Vance Sends Tony and Ziva to Paris
Vance walked out onto the catwalk from his office. He looked down at his best team as they worked silently on their computers, finishing up some paperwork that they had left over the weekend. He glanced at Gibbs, who kept steeling glances toward Tony and Ziva. Vance then glanced at Tony and Ziva who were avoiding each other like crazy. He knew it, because he had seen it.
As he watched Ziva glanced up, but quickly back down again, seeing that Tony was looking her way. She was avoiding his eyes. That was usually the way they communicated best, was through these small looks, since they were both terrible with words toward each other. He shook his head and decided that his decision he made with Gibbs on Friday was definitely the right one; though he was terrified of how it might change these two. But, something needed to change.
"Special Agent DiNozzo and David, my office please. Gibbs, you too," Vance called down from the catwalk as the sun was setting outside of the NCIS building.
Tony looked at Ziva as she looked up. They only stared for a brief moment before her eyes darted elsewhere.
Ziva stood up after the glance with Tony. They had hardly made eye contact since their talk in the bathroom several weeks ago. They were on shaky ground and she knew it. It was like they were avoiding each other, but not really. They were only avoiding each other's eyes.
Ziva knew why they were avoiding eye contact. Ziva didn't want Tony to read what was in her expression, because she knew that she was only pretending she was fine and she knew Tony was the only person in the world who could read that upon looking in her eyes.
Ziva reached for the necklace that she used to wear almost everyday of her life, but remembered it wasn't there. She frowned and remembered what she had said to the marine on that ship before she arrived in Somalia.
"I would sooner die than take it off," she told him. "You should understand." She had pulled out his dog tags with a glance of significance at him.
She hadn't worn the necklace since Saleem had taken it off her neck and she fully intended on dying over there. But, she no longer blamed Tony for rescuing her. Now, she was quite thankful for it. But, she did miss her necklace and hadn't had the heart to replace it with a new one, since she wasn't so sure how she felt about Israel at the moment; or her father for that matter.
Tony glanced at Ziva again now that she was standing and thinking. She was frowning and her eyes said that she was far from fine. They had hardly made eye contact since that day in the bathroom where she apologized to Tony. It broke his heart that she was still hurting from the mess and he wished he could make it all go away for her, but he didn't know what to do to even help her cope, because she wouldn't let him in. he knew why they were avoiding each other, though. Ziva didn't want Tony to know what she had been through in Somalia and she obviously realized he wanted her to talk about it. What she didn't know was that he was willing to wait to hear it.
Gibbs glanced around at his two agents. He already knew what Vance was doing from their conversation on Friday. He had recommended sending these two that far. Something was definitely off and this was only more evidence of that. He knew that by sending them to Paris they would never be the same, but it broke his heart to see his two agents, his two kids, having the problems they were having. They wouldn't even look at each other and they had to depend on each other in this job. This wasn't healthy for them. They had to work through this somehow and this was his only chance to help.
They made their silent way up the stairs and walked into Vance's office. They sat down one by one and looked up at Vance, but not toward each other. Vance was seeing full-force what Gibbs meant about whatever was going on between Tony and Ziva being strained and forced. They were sitting next to each other, but leaning ever-so-slightly away. He could see they were strongly resisting whatever it was they felt for each other because of Ziva's time in Somalia.
"Okay, so I have an assignment and I've finally decided who's going to do it," Vance said, presenting this as wholly his decision, even though it wasn't. "The assignment is going to Paris and picking up a witness for a trial here. She's not wholly safe. We have reason to believe that her life is being threatened. So, David, DiNozzo, you're going to Paris. Go home, pack your bags. Your plane leaves in two hours. You'll get there, have a night, pick up the witness and come home. Understood?"
"Yes, sir," Ziva said reluctantly.
"Yes, Director," Tony said, sounding just as reluctant.
"Good. Gibbs, no problems with me stealing two of your best agents, I trust?" Vance asked as a formality, since they had already discussed this.
"No problems, Director," Gibbs said with a slight nod of his head, indicating that he understood why he was asking again.
"Good, you two, get moving," Vance said as he dismissed the three of them from his office now that they had an assignment.
A/N – So, here we are, in Vance's office. Tony and Ziva got their assignment to go to Paris. I wonder what they're thinking about this since they're both apparently reluctant to go. Please review!