Disclaimer: When I sat down to write, this is what came out. Oh yeah, and I wish NCIS were mine...

(1/7)

"Ziva," Gibbs barked as he walked into the bullpen. "Elevator. Now!"

She looked up from her paperwork, eyes slightly widened as she watched him storm past her desk. He stopped about ten feet from her and turned around, shooting her a look that clearly said, 'why aren't you moving?', before her motor skills actually kicked in and she stood to follow him.

It was nearly 7pm on a Friday night. Tony had left early to take his girlfriend out on a date and she and McGee had been finishing the paperwork on their latest case. It had been a simple, by the book crime. Jealous marine's wife kills said cheating marine husband. Open and shut.

So, why was he so angry? Had she done something wrong?

Ziva reached him just as the doors opened, and she stepped into the elevator beside him. His face was flushed and set like stone, he was sans a cup of coffee which was already a bad sign, and the little vein on the side of his neck that usually throbbed when he was pissed off stood at full attention.

She gulped, this was not good.

The doors slid shut, leaving her last hope of a stealthy escape behind as the elevator shuddered and began moving, signaling their decent. Gibbs slammed the emergency switch on, like he normally did in these meetings. But, what he did next intrigued her.

He slowly spun to face her and leant back against the wall, his head slightly hung as a deep sigh escaped his lips.

"Gibbs?" She asked, not quite sure what to do.

Silence still hung heavily in the air. His expression changed several times as he, from what she could tell, waged an internal battle over whatever it is that he'd ordered her in here for.

"I need a favor."

She blinked. "What?"

"My second wife." He explained, shoving his hands into his pockets. "One of our mutual friends is in town and wants us both to go out to dinner with him."

"And you want me to kill her?"

Gibbs grinned, a chuckle escaping his lips before he could stop himself. "No. I appreciate the offer, though."

Ziva nodded, her brow raised in confusion. "So what is it that you need me for then?"

At her question he sighed again, and looked distractedly at the row of buttons next to him.

"Shelia will have her new husband there." He hesitated slightly, before continuing. "David expects me to bring a date."

Things were suddenly starting to make sense to her. "And, you would like me to go with you?"

His gaze snapped to hers briefly, before settling back on the panel. "Normally, I'd ask Abby, but she already had plans for tonight. And, the Director…" He chuckled bitterly. "Well, let's just say things didn't go too well the last time she was invited on an outing with my ex."

Ziva let his request sink in. It wasn't exactly a compliment that she was his last resort, like Abby says, 'A girl likes to be thought of first.', but she had to admit that it was better than spending a night alone at home watching some stupid DVD that Tony had demanded she see.

God, my life is pitiful. She thought.

"How long do I have to get ready?"

"What?" He seemed surprised that she had agreed so readily.

She smirked and stepped toward him, flicking the emergency stop button back off, before making sure the floor number for their office was lit up. "Should I be wearing a dress, or is this more of, what is it that Tony called it, a casual thing?"

Gibbs pushed away from the wall and stood next to her as they waited for the doors to open, catching her playful grin out of the corner of his eye. She was having fun with this.

"Wear the green dress," he leered, trying to beat her at her own game. "and you'll be just fine."

The elevator stopped and he stepped out leaving her trailing not far behind, a gentle smirk curving her lips as she collected her things.

McGee sat puzzled at his desk as Gibbs told him that he could go home early, and looked over to Ziva for answers. She simply shrugged and bid him a, 'have a good weekend', before making her way down to the parking garage.

--------------------

Gibbs was already waiting for her by her car.

How he'd managed to make it there first was a mystery to her, but she had learned not to question how he did things a long time ago.

His features had softened somewhat in the last five minutes, the frustration she'd seen earlier no longer so prominent. She was more than happy to him help out, but she wasn't sure that going out on a date with him would be very beneficial to either of them.

In fact, she had a very unsettling feeling that this evening would probably come back to bite them in the ass.

"Can you be ready by eight?" He asked, opening the drivers side door for her.

She looked at her watch, 7:15pm, and nodded. "Are you picking me up, then?"

He watched as she leaned into the front seat to deposit her bag on the passenger side, trying desperately not to stare at her posterior as she did so. He couldn't help it though. He's a guy, and definitely not blind. To his defense, she's very a beautiful woman. Regardless, he still felt guilty the few times that he'd allowed his eyes to wander over his team member's body. He should be stronger than that.

"Yeah," He cleared his throat, quickly looking the other way. "it'll be easier that way."

Ziva stood back up, smiling warmly. "Alright, I'll see you then."

She turned and began sliding into her seat, but was stopped by a warm hand on her wrist. Looking up she saw him step forward, almost close enough to touch, sincerity encompassing the simple gesture.

"Thank you, Ziva."

Shivering at the contact, her eyes dropped briefly to his chest, pulse quickening, before moving back up to meet his. "Anything for a friend."

He squeezed her affectionately and turned to head toward his own vehicle.

She sighed, leaning against her door as she watched him walk away.

It was going to be a very interesting evening.

To Be Continued…

A/N: This is my first NCIS fic, so PLEASE review!! A special thanks goes out to the bestest beta in the world, lj user"dragonfly queen" . Thank you so much, sweetie!