"Over starvation!" He exclaims. "Why didn't you mention you had a spare dollar before?"

"I do not consider money to be spare."

"You know what I mean. I could have borrowed it."

"You didn't ask."

He opens his mouth to say something, but decides he better just get his candy bar and shove it in his mouth before his stomach makes anymore noises.

Once he hit's the number and letter of the chocolate bar, he begins to smile widely as the chocolate bar forces his original one forward, making it fall, and the second one comes tumbling out after it.

Bending down, he snatches the two chocolate bar up from its deposit box and eagerly begins to tear off the wrapper on one of them.

"You owe me."

"All I see, taste, want, need, and know right now is chocolate."

"What would you do without me?"

He thinks for a moment, then develops a wicked grin on his face. Taking a bite of his chocolate bar, he lets it melt slightly in his mouth. "I'd push your desk on the side of my desk and have the biggest desk in the entire squad-room."

"I never knew you could be so…"

"Clever?"

"Stupid. Actually." Her tone serious.

His wicked grin fades instantly, before he walks away. When she realizes he is out of sight, she grins to herself before putting her dollar inside the vending machine.

Gibbs sits in front of his computer screen and pretends to know what he is doing. Out of the corner of his eye, he can senses that DiNozzo wants to say something, but does not know how to open his mouth and just say it.

"Something you want, DiNozzo?"

"Of course not, boss." He answers quickly. "…is there anything you want? Coffee?"

Gibbs lifts his fourth cup of coffee of the day from his desk. With it in his hand, he decides to take a sip. After it finishes scolding the inside of his mouth and his throat, he glances at DiNozzo again.

"…something on your mind?"

"No." He answers quickly again. "…something on yours?"

Gibbs shrugs. "No, other than the idea that if you don't come right out with what it is you want to say, I'll have to get it out of you."

He smirks. "How are you going to do that?"

"Rip it outta ya."

DiNozzo's eyes are as large as dinner plates. "I better tell you."

"You better." Gibbs confirms.

Waiting a minute or so, DiNozzo looks over at Ziva's desk before looking back at Gibbs. "It's about Ziva."

Gibbs pushes himself away from his computer and leans over his desk a little; intently listening.

"The other night at the banquet she let something slip that's just been bothering me."

Gibbs begins to smirk as he thinks of something witty to say, but it soon falls when he notices how serious DiNozzo is continuing to be. "…'bout what?"

"Her lack of friends." He sees his superior not really understanding, so he continues. "She's been in this country for two years and she claims she had no friends within the country."

Gibbs shrugs. "Could be true. Her job is demanding. Our job is demanding." He shrugs again. "She's had much more time to develop all sorts of relationships outside the country than in the country."

DiNozzo begins to feel like an idiot for even mentioning it in the first place, but he pushes forward anyway. "She caught herself after she let it slip. It was almost as if she didn't want anyone to know."

"Maybe she didn't." Gibbs says as easily as he can.

Tony scoots closer to his desk. "Well…doesn't that seem a little shady?"

The Marine begins to ponder the idea, but only responds with a shrug.

"I guess I'm just nuts." DiNozzo says sarcastically.

"No." Gibbs shakes his head slightly. "Maybe you're right. Maybe you're wrong. It's better to just leave things as they are. If you try to get more out of her, you'll piss her off."

His watches as his superior gets back to nearly staring lifelessly at his computer screen, and fights the urge to mutter something under his breath.

Sometimes he hates when his boss is so damn passive.