A/N - Dedicated to a dear, wonderful teacher who lost the battle to throat cancer early this morning. Ma'am, for inspiring me, for making me laugh and for those flashy accessories of yours... Rest in peace knowing that your are and you always will be remembered by all of us... You are sorely missed.

I'm back! Lilly's story and that of the gang has been keeping me up during nights when I should've been studying for my semesters, so go and enjoy the fruit of my labors! ;)

CHAPTER 1

The beach beneath her bare feet is coarse, warm and golden. The breeze is heavy, lifting the loose grains of sand from the ground and carrying them afar, into the deep, turquoise sea, where the tides crash against the shore in an eternal battle.

The peace that settles over Ziva David-DiNozzo is unprecedented. The still quietness of the beach, broken only by the mystical sound of the waves soothes her as nothing before. No before, and no after; just a then, with the feel of the midday sun shining down on her cheerfully, nothing but a soft carpet of liquid gold, interwoven with strands of navy for miles and miles.

Sighing happily, she wiggles her toes in the sand, loving the feel of the rough grain grating against her skin. For a moment, she stares at the sea in front of her, unrelenting and powerful and majestic. Then, with a loud, childish cry of unrestricted glee, she runs forward, joyfully dipping her feet into the cool water.

A vague thought flutters at the edge of her brain, but she brushes it away. Wake up, Ziva… dismissing the stray thought, she raises her face to the warmth of the sun, enjoying its heat. Exhaling loudly, she wonders if she was ever as content as this – free and unfettered, living her life her own way.

A single, unattached memory floats into her brain at that, and it's not so much a memory as it is an invisible feeling… of her, naked, in bed, wrapped up within the embrace of strong, masculine arms as the hands attached to those arms stoked her swollen belly.

I love you, Ziva.

Her eyes fly open in startled recognition and her heart leaps to her throat at the voice that sounds as though he is standing right next to her.

Tony?

She tries to call out, her contentment and satisfaction vanishing within the space of a single heartbeat. He is searching for her, calling out for her, and she desperately looks to get back to him.

But she is alone. On the beach, silent and unguarded, she is the only visitor, and her heart breaks. She wonders if she is finally, finally dead… if she has left behind family that mourns for her at all.

"Ziva David-DiNozzo, is it?"

The voice is somehow familiar, even though she knows she's never heard it before. She whirls around, glad for some company so she can find out what the hell is going on, but the question dies on her lips. For the woman standing in front of her is a woman she has long competed with, long respected and long believed to be gone.

Confidence etched into her every stance, her smile as sunny as it always was, one hand on the gun holster resting on her hip, Caitlin Todd is every inch the NCIS Agent Ziva knows Gibbs trained her to be.

"Ka… Kate," she murmurs, chocolate eyes wide with shock. Kate's grin only widens and she walks closer to the dumbstruck Israeli.

"Hello Ziva," she says. "Pleasure to finally meet you."

Ziva blinks at the bizarreness of it all and reaches out to shake the offered hand. Kate pulls her out of the water, and the sand sticks to her wet, bare feet.

"Am… am I dead?" she asks the other woman quietly. She blinks away the sudden moisture in her eyes, wondering what would now become of everyone. Gibbs… Tony… Lilly…

"Not if you don't wanna be, Miss David," Kate replies, smiling cryptically, her dark eyes glinting mischievously.

"It's David-DiNozzo," Ziva corrects, raising an eyebrow, her voice just the slightest bit defensive. And contrary to her expectations, Kate does not take offense, instead laughing out loud, her dark hair flying in the summer wind.

"Can't believe he bagged a bombshell like ya," she tells the startled woman delightedly, and her unexpected enthusiasm has Ziva smiling too. Her eyes are surprisingly warm, inviting and Ziva wonders why she was nervous about meeting this woman, who though dead because of her brother, clearly harbors no ill will toward her.

"Walk with me, Ziva," Kate requests as the laughter dies down. Ziva nods, accepting the proffered hand and the two women walk along the coastline. Here, in the silent stillness of the ether, Ziva doesn't find it weird that she is walking hand-in-hand with another woman; instead, she finds herself grateful, because she was lost and alone for so long. Now, she has someone to show her the way… another woman in her NCIS family. The thought brings a smile to her face.

