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ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
Moving On Along
By Jaina
Jenny was perched on the edge of Ziva's desk, amusement and embarrassed disapproval warring for prominence on her features.
"Ziva," she protested as the younger woman laughed. "You're going to ruin my image as Director."
The look Ziva turned on her was knowing. "But you forget, it was your idea."
Jenny folded her arms over her chest as she rolled her eyes and looked away. Unfortunately she found herself looking at Tony's far too eager smirk. It was hardly an improvement. She turned back to Ziva.
"Go ahead then. Tell them."
Jenny did her best to hold her head high and join in with the laughter as Ziva recounted a particularly embarrassing story from one of the first missions they had gone on together. The story didn't put her skills in the best light and her agents would definitely get a laugh out of it. What she remembered most about that mission was the short time after it. The way Ziva's hair felt against her bare skin and the low wicked sound of Ziva's chuckle in her ear.
Jenny didn't realize how she was looking at Ziva, remembered closeness and a still present fondness for the other woman showing on her features, until she felt a glare burning into her back. Jenny glanced back as Abby stalked past her, managing to jostle Jenny's shoulder as she marched past, and forcefully dropped the evidence on Gibbs' desk.
Silence fell slowly and awkwardly over them all. Without a word, Abby turned and headed back towards the elevator. Jenny glanced at Ziva, wondering if she knew what that had been about and then at the badly concealed stricken look on Ziva's face, realization struck.
One more glance between Abby and Ziva confirmed her suspicions and Jenny wondered why it had taken her so long to realize how close they'd gotten. While they were discreet, their closeness was blatantly obvious when she looked for it.
Pinning Tony with a stern look that made him quickly glance back at the work that he'd been neglecting in favor of listening to Ziva, Jenny stood and turned so that her back was to the rest of the desks and only Ziva was facing her.
"You should go talk to her," Jenny stated, in a low voice that wouldn't carry any further than Ziva.
Ziva looked up at Jenny sharply. "What do you-"
"Ziva," Jenny chided her softly.
Ziva stood abruptly, suddenly putting herself almost eye to eye with Jenny. "She is jealous. She thinks that I still have feelings for you."
Jenny stiffened and folded her arms across her chest. What she felt for Ziva was fondness certainly, the distant remembrance of old feelings, but things were different now. They had to be, and she reminded herself of that on a nearly daily basis.
"So go tell her that she's wrong. Tell her that you care about her - that is, if you do care about her." She allowed a wry smirk to slip over her lips. "You can be a little hard to read, Ziva."
Ziva studied her for a moment, a thousand thoughts flashing by just hidden behind her dark eyes as Jenny stared back. Then she blinked. She raised herself on the tip of her toes for just an instant and kissed Jenny's cheek lightly.
"Thank you, Jen," Ziva whispered lightly as she stepped away.
Jenny nodded and watched Ziva walk away, keeping sight of her until she stepped onto the elevator. With a small, almost inaudible sigh, Jenny collected herself and slowly began to walk back to her office.
"You're welcome, Ziva," she murmured entirely to herself.
The End