Ziva stepped into Abby's lab, Tony, McGee and Gibbs behind her. Abby ran up to Ziva, giving her a deep hug as the two women cried into each other's shoulders.
"Zi...oh Zi!" Abby pulled away looking at Ziva. Craning her neck the young Israeli could make out Jenny's blood splattered shirt.
Turning to face the team, Abby murmured, "She was always such a snappy dresser, you know? Like a classy. I never told her that. Why didn't I tell her that? She would have liked that. She would've smiled. You can't wait with stuff like that because you never know what's going to happen."
Turning to each member in turn, she began to speak. "I like the way you dress, Gibbs. It's masculine and spruce, and always with a jacket. See, even you smiled! And Tony you're business, and after hours...it's nice. And Ziva you kick butt and you look so good doing it."
She turned to face McGee. "And McGee...oh McGee!" She wrapped her arms around his waist again, and he cradled her head in the crook of his shoulder.
Gradually the team dispersed, trying to find the person who ordained the killing of Jenny. Abby was left with Ziva, which had the potential to be very, very awkward.
"Abby?" Ziva's voice was extremely quiet.
"Yeah?" Abby's reply was by far more effervescent, almost like flat soda when compared to water.
Sensing her friend's hesitation, Abby walked over to give her a hug. Ziva's soft remark was almost sticky with emotion and sadness. "She died alone...we should have been there....I miss her Abby. I really cared about her."
"Don't do this to yourself Zi. I miss her too. But she knew we were family, and she knew that we would understand why she did this. It was for us, her family.
Ziva sniffled, a pitiful sound to Abby. "She never had a family."
Abby looked into her eyes. "We were her family. McGee, Tony, me, you, Gibbs. We were family."
After a few moments, Abby pressed a few very soft words into Ziva's ear. She picked them especially for now, with possibly more thought than what goes into choosing an infant's name. Because these words would last a lifetime and be a legacy.
"Jenny would want all of us to be strong and do right by her. She knew that she would never get to say goodbye. And that's okay. Because she also knew that we would understand. She...she'll always be our fearless leader. Jenny."
