A/N: It's really late, and I've been working on this story for two days. I just came back from camp, and now I'm suffering from a writer's block once again. I'm currently working on the fourth chapter for Ignition. If you have not read my other story, what are you doing? Go read it! I promise that I will try to update that story as soon as I can. In the meantime, here is a little one shot about the David family. This story includes, of course, Ziva David, ft. Eli, Tali, Ari, and Rivka! In this story, this is kind of important, Rivka and Ari are RELATED. Truthfully, I can't find in any episode where Ziva reveals her mother's name. I know it said in Silent Night, back in season 6, maybe I'm deaf, but I didn't hear anything. Please excuse any stupid grammatical mistake that you see, it's late and I want to finish this. Please READ, ENJOY, and REVIEW!
Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS or the song by Eminem.
Plot: Is based on the song When I'm Gone, by Eminem. It's a sad little one shot, somewhat lengthy. This is about Eli and his job, and how it got in the way of family.
*Due to a demand I had to remove the lyrics of the song. I was not aware that writers cannot include lyrics. Sorry, but reading all the rules to me is like reading all the terms of use on any other website or application. I do advise that you listen to the lyrics, or read it to get an understanding of the story. Even if you don't, I think that you will get the idea.*
Eli David would never consider himself a family man aloud, but deep down, he truly cared for his family. He cherished all three of his children, Tali, Ziva, and Ari and adored his wife. Every day, Eli would try his best to keep his family safe from all the danger that surrounded them and would do everything in his power to do so. There was almost nothing that could stop him from ever loving his family, as a father should. That's the thing… almost. Despite all his love, his job would always pull him back to reality.
Tali ran through the hallway down to her father's study, her colourful picture flailing like a flag in the wind. She burst the door and ran up to her father who was on the phone.
"Abba! Abba! Look at what I made!" Tali held her picture up to him with great pride, a smile spread from ear to ear.
Eli let out a sigh, holding his free hand over the speaker. "Tali, you are old enough to know that you knock before entering my study. I am on the phone now. Please, leave."
The young girl's smile immediately dropped into a disappointed frown. She held the picture at her side and slowly walked away, closing the door as she exited. When she turned the corner she pressed her tiny self against the wall and cautiously peered in to listen to her father's conversation.
"That was just my daughter. It was nothing, please do continue." There was muffled speaking coming from the other person. "Yes. Yes, I will be on the plane tonight. Shalom."
Tears threatened to spew out of her big brown eyes, "He's leaving…again".
Tali ran to her room, her thundering footsteps alerting her older brother who sat in his room. The girl laid down on her bed, tears flowing and soft whimpers emitting. Ari gingerly opened his youngest sister's bedroom door. When he saw her crying, there was nothing he could do but feel bad. He walked over to her and cradled her in his arms. The boy stroked her hair in an attempt to calm her. Ziva, his younger sister, peered in coming to console the innocent little girl.
"Abba is leaving again…" Tali gasped out inbetween sobs.
Eli was always so caught up in his work that he did not realize that he was the reason his children hurt so much. It was nothing new to Ziva and Ari. At an early age, both Ari and Ziva learned to control her emotions by burying them deep inside and putting on a stone face. This was something Tali had yet to learn. For now, their mother was the number cure for a broken smile.
After he had gotten off the phone, Eli walked into the kitchen to get himself some tea. He knew not being home often times, took a toll on his relationship with his family. However, Eli knew that there was nothing he could do; he was the deputy director of Mossad. The man leaned against the kitchen sink, deep in thought, when he felt a slight tug at his pants.
"Abba, where is Ima?" Ziva asked.
"Do not bother me. I am busy. Go play with your brother and sister."
Ziva simply nodded and walked away, "Ari is right. He does not care for us…"
That evening, Eli tucked in Ziva, the last of the three to fall asleep. The small girl had clung on to her father's hand as she slept peacefully. He was reluctant to let go, but his job was calling. The man kissed her on the forehead and whispered, "I love you." Eli let go of his daughter's small hand, letting it rest on the blanket. He walked into his office and picked up his duffle bag to leave. The moon's light shone through the windows, illuminating part of the hallway. He opened the door with a sigh and was just about to exit, when he heard an almost inaudible squeak come from behind him. The man turned sharply, withdrawing his sidearm. Rivka walked out from the shadows. She had a stern expression, but sadness was evident in her eyes.
"Eli, where are you going?" She questioned, worry and fear in his voice.
Eli put his gun back into his holster, "I have a plane to catch."
"No you do not!" The woman's voice rose. His wife approached him, grabbing his hand. "You do not have to go because Mossad asked you to."
"Yes I do, because Mossad told me to. I have a country to protect." Eli tried to control his anger, but his voice was still rising.
"You also have a family to protect." Rivka still clung onto his arm, her grip getting tighter the more he talked.
"I am the deputy director. I have a job to fulfill." Eli was practically yelling.
Meanwhile, Ari and Tali had gotten up from their slumber due to the yelling. Both children crept out of their room where they saw their parents having, yet another, yelling match.
"Leave then! I hope the plane crashes!"Rivka yelled, spewing acid into each word. Eli raised his hand and brought it down forcefully. His wife fell, she looked up at him in utter fear. Eli stared down at her superciliously.
Tali let out a small whimper. Hearing his sister's small cry, Ari put a protective arm around her. In the second that Ari saw his father raise a hand, he felt a heated rage burst in him. Ari wanted nothing but to jump at Eli, but doing so could anger the monster even more, and that was the last thing he would want his family to endure. For now he let the hatred boil inside him.
