DISCLAIMER: These characters belong to DPB, CBS, Paramount, et al. No copyright infringement is intended.
CHALLENGE: Written for the 48 Hour Halloween Challenge.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
Too Much Fun
By Jaina
The comfortable glow of the muted lighting in the Director's office was relaxing after spending most of the last thirty-six in the bullpen below frantically working with the rest of the team on the case of a missing child.
Ziva blinked lazily as she leaned back in the comfortably stuffed chair in front of the desk. She crossed her legs as she watched Jenny finish reading over the report.
Jenny was nodding as she looked up at Ziva. Slowly she took off her glasses and sat them down on the desk in front of her.
"You all did good work on this," She said, gesturing to the report in front of this. She frowned slightly as she let the report fall back to her desk. She sat back in her chair and eyed Ziva for a moment before she spoke. "How did the little girl seem?" She glanced back at the report. "Andrea?"
Ziva shrugged and considered what the Director was asking. Andrea had, of course, been traumatized by her experience, but Ziva had seen enough people that had survived traumatic experiences to be able to gauge how the little girl would respond.
"She will be alright," Ziva replied slowly. "She is a strong child and she will never forget what happened to her, but she won't let it control her life."
"Good," Jenny's response was heartfelt. "Good," she repeated a little softer. It was the tone of her voice that made Ziva begin to notice the exhaustion that was etched in the lines of her face, the way she held herself and even the dark circles under her eyes that makeup couldn't quite conceal.
Jenny had been just as wrapped up in this case as the rest of them, and she hadn't had the distraction of being able to work the case herself.
"Abby's having a Halloween party tomorrow night."
"Oh?" Jenny asked, distractedly.
"She claims that this will be the beginning of an annual tradition."
"It just might be," Jenny acknowledged, in her half-distracted way, as she searched through the papers on her desk.
"You should come."
Jenny stopped looking and glanced up at Ziva.
"Ziva...that might not be a good idea. It wouldn't be appropriate."
"It will just be the team and Abby, possibly Ducky," Ziva stated as if she hadn't even heard her protest. "It will be fun and you look as if you could use fun."
Jenny gave her a pointed look.
Ziva returned the look with a smug smirk that used to frequently drive Jenny insane.
She glances down at the appointment book on her desk and then back up at Ziva.
"Fine."
Ziva was running late by the time she got to Abby's party. She immediately spotted Abby's hearse out front and then several other vehicles that she recognized as belonging to various team members.
Tony was the one to open the door to Abby's apartment for her. He grinned mischievously when he saw Ziva and looped an arm around her shoulder.
"Ziva," He drawled out her name as he swept her into the apartment. "You got here just in time."
"Just in time for what?"
"Just in time for us to play video clips of McGee's ten most frightened moments." He smiled wider. "Starting with hugging that ladder. It definitely fits the Halloween theme. Fright night."
Ziva rolled her eyes and knocked his hand off of her shoulder. "You think you will, but Abby will not let you."
"Ha," Tony said mockingly. "You're underestimating me and my bond with Abby."
"He means that you're underestimating the size of his bribe."
Ziva looked over at Gibbs who had appeared next to them silently. She doubted if Gibbs would truly let Tony go through with it, but she was sure she would find out later. Right now she was more curious about other things.
Slowly she made her way across the room, stopping first by McGee.
"Ziva," He said hurriedly, "What's Tony doing?" He sounded worried and Ziva couldn't hold back a chuckle.
Tim was getting better at predicting Tony's teasing. Maybe one day he would even beat Tony to it, but she doubted it. Tim rarely reacted unless pushed to it. It was one of things she understood the least, but liked the most about him.
"I believe he said something about having compiled your most frightened moments on DVD to show later?"
Tim immediately looked even more disturbed. "Abby wouldn't let him - You don't think?"
"Ah, yes, it depends on how good Tony's bribe was," Ziva said with a nod. Already this evening was looking interesting and she hadn't even seen Abby yet.
"Right..." Tim looked even more worried now. Ziva patted him on the shoulder and walked towards the kitchen. She'd been to Abby's apartment enough times to find it easily and knew where to find the beer in the fridge as well.
"Ziva!" Abby jumped out from behind the door frame. It only gave Ziva an instant to stop herself from instinctively lashing out at Abby, and as it was she only just stopped her fist from connecting.
Abby froze for an instant and then laughed. "Note to self: Don't startle Ziva."
"That is probably a wise idea," Ziva said grumpily.
"You came," Abby countered with excitement, taking the moment to give Ziva a quick hug.
"It sounded...fun." Ziva paused. "Although I still do not understand the importance of this holiday."
"Candy," Abby said instantly. "And a day to connect with the dead."
Ziva eyed her skeptically. "You believe in ghosts?"
"Don't you?"
Ziva shook her head. "There are no such things as ghosts. Dead is dead."
Abby looked horrified.
"How can you not believe in ghosts? They're everywhere. Haven't you ever walked in a room and just felt another presence there?"
Ziva stared in silence.
Abby narrowed her eyes. "I guess that's a no."
Ziva shook her head. "No."
"Ziva!" The silence was broken by an arm thrown around her shoulders and someone bumping into her side. The sudden weight threw her off balance and Ziva was almost knocked into the wall before she caught herself.
Preparing to glare at Tony, and possibly do more than glare, Ziva glanced over and found herself looking into Jenny's eyes. Her normally cool eyes were bright and just slightly glassy. She was smiling just a little too broadly as she looked at Ziva and her normally flawless hair was disheveled.
"I finally found you. You were late."
Her words weren't quite penetrating Ziva's mind yet. She was still too distracted by the feel of Jenny against her and her sudden appearance. She hadn't honestly expected her to come.
Abby's laugh brought her out of her moment of distraction. She glanced away from Jenny and across to the other woman.
Abby was struggling to keep from bursting out into even more laughter. "Tony must have spiked the Halloween Punch," She whispered.
One whiff of Jenny's breath confirmed that Jenny had definitely been drinking something spiked.
"I didn't think you'd come."
"You said it would be fun," Jenny pointed out.
"And I see you've been having fun." Ziva raised an eyebrow. She hadn't seen Jenny this loose and uninhibited in years.
Jenny's other hand casually came to rest on her stomach, her fingers slipping under the edge of Ziva's t-shirt, as she leaned more of her weight against Ziva.
"I could be having more fun," Jenny said, giving Ziva a look that said more than just her words. Explicitly.
Ziva laughed. "And I think perhaps you will regret that in the morning." She glanced at the thoroughly bemused woman watching them. "I should get her home."
"Yeah," Abby said with a quiet chuckle. "That sounds like a plan." She looked at the pair for a moment. "Do you need a hand? I'm sure Gibbs..."
Ziva shook her head. "Thank you, but no, I'm sure we will be fine." She turned to look at the woman still draped over her shoulder and smiled. "C'mon. Let's go."
"Right...we're going?" She sounded disappointed.
"You've had enough fun," Ziva said with as much seriousness as she could muster.
"Okay," Jenny said with a slight frown. If it had been anyone else, Ziva thought, it would have been a pout. But Jenny Sheppard did not pout.
She slipped her arm off of Ziva's shoulder and went over to Abby. "It was a fun party, Abby. Very Halloween-y - Halloweenish," She corrected herself. Straightening, she gave Abby a kiss on the cheek that lingered for just a moment before she went back to Ziva. "We're leaving now?"
Ziva barely held back laughter at the startled look on Abby's face as she started Jenny towards the door.
Turning back, she smirked at the other woman. "Trick or treat, Abby?"
The End