Tim smiled as he caught sight of Ziva, in the busy park. She jogged toward him, with a smile on her face. It was early May, and Spring had well and truly sprung. The cherry blossoms coated the sidewalks of the capital city.

"It is good to see you, my friend," Ziva said, as she wrapped her arms around him. Nice and tight. "It has been too long."

The last time they had seen each other was at the dinner they'd all gone to, to celebrate Delilah's new job, that had been a couple of weeks after Abby's birthday party. Time slipped away, too fast for any of them to catch it.

"You too," he said, as the hug ended. "You're looking good."

Ziva smiled. McGee's face turned beetroot.

"I mean you've always looked good," McGee started to stammer. "But, you look good. I mean different. Like happier, I guess."

She placed a hand on his forearm, offering him a lifeline, before he dug himself into a deep hole.

"I understand," she said. "There has been so much change in the last year."

It was nearly a year since they had all handed in their badges. Nearly a year since McGee and Delilah started dating. Ten months since Ziva gave up the badge. Their little world was completely different.

"Are you happier?" McGee asked. "You seem happier."

She paused for a moment, ran her hands down her exercise tights, and turned to him, still pondering the question.

"Yes, Tim," she said. "I think I am."

Happiness is a choice. Ziva, her therapist had said months ago. She'd resisted of course, believing she did not deserve happiness. Now, she started to embrace it. She chose to be happy.

"That's good," he said, as he looked toward the running track. "That's so good."

"We should get started," Ziva said, as she pulled her foot to the back of knee, stretching her hamstrings. "We did say we were going to run."

"Yeah we did," McGee said with a frown. The warm weather had reminded him that his workout routine had fallen by the wayside, especially since Delilah had been injured. "Can I ask one thing before we get started?"

"Of course," Ziva said.

"Did Tony really go to a Passover Seder?" he asked.

Ziva frowned for a second. Tony had told her that McGee and Ellie, had not believed him, when he had slipped out after lunch, on a Tuesday. McGee could remember a year, where Tony snuck out for fictitious doctors appointments.

"He did," Ziva said, as she slid her hand into the tight pocket of her exercise tights and retrieved her phone. She opened it up, and handed it to McGee, flicking through the photo section.

"Is Tony holding a baby?" McGee asked, as he zoomed in on a photo of all of the guests at the Seder. It had been the hosts Rachel and Jo, Tony and Ziva, and two other couples Ziva had not met before. The younger of the couples, had a eight month old baby, who had spent most of the seder on Tony's lap.

"Yes," Ziva said.

"He's not scared," McGee begun. "Last time we had a case with kids, he freaked out."

Where was the real Tony, and who was the alien that replaced him. Love enough would not be enough to cause a personality change.

"He hogged the baby, for the entire dinner," Ziva told her friend. "It was very cute."

"Wow," McGee said. "Things are really changing for him."

"Yes," Ziva said. "Now, we really should get started."

"Okay," McGee said, as Ziva slipped her phone back into her tights.

She started to run. Speeding ahead of him. She had always been so fast.

"Wow," McGee said, when he caught up to Ziva. He took a few heavy breaths. "You don't have to catch bad guys, and you can still outrun me."

"Don't take it personally, Tim," she said. "I have always enjoyed running."

"So you still run?" McGee asked.

"Yes," she told him. "But, not so often, and not so early. I have embraced the sleep-in."

Waking up at seven, not five was as close to a sleep in she was ever going to get, but Tony still called it progress.

"I wish I could like running," McGee admitted. "It just feels horrible. Most exercise feels horrible."

"I like it because it gives me time to think," Ziva said.

She always liked the feeling of her feet pounding the pavement, and that breathless feeling when she pushed herself too far. Running as the sun rose over Tel Aviv, before it got too hot.

"Yeah," McGee said, as the passed another runner, who was speeding ahead.

"How are you doing Tim?" she asked, after a couple of quiet seconds.

"Fine," he said too quickly.

She was a few steps ahead of him, and turned to greet him with her eyebrows raised high.

"Delilah flew out last week, no?" she said.

"Yeah," McGee said. Delilah was on a year long secondment in Dubai. It was something she had been working toward before she got hurt, and something she had clung onto as she worked her way through rehab and adjusted her changed life. "But, it's fine. We skype a lot, we're always texting. I booked tickets to go see her in July, once you and Tony get back from Italy."

In April Gibbs had found himself approving a week long vacation for each member of his team. July was going to be a long month.

"July," Ziva said with a cough. "Not even the locals stay in Dubai during July. The heat will kill you."

McGee grimaced.

"I did wonder why the tickets were so cheap," he said. "Dee said her apartment has really good air conditioning."

"You will need it," she said.

"Why did you ask how I was doing?" McGee asked. "Did Tony say something?"

It was a weird dynamic. They had once all worked together. Tony and Ziva had paired off. Ziva had left. Now, Tony and Tim worked together. At first McGee had felt weird, talking about Ziva with Tony, like she was just another girlfriend. Things were getting better, time healed all things.

