Ziva slipped into the morgue, grateful for the quiet coolness that embraced her. It was a refreshing change from the tense atmosphere of the bullpen upstairs. She'd never fully appreciated how much Tony's humor eased the tension of an ugly, brutal case. Or how much she relied on having him around to bounce theories off, to explore ideas with, to jump start her ability to work through the most puzzling details, and to simply commiserate over how difficult it was working with Gibbs.
She would never admit it aloud, but Ziva missed Tony. She missed having her partner there. Oh, McGee was good enough, but he wasn't Tony. Tony knew how to make her laugh, and how to piss her off; over the last two years, his ability to do both appealed to her more than she'd ever thought possible.
Nearly every day since he'd left, she found herself listening for things that weren't being said. She kept expecting to hear him tease her about her continuing lack of proficiency with American slang and colloquialisms. She couldn't ignore the lack of movie references being made; so much so she nearly made a few of her own just to fill the vacancy. She hated the silence; it was deafening without Tony around making noise.
She also missed Tony's insight. It would have come in handy during their last case. Tony was the only one of them who would have understood the dead Marine's passion for classic cars. And the lengths an aficionado might go to in a quest to have all original parts.
Ziva sighed silently. He also wouldn't have missed the cheating girlfriend angle. Nor would he have had as much trouble as she did interacting with DC Metro to get necessary information about the girlfriend, who also happened to be a cop.
Shaking her head, Ziva was just glad the case was finished. They might not have wrapped it up fast enough to suit Gibbs, but it had gotten solved. She was going to consider it a win and let it go at that.
She glanced around the morgue, taking in the empty tables, relieved there were no bodies lying about. The dead didn't bother her, but if there was a body on the table, Ducky would be working. And that would mean he'd have no time to talk to her.
"Oh, hello my dear," Ducky greeted her. Taking up most of the free space on his desk was a silver tray laden with a teapot, cups, cream and sugar, and several shortbread cookies.
Ziva smiled. She'd hoped she was in time for tea. It looks like she'd timed it perfectly.
"Hello, Ducky."
"Impeccable timing as always, Ziva." He smiled. "The tea has just finished steeping. Shall I pour you a cup?"
"Please."
He poured her a cup. "Cream and sugar?"
"Yes, thank you." She smiled to herself. Cream and sugar had been Tony's influence. He liked both his coffee and tea light and sweet. She'd tried it once at his insistence, and was surprised to find she liked it.
Ziva took a seat, enjoying the civilized aspect of tea. It was something to be lingered over, not rushed or hurried. It was nice respite from the frantic pace that dominated most of her waking hours since Tony left.
"No new case upstairs yet?" Ducky added cream to his own cup before sitting down.
"Not yet." She held her cup carefully, letting the warmth soak into her fingers. "I'm sure that will change soon enough."
"Sadly, that is all too true." Ducky clucked his tongue. "There are days when I would like to not be quite so useful."
"Now that is a sentiment I can relate to all to well of late, Ducky."
"Oh?" Ducky raised both eyebrows.
She gave him a sheepish look. "I never realized how hard investigating a murder could be with a three man team." Splitting up tasks between Tony, McGee, Ziva and Gibbs had become almost second nature. It had stunned her to realize how much difference being short just one teammate made. It was like missing a limb.
"You should try it as a two man team." Ducky clucked his tongue. "Young Anthony worked alone with Gibbs for some time before Vivian joined their number."
"Vivian?" Ziva frowned. She didn't recognize the name.
"Special Agent Blackadder." Ducky shook his head. "She was...well...not really up to Jethro's standards, so she didn't last long. Caitlyn replaced her."
Ziva nodded slowly. Nothing in her research on Gibbs' team had mentioned that---but then she'd been actively researching the team he had then and the background of each individual member, not fully exploring anyone who might have come and gone. She had noticed a pattern though. No agent really stayed with Gibbs for long. Tony was something of an aberration in that regard. It had confused her then---and in some ways still did. Why would someone who consistently changed jobs every two years, stay with a job on a team that rarely had an agent last two years?
"Tony worked with Gibbs on his own before Agent Blackadder joined the team?" She asked, seeking confirmation.
"Oh yes,"Ducky told her, quiet pride evident in his tone. "For nearly a year it was just the two of them. Anthony seemed to enjoy the challenge, although, the boy did look a bit ragged around the edges."
"Working with Gibbs does that to people," Ziva commented dryly, feeling a little ragged around the edges herself.
"Quite." Ducky's lips curled into a wry smile before he sobered. "Still, I think Tony's looked far more ragged more recently than he ever did then. I, for one, am glad the boy finally took some time off. He isn't usually so sensible."
Ziva arched an eyebrow. "He says he's gone on vacation before."
Ducky snorted delicately. "He probably has, but not while working at NCIS, my dear."
She blinked. "He's not taken a vacation in five years?"
"A long weekend or two, but never an entire week, no. Unless you count the time he's had off due to injury or illness." Ducky "tsked". "But that could hardly be considered a vacation."
Ziva sipped her tea, considering that bit of information. Perhaps that was the reason Gibbs was so short tempered of late. Ziva knew the former Marine was not one who liked or adjusted easily to change. It was one of the reasons he seemed to so despise technology. Tony leaving on vacation was clearly some sort of change--especially if Gibbs had become as used to Tony being around as Ziva had.
"You think Tony taking time off is a good thing?"
"Indeed." Ducky sipped his tea, sighing softly. "The boy works too hard."
"Tony?" She laughed. "I do not think so."
"Really?" He regarded her calmly, blue eyes sharpening. "You commented only a moment ago that a case was easier with him to help."