Eli and Rivka locked eyes, neither of them daring to break it. Tension hung high in the air. Finally, Eli turned to the door soundlessly, taking his bags with him, and left, leaving his wife on the floor. He walked coolly to the arranged car and drove off into the night.
Ziva, while in her room, heard the familiar engine of her father's car drive off.
Still lying in her sleeping form, the little girl whispered: "Good bye, Abba. I love you too." A single tear rolled down her face and onto the pillow.
When Eli arrived at his hotel, he began unpacking. While taking out the first couple of shirt, he felt something brush his knuckle. It was definitely not fabric. The man set his clothing down on the bed absentmindedly. A corner of a piece of paper stuck out from his neatly folded clothing, which still lay in his suitcase. There was green on the paper. He touched the corner, rubbing it between his fingers. "Wax". Eli carefully pulled out the flimsy material. Once it was completely free, he held it in his hands. It was the drawing that Tali had wanted to show him earlier. The picture was bright and colourful. It depicted them, as a family, himself, Tali, Ziva, Ari, and Rivka, all at the park with him pushing Tali on a swing. Each family member's name was above the detailed stick looking figures, a bright yellow sun in the corner, with green grass, red swing set, blue sky, and even a butterfly with a multitude of colours. Looking at the drawing reminded Eli of his first fight with Ziva. She was about 5 years old, and it was the first time that she ever talked back to him. He had just told her that he was going to be away for her dance recital, which was within a few hours. Ziva immediately burst into anger.
"Why do you have to go?" She yelled, tears starting to pool out.
"Because my job requires me to." Eli tried to reason.
"You promised me that you would come! You said that you would not miss the next one! I can hear Ima's cries. Why? Why do you make her cry? Do you not love us?"
"It is complicated Ziva. You do not understand. I do not have time fore this… I must leave soon." Eli got up from his seat trying to get to the door, but Ziva ran in front her arms and legs spread out wide to cover as much space as her little body could.
"Don't leave, Abba…Please." Her voice was soft now. He looked down into her brown pleading eyes.
Eli knelt down so that he was eye level to his daughter, "Ziva, you know I cannot disobey an order."
"Okay…" Ziva looked down sadly, shoving her hands into her overalls. "But, Abba? Take this…" The girl handed him a heart shaped locket. A line split down the middle of the front, creating two halves. Eli opened it, careful not to break it. On one half of the heart was a picture of Rivka smiling fondly looking to her right, on the other half was a picture of himself, also smiling, looking to his left, and in the middle was a picture of all three children smiling.
"See? Because you protect us all the time, we will protect you." Ziva pointed to the picture in the middle.
"Thank you, Ziva." Eli gave her a hug.
"I will miss you Abba." The little girl whispered, her voice cracking.
Eli held the tears back, trying to keep his stoic face, but he still felt that hard lump in his throat…
Just then, his cell phone began to ring, snapping Eli out of his reverie.
"Shalom. Yes. I will be there as soon as I can. Yes. Shalom."
The man walked into his bathroom, turned on the faucet, and splashed cold water onto his face. He leaned up against the sink, staring at his reflection intensely.
"You must focus. You have a job to do. Nothing else matters. You are almost at the top, there is nothing stopping you."
After drying off his face, Eli put his stoic mask back on, picked up his gun, and walked out the door.
Eli was dressed in a nice suit, with a black tie. He conversed with people who were in high places. In his hand, he held a fine red wine. Everything was going perfectly, nothing could ruin this night.
"Sir, they are going to announce your promotion now." Eli nodded and made his way to the side of the stage. A man who was already at the podium began speaking.
"Attention. Attention. Excuse me, ladies and gentle men, I have been the director of Mossad for many years already, but, it has come to my attention that I am aging, rather rapidly," People chuckled, "And that I must now replace myself with a new, younger, person. I thought that there was no one eligible enough but… Eli David!" The crowd began clapping and cheering. Eli stepped up onto the stage and bowed. When he looked back up, right in the front row was his daughter, Ziva. Eli's eye widened somewhat.
"Ziva, what are you doing here?"
"Abba! Please help! There was an explosion!" The little girl was frantic. Tears were flowing freely. The crowd still clapped and cheered around the two.
"Ziva, we are in Sweden. How did you get here?" Eli asked, both anger and concerned.
"I followed you Abba! You broke your promise to me! You said that you would not leave! I guess you do not love us enough...Do not expect any of us to be home when you come back." The words burned him.
"Ziva, wait!" Eli pleaded.
"No! Your work always came first. All the times you left. You have made your point that your work is more important than your own family…"
"Can you not hear the roaring applause for you? All hail Director Eli David." She said sarcastically. "Just go off on another trip, they will never desert you…" Ziva disappeared into the crowd of cheering people.
Eli looks up at the many people still applauding for him. Horror take over and he stumbles back behind the stage. "Blinded by my own work…" He pulls the gun from his holster; "A home is not a home, until it has family… but that's gone." The man holds it to his temple and pulls the trigger…
Eli springs up from his bed with a gasp, looking around. Sweat was on his brow, his heart was racing, and his sheets were disheveled. In the same hotel room, with his clothing half unpacked. He looked to his side. Wrapped inside his hand was the locket that Ziva had given him and just beside that was Tali's picture. "Just a dream." Eli thought with relief. Sat in his bed just while longer, when his phone began to ring.
"Shalom." He answered. "Yes. I will be there as soon as I can. Yes. Shalom."
He got up from his bed and walked into the washroom, leaving the necklace atop of the picture. Eli David was a family man, deep down, and there was almost nothing that could stop him from ever loving his family, as a father should. That's the thing… almost.