NCIS One Shots

Help Me...

Pairing: Z/G (Father-daughter Relationship)

TW: Depression, Emotional Distress, Daddy Issues

Ziva David/Leroy Jethro Gibbs POV (Third Person Omniscient)

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Summary:

Depression comes in all forms, and for Ziva, it was definitely 'high functioning'. Would she break and ask for the one person she has left who still cares most about her or would she suffer alone in silence?

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AN:

There is no explanation for the depression, either Ziva hasn't figured it out or she is just too much in pain to think. (In conclusion, I'm too lazy to write)

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Leroy Jethro Gibbs POV (Third Person Omniscient)

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Something changed. Something definitely changed. 

He looked over at his favorite agent working at her desk, there was no self-care, her hair was curly and wild, the roots were greasy to anyone who paid attention, and slicked back in a ponytail to create a put-together look like she hadn't washed it in days. She hadn't put on makeup days, maybe weeks, but that wasn't apparent, it wasn't required to do her job. The same three outfits were worn over and over again with different combinations between the three, rotating every few days to create the illusion of wearing a fresh outfit. She started wearing scented deodorant, possibly used to cover the fact of the lowering standards of self-care.

Gibbs couldn't quite put the finger on it, but he knew, he always knew. Something changed.

But that's not all, she denied almost every team meal there was, always making lame excuses, saying that she was not feeling hungry. And when she did when they made her join them, she barely ate a few bites and said she was full. The loss of appetite wasn't obvious either, no one would even think another thought about it if they didn't put the other changes together. 

It started with something subtle, so subtle that barely anyone can detect. It was surprising that Gibbs caught it.

Those were only the physical changes. She still put up with Tony's annoying comments and antics and promptly participated in group conversations to not raise suspicion. But from across the room, her body language told the trained eye that she wanted nothing more than not to be there. And the hardest to detect of all was the little movements that nobody thinks twice about like silent shaking of the legs, the subtle nail-biting... It must be a great facade if Tony or McGee hasn't suspected anything yet, but he wasn't surprised, she was trained by the best at Mossad after all. 

He had an uneasy feeling about this 'change' in Ziva, she just seemed different...

She refused to go out with anyone after work, hangouts and drinks were often denied. Outside of work, no one saw her. Lying about having important things to do and boring errands to run, she was pushing people away, she was closing off to the world, isolating in the lonely little apartment that she called home. Gibbs wondered if this self-isolation was newfound as well or if he just miraculously missed it before.

How long has it been going on? He didn't know.

There was also the loss of interest in things she liked. A few days ago, he overheard Ziva tell Tony she hasn't been to the shooting range in weeks but brushed it off saying that she was busy. Another time, when Tony asked how her martial arts were going, she said she dropped it. It was unlike Ziva she would disengage from things and hobbies she liked, seemed like she no longer enjoyed the previous extra co-curricular activities anymore.