One Touch, You'll Know
Author: A'serene
Category: General; Episode tag
Rating: PG
Spoiler: 5x08 Designated Target
Contents: Ziva discusses soul mates with an old friend, only to find out that both have been overheard. JIBBS…slight ZIVA
Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS.
Ziva David had been silent the entire drive back to NCIS headquarters. Gibbs didn't mention it, McGee gave her cautionary glances and Tony just ignored it. It was hard for the three of them to understand what had shaken her up so much. There was nothing exceedingly traumatizing about this case, and while Tony felt slightly bad for being as ass, he didn't think it was his fault either. Gibbs didn't really want to know what had caused it, but he was sure it had something to do with Sayda Zuri. McGee felt it had something to do with love, recognizing the same look Tony had had when he spoke about Jeanne.
When the team reached headquarters, the team was surprised as Ziva went up the stairs toward the Director's office. Ziva knew she had a friend in Jennifer Shepard; the question would be whether Jenny or the Director would be around. Upon not finding the Director in her office, Ziva entered MTAC and found Jenny sitting in the front row watching the screen. She sat down beside her and focused her eyes on the screen.
"Ziva."
"Jenny." The two women shared a brief smile before resorting to silence that was always their friends. It was what had made them friends in the first place, neither asked questions the other would not answer and yet both cared a great deal about the other. Thus it was Jenny who noticed the younger woman's sad expression and decided to break the silence.
"Something wrong Ziva?"
"Is it Jenny or the Director asking?" Ziva inquired.
"Oh Jenny, defiantly, the Director needs a break." Jenny focused on the screen again waiting for her friend to answer.
"Sayda, said something today that was just, she waited seven years, you know?" Jenny turned toward the younger woman in mild shock. Ziva was not known for being emotional but obliviously something had struck a chord. "Seven years is such a long time to love someone and not know."
"I suppose so," Jenny answered hesitantly. The words tumbled around inside her and she tried not to bite her lip knowing it would give evidence of her nerves on this subject.
"She said they were soul mates. It's such an incomprehensible idea, yet this country and the world thrives on it."
"Something's you know are just meant to be," Jenny told Ziva.
"And yet how do you know? Sayda said she just did, but that's…what your uh…gut, yes?"
"I suppose it's your gut, or perhaps there really is some truth to it."
"Do you believe in soul mates Jenny?" Ziva asked. Jenny swallowed and took a deep breath.
"I don't know, do you?"
"You know I'm not superstitious, but I suppose the thought is nice and comforting."
"Yes, a comfort. Someone out there for all of us, just have to meet them I suppose," Jenny laughed softly.
"You know my life could never have something like that, how could I ever know if they were sincere, or if I was just a target."
"I don't think you can, I suppose I would have to be in the same position, that and when would I have the time to look, this job is my life, there's no time for commitment to anything else."
"And here I thought you'd already met him," Ziva teased. Jenny looked at her questioningly.
"When?"
"The one you talked about in
"Best way to keep a secret, you know," Jenny responded with a laugh, that was mainly for show. She knew she should be grateful that her Mossad friend hadn't used her skills to discover the name or even to make the connection; I suppose that would not have been good for either of us.
"Do you think he might have been your soul mate?"
"I…eh what would I know, I've never had very good luck, and besides how do you know your soul mate is not someone else's soul mate?" Jenny countered trying to brush the questions off.
"Very true, well I suppose I should get back to work. You'll want Gibbs' report which means he'll want ours before he tells you it's on your desk."
"Ah, so that's how it works," Jenny smiled.
"Yes. That best way to keep a secret, you mentioned, a Gibbs rule?"
"Yes."
"I suppose it works, perhaps too well," she said forlornly. "Good night Director,"
"Good night Ziva," Jenny answered.The Director watched as her friend left the room and than turned back to the screen. She was tired, but she knew she had to watch the rest of this to make sure it went according to plan. Doesn't mean I have to suffer, she sighed, reaching down to slide off her heels. She tried to focus on the mission, on everything except what Ziva had said, but still the words echoed around. "Seven years is such a long time to love someone and not know." Hm…seven years is along time to love someone out of sight and makes things so bittersweet.
Jenny did not even want to consider that Ziva had any clues to the mysterious love she had mentioned in
"For me?" She asked gesturing to the coffee.
"Sure." Oh its love, she thought picking up the cup and taking a sip.
