Big Difference by JumbledIdeas
Summary: Something Gibbs says gets Ziva thinking. As things play out maybe her seemingly big difference can give her the same amazing results. Tag to Light sleeper and others yet to be decided Bad summary. Hopefully better story.
Categories: Other Het Pairings Characters: Leroy Jethro Gibbs, Original character, Ziva David
Genre: Episode Related, Romance
Pairing: Gibbs/Ziva
Warnings: None
Challenges:
Series: None
Chapters: 1 Completed: No Word count: 1715 Read: 3918 Published: 04/23/2009 Updated: 04/23/2009
Story Notes:
I own absolutely nothing pertaining to NCIS.

1. Big Difference by JumbledIdeas

Big Difference by JumbledIdeas
Author's Notes:
Something Gibbs says gets Ziva thinking. As things play out maybe her seemingly big difference can give her the same amazing results. Tag to Light sleeper and others yet to be decided Bad summary. Hopefully better story.
The team stands scattered slightly around the bull pen. Tim and Tony are both stationed by their desks referencing the plasma screen when need be. Jethro is standing in front of his desk. They are all bouncing ideas off of each other as they attempt to plan their next move. “We’ve got taps running in case she tries to contact her family.”

“She won’t,” Ziva commented as she neared Jethro’s desk. McGee told them nothing was amiss at the store, no sign of Yoon. “It’s highly doubtful she’d make another attempt on his life.” Then Tony interjects that they have agents scouting out her house. “She deffinitly won’t be returning home.”

Tony turned to her. “And how do you know this, Officer David?”

She was about to speak when Jethro spoke up, “Because Yoon Dawson wouldn’t.” Then he turned to Ziva. “What is it that you would do?”

Glad that he seemed to understand that she had experience with this type of thing Ziva turned to the plasma. “If I was Yoon, everything I have done up until this point has been to protect my cover. I have dealt with my threats--”

“If by dealt with you mean gunning down two defenseless housewives,” Tony interjected. Ziva shot him a look over her shoulder. Jethro came to stand next to her and gave her a look that prompted her to continue.

“If my cover was blown I have two options,” she said.

“You return to your country,” Jethro stated.

Ziva nodded, “Or I complete the mission I was assigned.”

“So Jane Bond,” Tony drawled, “how do we find you?”

Ziva looked up. “You don’t. By now I’ve changed my appearance, have a new identity with back up papers, and I’ve relocated.”

“Well, then I guess that just about wraps it up. Who wants lunch?” Tony said.

“No one eats until we find Yoon Dawson,” Jethro commanded.

“Gibbs, if she is playing it like I would we won’t find her. She is long gone.”

Jethro turns his attention back to Ziva. “There’s one big difference between the two of you, Ziva.” Ziva cocks an eyebrow at his curiously. He looks at her levelly. “You don’t have a baby girl.”

Ziva stops short of her response, not quite sure how to respond to that. Her mind grasps on to any argument that wouldn’t get her into any sort of trouble as well as get her no where. “Most likely part of her cover,” she reasoned. “Or an occupational accident.”

Jethro shakes his head slightly. “Nah, it’s more than that.” Then he leaves and the conversation is over. They all part, Ziva going with Jethro to the Dawsons’ house and McGee and Tony looking for some sort of clues and leads to where Yoon may be.

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The team shuffles back into the bullpen and make their ways to their respective desks. Ziva took her place sat as casually as possible, just thinking about the day’s events and periodically glancing towards the clock. Tony sits down heavily and leans back tiredly. McGee absently runs a hand over his face. The day seems to have taken a toll on all of them. They aren’t there very long when the sound of the elevator disturbs the quiet that had settled around them. Second later, Jethro appears around the side of the divider along with Sergeant Dawson who is holding his baby girl. The team watches on, noticing the slightly haggard look of the sergeant.

“What’s going to happen to her?” he asks somewhat distraught. He anxiously shifts the baby in his arms.

Jethro looks at him steadily. “She’ll be tried for what she’s done. Their may be a possibility for a deal that will lessen the consequences.”

“How am I going to do this?” he asks. It isn’t really a question meant to be heard but it wasn’t silent either.

