A/N I'm sorry it's been so long since the last update. Life got in the way of writing. This chapter took a right turn and headed in a direction I hadn't expected. It totally surprised me. I hope everyone enjoys it.
Disclaimer Only Liz is mine and I'm not making any money off of this.
As a rumble of thunder rattled the basement windows, Jethro straightened from the redwood plank he had just measured and cut. Liz was upstairs writing a report for the school district. He had decided to work on the lumber for the hot tub. He caught sight of Ziva descending the stairs. She was dressed in shorts and an Ohio State t-shirt that was at least two sizes too big for her petite frame.
"Ziver," he greeted her. "What's up?"
Ziva prowled the basement. She ran an idle hand over the wood balanced across the sawhorses. She moved over and poked around the bits of junk on his workbench. She even picked up his beer and took a drink.
"Nothing," she finally replied as she sat the luke-warm beer back on the workbench.
"Where's DiNozzo?" Jethro knew the warning signs of cabin fever. Several days of rain had kept everyone confined indoors. Torrential downpours had even prevented Ziva from taking her usual morning runs. The forced inactivity had to be driving his Ninja crazy by now.
"Tony is upstairs with Liz. They plan to watch a John Wayne marathon." Ziva fiddled with a screwdriver. Tony had insisted they come next door and see what the older couple was doing on this rainy Sunday afternoon.
"I am bored," she finally admitted.
Jethro took the plank from the sawhorses and added it to pile he had already cut. This wasn't about simple boredom. Lack of activity had Ziva fidgety and on edge.
Jethro moved the sawhorses against the wall and then crossed to the boxes stacked under the stairs. Jethro pulled one box from the stack and carried it to the workbench. He opened the flaps and dug through the contents. He finally turned to face Ziva and held up two pairs of well used boxing gloves.
"Would this help?" Jethro smiled at Ziva's look of astonishment.
"Gibbs, we cannot." Despite her protest, Jethro could see the interest sparkling in those huge brown eyes.
"Why not? We've got plenty of room down here." Jethro tossed her one pair of the gloves and turned to rummage through the box again. This time, when he turned, he was holding headgear for both of them and two mouth guards.
Ziva narrowed her eyes and studied the items critically. "I am not using someone else's mouth guard. Who knows what kinds of germs are crawling on those things."
"Don't be such a girl. They're both mine, Ziver." Jethro pretend to be offended. "But, if it'll make you feel better…" Jethro dumped all of the equipment on the workbench. He dropped the pieces of plastic into a Mason jar and poured in a liberal amount of bourbon.
Ziva laughed and caught the headgear Jethro tossed her direction. "This is insane, Gibbs."
Jethro smiled. "You have a better idea?"
"Well, yes." Her grin was positively wicked. "But, Tony is not so young anymore. He needs a break. That will have to wait until later."
Jethro scowled and held up a hand. "That's more information than I need to know, Ziver."
She giggled and strapped on the headgear. "I am sorry, Dad." She didn't look the least bit contrite.
As the pair in the basement squared off, upstairs Tony and Liz were lounging on Gibbs' ancient sofa. Tony was munching on a bowl of popcorn. He was watching 'She Wore a Yellow Ribbon'. Liz was dividing her attention between the movie and the report she was typing on her laptop.
At the first sounds of what was obviously a fight in the basement, Liz sat up in shock. "What is going on?"
Tony cocked his head to the side and listened for a few seconds. "Sounds like they're boxing."
"What? Why?" Liz was beyond stunned.
"Why?" Tony tossed more popcorn into his mouth and chewed thoughtfully. "Probably because Zi is bored and getting on Gibbs' nerves. He's the only one who can handle her when she gets in one of her moods. That's why I brought her over here."
"Aren't you worried? Shouldn't we check on them?" Liz was definitely concerned by this unusual turn of events.
Tony returned his focus to the movie. "They'll be fine."
"But…" Liz didn't know what to say. And, she didn't understand how Tony could be so nonchalant about his boss and his girlfriend beating on each other.
