Blessing
"I have a little more to say," Gibbs told Tony and Ziva quietly.
They were both nervous for whatever was coming. Yes, Gibbs had reacted calmly up until now, but they had just spent about a year breaking rule twelve, one of his more important rules, they figured since it was high up on his list of rules. They looked at him as he looked back. He could see how nervous they were and he smiled.
"I can see that this is working out well for both of you. I see that you are thinking things through. I see that you are thinking of the future, which does require commitment, and I see that you're happy with each other," Gibbs said quietly, looking them over carefully as they clung to each other.
They were a little shocked that Gibbs was talking so much, because he was a functional mute. He was speaking more and now explaining this to them. But, they already knew this. They realized that he was saying this because he wanted them to know it. Gibbs paused before continuing.
"I want you to know that you can always turn to me. I also want you to know that I put rule twelve in place for me, not for you. My rules are something for me to live by. It's time that you two made your own set of rules to live by. Mine are just a guideline for my team, my family. Besides, there are more than fifty rules and you can't listen to just one. You two obviously have a good thing going and rule five is more important than rule twelve, which is why its higher on the list. Never waste good. You two are good," Gibbs said calmly, letting his agents know that he was okay with it, without saying a word.
Tony and Ziva shared a smile with each other as Gibbs said this. He was giving them his blessing. They looked back to Gibbs, unsure of what to say, but saw that he had more to continue on with.
"I am sorry for the loss you've both suffered and I'm glad you two are being honest with me. If there's anything I can do to make this time easier for you, just let me know. You should have talked to me about it," Gibbs said to them sincerely.
Tony and Ziva could both see the hurt in their boss's eyes as he thought about what his agents had gone through. They knew that this hurt him nearly as much as it had hurt them. They were touched by this.
"Now, I need you to know. I need to say this straight out. I approve," Gibbs said sternly. "I approve of this. I am glad to see that it's stayed mostly out of work. Keep it that way. I know that there will be times where that's not possible, especially in the future, when you do decide to have a family, or when you are going to get married, or whatever. But, you also need to be upfront with Vance, as well. There's paperwork that needs to be filled out for two agents who start a relationship within NCIS. It's not encouraged, but there are no rules against it. I still want both of you on my team."
Tony and Ziva sighed in relief. They had already realized that those words were coming, but hearing them and knowing them were two different things. They shared another smile as their arms tightened around one another. They looked back at Gibbs after a short moment of being lost in each other's eyes.
They were a little shocked, no matter how pleased, at the instant approval that they got. They wondered what else Gibbs had to say to them, so they looked at him again.
"That also solves my other dilemma. You two will share a room. I do expect you not to oversleep though. I don't want to have to go in there to wake you up," Gibbs said, chuckling quietly at the thought. "And, please, share this news with the others when we get back, just not during a case. They'll be pleased, I think."
"You think, boss?" Tony asked quietly.
He hadn't even though about how the others would react to their relationship. He and Ziva had been so concerned with what Gibbs was going to say that they hadn't bothered to think what the others would think when they told them. Not yet, anyway. They were thinking now.
"Yes, I think so. McGee's been concerned about you, Tony, because you haven't gone on a date in over two years, according to what he knows. And Abby thinks there's something wrong with both of you. She's been coming to me and panicking about it. I don't know what Ducky thinks, he's been oddly silent about you two since before this whole thing started when you went to Paris," Gibbs explained.
Again they smiled at each other, but felt a little guilty for concerning at least two of their coworkers and family members.
"We'll tell them as soon as we have a break from casework," Ziva promised Gibbs, giving Tony and squeeze.
"Good," Gibbs said with his half-smile. "Now, get off to bed."
Ziva rose, but Tony didn't follow, letting her get up without him. She looked back at him curiously. He stood up and whispered in her ear. "Go ahead. I want another quick word with Gibbs. I'll be up in just a minute."
Ziva nodded, planting a small, but affectionate kiss on Tony's cheek before going upstairs and not daring to listen to what was going to be said, in case it was some worry or something that Tony wasn't share with her. Whatever it was, Tony would turn to her eventually, and she knew this. She also knew that his eyes followed her all the way up the stairs before he turned back around to speak to Gibbs, because she could feel his eyes on her.
A/N – Well, that was more than Gibbs has ever spoken before. But, all of it needed to be said and I'm sure there was a lot more on his mind than that, considering all the thoughts we've seen from him recently. I'm so glad he approves. Review and let me know what you think!