"No," she said firmly, as they reached their start point again. "I am asking, because it is a big change. I have done the long distance thing. I thought you could do with a friend."

McGee swallowed thickly, was it really fair for Ziva to compare her and Ray, or even her and Rivkin, to him and Delilah.

"When we got together, I knew this was a possibility," McGee said. "She's been working toward this for a couple of years, and it's in her five year plan. It's going to open up a lot of doors for her."

Ziva nodded, she might be out of the game, but she knew how important this posting would be.

"We talked about it when she applied before Christmas," McGee said. "And, I think we both kinda thought that if it happened, we'd break up, and then when she came back, we'd see where things took us. I mean our jobs are crazy enough, we didn't need to add a long distance relationship into the mix."

"But, you are still together, no?" Ziva asked.

"Yeah," McGee said. "After the bombing things changed. I know things changed way more for Delilah, and I really don't know how she manages to be so positive after everything. She's so amazing. For me, coming so close to losing her made me realise, I can't let her go."

Ziva slowed down her pace.

"I didn't realise things had gotten so serious," Ziva said.

"You know what," McGee said. "Neither had we. I wish we'd had more time for the dust to settle, after she came back from rehab, before she left for Dubai, but when she comes back I wanna go all in."

"That is good," Ziva said. "I am glad for you."

They were all growing up. Finally.

"I've been looking at places," McGee said, as they passed the water fountain for the second time. "She had to give up her lease, and my place is not accessible enough for her."

She thought of Tony's apartment, with its wide doorways, and huge bathroom.

"I cannot imagine it has been an easy search," Ziva said.

"No," McGee admitted. "I was talking to Gibbs' about it, do you know what he said."

"What?" she asked.

"Buy a house," he muttered.

Ziva laughed.

"I mean eventually yeah, and it was probably be easier to remodel a house to make it accessible, than trying to work with an apartment," McGee said, "But I kinda think, that is a thing Dee and I should do together."

"Yes," Ziva said. "Is Delilah enjoying Dubai?"

"She said it's easier," McGee said. "Her team didn't know her before she got hurt, so there's not that weird dynamic, she had with her old team, after she came back from rehab."

Ziva nodded thoughtfully.

"She wanted me to thank you for the modesty tips," he said. "She gets enough stares because of the wheels, she didn't want an exposed shoulder to cause offence."

"That is fine," Ziva said. "I am glad they helped."

"Tony said, you two are moving in together," McGee said, after a few quick strides. His legs were starting to ache, but it was a good burn. "Well officially anyway."

"What is that supposed to mean?" she asked, in a teasing tone.

"At the party you had for Purim, it was kinda obvious, he basically lives there," McGee said. "He knew where everything was, and all the DVD's everywhere."

"Yes," Ziva admitted. "That is because I do not like his apartment, and every time he came over he seemed to bring something else."

The weekend of the official moving in, they had spent far too long of a Saturday afternoon, in a certain Swedish furniture store, looking at solutions for her closet. The warmer months had meant there was less mess, however under the bed now lived very organised boxes of clothes.

"His Dad is staying there at the moment, right?" McGee asked, as they passed the starting point again, moving on to the third lap.

"Yes," Ziva said.

"For good?" McGee asked.

"I do not know," Ziva admitted. "Things are a bit up in the air, that is the right term, yes?"

"Yeah," McGee said enthusiastically. "I suppose things always are with Senior."

"Yes," Ziva said, remembering the tense discussion that she and Tony had, before they went to the Seder. One that was only really temporarily resolved.

They ran for a little while in silence, watching the park around them. Kids played on the playground. Old people sat on benches and complained about life. A young couple, took breaks from their make-out session only to take sips from the same fast food cup.

"How is your father, Tim?" Ziva asked.

Tim sucked in a heavy breath. They finally got caught in the riptide, they had been trying to avoid.

"Okay, I guess," Tim said. "I haven't been visiting much."

"You've been busy," she assured him.

"Mom and Penny keep me updated," McGee admitted. "Sarah too, she's taken a semester out of her PhD program. He and Sarah are close."

She knew what he was trying to say. Admiral McGee, was kinder to Sarah. Her own father had been kinder to Tali.

"Did you forgive your Dad?" McGee asked. "Before he died."

He heard Ziva take a breath. This conversation was diving deep, both parties hoped they wouldn't drown in it all.

"I shouldn't have asked," McGee said quickly. "I mean, we can't really compare our Dads."

"I see similarities," Ziva said. "I know, I only met your father briefly, but I do think it is fair comparison."

"Yeah," McGee said. "Probably is."

"I do not think, my father and I would have ever reconciled," Ziva said, feeling a weight lift off her as actually admitted it. "Not fully. There was just too much, that we could never talk about."

"I think it's like that with my Dad," McGee admitted.