"DiNozzo's one lucky bastard," Kate comments and Ziva turns a questioning look to her. "Hmmm?"

"He wakes up to that smile every morning," she elaborates and Ziva grins widely.

"He is indeed a lucky man," she responds, eyes twinkling. "He has me. And Lilly. And the rest. Even though he drives us all crazy with his move references."

Kate chuckles, but her mirth vanishes as soon as it comes, though her eyes remain bright.

"Are you aright?" Ziva asks, when she doesn't reply, worried at her sudden pensiveness. She shakes her head wordlessly. Silence pervades again, this time not so comfortable, and the ex-assassin wonders at it.

"You are just as fortunate," Kate tells her at last, and Ziva's head whips around to stare at her. Taking in the sudden guarded stance, she nods slowly, letting her gaze glide over the sand in front of them… endless, timeless and ageless as the sea, it stretches for miles and miles.

"I am," she agrees. "I have him. And my family. Your family."

Kate's smile finally reappears, and though she has never asked or wanted the approval of the woman she replaced, Ziva is glad that she has it.

"Thank you, Ziva," she says softly. "You've loved them just as fiercely I did. As I do."

"They are mine just as much they are yours, Kate," she answers. A moment passes in silence, no more or no less important than every other minute Ziva has spent here, with this woman.

"You have doubted your place amongst them?" Kate's voice is quiet, gentle, though her eyes are sharp. Ziva meets her gaze steadily, tilting he head in acquiescence.

"Sometimes," she returns just as faintly, hesitance etched on the planes of her sun-kissed face. "Yes. At the beginning, I did it often. But lately…" she trails off, eyes glazing over at the memory of her daughter, captured. Because of her.

The fallen Agent from Team Gibbs seems to be reading her mind. "What Calev Meyer did was not your fault, Ziva," she informs her strictly. "It was his sin, not yours. If anyone's at fault, it's him and your father, for making the Devil's deal with him in the first place."

"But if not for me," Ziva whispers, swallowing hard, "Lilly would never have been in danger. Tony, and McGee and Abby and Gibbs… they have put themselves in harm's way too many times. For me."

"Didn't you just say they are family?" Kate asks her sternly. "That's what family is, Ziva. Looking out for one another. Taking care of each other. They love you. As you love them."

"Kate," Ziva sighs. "I do not know. I am simply tired… of being my father's daughter, of bringing pain to those who are so very important to me."

"Without you," Kate's voice is strong, clear. "Lillian would not even exist. For that alone, don't you dare regret what's happened so far. I don't."

Ziva looks up, gaze questioning. "My brother killed you, Kate," she flinches as she utters the line.

"And it was your brother," Kate replies. "Not you. So don't you dare blame yourself for anything."

Smiling, she draws the daughter of Mossad's head into a tight, sisterly embrace.

"You took my place, Ziva," she murmurs into the shorter woman's dark hair. "But you didn't replace me. For that, I can't thank you enough."

Ziva pulls back the slightest bit, the corner of her lips curving into a tender smile. "I could never replace you. You will always be a part of their family… of our family."

A silent understanding passes between the two women, both belonging to the same home, same family and the same desk, and yet so very different. Trust, love and respect they now share, and though time has been stolen from them, they are truly sisters, loving and being loved by the same people.

"Take care of 'em for me?" Kate beseeches her and Ziva nods. "Always," she returns quietly.

"Then it's time for you to go home," the older woman smiles and gestures around her, and Ziva is startled to realize that they are no longer on the beach, but they are, instead, standing in the middle of a clearing, the smell of the salt replaced by the fresh fragrance of grass and wildflowers.

"What… how?" she asks confusedly. "Kate…?" she wonders at the mystic, knowing smile curving her friend's face.

"She is a beautiful child, Ziva," Kate tells her quietly. "As precious as her namesake, and just as loved. Take good care of her."

Ziva frowns, about to question her, when the sound of familiar giggles fills the air. She freezes, heart thundering against her chest, and her breath catches in her throat.