"Can I help you with something Agent Gibbs?" She inquired in her best Director voice.
"Nope," he answered. She glanced at him and noticed the half grin, which she knew was there to annoy her.
"Than what are you doing Jethro?"
"Looking for a partner." Oh not again.
"I'm not even going to touch that."
"What's bothering Ziva?"
"Something's bothering her?" He rolled his eyes at her. "I don't know, why would I?"
"You know that thing about you lying…"
"It was just something about Sayda, I think she got to her."
"And you?"
"What Sayda did, is just something, I don't know, she had to have really loved her husband," Jen replied. "And to forgive him, to just wish him happiness…" She faded off not really wanting to get into this discussion with him of all people.
"Seven years is a long time," he said, she didn't even dare to meet his eyes, but watched him from the side. Was he eavesdropping on us? "Even for soul mates, I guess." Silence fell between them as the images on the screen in front of them changed. She could feel him watching her every so often and she knew he was not just looking at her face. She felt him suppress a laugh and turned to glare at him. "Shoes bothering you?"
"You trying walking in heels all day," she retorted. He laughed.
"You sure it's the heels and not that bracelet thingy around your ankle," he replied. She tried not to blush and prayed that he wouldn't notice that actual design or stones on the bracelet, which is what it was.
"It's the shoes." He smirked at that but didn't make another comment and she exhaled in relief. The bracelet had been a gift, for her birthday, one she couldn't get rid of, and she always wore it, except since she became the director, than she wore it on her ankle, in hiding, so no one could see it or recognize it.
"Well than, I should make sure DiNozzo has extra work to do, he was pissing Ziva off again," he said stretching his legs in front of him. She turned her head away slightly biting her lip, she truly did not want to interfere, especially where her friend was concerned.
"Does Ziva know Rule 12?" The question caught him slightly off guard, and Gibbs never liked that.
"Yes." She nodded hoping that perhaps Ziva might actually follow that one. The younger woman was not someone who trusted easily and when she loved, she loved with her whole heart; Jenny didn't want to see it get broken again. "Why do you ask?"
"Progress check," Jen tossed out, knowing he wouldn't believe it.
"Jen if you know something about my team…"
"Don't Jethro, don't make something of nothing," she warned.
"Women," he muttered, but she was sitting close enough to hear and shot him a glare, which he didn't notice. "Is this coming from what Sayda said about soul mates? I didn't think Ziva was superstitious."
"She's not, and no, it was just something I'd thought about."
"But she believes in soul mates," Gibbs continued.
"Jethro, if she does, than good for her, someone ought to believe in happily ever after."
"It doesn't…"
"She knows, Jethro and believe me you're entire team will think twice before they get married with you as such an excellent role model," she teased. "Besides, she's listened to a few stories from other people too, she'll be careful."
"From you perhaps?"
"She is my friend Jethro, what do you think girls talk about? Guns?"
"
"
"Sure you talk about what happened in
"We were there together, we don't need to talk about it. Sometime we'll continue other conversations we had. When I was…uh rather on the off time we talked about our pasts."
"You can say when you were shot, I already knew that." Her raised eyebrow and questioning glance made him want to kiss her, but her retained that emotion has he had on other occasions.
"I won't even ask, but yes while I was supposed to be recovering we talked about a lot of things."
"People?"
"Our families, yes."
"Friends?"
"Jethro, do you want to know something in particular?" She questioned her tone slipping to mock annoyance.
"Just inquiring."
"Jethro, you're fishing," she pointed out. He shrugged his shoulders.
"You gonna be done soon?"
"
"Get a guy have dinner with his old partner?"
"You've tried that one already," she reminded.
"You want food?" She conceded the point and sat down dropping the shoes at her feet. As they had numerous times before they began to divvy up the food and Jen noticed that he had taken her bourbon from the cabinet and placed it on the table.
"So what do you really want, you brought me coffee and dinner," Jen mentioned.
"You haven't eaten all day Jen," he said.
"You haven't been here all day, how would you know?"
"Secret."
"Haven't we had enough of those this year?" She had meant it to be teasing and light, but knew it came out being anything but. She sighed as he fell silent, there was little hope of recovering their light mood from earlier and she put down her fork to watch him closely. She wouldn't be all the surprised if he got up and walked out, but this was not what she wanted.
"Tony gave Ziva a ride home tonight." The change in subject surprised her but she played along.
"Does that bother you?"
"Does it bother you?" He quipped.
