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ncisficathonTitle: Spare
Author: lukecanwaltz88
Written for:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
tielan
Prompt: Ziva must do something outside her comfort zone to help another member of the team. (gen)
Archive: I’d rather archive it myself… thank you!
Genre: Gen (Abby & Ziva-centric)
Pairings: None
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I don’t own any of the NCIS characters and I’m pretty sure the writers would laugh at me if they saw this. Ahhh, fanficiton.
Word Count: 1,537
Summary: Abby asks Ziva for a favor that reminds Ziva of an embarrassing moment in her childhood.
Author’s Note: This is my very first NCIS story… I hope I did everyone justice in my interpretation of their characters. Also,tielan, I know in another one of your prompts you mentioned Ziva and Abby as a duo, so I decided to tie this one in to the prompt I eventually chose. I hope you enjoy it, and I’m so sorry for the delay in posting it. Thank you for a great prompt and thanks for allowing me to write this for you!
Spare
Ziva stared at the rented bowling shoes in her hand as Abby chatted with the man behind the counter of the bowling alley. She twisted her wrist slightly to the right, and then to the left again, listening to the sound of the end of the shoelaces hitting the rubber heels of the shoes.
“Come on,” Abby instructed. She poked Ziva with a free finger and motioned toward the lane that was apparently reserved for them. Ziva followed quietly, looking around at all the patrons in the establishment. She saw several families with their small children, watching, coaching, and encouraging them as they tried their best to send the balls toward the pins.
Ziva stared wide-eyed at the sight before her. She had never been to a bowling alley before. She took her father’s hand as he walked with her toward the lane, carrying a small pair of bowling shoes for her tiny feet. She smiled as she sat down and looked around, taking everything in as she tried to slip on her shoes.
Abby led Ziva to a seat close to their lane and dropped her belongings on a seat to her left. She sat down and pulled off her boots, trading them for the rented bowling shoes. “Thank you so much for doing this for me. I owe you. A lot. I totally forgot I was speaking at that seminar, and I’d hate to leave the nuns…”
“It’s fine,” Ziva cut in.
“I’ll be sure to tell the nuns to be gentle with you tonight, but I really don’t think I’ll need to. They’ll probably really like you. They like almost everybody.”
Ziva smiled. “I still don’t know why I let you talk me into covering for you.”
“Well, the nuns are very picky about having an even number on their team, you know? Sister Theresa, especially. I think they’re pretty okay with the fact that they’re going to lose this match, but we at least have to practice; hopefully we’ll get you into a good rhythm before I have to leave you.”
Ziva looked at Abby, then reached for her bowling shoes. “What, you don’t think I’ll be good at bowling?” she asked, only half-serious.
Abby’s eyes widened as she froze. “No, no, I didn’t mean it like that, I just meant… you know, that you… well, you’re a little out of practice is all.”
“You were doubting me,” Ziva teased. “I choose to take this as a challenge.”
Abby reached for her bag and unzipped it. “That’s the spirit! See, I told you the nuns would love you,” she insisted, pulling out a bowling ball with a skull and crossbones etched onto it. “Okay. I would let you use my bowling balls, but the last time I let someone use them, I tweaked my ankle, so now I don’t let anyone use them. It’s bad luck, I guess. I’ll add it to the list. Right after eating a cupcake any other way from the bottom up, and right before drinking a Caf-Pow without punching the little thing on the cover that says ‘other’. Anyway, you can use one of the balls over on the rack,” she suggested, pointing toward the rack to her right. “Get a lighter ball if you can, it will be easier for you.”
“Is there a special kind I should use?” Ziva asked.
Abby shrugged. “Whatever feels comfortable.”
Ziva walked over to the rack and stood in front of it for a moment, eyeing the vast selection of bowling balls in front of her. As she reached for a ball, she thought back to the first time she went bowling.
The bowling ball felt heavy in her hands, almost as though she was carrying a ton of bricks. She used all her strength to lift it up toward her face, comparing the size of the bowling ball to the size of her head. It seemed so… huge for someone so little to be holding. Ziva pressed the cool surface of the ball to her cheek. She felt her father’s calloused hand pull the ball away from her face and direct it in front of her body, ensuring that she did not injure herself as she admired the object.
