"Another round," Tony said to Ziva and Abby, as Abby finished her beer, and placed the empty bottle on the table, in the dingy little bar.
It was the last few days of July, and too hot to be drinking anything other than cold beer. Life was plodding along. The summer was warm. McGee had returned from Dubai with the reddest sunburn Tony had ever seen. Ellie had returned from her trip to the Bahamas, even more unsure of her marriage. Leyla was hosting an Eid party within in the next week, to which Tony, Ziva and most of their little gang were invited. Tony still had not spoken to Gibbs, about wanting to move on, which was leading to an awkwardness between the two of them.
"Yes please, kind sir," Abby said. Ziva looked up at him, with a smile, and reached for her wallet.
"It's my turn," Ziva said, but Tony shook his head, and rifled around in her bag, for his wallet. Pulling it out triamputly.
"I've got this," he said, with his hand on her thigh. "Same again."
The two ladies nodded.
"Fries too," Ziva said. Her face breaking out into a smile. "Please."
He nodded, walking toward the bar, just as a huge group swooped in front of him. Tony frowned as he joined the back of the line.
"It's so weird seeing you two like this," Abby said, as she fiddled with the beer label, she'd pulled off.
"Like what?" Ziva asked.
"So domestic," Abby said, "It's so cute. I mean I know you guys were really close, when you worked together. But now, that you are actually together, it's next level."
Ziva's fiddled with her engagement ring. How natural it felt on her finger after a few short weeks.
"The last year has been good," Ziva said, smiling at her friend. "Like really good."
"It feels like everyone's growing up," Abby said, as she looked across to the bar. Tony was stuck behind a big group, who were dithering with their orders. "You and Tony are getting married. McGee's going to ask Delilah to move in with him. Jimmy and Breena are having a baby. I wish Jimmy had told us, what was going on. We could have supported him. I mean I supposed it all worked out in the end, but still."
Jimmy and Breena, had announced their pregnancy with a photograph of the two of them standing in front of the an oven. The caption had read After spending a lot of dough, we finally have a bun in the oven. Eventually, after a million questions, Jimmy had revealed to everyone that he and Breena had struggled to get pregnant.
"Yes," Ziva said, trying not to let Abby know, that she had known about Jimmy and Breena's struggles. "Are you okay with all of this?"
"I'm happy," Abby said, with a huge grin. "Jimmy and Breena will have such a cute little baby. I've been telling Tony, that he should propose to you for months. I know I wasn't super nice to Delilah at the beginning, but her and Timmy are made for each other. They just get each other, and they both deserve that."
"Okay," Ziva said. Willing to let the conversation die out. Maybe Abby was genuinely happy for all her friends, and Ziva was the one acting weird. "I'm glad."
"I think know what you're trying to ask," Abby said. "Your trying to ask how I feel about all of this, knowing that all of you are having such big changes, and my life is still the same old boring thing. I get this alot from the smuggly coupled, not that I don't love the two of you together, but it's a weird dynamic right, when two friends hook up, and there is someone who knows both of you, and she's still single. It's not how it works out in the movies."
"Abby, your life is hardly boring," Ziva said.
"No," Abby said with a smile. "It's really not. In fact I really love my life. It doesn't look like the traditional life, but it's good. I have friends. I have my work. I have my volunteering. I might still meet someone who doesn't try to cage me in, but its super unlikely I'll have kids."
"Well, you should never say never," Ziva said. "That is the saying, right?"
"Yeah, but I'm already forty," Abby said, still smiling. "Truth is, I'm kinda glad I don't have kids. Yeah, I love kids, and yeah if I'd ended up with one, I would have loved it, and made sure it was happy and safe, but that would have meant sacrifices for me. My life would look very different now."
"Yes," Ziva said. "I did not mean what I said in a bad way."
"It's probably the beer," Abby said, offering her friend a smile. "And I get it, the white picket fence is what we're all supposed to aspire too, but I love my life. When I was growing up, all I wanted to do was play in the junkyard, my brother was more into dolls than me. I mean him playing with dolls, is probably why he is such a good father. You know he stayed home with my niece, when she was born. That was not the cool thing to do in New Orleans in 2004. Anyway, my true love has always been science. I thought the best I could aspire too, was being a science teacher, who was bit like Miss Frizzle."
Ziva raised her eyebrows at the reference, but parked the question. She'd ask Tony later.
"I wanted to do the science." Abby continued. "I got to college, I threw myself into the science. I was the first person in my family to go to a four-year college. Did you know that?"
"No, I did not," Ziva said. There was so much she did not know about her friend. So much she wanted to learn.
"I paid my own way too," Abby said. "I didn't just go to college, I got my PhD. I've been published in multiple journals. I transformed the lab at NCIS. Ducky, could tell you horror stories of what it was like before, it was a mess. Bungled forensics back in the day, let more than a few people off. Those high turnaround times it has now, are all because of my hard work."
"I know Abby," Ziva said softly. "I have always admired the work you did."
Abby smiled, a full beam of a smile. This meant more than anything.