Tony put the bowl of popcorn on the coffee table and faced Liz. "They aren't like the rest of us."
"I don't understand," Liz told him. "You are an NCIS agent, too."
"Yeah, but, I'm a cop. Those two…" Tony nodded his head in the direction of the door to the basement. "They're soldiers. Gibbs will always be a Marine sniper. Ziva will always be a Ninja assassin. They've seen and done things the rest of us can't even begin to imagine. And, that won't ever go away."
Tony paused and considered how to explain the reality that was life with the two people he loved most in the world. "Loyalty, honor, duty. Those are real fine ideals. Until you have to live with the ghosts. They've both mellowed a lot. But, sometimes, one or both of them get in these moods. You can tell something particularly nasty has resurfaced."
"I heard a Viet Nam vet explain it once," Tony continued. "He said it's like constantly having a monkey on your back. The memories are always there. Most of the time, if you're lucky, you can ignore them. But, you can't ever shake them off. And, you never know when they're going to rear up and bite you in the ass."
Tony took Liz's hand and squeezed it gently. "In case you haven't figured it out yet, we are both in love with people who are dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. And, that," he nodded again to the basement door, "is one of the ways they deal with it. Usually, they hit the gym at work. They box. Gibbs works out or he works in his basement. Ziva runs every day. I don't know about Gibbs, but Ziva has been seeing a therapist. And, they talk to one another. I think it helps just to know they aren't alone."
Liz took a deep breath. In her well ordered, safe life, she had no experience with something as serious as PTSD. Her first husband had been an accountant! She had naively never considered the ramifications of Jethro's military service.
Liz took a deep breath and looked Tony square in the eyes."How do you handle this? And, what can we do to help?"
Tony smiled. He had to hand it to her. This lady had guts. "You just have to be there for them. If they want to talk, you listen. Give them a shoulder to cry on when they need it. Don't pass judgment. Remember that when they're in a foul mood, it's not about you. Well, sometimes, it is about me. I tend to have that affect on people."
Liz laughed as Tony continued. "You just have to love them. Let them know they're safe with you. Don't walk on eggshells around them. And, don't make a big issue out of it. Neither one of them deal with pity real well. They both get defensive or get all closed off if they think people feel sorry for them. Talk to Ducky. He does a better job of explaining it than I do. He can answer your questions. And, remember, I'm always here if you need to talk."
As Tony heard laughter from the basement, he sat back and picked up his popcorn. "Just treat them the way you always have."
Liz was typing on her report when Jethro and Ziva passed through the kitchen and entered the living room. Jethro had an arm slug over her shoulders and Ziva was holding a rag to her nose. Both of them were sweaty and smiling. Liz studied them over the top of her reading glasses. They definitely looked more relaxed.
"Tony and I are ready to call in an order for dinner. We decided on pizza." Liz told them. "You should have time to clean up before it gets here. And, Jethro, you should put some ice on your eye. You're going to have quite a shiner. Ziva, pinch the bridge of your nose, dear. That should stop the bleeding."
Jethro just laughed and steered Ziva towards the front door. "Go change. You know DiNozzo won't wait if the pizza gets here before you get back."
Tony propped his feet on the coffee table. He watched as Ziva headed out the front door and Gibbs jogged up the stairs. Liz closed the laptop and removed her reading glasses.
"You did good," Tony told Liz. "You handled that like a pro."
Liz patted Tony on the arm. "I just followed your example. Thank you for explaining it to me, Tony. I probably would have freaked if you hadn't been here. I will arrange a time to talk with Ducky, too. Now, I better go order that pizza."
Liz picked up her cell phone and moved to the kitchen to make the call. Tony munched on more popcorn and laughed as John Wayne uttered the phrase, "Never apologize. It's a sign of weakness."
Tony smiled as Liz passed the entry way. Gibbs definitely hadn't picked a weak one this time. Liz was certainly strong enough to handle life with Gibbs and with his very dysfunctional but tightly knit family.