Selecting a purple ball that seemed to fit comfortably in her hands, Ziva returned to the lane where Abby was waiting. “How’s this?” she asked.
“Is it light enough for you?” Abby asked, reaching out toward Ziva and taking the ball in her hands. “Yeah, this one should be good. Okay, I’ll go first, and you can watch me, if you want… or do you want to just have at it, go crazy, figure out what’s good for you? I know everyone learns differently, so… up to you.”
Ziva smiled, stepping out of Abby’s way. “I’ll watch you. I think I should try to watch before I attempt. I am certainly not an expert, and you have made this perfectly clear.”
Abby rolled her eyes. “Ha, ha, very funny. Okay, so, um… watch and learn, I guess.”
Ziva stood back and watched as Abby… did whatever she did with her legs before she released the bowling ball toward the pins. The ball zoomed down the lane and crashed into the pins, knocking them all down at once. Abby turned around to face Ziva and then motioned toward the now horizontal pins. “So, that’s how you do it. Any questions from the class?”
“No, I don’t think so,” Ziva replied, taking Abby’s place at the end of the lane. She watched as the pins reset themselves and waited for her turn to attempt something remotely similar to what Abby did. Her heart beat faster as she once again recalled her first bowling experience.
For the first few frames, Ziva stood at the edge of the lane, staring down at the pins and wondering how she would be able to roll her bowling ball all the way down there. Her small hands blindly groped for the three holes that she was instructed to use to get a better grip on the ball.
Ziva quickly closed her eyes and brought herself back to reality, finding the holes in the bowling ball and setting herself up. She brought the bowling ball up in front of her.
“You should probably get more toward the center,” Abby instructed. “You’ll have an easier time knocking down more pins.”
Ziva nodded, stepping to her right and bringing the bowling ball to her chest once again.
It was the fourth frame and Ziva was managing to get the ball most of the way down the lane, but had yet to make contact with any pins. Eli attempted to show her how to properly release the ball, but it wasn’t making sense to her. Finally, Eli walked toward Ziva, stood next to her, and moved her arms around, trying to help her make sense of it all. Nodding, Ziva took a deep breath, moved her arm back, and released the ball. She heard a loud yelp behind her and she turned around to find that the ball had landed on her father’s foot. Grimacing, Eli grasped the ball and moved it out of his way. He walked away from the lane, slipping off his bowling shoes and replacing them with his own. Without a word, he grabbed Ziva’s hand and walked her toward the exit.
Stepping toward the lane and bringing her arm back slowly, Ziva released the bowling ball and watched as it rolled toward the pins. It veered to the right, catching some of the outer pins as it rolled into the gutter.
“Whoa! You did so much better than I did my first time,” Abby said, approaching the lane. “I think we can tweak a few things in your delivery and we’ll be able to do just enough to make those nuns marvel at how quickly you picked this up. Ready to try for a spare?”
Ziva nodded, stepping back to admire what she had done. She smiled. It was a small victory, but it was a milestone… she managed not to injure anyone and knock down a few pins at the same time. She turned around and returned to her place next to Abby.
“Did you ever go bowling as a kid? Because you’re really not so bad,” Abby insisted.
Ziva tugged at her shirt sleeve. “Once. I was very young, probably five or six. There weren’t as many alleys in Israel then as there are now.”
“Were you any good?”
“I am… not sure,” Ziva said, looking to the ground. “I don’t remember much about it.”
Abby handed Ziva the purple bowling ball. “Well, you’re doing pretty well. If tonight with the nuns works out, we may have to have you as a permanent member of the gang, you know?”
Ziva smiled and shook her head, accepting the ball. “I don’t think so." She stepped up to the line, released the ball, and watched as it knocked down the remaining pins.
“I’m loving the irony here, a spare from the spare!” Abby said. “You sure you don’t want to join us permanently?”
“Oh, no, we can’t do that. That would make the team uneven.”
