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Warning - The fic under the cut contains slash. If that ain't your thang, then move along.
Title: Taking Chances
Fandom: Navy NCIS
Characters: Abigail Sciuto, Ziva David,
Prompt: #1 Beginnings
Rating: R
Summary: Ziva invites Abby for dinner. Romance and complications ensue.
Author's Notes: I'm nervous about this one for various reasons. So any thoughts or constructive criticism is welcome. Um, this is just the first post of a work in progress story. I have the second part completed and the third part half way done. I think there will be more than three parts. Not sure.
Taking Chances - Part Two
My Little Damn Table
Title: Taking Chances
Fandom: Navy NCIS
Characters: Abigail Sciuto, Ziva David,
Prompt: #1 Beginnings
Rating: R
Summary: Ziva invites Abby for dinner. Romance and complications ensue.
Author's Notes: I'm nervous about this one for various reasons. So any thoughts or constructive criticism is welcome. Um, this is just the first post of a work in progress story. I have the second part completed and the third part half way done. I think there will be more than three parts. Not sure.
Taking Chances - Part Two
My Little Damn Table
No music pounded or machine whirred. Her lab was dark and silent. Usually Abby Sciuto liked dark and silent, but somehow in her lab, it just seemed wrong. Empty. She knew that the building was empty by now. It was far into the night and well past standard NCIS hours. She was alone and now with her work done, she would have to find somewhere else to haunt.
She pulled the dozens of black roses that she had received out of their refrigeration and turned to get Gibbs’ present. The thought of his gift cheered her, but she still didn't feel like her usual ebullient self. She was actually tired, for once, and she didn't want to be alone, whether at home by herself or amidst a crowd of frenetic strangers in a club.
Abby turned to grab her coat off of the chair in her office and swallowed a shriek. Ziva stood, leaning in the doorway, arms crossed over her chest. Her eyes glittered like chips of opal in the darkened room.
"I didn't mean to startle you."
"I-You," Abby was stymied. Her tongue was tripping all over itself. "I mean, I thought that everyone was already gone," she explained, her hands waving boldly as she talked. "Did you need something," she asked hopefully. If Ziva had evidence that needed processing it would give her a reason to stay longer and put off leaving even farther. Maybe she would even have to run extensive tests.
"No," Ziva shook her head, dashing Abby's brief hopes. She gestured at the flowers that Abby still held. "I wanted to make it up to you."
"Oh," Abby tried not to sound disappointed, but Ziva seemed to hear it in her tone.
"At least let me prepare you dinner. I know you haven't ingested anything but Caf-Pow since this morning. Gibbs has kept you busier even than us."
For an instant Abby considered and then brightened. She wouldn’t be alone, but..."What did you mean by prepare me dinner?"
"I will cook." Ziva looked slightly affronted. "Was I not clear?"
Abby shrugged, "Sometimes when people say that they will prepare a meal, they don't always mean that they're going to cook it." It had been quite a while since she had eaten something besides take out. Real cooked food would be a treat.
Ziva cocked an eyebrow at her. "Is that a yes?"
Abby flashed her a smile. "Yes."
"Good," Ziva straightened, shifting her jacket straighter on her lithe frame. "I'll meet you in the garage in five minutes. You can follow me to my place."
Abby nodded. "Okay." She watched as Ziva left and then walked back to her own car with a strange little smile. Ziva was not Kate and she still missed her friend dearly, but Ziva was definitely growing on her.
*** *** *** *** ***
Ziva's apartment had not been what she expected the first time that she had entered it. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she had expected it to be a barren, sterile place, hardly lived in, but that was far from the case. The walls and floors were decorated in rich warm colors; the furniture was tasteful, but comfortable. There were a few magazines spilled out across the coffee table and a pile of books stood beside the couch.
Abby took in her surroundings eagerly as she stood just inside the door. She hadn't had much of a chance to look around in the past. Ziva was already moving around inside the apartment. She stuck her head back around the corner.
"You can hang your coat up in the closet. I'll be out in just a moment."
Abby bobbed forward a little, feeling stuck in place. "Okay, thanks."
When Ziva slipped out of sight again, she hung her coat in the indicated closet and then turned to look around. She was staring at an intricate carving that rested on top of one of the short bookshelves in the room. Ziva smiled when she saw her as she reentered the room, but didn't comment. The former Mossad agent was wearing less formal clothes than Abby had ever seen her in and her service weapon was no longer at her side. It was a side of Ziva that she had yet to see.