"Lillian…" she breathes, and Kate nods.

"Go, Ziver," Kate uses Gibbs's endearment, and Ziva blinks hard against the moisture in her eyes. "She's waiting for you."

As much as she wants to rush to her child and hold her close, Ziva hesitates. "And you… Kate?" she questions uncertainly, waiting, for the other woman's eyes are wet despite her smile.

"Take your daughter home," Kate advises. "They're all waiting for you."

With that, she shoves Ziva gently in the direction of the happy laughter. Ziva's last image of the woman she took the place of is a soft, knowing smile, her eyes sparkling with deep, unstated love. For a second, she mourns that they will not meet again, before Lilly's voice fill her ears and she fairly flies to the middle of the clearing where three figures stand.

"Lillian…" she calls out huskily, and her little girl turns to her, pulling away from an older, red-headed woman.

"Mommy!" she cries and rushes into her embrace as Ziva goes down on one knee, arms held open. The next moment, they are both on the ground, peppering each other with kisses, tears wetting their cheeks, even as they hold each other tightly.

"Lilly…" Ziva murmurs, kissing her cheek. "Lilly… my Lilly…"

"Mommy…" Lillian sobs into her shirt, and Ziva rubs her forehead. "Mommy…"

"I have you, my Lea-love," she whispers, and Lilly buries her face into her shoulder, crying quietly. "I love you."

Shannon and Kelly watch, smiling, as the two finally split apart. Ziva turns to them, still holding her daughter tight, and her eyes widen at the sight of Gibbs's family. Shannon walks toward her, taking her hand and squeezing it gently.

"Time to go home, Ziver," she says with a knowing smile and Ziva blinks. First Kate, now Shannon and she has to admit, she loves being called that.

"Get going," Kelly chirps, and Ziva nods, bending down to kiss the other child on the head. She is another of Gibbs's daughters, his true little girl, the one who started the cycle, and the one who is as cherished as the day she was born.

"Thank you," she whispers, wanting, needing, to say so much more. But her words are stuck in her throat, and she can only squeeze her daughter firmly, hoping they understand everything she cannot voice. And they do.

"Always."

And abruptly, their faces blur, and they begin to vanish, even as Ziva's view is blocked by the sudden mist that hangs in the air heavily. Their smiles, though, remain radiant, and she closes her eyes, pulling Lilly close and rubbing her back against the cold.

Look after 'em all, Ziva.

Ziva doesn't hear Kate's voice so much as she feels it in her heart and she nods.

Tell my Daddy I love him, Lea.

Connected as she is with her daughter, Ziva feels Lilly's worry that Kelly should feel so sad. She is distracted, however, by Shannon's voice, sounding so familiar and so strange, she aches for her own mother.

Keep Tony close to you for as long as you can, Ziva. Hold every moment close to your heart, for they're all precious.

The older woman's advice is born out of bitter and loved experiences, and Ziva treasures it. Because this woman is no less than her mother, even if they have never met, and she is revered, for now and for always.

"Mommy?" Lilly's voice is lost in the wind as it picks up, and suddenly, they find themselves standing in the middle of a tornado. But there is no fear, only hope… and love, deep and desperate.

"Daddy is waiting for us, my little Lea," she murmurs, kissing her cheek, smoothing her hair back. "Let's go home."

The last thing she sees is her daughter's radiant, beaming smile as she nods. Then everything goes black.

Home…Tony.

A/N - To my reviewers and readers, a huge, huge thank you and hugs, for staying with me so long! Hope you guys enjoyed this one, I'll be back with the next soon enough. It may take me some time though, since I have to sort through some personal stuff, but I will update soon. As my dedication reads, one of my teachers passed away this morning, and I'm kinda still in shock, so totally freaked out here.

LittleMissBrit - Happy to see this one start? ;)

ncis-1001 - May's here, and so am I! ;) Glad you liked!

ash - I saw your review and I was like, OMG, mind reader! :P This one was written almost immediately after I finished with Little Sunshine, so yeah, you totally read my mind... Glad you liked! :)

That's it for now, next one maybe up by the end of next week! See you soon.

- Chavi