The End
Author: lukecanwaltz88
Written for:
tielanPrompt: Ziva must do something outside her comfort zone to help another member of the team. (gen)
Archive: I’d rather archive it myself… thank you!
Genre: Gen (Abby & Ziva-centric)
Pairings: None
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I don’t own any of the NCIS characters and I’m pretty sure the writers would laugh at me if they saw this. Ahhh, fanficiton.
Word Count: 1,537
Summary: Abby asks Ziva for a favor that reminds Ziva of an embarrassing moment in her childhood.
Author’s Note: This is my very first NCIS story… I hope I did everyone justice in my interpretation of their characters. Also,
tielan, I know in another one of your prompts you mentioned Ziva and Abby as a duo, so I decided to tie this one in to the prompt I eventually chose. I hope you enjoy it, and I’m so sorry for the delay in posting it. Thank you for a great prompt and thanks for allowing me to write this for you! Spare
Ziva stared at the rented bowling shoes in her hand as Abby chatted with the man behind the counter of the bowling alley. She twisted her wrist slightly to the right, and then to the left again, listening to the sound of the end of the shoelaces hitting the rubber heels of the shoes.
“Come on,” Abby instructed. She poked Ziva with a free finger and motioned toward the lane that was apparently reserved for them. Ziva followed quietly, looking around at all the patrons in the establishment. She saw several families with their small children, watching, coaching, and encouraging them as they tried their best to send the balls toward the pins.
Ziva stared wide-eyed at the sight before her. She had never been to a bowling alley before. She took her father’s hand as he walked with her toward the lane, carrying a small pair of bowling shoes for her tiny feet. She smiled as she sat down and looked around, taking everything in as she tried to slip on her shoes.
Abby led Ziva to a seat close to their lane and dropped her belongings on a seat to her left. She sat down and pulled off her boots, trading them for the rented bowling shoes. “Thank you so much for doing this for me. I owe you. A lot. I totally forgot I was speaking at that seminar, and I’d hate to leave the nuns…”
“It’s fine,” Ziva cut in.
“I’ll be sure to tell the nuns to be gentle with you tonight, but I really don’t think I’ll need to. They’ll probably really like you. They like almost everybody.”
Ziva smiled. “I still don’t know why I let you talk me into covering for you.”
“Well, the nuns are very picky about having an even number on their team, you know? Sister Theresa, especially. I think they’re pretty okay with the fact that they’re going to lose this match, but we at least have to practice; hopefully we’ll get you into a good rhythm before I have to leave you.”
Ziva looked at Abby, then reached for her bowling shoes. “What, you don’t think I’ll be good at bowling?” she asked, only half-serious.
Abby’s eyes widened as she froze. “No, no, I didn’t mean it like that, I just meant… you know, that you… well, you’re a little out of practice is all.”
“You were doubting me,” Ziva teased. “I choose to take this as a challenge.”
Abby reached for her bag and unzipped it. “That’s the spirit! See, I told you the nuns would love you,” she insisted, pulling out a bowling ball with a skull and crossbones etched onto it. “Okay. I would let you use my bowling balls, but the last time I let someone use them, I tweaked my ankle, so now I don’t let anyone use them. It’s bad luck, I guess. I’ll add it to the list. Right after eating a cupcake any other way from the bottom up, and right before drinking a Caf-Pow without punching the little thing on the cover that says ‘other’. Anyway, you can use one of the balls over on the rack,” she suggested, pointing toward the rack to her right. “Get a lighter ball if you can, it will be easier for you.”
“Is there a special kind I should use?” Ziva asked.
Abby shrugged. “Whatever feels comfortable.”
Ziva walked over to the rack and stood in front of it for a moment, eyeing the vast selection of bowling balls in front of her. As she reached for a ball, she thought back to the first time she went bowling.
The bowling ball felt heavy in her hands, almost as though she was carrying a ton of bricks. She used all her strength to lift it up toward her face, comparing the size of the bowling ball to the size of her head. It seemed so… huge for someone so little to be holding. Ziva pressed the cool surface of the ball to her cheek. She felt her father’s calloused hand pull the ball away from her face and direct it in front of her body, ensuring that she did not injure herself as she admired the object.