Abby watched, feeling somehow subdued but hyper alert as she followed Ziva into the kitchen and watched her cook. Ziva moved with calm confidence, supremely sure of what she was doing.
"I take it that you cook quite frequently?"
Ziva shrugged. "When the mood hits me. Sometimes it is nice to eat food from home."
Abby nodded. "I never picked up the knack for cooking." She rolled her eyes, "My mother wasn't exactly a good teacher and I never tried to learn. There was always too much to do."
Ziva nodded. "It was rare that I cooked at home. Now, it's something that I can indulge in more freely."
Abby hesitated, hearing the implication behind the words. For a moment, she considered asking about the time that the other woman had spent undercover for Mossad, but she didn't ask. She had spent enough time around special agents to know that Ziva would not say anything and she was enjoying the moment too much to destroy it.
Abby said something non-committal and moved the conversation along easily. Ziva seemed to relax more and more as the evening wore on and even pulled out a bottle of wine with dinner. At first Abby had been a bit skeptical about the food. It smelled delicious but was decidedly unfamiliar. It only took her a few bites however, to discern that the food was indeed as good as it had smelled.
She gestured towards the food with her fork. Through a mouthful of food, she exclaimed, "This is really good."
Ziva grinned, speared a piece of vegetable and popped it into her mouth. "You're welcome."
They finished the meal in easy conversation. Abby's exhaustion from earlier in the day had seemed to disappear and Ziva was equally animated. They were in good spirits as they finally stood to clear the dishes off of the table.
Ziva retrieved the wine glasses and the bottle from the table and by mutual consent the two women moved back into the living room. Abby slouched onto the couch, folding her legs up under her, holding her hand out eagerly for her glass. Carefully Ziva refilled the two glasses and then leaned across the space to hand Abby her glass.
Abby took the glass of wine from her and brought it to her lips, taking a judicious sip. Ziva's wine was good, but she didn't want to indulge. She wasn't ready to be drunk quite yet. She could feel tension and excitement building within her. It was bubbling up within her and making her feel just a little bit wild. She went with the feeling and reached back crossed the distance before she could think better of it. Ziva was leaning over the couch to place the bottle of wine on the table and Abby's hand caught the small, delicate gold star that hung around Ziva's neck.
Ziva froze, carefully not moving. She had seen Abby's sudden move out of the corner of her eye and she didn't want to jerk back and risk breaking her necklace. She tilted her head up to look at the other woman.
Abby flushed slightly. "It's beautiful."
Ziva forced her eyes shut against the flash of pain that came with the memory Abby had triggered. "My brother gave it to me as a graduation present. He knew how much it meant to me," she whispered. She reopened her eyes to find Abby staring at her with curiosity. She shook her head to dispel her unpleasant thoughts and a piece of hair fell across her eyes. She started to reach a hand up to brush it back, but Abby slipped her hand up first, letting go of the necklace and gently guided the hair back behind her ear. Ziva watched the hand carefully, surprised that Abby's gesture hadn't bothered her.
Abby seemed to be suddenly nervous. Withdrawing her hand, she waved it nervously. "Sorry, sometimes people say that I have boundary issues."
"I didn't mind." Ziva admitted.
"Really?" Abby cocked her head, one pigtail swinging idly around it.
"Really," Ziva replied, suddenly enjoying the moment. She and Abby had gotten to this moment very much by accident, but she was intrigued. Abby was different. She wasn't frightened of her as some people, especially other women, were. She had even hated her for a time. It was refreshing to have someone who was not constantly holding back from her.
"Yeah," Abby said eyeing her, "You don't seem like a girl who has to play within the rules."
It was a challenge. "You don't seem concerned with them either, Abigail."
Abby shot her an indignant glare. "You used the full name. No one uses the full name."
"As you said, I don't always follow the rules. Besides, it's a beautiful name."
Abby grinned. "Touché - but don't wear it out."
"I won't."
"I didn't think you would."
Ziva watched her carefully across the scant feet that separated them. Abby met her gaze without hesitation. She was enjoying the flirting, but she wanted more. It was time to up the ante.
"So...how long is it going to take you to kiss me?"
There was a moment of silence. Ziva laughed. "Never let it be said that I turned down such a generous invitation."
Ziva caught Abby's jaw and pressed her lips to Abby's cheek, just brushing her lips. Abby curved her mouth towards Ziva's. "You missed."
