Chapter 39: The Long Awaited Welcome

One Year Later

The usually flamboyant Goth sits on top her work stool with strong shoulders; her behavior unusually calm and reserved.

Her blank computer screen stares back at her large, dark eyes as if they were the black pool of memories she found herself frightened to look within. Turning slightly, she places her attention on the large Caf-Pow that has been sitting there for her to have for the last ten minutes.

The golden Tech-Boy of the team sits casually at his work desk. His conservative-style computer desktop stares him in the face; creating a soothing calm to his buzzing nerves.

Hours before he figured that he had awoken from a dream to fall directly into a nightmare, but as the ticking of the clock on his wrist continued to be so accurate and constantly, his original thought began to diminish into nothingness.

Jammed packed inside the steel box stands the Italian Stallion. A few more stops and he'll be by himself; able to ride up to his destination in peace.

Looking at his feet, he clutches his NCIS bag pack like the dutiful boy scout and wonders about the day and how it will unfold.

The natural chill of autopsy seems to be at bay as a twist of warmth springs forth through the air straight from the area of the teams Medical Examiner.

Ducky stands with his arms crossed; a pleasant sigh threatening to escape him. His much younger assistant lets loose one of his own and begins to say everything that the good doctor has held back.

"Today's the day, Doctor." Jimmy Palmer speaks quickly; almost afraid that a single second of the day could be wasted. "It'll only be about another hour…or so." He grins wildly. "Suppose we go upstairs earlier-"

"We mustn't jump the gun, Mr. Palmer." He speaks with such wisdom held. "Besides, the first moments aren't ours to have…" He nods at him slowly. "There are three people upstairs that need those moments to themselves."

Jimmy stares in acknowledgement.

The doctor stares back.

The aged Marine is on the move as he is every morning. His usual cup of steaming black and strong coffee sits inside a tall paper cup waiting to be guzzled down until it reaches the pit of his steel belly.

The only thing slightly unusable is the slightly upbeat prance he has developed on this particular morning. It was is one that tries to goes unnoticed by him, but one that his two male team members could never ignore even if they tried.

"He walks on the tips of his toes…" DiNozzo begins in a proud-like voice. "Just like they teach you at ballet school…" He catches the gruff stare that can only be created by the Marine. "…kidding boss."

"They don't walk, DiNozzo. They dance." He catches McGee's wild eyes. "Ballet is a form of dance…everybody knows that." He finishes with a mumble. "I didn't get up this morning to have you two poke fun of me, did I?"

"I don't know…did you?" DiNozzo gives him a crooked brow. "Perhaps I should continue?"

"Perhaps you should STOP, DiNozzo." He barks, startling Tony and making McGee snicker. He gives McGee a tiny smirk before finding his seat and placing his coffee cup down on top of his desk. "What've we got?"

DiNozzo looks questionably at Gibbs before looking in the direction of McGee. "McGeek?"

"…Tony?" He asks with a look just as questionable.

Gibbs smirks at the two while folding his hands over his desk, resting them there, as he places his elbows on top of the table to rest them as well.

"DiNozzo? McGee?" He waits. "Anything?"

"Anything?" DiNozzo squeaks as he tries to pass off a lie. "We don't just got anything, we've got 'something'. Something, you may ask? Well, let me be the one to tell you just exactly what 'something' really means…" He tosses a sideways glance to McGee who catches it, but can not think of a way to respond. "…we've got nothing boss." He says in a flat-tone.

"Any particular reason why?" Gibbs as DiNozzo first.

"I was…I had something personal that needed to be taken care of."

"McGee?"

"…I was working on my novel?"

Gibbs holds their answers for a few minutes, then rises from his chair easily. "Time?"

"Time? Time for what?" DiNozzo's ears wiggle as he grows alert. "Crime Scene Time?"

"What time is it, DiNozzo."

"Half past seven, boss." McGee answers quickly.

"Sit. Relax." He says to them both before catching the eyes of the Director from above the stairs. "Be back by eight."

"I am to understand that she'll serve your team well, Agent Gibbs?"

"No question…Leon." Gibbs says sternly. "She's was a part of the team a few years ago."

"What happened?" Director Vance keeps the file open in front of him, but decides to look Gibbs in the eyes for the answer.

"It's right there in front of you, Leon." Gibbs says with that usual smirk on his lips.

"This is her file, compiled from three different Agencies…"

"Don't forget words from Director Sheppard."

"That's why I'm asking!" His voice loud and sharp.

Gibbs stiffens slightly, but mentally shakes it off. "There's nothing to be kept from you."

"Why am I having a hard time believing you?"

"…I don't know." Gibbs shrugs. "That's your problem." He knits his eyebrows and narrows his eyes. "The request was put in. You told me you would allow me this."

"I did. You're correct. I also had time to re-think what I had told you and I couldn't help, but think I must have momentarily been out of my damn mind." He squints; trying to read Gibbs. "I don't trust you, Gibbs."

"Same for me, Leon." Gibbs shrugs. "You want to use our time together to try to find some of it or do you want to make our lives a living hell?"

"Inside, it'll be hell, but outside the job, it won't."

Gibbs nods; catching the picture frames of his family on his desk. He knows the photos they hold because he has found time to do a bit of snooping while the Director is not there.

"Fair enough, Leon." Gibbs pushes back his rage as best he can. "You're the Director, call it all off if you have to, but the next filler I have at David's desk, is going to get the bad end of my attitude."

"How bad?"

"Extremely." Gibbs is short. "I don't like having to play musical chairs with the Agents I've been getting."

"Agent Huntington served you well, yes?"

