Somehow I got writers block in the middle of writing this. But I finished it the other day, and spent this morning editing it, as I don't have a BETA for my Tiva fics (just my X-Files fics).
My inspiration for this fic was a post on tumblr and the song Listen to Your Heart,, which I listened to a repeat while I wrote this.
Enjoy!
She watched the airplane take off from the tarmac, tears pouring down her face as she says her final goodbyes to him. Her lover. Her everything. But his life was back there, in DC where they had first met, all those years ago, not here in Israel. That was her home, or at least it use to be, and will once again. But she couldn't stay here any longer, not with what she had done. And now, after what she had done with him, if she ever went back there, to that job, she wouldn't be able to go back to how they use to be, when they were just partners.
And she could definitely not go back to that, not after his months long stay at her farm house. She can never forget the way he makes her feel. Going back to work, being with him everyday and not being allowed to touch him, so she made that final decision to not go back to America. To stay in the house her father left her; where she was born.
It was the hardest decision she had ever had to make.
That was over two years ago.
Her house is gone. He is gone. Their daughter is gone. And here she is, alone, with her cellphone in her hand. Fifteen missed calls, from him. No one else, just him. By now she bets that he had met their daughter and he had been attempting fate by calling her, even after claiming on the news that she is dead. And it breaks her heart every time she has to let it ring. Oh, she wants to answer him, she wants to hear his voice again. She wants to talk to her baby girl again. She's never gone this long without being with her little one.
Her heart screams at her to go to him, to fly to Washington and pull him into a hug and kiss, and never let go. But she knew she couldn't do that, they would know she would go there, to him. She has a different plan, anyways. She has had it since she packed that picture in their daughter's diaper bag; to Paris, she had always loved Paris. She just hopes he gets the hint.
Her cell rings again as she's heading out the door of the hotel room. Her thumb hovers over the green button before she regrettably removes it from the screen; she lets it go to voicemail. With a sigh, she makes her way out of the hotel, and soon, out of the country.
She rests her head against the wall of the plane as it takes off of the desert ground. Her phone has rang twice since she was in the airport, and this is the first time it's been silent for so long, now that it was on airplane mode. Each time he has called her, she has come closer to answering, going against Orli's wishes. But she has to stay strong, she'll see them soon.
Five hours pass a lot quicker than she expects. Her book is finished and she couldn't help but think of him, The Little Prince, over the past couple years, when she was feeling particularly lonely, she plays the old movie, to the point where she can quote along with the added lines of the movie. She only wishes she had decided to pack her laptop in her carry-on so she could watch it.
The air is warm in Paris for the nice May weather. Flashes of the last time she was in the city comes to her quickly. The hotel, restaurant, the cafe, anything that holds a memory to her. Without a second thought, she heads to the hotel she has booked and drops off her luggage before heading to the little cafe on the corner.
Her phone rings again before she makes it to the cafe, keeping to herself, she again doesn't answer it. However, when she arrives and orders her coffee, she pulls it out and dials her voicemail to listen to the messages he has left her.
"Ziva… W-why didn't you tell me? You could've called."
He was upset, and rightly so. She knew she shouldn't have kept it from him, and she regrets ever hiding her pregnancy and daughter from him. She had spent every moment of her pregnancy with him on her mind, scared of what he would say if she told him. Worried that he might not even want their daughter, even if her anxiety was far fetched, it had kept her from telling him. Even the fear of him quitting his job and and coming to her was something she wouldn't wish him to ever do. She knows he'd drop everything for her.
"There is so much that I have missed, please tell me, why?"
She was just trying to keep him safe, but in the end, she just broke his heart, she can hear it in his voice. Now look where it got her. Her home was gone, she and her daughter were in danger, and he believed her to be dead.
"Ziva, we got the guy who did it, you're safe."
That was a relief. She didn't have to hide anymore. She can prove to him that she is in fact, still alive. She can finally go to him, and they can be happy together for the first time since he stayed with her. That time alone, they were free to do as they pleased, and it resulted in a beautiful baby girl. And now they were free to be at peace again.
"Tim and Jimmy have been fawning over Tali since she got here, they hate to see us go."
Her eyes starts to tear up. She wishes she could have taken her daughter to see her friends in person. Something which she had been thinking of doing many times since her baby girl was born. Showing Gibbs that he does have a grandchild, her friends that they do have a niece. But she didn't, she stayed in hiding where she thought they were safe from the dangers of the outside world. Now it was her daughter's father who had to introduce her to her extended family, she just hopes that the little girl understands what was going on.
"Dad is happy to finally have a grandchild, he wants to come with us, but I told him no."
She only wishes her own father had gotten to meet and dot on her daughter too. But she was grateful that Senior was able to meet her, someone he can start anew with, someone who doesn't know his past mistakes. She had told her daughter about her grandfather, but kept his mistakes to herself. She would rather have her daughter see him as a hero than a cunning con-man.
"Well, we've booked our flight out, we'll see you when we see you."
That last message was sent nearly eight hours before, meaning that they should be arriving anytime now. Sipping her coffee, she stares down at her phone on the table. She wasn't so sure if he was going to call her again or if he was going against the odds and just showing up to the cafe. It would probably be safer for her if he just shows up in front of her. She doesn't know what she'd say if she had to suddenly hear his voice again. After all these years, his voice still made her weak in the knees.
Around her, voices mingles into one, French layered over each other, very few other languages mixed in, but one stood out. Hebrew. She looks up hastily, searching for the voice. Someone was speaking it not to far away. "Aba, where is Ima?" The reply that came was broken, as if he didn't speak hebrew all the time, but practiced it every so often.
"Soon, baby."
That voice.
Her heart stops.
Her phone rings.
Looking down at the phone in front of her, she reads the name. It's him. She lets it ring for a few moments, taking the time to calm her racing heart, before she answers it.
"T-Tony?"
He didn't answer her, but in the crowd, he waves to her, he walks up to her, her daughter balanced on his shoulders. There is was, after all these years apart, he was here in front of her. Was this a dream? I must be. She pinches her wrist, She's really awake, this is really happening.
Before she knows it, he's standing in front of her, towering over her and the table. "Ziva." He sighs, a smile growing on his face.
"Ima!" Their daughter giggles from her perch, her arms stretched towards her.
She gets up from the table, her eyes never leaving his, and walks into his arms.
"You knew to come." She whispers, staring into his eyes, tears glistening in the sunlight.
He was quiet for a moment, leaning in for a kiss. "I listened to my heart." He closes the gap and presses his lips against hers.