"Well---yes, but he does not exactly work hard." She put down her teacup. "He plays more than anyone else, I know."
"Ah." Ducky nodded. "So he's little more than a slacker then?"
"No, of course not."
"All that play naturally gets in the way of solving the case--"
"No," Ziva shook her head. It should, but it never had. Of course, Gibbs usually put a stop to anything before it could.
"He arrives late. Leaves early."
"No." Ziva felt her face warm. She was more likely to be late than Tony. And she'd never seen Tony leave on time, let alone early.
"He passes off his assigned duties--"
"He will try with the computer things." She interrupted confidently. "Honestly, McGee is far more competent with a phone trace or GPS triangulation." He was better at it than she was as well. Not that she would ever admit to that. Her innate honesty forced her to admit aloud, "But Tony's not a shirker."
Ducky simply continued as if she hadn't offered that token defense of Tony. "Rarely contributes in any significant away. Constantly makes mistakes. Never--"
"Ducky!! I get it." She huffed. "He is a good agent and he works hard." She shook her head. Only the older ME could get her to say aloud things she never intended to give voice to.
He smiled beatifically. "I was afraid I would be reduced to using Jethro's favorite means of getting his point across."
"I appreciate your restraint." Ziva rubbed the back of her head. She'd gotten more than her share of head slaps of late. If Gibbs had been giving her a soft touch before, he certainly wasn't now. She'd taken to French braiding her hair, hoping to create a little padding.
"People who are good at what they do rarely make it look hard."
"True." Tony made a lot of what he did look easy. If McGee's mumblings about paperwork were anything to go by--there was more to what Tony did than she'd realized before.
Ziva smiled warmly at Ducky. "You certainly make what you do look easy."
"Thank you, my dear." He smiled, a bit of color highlighting his cheekbones. "It is really just the benefit of a vast reservoir of experience."
"You should not be so modest, Ducky."
He chuckled. "You think it would be better if I bragged?"
"Nothing wrong with blowing your own alarm."
"Blowing your own horn," Ducky corrected her gently. "And I assure you, I am capable out touting my own skills when necessary."
She bowed her head, acknowledging his claim. He could be a force to reckon with. Ducky had put Gibbs in his place after his return from Mexico---more than once when the former Marine would have dismissed what the older man had to offer with regard to their cases.
She nibbled on one of the cookies. "What do you think Tony is doing right now?"
Ducky sipped his tea. "I think Abigail could answer that question with more accuracy than I could."
Ziva nodded, playing with her cookie. "McGee said she and Tony have talked since he went on vacation."
"Abigail and Anthony have been friends for a long time." Ducky picked up a cookie for himself. "It is not unexpected they would stay in touch."
"I know, but I had hoped he might---" She stopped with a sigh. Ziva tired not to feel jealous of Abby. It wasn't as if she expected Tony to call, but an e-mail or text message wouldn't have been out of line. Just a little something to let her know he was still alive and well. Being cut off from him was far too reminiscent of his time undercover when he would simply disappear. She worried about him.
Ducky patted her arm. "If it is any consolation, I don't believe Anthony has been in touch with Jethro either."
Her lips curled upward in a wry smile. "Would that explain his foul humor, then?"
Ducky shrugged. "Jethro often expresses his concern as anger."
"He is certainly not good with words."
"No." Ducky bit his cookie in half, chewing and swallowing. "And that may well prove to be more decisive than Jethro ever intended to be."
She frowned. "How so?"
"When all anyone sees is his anger, how can he know the reason for it?" Ducky asked softly. "Without an explanation or clarification, one can only assume. And as Anthony pointed out to me once, assuming makes an ass out of you and me."
"Gibbs says NCIS agents never assume." Ziva quoted Gibbs. "They check and double check."
Ducky chuckled. "About a case, yes. But about each other, we assume all the time."
"I do not assume things."
"Really?" Ducky cocked his head, studying her. "You assumed Tony sick while working undercover."
"That's different." She lifted her chin. "He was tired all the time and evasive and mentioned the hospital. It was natural--"
"To assume he might be ill in some fashion."
"It was a logical conclusion." She countered. "I didn't assume. I checked."
"The way you checked to ensure he was all right after nearly falling to his death in that parking garage?" Ducky arched an eyebrow. "Or did you just assume since he didn't fall Tony was fine?"
"Gibbs was not concerned," she defended herself.
"Ah."
She glared at him. "What the hell does that mean?"
"f you are going to take your lead from Jethro, you should be aware of his faulty assumptions."
"Faulty assumptions?" She laughed. "Gibbs does not assume."
"Jethro assumes things. More about Anthony than is wise." Ducky sipped his tea.
"Meaning?"
"He assumed Anthony would relinquish the team when Jethro decided he'd had enough of retirement and wanted to come home. He assumed Anthony would resume his position as subordinate without protest or problem. He assumed Anthony couldn't and wouldn't lie to him." Ducky shook his head. "Jethro assumed Anthony never wanted more with Jeanne than to use her as a pawn in the Director's little vendetta. And it never occurred to him Anthony would go over his head and ask for time off."
Ducky gave her a hard look. "Jethro is not infallible. He's been wrong before. And he will be again. Especially when he fails to genuinely communicate."
She stifled a shiver. "What do you know?"
"A great many things, my dear." Ducky smiled enigmatically.
Before she could ask any more questions, her phone rang. She unclipped it from her belt, noting with annoyance it was Gibbs. Naturally. Who else would it be? The man had the worst timing.
"I need to go."
"Of course," Ducky smiled, saluting her with his tea cup.
Ziva stifled the urge to growl as she left the morgue. She thought they were done with secrets. Apparently, she'd thought wrong.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Ziva talks to Ducky.