A/N: aaaand I'm sitting in university again :D... of course... so I thought I would write some more... (btw... I just ate the best strawberries ever!... just saying)

Chapter 5.

Weeks later, the team slowly began to see the change in their boss and his young Israeli.

Gibbs was suddenly drinking less coffee, even though the weeks seemed more stressful. He had also made a habit of arguing with Ziva a lot, in the elevator, for at least half an hour each time, several times a day. What was that about? Ziva hadn't even done anything to provoke him, at least not more than Dinozzo.

The Israeli herself had changed too, always bought coffee for the whole team when she went to get herself a smoothy – it would have seemed suspicious if she only got one for Gibbs. Besides that, she had started provoking Gibbs from time to time, which always sent her straight to the elevator.

In a way, their behavior seemed to be connected, but no matter how many times Dinozzo or McGee thought there might be something between the two other agents, they always ended up pushing that thought aside, thinking that would never be true. Ziva was way too young for the Bossman and he had rule 12. Even if that weren't a burden, Ziva was not a redhead – of course Gibbs would not be attracted to her. Abby had pointed out that the two of them were too much alike to ever fall in love with one another, while Ducky had managed to disagree with all their points.

The Medical Examiner had watched his best friends reactions to Ziva over the last few years, had seen little gazes between them, that had become more frequent in the last few weeks but still went unnoticed by the rest of the team. Ducky had seen the smiles Ziva had thrown in Jethro's direction over the last few days and he naturally assumed that whatever was going on between the two had gotten more intimate or more emotional.

One time he had seen Jethro putting his hand on Ziva's back when they walked out of the morgue and into the elevator. He obviously cared for her deeply, in a not-so-platonic way.

To the team, the doctor had merely pointed out that their arguments didn't really seem strong enough to completely reject the idea of a relationship between Ziva and Gibbs. The boss was still a very attractive man and they had seen women of all ages – some even younger than Ziva – flirt with him. Rule 12 might have been the biggest issue, but still, Gibbs and Ziva were known to break a rule from time to time, even if it was Jethro's own. Sure Ziva wasn't a redhead, but did they really think Gibbs would be that set in his ways. Hollis Mann hadn't been a redhead either and that weird psychiatrist hadn't been either. Ziva was a very beautiful woman – well worth breaking some habits and rules for her. And to Abby he said that the whole being alike thing might actually be the one thing that brings them closer.

Despite everything he witnessed between his best friend and the young agent, Ducky would never have guessed how right he was with his theory.

A few months later...

"Well, we kinda started out as... you know... friends... and at some point... you know... we just..."

"You mean friends with benefits? You know, Ziva, that never works!"

"Yeah, well, Abby... we realize that now.", she said, one hand on her belly, which was not quite flat anymore.

"It did work for a while, you know... It just changed.", Jethro added, smiling more brightly than most of them had ever seen him.

"So you knocked her up and can't really stop now, right?" That comment earned Tony a head slap from Abby and McGee. It obviously wasn't like that.

"You're just saying that because the Bossman is playing with the toy you always wanted but never got."

"Abby is right! And while we're at it: We have to tell you guys something, too."

The whole team went silent for a moment. Ziva smiled at Abby, knowing what was going to come next and Jethro almost looked as puzzled as Tony.

"We're kinda dating."

"And who is left for me? I mean... I'm hot, right? Now Ziva has Gibbs and soon the baby, Abby has McGee, and Palmer is still on his honeymoon. I can't believe I'm the only one who's not getting laid tonight."

"You're forgetting me, Dinozzo.", Ducky smiled into the round. His best friend finally seemed happy, whispering into his fiance's ear, his hand sliding over her belly. Abby and McGee were more of a surprise, Ziva was probably the only one who knew. She and Abby had become friends, Abby being the first one to actually figure out the whole pregnancy thing.

The group smiled at Tony, who still seemed lost in all the news, but somehow he didn't really look mad. He would surely find someone for his own, even if that someone would never be Ziva.

The End.

A/N: Yap, I said 'never'! Hope you liked the story... couldn't think of a better way to end it... Review please! :D