"Can you smell it?"
"That's my shampoo don't you like it?"
"The smell of the weekend David, gee get with the programme."
"How do you smell a weekend?"
He inhaled then nodded at her to do the same.
She looked at him.
"Just do it David. Close your eyes and smell it."
"I don't want to-"
He looked at her.
"Okay."
They both closed their eyes and inhaled.
"Nope I can smell nothing."
He opened his eyes and looked at her sternly he slammed his draw making her jump up from his desk.
"You're a lost cause."
"Fine then"
She turned up her nose and returned to her desk.
"No, no I forgive you. Come back here I am bored!"
She snorted and sat in her spinney chair.
He sighed then wheeled over to her on his own chair.
"If it's any consolation I do like your shampoo. It's very… Exotic."
She laughed and switched on her computer. He spined around slowly on his chair then checked his phone.
"Ah it's going to be lovely and rainy today!" He stated while checking the weather "Ah yes the wolves won the game the other night" He reported checking the sport before spinning to the breaking news. He sat up and leaned forward.
"What is it?" She asked with a mild tone of interest.
*Ding*
"Boss!" Tony stood and looked over at the elevator which Gibbs was coming from.
"DiNozzo! At David's desk again? Isn't she sick of you harassing her?" Gibbs asked sipping his coffee.
"Tony," Ziva stood alarmed at the look on Tony's face. It was fear. "What is it?"
He gulped and read out the news article.
"This morning several civilians were killed in an explosion at a cafe in George town. The casualties include two children and a naval federal agent."
"Does it say who?" Gibb's asked
"No Gibbs, but you're not getting it. Ziva," He turned to her "This is your coffee place."
He flicked through the photos
"Ziva?" Gibbs said urgently
"I was supposed to go there this morning as usual before work. But I went to Tony's café instead because I was out of change and Tony bought for me." Ziva explained looking down confused "But this means…"
"You should be dead…" Tony said. He looked at her face; she was showing the smallest ounce of fear in her eyes.
"DiNozzo make some calls find out who that agent was." Gibbs said heading up to MTAC
"Hey, DiNozzo!"
"Yes boss?" Tony already had the phone in his hand and was dialling.
"Don't leave her side."
"Got it boss"
Ziva looked at Tony, He was already watching her. He smiled at her reassuringly and turned away to make the call.
"You think this was a targeted attack on Agent David?"
"Leon my gut is telling me these people are trying not to obvious but they don't care who they kill to get the job done."
"So you think it's a hit?"
"No- I don't know. But rule number 39."
"What."
"This is not a coincident, they don't exist. Someone is after Ziva, this is the second bomb in a month and both of them were in places she was meant to be."
"It's possible. I need you to do more digging before we start accusing people."
"Right, there was one of our agents caught in the bombing."
"No, all NCIS staff is accounted for. They found a badge at the scene but no I.D. Ziva goes there every day you said it may have been hers. She could have dropped it."
"My people don't drop things."
The conversation ended on this line as Gibbs left the office, leaving Vance rolling his eyes.
Meanwhile Tony was watching Ziva as she sat at her desk cleaning her gun; Tony had come to a dead lead with the media refusing to tell him anything because unless evidence of a naval officer was found this case was not their jurisdiction.
"Tony, not many things make me un easy." Ziva said to him quietly.
"Yeah, what does?" He prompted
"You staring at me as if I may blow down at any moment its making me feel, very uneasy!"
"Blow up. Not down. Where is McGee?" Tony asked distracted.
"He is with Abby. He arrived before you this morning." Ziva said placing her gun back in to her draw.
"Oh. That's okay then." Tony looked a little consoled.
"He doesn't go to my coffee place. Remember, he goes to the place with the drive through." Ziva's eyes softened as she said this. She was looking at Tony differently because her was genuinely feeling concerned for his team.
"Okay now you're the one with the creepy staring!" Tony grinned. "Cut it out will you!"
"I was not staring!"
"You were!"
"I Wasn't!"
"You were!"
"Shut up both of you." Gibbs called walking in between the desks. "Tony-"
"Boss I hit a dead end with the-"
"Yeah I know all NCIS agents are accounted for. They never found a body that matched to an NCIS agent, just a badge."
He walked up to Ziva's desk. She got the message and began opening her draws to find her badge. It wasn't at her hip or in her desk. She checked her bag and under her desk.
"It's not here Gibbs." Ziva growled "But I could not have dropped it anywhere. I don't drop things."
"Yeah, Yeah I know Ziva. I know." Gibbs headed to Abby's lab leaving Ziva and Tony alone.
"Do you think someone stole my badge JUST to plant it at the bombing attack?" Ziva asked him. She stood up and began to pace the area behind his chair.
"Maybe we're wrong. Maybe these people want you to know that they know that you know that these bombs are not random." Tony replied looking at her thoughtfully.
"So they are trying to scare me." She leaned against the filing cabinet "Its working."
"Don't say that. If we are both scared and McGee isn't, the whole world is going mad!"
"Why are you scared?"
"I am not exactly thrilled with the thought of losing you again. I am keeping you here this time."