"I asked first."
"You're her friend."
"As a friend, I'm happy for her. If she's happy, I'm happy, but I will keelhaul him if he hurts her. As the Director of NCIS, I don't want to think about it."
"Another reason not to want the job."
"Still not being offered, Jethro."
"Not for many years, at least," he answered and that did further push the light mood away and brought back in the intense, unknown one.
Half the time she had wondered if he wanted her to fail at this, at being the Director. For the entire first year before the explosion he had ribbed her about it, and it had been the cause of multiple fights and yet he seemed almost proud of her in some way, and she was happy with that. Since his return, with the exception of the Frog, he hadn't been nearly so difficult about it. Yet in some ways he was still treating her as a partner and saving her ass. At one time she had been sure he saw her as another wife, but currently she was pretty sure Colonel Mann fight that description.
"What do you think will happen to Sayda?"
"I don't know, I offered to help her get a citizenship but she may just go back, I suppose there's nothing left for her here."
"I think she got to you too, Jen."
"Her soul mate left her Jethro, no woman likes to hear about abandonment."
"Thought you didn't believe in soul mates."
"I don't know, it's a comforting thought, but like I said happily ever after doesn't always work out."
"Like
"Why do you keep mentioning
"No, but I did happen to overhear this very interesting conversation about a guy that Ziva seemed to think…" she placed her hand over his mouth.
"Shut up Jethro," she snapped. "You shouldn't eavesdrop, and even more you shouldn't believe everything you hear."
"So you don't believe in soul mates?" She grinded her teeth in irritation.
"I already answered."
"How did Sayda say she knew?"
"One touch, you'll know," she said coldly. "Sort of like when you see a red head and you know whether she's an ex-wife or not." The second it came out of her mouth she regretted, not only was incredibly childish, but it displayed more than a little jealousy, and more than a little of what she never wished him to know.
"So maybe I don't have a soul mate," he bit back. Jen immediately thought he meant
"You already met her, Jethro, she just…" He knew she was trying to talk about
"You haven't been looking."
"If you were truly eavesdropping you know I wouldn't have time. I run this agency Jethro, this is my life," she explained, before adding almost inaudibly, "Besides, I already had a chance."
"You never know Jen, you might not have to go out looking. Ziva seems to think you've already met him."
"So you admit to eavesdropping."
"I admit to being concerned about Ziva, she doesn't shake easily nor for that matter do you, so something that shake you both is worth being concerned over," he defended and noticed the flicker of amusement in her eyes before she turned them away and they dulled. "Was she right?"
"You heard my answer to that as well."
"It was an answer so much as an evasion."
"The best way to keep a secret Jethro is to tell no one."
"Is it a secret?"
"It has to be."
"Even if someone else knows?"
"That's the second best, and I prefer to stay at the best."
"That rule always caused more problems than it solved."
"Perhaps, but never the less, it works."
"Seven years is a long time to keep a secret," he said. She turned to him as their hands met over the bottle of bourbon.
"Seven years is a long time to miss someone too," she tossed back.
"So maybe we're both down to the second best way." He placed his hand over hers and the shock that always went through her did not fail to make an appearance and perhaps for the first time she noticed how he always closed his eyes whenever he touched her for the first time, even just brushing her hand. He brought her hand to his lips and pressed the faintest of kisses on it and her eyes sparkled as they always did when he'd kissed her in the past.
Both were completely oblivious to the faint noise of the door opening and than shutting just as quietly. Outside in the hall two stood starring at each other for a moment, before the woman turned and walked back toward the staircase.
"Tony, you coming?"
"What happened in there? I knew they had been more than partners but Gibbs would never…Jenny would never…I don't get it, what happened that changed his mind?"
"He reclaimed is soul mate," Ziva answered. He looked as puzzled as a child and she took pity on him. "Come on, with any luck Gibbs will be in a good mood tomorrow and won't notice that our reports are barley finished."
"Boss and the Director, soul mates?" He questioned aloud.
"Yes Tony, now come on before they both find out where here and we get keelhauled," Ziva laughed as the two walked toward the elevator.
"Want to go to dinner?"
"Sure."
"Great, you can tell me what you know."
"You know Gibbs broke his own rule," Ziva said.
"Yea…maybe we should too."
"Maybe." The elevator doors closed and still inside the Director's office a reunited couple hadn't even noticed the two reports tossed under the door.
--The End--