"One." He pauses. "She was one that served me and my team well."

"And the others?"

"They want to be the boss."

"It's all about you, isn't Agent Gibbs?"

"It's about following the chain of command." He says sternly. "The others know that."

"Others?"

"Agents DiNozzo and McGee…and David." He sighs. "Whatever you want to know about Ziva David is in her file. It's all there."

"For someone with her work history, her file feels empty…it feels incomplete." Vance tries with his eyes to get Gibbs to open up, but Gibbs keeps the tight bindings around him. "…fine, Agent Gibbs, we'll do it your way for the time being, but if she falls off track, if she so much as resorts to any kind of tactic only a Mossad would know of, she's gone. Never to return to your team or any team within this Agency or any other one operating in this country."

Gibbs breaks into a small smile. "The role of Director suits you very nicely, Leon."

He bites back a curse word. "Get out of my office."

"Yes, Director." Gibbs mutters with a satisfying grin.

It is the end of the day. The Agents are exhausted, but still alive with enough energy to keep them focused on the case that is still incomplete.

"Ugh…the life I live is sad at times." DiNozzo begins as he settles into his wheel-y chair with a grin. "Then I look at my partners and realize that my life isn't at all sad."

"Shut up, Tony." McGee mutters before he looks at Ziva.

"Do you get some sort of sick thrill out of making fun of your co-workers?"

"No. I just get an ordinarily thrill out of making fun of my co-workers." He grins politely. "I only get a sick thrill out of my pranks…on my co-workers."

"You ought to be fired."

"This building would weep for me." He speaks highly of himself.

"I feel as if I have stepped into a time machine…" Ziva comments, but welcomes the mirroring grins of her two partners. "…It is rather nice."

Tony's grin widens into a full-blown smile and McGee follows merrily.

At the top of the stairs, Gibbs discreetly watches the three members of his team. He feels the unusual feeling that only can only be described as a bubbly kind of happiness; the kind of happiness that only someone like Abby could create and show to onlookers.

Keeping it bottled up inside, he feels the pressure rising, and begins pushing his feet forward until he stands inside the middle of the squad room.

"Go home." He says to them.

"Boss?"

"Our prime suspect can't catch a flight until sometime tomorrow. Look outside." He points to the row of large windows. "Storm cancelled a ton of flights."

"We we can go home?"

"If you quit talkin' and start walkin', DiNozzo, you just might make it there."

Tony instantly looks at Ziva; slightly frowning as he thinks about what he should do.

McGee stands slowly from his seat, but even he frowns a bit as he thinks about what he should do.

Ziva sits there with her hands on her keyboard. Her day has consisted of any means of help she could provide to the others as they worked feverishly to make even the slightest dent in the case. Being away off the field and office duty for quite a while means she must continue to work from the bottom to the top for the second time in her life.

"Same goes for you, Ziva." Gibbs speaks somewhat softly as he checks for any alerts in his emails.

"Couldn't I just stay here?" DiNozzo speaks before Ziva can form an answer. "I mean, I practically live here."

"What? No you don't." McGee jumps at him like a little brother.

"Shut up Probie, yes I do." DiNozzo pouts before giving him a tiny glare. "I own this file cabinet."

"It belongs to Headquarters, DiNozzo." Gibbs calls out.

"Okay…well, I own what's inside this file cabinet." He slaps the file cabinet like its his best buddy. "We go way back."

"Oh yeah? Well my desk and I go way back." McGee goes to smack his work desk on one of its sides, but instead opts to pat it gently.

"Would the four of you like a hotel room?" Ziva questions with a raised brow.

Gibbs smirks at her question, then looks to his two male Agents. "Go home, the three of you. It's an order."

Tony grumbles as he realizes he does not have the option to enjoy Ziva's company for the rest of the night.

McGee lightly sighs as he realizes he does not have the option to enjoy Ziva's company for the rest of the night.

Several minutes pass and Ziva finally begins to gather her things.

"How was it?" He asks quietly though there isn't anyone left within earshot.

"How was what?" She asks why slowing her hands.

"Your simple pleasures…" He finds her eyes this time; his email alerts long gone. "…if you don't mind me asking…"

Her eyes soften and an easily smile forms on her lips. "Refreshing. New. Needed." She pauses for a moment. "There will be a time I can share."

He nods; understanding what she means. "Suppose you should get home now…its getting slippery out there."

"Yes." She nods, then zips her backpack. Turning back towards him, she finds him staring at his computer screen once again. "And you?" She shrugs when he stares at her. "Slippery for me means slippery for you."

He grins. "Suppose so, David." He bobs his head up and a down. "Walk you out?"

"Yes." She stands tall. "That is simple enough."

He grabs his car key and holds it within his palm. She waits patiently as he finds himself next to her. Walking together towards the elevator, they find an unspoken content with each other.

"It's a pleasure, too." He says charmingly.

FIN

Author's Note: This is it everyone. This is the final chapter. I don't know what else to say except that I am more than grateful for all the reviews I received (especially after I took so many long breaks from the fic because of issues with my personal life).

I hope everyone is enjoying the new season of NCIS. I personally like it better than last season, so that's a good thing.

Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed reading all this time, from "Wandering Around This Town" all the way into "Carry On". Clearly somethings were tied up while others weren't, but those that aren't just means that you as readers can imagine your own completion to it. Like the show, sometimes things are better just left open-ended for all those open-minds out there.

Oh, and of course, hope everyone will continue to love Gibbs and Ziva. They just simply are the best, aren't they?

Thanks again for reading guys. Hope you had as much fun as I know I did writing (and reading the reviews).

Later Days!

-Geekery (Sabrina)