"I guess, I'm just saying there are lots of different ways to be a grown-up," Abby said, her thoughts running as quickly as her speech. "The little slice of suburbia and 2.5 kids, is just not for me, and I wish that like society as a whole recognised that more. Me and Ducky talk about that sometimes, but it's still different, because men are allowed to be single and childfree. I mean, yeah this is not where I saw myself at forty, but I really love it."
"This is not where I saw myself either," Ziva admitted. Tony was no closer to the front of the queue, and was making faces behind the fellow patrons backs. "But that is life, it does not turn out how we expect it."
"No," Abby said with a smile. "That's what's so great about it."
"Yes," Ziva said. "I do like where my life is at the moment."
Ziva heard her own words, and wondered if she had ever felt so content with her life before.
"Good, I'm so happy to see you and Tony so happy," Abby said, with a huge smile, which started to fade. "I know Tony's struggling with the career side of things at the moment."
"He has told you?" Ziva asked.
They had been talking about this for months. There was a Fletc role becoming available, sooner than they anticipated as Reynolds was retiring early, because his wife was sick. Tony had an interview in the first full week of August, with the role expected to start before the winter holidays. She was still trying to gently encourage him to talk to Gibbs.
"Sorta," Abby replied. "I could tell he wasn't happy. He was so restless. I asked him about it. He told me how he wants a better work-life balance, and I know there might be opportunities at Fletc."
"Yes," Ziva replied. Letting out a breath. "I am glad he is talking about it more. He has been worried how everyone would take it."
"I mean, I think we are all getting a bit restless," Abby admitted. "But, Tony'll be the next one to jump off the boat. He has been there the longest. It kinda makes sense."
Ziva had been last one on, first one out. Abby's logic did not compute in Ziva's head.
"What?" Ziva asked. Had she been the one to break up the band.
"I mean we all love Gibbs, and we all love working there, but you can't do eighteen hour days, six days a week, without it rubbing, right?" Abby asked. "I mean you totally know. There's a reason that before Tony, agents didn't stay for longer than five years. I mean Gibbs' was tougher then, but still even Tony has to move on eventually."
Abby was being very un-Abby about this. Times were changing.
"I did not leave because of the hours," Ziva said. She left to make her own choices. To jump out of the fire before it burnt her. "Though I do not think I ever realised how much time we spent at work."
Even now, with her full-time course load, part-time job, and volunteer hours, Ziva had so much more time. At first the sheer amount of spare time she had, had been overwhelming. Guilt had brewed for a while, especially in the early months before they hired Ellie. Now, a year down the line, Ziva was fully adjusted to this slower pace of life.
"And, that was what was great. We never realised how much time we spent there," Abby continued. "Maybe, we all needed that. Something to fill our lives with. I mean we all kinda had a lot going on. Being able to dive right into work, helped right?"
"I suppose," Ziva said. Tony had told her once, that he used to use his job as an excuse when his personal relationships got too hard, and didn't want that to be the way of things moving forward.
"I was a bit confused by you leaving, at first," Abby admitted. Alcohol had prompted an honesty, Ziva was glad to have. "But, I get it now. I mean I think I do. I know, that your Dad had something to do with it too."
"There were a lot of reasons," Ziva said. "A lot of things that had been bubbling away. Those things were too much to ignore. I do wish, I could have done things a little differently, and given more notice."
Parts of her were envious of Tony, for making a calculated and slow move, with room to say goodbye to the job.
"Do you miss it?" Abby asked.
"Parts yes," Ziva said, running her hand through her hair. "I miss the feeling when we closed a case. I miss the routine of it all. I miss seeing all of you almost everyday."
"Yeah," Abby said, her voice quieting. "It's the people, isn't it? That's what makes you stick around."
"Are you looking to leave NCIS?" Ziva asked, feeling like she was the jenga piece that had been pulled out of the tower, and toppled the whole thing down. She was breaking up the gang. First her, then Tony, and now Abby.
"I don't think, I ever will. Not fully," Abby said. "I'm like Ducky, I'm a part of the furniture. It's a part of me too, I feel it in my bones."
"Ducky, has gone part time now, right?" Ziva asked. She knew this of course, as the two of them sometimes enjoyed tea and walks before Ziva's lunchtime classes. Ducky was particularly interested in Ziva's studies. "I suppose with his health."
"Yeah," Abby said. "He was never going to fully retire, was he?"
"No," Ziva said, with a half laugh. "He seemed better when I saw him last."
"I had a meeting with Vance the other week," Abby said, after a bit of quiet. "I asked him for an assistant. He's been pestering me about one for years. I mean he wasn't here for the Chip mess, so he doesn't really get why I wasn't into it."
Ziva cast her mind back. The Chip mess, had been in her first year there. Almost a decade ago. How time had flown.
"That was a tough year," she said. Didn't all of their years together, have tough points? "What has changed, for you to want an assistant?"
"Oh yeah," Abby said. "I told Vance, was that my issue is that I've never been able to vet my assistants. It's not just knowing whether they are good at their job, but also seeing how they jibe. My lab is my baby, and I want her to be in the best hands."