She smiled and he stood. They were face to face. She stepped closer and watched as his expression went soft. She shivered a little and he walked past her putting his hand on her shoulder and pulling her with him.
"Where are we going?" She asked grumpily.
"To find McGee, we need to make him scared so everything will be that little bit better." Ziva laughed and contentedly let him drag her by the crook of the elbow.
Sure enough McGee was in Abby's lab, they were running through the security from the squad room from the past few days trying to focus in on Ziva's desk.
"Any luck?" Ziva asked Abby putting her hands on the back of McGee's chair.
"Not yet," Abby said keeping her eyes on the computer screen "Just you behind your desk. We're checking the afterhour's security now. Tony you come in at night a lot."
"He does his best work at night." Said Gibb's walking in carrying a couple of caf-pow
Tony looked pleased that Gibb's thought he did good work but then he caught Ziva's eyes.
"You work at night?" She scoffed
"Only early in the evening," He exclaimed looking angrily at Abby
"Tony at time says 2230 hours."
"Fine sometimes when I can't sleep I come in and finish some paper work."
Everyone was looking at him.
"What, I have been doing it for years and now you all start to notice?" He said grumpily
"That is true. Back when you got plague we saw footage of you working late." Abby said still looking at the screen.
Gibbs sighed "What have you got Abs?"
"Look the night cleaner is lingering behind Ziva's desk." Abby said zooming in on the man
"He is vacuuming that's all." Ziva said narrowing her eyes at the screen.
"No you don't get it. That isn't our regular night cleaner." Said Abby zooming in on the man's face
"Run it Abs."
"Way ahead of you," Abby was already running the photo
"I'll check the employment records and see if the regular guy was fired or quit." McGee said
"Do it. Tony, Ziva, with me." The group walk towards the elevator. And Ziva pressed the button.
"I want you two snooping at the café. Show them your I.D and see what evidence we can find. We need to compare the bomb to the last one."
"You know how metro can be when they have a case. This won't be easy." Tony said as they all stepped in to the elevator.
"Yeah I got it DiNozzo. Remember not to let her leave your sight. She is still at risk."
Ziva sighed.
"I am here you know," she said to them "Stop talking like I'm not."
"Alright Ziva," Gibbs said and put a hand on her shoulder as the doors opened.
"Take care of her Tony."
"Got it boss"
Gibbs got out of the elevator and Tony and Ziva stayed in to go to the garage.
Ziva insisted on driving and Tony let her for once. She knew where to go and her attitude was already on the edge. He wasn't going to refuse her driving and tip her all the way over.
They reached the spot in record time. They jumped out the care and approached the police tape. A young man was guarding the once was entrance.
"Hi special Agents DiNozzo and David, NCIS,"
"Hey, agent Watson, metro""
"Do you mind if we have a snoot around in here?" Ziva asked
"She means snoop." Tony rolled his eyes
"I suppose so ma'am but why is NCIS interested in a simple gas leak?"
"It was a gas leak?" Ziva asked interestedly
"Yes ma'am. I suppose it wouldn't hurt for you to have a quick look."
The young man let them under the tape and in to the main room of wreckage.
Tony sighed "They made really good coffee here. It was nice and sweet."
Ziva nodded and headed under some more tapes to what looked like the heart of the explosion. She checked the gas pipes and sure enough found a cylindrical burnt up something on the gas line. She gave Tony and look and he nodded and turned to distract the metro agent while she pulled on some rubber gloves and put the little cylinder in a plastic bag. Under it she spotted clean knife cuts in the pipe line which were almost invisible.
"Tony I think we are done here." Her hands were shaking as she pocketed the evidence bag and headed towards the two men.
"As I said, just a gas leak," The metro man said.
"Yep," Ziva sighed "Just a gas leak."
The two left the wreaked shop. Ziva's hands were still trembling a bit and Tony looked at her concerned.
"You alright?" He asked
"Yes. I found this though." She said quietly putting the device out of her pocket.
"I recognise that. Wasn't in your apartment when it got blown up?"
"Yes. It is used by many agencies, Including Mossad."
"Ziva, I doubt they would put a hit on you."
"I know. But I want to talk to my father."
"Yeah, now where did I park?"
"Just down there near my apartment. Can I go in a second? I want to get his number. I don't keep it on my cell."
They crossed the road and walked a few blocks then they walked up to her apartment building and then climbed the stairs up to the 3rd floor where Ziva's apartment was.
They walked through the front door and Ziva approached the coffee table just near the door. She ruffled through the many papers looking for the number while Tony stood in his familiar surroundings and waited for her. He crossed to a nearby window and looked on to the street.
Ziva stood up. "I found it, let's go."
Then boom. From an unknown location, another bomb had gone off.
Glass was flying at them from Ziva's living room windows and the heat of flame hit all near buildings.
Ziva opened her eyes. She had been pushed against her front door. Nothing hurt. She was fine.
"Tony?" Nothing, she looked around in the dust
"Tony!"
So I hope you like that my pretties I will see ya'll in a few days!