Selecting a purple ball that seemed to fit comfortably in her hands, Ziva returned to the lane where Abby was waiting. “How’s this?” she asked.
“Is it light enough for you?” Abby asked, reaching out toward Ziva and taking the ball in her hands. “Yeah, this one should be good. Okay, I’ll go first, and you can watch me, if you want… or do you want to just have at it, go crazy, figure out what’s good for you? I know everyone learns differently, so… up to you.”
Ziva smiled, stepping out of Abby’s way. “I’ll watch you. I think I should try to watch before I attempt. I am certainly not an expert, and you have made this perfectly clear.”
Abby rolled her eyes. “Ha, ha, very funny. Okay, so, um… watch and learn, I guess.”
Ziva stood back and watched as Abby… did whatever she did with her legs before she released the bowling ball toward the pins. The ball zoomed down the lane and crashed into the pins, knocking them all down at once. Abby turned around to face Ziva and then motioned toward the now horizontal pins. “So, that’s how you do it. Any questions from the class?”
“No, I don’t think so,” Ziva replied, taking Abby’s place at the end of the lane. She watched as the pins reset themselves and waited for her turn to attempt something remotely similar to what Abby did. Her heart beat faster as she once again recalled her first bowling experience.
For the first few frames, Ziva stood at the edge of the lane, staring down at the pins and wondering how she would be able to roll her bowling ball all the way down there. Her small hands blindly groped for the three holes that she was instructed to use to get a better grip on the ball.
Ziva quickly closed her eyes and brought herself back to reality, finding the holes in the bowling ball and setting herself up. She brought the bowling ball up in front of her.
“You should probably get more toward the center,” Abby instructed. “You’ll have an easier time knocking down more pins.”
Ziva nodded, stepping to her right and bringing the bowling ball to her chest once again.
It was the fourth frame and Ziva was managing to get the ball most of the way down the lane, but had yet to make contact with any pins. Eli attempted to show her how to properly release the ball, but it wasn’t making sense to her. Finally, Eli walked toward Ziva, stood next to her, and moved her arms around, trying to help her make sense of it all. Nodding, Ziva took a deep breath, moved her arm back, and released the ball. She heard a loud yelp behind her and she turned around to find that the ball had landed on her father’s foot. Grimacing, Eli grasped the ball and moved it out of his way. He walked away from the lane, slipping off his bowling shoes and replacing them with his own. Without a word, he grabbed Ziva’s hand and walked her toward the exit.
Stepping toward the lane and bringing her arm back slowly, Ziva released the bowling ball and watched as it rolled toward the pins. It veered to the right, catching some of the outer pins as it rolled into the gutter.
“Whoa! You did so much better than I did my first time,” Abby said, approaching the lane. “I think we can tweak a few things in your delivery and we’ll be able to do just enough to make those nuns marvel at how quickly you picked this up. Ready to try for a spare?”
Ziva nodded, stepping back to admire what she had done. She smiled. It was a small victory, but it was a milestone… she managed not to injure anyone and knock down a few pins at the same time. She turned around and returned to her place next to Abby.
“Did you ever go bowling as a kid? Because you’re really not so bad,” Abby insisted.
Ziva tugged at her shirt sleeve. “Once. I was very young, probably five or six. There weren’t as many alleys in Israel then as there are now.”
“Were you any good?”
“I am… not sure,” Ziva said, looking to the ground. “I don’t remember much about it.”
Abby handed Ziva the purple bowling ball. “Well, you’re doing pretty well. If tonight with the nuns works out, we may have to have you as a permanent member of the gang, you know?”
Ziva smiled and shook her head, accepting the ball. “I don’t think so." She stepped up to the line, released the ball, and watched as it knocked down the remaining pins.
“I’m loving the irony here, a spare from the spare!” Abby said. “You sure you don’t want to join us permanently?”
“Oh, no, we can’t do that. That would make the team uneven.”
The End
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