"Not yet," Ziva whispered, her other hand reaching out to slide under Abby's t-shirt and pull her closer. "I simply refuse to be predictable." She tilted her head and found Abby's lips this time. She kissed her with bruising intensity, lips, tongue and teeth, dancing furiously. Abby responded with equal intensity, and Ziva was left gasping for breath. This felt so right.
Abby threw one leg over her lap, and pushed back into the kiss harder. Both of her hands slid under Ziva's shirt, tugging it upwards. Ziva pulled back, raising her arms to allow the motion.
"We should have done this before," Abby laughed as she threw Ziva's shirt in the general direction of the coffee table.
"I couldn't agree more."
She pulled the dozens of black roses that she had received out of their refrigeration and turned to get Gibbs’ present. The thought of his gift cheered her, but she still didn't feel like her usual ebullient self. She was actually tired, for once, and she didn't want to be alone, whether at home by herself or amidst a crowd of frenetic strangers in a club.
Abby turned to grab her coat off of the chair in her office and swallowed a shriek. Ziva stood, leaning in the doorway, arms crossed over her chest. Her eyes glittered like chips of opal in the darkened room.
"I didn't mean to startle you."
"I-You," Abby was stymied. Her tongue was tripping all over itself. "I mean, I thought that everyone was already gone," she explained, her hands waving boldly as she talked. "Did you need something," she asked hopefully. If Ziva had evidence that needed processing it would give her a reason to stay longer and put off leaving even farther. Maybe she would even have to run extensive tests.
"No," Ziva shook her head, dashing Abby's brief hopes. She gestured at the flowers that Abby still held. "I wanted to make it up to you."
"Oh," Abby tried not to sound disappointed, but Ziva seemed to hear it in her tone.
"At least let me prepare you dinner. I know you haven't ingested anything but Caf-Pow since this morning. Gibbs has kept you busier even than us."
For an instant Abby considered and then brightened. She wouldn’t be alone, but..."What did you mean by prepare me dinner?"
"I will cook." Ziva looked slightly affronted. "Was I not clear?"
Abby shrugged, "Sometimes when people say that they will prepare a meal, they don't always mean that they're going to cook it." It had been quite a while since she had eaten something besides take out. Real cooked food would be a treat.
Ziva cocked an eyebrow at her. "Is that a yes?"
Abby flashed her a smile. "Yes."
"Good," Ziva straightened, shifting her jacket straighter on her lithe frame. "I'll meet you in the garage in five minutes. You can follow me to my place."
Abby nodded. "Okay." She watched as Ziva left and then walked back to her own car with a strange little smile. Ziva was not Kate and she still missed her friend dearly, but Ziva was definitely growing on her.
*** *** *** *** ***
Ziva's apartment had not been what she expected the first time that she had entered it. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she had expected it to be a barren, sterile place, hardly lived in, but that was far from the case. The walls and floors were decorated in rich warm colors; the furniture was tasteful, but comfortable. There were a few magazines spilled out across the coffee table and a pile of books stood beside the couch.
Abby took in her surroundings eagerly as she stood just inside the door. She hadn't had much of a chance to look around in the past. Ziva was already moving around inside the apartment. She stuck her head back around the corner.
"You can hang your coat up in the closet. I'll be out in just a moment."
Abby bobbed forward a little, feeling stuck in place. "Okay, thanks."
When Ziva slipped out of sight again, she hung her coat in the indicated closet and then turned to look around. She was staring at an intricate carving that rested on top of one of the short bookshelves in the room. Ziva smiled when she saw her as she reentered the room, but didn't comment. The former Mossad agent was wearing less formal clothes than Abby had ever seen her in and her service weapon was no longer at her side. It was a side of Ziva that she had yet to see.
Abby watched, feeling somehow subdued but hyper alert as she followed Ziva into the kitchen and watched her cook. Ziva moved with calm confidence, supremely sure of what she was doing.
"I take it that you cook quite frequently?"
Ziva shrugged. "When the mood hits me. Sometimes it is nice to eat food from home."
Abby nodded. "I never picked up the knack for cooking." She rolled her eyes, "My mother wasn't exactly a good teacher and I never tried to learn. There was always too much to do."
Ziva nodded. "It was rare that I cooked at home. Now, it's something that I can indulge in more freely."
