DISCLAIMER: All characters and situations to belong to a bunch of different people and companies who are not me. Also I'm making no money off this.
ARCHIVING: Only with the permission of the author.
FEEDBACK: To procrastinatingsith[at]gmail.com
P is for Passover
By Jaina
Abby was alone when Ziva went down to her lab at the end of the day. She smiled tentatively at the lab tech as she danced from one work station to the pounding beat of the base. Ziva waited until Abby completed her task and turns the music down before she approaches.
"Hey, Z. Did you guys catch a case?"
Ziva shook her head. "There is something I could use your help with this evening, however."
"Oh?"
"If you are interested. If you do not have any other plans."
Abby nodded quickly. "Oh, I'm interested. You have me intrigued, David. Tell me more."
"All it will require is that you come to my house this evening."
Abby arched an eyebrow and shot her mock-scandalized look. Ziva laughed.
"It is not like that. Tomorrow night is Passover. I wish to celebrate it and I do not wish to celebrate alone. It is meant to be celebrated with the whole family."
"Oh." Abby seemed to deflate a little, not with disappointment, but understanding. "You could invite the whole team, you know. They would come."
Ziva had no doubt that if they didn't feel like it, Abby would ensure they showed up anyway. She smiled. "Yes, I could. However, I do not wish to. Only you. If you wish."
Abby smiled, charmed, pleased by the request. "Of course."
Ziva opened the door. She stepped out into the door before she let Abby in and kissed her cheek as if it were something they always did. Then she stepped back to let Abby in.
"Welcome."
"Thank you." Abby slipped off her coat and Ziva took it from her, hanging it on the coat tree by the door.
"So I was reading up on this before I came..."
"Of course." Ziva would have expected no less of Abby.
"This is a big deal."
"It is," Ziva agreed.
"So where do we start?"
Ziva laughed softly at her eagerness. "Thank you for doing this, Abigail." It wasn't just a formality; she meant it to the depths of her heart. Being here with Abby - it was a good feeling.
Abby seemed to understand; she just nodded.
Ziva took it as a hint to get things back on track. "Very well. I cleaned my apartment from head to foot this morning before work. And I gave a very good bottle of Scotch to Tony this morning. He did not understand," she confided, just to see Abby's amused grin.
"I can imagine."
"Indeed." Ziva turned and crossed to the coffee table, picking up an assortment of items and holding them out to Abby. "You will need these."
Abby's eyebrows shot up. "A candle, a feather and a wooden spoon, Z? I though you said this wasn't that kind of night."
Ziva laughed. "It is not. That is for the traditional search for the chametz, in case any has been missed in the cleaning of the house. Or apartment in this case."
"Ah." Abby said, examining what she'd been given.
"The feather and the spoon will be used to collect them and then the spoon will be burned with them tomorrow."
"Them?"
"A blessing is read on the removal of the chametz. There is concern among some that if none is found - and I did a very thorough job - that the blessing will be for naught. So ten morsels of bread are hidden through house."
"Oh. So I find them?"
Ziva nodded.
"Cool."
"Okay, that's nine," Abby said, feeling a little funny, holding up the spoon with the tiny morsels in one hand and the feathers in the other.
"Only one more," Ziva agreed.
"And only one room I haven't been in yet," Abby pointed out reasonably.
"Mine."
"Yours."
"Would you like see?" Ziva asked, a hint of teasing in her voice.
"Why I think I would," Abby said, putting on her best Southern charm.
The room was simple, but exuded a rich, cozy feeling, like the rest of the apartment. Abby had wondered if Ziva's room would contain some big revelation, but with Ziva, what you saw was often exactly what you got. It was also something Abby happened to like about her very much.
"Okay, so if I was a morsel of bread, where would I be?" Abby said aloud, glancing around the room. "In the closet?" she suggested with a teasing glance over her shoulder at Ziva.
Ziva smiled, but remained at the door, making no move to stop Abby's search. "Search where you wish; I have nothing to hide from you."
The words were casually said, but Abby didn't miss their meaning. It was far from casual. A shiver went down her spine.
"Maybe I'll check over here first," Abby said, gesturing toward the corner of the room nearest the bed. "Bring the candle?"
Obligingly Ziva came closer, the flickering flame throwing dancing shadows across the walls as she came. She squatted down to bring the light closer and smiled when Abby saw it.
"Gotcha!" Abby said, triumphantly, using the feather to scoop the last small morsel of bread into the spoon.
Ziva couldn't help but laugh at that. "Thank you, Abby. You made this night as much fun as I remember it being as a child." Her smile turned a bit more wistful. "When I was very little, before Tali- My father would hide these for us and allow us to search for them. It felt like a very big responsibility to be trusted so."
Abby grinned. "Thank you for letting me be apart of it."
Ziva kissed her lightly then, her lips brushing over Abby's only to cling and taste for a moment, before she dropped her head and broke the kiss. Abby smiled giddily back at her.
"You will come back tomorrow night, yes?" Ziva asked, sounding a little breathless.
"Oh yeah," Abby agreed softly. "Try to keep me away."
"Good," Ziva said decisively. "I will teach you the fifteen parts of the seder."
"And we can do this again?" Abby asked, her voice rising hopefully.
"I would be very disappointed if we did not," Ziva confided.
Abby was still grinning from ear to ear when she left.
The End