"So, did Leon take that on board?" Ziva asked, as Tony finally appeared with three beers, and a number for the fries. He placed a kiss on Ziva's cheek, and slid his wallet into her bag.
"Yeah," Abby said. "He was really enthusiastic. He said, that I can work with HR, and be part of the interviewing process. I told him, I really want someone with only minimum experience, so I can mould them. He also wanted to know if I'd be keen on organising a summer internship program, so maybe in a few years, I'll have a whole group of future assistants for a few weeks each summer. I know it'll be weird working with someone again, but I'll be able to set boundaries. They'll know how to treat Major Mass Spec with the respect he deserves."
"They'll know how many caf-pows to bring you to get you in a good mood," Tony interrupted. Earning a swat form Ziva.
"That all sounds really good," Ziva said, "I am excited for you."
Everything was changing. Good changes.
"I'm excited too," Abby said, bouncing on her chair. "It means I'll have so much more freedom. I won't have to turn down so many out-of-state conferences. I get asked to consult by different labs, so maybe I could turn that into a side thing. I could even do some guest lectures like Ducky does. For a while, I thought that leaving the lab was a bad thing, like I was letting people down. But this, will mean I can make it better."
"That really does sound good, Abs," Tony said, as he took a sip from his beer. Probably his last one for the night, he couldn't drink like he used too.
"I mean hopefully, it means I can do other things too," Abby continued. "I have friends who live far away, that I want to visit more often. I want to get a dog."
"I thought your landlord didn't like pets," Ziva said.
"I'll move, if it means I can have a dog," Abby answered. "Who knows maybe I'll buy a place of my own. I could probably afford it."
"That is exciting," Ziva said. She was overjoyed for her friend.
"Just don't be a stranger," Tony said.
"You're the one who's running off to Fletc," Abby said, with a playful smile.
"That's just a possibility, at this stage," Tony said. It was a strong possibility, but he was not ready to say that yet. "But, I'm just trying to say we'll need you around. We need four people to hold up the Chuppah at the wedding."
Abby's eyes lit up, and she clapped her hands together. Her pigtails bouncing.
"Hold your ponies, Abby," Ziva said. "The wedding is probably over a year away. We have not done any serious planning. We are enjoying just being engaged."
Since returning from Italy, neither of them had made a serious effort to look into wedding stuff. Tony had slipped a bridal magazine into their grocery shopping. Ziva had shown him a few pictures of different Chuppah designs. Nothing was booked. The date remained unset. Senior, Schmeil and now Abby kept pushing for information the couple did not have. Slow and steady, the couple had decided.
"It's horses," Tony said, with his trademark grin. "We should cut you off, your English gets worse with each round. I'll be the one giving the taxi driver directions home."
"Ssh," Ziva said.
"And our kids will need their Doda Abby in their lives," Tony said. Ziva smiled at the Hebrew word for Aunt, she hadn't taught him that one.
"Are you two looking to make Baby Palmer a playmate?" Abby asked, buzzing with excitement. "You know that would explain why you two are running up the rungs on the relationship ladder, so quickly. You only moved in together four months ago, and you're already engaged. You know I can help you test for ovulation."
"Not right now obviously," Tony said, as Ziva took a swill of her beer. "But, in the next few years, we'll definitely be getting onto some baby making."
"I would like to graduate from college first," Ziva said, as she shot him a look. "But, Tony is right. Even if, we are not all working together anymore, we are still close, and we both hope that remains, for many years."
They had visions of lazy family dinners, and being there for the good moments and the not so good.
"Of course it will, guys," Abby said, as she held out her arms for a hug. Both Tony and Ziva settled into the embrace. "You two will be dancing at my ninetieth birthday party, with your grandkids in tow."
"That is a nice picture," Ziva said, as the fries arrived, and the hug broke. Ziva reached into the bowl and took a fry, dipping it into the sauce.
"It is," Tony agreed, as he caught her gaze. Abby looked at the both with a huge smile on her face.
The future looked bright.
A/N:
I don't own a thing.
I didn't intend to have two chapters our dynamic duo drinking in bars back to back, but there was initially a chapter between these two, but it didn't work out. There will probably be around four more chapters, including an epilogue.
While, I can't promise anything, and my schedule is a bit busy at the moment, would anyone be interested in further adventures with these two? Obviously, we're well past the point of this fic/series being even related to cannon, and it would pretty much be the Tony and Ziva show (maybe plus little ones - we'll see). Please let me know.
Also, this chapter was important to me on a personal level, and was born out of a conversation with my new work best bud, at the pub (we're in Australia, it's how people socialise here). We're both the leftovers in our other friendship groups, and while we love our lives and have fabulous adventures, it's a weird dynamic, especially for her as she is a little older and a lot of her friends have kids. Hence, Abby's words. Also, if anyone is looking for a book that really explores this All Grown Up by Jami Attenberg is the one. Hence, the name of this chapter.
Thanks again for all the reviews, faves and loves. I owe a ton of replies. Thanks for being so patient.