What Really Happens: NCIS

Chapter Thirty Four

"Please, have a seat." When we arrive at the lab, Ducky is standing next to the monitor in front of six folding chairs. Tony tries to ask Ducky what is going on, but he is too busy giving each of us a look. I sit next to Abby because I know she is the most nervous out of everyone here. Tim sits on the other side of me.

I look at the other end and see Ziva getting a little nervous. Tony and Jimmy don't look it at all.

Ducky stands in front of each of us for a second examining our body language. He walks back to the monitor holding a remote.

"Ducky what is it!" Abby can't wait any longer.

"You know I love you all very much."

"Oh my god. He's leaving us!" I put my hand on her shoulder and Ziva does the same on her other.

"Abby, please. I am not leaving you."

She takes a deep breath and tries to keep all her other guesses to herself.

He puts a tape in a monitor and steps back.

"But something was taken from me on Thanksgiving, my mother's antique ashtray."

I remember Ducky telling me about the ashtray earlier. Everyone looks at each other in confusion. I can tell by Tim's face that this is the first he is hearing about this, Ziva and Abby too.

"What you all don't know is that I keep a video camera in the living room. I approached a few of you today about it. I decided to reveal the perpetrator to myself for the first time in front of all of you, so my bothering the innocent would be worth it. I am sorry it had to come to this."

I hear my voice along with Tony and the two other girls in the room.

"Ducky, this might not be the best way to reveal the thief."

"I'll look over the tape with you Duck. We'll save everyone some time."

"There are some things that should stay a secret Duck."

"This isn't a good idea."

He ignores us and starts to play the tape. "It starts around the time it gets dark every night. Timothy and Melissa, I do apologize for inconveniencing you with the questioning and this video since you left before this time."

Tim looks at me with a smile and I feel the biggest knot in my stomach. I look over at Jimmy and he looks fine. He really doesn't remember what happened. Hopefully, he won't be reminded.

The video starts in fast forward. Everyone is laughing together and pouring drink after drink. The fast forward is working because we are already ten minutes in and everyone is still drinking.

Ducky stops fast forwarding to have it play out.

"Ducky I really don't think-"

"Ziva, this might be the last moment to see what happened to the ashtray. Unless you would like to tell us yourself."

Ziva puts her hands in her lap and becomes quiet. She looks over at me to see that I'm nervous like her. Too bad she doesn't know I'm nervous for her and myself.

The next thing we see is Tony laying on the couch with his eyes closed. We hear people talking in the back. We just can't see them. Then, Jimmy comes stumbling into the frame. We see him lean his body on a table with everyone's bags on it. We see him reach into Tony's bag and grab his phone.

Tony watches with furrowed eyebrows and he squeezes his hands. Jimmy isn't even looking at the screen.

While Jimmy goes through the bag, Ziva joins in. She wobbles her way towards the couch where Tony lays and she lands on the floor. The kiss can happen any minute now.