"I forgave him," Ziva said, as their pace slowed to walk. "I could not carry on hating him. It was hurting me."

McGee took a deep breath. Surprised at such honesty.

"I wrote him a letter, listing all the things I wish he had understood, or at least been able to talk about," Ziva continued. "Then I burnt it. He always told me that if you do not want someone to read something, you should burn it."

The ashes had fallen into the olive groves, to be absorbed by the ground.

"Did it help?" McGee asked.

"I think so," Ziva admitted. "There are still days where things are hard, but I am moving forward."

She and Tony were trying to plan a future, to build a home.

"Thank you," McGee said, as the two of them stopped. The running had definitely suffered under the strain of the heavy conversation.

"For what?" Ziva asked as they walked to a bench, recently vacated by two old people.

"Being honest," McGee said. "I've been finding it hard to talk to people about this. I mean, Delilah's Dad died when she was a Sophomore in college, but they were close. There's no bad blood there, just sadness about the things he's missed out on. She's been trying to get me to talk about it, but I feel like I can't. Especially, after everything she's been through this year."

"I understand," Ziva said. "Perhaps you should talk to Delilah about it more. She will be wanting to help."

She knew where McGee was coming from, she had struggled so much to talk to Tony about her father, and the grief that still lingered.

"Yeah," he said. "I'm going to visit my Dad next weekend, I'm gonna try to talk to him a little, but he's pretty hopped up on painkillers."

Ziva frowned. She did not have the highest opinion of the Admiral, but did not like to hear of the suffering preempting death.

"I might steal your letter idea," he admitted. "I dunno if I'll give it to anyone. It really helped?"

"It did," Ziva said. "And as cliche as it is, time will help too."

He hoped so.

"Do you wish things had been different?" McGee asked.

"Yes," she admitted. "There are things that have been lost that I will never get back. However, I also know that my life would look different if he had not died when he did."

"What do you mean?" McGee asked.

"I do not think, I would have gotten out of the fire, before I got burnt," Ziva admitted. She dreaded to think what that would have done to her.

"You'd still be working at NCIS?" McGee asked.

"I think so," she said. "I do not think I would have been brave enough to make such a drastic change. I also think he would have never understood, if I tried. It took him such a long time to adjust to me choosing to live in America."

"Did you worry we wouldn't understand?" McGee asked. Ziva spent a long time studying her sneakers, they were high-end running shoes, but the soles were getting thin.

"Yes," Ziva admitted. "Especially Gibbs."

"He took it quite well," McGee said. "Not that he ever gives much away, especially when it comes to feelings."

"No, he does not," Ziva said, with a smile. "But, he told me he understood."

"Delilah wants me to look at my career," McGee said. "It's more of a gentle nudging. I mean I've been in Gibbs' team for a decade. Tony's been there even longer. I dunno if I still want to be there in five years."

"Are you looking to make a change, Tim?" Ziva asked. She did not want to mention, the ongoing conversation conversation she was having with Tony, about similar changes he wanted to make.

"Not right away," McGee said, "I don't think Abby could take it, if anyone else left, just yet. Ducky going part-time has been hard on her. She gets it, I mean that man is in his eighties, but its still an adjustment."

"I can imagine," Ziva said. "But you are going to be more open to opportunities, yes?"

"Yeah," he said. "Now, that I know, you can leave the team, and not lose them, I'm more comfortable with the idea. Even, if I end up doing a desk job."

"It is like Abby always says," Ziva said with smile. "We are a family, and you cannot quit this family."

"You always were the bravest," McGee said. "Out of all of us."

The first to stand up and fight. The first to know to fight for themselves.

"I do not think so," Ziva said. "I am just very glad, you all stayed in my life, even after I left."

She had so greatly feared, that she would lose all of them. That they would never understand her choices. That she would only see them in passing or through Tony. Those fears had quickly been banished, as they all clung onto each other.

"Like we had any choice," McGee said. "You weren't just any partner Ziva David."

"Neither were you, Timothy McGee," she said. "Now let's cool down, and then I believe you promised me brunch."

A/N: I don't own a thing.

So, the thesis, I think that has developed with this fic, is that our three musketeers needed Gibbs, as a stand-in father figure, hence the fact they all hung in there that long. Now, that it's been shown through Ziva, that you can leave the job without leaving the 'family' they've built, all of the Gibblets are able to move forward, from their extended adolescence, and make new choices both professionally and personally. Feel free to discuss.

Obviously, this is ignoring the fact it's a tv show, that's gone on for too long and the actors wanted to keep their jobs.

Also, not saying the picket fence life is the only way to be a fully-fledged adult, and one of the things I'd wished the show had explored with Abby is that you can be an amazing independent woman, with a full life. In the last seasons on the show, I watched Abby was such a woman-child.

Finally, my oh my this author's note is a long as the chapter, thanks for all the love, and reviews. There have been some wonderful guest reviews left, which have been encouraging and just lovely.

Also *spoiler* the next chapter will feature a proposal.