“You’ll survive,” Jethro says, gently stressing the word to get his point and meaning across. “You’ll do just fine. Because you have to for your little girl.”

The sergeant nods his head as he turns his gaze to the daughter in his arms and hugs her tightly to him. A few moments later Yoon is brought through escorted by two guards. Dawson’s head lifts as he spots his wife and he takes a step forward. Jethro motions for the guards to stand down and they move a safe distance away from the group of people. Dawson makes to hand the baby over to Yoon but she shakes her head and holds her arms at her sides.

“If I hold her now, I won’t be able to give her back,” she says sadly. Gibbs stands close by an unnecessary safety precaution but he would rather it be himself than the harsh guards standing nearby. Tony and McGee are still at their desks and are seemingly occupied with other things but Jethro knows better. Ziva has stood from her chair and has rested one hip against her desk as she faces the direction of Jethro’s desk that the family is standing in front of. She can hear them speak to one another quietly and she watches them interestedly. Yoon assures Dawson that she loves him and baby Haylie very much and that she doesn’t want for her to know about any of this when she gets older. She doesn’t want her daughter to know such things about her. “It is better she does not know me at all,” she said. “I want you both to stay safe and happy. Be a family.”

Dawson moved forward and pulled her against him with her free arm. “Everything will be ok,” he insisted. “We’ll be together again, we’ll be a family. I love you.”

Ziva could feel herself becoming very emotional as she watched the family say their good byes. This does not go unnoticed by Jethro. He saw her become unusually affected by what is going on. He spent only a few seconds debating whether to approach her and when he finally decided he would he is interrupted by Yoon announcing that she is ready to leave. Jethro turned his attention towards them and gave the orders for Yoon to be escorted to where it was she needed to be. He turned back to address Ziva but found that she was already gone. Her things were not on her desk so he knew that she’d left for the night. Jethro sighed and moved closer to Staff Sergeant and Haylie Dawson. He gave him a few words of comfort and wished him well as he announced her was going to head home. Dawson left and Jethro turned to the last two members of his team. They were seated at their desks doing some routine paperwork and neither had acknowledged that fact that Ziva had slipped out.

“Go home you guys,” he said tiredly. “Been a long couple of days. We aren’t on call this weekend. See you Monday.” They look up slightly surprised but knew better than to question it. They gathered their things and headed towards the elevator with a call of ‘Night, Boss’ over their shoulders.

Gibbs sat down at his desk and sighed. He ran a hand over his face tiredly; his team had nearly been blown up today and had disobeyed his direct order to leave, opting instead to stay by his side. When they’d arrived back he’d wanted to be able to tell them what that meant to him but that it was completely unnecessary for them to put themselves in such danger. That’s what he wanted to do but that wasn’t how it had been able to come out. But he knew they understood, or at least he hoped they did.

He loved every member of his team in their own way. It was obvious that Abby had the childish and daughter-like qualities. Ducky was an old, very good friend. He saw Tony and Tim as arguing brothers that were close friends and to some extent brothers to him.

And Ziva, well, Ziva was another story entirely. Jethro would have to be blind to not acknowledge the fact that she was very attractive. But he also saw that she was strong, independent, determined, intelligent, clever and mysterious. He’d never met someone quite like her. She was sometimes like a puzzle he just couldn’t solve. But he loved every second of it. He loved just being around her, either when she was in her serious mode to get things done and have your back or when she was more laid back and just good company. Much about her past and her personal life were a complete mystery to him but he also felt that he knew her better than most. She could put up such a strong front for everyone to see but she would be full of emotion and thoughts that would be impossible for any other to break down. Jethro had been able to see her without that wall on more than one occasion and didn’t take it lightly. He was honored that she trusted him enough to let go like that in front of him. To allow him to give her some sort of comfort, when all along she’s only ever been taught to fend for herself and hide everything.

Jethro’s thoughts about Ziva had instantly reminded him of what he’d seen that day. Something had been bothering her enough for him to catch a look at it as it snuck through her well developed masks. He looked over at her desk before sighing again. He made a quick decision before standing and gathering his things. He was headed to Ziva’s house.
End Notes:
I own absolutely nothing pertaining to NCIS.
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