Abby hesitated, hearing the implication behind the words. For a moment, she considered asking about the time that the other woman had spent undercover for Mossad, but she didn't ask. She had spent enough time around special agents to know that Ziva would not say anything and she was enjoying the moment too much to destroy it.
Abby said something non-committal and moved the conversation along easily. Ziva seemed to relax more and more as the evening wore on and even pulled out a bottle of wine with dinner. At first Abby had been a bit skeptical about the food. It smelled delicious but was decidedly unfamiliar. It only took her a few bites however, to discern that the food was indeed as good as it had smelled.
She gestured towards the food with her fork. Through a mouthful of food, she exclaimed, "This is really good."
Ziva grinned, speared a piece of vegetable and popped it into her mouth. "You're welcome."
They finished the meal in easy conversation. Abby's exhaustion from earlier in the day had seemed to disappear and Ziva was equally animated. They were in good spirits as they finally stood to clear the dishes off of the table.
Ziva retrieved the wine glasses and the bottle from the table and by mutual consent the two women moved back into the living room. Abby slouched onto the couch, folding her legs up under her, holding her hand out eagerly for her glass. Carefully Ziva refilled the two glasses and then leaned across the space to hand Abby her glass.
Abby took the glass of wine from her and brought it to her lips, taking a judicious sip. Ziva's wine was good, but she didn't want to indulge. She wasn't ready to be drunk quite yet. She could feel tension and excitement building within her. It was bubbling up within her and making her feel just a little bit wild. She went with the feeling and reached back crossed the distance before she could think better of it. Ziva was leaning over the couch to place the bottle of wine on the table and Abby's hand caught the small, delicate gold star that hung around Ziva's neck.
Ziva froze, carefully not moving. She had seen Abby's sudden move out of the corner of her eye and she didn't want to jerk back and risk breaking her necklace. She tilted her head up to look at the other woman.
Abby flushed slightly. "It's beautiful."
Ziva forced her eyes shut against the flash of pain that came with the memory Abby had triggered. "My brother gave it to me as a graduation present. He knew how much it meant to me," she whispered. She reopened her eyes to find Abby staring at her with curiosity. She shook her head to dispel her unpleasant thoughts and a piece of hair fell across her eyes. She started to reach a hand up to brush it back, but Abby slipped her hand up first, letting go of the necklace and gently guided the hair back behind her ear. Ziva watched the hand carefully, surprised that Abby's gesture hadn't bothered her.
Abby seemed to be suddenly nervous. Withdrawing her hand, she waved it nervously. "Sorry, sometimes people say that I have boundary issues."
"I didn't mind." Ziva admitted.
"Really?" Abby cocked her head, one pigtail swinging idly around it.
"Really," Ziva replied, suddenly enjoying the moment. She and Abby had gotten to this moment very much by accident, but she was intrigued. Abby was different. She wasn't frightened of her as some people, especially other women, were. She had even hated her for a time. It was refreshing to have someone who was not constantly holding back from her.
"Yeah," Abby said eyeing her, "You don't seem like a girl who has to play within the rules."
It was a challenge. "You don't seem concerned with them either, Abigail."
Abby shot her an indignant glare. "You used the full name. No one uses the full name."
"As you said, I don't always follow the rules. Besides, it's a beautiful name."
Abby grinned. "Touché - but don't wear it out."
"I won't."
"I didn't think you would."
Ziva watched her carefully across the scant feet that separated them. Abby met her gaze without hesitation. She was enjoying the flirting, but she wanted more. It was time to up the ante.
"So...how long is it going to take you to kiss me?"
There was a moment of silence. Ziva laughed. "Never let it be said that I turned down such a generous invitation."
Ziva caught Abby's jaw and pressed her lips to Abby's cheek, just brushing her lips. Abby curved her mouth towards Ziva's. "You missed."
"Not yet," Ziva whispered, her other hand reaching out to slide under Abby's t-shirt and pull her closer. "I simply refuse to be predictable." She tilted her head and found Abby's lips this time. She kissed her with bruising intensity, lips, tongue and teeth, dancing furiously. Abby responded with equal intensity, and Ziva was left gasping for breath. This felt so right.
Abby threw one leg over her lap, and pushed back into the kiss harder. Both of her hands slid under Ziva's shirt, tugging it upwards. Ziva pulled back, raising her arms to allow the motion.
"We should have done this before," Abby laughed as she threw Ziva's shirt in the general direction of the coffee table.
"I couldn't agree more."
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